Pringles, Pumpkins and Parties...oh my!

This past week has been filled with lots of activities!  First, our Xerox Science Consultant came on Wednesday to do some pumpkin measurement.  We reviewed finding the circumference and height of their pumpkin using rulers and tape measure.  We also reviewed the terms diameter, radius, mass, weight, and volume.  While the kids were finding the circumference and height, small groups went up to find the mass of their pumpkins in grams.  Once everyone made their measurements, our friend Maizy took her pumpkin up to the table to find the volume of her pumpkin.  Since pumpkins don't have a set length, width and height, we had to find the volume another way.  Mr. Asarese brought a HUGE beaker with him.  It will filled with a certain amount of water.  He showed everyone how to find the correct amount of water in the beaker by getting eye level with the water, then read how much was in it.  Then we placed Maizy's pumpkin in the water until it was covered completely.  Mr. Asarese had to hold it down under the surface of the water, because pumpkins float!  Then Maize read the new measurement of the water.  When the first amount was subtracted from the higher amount, we would find the volume of the pumpkin!  We were not able to do that with everyone's pumpkins since we ran out of time, but we had a great lesson reviewing measurement, and everyone got to keep their pumpkin!

About a week and a half ago, Mrs. Coene and I brought 12 packages to the post office in Webster.  Boy were the workers glad to see us!  We sent all of our packages to Hong Kong.  I keep checking with Mrs. Smith to see if she has received them, but no word yet!  My fingers and toes are crossed that they will make it ok.  The workers looked at Mrs. Coene and I a little funny when we told them that they each contained one Pringle potato chip!!  This week, we will be opening the packages from Hong Kong to see how their Pringles made out!  We will post data as soon as we finish.

Friday, Klem South had it's annual Halloween Costume Parade!  There were safari guys, witches, gangsters, boxers, angels, dolls, and werewolves just in our classroom alone!  We were even visited by Finn from Adventure Time, Carmen Santiago, and Harry Potter.  We all had a fun day and had wonderful treats.  One of the favorite activities was Digging For Worms.  For this activity, we put a gummy worm on a paper plate and covered it with some whipped cream.  Then the plates were placed on a table, with a student at each one.  The goal was for each student to find the gummy worm and eat it....all with their hands behind their backs!  It was loud, fun, and everyone was laughing!  I will be posting pictures of the worm activity on the class web page very soon!

This week, there seems to be more excitement.  Sandy is on her way, and who knows what that will bring!  Not to mention, Halloween is this actually this Wednesday.  Wednesday we will be keeping things low key, since we already had our party last week.  Until next blog update, have a great week, and stay safe!!

Mrs. Burns  :)

Stream Visit #1....Success!

What an awesome day we had in 4th grade today!  Right after specials, we got on our rain boots and old sneakers, gathered our equipment, and headed out to Mill Creek at Webster Park.  Our class, Mrs. Coene's class, and Ms. Hanson's class did three different tasks today.  One group went with Mrs. Coene.  Their job was to gather macro-invertebrates to bring back to school.  They needed buckets and nets to get what they needed!  A second group worked with me.  My group collected the following data:  water temperature, water pH, levels of nitrates and phosphates, stream depth, stream width, clarity of the water, and flow rate of the stream.  We used LabQuest sensors, a clarity tube, meter stick, and string to help us measure those things.  The last group broke into smaller groups with Ms. Hanson, Mrs. Richardson, and a number of parents, to complete visual surveys of the area around the stream.  It is important to record information about what is in and around the stream, to help us draw our conclusions about the health of the water in that stream.  These groups walked the length of the stream right to where it met Lake Ontario.  One of the neat things we saw was the salmon that were working their way upstream!

This afternoon, we carefully went through our stream samples of water to identify the different macro-invertebrates we collected.  Some macro-invertebrates are very sensitive to pollution, so if we find a large number of those macros, we can conclude that the water in that stream has little amounts of pollution.  The students had a super time searching for macros, and sharing their findings with the others.  Our next step is to post all of our data to our Stream Team Wiki, and analyze what we found!

Today was a great day of learning!  I would like to thank Mr. Egerton, Mrs. Willmott, and Mrs. Kidane for joining us today.  We couldn't have done it without you!  Enjoy the rest of the week!!

Mrs. Burns

Catching Up

It has been a while since my last post!  We have been very busy here at Klem South.  A few weeks ago, we went to the 4th Grade Fun Run.  The kids did great!  It was fun to see them all do their best and cheer on their classmates.  We took some great pictures of the kids toward the finish line.  I will post them soon!

We also started our spelling program.  We are using Words Their Way.  This program helps ensure that children have a spelling program to meet their individual needs.  Your child was assessed using a spelling inventory and has been placed in a group that will work on the patterns he/she has not yet mastered.  On Mondays, the students are placed in their groups, and the sort is introduced.  On Tuesday, they sort their words into the patterns and record the sort in their Word Work Journal.  Wednesdays, they choose 6 spelling words and write complete sentences.  Thursday, they do a teacher choice activity, or rainbow words.  Rainbow words is where they write 10 spelling words in their journal, then write the word again using 4 different colored pencils/crayons.  Fridays is their spelling test.  Again, it is not about memorizing a list of words for a test on Friday.  We talk about how those words work, and how the words sound.  We find other words that fit the patterns they are working on.  This way, when they are writing, they can apply what they learned in spelling new words.  Students are expected to practice their spelling by doing an activity each night.  The activities are listed in their Homework Binder, and they do not have to bring the activity they do at home to school the next day.

We have also received packages from Hong Kong!  The fifth graders we are partnered with sent their Pringle Packages.  The kids are so excited to open them!  Ours are finished and ready to be mailed today!  Next week, we will be making our videos to introduce ourselves to our new friends, and we will be opening the packages!

Next week we have our first Stream Team field trip!  We will be going to Mill Creek at Webster Park on Tuesday, October 16th.  Students will be measuring temperature, water clarity, stream depth/width, flow rate, nitrate/phosphate levels, and completing a visual survey of the surrounding area.  We will also be collecting macroinvertebrate samples to bring back to school to identify.  We will leave after specials (10:45) and be back at 12:00 at the latest.  Thank you for sending in the permission slips!  We even have a few parents who volunteered to go with us!  If you change your mind and want to join us, just send me an e-mail! 

The PTSA is also sponsering a family science night, Tuesday, October 16th.  It sounds like it is going to be a ton of fun!  Check out the Klem South PTSA blog for more information:  http://klemsouthptsa.blogspot.com/

Here is some more dates to remember:

Wednesday, October 17th:  picture day!
Friday, October 26th:  PTSA Meeting (8:50 am)
                                     Klem South Costume Parade (9:20 am)
                                     Class Fall Party  **More info about our party is coming soon!

That's about it for now!  Have a great weekend!


Mrs. Burns