Improv with Mike and Laura

Our improv cycle with Mike and Laura ended in early December. To celebrate, many parents and siblings visited the classroom to watch our final class. We demonstrated all the different games and activities we had learned.

Here's an example of the gift giving game we played.

We'll be using the games frequently throughout the year to help us in reading, writing and social studies. For example, during social studies we'll become different characters throughout time. We'll act out improvised scenes from important historical events. We'll even imagine ourselves in different locations (for example, a colonial kitchen) and use the items that would be there.

The Old Stone House

This year, we've taken two field trips to the Old Stone House.

First, we attended a Traditional Medicinals program. We learned about how different plants were used to treat different sicknesses in colonial times. Using plants, we ground our own treatments for pretend patients. Then, we went out into the gardens to hunt for different plants commonly used in colonial times.

Our second program was on the Gowanus Creek. We learned about the geography of Brooklyn hundreds of years ago and the role the Gowanus Creek played in determining where different groups of people would settle. We explored common animals and crops that flourished around the creek. After we learned more about one animal or crop, we taught our classmates about it.

We can't wait for our Colonial Crafts program in early January!

Art Studio

Art Studio with Robin began in early December, and we just had our second art studio class this week. This week we focused in on abstract mask collages.

First, we had our lesson with Robin where she introduced us to different kinds of masks found around the world. We studied the features of the masks and how the artists used different abstract shapes to show eyes, ears, mouths and noses.

Then, Robin taught us how to use different types of paper, scissors, our hands, and glue to make our collages.

We quickly got to work, and we created some beautiful collages. They are on display outside our classroom. Stop by and take a look!

Read-a-Thon for Hurricane Sandy

Our schoolwide Read-a-Thon to raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief was a huge success! Altogether, we raised nearly $23,000 for three New York charities: the Red Hook Initiative, the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, and New York Says Thank You.

As a class, we enjoyed reading for 90 minutes straight while wearing our pajamas. We also had brunch while we read. Thanks to all of our families for sending in bagels, cream cheese and butter, and all kinds of fruit!

Division Strategies

In class, we've been using a lot of different strategies to solve division problems. Here's a link to a page that shows some of the division strategies we've been working on. Click on this link, or go to the "Math" tab at the top of the page to see how we've been solving division problems! If you have any questions, ask one of us to explain our strategy to you!

Independent Writing Projects

Dear 4-324 Families,

Our Independent Writing Projects officially kicked off today! As part of this yearlong study, students will be responsible for pursuing their own independent writing projects. These projects can be in ANY genre students are interested in.

In past years, students have published a diversity of projects including:

c An anthology of poetry inspired by Tim Burton characters

c A new book in a favorite series and a new ending to a favorite book

c A read-aloud newspaper that included news relevant to characters in our read-aloud book

c A nonfiction book about submarines in World War II

c A graphic novel set in outer space

c A historical fiction piece set in a favorite time period

The possibilities really are endless! Students are welcome to create any type of text that already exists in the world (or to invent their own new genre they wish existed).

Your child’s first independent writing project will be due in class on Friday, December 7. Their piece should be published (either handwritten or typed).

For our first independent writing cycle, your child will have time in class to work on their independent writing piece, but they will be expected to do a large part of the work at home.

If you have any questions, please email me or send a note in to school with your child.

Best,

Katie

Special Reader's Notebook Work

Yesterday, we got special new notebooks we'll be using to track our thinking about our fiction books. Today, we shared the work we had already done in our notebooks and studied the kind of work readers could do at the beginning of a book. Here are some examples. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them:

Write about traits and the evidence you have for the traits for your main character and secondary characters.

Track character relationships with a relationship map and record traits you're noticing.

Create a web of pressures your main character is facing.

Write long about a big idea you're developing and the evidence you have for it

Tell about your character's actions and what might be motivating them to act that way.

Here's a link to the kind of thinking work that could be done at the beginning, middle and end of a book.  I'm excited for Fiction Fridays!