BEAR PROJECT- DUE WEDNESDAY

Hi, Everyone!  Your child's BEAR folder and project are due on Wednesday.  They should have finished their biography book and should be working on their project.  If they finish early, they are welcome to turn it in ahead of time.

Matter Unit

This week we began our matter unit in science.  We began to explore different solids, liquids and gases and defined what matter is.  The students were given several balloons filled with different substances.  Each child was asked to make a prediction about what they thought was inside the balloon (a solid, liquid or gas).  Then we opened them up and found out what was inside.  Two balloons had gases inside of them and the rest are pictured below:

Dishwashing Liquid

                                                  Water

Flour

                                                 Rice

FIELD MUSEUM TRIP

We had a great time at the Field Museum today.  We visited the Pawnee Lodge and learned how the Pawnee people adapted to their environment.  Thank you to the parent chaperones who came with us.  We had a great time!

BEAR Project

Your child should be working on their BEAR folder at home.  The genre this term is biography.  It is due December 18th.  A description of the project is in their folder.  Remind your child that they need to complete the top ten list about the person the chose and then write a letter to convince others of why they should be in the Hall of Fame.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Welcome Back!

Hi!

I am so excited that we are back.  I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful week off!

30 Star Party

The class has earned another star party.  They have chosen a pajama day and movie party.  They are allowed to bring in a pillow and stuffed animal and an additional snack.  We will be having the party Friday, December 6th.  Please encourage your child to bring in rated G movies for our special event.

BEAR

Your child should be working on their BEAR folder at home.  The genre this term is biography.  Please encourage your child to work on their project over Thanksgiving Break.  It is due December 18th.  A description of the project is in their folder.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

What is the oldest mountain range? by Morgan

      I learned that the oldest mountain range in the world is Barberton Greenstone Mountain Range.  The Appalachian  Mountain Range is the oldest mountain range in the U.S.  The Appalachian Mountain Range is the fourth oldest mountain range in the world. The Appalachians are 480 million years old. The Barberton Mountain Range is 3.5 billion years old.  The Appalachians are located in the US. The Barberton Mountain Range is found in Southeast Africa in Kaapavaal Craton, Africa. The Appalacian Mountain Range is one thousand five hundred miles wide.  Did you know in the 1700s and 1800s Swazis and their livestock lived in the area of the of the Barberton Greenstone Mountain Range? The Appalachian Range is 6,684 feet tall. Learning about these two mountain ranges was so cool!

Where would you be at the most risk of dealing with earthquakes on regular basis By:Annabelle

The pacific plate is moving northward toward Alaska. There are more earthquakes in Alaska then volcanos.  It is subducting under Alaska and the Aleution islands as well as the eastern most end of Siberia.  Alaska is known for oil, so lots of oil rings are located there.  With the oil rings they dig really deep changing the faultlines constantly, and the faultlines scrape against each other causing vibrations underground.  Alaska can have 24,000 earthquakes in one year.  Alaska is situated in a unique and complex tectionic setting.  At the southern edge of the state lies the boundary between the North America and Pacific plates.  In Southeast Alaska the plate boundary is defined by a series of strike-slip faults known as the Queen Charlotte-fairwether faults and continue through Canada and back into Alaska, creating some of the largest faults in the United States.

Have there ever been cities that have disappeared because of a volcanic eruption? By Owen

On the 24th of August, 79 A.D. lava and ash came out of Mt. Vesuvins covering towns of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum.  Mt. Vesuvins killed around 3,000 people and 20,000 people were injured.  Some of the Pompeii people survived because they were farther away from the eruption.  The Roman towns in the Bay of Naples were buried in lava and forgotten for more than 1600 years.  Pompeii is about 8km (5.0mi) away from Mount Vesuvius.  Pompeii covered a total of 163 acres and was a major city.  The town was founded around the 6th-7th century BC.  The town of Pompeii became an important passage for goods that arrived by sea and had to be sent towards Rome or southern Italy along the nearby Appian way.  Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years.  Pompeii has approximately 2.5 million

visitors a year.

How do earthquakes only shake one area? by Maya

Well, I found out that a earthquake is caused when two tectonic plates slide past each other.  The reason is because you can't take the middle of a plate and slid it with another.  Some places where earthquakes are a big problem are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Washington. California, San Francisco 1906 there was a huge earthquake! About 3,000 people died! Why was that earthquake caused? That earthquake was caused when the Pacific plate slid past the North American plate. The plates can move by coming close together, pulling apart, and sliding past each other. The edge of a plate is called a plate boundaries, that's where earthquakes, mountains, and all that cool stuff happen. That's why we don't get a lot of earthquakes, we are in dead center!

What is the oldest mountain range in the world? by Meghan

           The oldest mountain range in the world is the Barberton Greenstone Belt.  The Barberton Greenstone Belt is located in South Africa.  It is also in a part of Swaziland witch is next to South Africa.  Only a small part of the Barberton Greenstone Belt is in Swaziland because most of it is in South Africa.  The Barberton Greenstone Belt is over 3.5billion years old.  Lots of fossils have been found on the mountain that date back to very, very, very, very long ago.  Once a man found gold on one of the mountains and that led to a gold rush.  Of course the gold rush eventually ended.  The mountain is called a greenstone belt because of the green like coloring of some of the minerals in the mountains.  There are more then just the Barberton Greenstone Belt that are greenstone belts.  The Barberton Greenstone Belt is not very big because it has been weathered down but that doesn't stop it from being the oldest mountain range on planet earth.

Why does flooding occur? By Phillip

I have learned that flooding can occur with or with out warning and there are many flood levels like the major and minor flood warnings.  All these flood warnings have threat levels like the minor which is the lowest threat level.  Plus the major flood warning is the highest flood warning. The flooding can occur when is rains or snows.  Then the snow melts and it rolls down a hill that the core is bed rock.  The the water can't go to the nearest river and a flood occurs by the water building up and that's how a flood occurs.

How many volcanoes are there in the world? by Nolan

On this project I researched how many volcanoes are in the world and the answer is unknown, but I do know there is 15 to 20 volcanos erupting right now while your reading this. Scientists are thinking there are 15000 volcanoes in the world.

Another question is how do underwater volcanos form? Its like a normal volcano, but when it erupts it looks like an underwater bomb.  They are called submarine volcanoes.  When Hawaii was made it was because of underwater volcanoes.

How many volcanoes have erupted each year? by Lily

I learned a lot more about volcanos like how many erupt each year (60-70). I also learned about the most damaging volcano. Some volcanos can erupt big time and some can not. I changed my answer because on one website ,it said Yellowstone's volcano can cause the most damage, but I learned later that Mt. Pinatubo can cause the most damage. When I was thinking what to research I thought of  volcanoes. I also learned that without volcanos we would not have the Hawaiian islands.  That is my research.

How long does it take to climb Mt. Everest? by Kyle

In my research I found a lot of things.  I will start with how long it takes to climb Mt. Everest.  It depends on weathering and terrain conditions.  It could take up to a week or it could take 17 days to 46 days, but most climbers take about  4 days.

I also have another question.  What supplies would you need?  You would need high altitude boots,  gaiters, a fleece zip up coat with a hood, a heed lamp with spare light bulbs and batteries.  Glacier glasses with side covers are also important.  You also need a visor, a bandana for your neck, and four different pairs of gloves.  You also need clampers to help you climb the mountain.  An alpine climbing harnes helps hopping from rock to rock.  Three locking stationary cara biners helps you stay hooked up and safe.  Flexibility rope and an ice axe are also needed. You also need a water purifier and a gps to help you know where you are.

Have there ever been cities that have disappeared because of a volcanic eruption? by Alex

I learned about Pompeii it was a town that got covered in ash from a volcano. A scientist was digging and found Pompeii.  He started to dig it up.  Now the town is really famous.  It is one of the most popular tourist site in Italy.  It gets about 2.6 million visitors a year.  The houses look like they just did back in the Roman days.   They are limiting how many towns you can go to because they want to preserve Pompeii.  Pompeii  got covered in 20 feet of ash. That's what I learned about Pompeii.

Can dormant volcanoes become active volcanoes? by Caleb

I will now tell you about dormant volcanos.  There is no such things as dormant volcanos.  They are only asleep.  Some dormant volcanos will erupt and some won't.  The volcano's lifespan will go for millions of years.

Now I will talk about he most active volcano.  People used to think Kilauea was the most active volcano but now they know it is the most active volcano  .Other volcanos explode more frequently.  Kilauea oozes out the most lava the most lava.  Kilauea is located in Hawaii.  Now you know a little bit more about volcanoes.

How does an avalanche occur? by Ryan

Avalanches are very dangerous.  It can destroy a whole town.  An avalanche can do billions of dollars of damage.  An avalanche can split open many trees.  The land changes once an avalanche runs over the town.  The quick pile up over loads the under laying snow pack which causes a weak layer beneath the slab to fracture.  The layers are in archive of winter weather.  Drought, rain, and hard freeze, and more snow can can an avalanche.  How the layers bond often determines how easily one will weaken and cause a slide.

Have there ever been cities that have disappeared because of a volcanic eruption? by Jai

One of my questions was have there ever been cities that have disappeared because of a volcanic eruption? The answer is YES! Pompeii has disappeared in 79 A.D. Mt.Vesuvius blew it's top and smoke and ash covered the city.  It was rediscovered in 1748.  The people were found, too!  They were in cement cases!  The ash covered their bodies!  It also covered Hurculium, another city near by. Pompeii is a Roman city located southeast of Naples.  Pompeii is still here today!  You can also visit it!  This is what I learned!

How many people have climbed Mount Everest? by Chris

I learned that many people climb Mount Everest.  Mount Everest is very hard to climb.  Over 100 people have died trying to climb it.  Mount Everest is 29,035 feet.  The wind can blow over 200 mph.  The first attempt was in 1921.  There has been 4,000 attempts and counting.  It is over 60 million years old.  People love reaching the summit  .It is 8,848 meters. There are 18 different climbing routes on Everest.  It takes about 40 days to climb it!  You have to let your body adjust so you would go in a tent and relax.  If you don't let your body adjust you could die.  A lot of people think it is cool to climb Mount Everest.  Some people don't.  Mount Everest is very dangerous to climb, but

for some people it is not impossible to climb.

How many people have climbed Mt. Everest? by Katherine

I learned that many people have climbed Mt. Everest. Some have been successful and others have not. Different websites say that a different amount of people have climbed Mt. Everest. I have learned that 660 people and/or 2,700 individuals have climbed Mt. Everest. I have found out that 2700, 4000, 1500, or 1924 people have climbed Mt. Everest. I also learned that 142, 179, or 200 people have unsuccessfully climbed Mt. Everest. I think many different websites think a different amount of people have climbed Mt. Everest is because they haven't heard of certain people who have climbed Mt. Everest.  Since these numbers are low (in my opinion) I learned that not many people have had the chance to climb Mt Everest. Only a few people have had the chance to see beautiful views.

What volcanic eruption has caused the most damage? by Christian

The Yellowstone valcano eruptes roughly every 600,000 years. (The last eruption being 640,000 years ago, so it's overdue!) The estimates are that the next one would be 2,500 times the size of Mt St Helens eruption in 1980! If Yellowstone blows like it did 2.1 million years ago, it could deposit 600 cubic miles  of stuff on America (compared to the 0.24 cubic miles St Helens put out.). That would bury most of America meters deep and kill around two-thirds of population.
        The Kileaua valcano in Hawii is the worlds most active volcano. The first well-documented eruption of Kileaua occurred in 1823.  Since that time the volcano has erupted repeatedly. Kileaua's eruption dates back to January 3, 1983, and is by far it's longest lived historical period of it activity, as well as one of the longest lived eruptions in the world; as of January 2011. The eruption has produced 3.5 cubic Kilometers (0.84 cu miles ) of lava and resurfaced 123.2 km2(48 sq mi

) of land.

Math Movies- Hand on Equations

The class created their own algebraic equations and solutions.  Here is what they learned!

By Ria, Meghan and Sean

By Marcelina and P.J.

By Paige and Sam

By Maya and Owen

By John and Oliver

By Katherine and Shea

By Jai and Danny

By Drew and Danny

By Cameran and Tim

By Ria and Sean

Engaging in Short Research

The class is engaging in a short research project.  Each child has asked a questions they would like to learn more about and have researched their answers.  I will be posting what they have learned on our class blog.  Some are already posted and more will be posted next week, so come back often!

Which volcanoes are most active? by Maggie

I learned that the most active volcanoes are Kilauea in Hawaii. After that is Etna in in Italy and then Piton de la Fournaise on La R éunion Island. There is also Stromboli in Italy, Merapi in Indonesia, Erta Ale in Africa,  Unzen in Japan, Yasur in Tanna Island, Vahautu, Ambrym, and  Pacaya in Guatemala. I could even go on!  A fact about Kilauea is it has it's own magma plumbing system. The volcano that caused most damage was Yellowstone Super volcano. Yellowstone erupts roughly every 600,000 years. Yellowstone is in Wyoming, Canada. The Yellowstone is known as ''Super Volcano'' because it deposited more than 240 square cubic miles of ash and lava. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago."

Can dormant volcanoes become active volcanoes? by Lilly

I learned a lot about dormant and regular volcanoes!  I learned there really is no such thing as a dormant volcano!  A volcano can always erupt as long as it stays in the same place.  When the magma chamber cools down it can easily reheat again!  It can even erupt faster than it would have!  It can do this in three easy stages!

1. When new hot magma rises from below the chamber it melts the molten magma in the chamber.

2. The freshly not molten magma go's through the chamber.

3. The heat makes all the magma move a lot faster.

Geologists think that no volcano can ever not erupt. So a dormant volcano is always an active one that is just not erupting at the time, but can erupt again.  Now I know what your wondering, how does a volcano become dormant?  Well once in awhile a magma chamber cools down.  As you learned before, it can reheat  again in three easy steps. If a volcano does not erupt for 10,000 years than it can be officially dormant.  A volcano may have had a really big eruption that blew all or most of the volcano away.  There can also be plate movement and the volcano will move and the magma source can't move with it!  That is all I learned about volcanoes!  I hope you learned a lot

!

How long does it take for volcano to form? by Ava

My question was long does it take for a volcano to form? I found out that it takes 10,000-500,000 years. Then I started to wonder, why does it take so long for volcanoes to form? First, I needed to know how volcanoes are formed then I would understand. First, they are formed by the movement of  tectonic plates. Next, a tectonic plate will sink into the mantle an become very hot. Next, the molten rock will make its way through the cracks.Then, as it makes its way through the cracks. Then, as it makes its way to Earth's surface we call it lava. Lastly, layer upon layer lava builds up and a volcano is formed. Then I knew there was a lot to do and it takes a long time. That is what I have learned!

Which volcanoes are the most active? by Macy

I learned that Kilauea volcano on Hawaii is the world's most active volcano, followed by Etna in Italy. Pacaya volcano first erupted roughly 23,000 years ago, and was fairly active until around 1865. Then she blew her lid 100 years ago and has been consistently flaring ever since: to that end there are now several lava rivers flowing through the surrounding hills. Stromboli volcano off the west coast of southern Italy has been erupting nearly continously  for over 2,000 years. On average 50 to 70 volcanoes erupt every year. I learned that one fateful day in a pleasant city beneath a dormant volcano was completely destroyed. This city was Pompeii, Italy. The British museum decided to explore the Roman family life in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneam  and the  destruction by a volcanic explosion on Thursday, on August 24, 1979 Mount Vesuvius literally blew its top, spewing tons of molten ash, pumice, and sulfuric gas miles into the atmosphere destroying Pompeii, Herculaneam, and Stabiae.

American Indians- Migration and Settlement

This week we learned about how the American Indians migrated and settled in different areas in North and South America.  In Chapter 3, the students will be learning about specific tribes and how they settled and survived in different environments throughout North and South America.

Volcano Optional Project

I assigned the volcano optional project today.  Your child can work with a partner or group of three to research a specific volcano in the world and create a model to share with the class.  They can create a short presentation about their volcano to share with their volcano.  Please look over the assignment carefully.  Volcanoes are due Wednesday, November 20th.  This is not required, but is offered as extra enrichment.

Halloween Part Thank You

Halloween Party Thank You!

I just wanted to thank all the parents who donated items and their time to make our Halloween Party such a success.  We had a wonderful time!  I hope everyone had a wonderful time trick or treating between the rain drops.  (:

Plate Tectonic Presentation

Dr. Schultz, a Dryden parent, came and shared with all the fourth grade students about plate tectonics.  It was extremely meaningful and the students learned a lot.  Students learned about plate tectonics, how volcanoes are formed, Pangea and more.  Here are some pictures and and actual clip from the presentation.  Thank you Dr. Schultz for helping our students have such an enriching experience!

Say Cheese (again)!

Picture retakes are Thursday.  If you are interested in having your child retake his/her photo, please send the pictures back by Thursday and they will be retaken.  Thanks!

REMINDERS

Please send back your field trip slips and conference forms as soon as you can.  Thanks!

Halloween Treats and Going Home for Lunch on Halloween

Please send in the ingredients for any items that will be consumed during the Halloween Party to me by Monday.  Please remember that all snacks need to be peanut and tree nut free.  I will get the ingredient list out as soon as I have all the information from all the parents.

Also, if you are planning to take your child home for lunch on Halloween, please let me know.  Have a great weekend!

BEAR FOLDER

Your child has a new BEAR folder.  They need to read their standard 100 minutes per week.  In addition, the genre this month will be Biography or Autobiography.  Your child needs to find a biography or autobiography book to read.  They should go to the Memorial Library to select a title.  The library can make many recommendations to your child at their reading level to help find just the right book.  Titles will be due on Monday, November 4th.  I will then go over the project your child will need to complete.  Happy reading!

Our Dynamic Earth

This week we studied how glaciers have affected our Earth and how they have shaped the land.  We also learned about the inside of our Earth.  We learned about the Earth's layers.

BEAR FOLDER- Novel Project- REMINDER

Once your child is finished reading their Award Winning Novel they need to complete two things:

1.  They need to write a summary about the book and submit it on Edmodo.  It needs to be at least ten sentences describing the beginning, middle and end of the story.

2.  They need to complete the project.  For this novel, they need to research about the award that the novel they selected one.  They need to identify what qualities a novel needs in order to win this specific award and then decide if they think their should have won this award and why.  There is a form in the back of their BEAR folder for them to fill out.

BEAR folders and projects are due Thursday, October 24th.

PJ and Movie Party!

The class has earned its first thirty stars for the year and has chosen a PJ and movie party.  We will have our party at the end of the day on Wednesday.  Your child may bring a pillow, a stuffed animal, and a snack for the party (no peanuts, tree nuts, or eggs).  The class may also bring in rated G films and we will watch one of them.  Great job, 4-1!

BEAR FOLDER- Novel Project

Once your child is finished reading their Award Winning Novel they need to complete two things:

1.  They need to write a summary about the book and submit it on Edmodo.  It needs to be at least ten sentences describing the beginning, middle and end of the story.

2.  They need to complete the project.  For this novel, they need to research about the award that the novel they selected one.  They need to identify what qualities a novel needs in order to win this specific award and then decide if they think their should have won this award and why.  There is a form in the back of their BEAR folder for them to fill out.

BEAR folders and projects are due Thursday, October 24th.

OUR DYNAMIC EARTH

We have been learning about rivers and how they change over time.  We are now starting to learn about rocks and how there are different hardness.  We are learning about erosion, deposition, and abrasion.  Here are pictures of some of the experiments we conducted this week.

SAY CHEESE!

Thursday, October 3rd is picture day.  The forms went home today.  Please make sure that you send the form back by October 3rd if you would like pictures of your child.  Thanks!

BEAR FOLDER

All the students should be reading 100 minutes per week in their BEAR folders and recording it on their monthly calendar.  At home, your child can read whatever genre of literature they want for their minutes, however, they will have an assignment of reading at least one award winning book during these 6 weeks.  Your child needs to submit the title of their award winning book on Edmodo.  This book could have any type of award, not just the Newberry.  Once they have finished reading the book, there is a project for them to complete.  This will be due the end of October.

CARAVAN ASSESSMENT

We are almost finished with our project-based assessment.  The students are pretending to be travel coordinators for a famous person or famous sports team and they are creating a travel itinerary for their person(s) to visit.

MONITORING COMPREHENSION

During Reading, we have been learning about how when you are reading, it is important to have an inner conversation with yourself.  This inner conversation helps you monitor your comprehension as you read.  We discussed how as you read, you should be asking questions and making connections to ensure you understand the text.  Then we talked about strategies that they can use when they lose their way in a text.  We created a list of strategies to use including reread, read on, etc.

Please sign all the forms!  (-:

Hi, everyone!  This is just a reminder to please send back all the forms that have been sent home.  These include my parent handbook, the district parent handbook, background information if you want to volunteer at school, etc.  Thanks!

CARAVAN ASSESSMENT

We have been learning about how maps are used in our world.  We learned about cardinal and intermediate directions.  We also learned about how latitude and longitude are used to identify a location.  Next week, your child will participate in a project-based assessment.  This assessment will be done at school.  There will be no review guide.

Creating a Conversation in Your Mind

This week, during our reading time, we discussed how it is important to have a conversation in your mind while reading text.  We discussed how good readers ask questions, make connections and think deeply about text.  We read the story How Many Day to America? by Eve Bunting as a class and then talked about how to think deeply while reading.

Welcome to 4-1 and welcome to our blog!

I am so excited about getting to know all of you this school year!

Parent Handbook

I sent home the parent handbook on Thursday.  Please review it and sign the two forms.  Please cut them out and return the bottom portion of each form.  Please keep the handbook at home in order to view when you have questions.

Map Skills

The students are working in caravan groups to learn map skills.  Students are working in small groups to demonstrate specific map skills.  They will earn travel dots to help them travel the world on our Caravan map.