BYOT Day

 Last week we had the kids BYOT (bring your own technology) for a reading lesson. During this day of fun, the kids worked with a partner to use their device to attempt to locate different text features of reading. As part of their scavenger hunt, the kids had to take pictures of the listed items and record the picture numbers with the corresponding item. The hunt was on! The kiddos dove into the books trying to identify these "hidden" features. All in all, the students had a blast and really enjoyed learning reading outside of a textbook. Click the "Fourth Grade Happenings" tab to see more photos. 

Text feature scavenger hunt... look kids, a picture with a caption!

Oreo's New Friend

Oreo was very lucky to be able to spend his Christmas with Miss Keirsten! Little did Oreo know that there would be another bunny present :)

Norbert the Elf Strikes Again... Dun Dun Dun

Norbert has been at it again! At first he was a bad little elf, but over time he must have picked up on some of our class rules and learned how to be sweet. Apparently he isn't that great of a speller and sometimes spells his words backwards. We hoped that over time he might learn a few things from writing class :)

Day 2: Norbert was found sitting on top of the board with a note reading "pull" hanging from the old screen. When we pulled it down, we found a secret note written in Christmas colors. In addition to leaving a note, he also decided to TP the lights in the classroom!

Norbert looking so innocent.

Day 3: Norbert made himself comfy and read a few AR books.

Day 4: Norbert the Elf just wanted to "hang" with us.

Day 5: Norbert is keeping tabs on the time.

Day 6: Norbert took over Oreo's cage... maybe he was hoping to go home with someone over the break.

Day 7: Norbert set up a command center with different Santa tracking websites.

Class Elf Strikes...

This morning we walked into the room only to find our class elf wreaking havoc in the classroom! Apparently our little friend tried to feed Oreo, our class bunny and left a huge mess! There was a trail of pellets and hay leading up to Oreo's cage along with a note.  The note said, "Be good... I'm watching you.... That means you too Oreo!" The elf even made sure to stand by Oreo's cage and keep an eye on our furry friend. I can only wonder what crazy things this elf has in store for us for the rest of the week... 

How Time Flies!

Well it's nearly Christmas and I am finally sitting down to blog for the first time this year! I plan to be more diligent from here on out on letting you know what big things we are doing at school! Where to begin? So far we've done a lot of pretty cool activities: publish a class book, practice bringing in our own technology, take tests online, read Charlotte's Web, make a wikispace and so many other things. This weekend I plan on uploading a ton of pictures so you can catch a glimpse of our fourth grade fun. Here is a small snippet! Click on the "Fourth Grade Happenings" tab to see more.

Our Boxes for Operation Christmas Child

Mrs. Adams' class winners for the hand turkey contest

Weather Forecasts, Social Studies Tests, Read-a-thons... Oh My!

A true representation of the class :)

Last week was a huge week! In science we spent the whole week working with our news teams to bring you the extended three day forecast. During our project, we researched the weather conditions for our cities, and typed them into a script. We then took the script and rehearsed using a free online teleprompter. When it was time to film, all scripts were imported into a teleprompter app on the iPad. A camera man made sure to hold the prompter near the camera so that it looked like we looking at the camera the whole time!

We headed down to our library to film at the WBLS set. While filming, we donned our news blazers, held our authentic mic, and even pretended to drink out of our coffee mugs. After wrapping up at the set, it was back to the classroom to film in front of the map. All broadcasts are scheduled to air Tuesday, March 27 at 2:30.

In addition to our weather forecasts, we also spent a great deal of time delving into our social studies books. On Tuesday we  played Who Wants to be a Millionaire and had two winning teams! The review really paid off when it was time to take our test on Thursday. The class average was an A!

Friday was a quadruple threat. The morning started out when Nate Harrington, local meteorologist, from WC-TV came into to share about the weather. We had a blast talking to him and learning about natural disasters. At the end of his stay, we were all able to take a news team photo with him! After talking to Mr. Harrington, we spent rest of the day filming, having a read-a-thon, and celebrating St. Patty's Day. What a great way to kick off Spring Break!

As for now, we are on Spring Break recharging our batteries. At the end of the week we'll be ready to jump back into learning!

Check out the fifth grade photo gallery to see more pictures from the week...

Two Weeks in Review...

We kicked off last week with a special visit from our principal! On Monday the students were able to present their Exploration wiki spaces to our guest. The students collaboratively worked to present the information from their social studies text books. 

Tuesday also proved to be a very big day.  All fifth graders rallied in the cafeteria to present their science fair experiments to a panel of judges. The entire class did a remarkable job.

The 25th came which meant that it was time for the Bash and Dash! Bobby the bobcat was very pleased to see so much support from his fellow bobcats in Mrs. Adams' class.

This week started off with a huge bang as we began our much anticipated science unit on the water cycle. So far we have created numerous models of the cycle, drawn flip charts, and really sunk our teeth into learning how to take proper science notes. The students were so pumped about their latest wiki, they expressed interest in creating another one for the unit in science.


The fun will continue as we head into this coming week...