Open House

Join us at Open House tomorrow night starting at 6 and going until 7 PM. Oh yes, there will be tea!

Bring your fourth grader to Room 17 and learn about some of the upcoming projects, curriculum, and ways to help your child become a good student.

See you tomorrow night!

Thursday

Maybe we're not quite ready for a workshop on making cappucinos, but today was Tea Workshop #2--loose tea preparation. Tomorrow will tell how effective that was.

Learning to write essays and letters is not easy, but this year's fourth graders are showing early skill as they learn to make paragraphs, revise, proofread, draft, and spell correctly. Reasons for optimism are apparent. Today they worked on a friendly letter to me that is to explain and summarize a book they have read this year for Silent Reading. They also had their first shot at Accelerated Reader this year, a computer program that has quizzes for library books read in and out of school.

Today, after several alternative and good answers, the one I was looking for in answer to why Chum salmon are nicknamed 'Dog' salmon was given. Local Native Americans fed this species of Pacific Salmon to their dogs since they arrive in the rivers and streams well after plenty of salmon had been caught and smoked for the humans. Nice work!

Essay

My Favorite Dessert


My favorite dessert is blackberry pie with vanilla ice cream. The cold ice cream slides down my throat while the berries crunch beneath my teeth. If the crust is just right you can taste a hint of cinnamon at the tail end. The joy lasts a long time.

The first time I tasted blackberry pie with vanilla ice cream was at my grandmother’s house a very long time ago. It must have been my birthday or some other special occasion. Otherwise, there probably would not have been any form of dessert after dinner. Dessert is uncommon in my family.

Besides the cold of the ice cream, the crunch of the berries, and the final hint of cinnamon, the appearance of this fine dessert is a thing to behold. It looks a bit like Mount Rainier if the light and the mood are just right. With the vanilla ice cream on top of jagged pie crust and blackberries, you can imagine the majestic mountain right before devouring it.

Much more could be said in praise of blackberry pie with vanilla ice cream, but the experience of eating it should not be delayed any longer. Don’t spend too much time deciding which brand of ice cream to use. Instead get down to the business and joy of actually eating this fine dessert.

Mr. Burnett

Thursday

Lunch in the classroom! It's been about twenty years since we've had lunch in the classroom here in Room 17. That's a long time, but we adapt and move forward. Lunchtime is definitely quieter here than in the gym with smoother transitions to the afternoon's lessons.

What a nice group of fourth-graders! The kids are quickly learning the study habits that will help them throughout their school years and into their working lives. Putting names on papers, turning work in on time, bringing loose notebook paper, and being on time are major lessons of great importance. Let's try to bring in some news items or current events next week that will help us find out what's going on locally, nationally and worldwide. The reading practice is valuable, too. A few minutes practicing math facts at home several times a week goes a long way toward making Math easier, too.