Thursday

Along with the first rainstorm of Spring we are still reminded daily of the new season by the noisy frogs chirping away all over the Peninsula, even heard near the downtown streets of Port Angeles. The more obvious signs of Spring are just less obvious this year after a long, dark, and wet Winter that lingers on in our region.

What other signs, events, or rituals come with the start of Spring? Make a list or write a short essay about your favorite part of Spring and bring it to Room 17.

Tonight is the General Music concert starting at 6:30 PM here at Franklin. Students should arrive closer to 6 PM.

Tea and cupcakes for everyone yesterday....thanks to one of our sets of twins for having a birthday celebration with us!

Wednesday

Sometimes a fourth grader finds creative ways to keep warm and dry during the fierce winters of the North Olympic Peninsula. Next year we might add ponchos, scarves, and gloves to the list of requested school materials, along with paper, pencils, and erasers. No snow is forecast for the near future, but the rains have come to stay, apparently.

We've started a new unit in Science: Magnetism and Electricity. For a challenging bonus question, let's see if anyone can draw a simple circuit before we do the Science Activity in a day or two.

Divide. Multiply. Subtract. Bring Down. Then repeat the steps in your mind a few times before falling asleep at night.

Thursday

Students can log on to a great site called XtraMath at home as well as school for extra practice with Math facts. From home the easiest way to access this site is to google 'xtramath.' Then use my school email address, bburnett@portangelesschools.org, and the student's code or PIN. If they haven't memorized the PIN, they will need to write it down at school. No school for students on Friday--that's tomorrow!

Thursday

Yes, there was school today! Check out a site called 'XtraMath' for a fun way to practice multiplication facts (you can also find addition and subtraction facts, too).

Let's do some research and find the answer to the bonus questions (see below). And, if finding out about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln seems too easy, try this one: If a roll of nickels is worth two dollars and fifty cents, how much is a roll of dimes worth?

Furthermore, can you guess what the fourth graders in the picture are doing? Finally, check the Port Angeles School District website for the latest about snow days or late starts during these times of wild weather in Port Angeles.

Friday

So many cupcakes and cookies! Such great treats on Monday with lots of valentines exchanged.
As Presidents' Day approaches (no school Monday) the students are asked to find out what major historical events happened during the lives or presidencies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Have a good weekend and remember to read for at least fifteen minutes each day!

Thursday

The Family History Reports show a wealth of memories, organization, and respect for the people who came before us and those we live with or who play a role in our students' current lives. This week the fourth graders presented some of the anecdotes and showed pictures from their reports to the rest of the class. For most of our students, a report project, complete with interviews, rough drafts, final drafts, pictures, maps, family tree, family recipe, and bibliography, covers new ground and the organization, thought, and homework required stretches their skills. Many went beyond the minimum requirements by making intricate family trees, for example. Very nice work!
The second round of our classroom's Analytical Reading Inventory shows exceptional Reading growth in many of our students and nearly a year's growth in Reading levels in most of the other fourth graders since the first round of assessments in September. Extra practice reading at home (for at least fifteen minutes) pays off.

Thursday

What do you know about the American Quarter Horse? Soon our fourth graders will know a lot more about them. As soon as they finish learning how to write a business letter, the students will mail their letters to the American Quarter Horse Association in Texas. Within a few weeks, as long as the letters are in the correct form, each student will receive an abundance of information about quarter lessons. Not only is it fun to receive mail and 'stuff,' but learning to write business letters improves writing skill and develops a practical way of formal communication that will help with job applications in the future, for example.

The Family History Reports are in, and oral presentations will start next Monday. Each student will choose an anecdote from their report to read to the class. The presentations are short but always memorable.