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.

School Starts Tomorrow!

I can't wait to meet all of you in Room 17 at Franklin tomorrow morning.

You might check the weather forecast in the newspaper (usually in section C) or on the television news (any local channel will do), and sometimes we follow the weather in Las Vegas and Portland just for fun. Feel free to take some notes on other interesting current events from newspapers, radio, or television. Then we can talk about them at school each morning.

Remember to bring a book for Silent Reading tomorrow morning (and every morning), along with some sharpened pencils and notebook paper. And, check out the "Room 17 Report" below for more information about your new classroom. See you soon!

Room 17 Report
Mr. Burnett's Class Franklin School Room 17
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September 1, 2011

Dear Fourth Grade Student and Parents/Guardian:

I want to welcome you to the fourth grade and let you know that I am looking forward to having you in my class this year. You will have an enjoyable and productive year in our room!

You will need to have a book for silent reading at 8:10 each day. You may bring a book from home or find one in our classroom collection.

Since we believe that education is serious business, please do not bring any toys to school because they interfere with learning. Here are other rules you will be expected to follow:

1. Follow directions the first time they are given.
2. Stay in your seat unless given permission to leave
it.
3. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before
speaking.
4. Turn in all assignments on time.

HOMEWORK: Students are responsible for handing their homework in on time. Homework is due the following day and needs to be placed in the correct assignment box before the second bell when school starts. Homework generally consists of unfinished daily assignments, and I ask the students to read for at least fifteen minutes each evening. Occasionally, there will be homework projects that require more than one day to complete, and for these assignments I will give the students a due date.

WHEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE: Assignments are usually due the morning after they are assigned. If the assignment is not handed in, the student receives a 0 in the grade book for that assignment, so it is very important that all assignments are completed and turned in on time. Nothing lowers a report card grade faster than missing assignments. If a student is absent, he/ she will have at least two days to make up the assignments after checking with me to see which assignments to make up.

GRADING: No student will receive failing marks on their report card if their assignments are turned in on time and they are trying to do the assignments to the best of their ability. I will present more details on the new report card as they become available to me.

You will earn good grades as long as you listen well in class, follow directions the first time, and complete and turn in assignments on time.

HANDING ASSIGNMENTS BACK: Assignments and papers are returned to the student’s “mail box.” Students are responsible for getting their “mail” and taking it home to show their parents/ guardians. I encourage you to keep assignments rather than throw them away, at least through the end of the trimester. The projects, like the “Family History Report,” you will probably want to keep forever.

I hope some of your questions and concerns about this year have been answered in this letter. You can also check our Franklin website by accessing the Port Angeles School District website. Good communication will help each student succeed in fourth grade. Please contact me with any other questions and concerns.


Sincerely,
Mr. Burnett (565-1853)

Thursday

That jacket is somewhat large for a fourth-grader, but it shows good taste.

The crayfish are still alive! Yesterday, after school, we transplanted a few of them to Peabody creek in an unprecedented 'release the crayfish' ceremony. This is the first year the crayfish have survived long enough for such an event. One comrade has found a home in our classroom aquarium among the hearty and long-living goldfish. The Reading assessments, both ARI and Dibbels, are nearly finished, and the fourth-graders are showing huge growth since September of 2010, I see pizza and coke in the near future!

Thursday

Fourth graders learned about the Great Depression from presentations by third grade "professors" yesterday. Comparisons to the current recession were made and everyone did a fine job.

Amazingly, the crayfish are still alive! Investigations are underway to find crayfish-laden bodies of water within walking distance of Franklin Elementary School. Lake Crescent is too far to travel. Here is a simple way to construct a crayfish trap from inexpensive materials found in most households.

Wednesday

The crayfish have returned. Fourth graders learn to care for and identify body structures of crayfish this year. We will not eat the classroom crayfish no matter how appetizing they appear! Instead, students make sure their habitat is kept clean, sufficient cat food is supplied for their sustenance, and that crayfish behavior is observed.

On Friday we will walk to the Vern Burton Center for the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts Children's program. We leave from school at 8:05 AM sharp and we'll return in time for lunch, although all lunches will be sack lunches on that day to accomodate those classes attending the second show. Good walking shoes are highly recommended.