Fractions, Decimals, and Percents Conversion Game

The main focus from Unit 9 is using equivalent fractions and decimal values to figure out percents.  Below is a fun game your child can play to reinforce their understanding of these concepts.  If s/he would like to watch the full episode of Cyberchase from where this game is taken, the episode is Season 3 Episode 4, titled "A Piece of the Action".

The Game:  http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/mission-magnetite/

The Episode:  http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/videos/a-piece-of-the-action-ep-304/#!/seasons-1-8/3

Updates for 3-25-2013

Math - The kids are finishing exploring perimeter (just add all the sides) and the area of a rectangle (one side times the other).  Later this week, we will begin using our knowledge of fractions and decimals to connect our understanding to percents.  While memorizing basic percents (i.e., 1/4 = 0.25 = 25%; 3/5 = 0.60 = 60%) isn't a fourth grade learning expectation, I am going to be pushing several of the kids towards being able to quickly calculate those.  Having that understanding is as helpful as having mathematical facts memorized!  Also, when the Major League Baseball Season starts, table groups will be selecting a baseball team to track the win-loss record, write fractions for games won, and calculate their winning percentages - what a great real-world connection!  Finally, there will be some new links to math games posted on our class blog in the coming days.

Reading - We will be focusing on the comprehension skill of analyzing character.  This will be done through our read-aloud book Loser as well as our whole-class story Me & Uncle Romie.  Of course, there will be lessons of fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and phonics interspersed throughout our Language Arts block as well.  Kids can also turn in their reading logs April 1st.

Social Studies - My favorite region of the United States (probably) is the Southwest.  The kids have already learned a little about conquistadors, and we will continue learning about climate, rain shadows, resources, and human interaction in the Southwest.  I will also have some bonus hands-on projects for those students who wish to try them at home.

Science - Our Earth Materials unit will begin next week, which focuses on rocks and minerals.  There are lots of connections in our lessons between Social Studies and Science, which makes teaching these concepts even more enjoyable.  The kids will walk away with some great projects and enjoyable learning experiences!

Behavior - We will continue to have energizers in the classroom that foster whole-class participation and are fully inclusive.  We will be playing Kitty Wants a Corner early this week, and later this week we will be playing a game to work on cooperation called 2x4. *Note* The kids made a wonderful transition back to school, so a big time kudos to you for having your child ready to get "back in the saddle" (sorry for the bad Southwestern cowboy joke).

Other - Next week will be the official Iowa Assessments week.  The kids have had a chance to work with differentiated groups (adjusted according to their level), and this week we will be taking a very small version of the test so they can get a "Sam's Club Taste Test" of what it will be like.  Also, last year I tried something new, and it worked really well.  I asked if there were families that wanted to bring in a very healthy morning snack for Iowa Assessments.  Families brought in foods such as granola bars, mixed fruit, string cheese, and bagels.  If you are interested in bringing a snack during a particular day, simply verify it with me.  Thanks for supporting the entire class!

It's Electric!

Nothing gets me going quite as much as "The Electric Slide" during our electricity unit! What perfect transition music!

The class had the opportunity to carry out one of the best features of science: the controlled experiment. To begin, the kids made predictions about how many washers their electromagnets would pick up with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 winds. After making predictions, they were ready to test those predictions.

We discovered that the more winds and the tighter the winds are will lead to a stronger electromagnet! I also explained how electromagnets are in a variety f different forms, including doorbells and computer hard drive.

The kids have really enjoyed this unit. I'm excited to explore earth materials next, as we not only get to look for awesome rocks and minerals, but we also get to try some different expire menus with those materials.

Collaborating to Connect a String of Lights

The kids have learned a lot about the different types of circuits. After working with their tables groups, they joined with other groups to make a much more massive string of lights. They explored solutions to fix the lights if one happened to burn out.