Ms. Gelzer’s 4th Grade Blog

Hi Parents,

The OBOB groups continue to battle at lunchtime this Tuesday and Wednesday with excitment and challenges.

Please return the signed report card envelope so that I know you have received it. I will hold back students from their recess time if by Wednesday the envelopes aren’t sent back.

There will will a new intern in room 4 from China arriving on Tuesday. Her name is Chen Yu.. I’m very excited because now I am hosting a Chinese Intern student at my house who will work at Willagillespie Elementary School. Today we practiced the bus route to make sure it would be suitable, and LTD came through with flying colors!

If there is anything you would like me to add to the newsletter, please let me know.

TOPICS for the WEEK

• Math: this is our second week of fractions. I would suggest that with the curriculum we have, some of the exercises from IXL Grade 3 have excellent review questions. Students should not feel embarrassed by the grade level; it’s the concept that counts. Amy Gognon, from the UO is teaching a unit on fractions and she’s doing an excellent job.

• Reading: Rose, our secretary, brought in her Newfoundland dog, Dorrie, to share with the classes, since we have been reading about the members of the Corps, the Native nations, and the famous Seaman, Capt. Lewis’ dog! All three groups are reading challenging books, great ideas, vocabulary, and of course history!

• Science: students made vehicles that used the “falling weight ” system to pull lunar rocks in a contest. It was great to see many groups working cooperatively and sharing ideas. This week we’ll use rubber band energy.

• Philosophy : The students are getting a taste of questioning with two philosophy students, Jackie and Daniel from the UO in a school program set up by Paul Bodin, an instructor at the UO. We meet in our morning meeting and talk about abstract ideas brought about by the reading of children’s classic books. It surprises me to see how deep the thinking is from many of the students.

Have a good week, buenas semanas et bonne semaine,

Debra and Cassidy and Chen Yu

students!

Dear Families,

Hope you’re enjoying the month of February with some wonderful sunshine. We had an amazing experience at the Eugene Ballet seeing Swan Lake this past Friday. Thank you parents for accompanying us.

Topics for the Week

• Reading: The two fourth grades will start our Lewis & Clark novel groups on Tuesday. There are three novels to meet the needs of all the readers: The Captain’s Dog, The Journal of Augustus Pelletier, and Lewis & Clark & Me.

• Math: In the next two units, we’ll be will be working with decimals and fractions. IXL has many exercises that will help students understand concepts.

• Science: students continue to work in cooperative groups creating vehicles that meet certain requirements.

• Social Studies: Students are working with Cassidy on a long term research project about Native Americans. Students will learn to research, note take, outline, and write a report with an Indian nation of their choosing.

• Valentine’s Day party will be in the afternoon, Thurs. Feb. 14th. Please avoid sending large amounts of candy. Cards are wonderful and appreciated. The class list is in the directory, with a few extra names: Jasper Geddes, Brendan Scribner, and Owen Jones. Thanks for making sure everyone gets a card.

• Teaching Interns: We sadly said goodbye to Yanrun Wang, but will welcome Amy Gagnon to help teach math this semester. Our new Chinese intern will arrive next week.

Bonne Semaine et Buenas Semanas,

Debra, Cassidy, and Amy