The moon - PIXAR (La luna) full

Hi Girls!

Watch this little video and think about the theme that is being presented.  Who are the main characters?
What kind of relationship do you think they have?
What does the little boy learn from these men?
What do you think they learn from him?
What do you like best about this film clip?
What can you learn from the people in your own life that you love?

Fai-Tea, Fai-To, Boston Tea Party...Hello?

Go USA!  Beat the Brits!  I won a Bronze Medal!  I won a Silver!  I won a Gold!  Sochi, you ask?  No, Roberts M06...8:00 A.M, 9:20, 10:45, 2:00, 5:30PM, 7:30PM....every minute of the day.  These were the cries from MO6 during a recent international math competition with the UK.  The girls were begging for math....a teacher's delight, and no doubt, a parent's also!  We won our Fai-To with our individual school, but alas, the US lost the Fai-Tea to the Brits.

Some comments by the Fai-To competitors....

"I was really surprised when I won the last round.  It was hard because you had to think fast and click the mouse even faster."  Elise Round winner
"It made me do hard math problems in my head."  Another round champion.    Taylor
"I thought that it was cool that we could play other people from all around the world."  Round champion Claire
"I liked the feeling of completing a challenge and knowing that you have done something to help your team win.  Even if your team does not win, you have done something to help."  Round winner Evie
"If you know your basic facts, it helps with more difficult problems."  Katie
"I liked how you're against someone way across the Atlantic Ocean."  Jewell
"I enjoyed it as a friendly competition...playing math games and competing with people that you don't know.  I found games that I really liked."  Ellie
"It was really fun when you finally got your first medal...maybe your first gold.  It makes you happy. Oh my gosh!  I got a gold medal."  Bella
"You may not get it on the first try, but you just have to try hard, and eventually you get the lowest medal, and then maybe the highest one."  Zoe
"There are all different games, and if you don't understand that game, you can go to another, and you can do it over and over again. It's fun."  Lizzie
"I like to have a competition against other people because I love math.  It is my favorite subject."  Mimi
"It was really fun.  Earning points was really satisfying...to contribute to the USA competition."  Reed
"At first I didn't really like it, but the more I played it, the better I liked it."  Cathryn
"It was very challenging, but once you got used to it, then it became a very fun game."  Olivia
"It was really fun to earn medals, and when you got a silver or a gold, then your name would appear, and you would feel really proud seeing your name."  Lane
"I liked trying to beat the Brits."  Emma






Hard at work trying to win the competition.  Not a sound could be heard, except......

when victory was achieved!  Go Evie! Go Fourthies! Go USA!

Innovation, History, Valentines...What's This?

Ssh!  Don't tell....but today, February 18th is really Valentine's Day in the fourth grade.  February 14? Passe!  History is alive and well, and every decade is represented.  We have a refrigerator from the 50s, a race car from the 80s, a spinning top representing how animation and photography have evolved, a laptop from 1981, a disco ball, and the list goes on!  Such energy and creativity in this class!  It is amazing and really fun for all of us.

Engineering, Building, Reading and Art...on Halloween?

How do you mix reading, clay, glue, cardboard, and end up with an engineering project?  Ask your girls!  You know about the first part, right?  Your daughters read mysteries this month, chose a scene to depict in a diorama, and then, in class, they built their own original haunted house!  Some planning went into this  endeavor.  They had to talk about the foundation, and they had to choose which boxes would be sturdy enough to support the structure. Their collaboration was outstanding.  There was genuine concern that every girl's project have visibility.  I shot several videos, so you could see and hear the discussion.  Unfortunately, so far, I have only been able to download two of them.  Tech problems!  Sorry!

If you have a chance, bring your iPhone or iPad, and check out our bulletin board in the hall.  Along with the mystery assignment, the girls wrote settings for spooky pictures.  Then they made a recording which they  downloaded to  a QR Code.  Pretty wild for a fourth grader!  Pretty wild for a fourth grade teacher also!  

Enjoy your free Monday!  I will be at the annual VAIS conference.  It should be a great day of learning for all of us!

Globes and an Astronaut---What? All in One Day!

Dr. Kathy Sullivan, the first woman to walk in space, visited St. Catherine's today.  Dr. Sullivan was on three shuttle missions and is a 2004 inductee to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.  Dr. Sullivan was not scheduled to meet with fourth grade, but what I could I do when a saw her walking down our hall, but ask her to please say hello to the girls.  They were in awe.  Rachen Sterling was talking to the class about peer pressure, and Dr. Sullivan told them there is even peer pressure as an adult.  The girls were enthralled!  This has been quite a week--Spirit Week, Globe Day, an astronaut visit...plus the girls became official Fourthies today.  There will be more on that later!

We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands!

What a wonderful morning of Fourthie fun!  The girls loved having the parents help with the globe making this morning.  They were so excited and could hardly wait to join you on the Greentop.  St. Catherine's is a school of traditions, and this is a big one for fourth grade.  Kemper Young, an upper schooler, came by the classroom this morning, and was thrilled to hear the girls talk about Globe Day.
She remembered it fondly!  Keep all of this joy in mind when you are helping your daughters position the continents on these spheres!  Don't worry, we have some learning to do before that happens!

Craziness and More Craziness....It's Spirit Week!

Lots of crazy fun in the classroom

today!  Amidst all of this action, we still solved problems in geometry, read Number the Stars, did some writing and some discussing, learned some new words, but most of all we had a crazy day!