Pinnacle Academy 2015-2016 School Year
Welcome to Mrs. Petti's Fourth Grade!
February 2016 Highlights
Science Fair photos (Feb. 6)
Feb. 1 - 5
Highlights of Week 21: Feb. 1 - 5, 2016
Language Arts: We discussed more chapters in our guided reading books: Lawn Boy and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Early in the week, the students wrote and shared their ideas about what would make for a "perfect day" at school in their minds. Interspersed with some of the students' visions of endless snacks, games, and visiting, there was plenty of food for thought. Later in the week, the students listened to a short biography of Pocahontas and wrote summaries, with a focus on identifying the most important events in the story. They gave each other helpful feedback on their summaries. We were able to visit the library after a path was shoveled through the snow.
Math: We continued our unit on division of large numbers, with extra practice of the partial quotients method of long division, This additional work with angle measurements, and an exploration of coordinate graphs. We applied data analysis skills in finding typical January and August highs and lows in different regions of Virginia.
Social Studies: We learned more about Virginia's major rivers, the Coastal Plains and Piedmont regions, and the Fall Line between the two regions. During recess periods, Dilara and Laila helped to make a salt and flour dough and to create relief map of Virginia. It took several days to finish drying, and Omer and Dilara helped to paint the map before the Science Fair Awards Ceremony on Saturday.
Science: We engaged in some hands-on exploration of Force, Motion, and Energy, while learning new concepts and terminology. We happened to be studying motion on the day that we had made a salt and flour dough, which was a bit sticky, but Dilara and Laila had been rubbing and shaping tiny balls of dough during lunch time, and the dough had become more clay-like. The class asked if everyone could work with a tiny ball of the dough as we read and discussed a lesson on motion. They were able to make connections as the dough changed shape and texture in response to their motions. On Friday, we began exploring some of the big ideas related to matter and mass. We dropped cubes of similar size but different mass onto crackers. (The plastic die made the greatest impact on a cracker, while cubes of wood and clay made light cracks.) With our hands and with a balance scale, we compared the mass of plastic bottles filled with water, uncooked rice, cotton balls, and air. We observed the movements of two plastic bottles - one full of water and one empty - as they collided.
Special Events:
We enjoyed seeing two versions of "The Wizard of A's" put on by the first term drama clubs (grades 3-5 and 6-8). We particularly enjoyed seeing Safiya as Dorothy, Sofie as the Lion, Adan as a winged monkey, and Saliha as the Wicked Witch.
The Science Fair on Saturday was a big day for all! Several judges and other parents remarked on the high quality of the fourth grade projects and the students' understanding of the scientific method.
Feb. 1 - 5
Feb. 8-11
Highlights of Week 22: Feb. 8 - 11, 2016
It was a four-day week due to a Teacher Professional Day on Friday.
Science: We engaged in more hands-on explorations of Force, Motion, and Energy, while learning new concepts and terminology. The students moved marbles using string, rulers, and index cards, then described these movements in terms of force: pushing and pulling motions and the force of gravity. We investigated mass and force as the students blew through straws and compared the amount of forced needed to move sets of coins or paper clips of different masses. We explored friction through two small investigations: the students spun balls with three different surfaces to see which would spin the most easily and for the longest time (a smooth ball spun best, a tennis ball second best, and a knobby ball worst); and the students flicked coins across five surfaces while observing the amount of resistance (ice had the least friction, except when melting water on its surface would sometimes require a bit more force when flicking the coin, followed by foil, foam, and cloth, while sandpaper required the most force, exhibiting the most friction).
Due to a judging irregularity, the fourth grade students were re-judged on their science fair projects on Wednesday; each student spoke to three faculty judges. Two additional fourth grade students were acknowledged as finalists. Our final outcome is:
First Place: Adan E.
Second Place: Dilara E. and Sofia A.
Third Place: Anja T. and Safiya A.
Congratulations to these students and to all of the fourth graders for their strong projects and presentations!
Math: We concluded our unit on division of large numbers, with several study guides and a unit assessment. As a hands-on application of our work with angles and protractors, the students created math crafts: some students chose to make "math flowers" with each petal rotated the same number of degrees; others made math stars.
Social Studies: We learned more about Virginia's regions, with a focus on the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Language Arts: We integrated language arts with other subjects as we read and wrote during science and social studies lessons. During guided reading, the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing continued chapter discussions, while the Lawn Boy group collectively decided that, having finished reading the book and having discussed a number of chapters, they felt "done" and we decided not to discuss the final chapters. Instead, we moved into a new unit on poetry, beginning with a discussion of a very short poem, "A Wee Little Worm."
Special Events and Moments:
We rooted for Adan and Saliha, who represented the fourth grade in the school spelling bee. The fourth graders in the audience engaged in active listening by writing down as many of the spelling bee words as they could. Congratulations to fifth grader Fetin, who has now won the school spelling bee three years in a row!
We spent a few invigorating minutes outdoors enjoying a period of light snow while en route to art class on Tuesday.
In honor of Valentines Day, some of the students shared valentines and/or treats. The box of cookies that Adan brought in was a big hit, while other treats were saved to be consumed outside of school.
Highlights of Week 23: Feb. 17 - 19, 201
It was a three-day week due to Presidents' Day and a messy weather day.
Math: We launched a new unit on fractions and probability. We extended fraction concepts learned last year, to emphasize that fractions can be part of one whole (such as slices of pizza) or part of a group (such as students in a class, or cookies in a box). The students learned to multiply a whole number by a fraction. The students are also practicing following written directions, such as step by step directions for constructing an equilateral triangle and then dividing each side exactly in half using intersecting arcs made with a compass, outside of the triangle.
Language Arts: We read a variety of poems during a "poetry pass" activity. The students wrote down the meaning of some of the favorite poems that were passed to them. We pooled the class's thoughts on "What is a poem?" Students explained what they liked about their favorite poems. In general, humor is a big hit! We also read and discussed information in our science and social studies texts, and the students completed written responses.
Science: We continued hands-on explorations of Force, Motion, and Energy, while learning new concepts and terminology. Among other activities, the students played a "pass the puck" activity to try to balance force (flicking) and friction in attempting to get a paper puck to stop at the edge of a desk. Next up: comparing the friction of different surfaces while extending the activity. In a marble drop activity, the students recorded the height at which a falling marble would penetrate a tissue stretched over a cup.
Social Studies: We learned more about Virginia's regions, with a focus on the Valley and Ridge region. The students took a quiz on some of the main features of the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge and Valley and Ridge regions, along with big ideas related to the Fall Line.
Highlights of Week 24: Feb. 22 - 26, 2016
Math: We continued our unit on fractions and probability. The students used physical models and drawings to illustrate equivalent fractions and to model adding and subtracting fractions. They learned how to convert fractions to a common denominator and how to convert fractions into decimals by making equivalent fractions with a denominator of 10, 100, or 1000.
Language Arts: We read a variety of poems. Many of the students enjoyed writing and sharing their own poems. We also read and discussed information in our science and social studies texts, and the students completed written responses.
Science: We reviewed terms and concepts related to force, motion, and energy; completed written responses to activities; and took an assessment.
Social Studies: The students played review games and took an assessment on Virginia's geography.
Special Event: We enjoyed an in-school field trip with Dr. Diane from the Shenandoah Discovery Museum leading activities related to animal adaptations. The students seemed particularly interested in examining animal skulls, matching upper and lower jaws, and determining if each animal was an herbivore or a carnivore. We were able to identify some of the animals, and Dr. Diane helped us to analyze some of the others.