Review treasure hunt.

Helping out a classmate.  Photo by Pierce

History & Geography

Our weekly objectives were to:

• Locate serfs in the social structure of the Middle Ages.
• Describe the life of a serf.
• Describe conditions in a life of European city during the Middle Ages.
• Describe guilds and understand the ways guilds advanced the interests of merchants.
• Explain the relationship between cities and feudalism.

Newsletter by: Emilie

In math we are learning about graphs.  In one activity, all of us had to survey 20 people.  We each made up a question with 4 possible answers.  We went around the school and even surveyed the teachers.  Lots of people had interesting surveys.

Mathematics w/Laura

Rainy day recess = more time for Prodigy!

Tables and Line Graphs

La lectura

This week we continued and finished reading Mae Jamison while working on our reading comprehension strategies. We practiced retelling the story after each page or a larger section. We practiced stating the man idea of paragraphs and entire sections of the reading.  We talked about how these are some strategies they should use when reading at home.

Our weekly objectives were to:

• Identify and use descriptive words when reading and writing.
• Identify the subject and predicate of sentences (simple and compound).
• Use a dictionary to find synonyms for common words.
• Use these our new objectives to edit our own auto biographies.

Ciencias

This week we began Investigation 2: Landforms Students used stream tables to observe that water moves earth materials from one location to another. After running a volume of water through the stream tables, students shook a vial containing a sample of earth material mixed with water to observe the rate at which different particle sizes of earth material settle out.

Illustrating vocabulary during science reading.

Hands-on practice of physical erosion. (Play dough represents rock falling from a mountain top. Hands represent water and other rocks that rub agains the tumbling rock.)

Our weekly objectives were to:

• observe that weathered rock material can be reshaped into new landforms by the slow processes of erosion and deposition.
• observe that erosion is the transport (movement) of weathered rock material (sediments) by moving water or wind.
• observe that deposition is the settling of sediments when the speed of moving water or wind declines.

Specialists:

Music with Ms. Erin

In October we studied minor tonality, began learning minor Solfege, and sung harmonies. We learned about the xylophone, and played the glockenspiel. We learned about the vocal ranges Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass. We also learned some Halloween songs for piano and voice.

In November we will learn about accompaniment, and how it is used to complement melody. We will see how accompaniment is used in various styles, and with different instruments, like classical music (piano accompanist, orchestra with soloist); rock/pop (guitar, piano, or full band); and jazz (band supporting soloists). We will watch famous classical musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Hilary Hahn, and Olga Kern perform as soloists with orchestra, playing music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninov.

Art with Ms. Kelly

The third and fourth graders have been learning about Illuminated Manuscripts, and they made their own illuminated letters using their first initial. We looked at photos of the Book of Kells, which is a medieval Gospel book created by monks in Ireland. The students designed their own letter, and illustrated it with patterns and drawings, using paint and colored pencils. These very creative letter designs are on the bulletin board in their classroom.

The students also made some gorgeous “illuminated” pumpkin paintings! (Thank you Kate for making this bright connection!) The students used black glue to draw their pumpkins, and then added texture and color with fluorescent oil pastels and watercolors. They are all unique and beautiful! Look for these to be displayed soon on the bulletin board. They will be a lovely reminder of Thanksgiving as we move into November.