Blog Archives

ARBOR DAY AWESOMENESS

9/25/2019

So...as you may know, Arbor Day happens every year on April 24th. However, here in CB there's a lot of snow in April, so we've officially moved the holiday to September! We even had an official declaration from the Mayor himself. Things are getting real over here in fourth grade!

Did you know...
One tree removes the same number of pollutants as a car emits in 26,000 miles.
Arbor Day is a holiday for the future, whereas most holidays celebrate the past!
Half the world's trees were cut down during industrialization--from 6 trillion down to 3 trillion!

Thank you Crested Butte and Rocky Mountain Trees!

Learning outside with our fellow fourth graders is just the best.

CELEBRATE THE BEAT

9/23/2019

Well, Celebrate the Beat is just about the most fun we've ever had at school. Thanks Ms. Colleen and Ms. Emma. We can't wait to keep learning and dancing with you over the next three weeks.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT RMBL

9/19/2019

Here are just a few pictures of an amazing day as we rotated through some fascinating learning stations with RMBL scientists today. We learned about Gothic history (Ute Native Americans, miners, scientists, and RMBL). We learned about fossils and LONG ago history (did you know Gothic used to buried under a mid-continental ocean?). We learned how to classify plants using a dichotomous key. We learned how to take a transect of an ecosystem to learn about the biotic and abiotic elements in an area. We love being scientists! Thanks RMBL!

And some of us had the privilege of meeting the legend in his native habitat...billy barr.

SCIENCE WITH MOUNTAIN ROOTS

9/18/2019

We're so lucky to have Mountain Roots helping us with our ecosystem science unit. We've learned all about ecosystem components and now we're learning about classification. We started in the garden today with classifying all the different plant families. Check it out!

Take a look at the classification key for all the vegetables we have our school garden!

MATH WORKSHOP MAGIC

9/18/2019

This year we're learning math in a workshop format. This means we are usually working in small groups, learning from each other, and working through our struggles collaboratively.
Right now we're working on solving multi-step number stories. We're figuring out what to do with the information presented and solving problems in many different way. It's hard work and it can be frustrating, unless we work together and share our thinking.

Check out this awesome (unprompted) moment of shared thinking! This is what a teacher's dreams are made of :)

ECOSYSTEMS IN A JAR

9/12/2019

Today we shared our ecosystems. It was a really cool celebration of this amazing place we call home. The diversity of plants, bugs, and soil types we have hanging out on the windowsill is pretty impressive. We're especially excited to see how ecosystems from different parts of the same area (like Slate River) compare over time. We'll be observing until October break.

THE LOST THING

9/9/2019

We've been talking a lot about belonging as we create our fourth grade classroom community. We have the unique privilege of spending the year together and we want to make it THE BEST for each and every individual in the classroom. Check out this awesome, award winning video based on the book The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan.

Belonging doesn't necessarily mean actively including or excluding someone. Creating a sense of belonging means noticing everything. We're noticing when someone looks a little lost, we're making connections, talking with our peers, and going out of the way to make everyone belong.

THE BEST PART OF ME

9/4/2019

Last week we read this amazing book: The Best Part of Me. This is a collection of stories, essays, and poems written by students about the best parts of their bodies. Our bodies are pretty amazing and unique. We're each able to do different things and appreciate different things. So, to start the year off, we got to know each other by celebrating the best parts of us and the amazing things we get to do in our fourth grade bodies.

I love my hands because I can pet an animal and I can write. I love to write. I can hug and spank a friend. I don't know what I would do without my hands.

I love my back because it helps me do lots of things like gymnastics and it helps me stretch to help me do all the things I can do!

My hands make me move this pencil I am holding. My hands let me do hand stands and backbends. They let me throw a ball high up in the air. They let me hold onto the ski pole so tight. Wow. I am so grateful my hands are there.

Hands you help me play Minecraft. You help me throw a basketball. You help me scroll through YouTube.

My feet, my feet. They help me bike and scooter and ski and run. That's why I love my feet.

I love my feet. They are tannish and big. I wear blue shoes on them. They help me walk and run. Play. They also help my play my favorite sports soccer and dance. If I did not have my feet I could only lay in my bed all day.

My legs, my legs, my legs take me far. I like playing tag with my friends. Running far. Running and running. Jumping and jumping. I can't stop running. Running slow, running fast. Hiking and running is the one thing I do.

The best part of me is my legs because I love to ski and bike and snowboard. And without them I Can't. That's why I love my legs.

My ankles help me move my feet. Without them it can be so hard to walk. It would be like two sticks ready to snap!

I love my hands so much. I can play Xbox. I can read. I love my hands. I can hug a friend or two or my doggo.

Oh oh my legs my legs. Help me ski and bike, run. That is why I love my legs!

Hands hold things. Mine are light like a feather. My hands are brown and beige. I like my hands because I can paint my nails and you can pop your fingers. My nails are longgg. You can see your veins. I love my hands, you should love yours too.

I love my legs because they allow me to play soccer. I love my legs they are so strong from soccer. I love my legs. My feet muscles grow in my feet everyday. I love my legs.

I like my legs because I could not play soccer without them. My legs help me do many things like sports. Also they help me play outside. That is why I like my legs.

Oh how much I love my head. And my hair is a mohawk with dye and I love it.

My head holds my beautiful eyes and the other things on my face. My head also holds my brown, thin, wavy hair and it holds my big brain. It keeps my brain snug as a bug in a run in my head. I like my head because it has nice, smooth skin.

My legs and feet hold me up when I ski and bike. They also hold me up when I run and jump. My legs have scars from falling down and really itchy bug bites. My legs hold me up everyday.

My hands are the best. I use them a lot. They help me with Minecraft and Catan too.

I can run because of my legs. My legs are the best legs in my class. They let me pedal up Lupine.

I like my mind because it makes me smart and holds my memories. Also I can visualize, but in a different way. I can see things, move things, make things, and make them appear and disappear in my mind.