MS. KYLIE'S FOURTH GRADE!
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HALLOWEEN!

10/30/2015

 
Wow.  We had an absolutely amazing day, to say the least.  To start off we met our 5th grade reading buddies.  This time, however, we got to go down to the middle school.  We brought our books expecting to read and were surprised with four amazing science experiments.  The perfect way to start of a great Halloween school day.
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Then we heard from our second reporter of the week.  Malcolm shared the article How Tiny Mealworms May Help Reduce our Massive Plastic Pollution Problem.  Malcolm taught us that mealworms can eat styrofoam and be just as healthy as mealworms that eat a vegetable diet. Plastic pollution is terrible for the environment and marine animals, but mealworms can help! We then did a little of our own research into the life cycle of a mealworm.  Turns out as an adult them become a Darkling Beetle.  Pretty cool!  Thanks Malcolm.
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How Tiny Mealworms May Help Reduce our Massive Plastic Pollution Problem
Next we read a wonderful book about a square-ish pumpkin, Spookley.  We talked about what makes us each different and unique.  We have a wide variety of interests and things we are good at.  We practiced our fine motor skills and made cube and pyramid pumpkins our of pipe cleaners.
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Are you tired yet?  We were busy.  Next we heard from our scientist of the week, Tessa.  She shared the perfect Halloween experiment.  What happens when you combine baking soda and vinegar inside of a jack-o-lantern.  We hypothesized: 1. A gas will form and float out the top. 2. A liquid will pour out the mouth, eyes, and nose. 3. A small explosion will happen like with Mr. G. 4. The pumpkin will soak up the liquid.  Turns out a chemical reaction causes bubble to pour out the mouth.  It was amazing and easy to try at home!
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And last, but not least we celebrated Halloween in style with a couple fun games.  We played pin the tail on the witch, guess how many candy corn, what's inside the bag, and then a candy corn math combination game.
We're going to sleep well tonight!  Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend!

LITERACY AND LOVE

10/29/2015

 
Today we got to participate in a cool program called Literacy and Love.  A few high school students have collected donated books to give away to our lucky elementary school students. The idea is to promote reading at home by getting more books in each home.  Your child will be coming home with a book today that is theirs to keep!  Read it before bed tonight!
Then we curled up and practiced our IDR (independent daily reading) with our new picks.  We got to spread out around the room wherever we wanted.  The cubbies were a popular spot.

COMMUNITY DAY

10/28/2015

 
Today we took a wonderful trip into the community.  We learned a little more about Aspen and all the parts that make it work and help keep us safe and happy!
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RFTA bus rides with 36 first graders is an adventure in itself.  Thanks Miss Kristin's class for hanging out with us all day!
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Off the bus!
First, a stop at the courthouse.  Did you know that every law and every revision of every law is kept in the books at the courthouse?  We know there are laws about going the speed limit!  We learned that judges help people make decisions when they can't agree on something.  Just like arguments between siblings.  We know lots about those.  
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Bang the gavel!
Next, a trip downstairs to the police station.  We took a tour of the patrol room, learned what's hidden in a police officer's vest, and got to look inside a patrol car.  We talked about using fire extinguishers, safety vests, tactical helmets, pepper spray, tasers, radios, and handcuffs.  But the most important tool a policeman has is a good old fashioned brain!
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Thank you!
Next off to Alpine Bank.  You won't believe what we got to do!  We each held a $100 bill AND a box of $500 in quarters.  We learned about being smart with our money, saving for the future, but having a little fun too.
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This is what $500 in quarters feels like (25 pounds!).
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Look for all the hidden features that make this bill special.
Now it's time for lunch.  A stop at Taster's and Rio Grande Park.  The folks at Taster's were kind enough to show us the kitchen, how to make pizza, and tell us a little about running a business.
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We couldn't ask for a more perfect day!
Last stop, the fire department.  We learned about old fire trucks like the one's in the museum.  The new one's are much shinier.  Then we got to sit in the two big trucks.  They are HUGE!
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A fire station with a view!
Thank you Aspen!  We had a fabulous day.

MAKING MAPS

10/27/2015

 
In preparation for Community Day tomorrow we took some time to practice our map skills.
We learned to use the directions North, South, East, and West.  Then we used different colors to trace paths across a Neighborhood map.  We're going to find our way around town tomorrow with ease!
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Start at Catherine's House.  Go South on Main Street.  Go East on Fifth Street.  Go North on Barry Lane.  End at the Supermarket

It was a beautifully cloudy day out at recess.  We were SO GLAD it wasn't indoor recess today!
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SUBTRACTICIANS AND MATHEMATICIANS

10/26/2015

 
Today we became subtracticians.  That's a made up word for learning subtraction and becoming experts all in one day.  We practiced making fact families and learned that addition problems can quickly be turned into subtractions problems.  Can you use the number 4, 6, and 10 to find two addition and two subtraction problems?  We sure can!
4+6=10        6+4=10        10-4=6        10-6=4
With addition you always add the two parts together to find the whole.  With subtraction you always start with the whole and take away one of the parts.

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In other news, today was also a sad day because we finished the popular read aloud, The BFG.  We loved this book and the author Roald Dahl. Many of us would like to read some more of his novels later this year!  That's the sign of a great author.  SPOILER ALERT!  We were blown away by the ending.  Turns out the BFG was the author of this book all along.  Sophie taught him to speak and write properly and he became a writer.  He was too shy to use his own name, which is why we thought Roald Dahl was the real author.  None of us saw that coming :)

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In even more news, we read the hilarious The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School. This book had us holding our bellies it was so funny!  But once we got past the giggles, we realized this book was all about community and the things we are working on in first grade.  A great community works together, respects each others differences, and values those differences too.  We talked about how a class of 18 identical students would not be very interesting.  Instead, we each bring our differences to class and that's what makes coming to school everyday so much fun.

WEEKLY WEDNESDAY RECESS POST

10/21/2015

 
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REPORTING ON PUMPKINS AND GREECE

10/20/2015

 
Today we heard from our very first Reporter of the Week, DAVID!  We learned what it means if you see a teal pumpkin when you are out and about trick-or-treating.  David told us that a lot of kids have nut allergies these day.  Some families have decided not to give out candy and instead will give out little treats like spider rings or other small Halloween toys.  If you have a nut allergy be sure to look for one of these pumpkins.
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How a Teal Pumpkin can Save a Child's Life

We are thrilled to have our friend Taj back after his trip to Greece.  Today we were lucky enough to learn a little bit more about another culture.  Here's a sneak peak at what we learned:
Greek Land:
1. Greece is famous for their olive trees.
2. Greece is made up of a mainland and about 6,000 islands.
3. The Greek islands are very mountainous with cliffs.
Greek History:
1. Greece is one of the oldest countries in the world.
2. The English language has thousands of words from the Greek language.
3. Greece was head of one of the largest empires ever.
Greek Food:
1. Greece is famous for seafood.
2. Greek food uses lots of delicious olive oil.
3. Greek food uses honey and sesame seeds to make many sweet treats.
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Quick math review of combinations to 8.  How many can you find?  Hint: there are 9 possible!
Target Practice
How many more do I need?

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​Happy Birthday Hayleigh!
We are over the moon to get to spend seven with you.

SCIENCE WITH MR. G!

10/19/2015

 
Today our favorite scientist in a white lab coat came for a visit!  Mr. G helped us review the scientific method and then conduct an experiment with our classmates.
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Here's the PROBLEM:
What will happen if you combine baking soda, vinegar, and water in a sealed zip lock bag?
Here's the PROCEDURE:
1. Pour 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar into a zip lock bag.
2. Pour one teaspoon baking soda onto the middle of a square of toilet paper.
3. Create  bundle of baking soda with the toilet paper and twist the top.
4. Seal the zip lock back part way.
5. Drop the baking soda bundle into the bag and seal the zip lock the rest of the way.
6. Sit back and observe.
Here's the MATERIALS:
zip lock      water      vinegar      baking soda      measuring cup      teaspoon      plate      toilet paper
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Here's our HYPOTHESES:
12 kids thought the liquid in the bag would change color.
3 kids thought the bag would blow up like a balloon.
2 kids thought the bag would blow up like a balloon and pop.
0 kids thought the bag would melt.
Here's the RESULTS:
The bag blew up like a balloon and popped!  The vinegar and baking soda created a chemical reaction that caused the creation of carbon dioxide.  The carbon dioxide filled up the zip lock and needed a place to go, so it popped open the top of the zip lock bag!  Pretty exciting stuff.

NEW VOCABULARY WORDS

10/16/2015

 
We've been working hard on learning new vocabulary words.  We make up motions to go along so that we can remember them and use them in conversations and writing.  Here's some of what we've learned so far (some are review, some are new).  Ask us to use these words at home!
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delighted
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bold
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spot
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disgusting
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stomp
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wonder
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memory
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scrumptious
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quarrel
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peaceful
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independent
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rapid/rush

CAN WE HAVE SCHOOL AT ACES EVERYDAY?

10/15/2015

 
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This morning we took the RFTA journey across town to Aspen.  
We stopped in Paepcke Park to climb a tree.  How many first graders can get into one tree?
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We meandered through town and made it down to ACES.
Then we learned all about leaves!  We learned how to identify Aspen, Cottonwood, Spruce, Maple, Geranium, and Rose Hips.  We tallied how many of each different kind of tree we saw. We listened to the wonderful book Leaf Man. Finally, we collected leaves to make our own leaf creatures!
Fun Facts!
1. You can tell how old a Spruce tree is by counting the layers. The one as big as Charlie is 17!
2. There are two classes of ducks.  One called divers and one called dabblers. Mallard ducks are dabblers because they just duck their heads under water to eat.
3. Cottonwood leaves looks just like an Aspen leaves...just a little longer and bigger.
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