The Holiday Party

Its a HOT, Beautiful X-mas in Salvador, Bahia. We took a picture in front of these full-sized palm trees. We gave palm tree buds to our fourth graders as x-mas gifts. It´s going to be a green Christmas this year!

It´s a tradition in my family to plant trees on special occasions. We plant trees on birthdays, holidays, and for memorials. We asked students to take their palm trees home, plant them, and care for them with love and "carinho."























This is one of the gorgeous holiday scrapbook posters a student in the class made.
























We filled this table with goodies and ate while we had an amazing Secret Santa gift exchange!

My Dog B.B.

This post is dedicated to all of the fourth graders who adore dogs.

This was my dog, B.B. She was a Miniature Schnauzer from my childhood in Iowa. She was the greatest dog in the world. She was the first dog I became really attached to. She even slept at the foot of my bed at night. I loved to snuggle up with her and pet her velvety, grey fur.

The funny thing about B.B. was that when we got home, she would squeeze through the door before we opened it all the way and run outside at record speed. She just took off down the road and didn't even look back. She was too fast for us to catch her. She would eventually trot home with a mischievous "whisker grin" after chasing squirrels and barking at other dogs in the neighborhood.

Once, B.B. ran outside and didn't look both ways before crossing the street. She ran straight into the wheel of a moving car. She fainted out on the side of the road and my mom ran out screaming to see if she was still alive. She picked B.B. up and set her on the grass, trying to bring her back to life with C.P.R. The miracle was that B.B. woke up an hour later and was just fine. We wondered if she cooked some brain cells in the accident, though, because a few weeks later she ran off a high cliff in the woods and dove head first into rocks, tree trunks, and pile of leaves. She survived the fall without breaking any bones. We thought B.B. was an absolutely crazy dog. She was invincible. Nothing could get in her way. That is what I thought, at least.

Then, one summer day my mom came with the news that B.B. was hit by a car. I shouldn't have been surprised at all, considering how crazy B.B. had been all those years. However, the news shocked me. I was devastated and broke out into a crying fit that lasted about 72 hours. My face turned hundreds of shades of red while tears streamed down my face. My mom tried to comfort me, but I didn't have the strength to talk over my tears. A few years later, we got another Miniature Schnauzer. His name was Chuck. I'll tell you about the time an alligator almost ate him in Mississippi another day...

Division Websites

Here is a list of division websites for you to explore:

www.kidsnumbers.com

http://www.mathplayground.com/

Division Bingo

Timed Division Flash Cards

Division Machine

Math Skills Practice By Grade Level


Please add additional links to math sites for kids in the comment box if you find any!


Have Fun!

Ms. Anne

Guinea Pigs vs. Snakes

The Student Council raised money for each classroom to have a pet. Students are excited about the idea. We narrowed it down to either snakes or guinea pigs. We realized many parents wouldn't let their children take a snake home over the holidays. Others complained that their Rotweilers would eat the adorable guinea pig. I don't think I want to deal with feeding live mice and insects to snakes, but I do think snakes are amazing creatures. If students find any great websites with more information about snakes or guinea pigs as pets, please share them with the class in the comment box below!

Music in the Classroom

My students play musical instruments in their free time. Two of my students brought in guitars to share with the class last week. It was incredible to see them move their fingers over the chords and create stunning rhythms. Soon, they will be singing and playing at the same time. All of my students play the recorder in music class. I wonder what other instruments students play at home?

I value music in the classroom. My father is a professional musician and plays Andean music from Peru and the Native American flute. I learned how to play the flute in middle school. My favorite thing to do was play christmas carols. I still play the flute from time to time, but now I am putting more energy into the berimbau in capoeira.

I hope more students get the courage to bring their instruments to school to share with the class. I will bring my berimbau, too!

The Classroom Store

4B wants to start a classroom store. A few students stayed after school to paint this cardboard box that I got my air conditioner in a month ago. Then, they put hand prints all over the box. One eager student painted the styrofoam cash register green. We need to cut the sides of the box open and put the store items inside. At this rate, we might have the store up and running by next April or May!

Here are a few questions: Who is going to be in charge of the store? What are we going to sell in the store? When will the store be open? Will there be a new cash register job? How will students earn money? I decided that if we have a store, the students are going to have to be the ones to make it happen. There are 23 students in the classroom who are capable of coming up with a plan. We just need some classroom leadership because having a classroom store isn't something I want to dedicate hours of my own time to...I'd rather let the students take initiative! Does anyone else agree???

Ms. Anne

The Egg

Ms. Monica, the secretary, brought a large ostrich egg to our classroom months ago to share with the children. We finally got around to showing it to the kids! Students enjoyed feeling the weight and texture of the egg in their hands. They also got to see video of a man cooking an ostrich egg omelet. Then, 4B students shared stories from their own lives about eggs and birds that involved broken wings, beaks, microwaves, bird fights, monkey pee, and feathers.

The Ball Pass

One of our favorite classroom activities involves passing a ball around the circle and sharing bits and pieces of our hopes and dreams with one another. We have shared our favorite ice cream flavors, our favorite colors, the pets we have, what we did over the weekend, what we want to do when we grow up, and our favorite planets in the solar system.

When we pass the ball around the circle every morning, we think about where we are from. Our school is located in Salvador, Brazil. However, each of us has a unique story about where we were born, the places we have been, the languages we speak, and the diverse traditions in our families.

Why Duque Sushi?

This is the poster the "Duque Sushi" table created. Class 4B is bubbling with imagination, creativity, artistic talent, and colorful dreams. We like to display and share original art work, songs, dance movements, and stories with each other during circle time!