Bar Models

Part II of Grade 4 Math Videos Mrs. Steinberg once again held an informational meeting for parents to explain bar modeling and how to help at home.

Watch the video below and draw the bars along with Mrs. Steinberg.
Here is another video to help explain how to solve problems using bar modeling.

Test Drive With Google Drive

Students in Mrs. Boucher's grade 5 class took a Test Drive with some of the features in google drive. First they logged into their google for education account and found the view only document in their Shared With Me Folder. They Made a Copy and then were able to edit the document as their own. We even made colored folders to help find documents even easier.

Proctor School will host an Open House soon and this document will be turned into a QR Code for visitors so they may learn more about us.

Happy Knowvember!

Scan this QR code to Know More about me!

Tech Tip:

There is a google extension that creates a QR code directly in google.

Animal Adaptations with a Digital Twist

Grade 4 students in Mrs. Lampe's class have been engrossed in the study of animal adaptations. Students took this knowledge and created an animal of their own, incorporating adaptations into this new species. After filling in a graphic organizer, students used the app ExplainEverything to bring this new animal to life.

Click on the projects below to learn more about these new creatures.

Tech Tip: Students saved their projects in their google for education account and then shared the document with their teachers. Google docs then gives the user a code to embed the projects on their blog.

Animal Reports in Google Slides

Grade 4 students have recently completed their study of animal adaptations. After the introduction of google for education, a very excited Mrs. Murphy had her students create their first google slide presentation. These students embraced the challenge and impressed both Mrs. Murphy and me with their GRIT!

Exploring google slides for the first time.

Students collaborating on their google slide presentations.

Long Division

Mrs. Steinberg, Proctor School math teacher, held a parent information meeting to talk about the language used in Math in Focus. Mrs. Steinberg explained how to understand and use math reasoning in long division. She gave multiple examples of how to think out the math while solving the problem.

 In the video below Mrs. Steinberg works through a long division problem.

6. Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

1 Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to whole numbers less than or equal to 1,000,000.

A Different Form of Assessment using Google Forms

Did you know that integrating technology can take the typical assessment and incorporate technology literacy at the same time? 

Students have become so comfortable using iPads and laptops in their daily learning environment that it makes sense to explore ways to incorporate that skill set into their testing environment as well.

Grade three students have been studying the life cycle of plants. Using the new science standards as the basis of learning, students began this unit by growing their own Wisconsin Fast Plants Brassica seeds. These seeds flower in a record 13 days. Student scientists observed, watered, measured, and graphed the growing process. 

Grade three students grew plants from seed to seed. 
Do you see the seed pod?
 Do you know what is in the seed pod? 

When it came time for the Big Test I talked with the grade 3 teachers about using google forms to assess student knowledge. As part of google for education, forms is fairly easy to set up and share with others. We took the original paper and pencil test and recreated the questions in google forms. A nice feature in Forms is that it also allows you to integrate pictures directly into the assessment. Then a QR code was generated for each class.

Students began by scanning a QR code which brought them to the form.

It is easy on the iPad to scroll through the test, choosing the answer with just a touch.

Click Submit and you are done! Very Easy and lots of Fun.

Mrs. Surprise loves how using google forms and the Add-On Flubaroo in sheets grades the test immediately.

Standards:

3-LS1-1. Use simple graphical representations to show that species have unique and diverse life cycles.

[Clarification Statement: Examples can include different ways plants (e.g., sprout from a seed, grow (e.g., increase in size and weight, produce new part), reproduce (e.g., develop seeds and spores, root runners,) and die (e.g., length of life).] Assessment Boundary: Assessment of plant life cycles is limited to those of flowering plants.

Author Visit with Kate Messner

Grade Three students were invited to a google hangout today with author, Kate Messner thanks to We Are Teachers.  You may remember Kate from last year's global read aloud and her book Marty Mcguire. She is now writing a new series of books titled Ranger in Time.
Kate shared many tips for writers of all ages. It was fun seeing her rough drafts which are usually a scribble and  her large notes for developing a new story.

"My favorite author growing up was Beverley Cleary because I was just like Ramona."

"My editor sends me back helpful hints on ways to make her books better. I think of them as a gift."

"My ending always changes.  It's like my GPS~ Rerouting"

Watch the visit.