Here's what .......
Social Studies
I maintain a separate Social Studies web page. It is on a seperate web page so please be sure to use the back button to return here. There is a link entitled Carmichael's page which brings you to the view on the site. The social studies page provides more detail as to how I teach the units.
The first unit we will live the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Students will journal their way through this unit using drawings or words to record information about the tribes, the animals and the land. Then we become pioneers.
We pretend to be settlers in Nebraska as characters from all over the world. We respond to disasters, and dealing with the trials faced by the settlers. It's a great time, and we'll learn lots. Wait till you see our skits!
We will participate in Heritage School which is a field trip to a one-room school house. That day we are all encouraged to like pioneer residents. Lunches will be carried in large tin buckets, recess include games of the era, and we will engage in period specific lessons. To prepare we will learn the 1800's Pledge of Allegience, and memorize words from the Orthology list provided speecifically for the spelling bee we participate in that day.
Science
· We study"Space". For extra credit, students may bring in models of the planets. Be creative!!!
· We'll learn about scale using Monster Truck Models.
· Star Lab will come to our school for a week. Each of our four classes will crawl inside to observe constellations in it.
· We will study ecosystems.
· We will study Electricity. Patrick Carmichael, a journeyman/Lineman from Lincoln Electric System is scheduled to talk about electricity in the real world.
Reading
The National Reading Council says, "Reading with your child just 20 minutes each day will make a world of difference." We have the data to prove it. One group of students was given personal reading time with a fluent English reader 40 minutes a week. The control group received no additional support. The results: the group reading 20 minutes with a fluent reader to support them showed an average 8 point gain in their DIBELS score while the control group saw a 10 point loss. DIBELS measured fluency.
MAKE SURE YOU READ 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY!!!!!! Reading logs for the whole school are collected on Friday and returned on Monday with rewards for completing the minutes.
Writing
Students will write postcards to their family inviting them to the Fourth Grade Curriculum Night on Sept 25 starting at 5 pm. Every student will complete a personal narrative the first week of school. I have sent home a worksheet to help jog their memory. We will create a menu for our fantasy resturant and a a 5W poem to show we know about adjectives.
Other projects will include: a biography, outline, and both a persuasive and Informative essay.
On a Personal Note:
The National Certificate
I took my first crack at the National Certificate. My students were fabulous! They were video-taped several times to get just two fifteen minutes of documentation. The projects were finally complete,and submitted. I took the written test on June 8. Of a possible 255 points, I scored 167. With only 88 points needed, I am still weighing my options.
My trips :
St. Petersburg, Florida June 13 - 24
various local lakes
GAS PRICES ARE KEEPING ME HOME MORE THIS SUMMER.
updated Aug 17.2008