Fabulous Jamestown Digital Stories

First, 4th graders worked in groups to create storyboards for their digital stories. They chose 10 photos from 3 files, representing the 3 different cameras we used on our trip. They wrote narration to go along with each chosen photo. Then they used PhotoStory3 (a free Microsoft program) to add text to the photos, to "animate" the photos (focusing and zooming out, transitioning between photos, etc.), and record their scripted narration. The results are awesome!-- especially for our first try! We had a great time watching them all during our popcorn party. I highly encourage 4th graders to use this program again to create digital stories for home and school. A big thanks to Mr. Knight for providing us with recording headsets and helping us to understand the program-- we couldn't have done it without you!

The following are embedded in no particular order. Please share these with family and friends!

Ethan's Story

Eliza, Katarina, and Hannah B.'s Story

Ben S. and Ben L.'s Story

Hope and Hannah R.'s Story

Eva and Kirsten's Story

Sam and Christian's Story

Sloane and Stephanie's Story

Jenna, Hannah T., and Skyler's Story

Gordon, Riley, and Josh's Story

Thomas and Michael's Story

Morning Message 12/18/09

Good Morning and Happy Friday! Today is December 18, 2009.
Day 69 of School, 111 days left                       
Tiger Day: G

Reminders:

• Today is Sloane’s 2nd to last day. Riley leaves us next Wednesday.
• We didn’t go to Book Buddies yesterday because they had an important science lab. We will reschedule for sometime next week.

Bowling today!

• You need to be wearing clean tennis shoes.
• We have 5 lanes assigned to our class and 23 kids-- so how many kids per lane does that work out to?
• Think about whether you want to have bumpers on your lane. You have to decide definitively-- bumpers can not be added or taken down later.
• Be flexible about lane assignments. We’ll do our best to make sure that everyone is happy.

Finally, Ms. Bragg has some special news to share with you today-- stay tuned!

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Unpack quickly! We need to talk about lane assignments before 9am!
2. Write your name on your Colonial Outfit research packet and put it away in your research folder.
3. Work on your Poem of the Month illustration, while Ms. Bragg works out the lane assignments.
4. If you are finished, you may enjoy reading, writing, or practicing poetry quietly.

Morning Message 12/17/09

Good Morning! Today is Thursday, December 17, 2009.
Day 68 of School, 112 days left
Tiger Day: I

SUBSTITUTE RECAP: Ms. Best left me a full report and I was very pleased and proud to read that nearly everyone was helpful and studious in my absence. As you know, I really dislike being away from school and being away from you all. It’s tremendously difficult to be out for even a half day. There is so much learning we need to do. Plus I miss you guys!... I really have to count on each of you to be responsible, respectful, and helpful when I’m not able to be here with you.

REMINDERS:

• Chorus Field Trip today. Chorus members will go down to the Music Room at 10:10AM. You’ll return at 11:45AM.
• Bowling Fieldtrip tomorrow. We will discuss lane assignments this morning.
• Mr. Bragg (Colonial Guy) will be visiting us today.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget snack!
2. On your desk is a blank half sheet of paper. Choose two lines from the Poem of the Month (“Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”) to illustrate. Write these lines at the top or bottom of your paper. Be sure to include your name as well. Then begin to draw using pencil. Show your rough draft to Ms. Bragg before you begin to color with colored pencils.

Morning Message 12/16/09 (posted day late b/c of absence)

Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, December 16, 2009.
Day 67 of School, 113 days left
Tiger Day: T

Please welcome the substitute Ms. Best and be sure to be respectful and helpful. Ms. Bragg has a cold and should be back tomorrow. She expects to return to a tidy classroom and a glowing review of her ever so intelligent and polite students.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget snack!
2. Today is Wednesday so it’s time again to record observations and water plants.
3. Next, begin reading the issue of VA Studies Weekly on your desk. When you are done reading, you can pick up the key word list from Ms. Bragg’s desk. But you must thoroughly read the issue first!

Morning Message 12/15/09

Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, December 15, 2009.
Day 66 of School, 114 days left
Tiger Day: S

Geography Bee: Let’s wish our finalists (Thomas and Mike) luck today-- they’ll go on to the next round at 2pm.

REMINDER: Bowling trip this Friday-- get in your permission slips and $6!

This morning we will be continuing to read about Colonial VA. We’ll also practice notetaking and making a bibliography. Finally, we’ll discuss how we will take notes when we get down the library today.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. What would you like to learn about your Colonial occupation? What are you curious about? Use the blank piece of lined paper on your desk to write some questions.
3. When you finish you may enjoy practicing poetry with a buddy. Another colleague has earned entrance into the Treasure Chest-- see if you can get there!

Morning Message 12/14/09

Good Morning! Today is Monday, December 14, 2009.
Day 65 of School, 115 days left
Tiger Day: R

Geography Bee Results:

• Top scorers with 6 out of 7: Mike and Thomas
• 2nd highest scorers with 5 out of 7: Katarina, Josh, Riley, Christian, Ben S., and Sloane
• 3rd highest scorers with 4 out of 7: Ben L., Kirsten, Ethan, Sam
• Congrats to everyone for putting yourselves out there and taking the risk- bravo! Everyone got at least one question correct.
• Ms. Lang will look at the scores for the entire 4th grade... She’ll let us know who qualifies for the next round.

Plant Projects: Need to go home! Don’t forget!


This morning we’ll practice taking notes, skim Bacon’s rebellion, and start chapter 7, Virginia Leads the Way! This afternoon, we’ll be choosing our research topics for Colonial Day.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk. Empty Friday Folders should be returned to your mailboxes.
2. It’s Monday-- time to observe and record! Remember to verify your measurements with a colleague. You both need to be looking at the tape measure or ruler in order to agree that the measurement is accurate.
3. When your observations are complete, add your new poem to your poetry collection. Then find a buddy and practice it with a friend. Who has heard of this poem or poet before?

Morning Message 12/11/09

Good Morning and Happy Friday! Today is Friday, December 11, 2009.
Day 64 of School, 116 days left
Tiger Day: E

Reminder: Geography Bee today!
Because we will be doing the Geography Bee this afternoon-- that is we’ll be doing Social Studies this afternoon-- we’ll switch our schedule around and do some Language Arts this morning.

Plant Projects: Need to go home today. Some rubrics are missing from the mailboxes.

Digital Story Popcorn Party: Because Patrols will be leaving at 3pm for a meeting, we will start our popcorn party a little earlier than Friday Afternoon Club. We’ll be sure to watch those that the patrols made first.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Check out the results of your Math Fact Quiz. You’ll need to study those facts that you got incorrect. Say the correct answer to yourself 3 times quietly. When you are done, put your quiz in your mailbox. NOTE: Once you show that you’ve mastered multiplication facts, you get an award!
3. It’s Friday-- time to observe and record! Remember to verify your measurements with a colleague. You both need to be looking at the tape measure or ruler in order to agree that the measurement is accurate.
4. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading, writing, or practicing poetry.

Morning Message 12/10/09

Good Morning! Today is Thursday, December 10, 2009.
Day 63 of School, 117 days left
Tiger Day: G

Pods Have Changed!: I tried to give everyone a different outlook on our classroom. We’ll test out this new arrangement for a few days... Adjustments may need to be made.

Plant Projects: Though I’m sad to see these tremendous masterpieces go, I worry about the wear and tear they encounter in the classroom. Projects can go home either today or tomorrow, whichever is better for you. We want them to reach home safely.

Digital Story Popcorn Party: We will watch, celebrate, and enjoy popcorn during Friday Afternoon Club. Good idea Mr. Knight!

Group Photos Today: Several groups will be called to have their photo taken. Be sure to hurry back to class and be respectful in the hallways.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Read your Plant Project rubric. Everyone did an excellent job, which means that you’ll also do really well on your Colonial Day projects-- I can’t wait! When you’re done reading, put your rubric in your mailbox.
3. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading, writing, or practicing poetry.

Morning Message 12/9/09

Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, December 09, 2009.
Day 62 of School, 118 days left
Tiger Day: I
   
REMINDER: Scientists work hard to take accurate measurements. Be sure that you’re verifying your measurement with a group member. Also, remember that we have tape measures if you need them.

Watering Our Plants: We now have more measuring cups... But they’re marked off in different increments. How will we figure out how to use these new measuring cups.

Plant Projects: I think we’ll keep them here a bit longer. We don’t want them being ruined in the rain.

This morning we’ll be talking some more about our social studies reading... Then we’ll transition to Science.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. It’s Wednesday, so it’s time to do observations and water our plants.
3. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading, writing, or practicing poetry.

Computer Lab Assignment

Hey 4th Graders!

Here's your assignment for today. You can complete these while your friends are finishing up with their digital stories:

1. Watch BrainPOP's Pollination Video and do the Graded Quiz.
2. Play Plant Parts Rags to Riches game.
   
3. Watch BrainPop's Plant Growth Video and do the Graded Quiz.
4. Watch this animation about the Photosynthesis and Respiration Cycle, then play Gear Grab.
   
5. Watch this animation about the Adaptations of Desert Plants, then play Gear Grab.

When you are done, you may do Type to Learn or explore portaportal.

Have fun!
Ms. Bragg

Morning Message 12/8/09

Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, December 8, 2009.
Day 61 of School, 119 days left
Tiger Day: T

Schedule: Today is the first day of the 2nd trimester. What does the prefix “tri” mean? How does the start of the 2nd trimester affect our schedule?

Math Class Reminder: If you switch classes for math, remember that you are a guest in someone else’s room and at someone else’s desk. Show them the same respect that you would want to receive-- don’t touch things inside their desk, don’t draw/doodle on their things, etc.

Mr. Palermo’s complimentary message: “let your scientists know that their displays show fine understanding of the parts of a flower as well as tremendous effort in creating something that is visually appealing and informative.” Wow! This afternoon our Book Buddies will come see our projects

Flag Vote Results: It was a perfect tie! That’s why we now have 2 flags hanging on our door. I’m going to find a place in our classroom to put the other flags because they’re all awesome!

Jeffery’s Announcements: Thomas will be working on this today. Tomorrow the magnet will move to the right. Christian, our magnet coordinator, will reposition it for us each day.

This morning we’ll be talking about Colonial Virginia. This afternoon more plants and food webs!

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Find a partner and take turns sharing what you wrote yesterday. When you finish, you may continue writing... Or you may enjoy reading or practicing poetry.

Morning Message 12/7/09

Good Morning! Today is Monday, December 07, 2009.
Day 60 of School, 120 days left
Tiger Day: S

Wow! I am already blown away by the quality and creativity of your plant projects! You guys are amazing! We are going to have to be very, very gentle and careful around these masterpieces-- we don’t want a single petal to be damaged.

REMINDER: We have an assembly this morning. So we won’t be able to do a silent gallery walk until this afternoon. We’ll go to the assembly, then we’ll have math.

To-Do List:

1. Return your empty Friday Folder to its mailbox. Be sure to turn in important papers to Ms. Bragg-- papers like bowling fieldtrip forms.
2. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
3. It’s Monday, so it’s time to record some observations again! Remember to verify your measurements with a group member. You’ll also need to be very gentle with the real plants in the classroom!
4. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading or practicing poetry.

Friday Letter, 12/4/09

December 4, 2009.

Dear 4th Graders and 4th Grade Parents,

We’re nearly 1/3 of the way through the school year! Wow!

INQUIRY: SCIENCE

• We continued to explore photosynthesis in depth. We watched this helpful video clip from NOVA and started an experiment that demonstrates the byproducts of photosynthesis.
• 4th grade scientists are doing a fantastic job of monitoring their plant experiments. It’s difficult work to take accurate measurements. Our lima bean vines are fragile and we have to be quite careful. We’re starting to see some really interesting things happen.
• Plant projects are due next Monday. 4th Graders: Be sure that you are following the assignment sheet carefully. Use the checklist! After I collect I will be handing out plant flashcards today, so that students can use them to complete their projects. We will have a test on plants before winter break. I can’t wait to see the projects! I’m sure they’re going to be fantastic! We’ll have a silent gallery walk on Monday morning so that everyone can enjoy everyone else’s handy work.

Questions for Discussion:

• What are some of the ingredients in photosynthesis?
• How does carbon dioxide get into the plant and oxygen get out?
• What do plants capture from sunlight?
• What makes plants green?
• What does chlorophyll do?
• In your classroom experiment, how did you know that the aquatic plant was photosynthesizing? What evidence was there?
• What’s another way of saying/writing water?
• What do we breathe out?
• What is happening with your group’s plant experiment? What have you noticed so far?
• What fell off of Riley’s plant? What else is going on with it?
• What do you think is the most eye-catching thing about your plant project?

INQUIRY: VIRGINIA STUDIES

• On Tuesday, while Ms. Bragg was out sick, Mr. Knight showed us the wonders of Study Island. Study Island is an engaging study tool. Students earn the ability to play and compete in arcade-style games by answering multiple-choice that help them review material. Students can access this fantastic web resource at any time.
• We learned about some difficult aspects of Virginia history this week. In our issue of Virginia Studies Weekly we read about the triangular trade and the middle passage. To give ourselves a better idea of what it was like to be slave crossing the Atlantic, we watched a short video clip which depicted the cramped and deadly conditions on board. We’ve begun to see the link between slavery and Virginia’s early economy, which was so dependent on tobacco... As we continue to learn about Virginia history, we will discover the far reaching ramifications of this link.
• We also watched some interesting short videos to help us review for our test-- one of an actor depicting James the 1st   and another which discussed American Indian tribes in Virginia today. After the later, many students shared their own Native American heritage. In the common weeks, we will be talking a great deal about different traditions and customs, as we begin our study of cultural landscapes.
• We started using PhotoStory3 today-- the last stage in the process of creating our Jamestown digital stories. Digital stories combine photos, text, narration, and “special effects,” like panning and fancy transitions (fading in and out), to tell a story or explain a point. 4th graders have been working on their storyboards to plan out their digital stories for the past couple weeks. They selected photos and wrote a script for the narration. Today, when we started to work with the actual PhotoStory program, we began to see how cool these are going to turn out... It’s very exciting to see them take shape!
• ANNOUNCING “COLONIAL DAY!” Please mark your calendars for Thursday, January 28th. On the morning of Colonial Day, parents and family friends are invited to visit the 4th grade classrooms, where they will be treated to demonstrations of colonial trades and crafts presented by 4th graders attired in period dress. 4th Graders: In order to prepare, we will be picking out occupations and starting our research soon! Most research will be done in school, but the remainder of your presentation (poster, costuming, practicing, etc.) will be completed at home. Before the big day, each of you will present in costume in front of the classroom-- it will be like a dress rehearsal. In January we’ll make a schedule for these presentations. We’ll do about 5 per day. Much more info to come!

Questions for Discussion:

• What are shackles?
• How were indentured servants different from slaves?
• What is “brown gold”?
• How did the “middle passage” get its name?
• Did the children of slaves work in the fields? How young were they when they began to work?
• How were indentured servants different from slaves?
• What did King James I think about tobacco?
• How could you tell that it was King James I in the video? What clues did you notice?
• What is PhotoStory like? What effects have you added to your PhotoStory?

MATH

• Yet another math fact appeal... Most 4th graders could still use some work on their math facts. Classes have already begun complex multiplication (2 digit by 1 digit, 3 digit by 1 digit, 2 digit by 2 digit, etc.). In order to lessen the stress of performing these calculations, 4th graders really need to have their math facts at the ready. 4th Graders: You are the best judge of how strong you are with your multiplication tables. If you know that you are having trouble with a particular fact, be sure to study it. Remember there are loads fun games on portaportal and many of them allow you to choose the facts that you need to work on (for ex: multiples of 8). Parents: You can help out by taking turns quizzing each other in the car, over breakfast, at the dinner table, etc. If the basic, basic facts become too boring, try adding on some zeros for more of a challenge. Examples: 50 X 300, 60 X 30, 40X5, etc. I also like to challenge the students to great feats of “mental math” computation. We break up large problems in our heads... For example, 14 X 3 becomes (10X3) + (4X3). Problems such as these, which employ multiples of 10, can be good exercise for the brain! Another example: 36 X 5 becomes (30X5) + (6X5). Kids can do these in their heads with practice!
• The 4th-grade-wide Basic Facts Initiative has changed slightly. We will now be taking the 45-second quizzes once weekly on Mondays. When the results are returned, students should study the problems that they got incorrect in preparation for the next week’s quiz. Corrected quizzes are included in this week’s Friday Folder.
• Many 4th graders will be learning non-traditional computation methods to tackle large multiplication problems. Parents: Don’t worry if these are unfamiliar to you! Let your 4th grader demonstrate it for you. Many 4th graders will also be learning more than one method. Practicing more than one way to tackle a problem is beneficial for mental dexterity. It’s also a great opportunity for 4th graders to pick out their favorite method.

Language Arts

• This week we started our in-depth study of grammar. The first activity we tackled seemed easy on the surface, but turned out to be harder than we thought-- making lists of proper and common nouns. Groups of students were given a letter and asked to come up with a list of as many proper and common nouns as they could. We will use this knowledge when we begin to practice editing.
• We quizzed our classmates with our own comprehension questions about the book “Oyster Moon.”
• We wrote in our journals about things that we were thankful for and used a Native American message of thankfulness as inspiration.
• In reading in the content areas, we discussed the difference between Fact and Opinion. We read a passage that included both. We stopped after each sentence to ask ourselves: “Can this be proven? Would everyone agree with it?” In doing so, we were able to determine the overall “point of view” that the author was conveying.

Questions for Discussion:

• What letter were you assigned?
• What proper and common nouns did you come up with?
• How can you tell a fact from an opinion?
• Why is it important to be aware of “point of view” when we’re reading?
• Where might you encounter different points of view?
• Why do people have different points of view?

PE: BOWLING

• Permission slips for our upcoming bowling trip is in this Friday’s Folder (see peach form). 4th graders, teachers, and parents always have a great time taking part in this excellent TJ tradition. Next week we will talk more about breaking into groups for the lanes. Parents: Mr. Greiner and Ms. Huber welcome chaperones-- see enclosed green form.

ART

• Mrs. Rathje and Mrs. Harbison report that the art opening and chorus performance this past Wednesday night was very successful. Artwork will be on display at the Mary Riley Styles Library through December 16th.

Have a fantastic weekend!
-Ms. Bragg

REMINDERS:

• Monday, 12/7         Plant Project due
• Monday, 12/7         Marine Band Assembly, 9am
• Friday, 12/11          Geography Bee
• Friday, 12/18          Bowling Field Trip
• Thursday, 1/28        Colonial Day
• Friday Afternoon Club Snack Rotation-- posted on google calendar (linked online) and hardcopy given out last week. If you’d like to switch dates, please don’t hesitate... Just let the other person know and make sure that our posted schedule in the classroom in edited. Thanks!

Morning Message 12/4/09

Good Morning! Today is Riley’s Birthday!
It also happens to be Friday, December 04, 2009.
Day 59 of School, 121 days left
Tiger Day: R

REMINDER: Plant projects are due on Monday. I’ll be handing out plant flashcards this afternoon when I collect your Jamestown flashcards. The plant flashcards should help you.

CLASSROOM FLAG: Flags 3 and 5 received the most votes. If everyone is here today, we’ll do a run-off vote this afternoon.

PLANT EXPERIMENTS: The growing lima bean vines and their cotyledons are very fragile. It’s EXTREMELY important that you are very careful with them this morning as you do your measurements. REMEMBER that you need to verify your measurement with at least one other group member. We want to be as accurate as possible!

DIGITAL STORIES: This morning we’ll be headed back down to the computer lab to work with PhotoStory3. Ms. Bragg will demonstrate the program on the projector before we go down. Everyone will need to be patient as we learn this new program. You must finish your storyboard first!

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Wish Riley a “Happy Birthday!”
3. It’s Friday, so it’s time to record some observations again!
4. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading or practicing poetry.

Morning Message 12/3/09

Good Morning! Today is Thursday, December 03, 2009.
Day 58 of School, 122 days left
Tiger Day: E

We’ve been granted a beautiful day! You should finally (knock on wood) be able to enjoy outdoor recess!

Reminder about FAC Snack: If you would like to switch dates with someone, make sure that they know. Also, be sure to change the date on the posted classroom schedule by the calendars.

Quick Surveys this Morning (we will talk after announcements):

• How is studying for the Jamestown test going?
• How are your plant projects progressing?

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Those who didn’t water their lima beans yesterday will need to do so today.
3. Take out your Jamestown flashcards and study with a partner. The test is tomorrow!

Morning Message 12/2/09

NOTE: Ms. Bragg was absent on 12/1/09... So there is no blog morning message for that day.

Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, December 02, 2009.
Day 57 of School, 123 days left
Tiger Day: G

I had a good report from Mr. VonSchrader. Thank you for conducting yourselves respectfully and being helpful yesterday! It was great to come back today to a tidy classroom. Bravo!

This morning we need to put on our scientist hats to check on our experiments. Remember: You need to verify your measurement with at least one other group member. You also need to be sure that you are all using the same measurements (centimeters or inches). We also need to water our plants this morning. I think we said about ¼ of a cup. Why is it important that we water all the plants the same amount? Why do we want to keep that constant?

Later this morning: grammar!

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack! Everything you need for the day should be unpacked and in your desk.
2. Time to check up on our experiments scientists! Remember: You need to work with your group to record your results.
3. If you finish early, you may enjoy reading or practicing poetry.