Morning Message 10/7/09

Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, October 7, 2009.
Day #22 of School, 158 days left
Tiger Day: E

Today is the first day our Morning Message will be posted on Ms. Bragg’s Blog so that your families can read it as well. Ms. Bragg’s Blog is also now a tab on Angel. We’ll check it out this morning.

So far, we’ve studied the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions… This morning we’re going to continue our journey west. Which region comes next? Also, brand new today: flashcards!

Finally, if everyone is here today, we will be eating lunch in the classroom… Congratulations on solving the puzzle and earning the reward!

A Few Reminders:

• We want our pencils to live long, happy, productive lives before we retire them to our pencil graveyard. So let’s go easy on them. We need to conserve our classroom’s resources.
• We have bigger bodies in 4th Grade and a smaller classroom. This means that most of the time we won’t be able spread out as much as we would like to. When you’re sitting at your desk, your chair needs to be pulled under your desk so that people can move behind you.

To-Do List:

1. Complete your morning routine! Don’t forget about snack!
2. Pull out your red notebooks and find a buddy. Take turns rehearsing the first poem in our collection. Remember the goal is to memorize the poem and then recite it in front of 2 friends, in order to earn a star.

Welcome to My Blog 4th Grade Class of 2010!

Hello 4th Graders and Parents!

I've decided to change or rather enhance the scope of my blog. Instead of just using it as a repository for cool videos, as I have in the past (see old posts in the archive on the right), I will post (a) our Morning Message, (b) the Friday letter, and (c) other interesting assignments/tidbits. My thinking is this:

Reason #1) Many parents (and other family members) are in front of a computer all day at work. These folks may be curious about what their 4th-grade friends are up to. The Morning Message usually contains important announcements and previews our schedule for the day/morning. Moreover, Friday letters often include links that are far easier to click on than to retype. I can make links simple for you to access! For example: Ms. Bragg's Portaportal site, where she keeps all the best links she comes across (links to fun games, intriguing videos, interactive applets, and informational sites).

Reason #2) Kids who are at home sick may want to log in to Angel to see what their classmates are up to. On Angel, they will have access to this blog, Ms. Bragg's Portaportal site, and to the classroom google calendar. (Look! I did that link thing again!) If they are feeling up to it, they will even be able to complete some assignments at home and therefore not get behind. For example, today kids who were home sick could have watched this EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)/Weather Channel video about watersheds:"After the Storm". Now parents can check out this link/video too and discuss it with their kids.

Does this sound like a pretty good idea? Let me know what you think. NOTE: I will continue to send home a paper copy of the Friday Letter in the Friday Folders. Our class reads these together before we depart for weekend adventures. They're my proofreaders! Everyone needs at least one-- I've got 22!

Finally, to top off this first post of 2009, I'd like to share with you some photos of my own weekend adventures that connect to our current Inquiry unit. 4th Graders: What signs of runoff can you see?

These were all taken right below Wilson Bridge at Jones Point Park on the waterfront in Alexandria. You can see National Harbor in the distance.

Science in the News

This week's issue of Scholastic News is packed full of science! First we learned about the Kepler Telescope, which is searching for Earth-like planets that might have liquid water. Why do scientists care that the water is in liquid form?

Check out these NASA videos about the Kepler mission (the first one is much shorter than the other)...





We also saw a picture of a deep-sea fish that seems alien to us because its so strange. You can actually see through its head! And it can too!-- because its eyes are on the inside. Its transparent (see-through) forehead acts like the canopy of a jet or the windshield of a car, protecting its tubular eyes. Pretty nuts!



Finally, last week we saw that the cover of the Washington Post had a picture of a new arrival on the front page... Here's some video of those precious little guys:

In the News

Do you know what AP stands for? AP = Associated Press. The Associated Press is a news organization. Here is an AP video about making Double Dutch an "official" school sport. We read about it in this week's issue of Scholastic news. Do you think you could jump that fast? Or with that much style?



Speaking of jump rope technique, here's a video from the New York Times that shows just how crazy Double Dutch tricks can get:



Finally, here is a video about the newly discovered Titanoboa, which was also written about in our SN issue. I just love that name! If you discovered a new species, what would you name it?

MEH makes silly videos

Are you going to the B-ball game on Friday?

Check this out!:

MEH v. TJ Basketball Game from brett on Vimeo.

Christian the Lion who Lived in London

2 weeks ago I showed you a clip of the "viral" video that was an international sensation. It's called "viral" because it spreads from person to person, just like a virus does! Only it's much more positive than getting sick :-) If people really like something they tend to share it with others and so they pass it on. If it's really popular it will spread very quickly and eventually the national media (the news) will take notice.

I shared the video with you because I had heard about this new book:


There is also a video interview of the lion "parents" on the Today Show.

Past Presidents in the News

Scholastic News has put up two videos in honor of President's Day...

Check 'em out: