Joshua Tree Camping Trip
Exhibition (Part 1)
Part one of our project wrapped up this week with an exhibition of our perspective writing. We turned our classrooms into a gold mining town and everyone took on the personalities of their gold miner character for the evening. The talk of the town was the variety of hotels in San Francisco, how to pan for gold successfully and the extortionate prices of common goods at the general store. In addition, we heard lots of gossip about the upcoming trial of Cut Eye Higgins who is accused of kidnapping an African American family. During the (mock) trial in January, we will have to determine if he is found guilty or not.
We also had the opportunity to participate in a 9th grade exhibition about air quality. We were excited to learn about different ways we can help improve the quality of air in our environment both with man-made filters and natural items such as plants.
We also had the opportunity to participate in a 9th grade exhibition about air quality. We were excited to learn about different ways we can help improve the quality of air in our environment both with man-made filters and natural items such as plants.
October and November
The past few months we have been deep in our project work about the California Gold Rush. We have been working on researching enough about early California history to be able to write narrative letters from the perspective of a gold miner at the time. In their letters students will write about: their journey to California either by land or by sea, their observations about how non-white miners were treated, and what daily life was like in a gold mining town.
As part of our fieldwork for this project we went on one of my favorite field trips to the Eagle Mining Company in Julian! There we got to tour mine shafts, see a rock crusher and try our hands at panning for real gold flakes. This field trip is always a huge hit and a great way for kids to get some firsthand experience of what life was like as a prospector.
Mixed in with all of this learning was a Jell-o brain on Halloween and a great opportunity to provide project feedback to some visiting educators trying their hands at project design and exhibition!
As part of our fieldwork for this project we went on one of my favorite field trips to the Eagle Mining Company in Julian! There we got to tour mine shafts, see a rock crusher and try our hands at panning for real gold flakes. This field trip is always a huge hit and a great way for kids to get some firsthand experience of what life was like as a prospector.
Mixed in with all of this learning was a Jell-o brain on Halloween and a great opportunity to provide project feedback to some visiting educators trying their hands at project design and exhibition!
First Few Weeks
What a fun first few weeks it has been with this new crew of kids! We've been able to bond through classroom team-building activities, and are now heading into the thick of the first trimester of classwork.
These first few weeks are all about establishing routines, setting up classroom expectations, and getting to know one another. We also reviewed the process of critique and revision by creating some art using our names and giving and getting feedback from our peers. The process of receiving feedback can be intimidating (for kids and adults!) but it is the best way to improve our work. You'll be able to see these lovely pieces of art decorating our classroom walls the next time you visit.
We also got to meet our Kindergarten buddies who we will spend time with once a week. This is a great way to form relationships across grade levels and for our 4th graders to have the opportunity to provide mentorship and friendship to our youngest students. We are big fans of Friday buddy time!
These first few weeks are all about establishing routines, setting up classroom expectations, and getting to know one another. We also reviewed the process of critique and revision by creating some art using our names and giving and getting feedback from our peers. The process of receiving feedback can be intimidating (for kids and adults!) but it is the best way to improve our work. You'll be able to see these lovely pieces of art decorating our classroom walls the next time you visit.
We also got to meet our Kindergarten buddies who we will spend time with once a week. This is a great way to form relationships across grade levels and for our 4th graders to have the opportunity to provide mentorship and friendship to our youngest students. We are big fans of Friday buddy time!