Showered with Love

Today, the fourth grade had a surprise baby shower for Mrs. Thoms and her baby girl.

The students got to participate in fun activities like the playing the baby name game, playing baby bingo, and completing a baby word search. After so much fun, the kids were hungry. They were treated to bagels, donuts, yogurt, fruit, and brownies.

We did get in some learning. The students got to estimate the circumference of Mrs. Thoms’ belly. Some were a little better than others. Poor Mrs. Thoms!

 

 

To end the joyous celebration, the kids got to write sweet messages to baby Thoms on a balloon.

 

The balloons were released as a combined effort.

 

 

All around it was a beautiful celebration. Fourth grade wishes Mrs. Thoms and baby Thoms the very best!

 

Please find a link to all of today’s pictures at the following link.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgpGWRizxiBt2QjsZOWFQrYKXzwU

Open for Business

In Tampa math, students learned how to add and subtract money with decimal amounts.  Students were tasked with forming their own stores to sell merchandise. For their stores, students decided what items they were going to sell, how much each item would cost, how they would tag the item, and how they would collect and keep track of the money.

 

 

Students received an allowance to shop stores, and

they bought items from their fellow classmates. 

 

With the first part of the project complete, students will analyze in a report what they sold, how they priced the items, how decimals were used to keep track of their sales, and how they used decimals to run their stores.   It truly was a great time in the 4^th grade micro-economy.

Look Who's Talking

In Social Studies, students formed their villages and created their own talking sticks.

 

The talking stick is a tool used in many Native American traditions when a council is called. It allows all council members to present their sacred point of view. The Talking Stick is passed from person to person as they speak and only the person holding the stick is allowed to talk during that time period.

Because students will be using the talking stick for most village discussions, it is important that everyone have input into the design.

 

 

 

 

Students made a plan for creating the talking stick. We discussed what to do when there is “Talking Stick Trouble” and the importance of teamwork and compromise. Students enjoyed getting creative and designing something as a team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sentences Don't Bug Us

Students in writing learned about the four types of sentences.  They came up with their own examples of declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences.  We are making sure that these four types of sentences "don't bug us" anymore through mastery in our writing.

 

Pawsitively Perfect Playground

If you ask children their favorite subject in school, nine times out of ten they will enthusiastically say “RECESS!!!” This year, the playground was redone to include a beautiful and soft AstroTurf.  The playground crew worked tirelessly for over four weeks to make sure everything was perfect. Today the wait was finally over, and the kids gave their roar of approval!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below to find more pictures from today's playground grand reopening :)

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgpGWRizxiBt2GUagpBvCBIyVQWy

Peace and Kindness on Campus

Each month our students get an opportunity to receive an extra lesson about the Sagemont Character Trait of the Month. This month is all about peace and kindness on campus.

For today’s kindness lesson, Mrs .Zea presented students with two different apples. Students passed the first apple around and said negative things to the apple such as “you’re an ugly apple” and “your color is dull.”

 

 The next apple was passed around and student praised the apple with comments such as “you look juicy enough to eat” and “you are a perfectly-shaped apple."

 

 

 

 

After both apples had been passed around, Mrs. Zea cut open both apples to reveal the inside. The outside of both apples was the same.  However, the apple that had received the negative comments was bruised and brown on the inside, while the apple that had received the praise was healthy on the inside. The students learned that when they bully someone and say negative comments to them, the person ends up hurt inside just like the apple that receive the negative comments.

 

To help build confidence in each other, the students got into four different groups and practiced making kind comments. Each person got a paper and their paper was passed in a circle around the group. The students listed reason why they liked the person whose paper they had.

 

 

 

Once the students received their papers back, they enjoyed reading what kind messages their group members had written about them. They shared some of their favorites with the whole fourth grade. The students are definitely a little kinder after today’s lesson! Thanks, Mrs. Zea!!