Science

This week students learned all about the process of pollination. We studied the important role that bees play in pollinating many of the foods that we eat. In fact, we couldn’t name a meal that bees did not have an influence over! To really understand how bees pollinate flowers we discussed the parts of a flower and how the bee gets its food. We then got to dissect the flower, finding and identifying the stamen and pistil, petals and sepals. Ask your student why the pistil is sticky.

We were especially excited when we found a large bee on the play structure. It stayed still so that we were able to investigate it thoroughly. Through some research, we learned that it was an Eastern Carpenter Bee and that it does not sting! We love learning all about bees!

Writing

Fourth Graders were thrilled to be publishing their realistic fiction stories this week! During this unit, students learned how difficult writing fiction really is! They worked first on story planning, using charts and story arcs to organize their thinking. Students then worked with their writing partners to ensure that they were showing the story and not just telling. Writing partners also investigated how to hook their readers with a strong beginning. We then got to celebrate our success with the fifth graders!

Reading

This week in Reading Workshop students finished Shiloh, a novel by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.  This is a dramatic tale about a boy named Marty and a runaway dog, Shiloh.  One interesting aspect of this book is the Appalachian dialect that it is written in.  Students investigated how this dialect is different than Standard English. We also discussed the many different types of conflict that are found in the story, including man vs. man, man vs. beast, and man vs. law.

Important Dates:

• Wednesday, October 26 – Parent Lunch, 11:15 – 12:00 
• Thursday, October 27 – Parent Forum, 5:45pm
• Monday, October 31 – Halloween Carnival, Half Day 11:30 Dismissal
• Wednesday, November 9 – Parent Coffee
• Monday, November 14 – Parent Teacher Conferences, 11:30 Dismissal
• Tuesday, November 15 – Parent Teacher Conferences, 11:30 Dismissal
• Tuesday, November 22 – Harvest Feast, 11:30 Dismissal
• November 23 – 27 – Thanksgiving Break, No School