January

Well, January flew by!

In fourth grade, we learned about fables.  We even created our own fables with very interesting morals!  We were introduced to mythology with a trip to the star lab.  Thanks Mr. Chapman for sharing your knowledge!

In fifth grade, we discovered biographies.  We chose inspirational people to learn about and will be presenting on these people this week!  I am sure there will be some very creative presentations.  The presentations will be videoed and linked to our books via Aurasma.

Below are some pictures from the month!  Don't forget that our Valentine's Day party is coming up next week.  Please send in $2-4 for the supplies.

Student Led Conferences

In preparation for the student-led conferences with their parents/guardians, students were able to meet with volunteers on Tuesday, December 16, 2014.  We were very excited to welcome our director of schools, many school board members, central office team members, and academic coaches to our little school on the hill. Students shared their leadership and subject area notebooks and their academic and personal goals. Also, the students shared their virtual book reviews that they created on Aurasma.  The students were very thankful for the opportunity to practice with such wonderful adults! 

After practicing, students led conferences with their parents.  Parents enjoyed the students taking charge of the conferences and being held accountable for their learning.  We saw a lot of happy faces leaving the rooms! 

Students used Aurasma to create virtual book reviews on their realistic fiction novels.  All visitors enjoyed the students' excitement about this project!  We cannot wait to do more!!

December!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Both 4th and 5th grades have been working on realistic fiction in Mrs. Fay's class.  Both grades chose a realistic fiction book to read and review.  Students then filmed their reviews for our student conferences.  Students utilized the Aurasma app on our iPads to record themselves.  Students were then able to walk around and scan each book and it would pull up a video of a student giving a book review.  Here are a few pictures...

Fourth grade read The Graduation of Jake Moon.  The students enjoyed learning about Alzheimer disease and how families deal with struggles.  

 

The fifth grade read The Best School Year Ever.  Students loved reading about the silly Herdmans!  We learned that it's A-OK to be ourselves!

 

Fifth grade is also reading The Giver.  Make sure you turn in your permission slips to watch the film!  We want to compare and contrast the movie and the book. 

In math, fourth grade has been studying shapes in geometry.  They get really excited about talking about their progress!  Also, we saw major growth on our STAR tests!

In social studies, we are learning about the new world and the explorers.  The students love learning with portaportal.com.  

iMovie

 

Recently, the Greeneville City Schools Education Foundation awarded Mrs. Fay a grant to purchase iMovie for our intermediate ipads!  We have been so excited to learn how to use it!  Students in the after school HAWKS program are finishing up their first projects this week.  These will be uploaded on Vimeo soon! Check out our thank you video here https://vimeo.com/112127941!

The 5th graders finished Hatchet this week.  They really enjoyed how Brian was courageous and strong.  The students will be taking a test on this book tomorrow.  Also, remind your students to take the AR test.  It is worth 7 points!

Fourth graders are typing up their book reviews.  These should be finished and printed before break!

Tonight was our Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!  We were so excited to see so many families!  Here's a quick video recap of our evening - https://vimeo.com/1127670

Remember, there will be no school from Wednesday - Friday.  Enjoy your break, but remember to continue to read and practice your math facts!!  Be safe and sharpen the saw!

Early November

We went to see the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.  It was amazing!!

We are excited about the KSO!

Almost everyone's favorite part was when the Austin East High School West African Drum and Dance Ensemble joined in on the performance!  They brought the house down with their awesome beats and costumes!

The 5th graders learned and performed a figurative language dance to share with the 4th graders.  They created the dance moves themselves during class and taught them to each other!

In Mrs. Fay's class, we have 2 new special seats...stability balls!
These seats provide active seating to help students channel their physical energy in a positive way.  The students are obsessed with these chairs and tell Mrs. Fay daily that we need to figure out a way to get some for everyone!
Mrs. Fay has a grant posted on DonorsChoose.org to purchase more active seating.  We're hoping it gets funded soon!

Pink Out!

The 4th and 5th grade team "tutu"ed for awareness during the GCS Pink Out!

Mrs. Moore's Pink

In October, we had a pink out to support breast cancer awareness!

Mrs. Fay's room goes all out!

Mr. Burns and Mr. Minnick loved showing off their dance moves!

Reading Centers

Here are some examples of our interactive centers in reading! 

 We love utilizing our iPads!

Working together makes writing fun!

We are learning how to be leaders within our classroom and our school.  We are practicing this in small group activities where everyone has a role.