November 2021
Fourth graders used their STEM journals to plan parade floats using balloons and other materials. Then they created their floats from their plans. This project was based on the book, Balloons Over Broadway. Students designed a backdrop of New York City and had their own class Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Featuring….
- Coronavirus
- Lady
- Green Sour Ball (from Wreck-It Ralph)
- Mouse
- Santa
- Koala
- Angry Bird
- Dinosaur
- Snoopy
- Blue Gumball
Invention Unit
Students are still working on our invention unit. Students brought in broken items and electronics to “un-invent” and take apart. They learned so much with this activity. I loved seeing their reactions when they discovered a new component of an item they were taking apart.
Some fourth graders found this broken calculator on the playground. These girls took it apart and loved seeing how the buttons worked.
These students took apart an old wall phone, a toy car, and a wireless computer mouse.
Ms. Melinda donated this broken coffee maker. These two took the coffee maker apart and learned a lot in the process. They were surprised that there was a computer chip and circuit board inside. Also, they did not know what the “hot plate” or “seals” were so they had to Google image search the picture. It took awhile, but they found their answer! They shared their discoveries with 3rd grade GT students.
October 2021
Fourth graders finished up their websites and shared the published link with their families and our principal, Mrs. Fulmer. They presented their websites to our class. The students worked very hard on their websites and were so proud and excited to share their sites. I’m amazed by their final products-they all did an incredible job! I’m so proud of their hard work!
We began a unit on inventions, and it was so much fun to learn about! Students learned about why things were created and how inventions helped make our lives easier. They learned about inventions, discoveries, inventors, and even inventions that were mistakes.
Students worked in groups to figure out what all of these objects had in common. Here’s a hint…
They’re ALL inventions!
Students came up with an invention using items from our Maker Space area and planned it out in their STEM journals. Next, they built their inventions. When students were finished, they drew the inventions and labeled the materials used. They had to write about their invention. Finally, they wrote their grows and glows. They thought about what went well and what they could do better next time.
September 2021
This month, fourth grade students were challenged to create their own Google Sites. I helped them get started by showing the students how to add pages, headings, pictures, text, and links to their sites. These kids were so excited to be able to personalize their pages. They added many things to the site including information about their family, their likes/dislikes, sports, extracurricular activities, books read, hobbies, and much more. We plan to use the GT portion of their website as a live portfolio to document each student’s journey through the GT classroom.
August 2021
We started off the new school year with several team-building activities and STEM challenges. We spent time going over expectations and the students discussed what they wanted to learn and do this year. Students also created “Selfie Sculptures” to help them understand their social and emotional needs and their learning styles.
4th graders enjoyed learning about themselves during this activity. They loved creating their selfie sculptures.
