Severe Weather Awareness

Last week was Severe Weather Awareness Week. It is a big deal. Every year during this week, the local television stations do segments about the different kinds of weather in Minnesota, and what you can do to be safe. It is always interesting with those incredible weather video they share!

In fourth grade, we are learning about severe weather too. Students are applying their year long "Nonfiction Text Features" to read and answer questions about severe weather. The information is spread throughout the information packet, and students need to pay attention to pictures, captions, headings, charts, and more to be able to answer the questions. It is interesting to hear their stories and weather experiences! We are learning about flash flooding, thunderstorms, tornadoes, EAS and NOAA systems, and heat emergencies.

When students are testing, it takes a lot of brain power! The Severe Weather learning packets allows them the opportunity to team with friends for a more relaxed learning opportunity. It is a good fit around our state testing! It also fits the rainy forecast for this week!

Wolf Pack Cover

It is time for the annual Wolf Pack Cover Contest. Each classroom is invited to submit one entry. The entries are then judged, and the new Wolf Pack / Friday Folder is chosen for the following school year.

Every student had nearly an hour of class time last week to work on their cover. Students were also able to work with a friend to design a cover. The covers were due today. They are hanging on the board. At the end of the day, our class will vote by secret ballot for the cover of their choice. The winning classroom cover will be walked down to the office, and the other contenders will be sent home. Congratulations to ALL of our participants!!

Which one would you choose?

Poetry Cafe

Today, fourth graders participated in Poetry Cafe. It is the culminating activity to our year-long speaking development. We work on speaking in Student of the Week, monthly Book Projects, and various other learning. We demonstrate our progress and skills at the end of April in Poetry Cafe where students select, memorize, and recite a poem alone on state in Dahlager Theater.

Speaking is a life skill. Whether you are a parent, advocating for your child, speaking in your faith community, a business owner talking with a customer, or your job requires public speaking, like a lawyer, or teacher. We want students to develop their speaking skills, so when the time to speak is necessary, they can focus on their message, and the speaking skills are already in place.

Here are our speakers! We are SO PROUD!!!

Ms. Prose shares words

Ms. Leom's, Ms. Prose, and half of Mrs. Aren's Classes

Mr. Greninger's, Mr. Lundeen's, and half of Mrs. Aren's classes

Poetry Cafe also develops the skills of facing your uncertainties, fears, and worries, and conquering them. It was so exciting to see the pride and confidence our students gained today! Congratulations Poetry Cafe speakers! So PROUD!!

MCAs

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Reading started today in fourth grade. We will take two segments of the test today and two segments of the test tomorrow.

A note, gum, mints, a glass for water, two number two pencils, an eraser, and kleenexes were provided to students before they started the test. Goldfish crackers were also available. 

 The security of the test is a big deal. Staff who handle the test attend training about the rules, regulations, expectations, and changes. Official forms need to be read, signed, and dated indicating we understand the expectations. The tests are sealed on arrival. There is a script teachers read, so every student taking the test has a similar experience. Students break the seal on the test. After each segment, students seal their segment with a red sticker. The tests are kept locked up.

Here are some images of Ms. Leom's class during the beginning of the test. Ms. Leom brought in extra desks and moved some things around so students were spread out. There were no more than two students per table. We also covered up the clock with a piece of black construction paper, so students are not concerned about the time. Students WILL have Recess, Lunch, and Specials today. All other classes are suspended so students have the time they need to be successful.

Next week, our students will take the Math test over two days.