Happy Thanksgiving!

We've learned a lot about Thanksgiving! We explored what we already knew, and then asked ourselves: what would we like to learn about the First Thanksgiving? Some of us wanted to know what the Pilgrims and Wampanoag ate; some wanted to know what games they played; others wanted to know if the two groups lived peacefully together... After sharing our thoughts with our friends, we went to find answers!

First we saw a moving map of the travels of the Mayflower, and learned why they reached Cape Cod first (instead of Virginia, as expected).We read letters written by  a (fictional) Pilgrim child and a (fictional) Wampanoag (Native American) child to help us understand what both groups of people were thinking, feeling, and doing on that first Thanksgiving. Did you ever wonder how the Pilgrims lived? What they ate? What they played with?

Through slideshows we explored the daily life of the Pilgrims and Wapanoags, as well as a description of the first Thanksgiving celebration. Did you know the feast lasted three days? Did you know that cranberry sauce hadn't even been been invented yet? And, nope! There was no pumpkin pie... Did you know that the Indians hunted deer and shared the meat with the Pilgrims? Although the Pilgrims and Wampanoag were so different,  they both had special ways to give Thanks to the Creator for the good things He gave them!

Lastly, after learning what the Pilgrims were thankful for (survival and a successful harvest) we asked ourselves - "what am I thankful for? Why?" and wrote our ideas on colorful leaves hanging in our classroom.

Ask your child to share their First Thanksgiving trivia questions with you!

The 4th-5th Grade Official Book Challenge!

So, it's official! The 4th and 5th Grade at Mazel are on a mission: to collectively read 180 Mazel Library Books by the end of the year! (Grand Class Prize to be announced.) In addition to the collective goal, points will be acquired individually for completing books as well as responding in written form. Points will  buy bookmarks, book-covers, and other literacy-related materials.

Morah Chani visited our classroom on Friday and read us a great, humorous book titled Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind. The book illustrates how one boy finally finds the book that he is interested in with the help of his teacher, Miss Malarkey.

Our goal is that each student find books in many genres in our library that he/she will find captivating! Like one of the students said during the discussion "when I read a good book, I don't want to put it down!" That's the kind of reading we want!

More details to follow soon.

We had a STAR PARTY!

We are pleased to share that the 4th-5th Grade earned a Star Party with good behavior, kindness toward friends, good work habits, etc. Since the first day of school, lines were continuously added to stars on the board, as we accumulated ten complete stars. The last lines on the very last star were earned this Friday, and to the students' surprise Morah had the party already planned and ready to go!

We started off with a super-fast-and-fun scavenger hunt with clues. Each clue led to another...(under the lunch table, behind the garbage can, in the dictionary...) until we found the gift bag! Inside, was our first activity: plaster painting! We really enjoyed this art activity, while listening to a CD of the Chanukah story. When we were finished painting we got one final surprise...delicious pre-Chanukah sprinkle donuts for all our hard work... What a great way to celebrate! Keep up the good work!

Thanksgiving Webcast!

The children in 4th and 5th Grade were lucky enough to participate in a live web-cast that featured a Virtual Field Trip to Plimoth Plantation; We met Pilgrims and Wampanoags (Native Americans) dressed as if they were living in the time of the first Thanksgiving and listened to their discussion about differences and similarities between them. Although the two groups were quite different they both had what to be thankful for. It was fascinating! For a replay, visit http://www.scholastic.com/thanksgivingwebcast . We will be following up with a writing piece next week - We will keep you posted.

We are sharing the abundance we celebrate on Thanksgiving with others! We will be collecting Kosher food cans to share with others who are needy. Please look out for the note that is being sent home over the weekend...

Math Test - Tuesday

Math Assessment/Test on Unit 3 has been rescheduled for this Tuesday, November 16th. We've been reviewing in class, however it is your child's responsibility to also study at home. Studying should be done using the Review Sheets, as well as studying the terms in the Personal Reference Book (the small notebook). Your supervision/input is recommended.

In addition, when the Math Assessment/Test is sent home PLEASE take the time to look through it with your child, have him/her redo any incorrect answers, and then SIGN and RETURN. Thank you!

Math Test - Rescheduled

Although the Math Test was put down for tomorrow, Friday, we have rescheduled the test for next week. The children know about this. Please help them review (using the Math Review that has been sent home for homework)! We will keep you posted as to the new test date.

We would really love to have an overhead projector!

Hi! We in 4th-5th Grade would love to have an overhead projector for our classroom! This will help us share in interactive lessons and use enlarged, shared text together as a group! If anyone would like to contribute in part or in entirety to this great cause, please let me know! It is a relatively low-cost machine ranging from $100-$150 for a simple projector. Thanks!

World Tour in Math!

As we go our "World Tour" in Math, visiting countries in 5 regions across the globe, we measure air distance from our origin (for example, Washington DC) to our destination (for example, Cairo, Egypt).

We figured out a 12 inch Globe SCALE that can help us work out the amount of miles flown per each inch measured on the globe. A trip around the world is a distance of 25,000 miles. If so, we learned, then each inch on the globe represents approximately 660 miles.

So a trip to Cairo from D.C. may be a distance of 9 inches on the globe, and therefor approximately 5,940 in air distance. The 4th graders truly enjoyed this activity and learned so much while doing the Math exercises! At the end of the exercises each student chose a destination of their choice. Ask your child what their destination was, and why:-)