Our Great State

This week in our Vermont history/geography  theme unit we moved ahead in time  from the Abenaki to the late 1700's when Vermont was settled as a state. The two fourth grade classes participated in a simulation where one class represented the New Hampshire Grants and the other class played the role of the (New) Yorkers. These two groups of people were sold the same plot of land and it was up to the unpopular King George to settle the dispute. He sided with the Yorkers and that launched the rebellion by the well known Green Mountain Boys. The students loved debating their opinions and came up with ideas for their own Vermont Constitution that sounded very similar to the one that was written so many years ago.

Now students will use what they know about Vermont history in a special literacy project that will combine their new understandings with poetry.

We also explored equivalent fractions by using tools to build what these fractions represent. Using tools and models can help to make more abstract concepts like fractions seem more concrete and accessible to mathematicians at this stage of learning.


Next week we will lead up to the break with some exciting events. The holiday concert will be on Wednesday, followed by R.A.D. (Reading All Day) on Thursday and our Craft Morning and Cinema Day on Friday. Thank you to all that are going to be volunteering your time or snacks. We know it is a busy time of year and we greatly appreciate the help.

We hope thatyour families have a peaceful holiday and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

Fondly,
Jess and Liz

Ready Researchers

This week we read about the Abenaki people and then Mosaic students identified questions they were interested in researching to learn more about their amazing culture. Students were introduced to a concept web as a tool to take notes as well as guidance on how to search appropriate, accurate sites using key words and phrases.

After finding the answers to their questions they came back together in subtopic groups to participated in a discussion about what they learned. Former Mosaic students (now on Swift) volunteered their time to help us have a productive discussion and guided students to pull out key details and terminology to create a word cloud.
Next students will use these word clouds to help them sketch ideas for how they will tell about what they learned in a mural they will be making in art class with Mrs. Beeken. Stay tuned for how their new understandings take shape in a collaborative painting for all to enjoy.

A sign-up sheet for our Mosaic Holiday Craft Morning went home in the Friday folder. If you are able to volunteer please send the form back in with your child as soon as you can. We thank you for helping us make this festive day a success.

Don't forget to look through your (2-6th grade) books for our Mosaic book exchange on Thursday, December 21st. The more books that come in, the more books students will go home with to read in the new year.

Happy Holiday,
Liz and Jess

Googling Geographers

To complete our Vermont geography mini-unit the young geographers worked in teams to create an interactive Google map full of information about different Vermont Attractions. Using online resources and a new micro-progression for writing with strong word choice they created an informative map for anyone looking to visit the Green Mountain State. Visit it here.

Putting notes and key details
 into our own writing

Pinning our locations
 on our Google Maps

We also ended our math unit this week and showed what we now understand about strategies for solving more complex multiplication problems and division problems that involve remainders. To do this challenging work students use visual models. Seeing, touching, and sketching ideas create pictures in the mind's eye, helping learners construct, understand, and apply mathematical ideas.  Next week we will reflect on our goals and move into Unit 3, where we will explore fractions and decimals. See here for more information on this unit's big ideas.

Using tile to model the solution to a
division story problem. 

Homemade feeders for our
 feathered friends to enjoy this winter

Our Four Winds Volunteers came in on Thursday and we all learned so much about the migratory behaviors of our feathered friends. This inspired one student to bring in his homemade birdhouse and bird feeder to hang up outside the classroom windows. Hopefully we will see some of the species we learned about this winter.

Please remember that as we head into the winter months your students will be going outside each day. They should have boots, snow pants, gloves, and hats daily. Please feel free to leave a pair in school.

We have a few fun events to look forward to this month. Stay tuned for more information about our R.A.D. Celebration and our Craft Morning in your child's Friday folder.

Think Snow,

Jess and Liz

Here Comes The Sun

Thank you to our parent volunteers who made our Harvest Craftermorning a success! The students always look forward to this day and after the excitement of the storm and no school it was a nice way to ease back into the week!

We spent some of the rainy days last week using our data and what we learned from Gary B and his solar bus to build our prototypes. Then the sun finally shined and we were able to test them. None of the teams were entirely successful with melting the cheese on their nachos, but they did discover that by adding plastic to the tops they were able to create a greenhouse effect and many of them got hot! We wrapped up our solar energy unit by using all of our new understandings to write reflections about how successful our designs were for how they heated up and how much of an impact they had on the environment.

Now the students are moving into a social studies unit. They will learn about the geography of Vermont and follow its history from the days of the Abenaki to its statehood. Students will head to the Flynn this week to see a presentation about the Abenaki tribe presented by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association. They will then work in small research groups to become "experts" on an aspect of Abenaki culture. Their informational writing will be on display alongside a mural  that they will create in art class with Mrs. Beeken. Stay tuned for more photos and information on this unit of study.

The days are turning colder but we still want students to be able to head outside during the day for fresh air. Please help your students to be sure and pack accordingly so they can be warm and dry during the cold winter months. We hope that you all enjoy a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with your families.

Fondly,

Liz and Jess

Going Solar

This was an awesome week with some special visitors and events sprinkled into our regular schedule.

On Thursday we learned about how seeds travel from our Four Winds Volunteers. Students identified the different parts of seeds using a lima bean model, engaged in several hands on activities to understand how they travel and spread, and enjoyed fruits with different types of seeds. Thank you to all of our amazing parent volunteers!

On Friday, Gary Beckwith and his Solar Bus came to teach us more about the science and engineering involved with solar ovens. Students learned about the three different types of solar energy and how they can power everything from a calculator to a car (or bus!). Gary was really impressed with all of the understanding that Mosaic students already had from our unit and we even invited him to come back and see how our solar ovens stand up to the test of making nachos this week!

We ended our week in the garden celebrating all that it brings to our school and community. Kaleidoscope lead us in song and our wonderful staff and parent volunteers served us up some delicious hot cider. It was a beautiful day to celebrate!

Just a reminder that we will be having our Mosaic Crafter Morning on Tuesday, October 31st from 10:30-11:30. Thank you to those of you who are volunteering your time or sending in a snack for us to enjoy.

Happy Hikers

Thank you to all who donated canned good and pledges towards our annual Hike For Hunger event. All of the money will go towards Hunger Free Vermont and the food will be donated directly to our Williston Food Shelf. The students got a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending time together as a team doing something for our local community.

Mosaic Team Hike For Hunger

Our beautiful backdrop at Catamount Family Center 

This week we tested different materials to see how they worked as insulators. Students tested plastic, paper, felt, and cotton and recorded the difference in temperature after submerging cups full of the materials in ice water. Students now have lots of ideas on how they will use these tests to make decisions on how to build their own oven prototypes. Our goal is to have an oven that can successfully heat up and cook food while still having a low impact on the environment.

Testing thermal insulators

We started a new unit in mathematics this week. Students are learning about models and strategies for multi-digit multiplication and how to divide with and without remainders. See this link for more information on the content of this unit and how to support your child's math growth.

Next Tuesday is our Harvest Craft Morning. We are looking for parent volunteers to run a craft or activity for three groups of approximately 10 students in each group. A form has gone home and we would love it if you could join us for this fun team event. If you want to help,but need an idea we are happy to help. If you need certain materials for your craft idea just let us know beforehand and we will try and organize them for you.

Happy Harvest,
Jess and Liz

Solar Scientists

Scientists began learning about different types of energy this week. Some new vocabulary that came up in our scientist meetings were: fossil fuels, renewable/nonrenewable, and geothermal. Students then concentrated their focus on solar energy and designed an investigation around how the color of a material affects how it absorbs heat. They established the controls and variable and worked in groups to collect and analyze data. This information will help them as they design their own prototypes for mini-solar ovens in the coming weeks, but first we need to test for which materials insulate the most heat. Stay tuned!

Collecting Temperature Data

Setting up our colored materials for testing

This Wednesday we will be doing our annual Hike For Hunger at The Catamount Family Center. Our hike will begin at 10:00 and go until about 11:00. We would love for families to join us on this team event. Pledge forms were sent home via email and should be returned with any donation by Friday, October 27th. We will also love to collect non-perishable food items to donate to our Williston Food Shelf. Thank you for anything that you can contribute to this important tradition.

Mathematicians investigate mass 

Learning about liquid volume 

On Monday students in fourth grade will attend an assembly to learn about the WCS beginner band program. They will learn about the different instrument options and the responsibilities that come along with joining the band. We encourage them to discuss this new option with their families and teachers before making the year long commitment. More information will come home to you in the next few weeks, but we are happy to answer any questions.

Students of the Week reporting live from Midday With Mosaic!