Tiger Trek!!!!

Testing a Hypothesis...TBC

Monday (and into Tuesday) was the Autumnal Equinox, a period of time in which the tilt of the Earth's axis is 90 degrees away from the sun.  This results in an almost equal 12 hours of daylight and darkness. 

This tilt causes another phenomena: egg balancing!!   The tale goes that this trick is possible because of the altered force of the Sun's gravitational pull.   Team Wilkinson (along with some 4th grade friends in Mrs. Stevens' and Ms. Clay's rooms) is testing a hypothesis:

Gravity affects balance. 

On Monday, Ms. Wilkinson successfully balanced an egg on its ends!! (Yes, both the skinny and fat ends!!).  We snapped some proof:

We're looking forward to next week, when we'll test the same egg to see if it will balance similarly!!!

Comfy Seats

Thanks to some spectacular Jungle kiddos, Team Wilkinson walks into a surprise tomorrow!!

Great job using your Synergy Elizabeth, Abby and Eva!!!!

Builder vs. Copier

We continued our look at how an object's position can be described in relation to another today by playing "Builder-Copier".  Students took turns building a structure and then describing it to their partner in hopes of creating a matching structure. 

Team Wilkinson then reflected on our learning and decided that this game was easier when communication was clear and descriptive language was used.   We learned the value of using prepositional phrases frequently; building matching structures was nearly impossible with just numerals and colors!!

Frames of Reference

We took our Science observation outside on Friday!   Team Wilkinson is exploring how you describe an object's position compared to a stationary object.  The stationary object is the reference point (or frame of reference) and we use these objects to prove motion. 

Here we are sketching the reference points around school.  We will use his information for a Reflection on Monday :)

Meet Mrs. Moore

This morning, our school counselor dropped by for our first Guidance lesson of the year.  Today we met Mrs. Moore and learned that she always wanted to be a teacher, she lived in a house full of boys and cheer for the UK Wildcats!!

We played a fun trivia game testing our knowledge of her sharing.  We are really looking forward to working with Mrs. Moore!!   Team Wilkinson will have Guidance again in a few weeks.  We'll review conflict resolution, healthy living choices, leadership and more :)

Am I prime or composite??

The Team continued its dive into the discovery of prime and composite numbers today!!   Our strategy today in determining if a number is prime or composite was to create a factor rainbow (with the assistance of our handy hundreds charts!).  Here is a sample of our findings...and a cheat for becoming familiar with the terminology for our new unit. 

Ask your child to explain if 18 is a prime or composite number.  

(Answers: Composite, because:

-there  is more than one factor pair.

-there are more than 2 factors.

-I can build more than 2 rectangular arrays for this number.)

Developing our Writing Process

Mixture or Solution?!?

This morning we were introduced to mixtures and solutions and the main difference between the two.   A mixture is a combination of 2 or more types of matter.   A solution is a mixture of 2 or more substances that are evenly distributed.   In a solution, one substance is dissolved into the other.  

An example of a mixture is trailmix; the ingredients can be separated.   An example of a solution is lemonade--once the powder is mixed with water and stirred, we can not "undo" it to separate the parts. 

Ask you child about our other experiments today:

Modes of Writing Kickoff

Today we kicked off our look at the different modes of writing while synergizing with our Tables!   

In the next few days, we'll look more closely at the styles of each mode, as well as its purpose and audience.  This year, we will craft a new piece from each of these modes!!

Science is FUN in Fourth Grade!!

Our first Science Unit is Matter.  We’ve learned matter is anything that takes up space and the 3 states of matter are Solid, Liquid and Gas.  We've tested our Processing Skills through several experiments and demonstrations...and we are loving how hands-on Science is in Fourth Grade!!!  We also created a visual to help us remember the properties of these states.

 

 

 

Scientists describe matter using physical properties, or characteristics that can be measured or observed without changing the matter into something new.  Generally, we can describe physical properties in reference to our senses.  Some physical properties are: size, shape, color, texture, luster, volume, weight and density.  In order to understand the concept of density (the amount of matter in a certain space/volume), we performed a test.  We measured different liquids and poured them into one container.  We learned the densest liquids settled at the bottom because their molecules are more tightly packed.  The least dense liquid sat on top because its molecules are spread farther apart.

The liquids we tested, from bottom to top: shampoo, light corn syrup, liquid soap, water, whip cream.  Here is a picture of our experiment:    

 

 

Today (Sept. 8) we kicked off a look at physical and chemical changes in matter.  A physical change changes the way matter looks; a chemical change creates new matter.  This week we will explore what these definitions look like in our lives. 

One physical change we explored today involved Whip Cream.  After recess, we took some cold heavy Whipping Cream (a liquid) and added pressure to it using a hand mixer.  After a few minutes, the whipping cream began to stiffen into Whip Cream.   After a few more minutes, our Whip Cream turned into a light yellow “blob” that no longer looked like it belonged on dessert!!   After Ms. Wilkinson added more pressure (by squeezing the remaining liquid into the bowl), our Whip Cream was a solid----BUTTER!!   We were hands-off today because of food allergies; however, we could absolutely tell by the smell of this solid that it was butter.    

 

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next!!





WELCOME!!!!

Welcome to Team Wilkinson!!!

I am really excited to share my classroom with you this school year.  Take a look around our Team’s blog and let me know if there is anything else you would like shared and I can certainly add it.  Typically, this blog is a window into our learning…but from time to time, I post assignments, study guides or general “cheats” to help clarify content!!    

Our Daily Schedule is posted to the right; if you plan to join us for lunch, let me know by 10:00am (if possible) and I will let the Office and Cafeteria know.  I also regularly update out “Wish List”, in case you come across any deals or have some spare things to share.  These items are a big help in our learning, especially the Science items.  This year, our curriculum is more hands-on; the items we need are generally small, but we can do SO much with them!!

So far, Team Wilkinson is a great community of Leaders!!  Looking forward to a fabulous year in 4^th grade!

 

-Ms. Wilkinson