Today I asked you to fill in the blank:  "It's the last day of school and I feel _____!"

Some answers included:
1.  Free to sleep in and play video games
2.  Happy
3.  Excited
4.  Sad
5.  Boooooness and
6.  Mixed emotions. 

I am feeling the last one!  I'm very happy to start vacation (like most of you are) and I know everyone who comes back this fall is going to love their fifth grade teacher because they are both smart, fun, and amazing teachers.  However, I'm also very sad to say goodbye to 3 students who will be going to different schools for fifth grade, even though I know they will love those schools.  Although we will miss them, they get to look forward to some beautiful places and unique learning opportunities.

I feel like we had a wonderful year, learning and laughing a lot and I hope you think so too.

I have decided to keep this blog here at the same address for as long as Weebly will let me, but since I'll be starting a new blog for next year's class, there will be just a few changes:

1. The link from the McCarthy website will not link to this blog anymore; it will link to the new one.
2. Now that your fourth grade year is over, comments are closed.  This is so new students can't get onto our old blog and make the comment lists so long that you can't find your old ones.
3. If you want to leave a comment after comments are closed on these posts, please comment on the Guestbook!  I will leave that available for all your comments from now on. 

Comments will be open on all the posts until the end of August, so keep playing those math games to help you remember everything you learned, and leave a comment so I know you're still doing your best.  I hope you have a wonderful summer and keep in touch on here. 

Have fun and stay safe!

--Mrs. Thomas 

After everyone wrote about a routine, you each got to write more for the guide book; an answer to the following open ended prompt:

"Oh, and here's something else you should know about Mrs. Thomas's class!"

• You will learn lots of things in Mrs. Thomas's Class!
• There are lots of good books.
  
• She does something called "Mystery People," where she chooses two people and they need to be good or they don't get a prize.
• Close to the end of the year we do "Mystery Person."
• Mrs. Thomas is a funny teacher.
  
• You should know she is funny and likes to play games, such as Zip Zap, Elf, and math games.
• She is awesome.
• You will learn decimals, fractions, and angles, so good luck.
  
• You get to do math groups.
  
• We are funny, humorous, and love outside!
• There are so many fun activities to do, like drawing flags.
• She is the best teacher ever.  She's helped me with a lot of things.
  
• At Morning Meeting at the end of the year, everyone gets to be the leader.
• Mrs. Thomas is a nice person.  She is fun and is great at drawing.  She let us listen to learning music videos.  This class is awesome.
  
• As long as you follow the rules and do what she says, a lot of funny things will happen.  Like don't be surprised if she starts singing "Diamonds."  You also get to hear songs to help you study. 
  

Today we created a guidebook for those kids who will be in fourth grade next year.  Each of you wrote about a routine that is important to know and adhere to.  One of you was curious to see what others wrote and asked me to post it on our blog, so here it is!

This is how we line up for the hallway.
...

This is how we get organized in the morning.
We come in the room, then we put our chair down.  Then we unpack our bags.  Then we do our Morning Work.

This is how we write a heading.
1.  Kevin Kidd                2.  6/25/13
                                         3.  Math
4.  Write!

This is how we get organized to go home.
We write down our homework.  Then we put it in our backpack and line up. 

This is how we find out how we did on our homework.
We find out how we did on our homework.  I learned decimals.

This is how we order lunch.
...

This is how we learn new information.
Sometimes we learn information in different ways.  One way is we read headings.  Another way is we read captions.  Also we check our work and work it out.  Also we ask our groups for help if we are allowed to. 

This is how we get books to read.
There are two ways to get books to read.  One way is go to the library and get your books.  Or you can go to the class library which has all kinds of books, from fantasy to mystery. 

This is how we stand up for a classmate.
When someone is being bullied, well tell the person to stop doing it.

This is how we work together on a math activity.
The way we work together on a math game is we listen to directions.  Then we play the game.  Whoever wins, it doesn't matter.  We say good job, because either way, you don't get a prize. 

This is how we get a partner to share ideas with.
...

This is what we do when we need to borrow school materials.
First, we raise our hands to get the materials.  Then we get them.  Then when we're done with them we put them back where they belong.  Which means NOT in your desk.

This is what we do when we want to share an answer.
You raise your hand and say, "I have an answer!" 

This is what we do when we want to go get some water.
First you sign out and put the pass on your desk.  Then you walk down the hall.  Third, you will see Ms. Moore's room, and there's the bubbler.

This is how we start and finish a difficult math problem.
We start by reading the question.  Next we do a part of the question.

This is how we do our best to answer reading MCAS questions.
We reread our questions and read the story.

This is how we organize our desks.
I put hard cover books on the left and put the soft books on the right.

This is how we practice social skills in Morning Meeting.
These are somethings that tell you how we practice social skills in Morning Meeting.  One thing we do is play Elephant, Monkey, Giraffe to work on encouraging others.

This is how we avoid collisions in the hallway.
Stay in line and keep your eyes in front of you.

Do you have any other tips (for the blank ones above, or your own ideas) for next year's fourth graders?

For our final social studies grade for the year the goal was to research and present information about the West Region.

However, everyone had a choice of a final project!


Some people chose to make posters (below). Others wrote and performed a play.  Two people wrote songs (below).  One person created a travel brochure and one person wrote a research paper.

Here are two songs about the West Region.  One is to the tune of The Story of Us, and the other is to the tune of Call Me Maybe.

Below are the posters some students created.  Great job to everyone on their projects!  Tests are important, but they're not the only way to show how much you've learned.  These projects don't just show how much you know about the region; they also show how creative and expressive you are.  Good work, everyone!    

Your end of the year math test is this week.   It will be on everything you learned in math this year.  Be sure to bring your math journal home every night to study.  Or Roxas will get angry.*

* No cats were harmed in the making of this post.  This photo was taken of my cat when he was...yawning.  *Shudder*

Do you need a reminder about how to use a drawing triangle to make perfectly parallel or perpendicular lines?  This site will show you how:  Using a Ruler and Drafting Triangle.  (Click the link, not the picture).

There is no sound and the animations are only about 10 seconds each, so click "play" as many times as you need to to help you practice!

Apparently the same 6th grade teacher who recorded songs for warm fronts and cold fronts has a LOT more science songs.  His name is Mr. Parr.  Here are three more that are related to the movements of the Earth, as well as the forces at work:

1.  Earth's Orbit Song (below)

2.  Winter Spring Summer Fall Song (also below)

3.  Weight, Mass and Gravity Song (below as well)  This song is probably the most difficult to follow, but I HAD to include it.  You'll see why.  ;) 

Whenever we've studied a region in fourth grade, we've looked at 6 main characteristics of that region:

Natural Resources including the food and other useful things nature provides

Products including those things we can make from those resources

Landforms which is the way the land is shaped


Bodies of Water which are like landforms...only water.  Not land.

Landmarks which are famous places to visit

Recreation which are specific places you can visit for fun.

Along with the history of the region, this photo shows you, at a glance, the characteristics of the Southwest Region.   

Our seasons change because of 2 main reasons.

First, we revolve around the sun.  We are on opposite sides of the sun during winter as we are during summer.

Second, the Earth does not spin "standing up" perfectly, the way it does on a basketball player's fingertip.  It's tilted on it's axis (which is an imaginary line). 

Look at the diagram above.  Notice that the sun "points" to the bottom half of Earth on the left.  When Earth is on that side of the sun, it's summer in the southern hemisphere (bottom half of Earth). 

Notice on the right that the sun "points" to the top half of Earth.  When the Earth is on that side of the sun, it's summer in the northern hemisphere (top half of Earth).  

Where ever the sun is not pointing at the time is winter.  That's why even though it's almost summer for us in the northern hemisphere, it's almost winter in Australia! 

Since the Earth turns once every day, we have noon time once every day.  Noon is when we are directly facing the sun.

When we are directly facing the sun, all shadows from sunlight are shorter.  The opposite is true at sunrise and sunset.  The shadows are longer because the sun appears lower in the sky.

Do you think shadows are longer in summer or winter?  Think about what you know about where the sun appears in the sky in summer and winter, then leave a comment below.