The 1st and 4th graders are busy this year again building community throughout the building by reading together.  Mrs. Beisner and I love this idea because our students help each other.  This prepares the 1st graders for their AR quizzes and it helps the 4th graders to build better understanding.  Check out the videos below for a peek into this wonderful time that happens every Wednesday.

On Friday, October 2, 2009 our 4th grade class along with Miss Brinkmeyer and her 4th grade class met together at the UNL West Central Extension Agency to conclude our study of map skills.  We did this in an all-day hands on experience that was a ton of fun!  We started off in the morning learning compass and map skills.  Students from both schools were partenered up to use their compasses to figure out a game.  It was  a great learning experience.  Lake kids ate lunch with the Osgood 4th graders at their school.  Then we went back out into the wind for the afternoon session of learning to use GPS and then did a short stint of geocaching.  The kids had a great time all day!  Check out the pictures and video below.

We are definitely a cooperative learning classroom here!  I am really trying to foster the idea of working together to come up with a creative answer and thinking in different ways.  Check out the video of the kids working hard to solve the math problem.

This school year (2009-10) 4th graders will be sending out postcards about our town, North Platte, to various Nebraska towns, in order to learn more about towns in Nebraska and discover what Nebraska is like all over.

Several websites will help us to learn more about Nebraska and its towns:

Here is a link to a list of Nebraska towns.  You can click on each one to discover more info about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Nebraska

Here is a link to several videos/podcasts about different places in Nebraska that might be of interest also.

http://www.visitnebraska.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=442&Itemid=739

I recently got back form the Natinal Ag in the Classsroom Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was a great trip!  I am so happy that I went!  I learned so much to bring back to the classroom, and had fun sight-seeing.

Check out the video below. 

When I was in St. Louis I got the chance to listen to a great children’s book author speak to a crowd of educators.   Gail Gibbons was a wonderful speaker.  She autographed my book “Corn” which details the agriculture process of corn from the field to the table.  Below is a picture of her and I after she signed my book.  What an amazing event!

Some 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at Lake Maloney and Osgood are participating in an after school club called Civilization IV.  It is a computer game that students are playing.  It is all about building towns, cities, and civilizations.  The kids have to use good strategy when building their empires.  Mrs. Maline is in charge of this after school club, and the kids just love it!  It is a great way for kids to get excited about using technology in a fun, safe way while learning at the same t ime!  Below are some pics of the club.

Last weekend, with the wind blowing like crazy, Ty, Taylor and I all went to Tryon to the ranch to help mom and dad move their yearlings from their winter feed in the Morgan Corrals to the Connell Ranch.  It is about a 4-5 hour trip cross-country.  Taylor rode with mom in the pickup and trailer and met us there.  Tyrell and dad were on their horses, while Ty and I had 4-wheelers.  It was  fun time, except for the wind.  Ty and I went down to see the head of the Birdwood Creek.  It was really pretty.  The trip was tiring, but was so much fun!  I am glad that Taylor got to enjoy her first cattle drive!  Check out the photos below!

On Monday, March 9th, Lake and Osgood 4th graders teamed up to bring their food chemistry unit to an end.  Students have been studying and testing for nutrients in different foods and liquids for the past several weeks.  Students have been webcamming between the two schools to dicuss the different nutrients, and results from the testing process.  On that Monday, Lake students went to Osgood to spend the afternoon with the 4th graders there.  The goal was for students to work as teams to produce a video showcasing their knowledge learned from our unit about the different nutrients that we studied.  Miss Brinkmeyer and I talked about team expectations, timelines, etc…and then let the students get busy.  It took all afternoon, and lots of planning and team work, to produce the videos.  They did a great job!  Check out the videos below!

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of green day!  But, do you know where it really started?  Why do we wear green?  Why do some people eat corned beef and cabbage?  What are shamrocks?  Check out this website for the answers to all of these “green” questions and more.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-history.html

Also, check out these games for St. Patrick’s Day!

http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-party.html