Tomorrow is a good day to visit

Hello,

We are inviting parents to stop by to look at our Rube Goldberg devices between 2:30 and 3:30 tomorrow.  The kids did a great job today of moving their machines around to try to connect some of them up to each other.  Please come on up to the room if you get a chance. 

Tomorrow is also the Harry Potter Quidditch Match at 4:00 in the gym.  I will be running out of the classroom around 3:30 to try to set up the court in time for the match.  It is kind of a perfect storm for my room.  It is quite a mess with the brooms, machines, supplies, robes, etc.  I got word that I am going to get a talking to in the morning.  Education can be a messy business. 

Have a good night.  Hope to see you tomorrow.

Mr. Shea

get building

Hello,

Three absences today threw a wrench into our international study filming wrap-up, but we are still on schedule for some full scale Rube Goldberg device building starting tomorrow afternoon.  Please help your child find anything from yogurt containers to cereal boxes that could be used somehow in a silly machine.  We have a lot of supplies at school, but we have nearly ninety kids building, so whatever you can find to give to the cause would be appreciated.

It is already late so I'm going to sign off.

Have a great night.

Mr. Shea

Whirlwind day

Hello,

The after school homework club numbers are dwindling, but now that I think about it, so is the amount of homework.  We had a really active day with lots of filming.  We have most of the scenes shot for our international news programs, but still need to wrap things up tomorrow.  Then we can return our focus to the simple machines.  Here is some info that we printed up on this Friday's workshop.

Simple Machines Workshop Information

Dear Fourth Grade Parents,

          Simple machines have arrived! As part of our unit, Grade Four students are exploring force, motion, friction, and how simple machines make work easier or faster.  In class, we are using every day recycled materials to create simple machines that allow us to move objects.  This is our first attempt at integrating Rube Goldberg devices into our learning.  Rube Goldberg is famous for his clever combinations of machines.  Check out some examples by visiting our Fourth Grade Links Page under Force and Motion.

As a culminating activity, students will be creating Rube Goldberg inspired combinations of simple machines in class.  Students may work on adding to their in-class creation at home.  Please no catapults. 

We will have simple machine workshops the week of June 4^th.    You are invited to come from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 8^th.  As you arrive you will be watching students working together to build, change, combine and rework their creations. 

          Please continue to have your child bring in any recycled materials.  Some suggestions are paper product rolls, wood scraps, wheel-like items, pipes, tubes, screws, dowels, cardboard, string, plastic food containers and any other odds-and-ends that can be spared by your family.  Masking, duct, and painter’s tape are especially welcomed.

          Please contact me with any questions about the workshop.  Thank you!

Have a good night.

Mr. Shea

Harry Potter Times

Hello,

The quidditch match is set!  The Harry Potter Club has the gym on Friday June 8th until 5:00.  We will stay after school tomorrow (Wed) to make brooms (out of swimming pool noodles) and discuss the rules.  We will have a full scale practice this Friday from 3:30 til 5:00.  Any donations of duct tape, especially brown, will be gladly accepted.  Now I have to figure out setting up the hoops and the field of play in that gym.  Look for permission slips tomorrow.

In social studies today, students started getting their information together to do mini newscasts on their chosen country.  Ask your child what country that their group chose.  I am hoping to start videotaping by the end of the week. 

I heard from more than a couple of parents that there are rumors going around that we will not be allowed to group for math next year.  I don't know if that is true or not. 



Have a good night.

Mr. Shea

book swap

Hello,

With over 450 books to choose from, the book swap was definitely a success.  We had many great books brought in.  It felt like Christmas around here.  No one went home empty handed because everyone got to take home one more book than they brought in.  Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, Lightning Thief, Little House on the Prairie books, picture books, Bone books, Boxcar Children, Babysitters Club, Warriors, Choose Your Own Adventures... a ridiculous amount of series were represented.  Take a look at what your child brought home.

My classroom clock slowed way down again.  It is my third clock and it doesn't look like this one is going to be a keeper either.  It really messed me up today, when I had twenty math students waiting to come in fifteen minutes before expected.  We had pulley projects and supplies all over the room.  I took the math class outside and we did a lot of sidewalk chalk math.  I hope I can get another new clock.  If it's the batteries they really should last longer than a month.  We'll see. 

I'm still trying to track down the elusive gym schedule.  I found out today that I need a log in user name and password to have access to see the gym schedule.  I'll make another call tomorrow and see how far I can get.  Almost there I hope.  Quidditch awaits.

Have a good night,

Mr. Shea 

pulleys, pulleys, pulleys

Hello,

We did a lot of work with pulleys today.  We changed the direction of the force, the angle of the pulleys, and the size of the pulleys.  We created fixed and movable pulleys.  We made pulleys that could increase or decrease the amount of force needed to do the same job.  Much of this was done with the Lego kits that I just acquired from Ebay.  Lego used to make these great kits for schools devoted to one simple machine.  I got ten of the pulley kits and my early feedback on them is that they are awesome.  I think the kids will understand pulleys more fully this year.  I have another day to show some of the mechanical advantage set-ups, but their basic understanding is already ahead of what I've been able to teach in the past. 

Spelling words went home tonight.  We really had the have and the have-nots on the last test.  Only 2 kids got between a 70 and a 90.  Most aced it or flunked it.  There were the usual amount of top grades, but an unordinarily high amount of low grades.  I think some kids might have gone on vacation early.  Back up the bus. 

We have a ton to accomplish these last few weeks.  I will be cramming more social studies and science into our reading/writing times.  That doesn't mean that we will be doing much less of those, only that they will be highly content related. 

We will be headed over to Crimmins Field on Friday to witness "Pickett's Charge."  Please fill in a permission slip.  These are necessary because we will be walking off of school grounds.   It looks like a regular field trip permission slip, but you can write a separate note if you haven't seen it come out of the backpack.

Have a good night,

Mr. Shea

Ridiculous speed

The month of May is going by at warp speed.  Thank you for keeping your children grounded and keeping their noses to the grindstone on their at-home reading and their other homework.  I'm sure that there are as many distractions at home as there now are at school.  Tomorrow we start our Arts are Elementary drumming classes.  Please ask your child about it after school tomorrow.  I don't know what to expect, but the people of AAE usually do a great job bringing in very creative and talented people. 

Your child used a hammer today in our study of wedges.  They will surely use a screwdriver tomorrow in our study of screws.  I'm hoping to get to pulleys too, but with a spelling test, math class and drumming, I doubt that will happen.  We are once again short on masking tape.  Thank you if you already donated some.  I'll get some more this weekend. 

We had a report card meeting tonight after school.  I think some of the changes that we decided to make will make the report card more readable. 

Have a good night.

Mr. Shea