Abbe Museum

Last month, the Asa Adams fourth grade classes took a field trip to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor to enrich our learning about Maine Native Americans. We left school close to 8:30 and had a relatively quiet bus ride as most of our class brought books to read.

We were greeted by the friendly staff of the museum and split up into groups before beginning our tour. Our first stop was the Layers of Time exhibit. We learned about how archaeologists excavate different sites and what they learn from their findings. To make it more relevant for students, a trash can was shown to students and they were asked to tell about the people who threw those things away. From the diapers and baby food jars, students could conclude that these people had at least one child. Travel brochures suggested that these people had leisure time and enjoyed traveling. Students also got to explore the exhibit more thoroughly as they went on a scavenger hunt for artifacts such as baskets, animal bones, and tools. 

Next, we got to look at a replica of an archaeological dig site. Students examined artifacts and made educated guesses about what the people living there might have done. Shells with holes suggested that people were making jewelry. Large rocks suggested people were using tools to build. A pile of shells indicated that people were preparing food. 

Before leaving, we got to demonstrate what we'd learned. We got to handle some of the tools we had been hearing about and explain what they were used for. Most tools were made from rock or bone because those were the materials accessible to Maine Native Americans. 

                                                                                      

Prime and Composite Numbers

In Unit 3 of Everyday Math, we have been practicing multiplication and division.  We've used fact triangles to look at the relationship between these two operations.  Practicing division brought up many new concepts such as factors and multiples.  When finding factors, some students noticed that some numbers only have 1 and themselves as factors.  We took a detour away from our math journals and did an activity to learn more about prime and composite numbers.  


To start, the students were given a table with several numbers.  Their job was to come up with a list of factor pairs and then decide if the number was prime or composite.  After, they chose one of each type of number and drew arrays on centimeter grid paper.  Next, they cut out the arrays and glued them onto construction paper.  We used these as a display on our giant classroom bulletin board.  

Text Connections

In reading, we have been learning about how to make connections between books we're reading to other books we've read, to ourselves, and to the world around us.

Recently, we read "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss and discussed how, even though it seems like a silly story, it has connections to the real world.  Here are some of the connections the students made:

"In this text the Once-ler dumped all of his glumpy stuff in the pond.  That is like the great oil spill which affected thousands of sea animals' lives." -C.K.

"In this text the Bar-ba-loots go hungry because the Once-ler is cutting down the trees.  That is like some animals go hungry because people cut down all their food, like plants or trees." -E.W.

"In this text, the Lorax said, 'Your factories are polluting the air.'  That is like on the news I heard that a certain bird species is dying mostly because the air is being polluted by factories." -T.M.

"In this text, they were filling the sky with funk so the wunk birds could not sing.  That is like big factories, cars, and buses are polluting the sky."  -S.H.

"In this text, they cut down all the trees.  It is sad for all the animals that needed them to stay alive.  That is like how pandas eat and use the bamboo for their homes but people cut it down to use it for a fence or home."  -S.W.

"In this text they were smoking up the sky.  That is like from the news, we should be fuel efficient." -X.L.

"In this text, the Once-ler didn't think what would happen if he cut down a tree until it was too late.  This is like in our world, we have to think before we do something or we might do something we don't mean to do."  -N.S.

"In this text, they cut down so many trees the little bears could not live.  That is like if they cut down too many trees it will affect the food chain so most things will die." -L.G.

"In this text, the Once-ler didn't listen to the Lorax's warning.  That is like people sometimes don't listen to warnings and ignore them, even when something is really important."  -E.W.

We were surprised to find that a book with silly words and rhymes had such a deep meaning!

Saying Goodbye

On Friday, we said goodbye to one of our classmates.  Aarynn is leaving us to go to sunny Florida for part of the school year.

As a send off, we gave her a goodie bag of stickers and a diary.  We made her cards and told her how much we would miss her while she was away.  If we're lucky, Aarynn will be coming back to join us at the end of the year.

Have a safe trip, Aarynn!  We'll miss you!

Aarynn opens her present

Spelling City

Here is a great resource for students to use when it comes to practicing their spelling words.  Spelling City gives students several different opportunities to learn about their words.  Students can hear their words pronounced as well as read in sentences and then take a spelling test.  There are also games available for students to play to help reinforce what they are learning.  Spelling City makes practicing spelling words fun and easy.  This would also be a great resource for when students need to use their words in sentences or a story.  Check out the link and have fun practicing!


Spelling City

Meet Joy!

We here in Room 30 are so happy to welcome Joy Wasson into our classroom!  We look forward to getting to know her, although some of our students know Joy from when she came here previously or from exta-curricular activities.  Here's a little bit about Joy!

     My name is Joy Caron Wasson. I am transferring to Asa Adams from Stillwater Montessori. I live in Orono. My mom (Sandy Caron) is a college professor at UMaine. My dad (Sean Wasson) is a high school teacher in Old Town;  he grew up in Orono and went to Asa Adams when he was in elementary school! 

     I have 2 cats. Some things I enjoy are: swimming, horseback riding, dance, and piano. I love summer and going to our camp which is on an island - my favorite things to do there are swim and row my boat (and watch the moose, eagles, and loons). I look forward to going to school at Asa Adams and making new friends!

Open House

The students and I would like to say a big thank you to the families and friends that were able to come to our Open House on Thursday.  I know it meant a lot to the kiddos for everyone to come in and see all the hard work they've already done this year.  


The students did an excellent job of sharing their goodie bags.  I loved listening as they explained the ingredients in their bottles and read their poems.  I also know how proud they were to show off their book boxes, the classroom library, and the water bulletin board.  Folks were reading Bio Poems on the walls and admiring the circle constructions the students made in math class.  


One of my favorite parts was seeing parents writing notes to their students.  It was very validating and rewarding for the students to have their families spend time writing something personal for them to read.  I hope families enjoyed receiving their thank you notes from the students, as well!