Pacific Northwest Indians and Totem Poles

This week my fourth graders and I are studying one region of Native Americans: Pacific Northwest.  They are located on the Northwest side of the United States.  One prominent symbol that we recognize from their tribe is the totem pole.  
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved on poles, posts, or pillars with symbols or figures made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. They are not religious objects.  However, they do communicate important aspects of the Pacific Northwest culture.  

Destiny Quest

4th Graders are reviewing the "in's and out's" of Destiny Quest this week.  I think you guys are ready to find books by yourselves on the library shelves.  What do you think?  Last week, we discussed a little bit about DQ.  This week there are a few more details I would like to cover.

Learning About Communities

Second graders have been learning about different types of communities this year.  There are three types: rural, urban, and suburban.  Today we are reading Farm Fresh Cats by Scott Santoro and City Mouse and Country Mouse.

We Are Learning About Apples!

My Kindergarten students are learning about apples and how they grow.
What does an apple seed NEED to grow?
Today we are going to read The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson.  We are also going to be watching a video clip on how apple trees grow!

Light and Shadow

My first graders are learning about light and shadow this week!

How do shadows form?  

What are some things that give off light?

We'll be reading Bear Shadow and watching a little video clip on how shadows are formed!

1st Quarter Reading Challenge is HERE!

Your goal: Read as many pages as possible between now and October 22nd. Reading logs MUST be turned in to Mrs. Hood no later than Wednesday, October 28th. We’ll have prizes for those who read the most in each grade level, and every participant will receive recognition!

How do you record reading? Students receive reading logs from their homeroom teacher and you can print out a reading log here. List books (with page numbers) as you complete them. An adult must sign by each book read. Add the total number of pages read during the 1st quarter.

Finding a Just Right Book

Nobody likes reading a book if it's TOO HARD!  And nobody likes to read a book that's TOO EASY!  Today we'll be discussing how to find a JUST RIGHT book in the library.  We'll read the book Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians and then watch a quick video clip.