In April, the kindergarteners will be traveling the world studying the seven continents and the oceans.  The students will follow and create maps.  We will take a look at the climate, landmarks, animals, and the culture of the each continent.  We will also study the layers of the ocean and its unique animals.

             We will also be studying poetry this month.  The students will have a chance to listen to poetry written by authors such as Shel Silverstein, Mother Goose, and many more.  Then we will write our own poems.

             The first graders will be learning more about the continent of Australia during the month of April.  They will be reading stories, exploring maps, and creating art from this continent.  Please stop by the classroom to check out their newest pieces of artwork.
The first grade scientists will begin to learn more about balance and motion.  They will be investigating through trial and error and constructing toys that spin.  We'll discover ways to produce motion.  Please ask your child about the neat classroom experiences happening in science class!

In math, students will continue working on multiplication and begin division this month.  They will also continue to learn more about fractions, money, and telling time. 
In writing, the first graders will continue to listen to poetry and write poems in class.  We will also finish our research projects and begin a new author study.  Be on the lookout for new books to be on display in our room.

             The excitement for Spring is growing everyday! April brings poetry month! This month the second graders will be studying the different types of poems and will be creating an anthology with these poems. Our author of the month is Shel Silverstein, the great poet! We will be studying a lot of his work this month!
             In math, our mathematicians are working with money! They are VERY excited for this unit! They are figuring out how to make equivalent amounts with the coins and making change!

We are continuing to study the body. This month we will highlight skin and muscles, germs, and keeping our body healthy! In language arts we are reviewing the different parts of speech, identifying them and using them in sentences.

             What an exciting March we had in third grade.  Our "Living Museum" was a huge success!  Students did an amazing job putting together their projects and portraying themselves as their famous African American.  Job well done.

             We hope everyone had an enjoyable spring break and now we are ready to get back to work in the third grade.  This month of April has us looking at poetry.  We are anxious to read and create our own poems.  We will be exploring diamante, acrostic, and definition poems just to name a few.  We will look at the famous poets Shel Silverstein, Carl Sandburg, and Jack Prelutsky.  What we are most excited about is creating our very own poetry books!

We are so excited to be taking a closer look at the birth of our country.  Students are preparing to learn the different branches of our government and the role each branch plays in governing our country.  We have some great class simulations planned and projects as well.

             In the month of April, fourth grade students will be practicing their public speaking skills and they are so excited to be leading the All School Assembly.  Additionally, students will be presenting their Human Body Exhibit.  They have worked hard researching the human body, creating models of body systems, diagramming and labeling parts of the body and more.

This month in reading, students will be working in book clubs and selecting books from a variety of genres.  All groups will focus on identifying all the elements of fiction, determining the author’s purpose and making inferences based on the text.
We will be working on a large unit learning about environmental issues.  Students will learn about the importance of nature, the impact of humans on nature, issues surrounding pollution and waste, global warming, how to take care of the Earth, and more.  These lessons will integrate reading, math, science, writing, social studies and art as we take a closer look at how to take care of this wonderful world we live in.

In social studies, we will begin to take a look at Minnesota.  Students will learn about the settlement of Minnesota, important people who have lived in our state, study maps to learn about the geography of our state and create booklets to collect facts about our state.

In health, students will be learning more about taking care of themselves.  We will discuss staying safe, nutrition and health and personal hygiene.

             Students in the 5/6 classroom will be taking the month of April to prepare for their very own “Festival of Nations.”  We have been studying different continents of the world from ancient times through the present day.  Along the way, students have been demonstrating their learning in forms that are representative of their preferred learning styles.  Our “festival” will be a culminating event that the entire community will be invited to attend.  There will be stories, music, food, and much, much more!

When we are not studying the world, students will be discovering the world of atoms and molecules in their upcoming science unit, Matter and Change.  They began the unit this past week with a lab on density.  Students learned that different liquids have different densities.  This concept was then extended when they were challenged to create a rainbow in a cup using food coloring and a variety of liquids.

Things have been moving along well in Spanish!  We are keeping very busy.  All classes will continue to review and refine all the things we have learned thus far. 

Kindergarten:  Food
1st grade: Animals
2nd grade:  Home/Pets
3rd grade Animals
4th grade:  Restaurant/Food
5th/6th grade: ser/estar, present tense regular verbs, likes and dislikes.

                  There is much to celebrate in the month of April!  It is National Poetry Month and the students have been busy both reading and writing poetry.  They especially enjoy the poetry written by Shel Silverstein.  Two of the favorite titles so far are “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” and “Sick.” 

             The older classes have been working on a year long project of reading at  least three of the nominated titles from the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award.  We voted a few weeks ago and sent our results in to be counted with the rest of the students from around the state.  The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 25th, which happens to be the birthday of Maud Hart Lovelace.  There is a celebration at the Red Balloon Bookshop if you are interested in going. 

 On the technology side, both the students and the staff are enjoying the new equipment that the Foot Bridge PTA purchased for our school.  We have three new computers in the library along with a laptop.  They are amazing!  We also have digital cameras and speakers  for the classrooms and another flip video camcorder to capture all of the wonderful learning that is taking place.  Thank you to both the PTA and Denise Manda for helping with all of the purchasing.

Music

Yee Haw!  We’ll be kickin’ up dust during music class in April learning dances for the FPA Hoe Down on April 9^th.  The kids have been practicing a line dance, traditional reel dance and a circle dance in class. Folk dancing is one of my favorite units to teach.  Folk dancing teaches teamwork, coordination, listening/moving to steady beat, learning about cultural traditions, and it just happens to be a ton of fun! 

Happy April Everyone!  I can’t believe how fast the school year has gone.  The weather has been spectacular and it is so nice to enjoy outdoor activities.  What makes it even better for me is the start of baseball season.  The Twins are off to a great start and I am sure many of you are busy with spring sports or other activities of your own.  I hope everyone had a great spring break and is ready to finish the year strong.

Construction club was a great success.  All the kids did a wonderful job at working hard on all the projects.  We built models, made picture frames, painted name signs, built brick structures and also learned how to measure, sand, and stain wood projects.  I had a blast with all the kids and am proud of the dedication each kid put into their masterpieces.

Thanks to all of you who joined the Trailblazers for spring break.  We had a blast the whole week.  The highlights include field trips to Bielenberg Sports Complex and Pinz.  Check out our blog to see some cool pictures of our outings.  We also had a great time during our card tournament and relay races.  I believe the Trailblazers staff had as much fun over the break as the kids did.

Running Club will start in May.  Look for sign ups on the gym doors.  We will be having two groups for running club, an older and a younger group.  Each group will run one day a week.  Water bottles will be provided to all who sign up.  This is a great activity for all ages, and a good exercise where kids can take steps to a healthy lifestyle.

Thank you to all of you who have already signed up for Summer Camp this year and Trailblazers for the fall 2010-2011 school year.  Reduced registration is still available f you sign up for both Summer Camp and Trailblazers 2010-2011 by May 6 the registration fee is reduced to $100.  That is a savings of over $130.  If you have any questions please see me or send me and email an I can help you answer them.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for our Four Days of Sports Camp and Academic Coaching this summer.  During the sports camp, we will focus on one sport a day for four days.  We will be covering basketball, football, soccer, and baseball/softball on those days.  Academic Coaching is available to all of those who are looking to stay fresh academically or achieve new goals throughout the summer.  Please see me with any questions.