Dr. Johnson's Reading Blog

In science we started our unit on continental and oceanic landforms. This started with the discussion of watersheds, drainage basins, weathering, erosion, and deposition. Before starting this unit in depth, we went out to the recess field to observe land in which water has somehow changed. Here are some pictures of what we noticed: We used these pictures to identify terms such as weathering, erosion, and deposition. We further studied terms such as drainage basins, erosion, and weathering by using stream tables. Stream tables are designed to simulate a plateau in which water erodes the sand way and deposits it down stream. Here are some pictures of our stream tables: After our study of continental and oceanic landforms, our goal is to create 3D models using the 3D printer. Our goal is to present these to you at our second Curriculum Night on December 5th.

Thank you to everyone who was able to make our Ecosystem Expert Project. I took a lot of pictures so feel free to take any of the pictures you like from this link ! (The pictures are in HEIC format so Windows computers might have trouble opening them. There are converters online.) Everyone did a great job with their dioramas and posters. I used to have students write a paper on their research but added the diorama to provide the element of creativity to this project. The importance of the diorama really came out in this share fair. Not only did students have the opportunity to allow their creativity to shine through, but students use their dioramas as a talking point when sharing their research with the kindergarten buddies. Now that these projects are over, we are moving into our study of terrestrial and oceanic landforms. This study is fun because we work with stream tables (imagine playing with water and dirt in class and very messy) and we will create three-dimensional models of

Hi Everyone! I wanted to share some information with you concerning our two projects: Expert Project on Ecosystems and our Hero's Journey Project. EXPERT PROJECT ON ECOSYSTEMS I am attaching the expert project documentation here and here . This is the same document I handed to the kids on Friday. The first document outlines the project. Research for the project will primarily be done at school (though your child can work on it at home if they would like). Research will be collected on a Google Document so I can keep track of their progress. Here is a link to that document. The research will is Friday, October 11 . There are two parts of this expert project which ask students to create a visual / creative representation of their ecosystems. All dates are tentative just in case we need an additional day or so. Diorama Tentative Due Date: October 18th This is to be done primarily at home. You shouldn't need to help them much in this area unless they ask. As we

Please remember that Thursday is Curriculum Night from 7:00 - 7:45. We will spend this time talking about the reading process, as well as going over things we are working in class. Here are a few of the things we are working on in class: Since our special areas is first thing in the morning (8:30), we alternate between watching the CNN 10 news for kids and math talks. CNN 10 news helps us become aware of national news. We use this information to make connections between the real world and what we learn in social studies and science. Our math talks are about giving students open-ended freedom to create math equations that equal a particular number. For instance, one of last week's numbers was 15, so kids created math equations such as .15 X 10 (to the second power - blogger won't let me make an exponent). We'll discuss this more at Curricular Conversations. In science we are learning about ecosystems. Many of you saw the terrariums we made. These terrariums serve as a

I forgot to mention we have a new intern from USC this semester. Her name is Noelle Johnson. I have pasted in an introductory letter she wrote. Greetings! My name is Noelle Johnson! I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Carolina! I am looking forward to working with Dr. Johnson’s class this semester! I am excited to be in the classroom on Wednesdays and Thursdays! I appreciate the opportunity to learn from your students! Thank you, Noelle Johnson

Hello Families - Since we have this day off, I'll update you on some information from the last couple of weeks of school. Our days are going well and the 5th graders are living into their new responsibilities. They are very excited about working with their kindergarten buddies. To prepare for reading with their buddies, we have spent our reading time reflecting on, and discussing, the reading strategies we use when reading books. The hope that is by understanding our own strategies and attitudes towards reading, students will be more aware of how to help their kindergarten buddies beyond just "sounding out" (which is often treated as the de-facto thing to say when reading with young readers). Here is a list of just some of the strategies students used when making sense of fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels: Repeating words and paragraphs when they don’t make sense When don’t know how to pronounce a person’s name, change it Navigating punctuation (ellipse, e

Before the school year starts, I wanted to update all parents on important school-wide information for the year (it was also my way of getting everyone back into the habit of visiting the classroom blog). Some of the information may be new, but most will probably be simple reminders: Remember that safety patrol will begin on the first day of school. The safety patrol schedule can be found here . If your name is not on the schedule, or there were no more places to sign, remember we still have the entire year. There will be plenty of opportunities to do safety patrol; I put together a classroom website that can be found here . While it seems redundant to have a blog and website, the website will be used more in class. Last year, with the issues with Chromebook use and visiting unauthorized websites, I created a website with specific websites students can use in class. Visiting any other website not found on my website without my approval can result in loss of Chromebook use; I

I wanted to let everyone know (or remind) that next week is PASS Testing. We will be testing on May 14th, 15th, and 16th . All testing will start in the morning. It will be important that you make sure your child gets to school on time. You may also want to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. Other than that, don't do anything that might be too out of the ordinary. Sometimes kids don't react well to change and that could affect how they do on their tests. During those three days we'll take it pretty easy academically. We will still have explorations time, we will use some time to prepare for the next day's test, and blow off some restlessness with a few minutes of extra recess. Once testing is completed, your 4th graders will start preparing for Graduation in which the 5th graders will "pass the torch." Exciting times! Thanks for all your support, Scott Johnson

Happy Easter - First, I wanted to let everyone know that this coming week is Ms. Hinson's final week with us. She has been a great student teacher who has really enjoyed working with all the students. I will be talking with the students on Monday to see how they would like to celebrate her final week with us. Most likely this will be on Thursday since Friday is our big field trip. Our field trip to Brattonsville is this Friday. I will be sending out additional information, a schedule for the day, as well as contacting chaperones. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to Friday gathering. I am posting our slideshow presentation for those who were not able to make it. Friday Gathering Slideshow Also, don't forget we have Curriculum Night this Thursday at 7:15. We will be discussing math.

I admit it . . . I'm have never been good at keeping everyone up to date on what's going on in the class. But I guess late is better than never. Here are a few notes before I share what's going on in class. We have our final 4th grade gathering this Friday at 2:20. We also will be heading to the Sandhills Library on Friday. Next Thursday, March 14 is Curriculum Night. We will most likely focus on math. Thank you for making Student-led conferences such as success. When students share it is just as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. This year's group of students were such strong speakers. We should all be proud! Math We have finished working on how to solve multiplication problems using a variety of strategies including the traditional algorithm (that's the one you and I grew up). One of the things parents can do to help out in this area is to help their child get their multiplication tables memorized. One website that helps do this is  https:/

First of all, we have a new USC undergraduate intern who is joining us this semester. Her name is Kolbie Hinson and she will be with us full time. If you stop by the classroom make sure you say hello. I wanted to share some of the things we are working on in class: Math We are finishing with converting metric units (millimeters, centimeters, kilometers, milliliters, liters, etc.). By the end of this week we will be moving into multiplication and multiplication strategies. Social Studies We have just completed our study of the first colonies. We are moving into the French and Indian war before our larger study of the Revolutionary War. Science This week we are doing several demonstrations on the moon and its phases. This will move us toward earth's rotation and how its rotation and tilted axis effects our seasons. Read Aloud Currently we are reading the book Chains  by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is a historical fiction story that deals with slavery and the Revolutionary