Hamorah Janis's Weekly Post

Our blogger from our class for this week is Amanda S.:

This week we worked on Wax Museum.  We studied about our person then we wrote the information on cards. 

We went to the cafeteria this morning and chose a science experiment for the Science Fair.  Our group is working on Lava Lamps!

This week we started to read a mystery called Sammy Keyes and The Hollywood Mummy.    We have read one chapter so far and we learned that Sammy Keyes took a trip to Hollywood with Marissa. 

That is what we did this week.  Have a great weekend.

Amanda

Science Fair and other Exciting Things

Dear Friends of Gefen and Tamar,

We have had a great week back!

In science, third and fourth grade students experimented with flashlights and various materials like tin foil, mirrors, paper, etc. to see which materials absorb light, which reflect light and which transmit light. Ask your child what he/she learned!

Here are some pictures of the students in action:

Eliana S, Amanda and Avia test index cards.

Justin adjusts his materials

Hmmm...... What does this material do? 

How does tin foil react to light? 

Fourth graders started reading the realistic fiction book about the American Revolution, My Brother Sam is Dead. The story is very compelling and so it's a great way for the students to get an understanding of what happened and why and what it might have felt like to live in that time. The students are already so engrossed in the story. On TWO days this week they chose to eat snack while I read RATHER THAN HAVE SNACK/RECESS. That's a positive book review if I ever saw one! I love seeing them so excited about a book. It makes teaching it so enjoyable and rewarding for me!

On Monday third and fourth graders spent the afternoon doing a Spongebob Squarepants Typing program. They all LOVED it and were sad when it was time to stop. Then fourth graders had a chance to practice the skills they are beginning to acquire with their kindergarten buddies when we began typing rough drafts of our book pages for the book we are creating with kindergarten.

Avia and Ashley type their pages

Hadass shows Alex the ropes of typing

Sam and Boaz workin'

Today is our first official "Science Friday" of the year. We will have three more in the coming weeks - days dedicated exclusively to prepping for the MWJDS Science Fair. Students decided on topics today and wrote up supply lists. They are all so excited about their projects. I bet you will hear about them at home tonight!

Best,
Hamorah Eliza

Hamorah Janis's Weekly Blog

This Weeks Blogger is Talia:

Our class has raised $132.01 total.   Thanks for helping our class raise this money.

We got our Wax Museum people this week.  When we come back from vacation we will be busy researching about our people.

In science we saw how different materials reflected, transmitted, or absorbed light.

Then we made a chart that said what each material did.

Last week in writing we started to write our stories on the computers some of us finished this week.

In reading we finished our biographies on Louis Braille and Helen Keller who were both blind.

A note from Hamorah Janis:

I wanted to send all of the biographies home this week.  Unfortunately, Barnes and Noble could not get every book for us.  They are on order and hopefully they will be here when we return from vacation.  If the books arrive next week, I will bring them to your homes.  I will send an email letting you know.   You could also look in your local library or online.

Here are the assignments:

Jake – Dr. Seuss

Talia – Abigail Adams

Nate – John F. Kennedy

Aiden – Paul Revere

Amanda – Helen Keller

Justin – Eli Whitney

Melanie – Sybil Ludington

Hana – Christa McAuliffe

Amanda S. – Emily Dickinson

Alyssa – Clara Barton

Maayan – Susan B. Anthony

Colonial Day Fun

Dear Friends of Gefen and Tamar,

On Wednesday morning, fourth grade parents (and grandparents) and MWJDS students attended the fourth grade's long-awaited Colonial Day. It was awesome.

All the students dressed up as colonial people. They looked SO GREAT, I couldn't believe it.

First we heard Avia, Hadass and Elliana talk about their experience building a model of a New England Colonial village. Then we heard Bryce, Sam and Jonathan talk about their experience building a model of a Middle Colonial village. And last, we heard Meg and Eliana talk about their experience building a model of a Southern plantation. Each group explained the layout of their models, the buildings in them, and the animals and crops. Students talked about why they built their models as they did. For example, two groups used brown paint for their buildings to mimic wood, which is the material most buildings in their regions were made of at that time.

After the student presentations, everyone was invited up to the "stage" to get a closer look at the models and ask the "builders" questions. The younger grades were very impressed and two students asked, "Will IIIIIII get to do this when IIIIIII'm in Fourth grade?" (How cute.)

We ended the celebration with authentic Colonial-era refreshments. Hamorah Carol made biscuits, honey cake (with honey butter), molasses donuts and, my personal favorite, pumpkin bread. She also made "colonial punch."

After visitors left, I treated fourth graders to one more surprise: an opportunity to write with quill pens dipped in ink! They loved it. The students found that the "pens" (which looked like feathers) were much more difficult to write with than they look - and much more difficult to use than the pens we have today!

Below are some photos from Colonial Day. Have a look!

The boys show off their middle colonial village.

Eliana and Meg show off their southern plantation.

The boys presenting.

How fabulous are these costumes?!!

Elliana, Hadass and Avia show off their New England colonial village. Hooray, says Hadass.

Best,
Hamorah Eliza

Our Snowy Week

Dear Friends of Gefen and Tamar,

We had a snowy week, but a good one. On Monday, third and fourth graders played "Israelopoly" with the schlichim and in the afternoon, we started the experimental portion of our new science unit, which is on light and optical engineering. Ask your children how it went and what we learned! On Tuesday the grades came together again to make challot with Rav-Hazzan and Hamorah Carol in Jewish Living. The hallways smelled delicious for the remainder of the day! :)

Fourth graders also spent time this week preparing for Colonial Day, which takes place next Thursday. Each student reflected on our Colonial America unit and, specifically, the colonial models project. They thought about what went well with the project and what they would do differently. Next week you will hear them speak about some of these things.

We are all geared up for tonight's Shabbaton over here! Several students from Gefen and Tamar are reading from the torah, so it will be particularly special for our class. Woot woot! Hope to see you there tonight and/or tomorrow!

Best,
Hamorah Eliza

Janis's Weekly Post

This week’s special blogger is Jake:

This week in social studies we learned about why we still learn about the Pilgrims.  They felt that good manners were very important so this became a custom.  We still play games that the children played.  We play Leapfrog and Hopscotch.

In art we did Mandela’s, we made one big circle and you put a dot inside.  It will become a design.

We started talking about the Wax Museum.  We found out whom we are going to be learning about.  I am excited about the Wax Museum, which takes place on March 27.  Next week we will be getting the biographies.

Have a great weekend!

Jake