Smile Docs

Smile Docs

Non-Fiction Reading

We started a new unit in reading this week.  Students read some non-fiction text with a partner.  BEFORE reading every partnership talked, previewed the text and looked for some kind of connection or reason to care about the text.  This connection/engagement with the text makes the difference between "Waiting For The Dentist" reading and "Reading to Get Smarter" reading.  This unit is off to a great start, here are some pictures of some awesome non-fiction readers!

More Non-Fiction Reading

Beauty and the Beast

Yesterday some of the cast of the high school's upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast were special guests on The Buzz, our monthly Chamberlin "radio show" hosted by Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Farrell.  Most of these cast members are Chamberlin grads.  It was fun to see them come back!  The show is happening November 22nd and 23rd--information is available on the SBHS website if you are interested in attending.

Sight

SMILE Docs came on Friday.  This was our second visit with the UVM medical students.  They taught us about the five senses.  This is Nour taking a vision test.  Lots of kids tried to read the lines of letters on the chart.  Later, we had time to check out some Braille cards (cards with raised dots on them to represent letters).

Gio took the vision test as well.

Braille

Wisely and Gio check out the Braille cards.

Vision test

Smiledocs

Recycling Assembly

Keegan and Myles were announcers at the Assembly.

Some students made posters to hang around Chamberlin School to remind kids about recycling appropriately.  These students performed a skit showing where to put recyclable items, reminding kids that those items need to be clean, and showed what needs to be thrown away.

Field trip

We went to the retention pond on Kennedy Drive.  The workers there explained the process of building the pond to help control stormwater runoff.

This pond actually has two ponds separated by a dam (on the right of this picture).  After a big rain, if the first pond fills up, it overflows into the second pond (on the left).  This overflow area already has grass growing in it.  You might ask your child why there is grass  planted here.

Mount Philo

At the top of Mt. Philo, students did watercolors of the changing view (the fog was lifting), and enjoyed their beautiful surroundings.

This was one tired fourth grader on the bus ride home!

Hiking Mt. Philo

This group of students held up this erratic boulder on the way up!  Students learned how the glacier left behind huge boulders when it melted.  The boulders are called "erratics".  You might notice some in farm fields in the area.

We had some rain for our field trip, but it didn't stop your children!

Lone Rock Point

Lone Rock Point is behind Burlington High School.  We parked the bus, then made a short hike on some beautiful trails down to the lake.  This is a site that people from all over the world come to because they are able to see an interesting geological phenomenon.  In this spot, due to the Champlain Thrust Fault, younger rock (Dunham Dolomite)  is actually on top of older rock (Iberville Shale).  This defies the Law of Superposition.  Pretty cool--AND your fourth grader should be able to explain that to you (just in case YOU are not a geologist!).

Salmon Hole

Salmon Hole is just off Riverside Avenue.  Here students are exploring.  Note the angle of the rocks. These rocks were lifted up by magma beneath the earth as part of the Champlain Thrust Fault.  Your child might be able to tell you more.

More at Salmon Hole

Our first stop on Friday's field trip was Salmon Hole. Students notice Ripple marks in the stone from when the rocks we were sitting on were sand in the Iapetus Ocean.  Also evident was how the river has carved out a path and worn away much of the rock. Here you see students doing some work documenting what they saw there.

Fruit Fly Trap

We have had a fly and fruit fly problem in our classroom.  Our friend Myles said he knew how to make a trap.  So he did. 

According to our resident fruit fly expert, Myles the apple cider vinegar attracts the fruit flies. They go in the paper cone, but cannot get out.  We have been having fun watching this contraption work and we all have been much less distracted without the fruit flies flying around.  Lexi and Gio made another one for Miss Kane who was also having a fruit fly problem.  I love fourth graders!!

Smile Docs

Medical students from UVM came in today for a program called Smile Docs.  We learned about the nervous system today.

These students were looking at slides of brain tissue.  

Bathymetry

Mary showed us three charts of Lake Champlain--these didn't cover the whole lake, just sections of it.

Keegan and Wisely worked together to figure out the depths in the different parts of their "lake".

Sailing

Here are some intrepid sailors.

Myles was raising the gib.  Not sure what that means?  Ask your fourth grader!