Amazing First Graders

Wow! First grade has changed a lot! They are so well behaved… The 5th grade Chickering reporters decided to do a post on how first grade is different when we were there. Mrs. Marchildon class is our buddy class! We went in to observe the new math program (Everyday Math Program). We saw that they were learning much harder stuff from when we were in first grade. Also the strategies they use are pretty cool because they make everything easier. When we were in first grade, there were not as many strategies as they do now.

One thing we noticed was that they are very well behaved. They don’t fool around on the rug, or have side conversation with their friends. When we were in first grade I think we fooled around more than they do now.

We also noticed that they use color tables instead of desks. We used desks when we were in first grade.

Finally we noticed that They used more math supplies than we did like: mini white boards, an interactive white board, and each table had a container of supplies in the middle of the table.

We think that first grade has changed a lot since we were in first grade. We think the students have better strategies, supplies, and are better behaved! We wish we were still in first grade!!

Reported by: Abby and Sarah

That Poetry Guy . . . Ted Scheu

Rhyme after rhyme, poem after poem, who’s that guy over there telling poems over and over? Oh yah! That’s Ted Scheu! He’s visiting the fourth grade to teach them his poetry secrets. Wait, maybe we can learn Ted Scheu’s deepest darkest secrets. Let’s find out.

Please listen to our interview with Ted Scheu. We wish to thank Mr. Scheu for his kindness in Skyping with us and his generosity with his time. (Please click on the link below.)

Interview with poet, Ted Scheu, the Poetry Guy – 2012

Also, please listen to some of  Mrs. Atkinson’s and Mr. Keohane’s students’ poems. (Please click on the link below.)

Poems from several students in 4th Grade

Working with Ted Scheu was a tremendous experience. Of course, we had seen poetry before, but Mr. Scheu took us on an amazing adventure, including poetry, imagination, literature, and his “iEasel!”. He really opened our eyes to the world around us, and more importantly, the wonders of creativity. Thank you, Ted Scheu!

Reporters: WB, Nathan, Julia and Lindsey

An Ocean In-doors?

Everyone knows there are fish in the Boston Harbor but who knew they were inside of a building!  On Tuesday, June 5th, the fourth grade took a trip to the N.E. Aquarium.  Everyone in the fourth grade enjoyed the field trip.  Here are some things we saw and learned.

In the field trip to the N.E.A. we were all put into groups of four to five people. Then we were assigned a chaperon. After that we had an hour to look at the animals and some time to fill out packets that we brought that had questions about the animals.

The whole fourth grade went to the IMAX theater to watch a 3D movie about the climate change at the North Pole. We had to bring our packets, to the movie, to answer some questions.

The reason why the fourth grade goes to the N.E.A. is because one of our science units is oceanography taught by Mr. Keohane. The N.E.A. is a good opportunity to learn more and to see how the animals act like in the wild. Some of the animals we saw penguins, seals and sea lions, octopus, different types of fish, turtles, jellyfish, sea dragons, and eels.  In the Tide Pool touch tank, the water was really cold! We touched sea urchins, sea stars, hermit and horseshoe crabs. The water was much warmer in the Shark and Sting Ray touch tank, thank goodness.

Overall most everyone had a good time at the N.E. Aquarium and were disappointed when we had to leave and return to school.  Some of the students were assigned homework that night.  They were to reflect upon our trip and tell what thought was really interesting and one thing that they learned.  We hope this will be an annual fourth grade field trip, so that other students can have this same experience.

Reported by: Amy, Martin, and Sophia

Natures Classroom – 5th Grade Adventure

Natures Classroom is a place where schools send kids for a week and they learn about topics that are not normally taught in school. Edible plants and hot air balloons, for example, and you do a lot of team building activities.

On the bus ride there, we watched Despicable Me. The bus ride was 1 hour 15 minutes till we arrived at Pond Side, one of two facilities at Natures Classroom, in Charlton, MA.   When we got there we received our luggage and found out who was in our cabin. In the cabins, where the boys stayed, there were 3, 4 or 5 people. The girls stayed in Center West which housed 2 wings of dorm rooms on either side of the cafeteria.

After breakfast we went to Field Group. Field Group is when you and 11 other kids go on a little hike and explore. Some of the things we did on Field Group was, visit one of the places the tornado hit. Or go to a waterfall and clean up the rocks so it flows better.

The food was great! But the bad thing was, between every meal, we didn’t have any food … no snacks! After Field Group and meals we would have transition time to fill up our water bottles and meet up with our friends.

We also played many games, such as, Screaming Toes, Camouflage, and one of our favorite games, Predator vs. Prey. At night, we had special activities, like Quite Sing and Thursday Night Live!

Not all students were able to attend Natures Classroom. There were about a dozen students who didn’t go to. They had their own ‘Natures Classroom’ at school.  Here’s their agenda.

Tuesday:
Robotics Demonstration
Camouflage in Nature
Human Body Scavenger Hunt
Dissection of an Owl Pellet
Virtual Dissection of a frog

Wednesday:
Going to Science Museum to see films and exibits

Thusday:
Shadows
Masks of nature
sundial Bracelets
Microscopes/Insect Discoveries
Astronomy and Constellation Drawing

Friday:
Engineering/EggDrop
Earthquakes and Legends
Top Secret Mission
Navigation
Compass Scavenger Hunt
Tent Ghost Stories (bring one if you dare!)
Egg Drop Competition
Performance of Masks of Nature
Bugle signaling another great year at Chickering Nature’s Classroom

Natures Classroom was a great experience! We hope that they will continue to send fifth graders on this adventure.  It might be nice, to include our sister-school, Pine Hill, in Sherborn.  That way we can begin to make friends with our, soon to be, sixth grade classmates in Middle School.

Reported by: Andrew F. , Lucy, and Griffin

American Revolution Heroes and Heroines

Every year, the 5th graders do a Wax Museum on The Revolutionary War. Everybody chooses a Revolutionary War hero or heroine to research.  With their notes, the students will write a script explaining how they (as the hero or heroine) affected events during The Revolutionary War. The students will become wax figures with a button which viewers can “push” to activate them and they will share information about their hero or heroine. This experience teaches kids of all ages at our school about the Revolutionary War and how ordinary people did extraordinary things.

In order for the fifth graders to prepare for writing their skit, they had an opportunity to get a sneak peak at the Wax Museum Rubric, which will be used to grade them. This helps fifth graders because the rubric addresses 3 main subjects, Content, Dialogue, and Performance. The rubric rating scale is from 1-4, 4 being the best. Below are the descriptions of the rating scale of 4 for each of the criteria.

Content – Demonstrates a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the topic and the person studied

Dialogue – Realistic, lively, appropriate, and engaging; focused on the essential questions

Performance – Convincing and self assured

Once they finish writing their script they have to memorize it and create a costume for their hero or heroine. Next they practice, practice, practice . . . .

On the day of the Wax museum, the students get dressed, pick up their “activation” button, and head down to the library which is now a wax museum. They then pick their spot and position themselves in their pose. Visitors to the museum travel from exhibit to exhibit listening to how these men and women did extraordinary things during the American Revolutionary War.

 

 

Here are a few heroes or heroines depicted at the wax museum

Some of the heroes

  • George Washington – Commander of the Colonial Army: First President of the United States of America
  • Benjamin Franklin – Patriot statesman; scientist; philosopher
  • Thomas Jefferson – Delegate to Continental Congress; drafted Declaration of Independence and more
  • John Adams – Delegate to Continental Congress; lawyer and more
  • Major General Henry Knox – Continental officer; hero; artillery expert
  • Paul Revere – American patriot; silversmith and engraver
  • Major General Nathanael Greene – Second in command to George Washington
  • Ethan Allen – Colonial of the Green Mountain Boys; Continental Army
  • Major John Andre – British solider: contact for Benedict Arnold

Some of the Heroines

  • Abigail Adams – Wife of John Adams; correspondent
  • Martha Washington – Wife of George Washington; First Lady
  • Lydia Darragh – American spy
  • Patience Wright – American spy

We hope you enjoy watching several hero’s of the Revolutionary War shown below.

Benjamin Franklin (a.k.a. Jude)

King George III (a.k.a. Jay)

Major General Henry Knox (a.k.a. Matt S.)

Reported by Jay, Matthew S., and Jude

Leon Mobley Returns!

Bop Pop Bop Pop Bop Ba Bop Bop Pop

If you walked into the Chickering School, on October 6, 2011,  that is what you would have heard coming from Leon Mobley and his Djembe drum springing from the gym. He is a former Metco student at Chickering School and now a world renowned musician. He is excited to share his love for West African drumming with the world. We were fortunate to interview him after the assembly. Please click on the podcast below to listen to the interview.

October 2011 interview with Leon Mobley

Mr. Mobley came back, in January 2012, with 2 friends to help him teach the students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Each third grade class learned with Mr. Mobley and our music teachers Ms Pappas and Mrs. Barry, a West African folk song. With one of Mr. Mobley’s friends, the fourth grade classes each learned a West African folk dance. While each of the 5th grade classes learned on drums, a West African folk song, with Mr. Mobley and another drummer friend.

Mr. Mobley and his two friends were with us for only one week. It was challenging to learn our West African dance in one class and practice once before the final assembly on Friday. All third, fourth, and fifth graders were very excited to perform with Mr. Mobley and his friends. We hope one day Mr. Mobley will come back to Chickering School.

Reported by:

Adam, Coleman, Matty, and Will G.