Friday, February 28, 2014

Dr. Seuss

March 2 is Dr. Seuss's Birthday!

We plan to once again join with schools all across America to celebrate on Friday, March 7.
We will also wear PJs March 7 to "Rest up for ISAT"


These are some of Miss Liefer's favorite Dr. Seuss Quotes.  What's your favorite?
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss

"If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good." ~Dr. Seuss (One Fish, Two Fish)

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." ~Dr. Seuss (Happy Birthday to You!)

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go." ~Dr. Seuss (I Can Read with My Eyes Shut)

"Think left and think right think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think of if only you try." ~ Dr. Seuss

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~Dr. Seuss (The Lorax)

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!" ~Dr. Seuss (Oh, The Places You'll Go)

"A person's a person, no matter how small." ~Dr. Seuss (Horton Hears a Who)

Below are You Tube links to various Dr. Seuss books

The Sneetches  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMolzESn4oI
The Butter Battle Book  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z71Czfh8w3o
Oh the Places You Go  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_2muj6fxpc
The Lorax  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k25wlcFOglA
The Lorax http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRbNlPbHEo

Green Eggs and Ham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbeSIiN1R-M
Fox in Socks  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZsQN_qrf1A
Yertle the Turtle  http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=U5ihC2XpCVs&feature=endscreen
Wacky Wednesday  http://youtu.be/9GwpvZ_aJJg
Sleep Book  http://youtu.be/1qRKZZ16Qas


Cat in the Hat    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jK6l1WJKUU
Horton Hears a Who http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87TNFs5__X0
The Lorax http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHar6X3Nnw



Don't forget to check out Dr. Seuss's website!

How to Make Your Own Oobleck

Have you ever read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss?

It's a story of where an ooey-gooey, green oobleck was not exactly what the king had in mind when he ordered something extra-special from his royal magicians.

Recipe for Oobleck
1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup warm tap water
green food coloring

Mix 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and green food coloring in a bowl until it all goes together (you may need to use your hands).  
Add 1 extra teaspoon of cornstarch and mix until it is smooth again.


What's the science going on here?
The name that most scientists give to this mixture is non-Newtonian liquid.  It has some properties of both the solid and liquid states.  It has the unusual property of becoming more like a solid as you put more pressure on it.  That is why when you press it into a ball it stays in a ball shape while you roll it, but as soon as you stop, it becomes runny and flows over your hand.  The nature of the non-Newtonian liquid is complex.  It is an effect of the water, flowing between the corn starch molecules, which changes when pressure is applied.  The pressure drives the liquid water out of the spaces and temporarily solidifies the substance.  This effect is the same as in quicksand, where an underground water source provides the water to mix among the sand particles, giving it properties similar to Oobleck's.

CLEAN UP!
Put any Oobleck into the garbage can.  Caution: Do not put the Oobleck in the sink.  It can plug drains.  Roll up and toss in trash.  Wash all containers and desk tops with soap and water.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Measuring Volume

We have been busy in the science lab!

We explored three different ways to measure volume.

First we used graduated cylinders and displacement to measure the volume of a marble.  See this blog post for photos:  http://missliefer.blogspot.com/2014/02/in-science-lab.html

Second we found the volume liquids in containers of various sizes using the graduated cylinders.

Third we used measurement... multiplying the length, width, and height of real-world items in the shape of rectangular prisms (a kleenex box for example)






We also have been busy exploring density and buoyancy.  
Ask your "scientist" what happened today in our experiment when we put oil, water, and syrup in a container!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Jackie Robinson

Today's featured BrainPop of the day is about Jackie Robinson!
(it is free to watch all day long- no login and password needed)
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/famoushistoricalfigures/jackierobinson/


Have you read Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman?

It is a baseball card adventure book filled with time travel, action, and even a lesson at the end.
The main character (Joe) has to do a project for Black History Month, so he chooses Jackie Robinson.  Joe travels back in time and becomes a bat boy for the Dodgers.   The book is accurate in its baseball statistics, but it also shows the harsh racial prejudices of that time period.

One of the small groups in read the book Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman
We pretended we were on the radio broadcasting about Jackie.
Check out some of our news reports:
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-robinson-by-hailey/17352268/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-robinson-by-10/17289212/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/the-black-banner-breaker/17288719/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-robinson/17288567/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-robinson-interview/17287747/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-and-me-story-report/16974197/
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jackie-robinson/16811589/

Peace, 
Self-Control, 
Courage, 
Respect 
These are some of the character traits we would use to describe Jackie Robinson.


Dan Gutman's Website:

The World of Dan Gutman:
*Be sure to watch the video!






Friday, February 21, 2014

How Much Would I Weigh on the Moon?

The terms "mass" and "weight" are often interchangeable in our everyday lives, but to scientists they mean different things.  

Mass is a measure of how much matter it contains 
Weight is a measure of the pull of GRAVITY between you and the planet you are standing on.

In science class today (page 426) we explored this concept.

Check out this site:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/

*we weigh less on the moon, because the pull of gravity on the moon is 1/6 of Earth's gravity*

Monday, February 17, 2014

Valentines

Fun dip, suckers, candy, cards, glasses, popcorn, pudding, music, and much more....
We had a great day celebrating friendships!











Donut Party

Our class raised the most $ during the Tree of Lights.
Thank you for supporting this great campaign!
We celebrated by having breakfast with Mrs. Ivers.... donuts and juice/milk.







Friday, February 14, 2014

Student Council February Report



                                                        Go for Gold in Forth Grade!!

Honors Flight is the first thing we are going to talk about. We raised $179.00.

Next is the Lock In . Student Council will be working at it. We will get more information later.

Last but not least, Pennies for Patients. It's going on from Feb. 3rd-21st. Our class has $39.49. Our goal is $200.

                                                  *Happy Valentine's Day! See ya soon!*


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Measuring Mass

Mass is the amount of matter in an object.
This week we experimented with balance scales to measure mass.

Does the size of an object give us a clue to its mass?

The results weren't what we predicted.

Three balls - same size - different mass.

Humm...which one has more mass?

testing it out







using the weights




Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Division

To practice long division we made videos to "teach" how to divide.
Some of them turn out really terrific! Check them out! (It's a great way to review for tomorrow's test!)
US TRADITIONAL METHOD OF DIVISION



 PARTIAL QUOTIENTS METHOD

Travel Log

Our first postcards have arrived!
So far we have "visited" Nebraska, Idaho, Washington, and Florida!