Roderick Review Week 31 (4/11/16-4/15/16)

Roderick students in every classroom had a BUSY week!  From fourth and fifth grade experiments to a fifth grade poetry slam and the sixth grade country reports, there were many opportunities for our students to shine!  Scroll down to see some pictures of this week's highlights!

Sixth Grade Country Reports
Students in every sixth grade class shared what they had learned at the Country Fairs on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of this week.  In addition to the oral presentations the students gave as though they were museum docents sharing all that a visitor needed to know about a country, presentation boards and in some cases, the research reports themselves were available for visitors to view.  While some of the work was done at home, students approached the "culture" portion of their research differently.  Teachers have been engaged in professional development all year for writing and the Lucy Calkins Units of Study lessons for information writing were used to facilitate students' writing for the culture section.  It was amazing to see how their writing has progressed in such a short time.

International Luncheon:  Students in Mrs. Fownes' sixth grade also invited other staff members to a special international luncheon featuring the appetizers, entrees, and desserts that the students had made using authentic ingredients to make traditional foods of the country they studied.  Other classes had the food displayed at each country's station.

More Country Report Pictures...

   

Owl Pellet Science Lab:
On Thursday, fifth grade scientists in Ms. Downing's class were dissecting owl pellets.  While some students were slightly squeamish at first about the thought of opening up an owl pellet, they were amazed by the process.  Students diligently and with meticulous care pulled apart the tiny fibers to reveal the skeletons of the owl's prey.  

Last Thursday, fifth graders in Mrs. Kane's class also shared this experience and found that voles were very common prey for the owls.










Roderick March Madness:
The competition continued until the "Final Four" on Thursday afternoon!  Roderick fans were full of spirit as they did "The Wave" in the stands and cheered on their classmates!

April is Poetry Month!

What better way to celebrate Poetry Month than with a Poetry Slam.  On Friday morning, Ms. Downing's classroom was transformed as the poets shared their examples of original poems that highlighted the use of figurative language including onomatopoeia, personification, metaphor, simile, in addition to alliteration.

  

Fourth Grade Science:

Students in Ms. Thornton's and Ms. Yelle's classes as well as students in Ms. Marazzi's and Ms. Kelley's classes were involved in experiments today related to the different states of matter.  Ask your fourth grader about their observations when the borax solution was added.

  

Enjoy your vacation week with your families!