Now that testing is over with for the year the 4th grade team held a kickball tournament this morning.  Afterwards, it was back to the basics and I used that time to have students work on their science projects.  

Since we have only seven more days of school left in the year, we will not have specials on each of the remaining days.  This is due to the three field days (K-1, 2-3, 4-5) and the 5th grade science End-of-Grade test that will be administered on Friday.  Also, the last day of school will not have special area classes scheduled.  Next week's specials schedule will be included at the top of my weekly parent email that will go out this Friday.  This weekly email will be the last one that I will send this year unless I get information from the office that needs to be shared with parents.

Lastly, I made the science quiz available online early due to the 5th grade taking their science EOG's on Friday.  The quiz is found on my Launch page.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful time with friends and family as we celebrated Memorial Day and reflect on what it means.  Both of my grandfathers served in World War 2 and I grew up hearing about what they went through.  

We began a shorter week by reviewing multiplying fractions in math followed by dividing fractions.  To divide a fraction, it is really multiplying with one extra step:  flip the second number then multiply.  For example, take 1/2 + 1/4.  With multiplying fractions, you multiply the numerators and the denominators.  1 x 1 = 1; 2 x 4 = 8 to get a product of 1/8.  It is asking, "What is one half of one fourth?"

With division of fractions, you multiply the first number by the reciprocal of the second.  In other words, flip the second number.  1/2 + 1/4:  1/2 x 4/1 = 4/2; 4 + 2 = 2.  It is asking, "How many fourths are in one half?"

In science, the students have taken their notes on the microbiology unit and how I have assigned a project.  Students are to research vitamins and  minerals that are essential to good heath.  After that, they are to choose three of each and create a Google Slides presentation.  I am giving them plenty of class time to do this as it is due on Friday.  There will also be an open note quiz this Friday as well.  

With next week being the last week of the school year, I want to get in grades this week while I can.  

We come to the end of an eventful week on the eve of Memorial Day weekend.  We had two last days of review, an EOG pep rally, and of course......the EOG tests themselves.  But, with the exception of the students who will need to make them up next week, testing is over with and now we have two more weeks left in the year.

My annual parent survey has gone live and a link was included in my weekly parent email.  I will keep the survey active until the end of the day on Monday, June 12th.  That is the teacher workday that follows the last day of school for students.  That is also the last day to come by and collect any items left behind by students.  Anything not collected by that day will be recycled, thrown out, or donated but I will still give plenty of notice beforehand.

All K-4 CMS teachers are to teach an anti-bullying lesson at some point before the end of the school year.  I included a picture of the form being sent out in my weekly parent email.  Only sign and return the form if you do NOT wish for your child to participate.  

Since the tests are over with for most students (excluding make-up testing and the 5th grade science EOG) we have moved on in math and science.

The focus of math instruction at this point is to prepare the students for 5th grade.  I decided to cover multiplying fractions since we already learned about multiplying a fraction by a whole number.  

In science, we began the final unit of the year which is called Microbiology. This unit does not cover life at the microscopic level as the name suggests but rather, it is about nutrition and vitamins and how they contribute to good physical health.  The students took the following notes:

Vitamins - nutrients that the body needs to work properly Minerals - nutrients that the body needs to work properly  Humans need foods that include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, which are big food molecules that offer energy, help with growth and repair, and play specific roles in maintaining your health.
Exercise - the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit  We get the energy they need to grow and develop properly when we eat healthy food and exercise
Energy - the ability to do work
Growth – gradual changes in organisms throughout their lives, an increase of something
Repair – the act of putting something back in working order
Healthy - being physically and mentally sound
Diet – the food and drink consumed by animals and humans
Supplements – added vitamins and nutrients to food
Nutrients – things in food that nourishes and provides your body with what it needs

Carbohydrates - sugars, starch, and fiber compounds Fat - big food molecules that stores energy
Food – what we eat and drink that provides both nutrients and energy Protein – a nutrient that builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body; the building blocks of cells
Food group – a way of organizing food by where it comes from
Digest - turning food into energy and allowing your body to absorb the nutrients that it needs from it

This is it!  Today was the final day of review, for tomorrow the long-anticipated End-of-Grade tests will a reality.  I always feel mixed emotions on the eve of the tests.  While I know that all of the material has been taught and well-reviewed, I always wish for a little more time to prepare.  Yet, I also feel a great sense of relief for there is nothing more that I can do.  Now, it is up to the students to show what they know!  

Today was also the day of the pep rally.  Students had a motivational video made by the teachers and administrators, words of encouragement, and then a parade through the lower grade halls to get encouragement from the younger students.  

Since this was the final day to prepare, it was much more relaxed.  I still had a warm-up and I went over the skills that were taught throughout the year but I did not have any big activities.  Everything has already been taught and reviewed and today was a day to unwind.  Tomorrow, it begins.

Students did something different for the last day of review:  Kahoot!  I do not do Kahoot! with math reviews since the maximum amount of time allotted for a question is 2 minutes.  The response times range from 20 seconds to 120 seconds and during the year a lot of multi-step problems required more time than that.

Below is today's warm-up and answer keys.

One thing I tried to make clear to the students is that when testing is over, there are still instructional days left in the year.  What that means is that I will still have math instruction and they will still do warm-up activities along with regular math work.  The warm-up's will be in a different format.