These are the Phases of the Moon.........

In Science, we have really been enjoying ourselves learning about the phases of the Moon. During the month of March, students have been observing the Moon each night outside their window and recording it's changing appearance, allowing them to see and experience our Moon's 29 day cycle.

Mr. Lee's Moon Rap video has also been a wonderful reference for us in class- check it out HERE.

We have learned that the Moon has phases because it orbits Earth, which causes the portion we see illuminated to change. The Moon takes about 27 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) lasts about 29 days. The Moon spends the extra 2 days "catching up" because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth.

As we have studied the Moon's phases,we have also made booklets to help us learn what each phase is called. In doing this, our classes have identified several phases as being landmark phases. These are:

1) New Moon (the first (1)and last (29) day in our booklets )
At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated. In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun.

2) First Quarter Moon (Day 8 in our booklet)
ONE QUARTER (the RIGHT quarter that we see) is lit....here, the moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later.

3) Full Moon (Day 15 in our booklet- the middle day in the 29 day cycle)
On this day, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight. We are able to see the entire illuminated half of the moon! (Did you know that only one half of our Moon is always illuminated by our Sun, and that we NEVER see the other half from Earth??!!).

4) Last Quarter Moon (Day 21 in our booklet) ONE QUARTER (the LEFT quarter that we see) is lit.... (opposite of the First Quarter Moon).

Other terms students need to be famaliar with help to explain other phases that fall between these landmark phases are Waxing, Waning, Crescent and Gibbous. Refer to your child's Moon Phase booklet and accompanying lab sheet for more specifics.

Be sure to also ask your child about other labs we are participating in on the Moon's Phases. You can also reference our science textbook HERE for more study information.

Don't forget to visit GIZMOS to review the virtual lab we worked on in class!!

You can also click HERE to see a simple, quick time-lapsed video of the Moon Phase Cycle.

New Read Aloud!!

Visit the author's website at http://gracelin.com/ to learn more about our new read aloud, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

100th Day of School

Yesterday we celebrated the 100th Day of our school year together. To show our spirit, many of our students either brought 100 items to school or dressed as though they were 100 years old. It was a lot of fun to see all of the creative ideas from our classmates. Below are two slideshows, one for the Red Team and one for the Blue Team. Enjoy each one, and then be sure to leave a comment giving your VOTE for one person from each class (two votes total) for the award of "Best 100 Day School Spirit". Be sure to leave your first name at the end of your comment.

Phillips' 100 Day Spirit Team on PhotoPeach



Nash's 100 Day Spirit Team on PhotoPeach

Inspiration for FCAT Writes!

Limo Day on PhotoPeach



Our 4th Grade classes were just visited by some very special former 4th graders (and a very special former 4th Grade teacher) so that we could learn some tips and strategies for doing our very best on the upcoming FCAT Writes Assessment, which will be on February 28th! The students who visited our room all earned a Perfect 6 score on the FCAT Writes last year when they were in 4th Grade. Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Pinchot are especially proud of these students because all three of them were in their Math and Science class last year! Two of these students read their "perfect 6" papers and all three shared important tips on how to prepare, approach, and accomplish this very important test. We were also able to ask our "expert" panel questions, and many of our students did just that! Here are some of the tips we learned from our special guests:

*Planning is important- spend about 5 minutes doing this and jot down lots of details and examples as you think of ideas
*Be sure to stay on topic as you write
*Don't give up if you can't immediately connect with the prompt- reread it and keep jotting down ideas...they will come to you!
*Use the whole 45 minutes that you are given to write
*Include strategies and author's crafts that you have learned about in Writing: making comparisons, using sizzling vocabulary, painting a picture in the reader's mind, using subtle humor, finding places to add dialogue
*Have an open mind....what COULD happen??? Possibilities are endless!

We all noticed that their writing was very structured and organized. They used a lot of imagery. Each had clear and concise closings. Transition phrases were clever and unique. Our guests also offered us another very important tip that we will always remember: READ, READ, READ! The more we read, the more we learn author's crafts, ideas for writing, and meaning of vocabulary!

After their very special visit to our classroom, we celebrated their departure from the school by cheering them off as they went to a very special lunch in a limousine with our Principal and their families to continue their celebration.

You will have an opportunity to see how your writing scores this week.  On Wednesday, we will all take a practice writing prompt, just like the FCAT Writes.  Afterwards, Mrs. Nash and Mrs. Montero will score every piece.  This time, we will send your SCORED writing home with you to share with your parents, along with more information and reminders about how we can make our writing better every time we write.

Also coming up in February, Mrs. Montero and Mrs. Nash will send home practice writing prompts for those of you who are interested in doing everything they can to secure their own seat in next year's limo.    Your parents can set a timer for 45 minutes, and get in a little at home training for the big event!

We were so excited for the awesome writers we met this week.  Hearing their writing, listening to them speak, and watching them parade down the red carpet in true celebrity style inspired us to follow in their footsteps! Who will be next to earn a "perfect 6"? :-)

Leave a comment to share the BEST PIECE OF ADVICE you gained from our expert panel of visitors. We can't wait to read them!