Straits of Mackinac Field Trip Update 2014

Important Reminders for our upcoming trip:

  • Our trip is Friday, May 9
  • The bus is leaving at 6:00 am from the McGrath parking lot.
  • Students and chaperones will be meeting in the cafeteria at 5:45 am. (Don’t worry, they can sleep on the bus!)
  • Students are welcome to bring electronics on the bus, but they will be responsible for the devices.
  • The buses may have a DVD player on them. Students are welcome to bring movies to show on the bus, but the movies must be rated G; games must be rated E and music must be appropriate for school.
  • Snacks are welcome on the bus.  We are not scheduling any stops on our trip so students may want to bring a snack in case they get hungry.  With us leaving so early, it is going to be a long time until lunch.
  • Breakfast will not be provided. However, the cafeteria will pack breakfasts for students that purchase them before the trip.
  • Students are welcome to bring spending money for souvenirs or snack purchases.
  • Students may bring a camera during the trip, but other electronic devices will secured on the bus.
  • We are taking charter buses so there will be a bathroom on each bus.
  • The weather might be cold, windy or rainy.  So please have your child dress appropriately in layers. (Consider a t-shirt, long shirt, sweater, coat, mittens, and a hat)  If they get warm they can always take something off.
  • We will have pizza delivered to the buses on the way home.
  • Please be at McGrath before 11:30 pm to pick your student up at the conclusion of the trip. For the last several years, we have gotten back early, and in that case, you’ll receive a phone call letting you know.

 Schedule of Events

TimeActivity
6:00 amDepart McGrath for Fort Michilimackinac on charter buses
10:00Arrive at Colonial Fort Michilimackinac for tour
12:00 pmBoard the Star Line ferry to the island
12:30Walk to Grand Hotel for lunch and tour
2:15Carriage Tour of the island from Mackinac Carriage Tours
3:30Tour Fort Mackinac
5:00Walk and shop in town
6:30Board ferry to return to mainland
7:00Depart docks for trip to McGrath
11:30 pmArrive at McGrath

Class activities for Monday, April 28

Spelling: We practiced homographs, words that are spelled the same but have different meanings:

  • Ring a bell. Get in the ring.
  • Hold the books. Put the call on hold.
  • Run in a race. Run a machine.
  • Draw a card. Draw a picture.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Friday.

Reading: None today due to art.

Writing: Today we started a new writing project, a collection of poems. We also started reading a book called, Love that Dog, which is a novel written as a poem. We learned today that a poem doesn’t have to rhyme, and a poem can be written about simple things and important things. A collection of poems will be due Friday, May 16.

Math: None today due to extra time with science. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more.

ScienceToday students completed a practice science test; tomorrow, students will work on an interim science test as pilot students for next year’s new state science test. Today, we also dug up some plants along the Gibson Drain to use for testing, and we brainstormed things living creatures need to live:

  • Air
  • water
  • food for energy, growth and repair
  • heat
  • light (plants only)

Some students wanted to add soil to the list, but we tested that with a dinosaur plant. Above is an example of this plant after water is added, expanding from being dormant to growing in a few hours, with no soil. But clearly it needs water.

Social Studies: None today due to art.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 0
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 0
  • Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 8

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Class activites for Friday, April 25

Spelling: We practiced forming irregular verbs: hold/held, run/ran, is/was, are/were, go/went, eat/ate.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading skills practice using MobyMax.

Writing: Today was the I-Search Conference! The class received many compliments for their nice dress, presentations, and reading style!

Math: Today we continued to practice long division using this skill Multi-Digit Division skill on Khan Academy. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more.

Science: None today due to our I-Search Conference.

Social Studies: None today due to our I-Search Conference.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 1
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 4
  • Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 1

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Class activities for Thursday, April 24

Spelling: None today.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: Students finished working on slides for their I-Search presentations today. They also completed partner conferences for revising and editing. The I-Search project is due Friday, April 25, and the I-Search Conference presentations will be April 25 from 10:30-11:40. Here is the conference schedule; family members are invited to attend. Students have been asked to wear something nice for the presentations (something like business-casual, no jeans or t-shirts if possible). Homework is to finish the presentation so it is ready to present tomorrow!

Math: Today we continued to practice dividing two-digit numbers. Several students are still struggling with this concept.  Homework is to work on Multi-Digit Division skill on Khan Academy, or MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more.

Science: None today.

Social Studies: Students completed a MiniQuiz about the powers of the branches of government. We also started learning how each branch can check and balance the power of the other branches.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 0
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 3
  • Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 7

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Class activities for Wednesday, April 23

Spelling: None today.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a  day for students to finish any notes left over from yesterday’s reading day in Literature Circles.

Writing: Students continued creating slides for their I-Search presentations today. The I-Search project is due Friday, April 25, and the I-Search Conference presentations will be April 25 from 10:30-11:40. Here is the conference schedule; family members are invited to attend. Students have been asked to wear something nice for the presentations (something like business-casual, no jeans or t-shirts if possible). Homework is to finish the presentation so it is ready to revise and edit tomorrow and present on Friday!

Math: Students completed a MiniQuiz about multiplication and then we started learning about division. Today, we learned about how to divide two-digit numbers with a remainder: 21 / 4 or 20 / 3. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more.

Science: We started the Best Lettuce Experiment by planting six different types of lettuce seeds. We’ll measure them weekly and taste them at the end to determine which kind is the best to grow in a home or school garden.

Social Studies: None today.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 2
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 3
  • Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 0

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.