Biography Project Details

Using the information you learned while reading your biography, you are going to give a speech to teach others about your person.   Use your biography notecatcher as a guide to the main topics of your speech.  That means you should include information about the person’s childhood, schooling, hobbies, jobs, major accomplishments, roadblocks, and legacy.

-Your speech should be 3-5 minutes long

-You should dress up as your person and pretend that you are the famous person

-You may use notecards or paper to read off of during your speech

Be sure to practice your speech so you are comfortable reading it in a clear voice!

Speeches will be presented on Thursday, February 16 and Friday, February 17. 

In addition to the speech, you also need to create a timeline of your person’s life.  Your timeline should include important dates and events (birthday, major accomplishments, etc).  Your timeline should be illustrated…draw a picture to show each event on it. 

Speech Rubric

Birthday and birth place	/5
Childhood information	/5
Family	/5
Hobbies/interests	/5
Schooling/college	/5
Jobs	/5
Major accomplishments	/10
Roadblocks	/10
Death	/5
Legacy	/10
Personality traits	/10
Presentation (speech was practiced and given in a clear voice)	/10
Costume	/5
Total points	/90

Timeline Rubric

Information (includes at least 10 important events)	/10
Neatness	/10
Pictures (one for each event)	/10
Grammar (capitalization and punctuation)	/5
Effort	/5
Total	/40

Biography Project

Here are the topics for our big biography project!

Oscar Whitcomb and Meagan Wentworth are typing today.

Oscar is writing about Wayne Gretzky.
Meagan is writing about Annie Oakley.
Lina is writing about Christa Mcaulffe.
Trent is writing about Sir Edmund Hilary.
Caden is writing about Abraham Lincoln.
Eli is witing about Babe Ruth.
Kendall is writing about Florence Nightingale.
Ryan is writing about George Washington.
Sarah is writing about Marie Curie.
Aaliyah is writing about JK Rowling.
Aidan is writing about Davy Crockett.
Kaitlyn is writing about Juliette Low.
Jacob is writing about Jackie Robinson.
Reilly is writing about Tony Hawk.
Neleah is writing about Rosa Parks.
Lianne is writing about Amelia Earhart.
Owen is writing about Tom Brady.
Nick is writing about Philo Farnsworth.
Ariana is writing about Claude Monet.

We're Back!

Thanks to two motived students, we are getting back on track with this blog of ours!  This week's post comes to you from Oscar Whitcomb and Caden Iverson.

We have been learning about similes.  Here are some examples that we wrote: the drums were as loud as thunder and the waves were as tall as the sky.

In social studies we have been learning about New Hampshire history.  We looked at an old map of NH from 1761 and compared it to a new map of NH.  We noticed lots of changes that have happened to the state, but also saw a lot of the same things (like towns and rivers).  We have been reviewing what we learned about NH history to get ready for a test.
By Oscar Whitcomb and Caden Iverson

From the teacher
I am not sure how many families have been reading the blog, so from now on I will print copies to send home in addition to posting online.  Please let me know if you prefer not to recieve a printed copy!  Look for updates on Fridays...

Important Dates
Friday, January 27- No school, teacher workshop day
February 4- Deliberative session for the school budget...please come to let your voice be heard!

Fish and Game visits RGS!

On November 15 and 18 the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department came to the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms.  They came to teach us about New Hampshire wildlife.  They taught us that animals need food, shelter, water and space.  We also learned that New Hampshire has 3 main habitats: forests, fields, and wetlands.  The classes did a lot of activities with the guest speakers.  We played a game to see how the deer population is affected by their habitat.  We sorted pictures of animals by their habitats.  We played an animal guessing game where we needed to figure out what animal we were my asking yes or no questions.  The speakers taught us about the importance of taking care of our planet.  They showed us that there isn't a lot of space on Earth to grow crops.  We also watched a short video about New Hampshire wildlife.  The classes loved it and learned a lot!

By Ms. Armstrong's 3rd and 4th graders

It's Friday (well...sort of!)

I know, I know...it's not really Friday.  But because we don't have school tomorrow or Friday, it sure feels like a Friday around here!  For the past week the class has been busy!  We have been researching New Hampshire forest animals to learn about their habitats and habits.  The class then used what they learned we wrote postcards on the ipads from the perspective of the animals.  The kids were very creative in their writing and learned a lot! 

Last week we finished There's an Owl in teh Shower.  The class was amazed to see how much they learned about spotted owls, their habitat, and the importance of conservation.  This week we used the story to discuss and model retelling a story using the most important ideas.  We weeded out big ideas from little details and then practiced this comprehension strategy with our own books.

In science we learned all about food webs.  Students read about producers, consumers, herbivores, carnivores, and ominores.  Today we created our own food web and saw how each animal relies on other animals.  When one piece of the food web is eliminated, it affects all the other parts.  Next week we will continue food webs by disecting owl pellets!

In the last blog post, I mentioned a trip to Scoutland Nature Preserve.  Well, it turns out that it's deer hunting season.  We feel that it would be unsafe to bring the group there, so we are researching other areas to complete a field study on forests.  Please be on the look out for more information next week.

Here are some important dates to remember:
November 10-11: No school
November 17 and 21: Conferences...please call Ms. Sheehy in the office to schedule a conference time
November 18: Book orders due
November 23-25: Thanksgiving break

I hope you have a great extra long weekend!!

Where does the time go?

Wow!  Has it really been almost a month since my last post?  Yikes!  I am so sorry for putting the blog on the back burner for so long.  I promise to be better about updating! 

We have been so busy for the past 3 weeks and the kids have been learning so much!  After our trip to the Great Bay, we started a BIG unit on forests.  We have been learning all about New Hampshire's most common habitat and are quickly becoming experts on deciduous forests.  We have been spending time learning about the layers of the forest, plants and animals that live in each layer, and the importance of forests as habitats.  Be sure to ask your child if he or she can name each layer and what animals live in each layer.  Next we will focus on food webs and interdepedence.  In a few weeks, the 3rd and 4th grades will be taking a trip to a forest near RGS (Scoutland).  Here we will put our learning to use as students will get a chance to see the forest up close!  This trip will be November 21 all day.  Look for more information to be sent home in the coming days.

During Daily 5, students have been learning and practicing reading and writing skills every day.  Last week the class was introduced to paragraph writing.  They learned that good paragraphs have an introduction, 3 supporting details, and a conclusion.  They practiced writing paragraphs today about their favorite season.  Our read aloud book ties closely with the science topic.  There's an Owl in the Shower, by Jean Craighead George is about a family who takes care of an orphaned spotted owl.  The book touches on many ecology topics ranging from conservation to animal adaptations.  It is a great springboard for discussions not only about reading strategies, but also the importance of forests.  Ask your child what their favorite part has been!

Most students have also started a mini-research project on a New Hampshire forest animal.  They are using the internet to research all about an animal.  Students are also learning how to take notes on the most important information.  Next week they will start writing reports to share what they have learned. 

On another note, I would like to know how many people are reading the blog.  If you have a chance, could you send me an email or post on the blog when you are reading it?  Thanks!  It is great feedback for me!

Here are some important upcoming dates:
November 3- picture retakes
November 10- no school, teacher workshop day
November 11- no school, Veteran's Day
November 18- book orders due (as always, orders can be made online at scholastic.com or sent to school...see blog post below for ordering instructions)
November 17 and 21- conference (please contact Ms. Sheehy in the office to sign up for a conference!)
November 23-25- no school, Thanksgiving holiday

I think that's it for now!  Until next time...

Down by the Bay...

We had a spectacular time at the Great Bay Discovery Center yesterday!  The students were split into 5 groups to learn in different stations.  They learned about how the Great Bay was an essential resource to both Native Americans and settlers.  They saw lots of different animals native to the area, became archaeologists who learned about the past, explored a real gundalow, and walked through the estuary habitat.  Here's what the class had to say about their trip...

"We sat on animal furs in a real wigwam." -Jacob
"I was surprised that Native Americans had lots of animals." -Neleah
"I learned that Labrador retrievers were used to retrieve ducks for hunters." -Angelina
"Hunters covered their canoes with hay for camouflage." -Meagan
"We went under the deck in the gungalow." -Ryan
"I found a pouch with bullets in it." -Rielly
"I liked the furs and tall grass." -Kendall
"I was surprised to see a blue heron." -Lianne
"I saw a bald eagle." -Eli
"I had fun on the gundalow." -Nicky
"I learned about the gundalow." -Caden
"Boy Native Americans went hunting and carried knives." -Owen
"I liked the animal furs." -Oscar
"I saw a snake!" -Aaliyah
"I liked the trail." -Trent
 "There was a stuffed turkey." -Kaitlyn
"I like the footprints on the boardwalk." Caden
"I like crawling under the gundalow." -Aidan
"We saw where salt water and fresh water met." Angelina and Oscar

Just a few reminders before I go...
-There is no school October 7 and 10
-Book orders are due October 14
-Picture retakes are November 3
-NECAP testing will continue next week

Have a great long weekend!!!