A new school year is upon us!  It was great meeting all the incoming third graders in June.   I have provided a link to my Wiki, where you can sign up for a quick meeting in the classroom on Monday, August 26th.  If you aren't able to sign up, feel free to come by anytime to say hi and see the classroom!

Cara Medved

http://medvedwiki.wikispaces.com/

March is Here!

Though I wasn't able to make the Passion Project breakfast, I was able to see photos and work connected to each child's project.  I was very proud of their work and evidence that when kids research a topic of their choice and interest, you get a lot out of them!  It was the highlight of February.  March is upon us.  We will be starting a science unit about our solar system and a literature study using the book The Tiger Rising, by Kate DiCamillo.

Happy New Year!  Before the break we completed our diverse cultures unit.  We began by determining the components that make up people's culture.  Later, we studied word origin of some common words and discovered that they were "borrowed" from other world languages.  Students also compared and contrasted Hannukah, and Kwanzaa.  They loved potato latkes, and playing the dreidel game.  We ended the unit with our own para, Mili, sharing her Puerto Rican culture with us.  She made fried plantains and we salsa danced!

In addition to all the wonderful science we do in class, and with our Four Winds sessions, we have a new weekly dose of science.  Presenting....Science Sally!  Sally Dattilio will read a content-based science book to each class on Mosaic each week.  Our class gets the read aloud on Thursdays.  She will cover a variety of topics: life cycles, moon phases, gravity, the reason for season, and much, much more.  It's just one more way for Mosaic kids to review or learn new science concepts.

Hike for Hunger - Huge Success!

Not only did we have the weather cooperate for a beautiful hike, but we raised around $1,250.00 to feed hungry children in Vermont!  Thanks for all your help!

Morning Explore

Morning Explore....what is it?  Why don't you just teach when the kids arrive?  The thing I find most essential about explore is: Choice. It's the time of the day where kids can choose: to play a game, read alone, read with a friend, do some art, use the computer, or get help with homework.  It's very empowering for kids to choose what they think is important, or what they think they may need, in their day.  Watch the video and see my class engaging in Morning Explore.

Welcome to the 2012-2013 School Year!  We are off to a great start and I am thrilled to have basically the same class in fourth grade. We have added a wonderful new student named Cole Paquette and we are soon to have a girl named Kayla join us.