Our 2019-2020 school year has come and gone…and what an interesting school year it was! I'm going to leave this last post short and sweet, as I've included the rather lengthy end-of-the-year slide show below. But like I said on the last day, and during our last small group meetings, I'm a firm believer that the strongest bonds are formed when you go through tough times together. So to this year's fourth grade crew: consider us bonded.

The last few weeks have been a hazy blur of Zoom calls and end-of-the-year to dos! Our last few weeks centered around our zoo debate: Are zoos primarily harmful or primarily helpful for animals? After reading the book The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, kids began exploring the pros and cons of zoos, and we even had a guest speaker from Zoo New England answer some questions posed by students! This all served as preparation for the big debate on Monday. Debates are not only a really great way for kids to practice gathering evidence in support of a claim, but they also open students' minds to different viewpoints and help teach them how to be a good speaker, as well as a good listener. During our small group meetings last week, we learned about debate fallacies (debater don'ts) by taking part in some pretty amusing skits. The kids added to their research, crafted potential opening statements for their teams, and looked over our debate protocol. This all led us to the main event, when Judge Hanly (aka my favorite human ever: my dad) made a virtual appearance on our Zoom call to hear from both sides of the issue and declare a winner. Each side had a shared document for notes following a brief “team meeting” last week. They were given just a few minutes in breakout rooms to gather together and “prep” for the different stages of the debate, which consisted of their opening statements, main arguments, rebuttals, and closing remarks. Students were given sentence starters for each stage that they could use to help them present their research.

The fact that we did our debate virtually definitely posed some challenges, and it was understandably a bit nerve wracking for kids. But as the debate went on, I feel like everyone became more comfortable, and by the end, I even had to cut kids off! Not only that, but I was soooo proud that everyone showed up, stayed on for almost a full hour, and respectfully listened to each other. In terms of who "won" the debate, I’m very torn about whether or not to even declare a "winner". But the aspect of competition is motivating for some kids, and when it comes down to it, being able to humbly win and gracefully lose is a reality that is good to get used to! So, Judge Hanly has reached a verdict…which will be announced during our last Zoom call on Friday morning!

The photos included in this post are an assortment of pictures I’ve gathered over the past few weeks. From driveby sightings of students to various virtual meetings, it’s quite a collection of pictures! Hmm….perhaps these photos should be put together in the form of some sort of slideshow or something…? STAY TUNED! ;)  

  

 

 

I decided to let the kids write the blog this week. Here are just some excerpts of student entries related to what's been going on in fourth grade….

You might think that remote learning means that the teacher and the students lose contact. You might think the kids turn into zombies and are impossible to get motivated. In some classes, this might be true, but not in this class. Kids are staying in touch with their teachers by having energizing Zoom meetings which almost everyone in our classroom attends. All the activities and worksheets we do are fun and easily accessible from a computer or Ipad. Also, to add to this long list of the wonderful things our teachers are doing, Miss Hanly and Mrs. O'Keefe do “Office Hours” where they make themselves available for questions and more. -Annabelle
Recently, we’ve been doing weekly meetings on every Friday to just have fun and see each other. We don’t discuss school really, we really just play games such as these riddles that are about a specific item that we have to go and obtain. We also did word games, like there's a category and we say words that fit the category for 45 seconds, and the last word said in the chat wins. And last Friday, we did a madlib that was about school and teachers. It was ridiculous!! And the most simple thing we’ve done is “Would you rather?” which is self explanatory. Oh, and by the way it is all optional. But, most choose to come since Ms. Hanly and Mrs. O'Keefe were rather clever and came up with (or were inspired by) these ideas. -Julie

During this lock down we have been reading the book “The one and only Ivan” and it is a really great book. Who knew a book narrated by a gorilla who never leaves his domain could be so good?? -Mac
The One and Only Ivan is based on a gorilla who loves to draw, be with friends, and tell stories. Ivan is a silverback gorilla, who lives in a cage in the big top mall. This is a very interesting book because he makes his own art and eats snacks all day long, like my dad. -Cash
I also think that Ivan is funny because he tries to eat everything including finger paint. Since Julia gave him the finger paint I think she cares for Ivan. Also because she introduced him to painting and drawing to keep himself entertained in his domain. -Dylan
Ivan is super smart and humans don't even realize how smart he is.  I love how inquisitive Ruby is and how she's making Ivan use his brains. The communication and relationship between the animals is really cool and makes you wonder if they can really do that? -Aliyah
The One and Only Ivan is an awesome book filled with interesting characters and lots of description. It makes you dig a little deeper into it because a lot of the meaning of things people say or think are not right there in the text. Ivan is a lovable gorilla with a big heart and you can’t help but root for him. It’s been really fun to read this book and I am always so excited to read more. -Eva

I'm going to talk about the daily writing journal. I have seen so many different types of prompts these past few weeks, my favorite one is the one where we have to say if we met an alien what would we say to them. -Juliet
The daily journal is an assignment where you answer a prompt each day. The great part about it is if you don't want to do the prompt you can make up your own. You just have to type. My favorite prompts have pictures. I really liked the one with the cat looking in a mirror. You had to type what the cat was thinking. I wrote "Who is this? What is this tomfoolery? Do I know this cat because he looks very handsome. I wonder what he’s thinking." I liked this prompt because I thought it was laughable and I had fun writing it. I don't like some of the prompts, but I still power through them. The moral of the story is basically don't give up! -Logan B

I should let them write the blog more often!!! Our Bucket Fillers last week were Donovan and Ziyad. Donovan is an absolute gem. Mrs. O'Keefe has been impressed with the effort he's been putting into math, and I've been impressed with his consistent positivity and flexibility. He's one of those go-with-the-flow kids with a "cool, calm, and collected" nature that makes him enjoyable to be around—even if it's just being around him on a virtual level! Ziyad joined our small group meeting last week for the first time in a little while, and seeing his face through the screen made me soooo happy. (Check out the picture of the sign he made me :)) I miss his enthusiastic, funny self, and it's been so nice reading some of the work he's been doing lately. Congrats, boys!

I'm a bit behind on these weekly posts, and I blame the class book! After much formatting and compiling and formatting and compiling (and more formatting and compiling), the pages have officially been sent in to be published to Studentreasures Publishing. I used the same publishing company last year to create books with students, and they turned out truly amazing. Not only is doing a class book a neat way for the kids to celebrate their writing and see their work printed and bound like true authors, this year these books will serve as our very own time capsule to capture this unusual time in history. The kids took on the role of student historians documenting this time through their choice of writing prompts, images, and hand-picked precepts. It has been a confusing, frustrating, unsettling time for everyone—especially kids! But I felt that writing about their experience was a healthy way to manage these feelings and stay connected with one another. And every single student completed the assignment…which is honestly a victory in itself!! We based our cover on the "I Survived" historical fiction series written by Lauren Tarshis. I included a picture of it to the right.

We've had a bunch of Bucket Fillers since I last posted: Mac, Eva, Will, and Samar. All four of them have done a nice job keeping up with our assignments and staying engaged on Google Classroom. I've come to really enjoy reading Mac's daily journal writings. Some of his entries make me laugh, others show awesome writing skills, and others are just plain clever. Eva's writings have also blown me away. She uses such vivid vocabulary and description, and she's a truly gifted writer. Will is like Mr. Dependable. We can always count on him to complete the daily tasks without complaint, and when a post asks for a comment in response, you're sure to find Will's name next to a timely comment. Samar's the same way. It's clear that she puts consistent time and effort into all of the assignments, and that has really stood out to us teachers. Bravo, all four of you!

It was so wonderful getting to spend time with kids in smaller groups this week--and by "spend time", I mean virtually, of course! I actually got to virtually see some kids THREE times this week, which was a nice treat. That's because, in addition to the small group meetings, we had an optional whole grade call on Friday morning right before Mrs. O'Keefe's Quizizz (which I participated in...and probably shouldn't have actually tried in a competition amongst 4th graders...sorry guys!). I was especially excited for Friday's call because I couldn't wait to "premiere" the staff video to our students. I really enjoy making slideshows, so when the idea of doing one for the students at the Kennedy was brought up to staff, I didn't mind taking on the project. But I made sure to let folks know that the video wouldn't be ready until Friday morning, which allowed me to send the finished product out to everyone at exactly 9:57am, just three minutes before our 4th grade meeting, making these guys among its initial viewers. Mwhahaha...

Another exciting virtual call this week went down on Thursday, when we had a reunion of sorts. Who was involved in this reunion, you ask? The Kennedy's former third grade teacher Ms. Labaire and her former students! It was so cute to see them get so animated talking about all their favorite memories from third grade. Perhaps the best part was when Ms. Labaire shared some important "life" news: she's engaged to be married! The kids' elated squeals, giant grins, and supportive words of congratulations made it a really precious moment, and I was grateful to be a part of it. 

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Aliyah and Jack. Just seeing Aliyah on my computer screen brings a smile to my face--even though half the time I need to remind her to adjust her screen because I can only see her eyes! I love hearing her talk about the reading she's been doing at home and all the quality bonding time she's been having with her sister. She worked really hard on the assignments this week, and I'm so proud of her. Speaking of quality bonding time, Jack and I had some of our own this week. On Monday I started "office hours", which means between 11-12 each weekday I'm available for students through a Google Meet link. I told them they can click on that link at any time during that hour--if they're having trouble with something, have a question, or just want to say hi--and there I'll be. Well, Jack briefly popped in almost every day to simply chat, and it was awesome. He is just so darn funny. I miss interacting with kids on a more personal level, so it was really nice getting to "spend time" with Jack on a few different occasions this week!

Let's all take a minute to enjoy the adorableness that is this photo of my niece and nephews, shall we?? While it stinks I couldn't physically be with them yesterday to celebrate Easter, getting sent this photo was an absolute GIFT, and I hope you all were able to have your own bright moments this past weekend. 

This upcoming week, I'm looking forward to kicking off weekly small group virtual meetings. It'll be nice to get the chance to check in with kids in a smaller group format, as opposed to the class-size ones we've had so far. Parents/guardians will receive an email with that meeting schedule (which will start on Tuesday!), and I will post it on Google Classroom Tuesday morning. In addition, starting this week, I will be available from 11-12 for "office hours". That means that if you have a question about something I've posted or if you're stuck on an assignment I've asked you to do, you can click the Google Meet link at the top of our Google Classroom page at any point between 11 and 12, and voila!--I'll be there to assist you. 

Last week's Bucket Filler was Maggie, and don't worry Maggie, your prize is on its way...This week, we have two Bucket Fillers: Annabelle and Logan G. Annabelle stood out this week because of her awesome 'Make Your Own Map' project. It was so cool to see the amazing effort and originality that she put into this assignment, and her approach to this project is a perfect example of how you can get creative with the work you're being asked to do. The work Logan has been doing has also stood out. Logan has put consistent time and effort into the daily tasks, and that's on top of other separate assignments that he's doing too. He is the OPPOSITE of lazy, and I miss seeing his smiling face everyday! Congrats, you two!!

Well...it's been a while. The last few weeks have been a combination of weird, frustrating, scary, and stressful, but also eye-opening. I don't know about you, but I'm realizing now that there's a lot I took for granted before all of this. Some examples? Getting to see my students in person! Getting to teach in person! Getting to be in my classroom with my students! It's been tough navigating this whole "learning from home" model, and I'm sure that feeling is shared by both students and families alike. I'm doing my best to keep things engaging and meaningful for kids, and I'm grateful for the students who have been putting time and effort into trying them. While I wish that could be all of my students--so that we can stay connected and keep some sense of school "normalcy"--I know that it's a difficult time for everyone. And at the end of the day, it's the health and safety of all of you that is of the utmost importance.

Now, on a lighter note, let's talk Wheel of Fortune. Yes, I mean the game show that's on every night at 7:00 on CBS. I watch it just about every day, and there are times when I'll take photos of an unsolved puzzle (one that relates to a topic we've discussed in class) and challenge my students to solve it. For example, check out this one I took during the national parks themed week. With our big focus on landmarks this year, it was perfect! The reason why I'm rambling on about Wheel of Fortune is because it's a game that centers around words. It sounds silly, but simply tuning into an episode here and there is a good way for kids to remain exposed to word parts and spelling. So, watch Wheel of Fortune!

Another recommendation that I've recently discovered is a channel on Youtube called "Yoga with Adriene". Although I've always liked the idea of yoga, I never really made it a priority for myself. Plus, I felt like I lacked the flexibility and patience needed for yoga. But these views have changed since stumbling upon a "30 Days of Yoga with Adriene" playlist a few weeks ago. She has a TON of different videos of all different lengths and focus areas. They are kid-friendly, easy to follow, and a really positive way of keeping both your brain and body healthy. Click here to check them out! Also, for those students who have an iPad or iPhone, there's an app related to the book Wonder that I just downloaded on my own phone. In class, we enjoyed exploring some of the daily precepts together. Well this app (just search "Daily Wonder" in the app store) has exactly that: a new precept each day, in addition to a little background information about some of the more well-known quotations. I included a photo of today's precept, which I found to be pretty fitting for all that's going on right now...

Now, for the moment the kids have been waiting for...Bucket Filler of the week! I've decided we need to kickstart that routine again. From now on, throughout the week, I'll put the names of students who have filled my bucket into a bowl. You can fill my bucket by regularly putting effort into the daily schoolwork, or turning in an especially impressive assignment, or doing something that stands out in some way. Then at the end of the week, I'll pull out a name. The prize for the Bucket Filler of the week is still undecided, but I have some ideas that we can talk about next time we have a whole class video meeting. Last week, there were several standout students whose name I could've pulled. But the Bucket Filler of the week was....(drumroll please)....Maggie! Maggie has shared several fabulous writings with me and she consistently responds to the Google Classroom posts. I included her Word Cloud to the right as an example of her hard work. AND she even took the time to write me a thoughtful note of gratitude expressing her enjoyment of the daily tasks. Maggie, you've been filling up my bucket a lot lately, so thank you and well done!

Considering I have about 50 photos to upload this week, we'll keep the written part of this entry short and sweet. We had a jam-packed week. We went on a field trip to the Longfellow House in Cambridge, we invited parents/guardians in on Friday morning to show them some of the hard work we've been doing in class recently, and we did an additional showcase later that day with the 2nd and 6th graders. Below, I've included a whole lot of photos of all of these exciting events.

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Abdul and Aliyah. Abdul epitomizes effort. He worked super hard on his poetry test last week and his poetry test revisions this week, resulting in one of his strongest assignments to date. He's also as sweet as can be, making sure he always says goodbye to me at the end of each day and continually expressing his gratitude for the little things we do. Aliyah's hard work on the poetry test also stood out to me. She's been using speech-to-text this year, and she's becoming a bit of a pro at it! And when she doesn't use the speech-to-text software, you should see her handwriting; the amount her handwriting has improved would knock anyone's socks off, especially since using this special paper we found that works wonders for her. I'm really proud of all of her progress this year...and did I mention she makes me laugh on a daily basis?? Congrats, Abdul and Aliyah!