Touching Space

Our class did something out of this world—literally! Dr. Stifler let us borrow something truly extraordinary, pieces of the Moon and Mars from the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. We couldn’t believe it—real rocks from outer space, right here in our hands! First, we learned how these incredible pieces made their way to Earth. Meteorites, which are rocks from space, travel through the atmosphere and land on our planet. The ones we held were fragments of larger meteorites that scientists know came from the Moon and Mars because of their unique composition. It felt amazing to touch something billions of years old!

It was hard to believe that these tiny pieces of rock could tell us so much about the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We all agreed that it was one of the coolest days ever. Thank you Dr. Stifler for sharing these treasures with us and letting us experience a little piece of space! Who knows—maybe one day, one of us will discover a new meteorite, or even walk on the Moon or Mars ourselves. 🌕🚀🌌

🦃November Read Alouds

One is a Feast For Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox read aloud by Miss Klipfel's Homeroom

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. Read aloud by Mrs. Weeks' Homeroom

Disney Day

On Monday, Howe-Manning 4th graders got to experience one magical day! In honor of Mickey Mouse's 96th birthday, we all headed to Disney (Disney Middleton that is). Students traveled around Disney's magical lands, meeting different characters and reviewing skills across the subject areas. Check out our Disney Map and click on each land to see what we were up to.

We started our day in Frontierland to practice our geography skills. For Mickey's birthday, Minnie Mouse planned a spectacular trip around the Northeast Region of the United States. Students used iPads to scan QR codes which led them to letters from Minnie and clues about where she was taking Mickey on their trip.

We headed off to Fantasyland for reading (after a quick spin on the teacups). We practiced the different parts of speech with a digital hunt.

In the afternoon we headed to Adventureland (aka Math) with Mrs. Weeks, we had so much fun spending $200 to buy Mickey's birthday presents. We had to round, add, and even multiply to get as close to spending all $200 as we could. We also visited Tomorrowland and Toontown for more Disney fun! 

Until tomorrow 4th graders, we might not be at Disney but it is sure to be magical.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

-Walt Disney

Lowell Mills

Written by guest bloggers: Noah & McKenzie

Last week, our class stepped back in time and visited the Lowell Mills. We’ve been learning about the Industrial Revolution, and we were so excited to see what life was really like for the mill girls. What we didn’t expect was how hard it was to be one! When we first arrived, we were greeted by our tour guide, who told us about the history of the mills. It was like stepping into a history book! In the middle of the learning we saw an OWL (which was very cool!)

After that, we went to explore a house the mill girls would live in. Fun fact: the mill girls got to stay in a very nice house, but they would have to pay to live in it. From here we headed into the loom rooms. The sound of the looms was so loud that we could barely hear each other. It made us think about how noisy it must have been for the workers who spent 12-14 hours there every day.

Then came the part we were most excited about weaving! Each of us got a chance to sit at a loom and try weaving fabric, just like the mill girls. It looked easy at first, but we quickly learned it takes a lot of patience and skill.

When we got back to school, we all agreed on one thing: we’re glad to live in a time when kids get to learn and play, not work in factories. But we also have a lot of respect for the mill girls who worked so hard to help their families and pave the way for workers’ rights.

Thank you, Lowell Mills, for teaching us so much, and thank you to the PTO for giving us a day we’ll never forget!