Klipper Bowl VIII

Are you ready for some fffooooootball? 4th graders were geared up and ready to go for the seventh annual Klipper Bowl. Teams were introduced while blasting their team chosen song, then we completed warm-up stretches, huddled up for last minute strategies, and then stood for the national anthem. Next up was our coin toss for kickoff return placement. Lucky teams who guessed the coin toss correctly had a 20-yard kickoff return while others started on the 10-yard line. Using perseverance and grit, teams quickly caught up.

Teams then ran "plays" from their playbook to gain yardage on the field. "Plays" included using different forms of texts (articles, media, poems, etc.) and completing activities. Players learned about who invented football and completed a comprehension activity worth 50 yards. Teams could choose to run a play and apply all their figurative language knowledge to create football similes, metaphors, alliterations, personifications, and onomatopoeias for 30 yards.

The plays worth the most yards involved correctly placing team logos for all the Southeast region teams (yes, we have been learning all about the Southeast in Social Studies). Other plays included reading a passage about Tom Brady, learning about the history of the Super Bowl, placing fraction footballs on the correct place on the field, and reading a football poem to determine the mood and purpose all for different amounts of yards.

Once teams correctly completed a play, they brought it to Referee Klipfel for the final check and to advance on the field. After gaining enough yardage to make it down the field, teams scored a touchdown! Complete with touchdown dances! Teams then got to throw for point conversions. Team cooperation and good sportsmanship earned extra yards or kicks for points at ANY time throughout the game. "Good job", "keep working hard", and other forms of encouragement were heard around the field all day. No yellow flags needed to be thrown.

Referee Klipfel and teams had one SUPER day! Klipper Bowl VIII is complete so now onto baseball season.

Boiling River 360

Written by Guest Bloggers: Brynn and Calvin

Miss Klipfel’s class went on another unforgettable expedition, into the Peruvian Amazon! We didn’t pack our bags or hop on a plane, but once we put on our VR headsets, it felt like we were really there. Our destination was the Boiling River, also known as Shanay-Timpishka, one of the most incredible natural wonders on Earth.

One amazing fact we learned right away is that the Boiling River is naturally heated, not by volcanoes or lava, but by geothermal energy beneath the Earth’s surface. Using VR, we explored different parts of the river, including Mayantuyacu, the hottest section. The water there could cook you alive. It can be dangerous for animals and people if they aren’t careful. We also visited Salt Creek, another steamy spot where the heat rises right out of the river.

Another stop on our VR journey was the Shanay-Timpishka Ecolodge, where scientists and researchers gather to study the plants, animals, and ecosystem around the Boiling River. We learned how explorers and scientists work together to protect fragile environments like the Amazon and why conservation is so important. Check out the website Miss Klipfel made here📎 with all our activities on it. 

As part of our expedition, we also learned about the Explorers Club Flag, which has an incredible history. The flag has traveled the world on important scientific expeditions since 1944, starting with its first journey to the Alaskan coastline with Otto Geist. It has been to the top of the tallest mountains, the deepest parts of the ocean, and everywhere in between, including to the Boiling River with Miss Klipfel!

By the end of our expedition, we felt like real explorers, curious, thoughtful, and inspired by the world around us. The VR made it feel like we were standing right next to the river, surrounded by the rainforest, learning from the past while thinking about how we can protect the future.

Disney Day

In honor of Mickey Mouse's 97th birthday, Howe-Manning 4th graders got to experience one magical day! 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