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!

Spy Day

4th graders arrived at school Thursday to discover some shocking news...Mango was missing! We met at headquarters to get our briefing from Agent Bryson and get caught up to speed. Check the video out here:

Quickly, 4th graders were transformed into spies and ready to use their fictional story element knowledge, mathematical skills, and problem-solving strategies in order to gather clues and uncover the secret information.

We started by opening our top-secret mission file which had our first clue, spy notebook, invisible pen, and helpful disguise.

Spies discovered the QR code took them to the spy lab where they hunted for hidden clues. There were codes to crack, puzzle pieces to put together, hidden magnifying glasses to use, and mystery high-tech pictures. Check it out:

    

Head to the full spy lab and give it a try yourself here. 

Correctly solving the different clues and discovering the mystery words granted agents access to the confidential information. Secret agents safely rescued our beloved Mango. Just another day in the life of a 4th-grade spy.

Case closed!

England Friends

Written by Guest Bloggers: Addison G & Daniel S.

In Miss Klipfel's fourth grade class, we have partners in England. We call them our JDO partners. We each have one or two partners and we do projects on Google Meets with them. For example, we are using the book Make Way For Ducklings to work together and make our own book together.

When we first met we shared a slideshow to talk about our school and the town where we live close to. We learned they have a school dog named Sassy like we have Howie! We also played a spinner game to meet our partner and answer questions together about places in England and places here.

We also get to write to our partners to learn more about each other and learn about things we want to know about them. For example, my partner likes the sport netball. I didn't know what that was so I wrote back asking them to explain. It's just cool to learn about somewhere else in the world and what they do and how it's different than what we do. We also learned that lots of things are the same too. We love meeting with our partners in England and can't wait to share our first projects soon.

Klipazon

We know you have heard of Amazon, but have you heard about Klipazon?! Let us tell you all about it... We earn real cash in Miss Klipfel’s classroom. Wait did I say real cash? I meant Klipfel cash! You earn it when you are good, follow directions, do your best work, or when our class fills the whole brownie pan. You never know when you will earn some cash.

Once we have enough money, you head to Klipazon to spend it. Klipazon is exactly like Amazon but you can buy all kinds of things for the classroom. You can buy the fuzzy chair for a day. You can buy Flappy Dragon which is a game like Flappy Bird. You can change your name for a day. You can even buy no shoes for a day.

So far, Flappy Dragon is the BEST seller. We hope you check Klipazon out! We LOVE Klipazon and we think you will too! Happy shopping!

Written by Guest Bloggers and Klipazon Customers: Brynlee & Nathan

Reader's Workshop

Reader's Workshop is well underway in 4th grade. We have been practicing REAL reading (no fake reading here) with STAMINA. We've been enjoying read alouds together, and practicing our reading strategies. Let's just say, I am one impressed and proud teacher! Not to mention there are tons of comfy spots to stick our noses in our books. 

We kicked off our first genre study on fiction with a delectable book tasting. Reservations were made and Klipfel Cafe was packed.

Students were exposed to a wide range of fiction texts. They whet their appetites with historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, and even mystery books. I loved hearing students hunt for these books in our classroom library, school library, and even Flint Public Library.

Wait, did I mention our noses in books? We are well on our way with our love of reading!

Room 216

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of excited smiling faces tomorrow. I can't wait to hear about your summer adventures and look forward to many shared stories this school year. Klipfel & Kids is your one-stop spot in virtual room 216. Take our hand and let us take you on a tour of our classroom...

We can't thank those of you who purchased items from our wishlist enough! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We are truly and greatly appreciative of your willingness to help turn room 216 into a home. Our classroom couldn't look this amazing without you. Make sure to check back soon and see our adventures. We also love to receive comments on our blog throughout the school year!