Study for Spelling: Greek and Latin Roots

You can try Quizlet to help you study for spelling. Here is a link to vocabulary flashcards. Let me know what you think!
 

Maps are Models!

This week we'll be learning about how maps are models. We'll also look at how people represent the same places differently on maps.

You can learn more about maps by exploring these games from National Geographic. (Click on the LINKS in purple, not on the pictures, to get to the site.)

Adventure Island (easy): You can help the tour guide to lead people around Adventure Island with this game.

Explore a Pyramid: In this game, you can explore an Egyptian pyramid with a robot. Follow the map and the clues to find the hidden chamber!







Find the Sunken Treasure: Use special high tech tools and a grid map to find a sunken treasure.

Welcome to a new school year!

This is an exciting time of year to be a teacher. The new school supplies have arrived--piles of pencils, paper, and folders just waiting for your good ideas. I am unpacking all of my favorite books and materials. I am learning the names of the new fourth graders by typing labels and making class lists. Soon, the new school year will begin!

I am always interested in learning and love to find out about new things. On this blog, you'll find links that go along with what we are learning in school, as well as links to other interesting sites that you might enjoy.

Reading

We'll begin our school year by learning about story elements. You can review story elements by visiting this website to see how the elements of a story work together.

Math
Get ready for fourth grade math! You can practice basic facts at this site, "That's a Fact". You can practice each operation on its own, or mixed operations for more of a challenge.

Social Studies
Our first social studies unit will be about maps. We'll look at all of the different ways that people use maps. One of our activities will be hurricane tracking. You can visit this site to find out the latest information about hurricanes.

You may also enjoy looking at all of the resources available on this National Geographic map site for kids.

Science
The big science news of this week? The landing of the Mars Rover Curiosity! You can find out all about Curiosity, as well as check out an interactive 3D rover, at this NASA website.

Our first unit will be about scientific inquiry. If you want to try out an easy experiment at home, try "Tie-Dyed Milk" at Cool Science. Of course, be sure that your parents have given you permission! (We'll do a version of this activity once school begins, as well.)

Your comments needed
If you have visited any of the links or enjoyed reading the blog, please be sure to leave a comment. You may leave an anonymous comment or leave your first name only. All comments to this blog are moderated--that means that I check them before they are posted. :) 

Mrs. Kissner

Happy Summer!

Hello! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer. I miss the classroom and I'm dreaming up new things for next year. Remember to stop by and visit me on the way down the hall as you go to fifth grade.

Ocean Games: Whether you're planning a trip to the beach or you're just dreaming of going, you can visit this PBS site for some fun interactive ocean games.

Ocean Creatures: Visit NOAA's Ark (NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to see galleries of creatures who live in or near water.

Aidan recommends: Aidan has been watching lots of Wild Kratts on PBS this summer! His favorite game is this Kickboxing Kangaroo game from their website. (Hmm...I never knew that this was a natural behavior of kangaroos! You can learn more facts about kangaroos as you play the game.)

WebRanger: Are you planning to visit a National Park this summer? Even if you don't go to a park in person, you can learn about our national parks by becoming a WebRanger online.

Finally...here is a picture from one of my adventures this summer! This pipevine swallowtail was fluttering around the creek as we were walking at Nixon Park, a free park near York. I had to jump through the creek to get a picture! We've also been to Pine Grove Furnace, Caledonia, and Nawakwa. What places have you visited this summer?

**To the student who left an anonymous comment that you didn't want me to post: I hope that you are having a wonderful summer! I will miss having you (and your great sense of humor) in class this year.

Roads to Freedom Activity

Looking for a fun summer activity? Try the "Roads to Freedom" challenge.

1. Pick up a Roads to Freedom booklet at any library in Adams County.

2. Follow the written clues to find the fifteen artifacts hidden around Adams County. At each location, you'll be able to make a rubbing of a picture or text to show that you have been there.

Sound like fun? Learn more at the Adams County Library System's blog post.

Summer Reading

I hope that your summer is going well! If you haven't signed up for summer reading yet, make sure that you visit this website to do so. It's easy and fun. And, while you're signing up, check out some of the fun programs at the libraries. You can find the events schedule here.

Summer Adventures

Summer is here and it's time for adventures. I love to travel to all of the free, fun places in our area. Then I take pictures to use in lessons and Powerpoints all year long! Here are some of my favorite spots. Share this with your parents to see if you can visit some of these places, too!

Nixon Park

A view of the nature center at Nixon Park.

This is about 1.5 hours away. I grew up near this park, and every summer I like to visit to go to the nature center, explore the creek, and hike on the trails. Be sure to check the calendar for Reptile Week events held in the first week of July.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park
What's summer without a trip to Fuller Lake? My favorite part of Pine Grove Furnace is walking to the little canal area behind the Furnace Stack Day Use area and checking out the turtles. We can always see one or two basking in the sun. It's also neat to visit the new Appalachian Trail Museum. Can you imagine hiking the Appalachian Trail all the way from  Maine to Georgia?

Kings Gap State Park

Kings Gap is the absolute best place to see frogs! The park has many programs throughout the summer. But we like to stop by the garden at the top of the mountain and look for frogs in the small pond. There are also skinks (a kind of lizard), snakes, and many different kinds of birds. Almost all of my frog pictures come from Kings Gap.

By the way, this is where we happened to see a garter snake eating a frog on Mothers Day.

What summer adventures are you looking forward to ? Feel free to post a comment!