Thanksgiving Readers Theater

Today we did a two theaters for our kindergarten buddies. We read Turkey Trouble and T'was the Night Before Thanksgiving. Pictured here are the animal characters from Turkey Trouble - Izzy, Jaykeb, Justin, Troy, and Joe.

Stone Soup Performance

Great job Room 202 on your Stone Soup musical!!!

Upcoming Events

October 4th - Room 202 performs Stone Soup 2:30

October 6th - Walk at School Day
We will be walking at the track for Walk at School Day. Please have your child wear their sneakers.

October 7th - No School

October 20th - Open House

Skeleton Book Report

Last week I assigned the students in my Reading class a skeleton book report. The students have chosen the books they would like to read for their book report. After reading their books, they will fill in the required information on their skeleton template. The parts of the skeleton will be assembled with string or yarn. The book reports are due October 20th. Please talk to your child about the book they are reading, and encourage them to be working on their report. This is an important reading project that should not be put off until the last minute. I look forward to reading their skeleton book reports.

Back to School Night

Fourth grade teachers are hosting a Back to School Night for parents on Thursday, September 8th at 6:30. I hope you can attend to learn all about the happenings in fourth grade this year.

PA Trivia Contest

Each year 4th grade does a Pennsylvania Trivia Contest. Our trivia contest is similar to a spelling bee. Today the students received a list of Pennsylvania trivia questions. On May 13th we will hold a classroom competition to narrow it down to the top 10 students in Room 202. On May 26th those students will compete against students from the other 4th grade classrooms. Please encourage your child to spend a little time each day studying the questions.

Animal Reports

Just a reminder that animal reports are due Tuesday, May 3rd. The books seem to be coming along nicely, and I am very excited to see the final results.

Turn Off TV Week

Just a reminder that Keystone is celebrating TV Turnoff Week from April 11 to April 17. I encourage you to have your child participate. Now that the weather is finally getting a bit more spring-like, please encourage your child to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Remember that board games are great for rainy days. A favorite that I like to play with my children is Skip-bo. My students love to play Apples to Apples when we have inside recess. Please have your child return the form that was sent home. One winner will be selected per grade level.

Animal Reports

The students are off to a great start with their animal research. We have finished up the research, and now students are working on their rough drafts. The rough drafts are due on Friday, April 15th. Today, I handed out the blank books that students will use to publish their report. The final project is due on May 3rd. I am very anxious to see the final product. The students have really been doing a great job with their research.

Sandwich Book Reports

On Monday, I assigned students a sandwich book report. The students chose their books and have been reading them through out the week. I gave them a packet of directions and sandwich pieces to complete their book report. Book reports are due on January 26. I encourage you to have your child tell you about the book they are reading. You might even want to read a couple of chapters together. Happy reading!

Red Ribbon Week Theme Days

Monday - Rally in Red...Don't be Silly...Don't Use Drugs Day!
Wear red, silly bands, and silly socks

Tuesday - Drugs Will Mix You Up Day!
Wear mismatched clothes and shoes

Wednesday - Shade Out Drugs Day!
Wear hats and sunglasses

Thursday - Drugs Will Make You Crazy!
Wear crazy hair

Friday - Team Up Against Drugs Day!
Wear a team shirt or jersey

Walk at School Day

Walk at School Day has been rescheduled for Friday, October 8th. We will head over to the track after announcements to walk some laps. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.

September News

We are off to a great start in Room 202. We are wrapping up our map skills unit and our test will be on Tuesday, September 21. Please encourage your child to study their study guide. Today we played a game using longitude and latitude. The students were trying to rescue castaways on deserted islands using longitude and latitude coordinates. I hope to post some pictures soon.

Tomorrow we will have a Constitution Day assembly around the flag pole. On September 23rd, we will have a kick-off assembly for our Olweus Bullying Program. September 30th is picture day.

Your child should have already brought the food fundraiser information. This is the CATS organization's big fund raiser. CATS does many things to help our students. They fund a large part of the transportation costs for our field trips. Hopefully, everyone can participate in this fundraiser to support CATS.

Back to School Night

Fourth grade will hold a back to school night on Tuesday, September 7th at 7:00. I will be discussing with parents what to expect this year in fourth grade. Hope to see you on the 7th!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great summer. We had a great first day yesterday, and I am very excited about this school year. Yesterday, we shared the boxes the students made. I really learned a lot about the students from their boxes. This year we will be doing kindergarten buddies with Mrs. Campbell's class. Yesterday, we helped our buddies find their bus to go home.

PA Trivia Blog Challenge

Here are today's PA trivia questions:

1. When was the PA turnpike completed?

2. Where is Penn State University located?

3. What is the Penn State University mascot?

4. How many members are in the PA House of Representatives?

5. Who was the only civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg?

Remember to email me your answers: vcotton@keyknox.com

PA Trivia Blog Challenge

Just a reminder that our classroom competition for the PA Trivia Contest will be this Friday. We will be narrowing it down to the top 10 students from our classroom that will compete in the 4th grade competition on June 1st.

I please ask that you take a little time each day to help your child study these questions. This is a great activity to exercise the brain and work on plain old memorization.

PA Trivia Blog Challenge
I am going to post a few questions each day to challenge everyone. Please e-mail me your answers at vcotton@keyknox.com . I will keep a running tally of each participant's correct answers. Parents and students can work on the questions together and e-mail me your answers.

Here are today's questions:

1. What river in Pennsylvania flows north?

2. Where did Little League baseball begin?

3. What was William Penn's religion?

4. What is the largest county in Pennsylvania?

5. What product does Pennsylvania "tap"?

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's questions and for new questions. Let's see who will be the winner of Mrs. Cotton's PA Trivia Blog Challenge.

Pennsylvania Trivia Contest

Fourth grade has a Pennsylvania trivia contest each year which is similar to a spelling bee. Instead of spelling words, students will answer questions about Pennsylvania. Yesterday, the students got a packet of Pennsylvania trivia questions to study. On Friday, May 21st, we will have our classroom competition. The top 10 from our class, will go on to the fourth grade competition which will be held on June 1st. Study those PA trivia facts!

Animal Research Report

We have been working very hard on our animal research reports. The students' books will be due on Friday, May 7th. Several students have already turned in their books, and I am very anxious to start reading them. I have learned some very interesting information while helping the students with their research. One of the things that surprised me the most is that bald eagles are able to swim. Krista is researching the bald eagle and she found that if a bald eagle catches a fish that is too heavy to fly with, the eagle will swim to shore with the fish. The students have enjoyed researching their animal and have learned a lot of interesting information.

Field Trip

Just a reminder that our field trip is on Thursday, May 6th. Your child needs to be to school at 7:20. You can either bring them to school or they can ride the high school bus. They need to be sure to bring a lunch and a plastic container to dig in the sand with. They will also need a change of clothes because they will be wading in the stream for a stream activity. Please try to send an extra pair of shoes to wade in the stream with because it is hard to walk on the slippery rocks in bare feet. Please be sure your child dresses for the weather of the day. Now we just have to hope for a warm, sunny day.