Students in fourth grade Are studying the life cycles of animals.  In Burlington, we are fortunate to be able to enrich this classroom learning with the hands on experience of having an incubator of chick eggs in each classroom.  It is only one of the countless ways the Science Center supports our learning.  This week, we were able to watch a chick hatch live on our Touch It board!  Here is the video of Chick hatching for you to enjoy.

Fox Hill will be having an assembly on Friday that focuses on the concept of being the "One," based on a book that we have read in class for the past few years.  We have talked many times about what this means and looks like.  On Friday, we will be presenting our take on this idea to our schoolmates by singing a song to the tune of the popular song, "What Does the Fox Say?"  Below are the lyrics in case kids would like to practice at home!

What Does the Fox Say?

When we see

Someone alone

we invite him

to sing our song.

At recess

if we fight

we work out a compromise.

Kids say “hi”

and lend a hand

when a friend says “ow, ow, ow”

But there’s one sound

that we all know

What does the fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

We say no

to bullies

and stand up

for each other.

In person

and online

we are careful to be kind.

To be the one

is sometimes hard.

Being a hero always is.

But if you need

a friendly voice

you can count on me

of Cour -or-or-or -orse, of cour-or-or-or-orse.

And I can count on you

of cour-or-or-or-orse.

What does the fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

What does the Fox say?

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

Be the one Be the one, Be Be Be the one  

 

Movie Makers In the Making

 

     During our class's Intervention/Extension block there are several options.  Some students receive help in content areas, some students meet with me to go over math or writing, and some students read independently.  Each month or so, I introduce optional projects in math and writing to extend their classroom learning during this block of time.  Last month, to coincide with our lessons on story structure and writing fiction stories, students had an opportunity to write scripts.

    This was a long process for students.  They first needed to plan the script with a very clear problem, series of events, and a solution.  Next, they wrote a rough draft of their script complete with stage directions and props.  I conferred with authors and gave suggestions where needed  Once approved, students were finally allowed to produce their script using IMovie on their ipads.  Only three groups of students made it through the entire process.  Below are their final products. 

    We have viewed these as a class and continue to learn about how to hold the ipad so that the screen stays steady and oriented, how editing affects the storyline, and how what seems like a lot of written material does not translate into a long movie.  My hope is that this process has made students more appreciative of the movies they see and more motivated to write, direct, and produce.  Enjoy!