Homework:
4th Grade Math: no homework (Cerrito is off to Fort Ross)
Fourth grade has been learning to use protractors to measure angles, as well as using angles on polygons to estimate and measure angles. 

5th Grade Math: no homework

Reading:  20 minutes

Book Group Optional:  Some students brought home their book club assignment for By the Great Horn Spoon.  They are reading chapters 2 & 3, and completing the job that has been assigned to them.  We will have time in class Weds and Friday to also attend to this assignment, which is due by Friday.  

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration

Today in Strawberry:  Today during Science we discussed the states of matter, and sorted and classified matter into the categories of solid, liquid and gas.  We learned about plasma and colloids as well, and even used a colloid (glue sticks) to attach a page in our science journal.  Along with discussion we read about the states of matter and watched short videos to reinforce the ideas.  Some videos are easily available from Scholastic, called Study Jams.  Here are links to the two Study Jams we have watched so far: States of Gases,  Scientific Methods.  We call them "cheesy" videos, but the content is good.  We also watched a Brainpop video about the states of matter that went into more depth.

 Math:  drawing and measuring angles with polygons and a protractor.

 Science:  placing matter into categories.

 Solid, liquid and gas Venn diagram.

Recording data and vocabulary into our science journals.

Reading job practice round - the students had a trial round for their jobs from 

chapter one of By the Great Horn Spoon (read in class on Monday).  Each job

assignment group collaborated to share.  There was the Summarizer, Passage Master, 

Illustrator and Discussion Leader groups.  Usually the students will meet in small groups

to share the four jobs.  Today was a group discussion.

Homework:
4th Grade Math: Option 1, Geometry Review,  Option 2, Making a Difference (due tomorrow)  We will also have time in class to complete the packet.
5th Grade Math:  1 page of packet
Capitalization:  Capitalization Practice #3
Reading:  20 minutes

Book Group Optional:  Some students brought home their book club assignment for By the Great Horn Spoon.  They are reading chapters 2 & 3, and completing a job that has been assigned.  We will have time in class Weds and Friday to also attend to this assignment, which is due by Friday.

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  
The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks! 

Science

Homework:
4th Grade Math: Option 1, Geometry Review,  Option 2, Making a Difference
5th Grade Math:  1 page of packet
Capitalization:  Capitalization Practice #3
Reading:  20 minutes

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  
The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks! 

Today in Strawberry: After snack we had a final capitalization lesson followed by an extended writing workshop focused on the character stories the students are composing.  After lunch we began our shared reading, By the Great Horn Spoon, by Sid Fleischman.  The book will be read as part of read aloud, as well as independently, and discussed in book groups.  This week students will begin to bring home their book group job assignments.

Following read aloud we began our next phase of science.  Today we put together our science journals, learned about the scientific method, and conducted an experiment to hone our observation and note taking skills, as well as questioning.  The students observed a glass of room temperature water versus a glass of ice water.  This lead to a discussion about condensation and how it occurs, for which several students shared their understanding of.  We also observed bubbles form in the glass of room temperature water, and are puzzling over why that occurs, but not so much in the ice water.  Our science focus for the next few months is chemistry, which we will continue with this week.  

 Capitalization!

 Move to the side if is should have caps!

 Observing a glass of ice water compared to a glass of room temperature water.

Okay, condensation seems obvious, but why do bubbles form inside a glass of water?

And, is condensation so easy to understand?

What is really going on?

Students are being encouraged to think about it and suggest ways examine these types of questions.

Accreditation News

Homework:
4th Grade Math: Quadrilaterals homework
5th Grade Math:  POW
Capitalization:  Capitalization worksheet.
Reading:  20 minutes

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  
The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks! 

Today in Strawberry:  During the Gold Rush simulation game the teams of students decided among a number of advertisements, which tickets to purchase to get to California from the Eastern U.S.  Some promised overland short cuts and others safety at sea.  The groups all made it to California eventually, but some encountered overland problems or disasters at sea.  Our theme for the activity is, "The Gold Rush was not fair."  This slogan may help our teams over troubles, but also resonates with the reality of what people experienced.
The students peer edited their Pioneers in California assignment for capitalization and for content.  We found that some answers varied but were still correct, leading to a discussion of why that would be.  Students continued writing their character stories.  This week they met with a partner to share their story so far, get some feedback in questions and compliments, and continue the writing process.


TBS NEWS

Accreditation Visits: Over the past year faculty and staff have been working through the accreditation process with the California Association of Independent Schools, and now we are preparing for the Visiting Committee coming to both campuses February 9-12. Learn more about our school and what we discovered at one of these events for adults:

Tuesday Schmoozeday, January 28, 8:30-9:30am, Labyrinth

OR

Wednesday, January 29, 6-7pm, Depot

And please attend the Visiting Committee Adult Reception Sunday, Feb. 9, 3:30-5pm. You can RSVP here.  The Visiting Committee is looking for community involvement in the accreditation. Let’s show our commitment to our school community!

You can read the TBS self-study introduction and Summary to get familiar with the content; for the truly brave (or those with time to kill), here’s the full self study.

Bear Flag Revolt and Gold Rush

Homework:
4th Grade Math:  No assignment today.
5th Grade Math:  POW
Cultural Studies:  Students need to complete the Pioneers in California assignment by Thursday:  chapter and questions.  Goals for this assignment are to write complete sentences (answers should read like informative facts), and check for capitals and punctuation!
Reading:  20 minutes

Field Trip: We still need drivers!   Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks!  

Today in Strawberry:  Our main event today was jumping through historical moments of the Bear Flag Revolt, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Mexico signs treaty to end war with U.S. giving territory to the U.S. in exchange for 15 million dollars and an end to the war), and the discovery of gold on the American River at Sutter's Mill.  The students are now part of "Gold Rush" teams that will cooperate with historical tasks in a game / simulation format.  During the "game" the students learn about the different people who flooded to California in search of gold, the conditions and treatment people endured, and other related information while learning note taking strategies and practicing non-fiction reading comprehension skills.

Homework
4th Grade Math:  Students have different assignments based on where they have gotten to in class.  Some students brought home the perimeter and area perimeter packet from last week (which needs to be completed), others have a different perimeter problem page, while a few others have chosen from work in progress.

Cultural Studies:  Students need to complete the Pioneers in California assignment by Thursday:  chapter and questions.  Goals for this assignment are to write complete sentences (answers should read like informative facts), and check for capitals and punctuation!

Reading:  20 minutes

Field Trip: We still need drivers!   Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks!  

Today in Strawberry:  Capitals, capitals, capitals . . .  We are focused on knowing when and where to use capital letters in our writing.  We also reviewed dialogue rules this morning.  The students are writing stories during writing workshop, and are expected to always follow the dialogue and capitalization rules.

Jose' Domingo Peralta paid one more visit today from 1842.  He wanted to show the and explain the system that Mexican citizens followed to get land grants in California approved by the Mexican government.  He showed an authentic map from the time period drawn to indicate what land area they wanted to claim.  Jose' also had copies of maps of the East Bay from 1842 showing the land divisions, Ohlone villages, streams and original shoreline.  Lake Merritt can be seen as the estuary it once was, and Alameda Island is just a shallow mudflat.  This led to reading about the pioneers from the United States in Mexican territory.

The Peralta Family

Today in Strawberry:  We had a visit today from a person of the past through the classroom time portal:  Jose' Domingo Peralta stopped by from 1850 to tell his family's tale of owning the rancho that became the land of Berkeley.  Jose's father, Don Luis Maria Peralta is well known throughout the Bay Area as the largest Californio land owner in the area.  After serving in the Spanish military until the Mexican revolution with Spain, Peralta was granted most of the land from San Jose' to about Albany to be used for ranching and agriculture.  Peralta eventually divided his land among his sons, Jose' being the one to manage the area we now call Berkeley.  He built his adobe house near what is today, St. Mary's High School along Codornices Creek.  After the Gold Rush of 1849 and the ensuing population explosion in the Bay Area, Jose' Peralta sold off most of his land, but remained in the area until his death in 1865.

Have a great 4 day weekend in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King jr.

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.  Please be sure to sign both sides of the form.  The second side is confusing, but follow the arrows.  Thanks!

Homework:

4th Grade Math:  Continue on in the perimeter and area packet (students have it as one packet, but it is divided in the links in 2 parts).  Students should complete about two pages (although they may do more).  Students who were finished with the packet took home a different assignment, either perimeter and multiplication problems, or multi-step word problems about perimeter and area.  The word problems do not need to be finished by tomorrow, as they are involved and may take some students more time.

Wordly Wise:  15 minutes.  Students set a goal today for a place to get to tonight.

Other news: 

Handwriting - We are revisiting cursive right now with the aid of a cursive writing book.  Our goal is to not only help students improve the quality of their cursive, it is also to ensure they can read it. The book chosen was selected for the informative paragraphs about real topics which will hopefully make the effort to practice cursive more interesting and educational.

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.

No Homework: MAP testing tomorrow

Today in Strawberry:  This morning the Math and Reading portions of the MAP test were administered to the kids.  Tomorrow is the Language section.   Testing went well, very few glitches with the computers thankfully.

We also finished reading Maniac Magee, our second chapter book as a class.   Maniac Magee is set in the late 1970s to 80s (hard to tell for sure) in an urban area with challenging race relations.  While the book is centered on an unusual boy with peculiar skills and issues, the social focus is on societal ignorance, stereotyping and eventually breaking down the barriers that separate people.  At the end of the day we also watched a short video mockumentary about plastics in the ocean, see the link below.

Field Trip:  Feb. 5, 8:30-3:30, Muir Beach & Redwood Creek habitat restoration permission slip & waiver.

Plastic bag movie:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

Assembly Success!

MAP testing tomorrow and Wednesday:  The testing will take place in the mornings. No homework other than reading is being assigned.

Today in Strawberry:

The Strawberry Students rocked this morning's assembly! There were three parts altogether:
1. Skit with puppets about the path of plastic trash into the ocean and the impact on marine life.
2.  Short movie starring Strawberry Scientists and a seagull dissection detailing the problem of plastic debris that appears edible to wildlife.
3. "Think before you speak," conversation.  Strawberry students shared about the comment, "that's so gay."  Before the break the students began plans to share about the negative impact of comments like this.  They wanted to share with the school at an assembly, and ended up working with Kate Klaire this past week on what to do and say.  The students wrote and rewrote their ideas to create a collaboration of perspectives.

Other interesting aspects to the assembly included a connection to the service work one of the middle school advisories is doing adopting another stretch of the shoreline.  The assembly concluded with the Empathy Song, led by four Strawberry students featuring solo performances (no photos but we have video).


Special Focus Today:  "How do I speak, and act with care, respect, and kindness towards myself and others."  This afternoon, Kate Klaire led activities with the Strawberry students about several topics including visits from other members of the staff.  This is part of an ongoing effort to involve the students in school wide conversations about teasing and bullying among other essential topics.  Today, there was also a focus on treatment or use of bathroom facilities at the school with office and maintenance staff presenting and holding a conversation with the kids.

Photos from the assembly:

 Scene from the skit:  "We don't need a trash can. The earth is our trash can!"

Skit scene: Strawberry scientists explain where in the ocean the trash ends up.

 Skit scene:  Plastics trash puppeteers.

 Skit scene:  A fin whale accidentally devours trash mistaking it for plankton.

 Think before you speak: The group that presented about, "That's so gay."

 Each student in the group added information and ideas to the conversation.

 All in all a fantastic set of performances and presentations.  Great collaboration Strawberry!

Assembly on Monday & Upcoming Field Trips

Today in Strawberry:  We began the day with a rousing Cerrito-berry soccer-like game on the field.  Following math we continued rehearsal work for our upcoming assembly presentation on Monday morning, 9:00am.  You are welcome to come see the presentation.  We plan to record the live performances and already have some of the presentation on video, which will will share later in the Spring at a family evening event (yet to be scheduled - we will let you know).

Our buddies joined us for a tour of the kelp forest, which may stay up two more weeks in anticipation of admissions tours, so if you have not seen it yet, please feel free to stop by.

Gentle reminder:  Please send in the black or dark blue binders sent home at conference time.  We are still missing a good number of them.  Thanks.

Below is the letter emailed today to all Strawberry Families, with field trip dates to follow:

Dear Families,

The following is a list of our upcoming field trips soon to be placed on the wiki for driver and chaperone sign up.  I expect one more trip for June to make the list once it is confirmed.  We always appreciate chaperones on BART trips, and of course, need drivers for the others.  Please note there is one driving trip on April 9 to the South Bay that has an early departure due to the expected traffic and our need to arrive by a certain time.  A big thank you to any and all who can help us with that trip, it is something new for me and should be an interesting adventure.  The upcoming trip to Muir Beach, Feb. 5, is always a hit for chaperones and students -  planting in the newly created Muir Beach marsh area (formerly the parking lot) and activities led by the Marin Park Stewardship program.  This is likely the finale to the almost decade long restoration that has taken place to bring back the salmon and general health of Redwood Creek - a great tie into our coastal clean-up work and kelp forest study.

Again, check the "Volunteer for Strawberry" wiki on the blog to sign up (will be updated soon), and have a great weekend. 

Jeff

Destination	date	time	transportation	activities
Muir Beach  Marin Park Stewardship program	Feb. 5 Weds	8:45-3:30	Car – drivers needed	Restoration work in the newly reconstructed marsh around Muir Beach, and visit the beach
SF Tour – China Town	March 18 Tues	8:45-3:15	BART	China town tour led by professional guide
Mercury Mines New Almaden	April 9 Weds	7:30am-4:30pm	Car – drivers needed	Mining ghost town tour, bay ecology and history.
Oak Museum	April 24 Thurs	8:45-3:30	BART	Cordell Bank exhibit - marine biology classroom session and tour
Oakland Museum	May 7, wed	9:00-3:30	BART	CA History gallery tour
Sailing Program – Shorebird Nature Center Berkeley Marina	May 23 Fri	8:45 – 3:00	Car – drivers can drop off and pick up too!	Maritime history, sailing skills, and a jaunt on the Bay in a sail boat.

Assembly Presentation on Monday

Homework
4th Grade Math - Tangram puzzle pages (and tangram templates as needed) record your solutions and design an original puzzle (due tomorrow).  If you are stuck on the 7 piece square here are two clues:  Clue #1: the two big triangles make half of the square (following the steps we used to cut it out).  This means the other half is an arrangement of the 5 smaller pieces.  Clue #2: (which is a big clue) The medium size triangle forms one corner of the square.  Come in ready to share your solutions and original puzzle tomorrow and solve a classmates' puzzle.  

Students who already solved the first puzzles took home a new puzzle sheet.  The expectation is to choose just a few of the puzzles to try solve with tangrams, not all of them in one night.

5th Grade Math - POW

Wordly Wise -15 minutes or set a goal for completing 1-2 activities in the lesson.  If you are starting a new lesson, read the words aloud to a partner before starting the activities.

Reading 20 minutes!

Calling all Portfolio Binders!
Handed out at conference - we need them back.  Thanks!

Monday Assembly:  The Strawberry students will be presenting at the Monday all school assembly, January 13, 9:00-9:30.  The presentation is related to the ocean study and public awareness of social topics.  There will be live and prerecorded performances.  You are welcome to join as audience.  

Portfolio Binder Reminder!

Homework

4th Grade Math - 

• Multiplication fact page (students selected a fact group to work on)
• Tangram puzzle pages (and tangram templates as needed) record your solutions and design a puzzle (due on Friday).  If you are stuck on the 7 piece square here are two clues:  Clue #1: the two big triangles make half of the square (following the steps we used to cut it out).  This means the other half is an arrangement of the 5 smaller pieces.  Clue #2: (which is a big clue) The medium size triangle forms one corner of the square.  Solve as many as you can this week - come in ready to share on Friday.  

 Making polygons from polygons!  An exploratory activity to become familiar with 

the tools we will be using in many of our geometry projects, 

and to become more familiar with the properties of polygons.

5th Grade Math - POW

Wordly Wise -15 minutes or set a goal for completing 1-2 activities in the lesson.  If you are starting a new lesson, read the words aloud to a partner before starting the activities.

Reading 20 minutes!

Calling all Portfolio Binders!
Handed out at conference - we need them back.  Thanks!

Homework

4th Grade Math - 

• Multiplication page:  Option 1 or Option 2  
• Tangram puzzle pages (and tangram templates as needed) record your solutions and design a puzzle (due on Friday).  If you are stuck, remember the clue given today for the 7 piece square:  the two big triangles make half of the square (following the steps we used to cut it out).  Solve as many as you can this week - come in ready to share on Friday.  

In math class right now we are beginning a unit on geometry, exploring polygons with hands-on activities and discussing attributes and terminology.  We are also practicing multiplication as a refresher from the break.

5th Grade Math - Finish 3rd page.

Wordly Wise -15 minutes or set a goal for completing 1-2 activities in the lesson.  If you are starting a new lesson, read the words aloud to a partner before starting the activities.

Reading 20 minutes!

Today in Strawberry:  We marched down to the Bay today to clean the shoreline near the mouth of Strawberry Creek.  The students paraded with the signs they made about trash in the ocean and received a chorus of honks from passing vehicles and compliments from pedestrians.  The signs were also visible during our clean up, and got attention from several people passing by in cars and on foot.  One of our class goals is to not only pick up trash, but try to inspire others.

 The march down University Ave.

 The buckets reduce our need to plastic bags.  All the trash is dumped into one heavy duty bag, and recycling sorted out.

 Getting down to the level of the bits of styrofoam and plastic.

 Golf anyone?

A bus ride back of tired stewards.

Welcome Back

Homework

4th Grade Math - 

• Facts practice page (each student selected a group they are working on - due tomorrow)
• Tangram puzzle pages (and tangram templates as needed) record your solutions and design a puzzle (due on Friday)

5th Grade Math - Finish classwork from today.

Words Their Way (purple book) - Complete the work page for your sort (on the backside of the sorting page)

Reading 20 minutes!

Shoreline clean-up tomorrow, 10:00-11:45:  Tomorrow we will walk to the marina for our shoreline clean-up and return by AC Transit Bus.  Students should wear good walking shoes and bring a jacket.  Water bottles are a good idea too.

Calling all Portfolio Binders!
Handed out at conference - we need them back.  Thanks!

Today in Strawberry:  We launched a fiction writing project today.  After analyzing the main character from Maniac Magee the students began planning traits for their own character and created a story web to collect ideas.  Next steps are to determine the motivations of the character and outcome for the story.  This is a progressive writing project with plot parameters, character development goals, writing mechanics lessons, as well as creative choice in creating the story line and events.

This afternoon the students formed three collaborative groups to plan our upcoming school assembly presentation on Monday, January 13, 9:00-9:30.  Our presentation is related to the ocean study and public awareness of social topics we discussed in November/December.