Sea Otter Games

Today we completed our Otter Quiz Show. Last week the students studied information about the sea otter, sea urchins, the kelp forest and the relationship of this ecosystem to people. In a quiz show format the students worked in cooperative teams to answer questions related to the information studied. The class did a terrific job, supported one another and worked together.

To tie together our study of otters and Fort Ross, we went outside to play another sea otter hunting simulation game. The game dramatizes the impact unregulated hunters can have on a population of otters. After 2 or 3 rounds the otter reproduction rate was unable to keep up with the hunting rate. The population plummeted to zero otters by the end of round four.

Back in the classroom we debriefed the game. Students came up with ways to improve the "rules" of play. Next, we filled in a graph based on real information collected by the clerks of the Russian American Company in the 1800s tracking the otter harvests in the Bodega Bay and San Francisco Bay regions. Not surprisingly, the otter population diminishes in a similar pattern to the simulation game.

Homework:
Fort Ross crossword puzzle and Reading Log - Students should work on the puzzle for at least 15 minutes. They are not expected to complete the puzzle tonight. We will pick it up in class again to work on more.

Fourth grade math:
The purple group's question of the day was: How can we make a survey to find out an amount of something? Pairs of students worked together to come up with survey questions that would measure the amount of something, and that they could ask of two different groups to compare them. Students came up with questions like:

• How many different kinds of classes do you take after school or on weekends?
• How many people did you ride to school with you today?
• How many kids under 18 live with you?

Students will be collecting data for these surveys next week, since Cerrito has their feast tomorrow.

Fourth grade math homework:
Purple group should complete Unit 2, pages 15-16, which you can download here. Calculate mode, median, range, range above median, or range below median to make conclusions. Due Monday, 11/21.

4th grade Blue Group: Today we continued to work on making bar graphs and determining the scale to use to represent data on a graph successfully. Homework page due tomorrow: Double Bar Graphs

5th graders finished their 3D models of rectangular prisms, calculating surface area and volume. They worked on their problems of the week, as well, which are due tomorrow.

Math homework and reading tonight

Reminders: Please return your student's white portfolio from conferences!

Homework:

Fourth grade math:

• The purple group should finish working on both pages of the JUMP math handout, which you can download here. Bar graphs should be completed on graph paper.
• The blue group has no homework tonight--they will continue work on the handout in class tomorrow.

Fifth grade math homework is the Problem of the Week, which is due Friday.

Please read for 30 minutes and keep track of the title of the book, for the reading log you will receive tomorrow.

Math:

Both fourth grade math groups took a second look at their bar graph work from last week, and made corrections to it. Now we are discussing how to choose the best scale for a bar graph, especially in double bar graphs. Sima was out this morning, so students in the purple group had a substitute teacher.

Fifth graders built rectangular prism replicas of boxes that held classroom supplies. They calculated surface area, volume, and drew the 3D objects. Tomorrow, they will find the dimensions of a larger box in which to ship twelve of their smaller boxes.

Memorable Journey Back in Time

Fort Ross Slideshow

Excellent weather and good spirits helped make our trip back in time to the 1800's and life at Colony Ross a great success! Many thanks in particular to the parents who traveled with us--we could not have been artisans, cooks, gardeners, hunters, or militia without their thoughtful organizing of activities for the past several weeks and their attentive mentoring for the past two days. Ask your student about Night Watch, the beach, hikes to the cemetery and beach, the amazing feasts, mail call, the Russian fairy tale, the talks about trading, dancing the troika, or firing of the cannons. What a rich experience we all shared!

Set Your Alarm Clocks! Be at TBS at 7:30am.

Thank you (in advance) for supporting this trip and making sure your Fort Ross-time-period-dressed child is at TBS by 7:30am tomorrow. Our journey takes us back to 1812 and the technology of the time period. When the sun goes down we have only candle light. Our EARLY departure from the 21st century allows us more time with the SUN when we need it.

With electricity today we take for granted that the sun never really goes down. At Colony Ross, we will see the sunset at about 5:00 over the Pacific, and are left with about 30 minutes of dusk to wrap up dinner before darkness sets in. This can be a beautiful experience. In fact, last year many of us saw the infamous "green flash" just as the sun fell below the sea.

The weather looks fantastic! Cold at night, but most likely no rain. The students will still bring a rain coat in the car (they do not need to be concerned with lugging it around). Day packs will never be "carried around" but are within reach all day.

For students and chaperones, please don't forget:
WATER BOTTLE - filled with water!
A bag snack and lunch for Monday (please avoid lunch boxes, plastic-ware etc. if possible - no microwaves around 1812).
Sunscreen (I am so thankful we can say this) - please administer to face in the morning.

Re-check your packing list for the DAY PACK and see you in the morning.

Do svidaniya! (duh svee-dah-nee-ye),

Fort Ross Plans for Monday

The entire class is super excited about our upcoming trip to Fort Ross! Here are instructions for Monday morning.

1. Please arrive at 7:30 a.m. with students in costume with their packed Day Pack (see packing list) and jacket.
2. Meet in front parking lot - we are not going to classroom.
3. Students should check in with a teacher, sign in, and get their Fort Ross parcel bag.
4. Drivers should park near the entrance to the school.

Please call if you are running late--we can't promise we can wait for you (we have to get on the road for the long trip), but it would helpful to know that you are on your way and perhaps we can meet up.

Below are the Driving Groups.

Fourth Grade Math
We learned the essential points of bar graphs as a whole group today, including the importance of choosing the right scale. Students made a human bar graph by choosing their favorite fruits, and practiced making graphs on paper.

No homework this weekend.

Driving Groups

Clare Woakes
Jesse
Calista
Anne
(Sophie, Anne's mother)

Keith Morris
Anika
Aya
Selihome
Sophia

Eric Craypo
Max
Isaac
Riley

David Hoffman
Mia
Meg
(Claire, Meg's mother)

Cathy MacNeal
Charlotte
Vivian
Nora
Gwen
(Elizabeth, Nora's mother)

Gregoire Jacquet
Milo
Luka
(Stephen, teacher)

Don Cornejo
Hannah
Amelia
Caroline

Beth Trachtenberg
Sam
Tyrrell
Shunyata
Ethan
(Tanya, Ethan's mother)