Supplementary Home Learning Materials and Information
During COVID-19 Closure
April 10, 2020
Parents and students, I am "dusting off" this website I used back when I taught only science and Alabama History. I will have tabs for subjects and on those pages I will have some links to videos and any additional materials that may help your child learn. I hope you find this site helpful in the weeks ahead! It is not required to follow this site or to watch the videos. It is simply extra material that may be helpful, if needed.
Happy Learning!
Mrs. McCown
Parents and students, I am "dusting off" this website I used back when I taught only science and Alabama History. I will have tabs for subjects and on those pages I will have some links to videos and any additional materials that may help your child learn. I hope you find this site helpful in the weeks ahead! It is not required to follow this site or to watch the videos. It is simply extra material that may be helpful, if needed.
Happy Learning!
Mrs. McCown
Links to Websites
Lexia is a website we use for reading practice. |
IXL is a new site the board recently purchased for the school closure. Your child can practice a variety of subjects in IXL.
|
Reflex is a site where students can practice and build fluency in multiplication and division facts. |
This site goes along with the science and Alabama
history weekly readers. Students have log in information in log-in folders. |
This is a math game students enjoy. I have skills
set to match our math lessons. |
Learning to code is one of our exciting skills we learn
toward the end of the year. I have assigned a course for students to begin. Check for log in information in log-in folders. |
Welcome to 4th Grade!
Visit this site fequently to see what we are learning and doing this year!
9/22/17 - Today we had a special treat of decorating cupcakes to match the setting of the Chocolate Room from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The students listened to my instructions very well and did a great job piping and modeling fondant! We added a straw to simulate the tubes that carry chocolate from the chocolate river to all parts of the factory.
9/5/2017 -Thanks to all the students and parents who came to our PTSO meeting tonight! Students and parents looked at our new animals, student journals, played math games, and enjoyed some fruit dipped in chocolate! It was great to visit with our families.
8/8/17 - WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! Welcome to the chocolate factory! We going to have a great school year.
2/17/17 - Daddy-Daughter Date Night was a wonderful event for our young "princesses" and their dads. Thanks to our counselor, Mrs. Honeycutt, for planning and coordinating this event!
2/16/17 - Congratulations to House Rerum for winning the Color Challenge today!!
I was so honored to be recognized as Walker Elementary's Teacher of the Year and a nominee for Alabama Teacher of the Year. Recognized along with me were Julie Jones as Jacksonville State Teacher of the Year nominee, Kim Shelton and Kristy Watson for Classified Personnel of the Year.
12/28/16 - Notes from Christmas Break..... Today Mr. McCown and I visited the Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola. We saw the first air vehicle to cross the Atlantic Ocean (first picture). This aircraft is now on permanent loan from the Smithsonian. We saw so many other aircraft from early days of avaiation to present day. We also took time to see the Pensacola Lighthouse (last picture). Hope everyone is having a great break!
Amazing sunrise one morning. I just had to share one of the many beautiful sights I see at Walker Elementary!!
11/9/16 - We enjoyed a visit from our special veterans today! Here is a picture of our 4th and 5th graders displaying their traditional flag.
The 4th grade teachers had a little fun on our dress up day! Our costumes confused our students for a bit and then they got the "point"! (In case you are still confused, we were attempting to be Google Maps!)
We're excited to have Miss Katie Jackson as an intern this semester! She is an education student from the University of Alabama and will be completing her student teaching next semester.
Summer 2016 Science Notes from Mrs. McCown:
Hello, everyone! It's hard to believe we are already in July! I know some students were planning to look back at the site this summer and I planned to add some science "fun stuff" from my summer activities...but time slipped by quickly.
Caterpillar Life Cycle - We had a little excitement in June. Mr. McCown made a quick visit to his parent's home in the Florida panhandle. His mom had a beautiful flower blooming called a Passion flower. She put a cutting of the plant down in some root starter and sent it back to me. What we didn't know was that a caterpillar was also on the cutting. I found it crawling around the next day. There were plenty of leaves on the cutting so the caterpillar had plenty to eat. I started watching the caterpillar every few days and taking pictures. It wasn't long before it had formed a chrysalis and was hanging from a branch of the Passion flower. I should have logged the days and activities I observed, but I had a few projects that were very time consuming during that time. Let's just say several days passed and before I knew it, the caterpillar had transformed into a butterfly known as the Gulf fritillary! It was amazing to have that happen right in my own sunroom! Here are the pictures I took of the stages:
Using Chemistry and Math to make a Wedding Cake - Most students know that I am an amateur cake decorator. We discussed the science of baking when we talked about chemical reactions this year. We also discussed how there is quite a bit of math involved in making a large cake for an event like a wedding. One of the reasons I was so busy during the first part of June is because I was making a wedding cake for a dear friend. I had to determine what size pans would fit the cake she wanted and the number of servings she needed. Then I had to calculate how much of the ingredients I would need. This is a little tricky since you want to have plenty of ingredients, but not too much! I also needed to put a "ribbon" around each layer, so I had to calculate the distance around those layers and then measure to cut the right amount. It was a big job, but I was so glad to do it for this special bride. Here's the cake:
AMSTI Training - At the end of June and during early July, I attended an AMSTI (Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative) training to learn how to use a new kit on "Land and Water." I was excited that we had done so many of the same activities this past year even without the wonderful kit. We set up a stream table to model erosion, we built and tested a dam, we saw how plants can help control erosion, we worked with a solar cell, and we made and tested a water wheel. I am really looking forward to having the resources from this kit in my classroom next year! Here are some pictures of teachers doing the activities to learn how to best teach our students:
Breakout! - Mr. McCown's older brother, his wife, and my niece came to visit us one weekend. We decide to try one of the Breakout rooms at Breakout Birmingham. We did not get out, but we only were about 4 steps away! I definitely learned you need the science skills of observing, listening, thinking, and reasoning to do this. We also did quite a bit of reading, too! Here is our group picture after they had to let us out!
We have enjoyed having a student teacher, Mrs. Kizzire in our class from January until March.
Here are our 4th and 5th Grade students singing One Nation at our Veteran's Day program.
Be sure to sign up for Remind. Your child should have brought home a form with all the information you need to get texts about science information.
Check this site regularly to find out what is happening in fourth grade science.
Walker Elementary School Mission Statement The Mission of Walker Elementary School, in partnership with the community, is to provide a safe and healthy learning environment where each student has the opportunity to be successful academically, socially, and emotionally.
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