The Woodlands

These classes got an opportunity to see nature up close and personal on a walking field trip, accompanied by parents, to the Woodlands Park in Belle Chasse.  They went on a scavenger hunt to find leaves of native and invasive species of trees and evidence of native animal life. One creature that we found in abundance, was the golden orb spider.  They were everywhere! One part of the adventure was to make invitations decorated with leaf prints for a future planting to take place in the spring.  Maybe now a new generation will feel the need to preserve and conserve our natural woodlands and parks.  We learned the importance of planting native plants for the native animals to nourish themselves.  We learned how our actions now affect the future of our land and its animals.

Check out our video:

https://youtu.be/Iz4Vws0OgnM

Balloon Car Racers 2015

October 27th will be a day that students at BCP will not soon forget!!! After almost two weeks of brainstorming, gathering material, building, rebuilding, trials and errors, the day finally came to put all that hard work and discovery to the test.  Each class held five races to see whose creation would cross the finish line.  These students learned all about force and motion, gravity, drag, air pressure, design, and working as a scientist by testing their balloon car racers over and over again.

                                                              Morning Class

     
                                                             Afternoon Class

Solar Ovens, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Baked Apples

To end our amazing year, the fourth grade students in Mrs. Rodriguez and Newchurch's classes put all of their math and science skills together to complete this culminating activity.  They made solar ovens.  In them, the students were going to cook chocolate chip cookies and bake apples with cinnamon and sugar.  Sixteen ordinary pizza boxes were converted into an energy source providing the heating capacity required to cook food, with the help of the sun of course.  Aluminum foil and plastic wrap was used in such a way as to create a convection oven in which heat from the sun was trapped in order to cook whatever was placed inside.  Now, the students learned a lesson in patience as well.  You see, it takes a very long time for items to cook in a solar oven, especially when the temperatures were just reaching the 80's.  We decided that July and August would be the optimal times for cooking in a solar oven in Louisiana.  After the oven were constructed, we used more of our math skills to figure out how many apple slices would we get if the slicer cut the apples into eighths and we had 8 apples.  Then, how many slices would we each get if we had 22 people.  Would there be any leftover to share with the office or other classes? Turns out the wind also played a role in the cooking process and took out one pizza box oven and all of it's contents.  Luckily though, there was enough for every student to enjoy two cookies and three apple slices.
It was an experiment they will not soon forget!

http://youtu.be/zWHvXNZst8k

A Volcanco Erupts in Belle Chasse

Ok, so it's a model of a volcano and we appropriately named it Mount Belle Chasse (pronounced cha-see).  While studying about slow and fast changes to the Earth's surface, we chose to see as best as we could, a fast change to the Earth.  We also discussed rocks formed from volcanoes, whether or not to live around a volcano, and what is going on inside a volcano.
You know, if you can't bring the students to the volcano....bring the volcano to the students!

http://youtu.be/4bGX7BQd-bU

Giving Back to Our Community Through Planting

So our year long relationship with the Woodlands had to come to an end sometime, so we went out with a big bang!  Our two classes planted over a hundred saplings and seedlings to replenish an area of the Woodlands and to give back to our community as good citizens.  We were joined by parents and community officials to mark this momentous occasion.  Years from now or even next week, we can go out there and stand in awe as we admire the new life that we helped bring to our community.  It was hard work too!!! These students pushed shovels in the ground and got down and dirty as they all got into this project in a big way.  I only hope that the milkweed we planted attracts many new butterflies to our area as well. Check out this quick look at what we did...

http://youtu.be/43mEUgFgTqo

The Mobile Mine Comes to Belle Chasse

Shouts of "Rose Quartz," "Crystal," "Tiger's Eye," and more could be heard as the fourth graders at BCPS discovered their very own precious stones and minerals today at the Mobile Mine.  It was just like when the 49ers discovered gold for the first time, this was a day of firsts. The students learned from Carol Rabb, the "Rockstar," that elements make minerals and minerals make rocks. They learned about the three resources that are mined in Louisiana.  They found out about the only rock that floats.  They all even went away with a fossil.  Back in the classroom, each student classified and identified each and every one of their minerals.  The amount of learning that happened today was priceless. It was something these students will be talking about for a  long time.

http://youtu.be/wrU7GxcrPkQ

Happy Pi Day!

How much fun is this?!?!?!?  To celebrate Pi Day (3.14.15), our learning so far, and to relieve some test stress, I let my students throw 'pies' at me.  32 pies to the face and body and I'm still here!  The good news is....these students are ready to PULVARIZE the PARCC starting Monday!  Go Pelicans!!!!!!

Just Watch - Our Testing Song

Okay, so we've been working our fingers to the bones writing essay after essay.  We've lined up all of our math problems in order to do the operation correctly.  We've performed experiments to better understand our world.  We have racked our brains trying to learn all about the early days of our country and how it's run today.  So now, in the middle of March, a week before the BiG TEST, the students of BCP have decided to let out a little of that test stress, to breathe a very welcome sigh, and to laugh with one another while making this testing video,
We wish everyone good luck on whatever test you're taking and hope you do well.  Scratch that!!!!! You don't need any luck!  You got this!!!!!!! You are awesome and you will do your best on the test!!!! Now go do it!!!!!

http://youtu.be/mQ8Qx3ZVWGY

BCP JUST WATCH
This test, not so bad
PARCC and LEAP, don’t get sad
This one is for my folks
For my school, even for me
Studyin', learnin’, Belle Chasse is the city
Got test prep as my mind set
Gonna ace the test, I'm so pretty
I am smart (oh yah)
Listen to my teachers all day
I am smart (oh yah)
Make homework my priorit-ay
I am smart (oh yah)
Say my name you know who I am
I am smart (oh yah)
Gonna take that test, yes ma’am, break it down
Get the test hallelujah (whoo)
Take the test hallelujah (whoo)
Best the test hallelujah (whoo)
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
March April May and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh

Stop, wait a minute
Now focus, get your pencil ready
Read and think, now answer
Bubble in just the circle

Take the ELA, Math, then
Science and Social Studies
If we show up, we gon' be here
Smarter than we were last year

I am smart (oh yah)
Listen to my teachers all day
I am smart (oh yah)
Make homework my priorit-ay
I am smart (oh yah)
Say my name you know who I am
I am smart (oh yah)
Gonna take that test, yes ma’am, break it down
Get the test hallelujah (whoo)
Take the test hallelujah (whoo)
Best the test hallelujah (whoo)
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
'Cause BCP gon' give it to you
March April May and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Before we leave
Lemmi tell y'all a lil' something
We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
I said We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
We’re going to pass this test
Come on, think, jump on it
If you know it then bubble it
If you’re unsure, then own it
Use your strategies, then come show me
Come on, think
Jump on it
If you know it then bubble it
Well it's time to show just what we know
Don't believe me just watch come on!
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh

We’re going to pass this test (14 times)
We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test (say what)

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test (say what)

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test (say what)

We’re going to pass this test

We’re going to pass this test

3D Shapes from Nets

The smart mathematicians of room 410 at BCPS used their brain power to discover the edges, faces, and vertices of the three dimensional shapes presented to them.  Then, find out what they had to do with a humongous rectangular prism...
http://youtu.be/zrRNOkeSU1c

These budding mathematicians made some similar discoveries....Check it out!
http://youtu.be/emzaqfut2j0

From Caterpillars to Painted Ladies

It was a great day about a month ago when we received our five tiny creepy crawling caterpillars in room 410 at BCPS.  The students were excited to begin a journal to document the life cycle of these special critters.  We made an eight page, no staples booklet to write down our daily observations.  We recorded everything up until the day they formed chrysalises.  It took approximately two weeks. This was about a half of a week before we had our Mardi Gras break.  Mrs. Rodriguez had to bring them home in case they hatched during this time.  And guess what..... they did! She said that they hatched out the Friday and the Saturday before we came back.  The students were so excited to see the new creatures that emerged from these paper-like shells.  Five little painted lady butterflies about the size of a fifty cent piece were flying around in their mesh habitat.
Both science classes ventured to the front of the school where there were cypress trees draped in moss, wild flowers, grass, and a nearby barn that houses horses.  We were told that this would be a good area to release our treasures back into the wild.  Because the weather was a bit chilly, the butterflies were a little reluctant to leave their tent.  The teacher had to urge them out.
Check out the video that show the grand finale:
http://youtu.be/LZDX1ESOSFo

Chuc Mung Nam Moi, or Happy (Vietnamese) New Year!

Enjoy this authentic dragon dance performed by the 4th graders of Room 410 at BCPS.  They helped to bring another culture into the schoolday for themselves and a few other very receptive classrooms. 2015 is the year of the goat.  Most of our dragon dancers were born in the year of the rooster, but some are in the year of the monkey. We really enjoyed bringing this dragon to life...we hope you enjoy the video too.
http://youtu.be/4KQSZpJZD3o

and check out these dragon dancers too!!!
http://youtu.be/wcbz1_hEtAw

100th Day

The fourth graders in Room 410 at BCP took their 100th day celebration to the 100th degree!  Students were given a bag filled with 100 beads and a string.  They were instructed to sosrt the beads by color, count each color, write the number as a hundredth of the necklace, and add all the fractions to see if they create 100/100 or 1 whole fraction necklace.
Check it out:

http://youtu.be/UDPOPPhKQhs

Dr. Chlora Phyll raps about photosynthesis

As the study on plants continues in Room 410 of Belle Chasse Primary, a special visitor showed up to teach the students about photosynthesis. Professor Chlora Phyll, named for her love of plants, explained the process of how plants make their own food through a rap!
Watch and learn....

http://youtu.be/D-xDWbR-i9A

Woodlands Park Field Trip

In this field trip to the Woodlands Park, Located behind Belle Chasses Primary School, Mrs. Newchurch and Mrs. Rodriguez's fourth grade students were able to commune with nature, hone their writing skills, and have an opportunity to give back to their community.  They collected samples of leaves and seeds, made cards inviting parents and elected officials to a tree planting ceremony set for March 27th of this year, and had a great time being part of the community in which they live.  In the words of some of the students, "This was the best day of learning ever!"
Check out the video to see what it was all about.

http://youtu.be/Hskm1jva4Sg