Mr. Watanabe's 4th Grade Class Blog

What if Martin Luther King Jr. were never born?

2012-01-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

We have watched several videos and read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over the past few days. He is an American hero who overcame countless injustices. He used non-violent protests to spread the message of equality for all people regardless of race. On Monday, we will be honoring his legacy with a national holiday.

Think about the impact of Dr. King and write a short paragraph answering the question:

What if Martin Luther King Jr. were never born?

Ideas: You might want to include how he has affected your life and the life of all Americans.
You might also include ideas about how the world would be different without him.

Who are you thankful for?

2011-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

Next week you will be off of school for Thanksgiving. As we think about all the loving friends and family in our lives, think about someone you are thankful for. Maybe it is your mom or dad, maybe a good friend, maybe a teacher or coach, maybe a sister or brother...

Please select one person. Once you have narrowed it down, use the questions below to write a paragraph about who you are thankful for...

1. Who are you thankful for this year?
2. Why are you thankful for this person? What has this person done to help or support you?
3. What can you do to show this person that you are thankful for them?

What Do You Want to Know About Rocks and Minerals?

2011-11-08T11:55:00.001-08:00

Replace your audience response systems with Poll Everywhere

Do boys and girls learn better together or apart?

2011-11-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

Think about going to school and walking into a class with only boys (or only girls). A recent article in Time For Kids debated the idea of having all girls or all boys classes.

Read this article: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/debate/16621

Form an opinion about this topic and respond to the question:

Would you like to go to a school with only boys and girls? Why or Why Not?

Please write using complete sentences, with correct punctuation.

Should Kids Use Social-Networking Sites?

2011-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

In this week's Time For Kids appeared an opinion article that asked the question: Should Kids use Social-Networking Sites?

While many of these sties have rules about the age for its users, not all of these sites enforce these rules. Kids of all ages are using these sites to connect with friends and get information. Some say that people use social networking sites to write hurtful things, others say these sites are a great way to communicate with friends. What do you think?

Please share your opinion about social networking sites and kids?
1. Should kids use sites like Twitter and Facebook? Why or Why not?

Use examples support your opinion.

Would You Go to a Cyber-School?

2011-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In our Time For Kids article this week, we read about students across the nation and world that attend school online in cyber-schools. The article talked about the pros and cons of going to school online. Watch the video above and think about what you read then respond the following questions:

1. Would you go to a Cyber-School? Why or Why Not?
2. Do you think Cyber-Schools are the schools of the future? Why?

Please write in complete sentences that display proper punctuation and capitalization.

What Makes a Good Friend?

2011-09-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

School is now in session. It's time to see friends and get to know your new teacher. As we begin our year, think about your friends. Friends play an important role in your life at school. They can make your time at school enjoyable and fun. They can also cause you to have your feelings hurt. Take a few moments to answer these two questions and discuss your thoughts on friends.

1. What makes a good friend?
2. Why are friends important to you?

The responses need to be written in complete sentences with correct punctuation and capitalization.

Reflection on 4th Grade

2011-05-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

With only one week of school remaining, take a few moments to reflect on your 4th grade year. Hopefully, you feel like there has been many things the you have learned and discovered about yourself over the past nine months of school. Please gather your thoughts and write a short paragraph answering the question:

What is the most valuable thing that you learned this year about yourself?

Responses to this question should not include your academic learning (math, writing, science, etc.), but more about you as a person. Think about how you have grown and matured. Think about how you have become a better person. These are the lesson I would like you to reflect upon and write about.

-Mr. Watanabe

How has Earth Day changed the way we live?

2011-04-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Earth Day started in 1970 as a way to begin taking care of our planet, at the time it seemed like a bizarre idea. Going Green and preserving the Earth is now a wide-spread idea with millions of followers. Today, there are things that we do everyday to help preserve the earth. There are also many habits and practices that we do everyday that hurts the Earth, whether it is littering, using fossil fuels to run cars, or digging deep into the earth to extract oil.

Think about you own life:
1. What are some habits that you do everyday to help the Earth?
2. What are some habits that you have that might have a negative impact on the Earth?
3. What do you think is the purpose for Earth Day?

Please write a well written post to these questions. Be sure to include complete sentences and proper punctuation.

The Chocolate Milk Debate

2011-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some schools have banned chocolate milk from school lunches. Watch the story from ABC news and think about how this makes you feel. At Twain, the cafeteria serves both white and chocolate milk. White milk has 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar, while chocolate milk has 140 calories and 24 grams of sugar.

Will the information in this video change your decision about your milk choice?
Do you think chocolate milk is adding to the childhood obesity problem in America?
Should chocolate milk be banned from school lunches? Why or Why Not?

Is Pepper Spraying a Second Grader Appropriate?

2011-04-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, a story from Colorado made national news. An 8-year old named Aiden threw a temper tantrum and would refuse to cooperate with teachers and police. After a long standoff the police decided to pepper spray Aiden to get him to cooperate. Please watch this video that details the story and write a reaction to it.

Is it appropriate for adults to pepper spray a child when they are acting violently and not cooperating?

Spring Break!

2011-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hey fourth graders!

Take a few minutes to think about your Spring Break. Write a short summary of your week off and tell your classmates your favorite part of your break. Be sure to use quality writing skills using correct punctation and well written sentences.

Once you have written your summary. Read about some classmates break's and comment on them.

Current Event: Disaster in Japan

2011-03-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Japan suffered the largest earthquake in its history. The earthquake triggered a tsunami wave that destroyed coastal cities in Northern Japan. Now, Japan is facing a nuclear threat because the reactors were damaged during the quake.

The video shows some of the images of the disaster in Japan. Please watch the video and reflect on these three questions. Write a response answering these questions with complete sentences and proper spelling/punctuation.

1. What do natural disasters teach you?
2. What do you think are some next steps in rebuilding the cities that were destroyed?
3. What other thoughts do you have about the disasters in Japan?

Reflection on Writing Commentaries

2011-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

This commentary by Andy Rooney was one example of a commentary that we watched before we began our unit. Now that we have just finished one of our biggest writing assignments of the year. We can look back and reflect on what we learned. The commentaries that you wrote gave you experience in persuasive writing. For this week’s post, please answer the following questions about the commentaries that you wrote and heard from classmates.

What did you learn from writing a commentary?

Which commentary did you learn the most from after hearing it?

What was your favorite part of this assignment?

How Are You Feeling About CSAP?

2011-02-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

What are your feelings about CSAP?
Write a reflection on how you feel about the tests and the importance of taking the test seriously.

WATSON...is he smarter than you?

2011-02-17T08:52:00.001-08:00

IBM revealed a supercomputer named WATSON recently on the game show Jeopardy. WATSON is one of the first supercomputers to be tested against humans in a trivia game show. This is intended to be a display of the capabilities of computers in the future.

Watch the video and answers these few questions:
1. Do you think computers will become more intelligent that humans?
2. Are supercomputers good or bad? Why?
3. What are your thoughts on this topic?

Not Enough Exercise?

2011-02-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

We read last week about how studies are showing that kids are not getting enough exercise by simply playing team sports. It seems interesting that when we think about exercise we almost always think about sports.

Last year, First Lady Michelle Obama began a program to try to help with the problem of childhood obesity (kids being highly overweight). Watch this video and write a reaction explaining how you feel about this topic.

Some possible responses could include:
1. Why obesity is or is not a problem?
2. What habits you have to try to prevent becoming obese? (eating right, exercising)
3. How this topic makes you feel?

State of the Union: Education

2011-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday evening President Obama gave the annual "State of the Union" address. Please watch this excerpt from the speech that focuses on education.

Once you have watched this portion of the speech, write a reaction.

You might want to talk about your favorite part of the speech, how the speech makes you feel, or what the speech connected you to.

Heroes

2011-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

On Monday we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King is a symbol of fighting non-violently for equal rights. Many people view Dr. King as a hero for his work. Heroes can be people who do extrodinary things such as Dr. King, they can also be people who are part of our lives and might not be famous.

Think about a person that has influenced your life.

What makes someone a hero?
Who is your hero? Why is he/she your hero?

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Fourth Graders!

It is 2011 and one of the traditional practices is to create some resolutions or goals for the new year!

Think about something that you want to improve upon or practice less/more this year.

Please write a response with your New Years Resolution, explain how the resolution is a change from your current lifestyle.

Example: This year, my New Year's Resolution is to drink less soda. Soda tastes great but it is not the healthiest choice of drinks. I am going to try to change this habit buy drinking more water when I am thirsty and 100% juice in place of soda. Drinking less soda will help to make my diet healthier.

Year in Pictures - What Will You Remember?

2011-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

In the most recent Time For Kids magazine, our class looked and many pictures from the past year. Many of the major events have been showcased in this magazine. For a complete list of captions to each photo click on the link: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/wr/article/0,28391,2036516,00.html

Think about 2010. We have studied many of the current events of the year from the Chilean miners to the BP Oil Spill.

Look ahead to 2020. Choose one event from 2010 that you think will have a lasting impact on you and the world. What event do you think will have to most impact on you in 10 years?

Please answer with a well written response. Tell why you think this event will have a lasting impact.

Once you have posted read what other classmates have written and respond.

Inventions of 2010: What would you invent?

2010-12-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

TIME Magazine has come out with its annual 50 Best Inventions of 2010.

Watch this video on some of the inventions and write a response. Answer these two questions:
1. Which invention in the video interested you the most?
2. If you could invent something what would you invent?

Please write a response that is complete sentences with proper punctuation and capitalization.

Littleton Public Schools - Top School Districts in Colorado!!

2010-12-10T13:29:00.001-08:00

Please watch this news story from 9news.

Respond to this video by answering the three questions below:
1. How does this video make you feel about your school and district?
2. Why do you think Littleton Public Schools is one of the top districts in the state?
3. What will you do to try to keep this distinction for our school district?

Write a complete sentence answer for each of the three questions and post it. Mr. Watanabe will moderate your comments.

Evan's Blog Topic: Giving or Receiving?

2010-12-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

The winter holidays are coming soon and that means people will be giving and recieving presents.

Which is better, to give a gift or receive a gift?

Write several complete sentences to support your opinion.

Should Ads Be Used in School?

2010-12-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

In the recent article of Time For Kids we read about schools that are allowing companies to advertise in their schools. Advertising will help bring money into the schools but there are negative factors with having companies using schools as advertisements.

How do you feel about advertising in schools?
Do you think schools should let companies advertise?
Should every company be allowed to advertise in school?

Describe your feelings in a short 5-7 sentence paragraph. Be sure to include examples of why you believe what you believe. Post the response and wait for Mr. Watanabe to accept your post.