Converting Measurements in 4th grade

In 4th grade, we have been learning about the size of measurement units and have been making conversions of metric and customary units of measure.

We have learned and practiced:

Length:  Meters to centimeters, centimeters to millimeters, kilometers to meters, feet to inches and yards to feet

Mass/Weight: kilograms to grams, pounds to ounces

Volume: liter to milliliters

Time: minute to seconds, hour to minutes

Converting measurements is a practical skill in our everyday lives. For example, a recipe might provide the measurements to make enough food for 4–6 people, but if you want to feed a larger or smaller group, you need to convert the measurements in the recipe. This might require changing pounds to ounces to prepare the recipe for a smaller group, or changing ounces to pounds for a larger group.

In order to learn to convert measurement, students first had to become comfortable with the size of measurements.  We looked at meter sticks to talk about the size of millimeters, centimeters, and meters.  We also looked at a variety of food containers to compare gallons to quarts, pints and cups.

In small groups students then made "Gallon People" to help them remember how many cups are in a pint, how many pints are in a quart and how many quarts are in a gallon.

How you can practice at home: 

Have your child list items in the pantry and record the measurement of each item found on the label. Then have your child to convert each measurement to the nearest unit of measurement, for example, kilogram to grams, pound to ounces and liter to milliliters.

Have your child measure items around the house and record the lengths in meters and centimeters. Then practice converting the length from meters to centimeters and centimeter to millimeters.

Fourth Grade Writer's Night

The fourth grade students presented their realistic fiction stories to family and friends last Wednesday evening. The students spent the year reading fiction in their book group to familiarize themselves with the genre and the literary devices that authors use when crafting a story. To create their own stories, the students brainstormed ideas and dug deep to think of a topic they had some personal knowledge about. Once they settled on their topic idea, they were asked to consider the who, when why, what and where about their story. They created character traits for the individuals in their stories and were asked to weave them in descriptively throughout. The students were given story maps to summarize and plot their rising action and story climax.

When the students finished writing, they peer edited, revised, and practiced reading their stories aloud with fellow classmates. On the night of their presentation, they were excited to share and nervous at the same time. 

Their stories were phenomenal and everyone did an amazing job that evening!

Pure Imagination - Spring Program Concert Information

Pure Imagination

An Abington Friends Lower School Spring Program

Friday, June 5, 20l5 ~ l:30 p.m.

Abington Friends School, Muller Auditorium

Spring Program Concert Information

All children, 3 years old through 4th grade should dress in black shirts, long, black pants and comfortable shoes.  All children are encouraged to bring their concert attire clothing to school on Thursday prior to the spring program.  Children will be given the opportunity to change at school on Friday prior to the 1:30 p.m. performance.  Children are welcome to add a colorful accessory as a way to connect to our program theme (a red bow tie, purple hair accessory, an orange scarf, etc.)  We encourage children to be creative with this choice!  

Please note that all children will be involved in movement activities on stage and should wear pants and comfortable shoes (no heels please).  In addition, we ask that everyone wear black socks for their movement performances.

We look forward to celebrating our accomplishments with you on Friday, June 5th in our Muller Auditorium beginning at l:30 p.m.  Please plan to arrive a few minutes early in order to allow time for parking.  

Following the spring program, Home and School invites families to come together to celebrate the school year with a cupcake party and outdoor fun outside of the Muller Cafeteria.

Adult Book Club- A Year of Great Discussions

On Monday May 11th parents, grandparents and teachers met for the last meeting of this school year to discuss the Pulitzer prize winning novel, All the Light that We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Raji, one of our kindergarten teachers joined our group for this discussion after finishing it a few days before and feeling that this book had a profound influence on his life. All of us concurred, having felt this way after finishing the book or even for a few, after reading halfway through the book.

The New York Times book review writer, Janet Maslin, delineated a few themes in her review from April 28, 2014, that resonated for us during our discussion. The themes she describes are: the brain's power to create light in darkness, self-protection and lies. The lyrical writing in this book, the finely drawn characters and the complexity of the plot and plots within the plot all spoke to us. As readers, we all bring our life experiences into our reading and discussion of any book. The format of a book club allows us to share a part of ourselves. We are looking forward to a summer of exploration and fun with our families, reading with that summer gift of time and then to another great year of discussions with our Abington Friends Adult Book Club. All are invited to join us next year, a schedule will appear at the beginning of the school year- our first meeting will be in October.

Grace Lin - A Star in our Midst!

Clusters of kids peered into the library.  Whispered conversations were easily overheard: 

Is that her? Is that her?  Are you sure?  Yes, look that's her. She has the same smile as on the book!  

Such was the entry of Newberry Honor author, Grace Lin, into the world of Abington Friends Lower School.

For two days, we had the opportunity to learn more about Grace Lin and her incredible work as an author.  Her visit to Lower School was truly a celebration as well as a magnificent learning opportunity.  Grace marveled at the artwork on the walls inspired by her stories, and she was impressed by the knowledge of her books that all our students, three years old through fourth grade, demonstrated.

During various writer's workshops hosted over the course of the two days, Grace taught students about writing skills and elements of story that are critical aspects of her work. These same skills are what our students work on at each of the various grade levels in developmentally appropriate ways.

Witnessing the students' passion for the stories of Grace Lin was immensely gratifying.  Our youngest students were thrilled to connect with the person responsible for many of the beloved books shared in their classes this year.  Our older students asked thoughtful questions and sought Grace's advice on how to further improve stories on which they have been working.  Grace Lin's considerable talent for presenting was captivating for all of us.  The imagery, myth, leadership and power of the individual that are present in her stories are sources of inspiration and imagination as evidenced by all that our Lower School students were moved to create.

We were so proud to share our learning space with such an amazing author, and we are so appreciative of the memories Grace Lin's visit has given us.

Pet Sitting for the Summer?

Are you interested in having a Science Room pet for the summer?  Here's your opportunity to have a pet for a short period of time and the be able to give it back!  The pets are very low maintenance and will come with food and complete set of instructions.  Available animals include a gecko, bearded dragon and tadpoles.  Thanks for much for considering having a summer guest and helping out the Science Room.   Please email Rosanne at rmistretta@abingtonfriends.net if you are interested.

Kindergarten Measures Up!

The kindergartners have been investigating different forms of measurement these past few weeks.  Seth introduced linear measurement using standard and non-standard forms.  He read the book, How Big is a Foot?, to get the students thinking.  Afterward, we took turns measuring the rug with our feet and discovered we had different size feet!

Next, he asked why we have rulers.  The students explored ideas and agreed that we needed something that is the same for everyone.  The children then traced their hands and feet and used inches and centimeters to see what size they were.  The next big project was to trace each student's body and measure various body parts.  This was a great deal of fun and the room was buzzing with excitement.

Then we took our measuring outside to the playground and found lots of things that measured between one and ten inches and recorded our findings on a chart.  This was hard work but it was fun to see all the different things that were of similar lengths.

Today we read the book, Just a Little Bit, and discovered the concept behind a balance scale by reading about animals trying to balance on a seesaw.  The students then worked in small groups and used classroom items that they each chose, to find out which was heaviest and which was lightest, and those in between!  We will soon begin to use weights and find out how much things really weigh!!

Measuring things at home is also lots of fun.  If you have a ruler or tape measure (the preferred tool!!) encourage your child to measure the height and length of some of their favorite things and then, if a scale is available they could find out the weight as well.  If they record their findings we would love to have them share it with their class!!