Which of these foods were available to the California Indians when they first arrived here? There are two foods that were not native to California. Can you find them?

As we learned about food chains and food webs, we saw once again that there certainly is a circle of life…from producer to consumer to decomposer.  We started our vermicomposting bin last week.  Our friends, the worms, are doing their business as we fed them vegetable and fruit scraps.  We  hope to see the “fruits”of their labor in a few months as they make rich dark soil. 

We will sample foods of the California Indians this week….berries, nuts, seeds, dried fish and dried meat. Besides learning that the California Indians were hunters and gatherers, what else have you learned about them?  What other natural resources did they use?

We can extend kindness to our Mother Earth.  As we study photosynthesis  and the value of plant life in our world, stop and  reflect on how living things are interrelated and need each other.  What would life be like without plants and other living things?

Welcome back to school!  As we start a new school year, the students decided on three basic agreements for our classroom:

• Be Kind
• Be Safe
• Be Productive

We have witnessed acts of kindness in our reading selections, “Mrs. Frisby and the Crow” and “Toto.”  What did Mrs. Frisby do to help the crow?  What did Suku and Toto do for each other?  Mae Jemison, the first African American astronaut, worked with people in poor and underdeveloped countries.  What are some other examples of kindness in your school or community?

After our month long break, we continue recording our family stories.  Today, we are featuring three more interviews, conducted by the following students:

Jacob – An interview with his grandfather

Maylyn – Una entrevista con su madre

Rose – An interview with her mother

Tai – An interview with his grandfather

Wendi – Una entrevista con su padre

We are from various parts of the globe, but  our stories are interwoven like a patchwork quilt.  How similar yet different we all are–from Vietnam to China to Biloxi Mississippi–from walks in the park to jumprope to tetherball! Please listen to our family stories and tell us what you think.

Today’s interviews were conducted by the following students:

Ethan – An interview with his father

Ivan – An interview with his mother

Joyce – An interview with her mother

Rajanae – An interview with her mother

As we continue working on our family stories, we are learning so much about each other and how we have so much in common.  We are also learning about how diverse our stories are and how important it is to listen to one another.  As David Isay, the founder of National Public Radio’s StoryCorps says, “listening is an act of love”. 

Thank you for listening!

Today’s featured interviews were conducted by:

• Angelo: una entrevista con su madre
• Chase: an interview with his mother
• Matthew – an interview with our bilingual associate, Ms. Vue

We are calling our interviews “Stories from the Heart.”  We want to share these personal stories and hope you will enjoy them.  Keep looking for more interviews as we upload them to this blog!  Thank you for listening!

Anthony and his mother (photo)

Today’s featured interviews were conducted by the following students:

• Javier – An interview with his grandmother
• Louis – An interview with his father
• Sangeeta – An interview with her father
• Anthony – An interview with his mom

Please tell us what you think!

The students are busy editing their audio recorded interviews…cutting, pasting, and adding final touches.  Others continue working on written interviews and will soon be ready to upload to this blog.  We are discovering the richness and diversity in our family stories.   Priceless!

Jose with his dad (photo)

Today’s featured interviews were conducted  by:

•  Devina – An Interview with her grandmother
• Jose – An interview with his dad
• Ronshal – An interview with her father, part 1
• Ronshal – An interview with her father, part 2

Please tell us what you think!

We are up and running!  Welcome to another exciting year of fourth grade!  We start each Monday with a goal for the week, followed by a daily Project Wisdom  message, and then to a full schedule of reading, writing, math, social studies, science, and more. 

One of this week’s Project Wisdom messages was simple but very important…  BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND.  We talk about the message throughout the day and really try to practice it.  What can you do to show kindness at school, at home, or in your community?