Spies and Such!

Spying played a very important role in the Revolutionary War! We discovered that men and women often took up this courageous role as the thirteen colonies pursued liberty. One particularly brave female was Wyn Mabie. Our very own Mrs. Bass recently portrayed Wyn to the fourth grade. The book Daughter of Liberty by Robert Quakenbush tells Wyn's heroic story.

Wyn bravely offered to retrieve for General Washinton some very strategic papers which outlined British troop movements. This plan included a gallant horse ride, a daring row boat adventure, and a disguise as a maid in enemy territory. Wyn successfully obtained the papers and handed them off to Washington. These very papers enabled General Washington to plan out his winning strategy for the Battle of Trenton in December 1776.

Wyn dressed in riding habit finery.
Truly Wyn Mabie was a heroine of the Revolutionary War!

The Wonder of Narnia

The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis captivates us all. We are thrown into an imaginary world with fauns, talking beavers, dwarfs, centaurs, and all manner of strange creatures. We quickly identify with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy in various ways. With each chapter it becomes more obvious that Edmund is falling deeply into deception and pride is keeping him from turning his back on the snares of the White Witch.

Having just concluded chapter six, we have more questions than answers-----"Will the four children be able to escape Narnia?" ; "Why is Edmund lying again and again?" ; "What has happened to Mr. Tumnus?"; "What does the Professor know about Narnia?" The spiritual parallels are beginning to unfold. We eagerly await tomorrow and everyday thereafter as we read, ponder, discover, and contemplate how this story in an imaginary land can reflect so much truth.

Take a moment to enjoy our very own Narnia in fourth grade ......

We find a lamppost as soon as we enter Narnia.

Always winter and never Christmas!

Aslan is never far away.

Aslan's tent----
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver
Waterfall.....
Cair Paravel
Winter turns to spring....
Turkish Delight......
The White Witch makes a surprise visit! She is definitely scary and ready to ensnare all of us into her false promises and empty words. Spells are cast and commands are made. We dare not disobey Queen Jadis.

Newsflash! Continental Soldier Visits Fourth Grade

After our colonial unit in November, we took a break from history and completed a science unit on electricity. Since our return from the Christmas break, we have been looking at the Revolutionary War. Last week we took some time to explore the Continental Army. We learned that the soldiers received just about $6.60 per month and sometimes didn't get paid at all. An eager young man could join the army at 15 with his parents' consent. Their necessary equipment is pictured below.

We studied drawings of their costumes too and read some books.
Then, we were definitely surprised when a Continental Soldier showed up at school! He was wearing a REAL uniform and he even had a haversack full of supplies such as a tin cup, plate, fork, and comb. He carried a bayonet, rifle, and had loads of buttons on his uniform.It didn't take too long for the students to recognize our visitor as Mr. Chesley, Jacob's dad. He was such a good sport to help us out by modeling our soldier uniform on loan from the OK History Center.

Notice his canteen.
Jacob was definitely proud of his dad! Thank you, Mr. Chesley , for teaching us about the Continental Army and Soldiers.

Birthday Surprises!

Without a doubt, kids LOVE their birthdays, but they also REALLY enjoy celebrating ALL birthdays, including their teacher's. Today we had a little fun in room 207. They pulled off a planned surprise-----all 18 of them!!! Pretty impressive, I'd say..... While we were taking a restroom break, two sweet moms (Crystal Mills and Renda Coffman) slipped into our room and set up a table of treats. (My tiara is courtesy of Mrs. Leadford, who crowns all teachers on their special day.) They sang Happy Birthday to me in Arabic which seems to be the favorite class version this year.

Balloons, flowers, scrumptious scones and muffins, a gift to use for something special and other treats... all of appreciated so very much.
Thank you to all for your love and kindness. I am truly BLESSED!

Amazingly Novel NOVEL PRESENTATIONS

We have recently concluded our novel study. The boys read John's Story 1775 while the girls read Maria's Story 1773. Both stories provide a window into lives of children during the latter years of the eighteenth century. The students enjoy these novels immensely. For the boys, it is the thrill of war, weapons, plots and schemes. For the girls, it is discovering that Maria ,age 10, must learn to run a home so her widowed mother can keep the family afloat as she manages to publishing a local newspaper.

As a final activity, each student presented an area of personal interest to the class.
We had a "hanging fact" presentation......,
A diorama......,
a monologue.....,
a trifold presenting life as a girl in the 1770's,
a Magazine model,
a delectable sample of cranberry relish from Maria's kitchen,
Queen's cake,
power points ,

more diaromas,

the struggle for liberty unfolded,
key players in the pre-revolutionary times,
trades,

and even funeral etiquette for the day.
Wow! Their creativity soared and they displayed confidence in what they had learned. Well done!!!!