Cerrito Creek got some awesome new additions to our classroom this week! Over the weekend, we received a new white board for our southern wall to go with our relocated projector (thanks Jose and Tim!) which allows us to sit at our desks while we use the projector. (Much easier for note-taking.) We also are starting our new book club book, Island of the Blue Dolphins, (read more below) which is always exciting. But perhaps most excitingly of all, we got a new student in Cerrito! His name is Jackson, he loves snakes, video games, and talking tattoos, and the Cerrito Creek kiddos have welcomed him with open arms. We look forward to continuing to get to know him! Keep reading to find out more about our week.

Cultural Studies

This week in Cultural Studies, Cerrito Creek continued to take notes on the four California regions—desert, central valley, mountains and coast. Each student became an expert on one region. After completing their notes, students met as a group to create posters that they will use to share with the rest of the class next week.

Reader’s Workshop

This week we did some reading “speed-dating” where student got the chance to share some of their favorite books with one another. We also launched our book club read of Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. A Newberry Medal winner and classic California history read for 4th graders (published in 1960!), we introduced the book by talking about the Lost Woman of San Nichols (who the book is based on) and comparing her identity to that of the book’s author. Given the discrepancies, we discussed what goes into writing a historical fiction novel, especially when one’s experiences are so different from that of your subject.

Writer’s Workshop

Students began working on their memoirs this week, using mentor texts written by previous Cerrito and Strawberry Creek students as models. We started creating a memoir rubric as a team, which will help us rate our writing based on 4 goals: clear organization, descriptive language, use of punctuation and appropriate grade-level spelling and vocabulary. We specifically focused our efforts on writing a catchy hook and “showing not telling” with our choice of words.

5th Grade Math

5th graders this week wrapped up their exploration of dimensions and volume when packing 24 baseballs into a box, and shifted their focus to surface area. Continuing within the framework of Brad’s Boxes, students asked themselves how much cardboard would be needed in order to make the boxes. Would all their surface areas be the same if their volume is the same? Can you hypothesize which would have the biggest surface area? Students also participated in a box scavenger hunt where they sought out different rectangular prisms around school and found their volume and surface area.

4th Grade Math

This week, fourth graders started practiced multiplication strategies for different numbers and used those strategies together with tile arrays in a game competing to see who could completely fill their 10×10 grid with tile arrays.

Science

Our scientists continued their investigation of mixtures and solutions by hypothesizing ways to separate out the mixtures of water and gravel, water and diatomaceous earth, and water and salt back into their component materials. Students then used screens and coffee filters to try and separate the mixtures. After observing that the salt and water mixture couldn’t be separated with the screens, we shared theories about what had happened to the salt, the difference between melting and dissolving, added the new words ‘solution’, ‘solvent’, and ‘solute’ to their glossaries and made hypotheses on how the salt and water solution could be separated.

Additional Notes

• Sam will be in Hawaii for her wedding until Tuesday, 10/1.
• Friday, Sept. 27 is picture day!
• There is a California Coastal Clean up at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday the 21st.
• Fall Fest is this weekend at the UAC on the 22nd from 11:00-2:00 come celebrate the turning of the season.
• We will begin MAP testing next week.