An extremely popular questions we’ve been hearing over the last week was, “What are we going to do AFTER Fort Ross?!” This week, students finally got their answer…sort of. While our month long exploration of Fort Ross zoomed in on a 30 year period of California history, this week we zoomed out big time. Using a timeline sketch model, Cerrito scanned important dates in California history. We started ~14,000 years ago, reviewing how long the first Indigenous Californians have been here, traveled down to the once glorious but then desecrated Aztec Empire, up and down the Baja and Alta California coast through the Spanish explorers, the first Catholic mission established by Junipero Serra,  Fort Ross, and ended in the Mexican Independence War. Doing this timeline will allow students to have a greater picture so that we can again zoom back in to the Ranchos and Missions.

Now that we’ve experienced studied and experienced what it would have been like to be cooks, militia, artisans, clerks, and hunters at Fort Ross, it’s time to take a deep dive into what was left behind. The sea otter were hunted into extinction in the area, and our study of systems tells us that no one species can be so drastically effected without immense impact on the rest of the ecosystem. We began examining the food web and ecosystem of the kelp forest, home to the sea otter and a plethora of other organisms. Students organized new vocabulary words into concept maps complete with sketches to help illustrate their thinking and the room was filled with squeals of delight watching the live stream of sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium before completing a See-Think-Wonder for their observations.

4th grade mathematicians were working hard on finishing up our current study of fractions and decimals. Using different models such as the egg carton, geoboard, and base ten tiles to help visualize equivalent fractions and decimals, students played games to build fluency. In partnerships and small groups, students reviewed their checkpoints from earlier in the unit to see if they could catch any ‘careless’ errors, errors they made due to going to fast, misreading or miswriting a number, or not reading instructions all the way through. After sorting those out, we reexamined concepts they wanted to review. Then as a class students scanned their post-assessment and were given the opportunity to ask any last clarifying questions or review questions before demonstrating all that they’ve learned this unit. Through this process, students are able to practice metacognitive strategies for gauging their understanding and take greater ownership of their learning.

Our readers are making great headway in their book groups, eagerly tackling tough but necessary conversations about censorship and racism. This month, for Black History Month, participate in the African American Read-In. Find a local event or read a book by an African American author. Need a recommendation? Check one of the lists provided by the National Council Teachers of English (NCTE).

Special Events

There’s never a dull moment in Cerrito Creek! On Wednesday, we were invited to celebrate Julia’s birthday in Strawberry. On Friday, students did a Cerrito Creek-themed word search while enjoying the snacks they earned for their snack party, and for Talent Friday, Tess shared her passion for writing and creating slideshows.