Author Skype

Team Gibbas students and students for Mrs. Kelleher's class joined together on February 28th to Skype with authors Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver the writing team behind the beloved Hank Zipzer series of books.  The Hank Zipzer series of books is based on Henry Winkler's life growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia.  The co-authors shared many writing tips for their young readers.

One viewer asked, "How can you be a great writer?"

Henry Winkler responded, "Don't edit until you are done.  Get all of your ideas out first."

Another viewer asked, "How will I know if what I want to write about is a good idea?"

Henry Winkler told all viewers, "What you have and are good at is what the world needs.  Have the courage to try your ideas.  You are smart and you are powerful whether you have learning challenges or not."

Another question asked was, "How do you begin a story?"

Lin Oliver gave this advice, "Try beginning a story on the day something changes for the character."

Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver have written and published 31 books and their 32nd is coming out in September.  Their books are printed in a special font called dyslexic font to make it easier for people with dyslexia to read their books.  This special font was created by a father in Holland whose child has dyslexia.

Thank you Mrs. Klipfel and Mrs. Kelleher for sharing this meaningful learning experience with us!

Natural Hazards Up Close

"Go inside the hurricane," one student exclaimed, "it's super cool!"

Students excitedly shared their findings with one another as they explored natural hazards with an augmented reality program from Google Expeditions.  Students used iphones on selfie-sticks to view tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes up close and from different angles.  Students could even see inside the storms by slowing moving the phone forward.  

Thank you Mrs. Klipfel for bringing the Expeditions AR Pioneer Program to our school.

4th Grade Science Standard

4-ESS3-2. Evaluate different solutions to reduce the impacts of a natural event such as an earthquake, blizzard, or flood on humans.

February Vacation Fun

Team Gibbas students had many different ideas about how they wanted to spend their February vacation.  Students and families were invited to write about and share pictures about what they learned or did for fun over vacation.

Nuclear Engineer Visits Proctor School

Nuclear Engineer Visits Our School

By Student Bloggers: Alex, John, and Gabriele

Last Friday, Mr. Gallant, a nuclear engineer visited Proctor Elementary School. He showed us all about nuclear energy. One thing Mr. Gallant taught us is that once you split an atom you cannot use it again. He also told us to never leave a nuclear power plant unsupervised. Mr. Gallant showed us the building where he worked. Mr. Gallant works at Pilgrim Power Plant in Plymouth, MA.

It is a really big building.

We asked him a lot of questions including, "How long have you worked at your job?" and "Are atoms dangerous to touch?"

Mr. Gallant got interested in his job when working on a nuclear submarine in the navy. Did you know that Mr. Gallant is our teacher Miss Gallant’s dad?

Thank you for teaching us about nuclear energy Mr. Gallant!

Tour Guides of the Southeast Region

Are you wondering which landmarks in the Southeast Region would be worthwhile to visit?  Well you are in luck because the Team Gibbas tour guides are here to describe what makes each of the below landmarks exciting places to visit.  Simply click on the pin on the map and the tour guides will explain interesting facts about each location.

Grade 4 Learning Standards:
4.10 Identify the states, state capitals, and major cities in each region. (G)
4.11 Describe the climate, major physical features, and major natural resources in each region. (G)
4.12 Identify and describe unique features of the United States. (G)