We're studying levers in science, and today's investigation was very engaging!


We learned that there are three classes of levers, using a pneumonic device 1-2-3-F-L-E. This helps us know where the fulcrum, load, and effort go in each class.

In a Class 1 lever, the fulcrum is in the middle, with the load on one side and the effort on the other. This looks like a teeter-totter. By moving the load and effort closer or further away from the fulcrum, it makes it easier to move the load. Both forces, the load and the effort, move downward.

A Class 2 lever, however, switches things up. It puts the Load in the middle, and the fulcrum and effort are on either side of that. In this case, the load still is a force that moves downward, but the effort has to move upward.

Finally, a Class 3 lever puts the effort in the middle. As with a Class 2 lever, the load moves downward, and the effort moves upward.


Today's investigation was engaging because each member of the team was able to design their own lever, either a Class 1, 2, or 3, and test it out by building it. We were able to discuss which models make moving the load easiest.


We have discussed why levers are important. As a class we came up with several examples of where levers are used in everyday life: our paper cutter in our classroom, a teeter-totter, a bottle opener, a clothespin, construction sites, etc. They make doing work easier.

In order to prepare for parent/teacher conferences next week, I’d like your input on your impressions of how this school year is going. We are working hard, and I’m curious to know how you are perceiving it. In this way, we can steer the conversation to your concerns and questions.

You can locate the survey here: http://schrad.me/conferences

My class is sort of on an book series binge lately. Also, I love young adult literature, so when I find a series I like, I tend to devour it. Those points in mind, I thought I'd post a Top 5 of my favorite books in a series.


This is just a classic. We're currently reading the first installment of this series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as our shared reading book. The vocabulary in these books is outstanding, and our class has had great things to say about what they're reading. The students in my class our quite interested in the rest of the series.

I love this series for several reasons. First, I love the style in which it is written. It seems as though the author, C.S. Lewis, is actually reciting the story to you as you read it. There are moments when he departs from the narrative of the story and talks to the reader. This is the kind of book where you can read it and take away the story, and then later in life read it again for even deeper meaning. Also, the magic in this book is great fun. How wonderful to discover a new world while playing hide-and-seek? Finally, I love the way in which the children have defining characteristics that make them separate from the whole. They need each other because they each offer something unique.


Speaking of needing one another, the Mysterious Benedict Society is such a great story. In this story, a group of children with unique talents join forces to save the world. I love the theme of everyone has to work together to achieve the task, and even the cantankerous little one is extremely important. This book is clever in that it involves riddles and puzzles to figure out.

I'm reading this story as our read aloud, and I've got a couple students following along as I read, and I have a few students ready to move on to the next story!


This is an AWESOME series. The premise seems pretty brutal: In a futuristic society, 24 children must fight to the death in order to bring honor to their land. However, the author does an excellent job of keeping the action going without being overly gruesome.

I read the three books in this series in a matter of a week; I couldn't put it down. Now, they are making the first book into a movie, and it comes out next month!


This series of books is awesome. They are funny and witty. I love them because they are easy to relate to, whether you are an adult or a fourth grader! They're written using cartoons, and so the books are fun to go through. It's like you're reading comics!


This series is epic. I couldn't make a list of series without at least mentioning this series. The books are amazing, and I love how the story gets darker and more intricate as the series goes on. It's like they hook you with a lighthearted tale in the first book, and then you're trapped in a much bigger story than you thought you would be!

In the case of fourth graders, the sheer size of the books can be intimidating, and it may be out of the reading level for some of them, but it's such a great story. The movies are good, but there is so much more in the books.


Books in a series a great fun. They have the ability to pique interest, and can hook you as you follow though a journey. There are several other series that are big with fourth graders (i.e. Percy Jackson), but these ones are my current favorites.

Book: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Thank you Miss Cowhick for being our Mystery Reader this week. It’s been fun to have staff members read in our room lately. Miss Cowhick the teacher for our first grade Study Buddies. She read a chapter from our read aloud book, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and then answered several questions from our class.

All hands have been on deck for reading, and great things are happening! For thirty minutes a day, four times a week, we have begun what we are currently referring to as Walk Time.

The premise is that we all have things we need to work on as readers. Some of us are working on phonics or comprehension, and others are working on fluency, vocabulary, or other reading indicators.

Our three fourth grade teachers, our principal, iCoach, and four paras are all contributing to groups working in these areas, and as a fourth grade, we are getting much better at discussing how we're learning.