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Ms. Kathryn Bonzo » About Ms. Bonzo

About Ms. Bonzo

 Welcome to 4th Grade!   Raise the Roof!
 
     A little background: My teaching career started in St. Augustine, Florida, after graduating from the University of South Alabama. Then, my husband and I lived, taught, and traveled overseas for almost a decade in Algeria, Singapore, and the Dominican Republic before coming to Idaho.  We moved here in 1994 with our daughter and have really enjoyed being involved in the community and participating in all kinds of outdoor opportunities. 
 
    I have taught and coached kids from preschool to high school. I graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching majoring in History from the University of in 1999 and have always continued to add to my professional and content knowledge.
 
     A little about the present at MCS: The students in 4th Grade get to integrate what they have learned from K-3. It is a special year developmentally because kids at this age want to be active and make a difference in the world. One way that I like to help grow their curiosity and interests is to take them off campus for field trips and do my best to bring in experts (which are often parents:)).
 
 

Classes

Posts

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Following Written Communication✍ from Another Classmember!
 
They had already been Mission Control. Now they are the astronauts of Apollo 13 having to make the Adapter so the air will filter the CO2 levels. 💡The experiment was about how what you write and say has to be clear so that someone could follow their directions!🌍 Luckily, this wasn't a life-or-death situation, but that is how we approached it because it was.🌌
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Lilian Focusing on Flowers and Plants that are in the AHM Garden
 
The activity to create an accurate map with the native plants from the garden was the task of orienting the map so that the features were correctly placed and identified.  Creating a graphic representation takes practice. This is a good example of being a scientist in the field and what it takes to do the work well. 
 
 
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Eos is sketching the artifact from the Nez Perce Collection at the Appaloosa Horse Museum
 
The kids and I have been talking about what student behavior looks like. This picture is a great example of how kids can focus, stay on task as scientists in the field using a clipboard, and adapt to their environment.
It was an interesting field trip and there is much more to learn at the AHM if you ever get a chance to go and visit. The place is packed with all kinds of history about the area and how people have lived here. And, of course, so much good info about the Appaloosa Horse!
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Wyatt shows 'Cave Art' of Appaloosa Horses
 
Today in Art, Ms. Jones helped the kids create ancient art history. Like the 20,000-year-old cave drawings in France, the kids were excited to create horses because our connection with these animals is meaningful. They are companions in work and play.
The Nez Perce had a special relationship with this animal and created the Appaloosa 🐴 which allowed them to travel all over their huge homeland.
 
It has been fun getting ready for our field trip tomorrow to the Appaloosa Horse Museum.
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 A Great Example of What Partner Work Looks Like - Bella and Sophia
 
Here the two talk about the task. The kids had 10 minutes to create the device using limited materials. They are focused and use their tools and materials appropriately.
What is interesting about this photo is what happens when people work together. They share what they are doing and how they think. Modifications are made because peer feedback helps each process ideas. This activity grows the type of skills needed in all kinds of activities in life.
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Building an Adapter: How Mission Control for Apollo 13 figured out how to create one and then communicate to the astronauts
 
What is Science? How do you communicate steps? That is what we have been working on. Becoming a skeptic is a good thing-- means you need proof and that is what science is all about. Plus it is a process. Today, after the kids built the adapter, they wrote the steps of how they built their adapter.
Our next part of this work is for pairs to work together to build a replica only using the steps written. 
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Ace explains the value of the digits in the large number as Max, Bruce, and Ezra, along with the rest of the class listen.
 
Making sense of numbers takes time and practice. Being able to explain why a digit has a certain location and worth is at the heart of all the math. Each day the foundation of communication in the language of these symbols shared and is another tool that takes focused attention. 
 
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Ily, Brynn, Gavin, Ezra, and Emily play Kings Across
 
Our whole class knows the game now and it was the Activity for Morning Meeting. This is a fun way to get to know other classmembers!
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Lani and Michelle show Attention to Detail
 
We talked today about the importance of crossing your Ts and dotting your I s.
 
The kids love learning this font and it helps their hands because it grows their fine motor skills.
 
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Lily brings in a bag of plastic that is as big as she is!!
 
The 4th Grade does a great job of making sure to keep plastic film out of landfills and waterways. The drop-off at school is a way to make sure that we take better care of our environment. Each thing we do is a positive step and what I love is the look on Lily's face about how proud she feels by bringing in her family's plastic.
 
THANK YOU!!
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Scientists Every Day!! Ace and Eos work on the Experiment Together.
 
The word Science means TO KNOW and I reminded the kids that they have been scientists all their lives making observations, creating predictions, and collecting data. Today, they worked together with their job partner to see how many releases of the rubber band it would take to cross the basketball court.
 
They all did a 'marble-ous' job of cooperating and taking care of the materials we used and for that, they got 2 handfuls of marbles for our Mug of Marvelous Acts Mug!
 
 
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Memorable Math Meal Menu--Lani and Emily say, "Veggies"!
 
We started with a little grammar-- alliteration-- and then built consensus on a meal for the people that are at the table. The kids had $50.00 to spend and what they didn't use, they could give to charity.
 
The meal math was a conversation about vegetables, meat, cereal, fruit, bread, a drink, and dessert. It was fun to listen to the meals they created from the insert from the Wednesday newspaper.
The 4th grade appreciates the subscription to the MPDaily News from a generous community member.
 
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Math Talks-- Sharing our Process-- Gavin and Gabe in front of our class 
 
The kids today worked on a problem from some information that we learned about the moon. Then they worked with the kids at their table to solve it.
And, after all this good discussion, each made a prediction and we collected the data and knew that another bar graph could be created to show their thinking.
 
Chugging along...🚂🤭
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This will make you smile: First Day of 4th Grade
 
Everyone was present and ready for the day! Fun start!
👏🏫
 
Check out my blogs from previous years:
2017-2018 School Year 
2016-2017 School Year
2015-2016 School Year
2014-2015 School Year