My Fourth Grade Classroom

Welcome to Mrs. Justen's Fourth Grade Classroom.

In this classroom, I strive to bring the world to my students. I do this by taking virtual field trips and connecting to different people around the world. The best classroom management is a strong lesson plan where students are engaged and excited to learn. Some of those ideas are shown in the images below. I want my students to feel loved and cared for when they enter this classroom. Happy students will learn more. Students collaborate and use hands-on materials as often as possible. I try to teach Social Studies and Science as much as possible since those subjects help build background knowledge as well as teach students how to read.

Students spoke with a Rwandan veterinarian through an online video chat alongside students from six other classrooms across the U.S. and Canada. They spoke about the realities of endangered species and focused specifically on the grey-crowned crane. The program was coordinated through National Geographic.

We were featured on the local news and on Edutopia.

Minecraft EDU

The local news and Middleweb Smartbrief picked up the Minecraft Math activities I did.

Escape Room

Students collaborated to solve clues about the Lost Colony. Here students are opening the final box.

Main Ideas in Social Studies

I try to combine history with language arts skills as often as possible. Here students are finding the main ideas of an article about European Explorers.

Independent Reading

Students choose their own books. Independent choice in reading grows thoughtful readers.

Flipgrid

Students showed their learning about text features of a science text by presenting on Flipgrid.

1-to-1 computers

Students have 1-to-1 devices and use them daily, redefining the way we learn in the classroom.

Data Wall

Students track their homework and see their growth on the classroom data wall.

Classroom Management

Each day I secretly watch a "secret student" who gets special privileges the next day.

Calm Spot

We are a MTSS school. Part of our Tier I intervention program is calm spots in every classroom.

Canvas and peer editing

Students used Canvas to first type and then peer edit their Personal Narratives.

History's Mysteries

I worked with a local museum to bring regional artifacts to help students discover history about our local area.

Yoga Club

I bring my love to yoga to students in Yoga Club.

Soft Starts

Students have options for their morning work, setting the tone for the day.

Book List

Students are challenged to read 40 books and track their progress in their Reader's Notebooks.

Birdwatching

I worked with the arboretum on Project E.X.P.L.O.R.E. incorporating birdwatching, data collection, and citizen science.

Shark Teeth

Students were citizen scientists and collected information for a university, finding shark teeth for a local natural history museum.

Hands On Math

Students learn best when they can work with hands on materials, especially in math workshop.

Word Work

Students are groups according to ability for word work, enabling me to work with small groups during this time.

Book Tasting

Students got to choose their next book for guided reading by participating in a book tasting.

Team Work

Students watched a Ted Talk and built their own spaghetti towers.

Working with Kindergartners

Students wrote books and read them to the little ones.

Lighthouse Projects

Students wrote a research paper on and created a replica of one of the North Carolina lighthouses.

Governor's Educator Discovery Award

I was awarded with funding to go to a conference of my choice and I choose to go to Get Your Teach on New England.

Small Groups

At times it is appropriate to group students according to ability so they can work on an assignment at their level.

Earth Cam

I worked with the digital learning coordinator on an Earth Cam lesson.