Vogelsang House Blog

Next week is our Ellis Island Simulation, a grade-wide event that is taking place on Tuesday, November 24th.  For the simulation, Mr. Andre and Ms. Gordon created 90 unique characters based on people who really immigrated over 100 years ago through Ellis Island! Every fourth grade student received their own identity (a historical-fiction blurb that introduces us to their character). From the identity, we can gather crucial information for our characters, such as what country they are emigrating from, their job/occupation, health, etc. However, there is also information that we are not clearly presented with, and with research and accurate creativity, we can begin to flesh out, or build our characters.

For our Simulation to be completely successful, there are assignments that we must complete prior to our event. We will first learn how to build our characters by adding vivid details using an example identity, then complete an autobiography checklist, and finally write an autobiography for our characters. Read below for a brief explanation of these assignments, as well as links to PDF versions of the assignments.

Click on the bold titles for a PDF version of the Assignments below:

How to Build Your Character (click here): As you read your identities there are questions that you should ask yourself to gain a deeper understanding of your character’s life and motive(s) for immigrating into the U.S.

Autobiography Checklist (click here): Complete this before your write your autobiography, as it provides a nice outline for your final autobiography.

Example Autobiography Checklist (click here): A completed version for Pierre Escargot.

Autobiography: A final draft of your character’s life is required to fully gain entrance into the United States. There is no PDF here, as the final draft is hand-written or typed on “aged” paper.

Example Autobiography (click here): A final draft version for Pierre Escargot. (Please note that this is an exemplary model, and that your language/vocabulary does not have to be as sophisticated…. but reach for it if you can!)

Vocabulary List (click here): This is a great resource to gain a better understanding for unfamiliar words in your identity.

Vogelsang House has begun our Hero Essays. For this assignment, we are writing two paragraphs. The first paragraph answers the questions “What is a hero?” and includes details about specific heroes in our lives. The second paragraph answers the question: “Who is the hero of Charlotte’s Web?” The second paragraph is meaty, because we have to include a strong argument to prove our point by referring to lines in the text and even including a counter argument (when we say why other characters are not the hero)! Click on the rubric below to see the detailed expectations for the assignment. When we finish, our essays will be posted on the blog. Come back soon!

Click here for a Hero Essay Rubric

Did you know that at one point in time, the Lower East Side was one of the most densely populated places on Earth?!? Over a century ago most of the immigrants in the Lower East Side came from Europe. Now the Lower East Side is home to immigrants from many places around the world. This past Monday, Vogelsang House had an amazing time on our field trip to the Tenement Museum and the Lower East Side!!! At the Tenement Museum, we took a tour of restored tenements and learned about the Gumpertz family who immigrated from Prussia in the 1880s and the Baldicci Family who immigrated from Italy in the 1920s. Thanks to our numerous Parent chaperones, we were also able to split into small groups and romp around the Lower East Side, looking for “signs” of today’s immigration. Because it is such a wonderfully diverse neighborhood, we were all able to experience flavored treats, vivid colors, and unique smells. Another great day!

Vogelsang House had a blast in Black Rock Forest! We didn’t just learn that leaves are beautiful during Fall foliage, we also learned how to use leaves to identify trees. The edges, inside veins and outer lobes of a leaf can help us decipher one tree from the next. We also showed our bravery as the fourth graders embarked on a solo hike! With a whistle and hand, and their eyes on the hiking “directions” marked on the trees, the fourth graders navigated their way through the forest! ‘Twas a beautiful day!

We have launched our oral history project! Earlier this week, Vogelsang House brainstormed a list of questions to use as a guideline when conducting our  interviews. Yesterday, we had a special guest come in who shared her immigration experience from Ecuador with us. We used the questions we created as a House and had a wonderful interview!! Below is a link to an electronic copy of the questions. You may begin your interviews now. Once your interview is done, please wait patiently for the next step: transcribing. We will learn how to transcribe in class.

Click here for an electronic copy of the questions (paper copy given in class as well).

This week, we began annotating Charlotte’s Web. Annotating allows us to take a deeper look into the text and all of the choices an amazing author like E.B. White made when writing, revising, and editing his classic story. As we annotate, we should be looking for the following items/literary devices: alliteration, lists, sensory details, changes (in season, character, etc.), repetition, the theme of love and friendship, “small but mighty” character traits, interesting vocabulary, and anything else that caught our attention. An example of how to annotate Chapter 1 is below.

Click here for a PDF of the full annotated version of Chapter 1.

Vogelsang House had an opportunity to interview each other and create Author Blurbs! Not only did we get to know our partners better, since they are displaced in the class, everyone who enters Vogelsang House has the opportunity to meet all of the amazing authors that comprise it! Check out one of the blurbs below!

Africa Wild! That’s was N.C. would say after he went to Africa this summer. But when he’s not in Africa, he’s on the Upper East Side with his Mom, Dad, and two sisters named Phoebe and Jane. You would usually see him outside playing soccer, baseball, sailing, swimming, and playing tennis. But when he’s inside, he’s eating salad and reading his favorite book series: Harry Potter. “I say a lot of stuff,” says Nicky. When he grows up, he’ll be an engineer.

This year, we will talk a lot about IMMIGRATION! This week in class we talked about how you all recently immigrated from Little Dalton to Big Dalton! We discussed what that experience was like for us, and made “maps” to visually represent our journeys! An example of our maps is below. Enjoy!

This is our house blog. I am impressed you found it already, wow! This site is currently under construction. But soon enough, it will be filled with colorful images and vivid entries to keep you entertained and informed…. Come back soon!