Next Week's Plan

Well, we're half way through break. I hope everyone is enjoying it! I just want to let you know what is in store for when we return. We will spend a lot of time reviewing the expectations and procedures that we set up at the beginning of the year. In math, we'll spend time reviewing and then move on to more algebra. We will begin researching and planning the biographies we'll be writing throughout the month of January. These biographies will be about Famous Hoosiers. Each student gave input before we left for break and will be assigned one of those people. We will begin the new year by reading something short (I haven't decided what just yet). Sometime around the middle of the month, we will begin reading Because of Winn-Dixie. We'll also be starting a Social Studies unit on the early people of Indiana through the pioneers.

See you all soon!

Happy Holidays!

With the weather, I didn't get a chance to tell everyone to have a happy and safe holiday season. Please check back soon because I'll be posting some of the pictures I took from Mini Mall and our party. Both of which were a huge success.

I know many of you are sad because we didn't get a chance to say good bye to Mr. L. He'll be working full time at his own school when vacation is over, but I'm hoping we can arrange something so that everyone gets a chance to say good bye. I know he really enjoyed his time in our classroom, and he'll miss all of you.

I'd like to encourage everyone to practice their multiplication/division facts over the break and to keep reading. Please have a safe and relaxing vacation! I'll see you next year.

Mini Mall is Coming!

I'm sure you have heard by now that our class is participating in Mini Mall. This is an experience where the children decide whether to provide a good or service for their fellow classmates. They may choose to make bookmarks, decorate pencils, or sell hand-drawn pictures. These would be goods. They may also choose to paint fingernails, sharpen pencils, or personalize items. These would be services. There are many, many choices. My only rules are that they may not sell food items (even if they meet the wellness guidelines) or resell their own belongings.

To further the learning experience, students will be earning and spending money. Each student started with $100 in mini mall money. They can earn more money by doing their Just Read and coming to school. They can also earn additional money for class stars and compliments. Their expenses include desk "rent," store "rent" (day of Mini Mall only) and goods/services tax. They are also fined for signing into the behavior book or not following procedures. My goal is to encourage them to think about pricing competitively yet for a profit.

Mini Mall will be Nov. 17 from 1:45-2:45 in the cafeteria. Students should have everything they need here that morning. They may also make advertisements and bring them in to put up beginning the week of Dec. 8. This is not a requirement. Please ask any questions via the comments on the blog, since I'm sure there will be other parents with the same question.

Indicator Quiz 4.3.2

I want to explain the indicator quiz that came home today. The assessment was to guage how well students understood the plot of the story. Many students recieved a Not Yet on this indicator. We worked on the indicator throughout the trimester and will work on it next trimester, too. I firmly believe that all students tried their personal best, but it is a difficult indicator. I hope that no student is punished for this grade since it is a learning process. If you have further questions, please contact me.

Book Orders

Parent on-line ordering will be set up on Monday, Nov. 17, at the latest. I apologize for any inconvenience. The on-line user name is CannonClass and the password is welovereading. Again, I will set this up on Monday. Orders will be due Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Just a reminder that next week ends the first trimester. Students will be taking a trimester review test in both math and reading/language arts. We are not permitted to send these tests home for security reasons. I will be sharing the scores with you at conferences along with the new report cards. If you want to help your child review for the test, some ideas would be to work on place value, adding and subtracting large numbers, rounding numbers, review of adverbs, prepositions, and past tense verbs. Also, it is always helpful to ask your child to tell you about what they are reading.

Speaking of reading, I collected the Just Read sheets so that I can enter the grades for the trimester. New sheets will not be going home until December 1. I encouraged the students to continue reading so that they do not get out of the habit--even if they don't read a full 20 minutes every night. Again, we will continue Just Read after the Thanksgiving Break.

Have a great weekend.

Long time...

Well, I haven't posted in awhile, and I found that I was missing it. Everything is going really well in class. The students have adjusted to Mr. Laingren teaching full time, and he is doing a great job! He has the students reading some incredible books about children who learn how to survive in what can be a cruel world. They are also working on algebra, writing descriptive pieces and learning about Indiana's government.

I will be sending home conference dates and times on Thursday. Please send back only the bottom part of the sheet with the confirmation--I have copies of what I am sending home. Mr. Laingren and I are looking forward to seeing everyone and chatting about the first trimester. I will be handing out report cards at that time, as well. See you then!

Happenings

As I'm sure everyone is now aware, I've assigned another project. This one is for social studies and deals with the geography of Indiana. I realize that everyone worked very hard on the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing projects, which is why the map project is not due until November 7 (Friday). This should give everyone enough time to get it completed and turned in to me. I also included a copy of the grading page so that students were aware of what is expected of them.

Just to update what we're doing in class, we are going to have a quiz in Word Study tomorrow. We're also tying up some loose ends in reading before Mr. Laingren starts book clubs next week. In writing, students are finishing up their personal narratives, which are due on Wednesday. Mr. Laingren began teaching the math indicator on relationships between addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as a social studies unit on Indiana government and elections. Since 4th grade focuses on Indiana History, our election study will focus on the gubernatorial race.

I hope that everyone has a relaxing and safe Fall Break!

Challenge Met

Thursday was a big day in our classroom. First, Mr. Laingren (our student teacher) joined us for the first time. What a day to start a new assignment! Within 10 minutes of the students entering class, we were on our way to Challenge Ed. The students showed throughout the day that they could work together to solve problems. They also supported each other on the low ropes activities. The students cheered for their classmates, and, in some cases, carried them to the finish line. It seemed like everyone enjoyed the day, including me and Mr. Laingren.

This week will bring an end to many of the units on which we've been working. On Monday, we will finish Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I did change the due dates for the 2nd and 3rd projects (Oct. 20 and 24, respectively). I'll also be assigning a personal narrative in writing that will be taken for a grade. We've been working on adverbs and prepositions. Next week, we'll review prepositions, talk about verbs, and take a quiz over it all on Thursday. In math, we'll be working on patterning. I am not pretesting this indicator because we are spending such a short time on it. I'm planning on a test over rocks, glaciers, and the land of Indiana towards the end of the week. I'm thinking Thursday again. Students may bring home science and social studies books to begin reviewing what we've already read. We'll also review in class.

In regards to having a student teacher, I will continue the majority of the teaching until Fall Break. The plan is for Mr. Laingren to take over teaching on November 3. I know he's excited about this, and so am I. The students also seem really glad to have him in our class. It's going to be a wonderful experience for us all!

Wonderful Visit!

We had a very nice turnout for Grandparents' Day! Please extend my thanks to all of the grandparents who were able to make it. Unfortunately, I know that not all grandparents are able to attend, but please convey to them how much I enjoy working with their grandchildren! The music performance was spectacular. Our entire class did a fantastic job of participating. I have never heard so many students singing at one time. I was very impressed.

Also, congratulations to all of the students who took part in the Cross Country meet. Everyone did their personal best and should be proud of their accomplishment.

On to business...next week, we will be working on the rules for multiplying by 0 and 1. I would encourage everyone to begin reviewing all multiplication facts now. We won't be assessing on mulitplication until early November, but I'd like students to be reviewing the facts that they already know.
We should finish Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing sometime next week. I gave the students a Tic-Tac-Toe board of activities for the book. They are to choose one activity from each row to complete independently, for a total of 3 assignments. I have listed the due dates under the "Important Dates" heading. There will be minimal class time to work on these assignments, so they are homework and are the students' responsibility to finish on time.
We will be finishing our science/social studies unit on the land in Indiana in the next week or two, as well. Prior to a test on the subject, we will complete a study guide. I will give the students an exact date once I see how long the remainder of the unit will take us.

Remember that we have Challenge Ed on Thursday, so check the weather forecast and be prepared. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Challenge Ed Info

It was brought to my attention by half the class today that I did not have a date on the permission slip for Challenge Ed. I apologize. We are going on October 16. I will be sending home a short note with the date, what to wear and what to bring just as an additional reminder. However, I also wanted to address in the blog what Challenge Ed is.

On October 16, we will be going to Fegley Middle School where they have what is known as a "low ropes" course. The students will be doing a variety of activities outdoors for the entire day. These activities are designed to build community and promote a caring and supportive environment in the classroom. There are two facilitators that will go with us to run the program. They are Mrs. Engle, our P.E. teacher, and Mr. Lesich, a fifth grade teacher at Kyle. I am there to observe the dynamics and deal with any health or behavioral issues. This is a truly unique opportunity for students to interact with their classmates outside of a traditional classroom setting.

The program takes place outdoors, so students need to be prepared. No one will be allowed to go if he/she is not wearing long pants to school that day. Also, students must wear gym shoes. Depending on the weather, I suggest dressing in layers, especially since we are in a wooded area. Everyone will need to bring a lunch, too.

I'm hoping to get a camera for the day so that I can take some pictures and post them for the parents to see. It should be a fun and productive day!

Week of Sept. 29-Oct. 3

We have finished ISTEP testing. All of the students worked very hard, and I am proud of the effort that they displayed while taking the test.

This coming week, the subject matter is staying pretty much the same. We will be continuing to read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Our focus will still be on predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing, but we'll also start discussing main ideas, plot events, and characters. In writing, we'll continue working on our personal narrative stories. I'll be giving mini-lessons on improving the writing technique, as well as practicing using capital letters for titles and in quotations. This week's math focus will be rounding, ordering, and comparing whole numbers. Finally, in science, we'll continue our study of how the land was shaped by glaciers.

Just a note on math: I was really happy with the way our groupings worked. I know there were some students who caught on faster than others in the main group, and other students who still struggled a little, but I feel like, in the end, our goal of mastering place value has been achieved. Now, we will continue to review the concept in order to ensure long-term understanding.

Have a great weekend!

Week of Sept. 22-26

Just wanted to let everyone know what we'll be up to this week. We will be ISTEP testing on Monday and Tuesday. In math, we are learning about place values up to 1,000,000. Our assessment is on Thursday. We are going to discuss character traits during guided reading on Monday. Then on Tuesday, we will begin our first novel: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. This is one of the novels that we will read as a whole class. We began writing narratives (stories) in writing last week. I love the everyone's topic.

I'd also like to let you know how I will be instructing math this year. Before each indicator, I will be giving a pretest. This is for my use only and not taken as a grade. These pretests will assess whether a student has already mastered the 4th grade math indicator. As you might imagine, I expect that the majority of the students will not have mastered these indicators yet. However, for those that do, I will be providing alternate activities to complete that extend the indicator that was pretested. Students who get a 90% or better on the pretest will be doing more group and independent work while I help the majority of the class to master the indicator on which we are working. Of course, I'm still available to answer questions and guide the students who are working in the small group. Every student is still expected to take the same indicator test and show mastery at 80% or better. Any student who does not master the indicator assessment at the end of the unit, will be helped to meet the mastery level on that indicator.

Just to provide an example: last week, I began this system for our indicators on using place value up to 1,000,000. Based on the pretest, I noticed that I needed to correct a common misconception among even the small group. I did this and then gave that group the assessment. This allowed me to be sure that they had mastered the standard before allowing them to continue in this group. It is important to note (and I am stressing this to the class): I do not expect many students to be in the small group. Most of the class should be working at grade level. It is also important to note that the students in the small group will change every indicator based on the results of the pretest. By using this method of teaching, I will be able to meet the needs of the students at a more individualized level. I know this is a lot of new information. It's new for me, too, but I truly believe that it will help students to be successful.

I hope that everyone is having a restful weekend! See you on Monday.

Quick Info

I just wanted to let everyone know that when you comment on a post (my entry), I usually respond in the comment section of that same post. To check, please click on the comment link at the bottom of the post. I always respond to comments in a timely manner since they come to my e-mail inbox first. In this way, I'm able to upload any comments and respond in one session. You all are making the blog a success. Thank you so much, and keep checking!

We're Ready!

Just a reminder that next week is ISTEP. Please remember to get a good night's sleep and eat well this weekend so that your brain is ready on Monday morning. Think of this as an opportunity to show everyone what you know. You have all worked very hard these first weeks as we've reviewed last year's material. Now, you'll have the opportunity to use what you have learned.

P.S. I wanted to link Nathan's website, but someone took my paper with the address. I will do it on Monday after I get it.

Back to School Night Success

I would like to thank everyone who was able to make it to Back to School Night. I enjoyed meeting the students' parents and getting to share what our classroom is all about. This afternoon, I sent home a half sheet of paper with my contact information on it as well as individual student's STAR math scores. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the STAR reading or STAR math. If you were unable to make it last night, I sent home the information on the grading scale and our trimester power indicators. I'm available to answer any questions you might have.

I'm happy to report that we earned our first reward for oustanding behavior! The students voted to have a comfy reading day on September 9 (Tuesday). What this means is that they may wear pajama pants and a t-shirt and bring a pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal to keep them comfy during reading time. I also told them they may bring slippers to wear in the classroom. However, they need outside shoes for entering/exiting the building, recess, and walking in the hallways. My general rule is that they can only bring what they can fit in a backpack. Of course, students are not required to participate or they may only bring that with which they are comfortable.

Again, it was nice to meet everyone last night. If I didn't get the chance to meet you, please know that you may call or e-mail me with any questions or concerns. I'll look forward to seeing everyone at Parent-Teacher Conferences, if not before.

First Full Week

Well, the first full week is under our belt, and I think it went pretty well. We began Just Read, which is a 20 minute nightly reading assignment. So far, everyone is keeping up with it. In class, we've been working on getting ready for the ISTEP test by reviewing. We also started to think about Indiana and what the land looks like. Next week, we'll start to get into what the land is made of and how it is formed. That includes a lot of hands-on experiences. It should be a lot of fun.

I'm also really looking forward to meeting everyone at Back to School Night. This year's format is a little different. I will have some time to talk with you about the expectations in our classroom and some of the specific events that will take place this year. There will also be some time for students to show off what they've done so far.

Please have a safe holiday weekend! See you soon.

Welcome to the Team!

It is time to get geared up for a new year of fun and learning! 4th grade promises to be a journey of adventure and excitement. We will read some fantastic books. You will improve your writing skills. In math, you'll be multiplying and dividing with ease. We also get to learn about the great state of Indiana and explore the world around us through social studies and science.

This blog will be important in our journey. It is the way that I will communicate about upcoming events and share what is taking place in the classroom. I invite both parents and students to check frequently for new posts. While you're reading, please ask questions or make comments by clicking on the comment button at the bottom of the post. If you do not have a Google ID, you can click on Name/URL. Then type in your name (no URL needed) and post your comment. Comments are sent to my e-mail before being shown on the blog. Therefore, I can timely answer any questions about information I have posted. If you have a question or concern that more individually relates to your child, please e-mail (there is a link in "My Profile") or call me.

I'm looking forward to the new school year. I hope you are, too. See you soon!

Happy Spring Break

I'd like to say that everyone did a great job of making it through today, even though they were ready for vacation. I postponed our book tournament, so we will be starting on Monday when we return from Spring Break. Be ready to tell everyone why the book you chose is the best. We'll also finish our Roald Dahl books and begin a unit on poetry. Remember that we have our field trip to the Dunes on Wednesday, April 2. If you haven't already turned in your permission slip and money, please do so on Monday when return. You'll also need to bring a sack lunch and dress for the weather. I hope you all have a restful break and come back ready to finish this year strong!

Science Fair

Just a reminder that science fair projects are due April 3. Please make sure to leave plenty of time to complete your project and your board. Remember, this is will be taken for science grades, even if you do not usually attend science class. If you have questions, please let me know. Presentation boards are available at the Kyle bookstore or anywhere that you can get office supplies. Good luck and have fun!

March Madness Comes to Mrs. Cannon's class

Ever year, I host a "March Madness" of sorts in my room. Instead of using a basketball, though, we use books. Each student chooses a book to "defend." I then randomly draw brackets, and students face-off against each other to defend her/his book. The class takes a secret vote and the winner advances. By the end of the tournament, students have learned a little more about the power of persuasion, and we have a championship book. Past classes have really enjoyed this opportunity, and many students have found books that they would not have normally read. I expect that this year will be no different. The tournament is set to begin on Thursday, March 13.

Read Across America Day

Last Monday, March 3, the entire fifth grade took the time to celebrate reading. Each student dressed up as her/his favorite character (so did the teachers) and we did fun activities throughout the day. Students made character trading cards, learned about the life of Ted Geisel (a.k.a Dr. Seuss), visualized scenes, and learned important lessons from The Lorax. We also had guest speakers: Mr. Berta, Dr. Frataccia, and Mr. Psimos. I will be posting pictures from the day as soon as I get the cables to download them. Please check back!

Rockin' and Rollin'

Today was our trip to the Portage High to listen to the band and orchestra perform. The 5th grade students from all eight Portage elementary schools attended. The idea is to get students interested in participating in these groups as they enter middle school. Let me tell you, they were pretty convincing!

They played up tempo, contemporary music. We heard an instrumental piece from Pirates of the Caribbean. We also heard selections from Shrek and several other popular cartoons and movies. The students really enjoyed themselves. We were clapping along and a few students even tried to do the wave. The band and orchestra leaders seemed to enjoy the enthusiasm.

As usual, the students were on their best behavior and represented Kyle School very well.

Social Science Experiment

Today, the entire 5th grade participated in a social science experiment. The classes were evenly divided into two "teams"--a green team and a yellow team. It was decided that the green team would be the privileged group and the yellow team would be those who were less fortunate. Students were randomly placed. For example, in my class, I chose the even numbered students to wear the green badges and the odd numbered students to wear the yellow. I made a few changes to separate best friends to better faciltate the experiment.

The privileged group was allowed just that. They went to lunch and specials first. They were given priority seating choices. The less fortunate group would have to wait. They also had to share books for class activities. I did make sure that no one's learning was impeded during the course of the day. Everyone received the same instruction and participated in class discussions.

The experiment was designed so that students would understand what discrimination looks like and how it affects people. The other teachers and I tried to help the students understand that it was not just about race, but also about abilities/disabilities and economic advantages/disadvantages. For example, in our class, one less fortunate student won the lottery while a privileged student had a car accident and had too many medical bills to stay privileged. This was not done to reward or punish anyone. It was done to demonstrate that your situation may change at any time.

The students were good sports throughout the day. Some of the privileged students felt sorry for their classmates. Some of the less fortunate students made protest signs, though a few "went to jail" for "stealing" tape. Again, the point was not to punish any one student or any group of students, but to demonstrate that people are not always nice and rules are not always fair. Last week, we talked about how Rosa Parks and Dr. King stood up for what they believed was right by using non-violent means. I was proud to see that some of the students were "protesting" and upset by how they or others were being treated. It shows that they have a lot of compassion!

Upcoming Trip

Everyone should have received a permission slip today for a field trip to the Dunes on January 23. Please return them right away since the trip is already next week. Please make sure that the children are dressed warmly since we are outdoors and right on the lake. If there is snow, we will cross country ski. If not, we'll hike around the trails and observe the winter wildlife. It is a very interesting trip. Last year, we saw a beaver dam and found a deer bone that was left from a coyote. I'm excited to see what we discover this time around. I'm also hoping to ski since we weren't able to last year.

Good to be back!

Well, I thought the first day back went very well. Everyone settled back into our routine nicely, and we had a very productive day. We officially started geometry; we learned how a story is like a dinner menu; and we chose our book club groups. Tomorrow is a big day since we are going to be starting the book club groups. Essentially, the students are in four different groups, and each group is reading a different book. They'll not only read their book, but share with members from other groups, too. Each student looked over the four choices and then wrote down her/his top three choices. Everyone was then placed in one of those groups. I'm really looking forward to this new adventure in reading.

The January monthly calendar has not been sent home yet, but look for it sometime this week. As always, if you need to contact me, you may do so through the blog, e-mail, or telephone. Hope you're year is off to a fantastic start!

Here's to a great 2008!

I hope that you all had a nice new year. I can hardly believe that 2007 is over, but I guess I think that every year. We accomplished some important things in '07. We read 4 novels as a class. Most of you read many more when you think about what you finished doing Just Read and SSR. We improved our multiplication and division skills. And, we became a community and a team. I'm really looking forward to continuing to achieve great things in '08. We're going to take those multiplication and division skills and continue to apply them to geometry and fractions. I have picked out some great books to read for both guided reading and read-aloud. I'm looking forward to sharing one of my favorites, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, when we return from vacation. We're also going to publish some free writes and continue to improve our writing skills.

I'd also like to make a few resolutions. My first is to keep my desk more organized. My second is to keep learning fun and meaningful. I'd love to hear if you have any resolutions for the upcoming year. These are tasks that you want to accomplish to help you feel better. I'm very excited about getting back to school and starting a new calendar year! See you soon!