I am so excited to that you chose to check out the blog! Our first day is now behind us, and I thought it went very well! All of the students seem eager to get started and begin new material. We're going to keep working on establishing procedures because that will help us have a fantastic year. However, we will also start doing some more academic activities tomorrow that should be a lot of fun.
One thing that I did want to address was snacks. Fourth graders eat lunch at 12:40, which makes for a long morning. Students are allowed to bring in snacks, but they must follow the school guidelines. Also, please don't bring in anything that requires a spoon or a napkin to eat--even if it follows the guidelines. I want snacks to energize, not distract, us.
Now that you've been on the blog once, 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!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Week of April 6-April 9
Hello! I hope that everyone is having a nice weekend. I wanted to give you a run-down of what we have going on this week.
In reading, we are finishing our guided reading novels. I have a quiz planned for Wednesday, and I will be assigning a book project on Monday. The projects will be due on Monday, April 13. Students will also be taking an indicator quiz on 4.5.2, writing responses to literature. They will read a passage and answer an open-ended question.
In writing, we are working on the trait of Voice. This is the emotion and personality of the characters or author. These activities will lead us into our unit on poetry, about which I am very excited.
We learned about decimal and fraction equivalents last week in math. This week we will be focusing on rounding decimals to the nearest whole number or tenths. Our quiz is on Wednesday, and I will do any reteaching beginning on Thursday.
We will be having a story teller visit the 4th grade on Tuesday. Dan LeMonnier is coming to teach us about President Benjamin Harrison, who spent a majority of his life in Indiana. On Monday, we will spend some time discussing Mr. Harrison and prepare questions for our visitor. This visit also ties into our Indianapolis trip where we will be visiting the President Benjamin Harrison Home. I'm very excited for the children to not only learn about Benjamin Harrison but also the art of story telling.
Just a few reminders: permission slips for the Indianapolis field trip are due on April 13. If you've misplaced the slip, please let me know so that I can send home a new one. Also, there is no school on Friday.
In reading, we are finishing our guided reading novels. I have a quiz planned for Wednesday, and I will be assigning a book project on Monday. The projects will be due on Monday, April 13. Students will also be taking an indicator quiz on 4.5.2, writing responses to literature. They will read a passage and answer an open-ended question.
In writing, we are working on the trait of Voice. This is the emotion and personality of the characters or author. These activities will lead us into our unit on poetry, about which I am very excited.
We learned about decimal and fraction equivalents last week in math. This week we will be focusing on rounding decimals to the nearest whole number or tenths. Our quiz is on Wednesday, and I will do any reteaching beginning on Thursday.
We will be having a story teller visit the 4th grade on Tuesday. Dan LeMonnier is coming to teach us about President Benjamin Harrison, who spent a majority of his life in Indiana. On Monday, we will spend some time discussing Mr. Harrison and prepare questions for our visitor. This visit also ties into our Indianapolis trip where we will be visiting the President Benjamin Harrison Home. I'm very excited for the children to not only learn about Benjamin Harrison but also the art of story telling.
Just a few reminders: permission slips for the Indianapolis field trip are due on April 13. If you've misplaced the slip, please let me know so that I can send home a new one. Also, there is no school on Friday.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Rested and Ready to Resume
Hello, all! I hope that you all have had a chance to rest, relax, and ready yourself for the remainder of the school year. I know I had a very nice vacation, but I am definitely looking forward to getting back to school!
When we return, we will continue reading our fantasy novels in the literature circle format. The students have done such a wonderful job in their reading and discussions. We should be finishing these books by the middle of our second week back. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions to how the stories end.
In math, we will be continuing our work with fractions, but we will now be relating them to decimals. Expect homework as we practice and review the indicators that we've already mastered throughout the school year. It's important that we keep coming back to these so that those skills are not lost.
Most students have finished the persuasive writing assignment. Those who have not will be expected to finish publishing them this week. We are then going to work on the traits of voice and sentence fluency as we prepare to start writing poetry in mid-April.
In science we will review what we've learned about the Earth, Sun and Moon. Then we'll extend that learning through reading and further explorations.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I will see you all on Monday!
When we return, we will continue reading our fantasy novels in the literature circle format. The students have done such a wonderful job in their reading and discussions. We should be finishing these books by the middle of our second week back. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions to how the stories end.
In math, we will be continuing our work with fractions, but we will now be relating them to decimals. Expect homework as we practice and review the indicators that we've already mastered throughout the school year. It's important that we keep coming back to these so that those skills are not lost.
Most students have finished the persuasive writing assignment. Those who have not will be expected to finish publishing them this week. We are then going to work on the traits of voice and sentence fluency as we prepare to start writing poetry in mid-April.
In science we will review what we've learned about the Earth, Sun and Moon. Then we'll extend that learning through reading and further explorations.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I will see you all on Monday!
Friday, March 6, 2009
All Done!
The students finished the Applied Skills section of the ISTEP today. Let me just say that everyone worked very hard and I am proud of them. We still have the multiple choice portion to take at the end of April, but that should be a breeze after this test.
Our pizza party for winning the Box Tops competition is on Friday, March 13. The class also chose to have their comfy reading reward on that day. Students may wear pajama pants and t-shirts; they can bring slippers to wear in class; also, they can bring a pillow, blanket or stuffed animal that will fit in their book bags (I know how crowded buses can be.). All of this should make for a great reward for excellent behavior and effort!
Our pizza party for winning the Box Tops competition is on Friday, March 13. The class also chose to have their comfy reading reward on that day. Students may wear pajama pants and t-shirts; they can bring slippers to wear in class; also, they can bring a pillow, blanket or stuffed animal that will fit in their book bags (I know how crowded buses can be.). All of this should make for a great reward for excellent behavior and effort!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
ISTEP Underway
As you probably know, we began our ISTEP testing yesterday. We will be able to wrap up on Friday. Any make up tests will be given next week. I just want to say that I am really proud of how hard the students are working!
Even though we are testing, we are still continuing to learn new material. We are reading in our fantasy-based guided reading books. It's very exciting to see how each group is really getting into their reading through the jobs they've been given to do. I have heard some excellent discussions as I've listened to each group.
In math, we are going to begin working on fractions. We'll begin by reviewing what fractions are, and then we'll move into mixed numbers and improper fractions. Much of our work will be done using pictures to help us understand.
We will be continuing our persuasive writing pieces. We had to take a break from them to review prompt writing, but now we can concentrate on completing them and adding the finishing touches.
Also, I have some very exciting news. Our class won the Box Top competition by turning in over 900 Box Tops!!!!! We are being rewarded with a pizza party. I'm not sure when it is yet, but I'll keep you informed. Thanks to all of the students and parents for their efforts in collecting those Tops.
Even though we are testing, we are still continuing to learn new material. We are reading in our fantasy-based guided reading books. It's very exciting to see how each group is really getting into their reading through the jobs they've been given to do. I have heard some excellent discussions as I've listened to each group.
In math, we are going to begin working on fractions. We'll begin by reviewing what fractions are, and then we'll move into mixed numbers and improper fractions. Much of our work will be done using pictures to help us understand.
We will be continuing our persuasive writing pieces. We had to take a break from them to review prompt writing, but now we can concentrate on completing them and adding the finishing touches.
Also, I have some very exciting news. Our class won the Box Top competition by turning in over 900 Box Tops!!!!! We are being rewarded with a pizza party. I'm not sure when it is yet, but I'll keep you informed. Thanks to all of the students and parents for their efforts in collecting those Tops.
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