Are you ready?

One of the most important events we have this week is our multiplication indicator quiz.  Why is this so important?  Multiplication is the foundation for most of the math that we will work on the rest of the year.  We'll talk about multiplying as we learn to divide.  We'll use multiplying and dividing when working with fractions.  Finding the area of shapes requires us to multiply.  You can be ready by practicing your facts using flashcards or the math sites on this blog.

This week, Miss Ellis will take over the teaching of writing.  She will continue to work on writing personal narratives with the students.  She has already been teaching math and word study.  Last week, she also began reading the book The Lemonade Wars.  She is doing a wonderful job of presenting the content and relating to the students.

Remember that Thursday is Picture Day. You will have your picture taken even if you do not plan on buying any of the packages, so be ready. 

Happy Fall!

This week marks the official start of fall--my favorite season.  It's a time when everything starts to change and prepare for the coming winter.  This holds true in our classroom, too.  When we finished our addition and subtraction indicator test this week in math, we marked an end to material that most students learned and mastered in 3rd grade.  Now, we will be starting multiplication.  While most students have a basic understanding, we will really begin to focus on this skill, expand what we already know, and prepare to use the knowledge as we move into division.  We're also going to look at the properties of multiplication and how it relates to other number operations.

We are about halfway through our first novel study.  We've really focused on predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing.  Now we are going to begin analyzing characters.  We've read enough in each book and have enough information about the characters that this should be a fun learning experience.  Also, our first project assignments are going to take place in class.  Students are finishing their daily assignments at different paces, so I gave them their choice menu (tic-tac-toe board) for this novel studies projects.

In writing, we are beginning to publish our first piece on our special object.  Our next piece is going to be a personal narrative--a story about something important that has happened in our lives. 

Also, we have a date for Challenge Ed...Monday, October 12.  Please check Take Home folders in early October for more information.

Week of September 8-11

I hope that everyone has a very nice Labor Day weekend.  Once we return from the long weekend, we'll pick up right where we left off.  We are still working on rounding and comparing/ordering numbers in math.  Those students who have mastered the skills will continue to work on enrichment activities.  In reading, we started our first guided reading groups.  Students are either reading The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson, Loser by Jerry Spinelli, Rules by Cynthia Lord, or The Jacket by Andrew Clements.  We are working on the reading strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing.  We will spend time on context clues, plot, and character traits.  In writing, we are building a strong foundation of the Six Traits so that we can delve into each a little deeper as the year continues.  This week, we'll be working a lot on word choice.  We have started our first science unit on rocks and landforms.  Our focus this week will be learning about what materials make up rocks.  Enjoy your holiday weekend!

First Full Week

We are half way through our first full week of school. I am so pleased with how quickly the students are learning the new procedures and how hard they are working on new material. This week, we have been focusing on place value in math. We will learn place value through the hundred thousands place. We are also reading a story on Lou Gehrig. It's one of my favorites! Through this story, we are learning about the reading strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing. These are strategies that we will use all year. In writing, we've began a list of possible topics that we can come back to all year long for ideas. We'll start our first writing piece tomorrow, which will be to describe the special object we brought to school.

Please mark your calendars for Back to School Night on September 3. I look forward to meeting everyone then!

Welcome to the Team!

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!