This Week...9/28/15

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

This past Thursday, we observed 'See You at the Pole' during Chapel time.  This is a day, once a year, when students across the nation meet at their school flag poles to pray for their schools, families, and communities.  For our part in the observance, the fourth graders wrote a prayer together, and I wanted to share it with you.

Lord, we pray:

• For all of the kids who can't pray in their schools, that they will find encouragement.
• For the homeless, that they will find a home.
• For those who don't know about you, that someone will tell them.
• For people who are sick, that they will be healed.
• For all of your creatures, that they will stay healthy and safe.
• For the elderly, that someone will help them do the things that they can't do for themselves anymore.
• For poor children around the world, that their needs will be met.
• For the boy who broke his arm yesterday, that he will heal quickly.
• For Mountain Island Day School, that we will continue to grow, and learn, and care for each other, and bring God glory.

We pray these things in Jesus's name.

These children have such pure, loving hearts.  I truly cherish the time that we spend together!

Field Trip - Tuesday 9/29

This week we have our field trip to Schiele Museum on Tuesday.  Please have your child wear a light blue top and khaki bottoms that day.  Also, they'll need to bring a bag lunch.  I'll send out an email reminder and a Remind text on Monday afternoon.

This Week...

In addition to our field trip, we'll be busy with lots of other things this week.

Math:  We'll begin Unit 2 - Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers. This week we'll be working on using mental math to add and subtract whole numbers, estimating sums and differences of whole numbers, and solving problems that have missing, or unnecessary information.

Six Minutes to Math Fact Fluency:  We're also going to start working on developing fluency with our math facts.   Some children will start on their addition facts, and others on multiplication facts.  I assessed their readiness last week to determine where they needed to begin.  The kids will be working with a partner to see how many math facts they can give the answer to in 3 minutes.  Each child will graph their results daily, and will work to continue improving that number.  Each week they'll take a quiz to see if they're ready to move on to a new set of math facts.  I'll send home individual notes to let you know what facts your child is working on so you can help them practice at home.

Reading:  This week we'll be talking about making connections with what we read...those "that reminds me of...' moments.  We'll also begin meeting in our guided reading groups.  In our groups, we'll choose a chapter book that we'll read together.  The focus of each group will be different depending upon the needs of the readers in that group.  For example, one group may focus on the structure of the book (character, setting, plot), while another group may focus on author's craft (the types of literary devices you find in the story...figurative language, foreshadowing, allusion, etc).  Once each group has chosen a story, we'll develop a reading schedule and begin our journeys together through our books!

Writing:  The kids will finish editing and publishing their first pieces this week (we'd hoped to do this last week, but ran out of time).  We'll also do a writer's reflection and add these new writing pieces to our writing portfolios.  I can't wait to show these to you at parent/teacher conferences!  We should begin our next writing unit at the end of the week:  Sentence Structure.

Language:  We'll look at the 'Hard and Fast Rules' for using numbers and plurals in our writing.

Social Studies:  In addition to learning more about the North Carolina Natives at Schiele Museum this week, we'll also look at the different groups that came from other parts of the world and settled in North Carolina, such as the Quakers, Moravians, Highland Scots, and Africans, and how their cultures impacted the areas they lived in.

Bible:  We'll learn about some of the miracles that the apostles performed in Jesus's name as they spread the Gospel.  Our memory verse this week is:  

• Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold, but I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk." - Acts 3:6

I'm praying that you each have a wonderful week!

This Week 9/20/14

Hello!

Thank you to those of you who were able to join us for Curriculum Night last week!  It was great to see you :)  For those of you who weren't able to make it, you can see the powerpoint presentation by clicking on this link:  Curriculum Night PPT

I just had to share this picture from recess last week:

The kids found this BIG, UGLY, GREEN caterpillar, and were absolutely fascinated by it!  They watched it crawl along every stick they could find, and wanted to know what it would turn into.  We looked it up and found out that it's a Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar.  The moth is the kind that looks like it has two big eyes on it's wings:

Some of us thought it was cool, and some thought it was creepy...what do you think?  Never a dull moment with these guys!!!

DON'T FORGET:  Permission slips and payment for our field trip to Schiele Museum are due on Wednesday, Sep 23rd

So, here's what's coming up this week in...

Math:  We'll be wrapping up the last activity in Unit 1 on Monday.  We'll be reviewing the following skills on Tuesday:

• Write numbers (into the millions) in standard, word, and expanded form
• Round numbers (into the millions) to any place value
• Compare and order numbers by using what they know about place value
• Break down dollar amounts into the dollars (ones), dimes (tenths), and pennies (hundreths)
• Count money and figure out change given
• Using an organized list to solve a problem

On Thursday we'll begin Unit 2 - Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers.  We'll also begin working on building our math fact fluency this week.  I'll write more about that in a separate blog post.

Reading:  This week we'll continue working on monitoring our understand of what we read, focusing on how to determine the meaning of words by using context clues.

I've completed the kids' beginning of the year reading assessments, and will begin forming Guided Reading groups.  We'll probably start meeting with our Guided Reading groups next week.

Language:  This week we'll work on the Hard and Fast Rules of Apostrophes, Quotations, and Numbers. 

Writing:  On Monday, the kids will go through the pieces they've written since school started, and they'll choose one to take through the publishing process.  We'll focus on revising, editing, and publishing their writing this week.  This will be the first writing piece that they'll add to their Writing Portfolios!

Social Studies:  In our NC unit, we'll complete our Glogs on the NC Native People and will share them with each other.  Then we'll begin looking at how the North Carolina colony came to be, why people wanted to come here from England, and the challenges they faced when they got here.

Bible:  We'll learn about how the believers came together following the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the disciples.  They met together every day, ate meals together, and supported each other.  Our memory verse this week is:  

• The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared life together. They broke bread and ate together. And they prayed. Acts 2:42

I pray that you all have a wonderful week!

This Week 9/14/15

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

In Friday Folders the kids brought home permission slips for our field trip to Schiele Museum on Tuesday, September 29th.  Please watch for these and return them to school with payment (by check) as soon as possible!

We had a good first week acting as MID's Safety Patrol!  Mrs. Verdi came in and  talked with the kids about Safety Patrol expectations, and what they would be responsible for while they were working the car line.  The kids couldn't wait to put on the Safety Patrol belts and get up there to help!

This week, Thursday, September 17th from 6:30 to 7:30, we'll have our annual Curriculum Night.  You'll get to walk through a day in your child's shoes!  I'm looking forward to seeing you for this fun and informative evening.

Also, we'll be alternating between Spelling and Vocabulary words each week.  This week the kids will be working on vocabulary and will have homework based on these words.  After assessing how they do with this week's words, I'll determine if students need to be working at this same level or if they should be working at a higher or lower level.

This Week in...

Math

We'll continue working on Using Money to Understand Decimals, and Counting Money and Making change.  Take a look at last week's post to see some online activities you can use with your child to help them practice these concepts.  We should be ready to take our Unit 1 assessment early next week.

I'll begin assigning  Moby Max (www.mobymax.com) for some of our Math homework beginning next week, and I'd like the kids to complete the initial assessment at home this week for homework.  I'm sending home the login instructions with their homework contracts.  Please be sure to have the children complete this assessment on their own (with no help from parents) so that we get an accurate picture of their abilities.  Moby Max assesses whether there are any missing skills and then assigns activities that help the kids work on those skills.  Once those skills are mastered, they'll be assigned activities that will reinforce what they already know, and challenge them with new skills.

Reading

We'll read the last chapter of Indian in the Cupboard on Monday, and I'll be assigning a project based on the book for students to complete at home.  The directions and grading rubric will be attached to this week's homework contract, and is posted on the Homework page of the blog.

In class, we'll be talking about leaving tracks of our thinking as we read.  I don't know about you, but I'll often read something and have all kinds of thoughts and questions, but if I don't write them down, I'll forget them.  I'll be teaching the kids how to record their thoughts on sticky notes (when we can't write on the text) and to annotate text in the margins (when we can write on the text).  This will be a great skill for them to have as they move into middle and high school.

I've been working on Word Recognition assessments with the kids and will complete those on Monday or Tuesday this week.  Then we'll move on to Comprehension Assessments.  I'm hoping to have all of our beginning of the year assessments done early next week so we can begin our guided reading groups.

Language

We'll be continuing to work on the rules for commas and apostrophes this week with some practice activities. 

Writing

One day this week the kids were lining up to go back in the building after recess, and one of them asked, "Will it be Writing time when we go in?"  When I said it would be, several of them said, "YES!"  I love seeing them so excited about their writing!  The kids and I have begun holding Writing Conferences, and I've been having so much fun reading their writing.  This is a creative bunch!  We're focusing on the Ideas writing trait right now, and this week we'll talk about using Special Places and Special People to generate writing ideas.  

Social Studies

This week we'll be working on a Glogster project to share what we're learning about the North Carolina Natives that originally lived in each region of the state.  Five students will focus on each region (Coastal Plains, Piedmont, and Mountain).  After they've completed their 'glog', they'll break into groups of three (with each region represented) and will teach each other what they've learned.  I think they're going to love it!

Bible

In the first chapter of Acts, we'll read about how Jesus's disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit when it came to them on the day of Pentecost.  At this time, the city of Jerusalem was filled with people from every nation, who were there to celebrate the feast day.  They all looked around in amazement as they realized that they could understand each other, even though each of them was speaking in his or her own language.  Peter then addressed the crown and explained to them what was happening.

Our memory verse this week is:  

• They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:3-4

Have a wonderful week!

This Week 9/8/15

I just have to share some pics from the last week or so...

Our first Safety Patrol!!!  I'm emailing the schedule out today, and it's posted on the Class Info page.

Trying to save Fred...Fred is a worm (gummy) who's capsized his boat and can't swim.

The kids had to work together to get Fred into his life preserver (a gummy ring),

and back into his boat.  The catch is...they can only use the paper clip they've been given!

They can't touch anything with their hands.  Success!  This team saved Fred!

So did this one!  Eventually, everyone saved their Fred, and had a lot of fun doing it!  The reward was...gummy worms and gummy rings!

THIS WEEK...

Now that we're settled in and on our regular schedule, I'll be posting on the blog every weekend to let you know what's coming up that week.

Math:  We'll be working on using what we know about Place Value to compare, order, and round whole numbers into the millions.  Then we'll begin using money to help us understand decimals to the tenths and hundreths place.

Here are some links for activities you could have your children do at home:

Comparing and ordering numbers:

Study Zone

Topmarks  The games toward the top of the page are for younger children, but the ones further down are perfect for 4th graders.

Rounding Numbers:

Mathman

Math Millions

Using Money to Understand Decimals:

Lunch Lady

Scottie Nickel's Change Maker

Reading:  This week we'll be talking about that inner conversation that we have when we read, and how sometimes it helps us focus on the text, but other times it distracts us.  As readers, we want to be aware of when we get distracted so we can refocus and get back to our reading.

We'll also talk about times when we get stuck, and strategies that we can use to help ourselves keep going.

I'll be assessing the kids' reading levels this week so that we can begin meeting in guided reading groups.  During guided reading we'll meet in small groups of students at the same reading level to get instruction at the 'just right' level to help us grow as readers.

We're about halfway through our current read aloud - The Indian in the Cupboard.  When we finish, the kids will have a project to do at home, and they'll have a week to complete it.  I'll be sending home the details at the end of the week, and I'll post them on the Homework page.

Language:  We reviewed the Parts of Speech last week, and will focus on the Hard and Fast Rules of Capitalization, Commas, and Apostrophes this week

Writing:  This week we'll go over the Six Traits of Writing (Voice, Organization, Ideas, Conventions, Excellent Word Choice, and Sentence Structure), and we'll begin focusing on the Ideas trait.  We'll talk about where we get our writing ideas from (and where some authors have gotten their ideas!) and brainstorm some lists in our Writing Notebooks.  We'll also begin doing Teacher/Student writing conferences.  I'll meet with each student one-on-one every week to talk about their writing, give individualized instruction, and set writing goals.

Social Studies:  We'll continue our study of North Carolina, focusing on the Piedmont and Mountain Regions.  Then we'll talk about the Native Peoples who lived in each of these regions.

Bible:  We'll be studying the book of Acts during most of this school year, and it's FASCINATING!!!  I gave the kids an overview last week, and we talked about our memory verse...did you know those were the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before he ascended into heaven?

This week we'll learn about what happened to Judas after he betrayed Jesus, and how the disciples chose a new leader (Matthias).  Both of these events fulfilled scripture written in the book of Psalms (69:25 and 109:8)

Our memory verse this week is:

• But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you - John 14:26

Have a blessed week!