This Week 2/5/18

Hello Middle School Families!

Here's what's going on in our classes this week:

Social Studies
We've been learning about things that were going on in other countries during the time of the Renaissance in Italy.  Last week we talked about the Reformation, Martin Luther, The Golden Age of England, King Henry VIII (check out this song ...the kids loved it and requested it again and again!), Queen Elizabeth I, and the Spanish Armada.

This week we're learning all about the English Revolution, Cavaliers vs. Roundheads, the Stuart kings, Oliver Cromwell, and the Puritans.  I asked the kids if they'd ever heard of the Puritans before.

• ME:  Think about Thanksgiving, religious freedom, sailing to a new world...
• KIDS:  Oh! The pilgrims!  That was them?  Now I see why they left England.

Aaaaand it comes full circle...I love it when we can make connections like that!  Along with this unit, we've been doing a Filmstrip Project where the kids take what they've learned, discuss it in small groups, decide which events or people they feel were most important, and then draw pictures on a 'filmstrip' template and add a caption.  Eventually each group will put their 'frames' together to tell the hiSTORY of what was happening during this time.

ELA
In the A Day class we had been working on revising our writing to strengthen the evidence we've given to support our answers.  This week we'll be working on description in our writing, both for objects and characters.

In the B Day class we'll be working on dialogue, adding it to our writing, and adding narration around it to fill in information for our readers.

In both classes we're focusing on Greek and Latin roots with our spelling words.  This week's spelling list can be found here,  A Day will have their homework due on Feb 14th and will have their test the same day.  B Day will have their homework due on Feb 15th and will have their test on the same day.  The kids get extra credit on their tests if they can give me the meanings of the roots (which is on the list)!

Have a wonderful week!

This Week 1/1618...

Hello Middles School Families!

We're all crossing our fingers and hoping for snow tonight and tomorrow!  In the mean time, here's what's going on in our classes :)

Social Studies
In Social Studies, we've been studying the Renaissance.  We've learned a little about the Middle Ages, feudalism, and the Black Plague in order to understand what led up to this time of renewed interest in learning and culture.  We've read about the Italian city-states, how they came to be, and why they became powerful and influential cities.  We've also been able to make connections between the European Explorers that we learned about earlier, and their influences on what was happening during the Renaissance.  This week the kids are working on a research project where they are  each learning about a famous Renaissance figure.

ELA - A Day
In our A Day class we're working on using details from a text to persuade someone to see our point of view.  We'll also get a new spelling list of words with Greek and Latin roots.  The spelling homework will be due on Thursday, January 25th, with a spelling test on that same day.

ELA - B Day
In the B Day class we're working on adding evidence from a text to our writing.  Most of the kids can do this easily!  The B Day class has spelling homework due today, and a spelling test today.  They'll have a little time to study their words prior to taking the test.  They'll get a new list of words today, with homework due on Friday, January 26th with a spelling test the same day.

Have a great week!

This Week 11/27/17

Hello Middle School Families!

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break!  The kids were full of stories about what they ate, the things they did and the people they saw :)

Some important upcoming dates are as follows:

• Progress Reports will be available online Thursday, November 30th.  
• Dec. 14- Christmas Program will be at 9am.  Children TK-7th will need to wear red MID polos and khaki bottoms.  Light refreshments in the gym following the program.  
• Dec. 19- Early Release for Christmas Break.  More information on release times will be announced soon.
• Dec. 20-Jan 2- No School - Christmas Break

This Week In...

Bible

We're wrapping up our study of Moses' life this week.  Next we will be learning about the plagues that were visited upon Egypt during the time that they enslaved the Israelites, as well as what the purpose of those plagues was.

Social Studies

This week we'll wrap up our unit on European Exploration.  We'll be filling in our study guides on Wednesday (A Day) and Thursday (B Day).  The unit test will be on Friday, 12/1 for A Day class, and Monday 12/4 for B Day class.  Next week we'll begin our study of European geography.

ELA

We're digging deeper into Dahl's writing, and using it as a model for our own writing.  We talked about how he wrote about his most vivid memories in Boy: Tales of Childhood, and then created a timeline of some of our most vivid memories.  It's always fun sharing some of my childhood stories with the kids!  We'll use those vivid memories as inspiration to write an essay.

Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Update 11/13/17

Hello Middle School Families!

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving!  This year is flying by so fast!  Below are a few important dates to be aware of:

• Reading Night is Tuesday, November 14th.  PTO will open the used uniform sale in the upper building from 3-5:30.  There will be a PTO meeting in the Sanctuary from 5:30-6:00 and parents can visit classrooms from 6:00-7:00.  During reading night, teachers and students will share some different things that happen during reading instruction, as well as strategies and activities to try at home! 
• To celebrate reading night, we invite all students to pay $1 and dress up as their favorite book character at school tomorrow, November 14th!  (no weapons, please) 
• Personality Day is this Friday, November 17th.  
• Next week there is No School Wednesday-Friday (11/22 - 11/24)

This week in...

Bible:  We're continuing to learn about the life of Moses, and how God used him in the lives of the Israelite people.  We've also been talking about the fact that God has a plan for each of our lives, just as he had a plan to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

Social Studies:  In Social Studies, we're learning about why Europeans began wanting to explore in the 1400's (spices, gold and silk) as well as finding out about the tools that began to make navigating by sea safer and more accurate, allowing sailors to discover places that they never knew existed!

ELA:  This week we'll continue to read Roald Dahl's writing.  We'll also work on revising our writing to make it stronger and easier to read.

Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Update 11/6/17

Happy Monday!

Important Dates This Week...

• Social Studies and ELA Vocabulary tests for B Day classes on Monday, 11/6 and A Day classes on Tuesday, 11/7
• Veteran's Program on Thursday, November 9th
• No School - Veteran's Day on Friday, November 10th

This Week In...

Bible
This week we'll wrap up Lesson 6.  We've been learning about how the Egyptian Pharaoh felt threatened by the number of Israelites living there.  He worried that if they decided to join together in war with one of Egypt's enemies, Egypt would be defeated due to their great number, so he took them as slaves.  We'll also begin working on Lesson 7, which tells Moses' story.

Social Studies

Today and tomorrow the kids are taking the Geography assessment that starts our European Exploration unit.  Beginning on Wednesday, we'll be learning about why exploration by sea became necessary and how it became possible.  Then we'll learn about some of the famous explorers of the time period (1400-1600) such as Prince Henry the Navigator, Bartholomeu Dias, Vasco DeGama, and Ferdinand Magellan.

ELA

Today and tomorrow the kids will turn in their vocabulary homework and take the test on those words.  They'll be given new homework for the next two weeks.  This homework (Lesson 2) will be due on 11/20 (A Day) and 11/21 (B Day) and they will have an assessment that day.  This week we'll be starting to read some of Roald Dahl's writing, and look at how he focuses in on a moment, just as we've been doing in our writing.

Have a blessed week!

Weekly Update 10/30/17

Hello Middle School Families!

It was great to see some of you at the Fall Festival!  And I'll see even more of you this week at Parent/Teacher conferences.  Just a reminder that there is no school on Tuesday and Wednesday this week due to conferences.  Also, conferences for middle school students are NOT mandatory.  You only need a conference if you have concerns that you'd like to discuss.

This week in...

Social Studies (A and B Days)
We've begun our European Exploration unit with the Geography piece.  We're learning about Indonesia (then called the Spice Islands), the West Indies (Carribean Islands), and Africa, and how these different places played a role in European Exploration.  We'll have a Geography test next week:  A Day on Tuesday, Nov 7th, and B Day on Monday, Nov 6th.  The kids will have study guides that they'll bring home over the weekend.

ELA (A and B Days)
We're continuing our work on narrative writing.  This week we'll look at the difference between telling versus showing what is happening.

ELA Homework Reminder

• B Day students received their vocabulary homework 10/23, and it is due on Monday, Nov 6th.  They'll have an assessment on the words that day as well.  
• A Day students received their vocabulary homework on 10/24.  It is due on Tuesday, Nov 7th, and they'll have an assessment that day.

Wishing you a blessed week!

This week...10/23/17

Hello Middle School Families!

This week in...

Social Studies (Both A and B Days)
We're wrapping up our Ancient Civilizations unit by writing an essay that tells about the masks that we made.  The masks have symbols on them that represent the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.  We had a lot of fun researching and creating them!  Check it out!

The next unit we'll be working on is European Exploration.  We'll mainly focus on the early explorers from Spain and Portugal, the places and peoples they discovered, and the navigation tools that allowed them to sail further from shore than they'd ever imagined.  We'll begin with a short geography unit that will allow us to get familiar with the areas we'll be learning about:  the Spice Islands, West Indies, and ports in Africa.  There will be a test on this part of the unit on November 3rd (A Day) and November 6th (B Day).  A study guide will come home next week.

ELA (Both A and B Days)
We've been getting familiar with the ELA Amplify curriculum, and are currently working on the first unit, Dahl and Narrative.  The first half of the unit is spent working on narrative writing, and we've been working on focusing our writing in on one particular moment.  This week, we'll sharpen our focus on chosing one moment to write about, and adding lots of details.

This week I'll begin assigning homework for vocabulary.  Students will have about 2 weeks to complete the homework.

• B Day students will receive their homework today (10/23), and it will be due on Monday, Nov 6th.  They'll have an assessment on the words that day as well.  
• A Day students will receive their homework tomorrow (10/24).  It will be due on Tuesday, Nov 7th, and they'll have an assessment that day.
• I'll send out Remind messages about the due dates and assessment dates.  Students will also write them in their planners.

I hope you have a great week!

This Week 9/18/17

Hello Middle School Families!

I'll be using this blog to give you updates (every two weeks) about what we're working on in each class that I teach.  We're working on implementing Google Suites at MID, so the format may change once that's completed...I'll be sure to let you know :)

This week in...

Social Studies (both A and B day)
We recently completed our first unit...Geography Review...and are now beginning a unit on Ancient Civilizations.  We're studying the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations, and will learn about their development, culture, and accomplishments, as well as what led to their downfall.  We just watched some introductory videos, and next will learn about Central and South America to become familiar with where these people lived. 

Over the next two weeks we'll spend time learning about each of these civilizations, specifically, their location, form of government architecture, religious practices, advances, and what happened to them?  Our final activity will be for each student to create a clay mask.  They'll each decorate the mask with symbols that represent the three cultures, and will write an essay explaining what each symbol stands for and why it was chosen.

English Language Arts (A and B day)
During the first weeks of school we spent quite a bit of time talking about reading,  We discussed the fact that reading involves thinking, and the different types of thinking we do when we read (predicting, questioning, making connections, inferring, etc.).  My goal is for students to be active, mindful readers, engaged with their chosen text. 

I introduced the kids to Biblionasium.com where they can keep track of their reading, as well as review books and give recommendations to other students.  This is a safe, monitored forum for 6-13 year olds, and they only interact online with other MID students after you've given them permission.  If you haven't already, you'll be receiving an email inviting you to join us on Biblionasium :)

Over the next two weeks, we'll be starting the first unit of our new curriculum which will have us reading some selections by Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and working on writing in the narrative style.  A lot of this work will be done using student iPads,

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about what we're doing in class, or about your child.  The easiest way to reach me is via email at kpoole@midschool.org. 

Have a  great week!

This Week 4/17/17...

Welcome Back!
I hope you all had a fun and restful Spring Break, as well as a blessed Easter!

Now we begin the last leg of the school year...why does it seem like it's gone so fast?!?  We've got some important dates coming up, and an update on what's going on in our classroom this week.

April 21^st- Personality Day (free dress)
April 25^th- Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A
May 1^st-5^th- Teacher Appreciation
May 9^th- Progress Reports
May 19^th- Personality Day (free dress)
May 23^rd- EOG Pep Rally
May 24-26^th- Camp Mariner
May 29^th- No School
May 30^th-June 1^st - 3^rd-7^th Grade EOG testing

If you haven't already signed your child up for Camp Mariner, check to see if you still can.  It's the most fun field trip EVER!!!  We spend 3 days and 2 nights on Oak Island at Fort Caswell.  The kids stay in bunk houses (separate rooms for boys and girls, with LOTS of chaperones) and we travel all over the Southport area learning about the history of the area, and having a blast at the Fort Fisher aquarium, the beach, and the Provision Company (for dinner one night).  We end our trip with a picnic by the ocean and a trip to the Christmas House (sugar 'em up and send 'em home!).  It's one of my favorite events of the school year!

So, have your kids told you about our Praying Mantis habitat?  A couple of days before we left for Spring Break we received a Praying Mantis habitat with an egg case that should hatch in 3-4 weeks. We'll keep you updated on their progress!

This week in...

Literacy (Reading, Writing, Language)
We're starting our poetry unit this week, and today we learned the definitions of, and differences between, poetry and prose.  Tomorrow we'll begin our review of Figurative Language and will talk about metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and personification throughout the week.

We're also working on opinion writing, and supporting our opinions with facts.  We're taking our inspiration from the game "Would You Rather..."  Ask your kids whether they'd rather wrestle a black bear or an alligator, and why!!!  Tomorrow we'll talk about/write about whether they'd rather have a pet python or a pet chimpanzee...ha!

Social Studies/Science
We've spent the last few weeks learning about the Revolutionary War.  The kids broke up into groups to learn about the key battles of the war, and today they'll start presenting their projects.  Each group created a poster with important information about the battle, drew a picture of a key event in the battle, and wrote a skit depicting what happened. I can't wait to see what they've put together, and how they'll teach each other about the battles of the American Revolution!

Math
This is what our differentiated math groups are working on:

• 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication
• Long division with and without remainders
• Adding and subtracting fractions by finding common denominators
• Working with decimals
• Understanding mean, median, mode and range

Bible

This week we're in Acts chapter 18, learning about Paul's continuing travels to spread the word of the Gospel.  As he has many other times, he runs into trouble and is persecuted for his message.  

Our memory verse this week is:  One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision.  "Don't be afraid." he said, "Keep on speaking.  Do not be silent."  Acts 18:9

Have a wonderful week!

This Week...1/2/17

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful break, and hopefully had some time for fun, family, and some much needed rest!

We'll be jumping back into real life tomorrow, and we'll have a returning student joining us...Sage Patterson.  Welcome back to MID Patterson Family!  This puts us at 23 students in our class.

***I'm looking for donations of 2 liter soda bottles for a science experiment that 

we'll be doing later this week.  If you can send any in, I sure would appreciate it!***

This week in:

Reading:  We're beginning our Nonfiction Text unit, and this week we'll be talking about Main Idea and Supporting Details. I always start out with a picture that illustrates this concept really well...kids playing in the park.

I ask the kids to tell me what's going on in the picture, and they tell me about:  kids swinging, playing catch, riding bikes, sailing a boat in the pond, etc.  I ask them questions like:

• Is the whole picture about kids riding bikes?
• Is the whole picture about kids swinging?
• Is the whole picture about kids playing catch?

Of course, they tell me "No!"  Then we talk about the Main Idea of the picture being "Kids Playing in the Park" and equate the things the kids are doing to Supporting Details.  Over the next few days, we'll transfer these ideas into paragraphs and other texts.

We'll also begin our middle of the year reading assessments.

Language:  We'll be working on Relative Pronouns (who, whom, which, and that).  Here are links to some online activities and games that can help with learning Relative Pronouns:

Study Ladder

Lets Have Fun With English

Got Kid's Games

Writing:  We'll be changing our writing focus to Organization.  This means that we'll be looking at the different ways that writers can organize a piece of writing, such as:  using transition words, sequence, compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect.  This will coincide with the Nonfiction Text unit that we're working on in Reading.  I love showing the kids that Reading and Writing are just flip sides of the same coin!

Science:  We're beginning our unit on the Respiratory Unit this week.  We'll learn the parts of the respiratory system and how it works.  After that, we'll build model lungs using 2 liter soda bottles and balloons. Then the kids will write an illustrated book about what happens to a dust particle that enters the respiratory system.

Math:  The kids continue to work in differentiated groups.  We have one group working on multiplying by 1-digit numbers.  Another group is working on Patterns and Expressions.  A third group is learning how to multiply by 2-digit numbers.  Our final group is starting a geometry unit on lines, angles, and shapes.

Everyone will take a benchmark assessment this week to see what they've retained from their previous learning.

Bible:  In Bible we'll be focusing on Acts 8:1-15, which tells us about Stephan's death by stoning.  We'll talk about persecution in the church at that time, and persecution that still happens today.

This week's memory verse is:  Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right.  The kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.  Matthew 5:10

Wishing you many blessings in 2017!

This Week...12/12/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!
Its the last week before Christmas break and the kids are getting restless!  They're so excited for the break, and for Christmas to come, so we're trying to keep it together until Friday...we'll see how it goes!

On Thursday morning (12/15), we've got our field trip to Imaginon to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!  We've been reading the book aloud, and the kids have had fun listening to the story.  I can't wait to see what they think of the play!  I've heard from other teachers that it's really good :)  Other details about the field trip:

• Please have your child wear a light blue top and khaki bottoms
• If you haven't already paid, please send in a check made out to MID for $11.25, or pay online via RenWeb
• Your child will NOT need a bag lunch.  We should be back to school by 11:30 and will eat lunch when we return
• The parents that are joining us as chaperones are:  Charlotte Chambers, Kim Cross, Mike Verdi, Deborah Watson, Elizabeth Richmond, Katie Norman, and Denise Ballard.
• If any of our chaperones are meeting us at the theater, please let me know so we can watch for you!  Also, if someone can meet us there to watch the kids while Mrs. Cross and I park the buses, I sure would appreciate your help!  You would just need to line up the kids.  The theater staff will guide you into the theater and to our seats.

On Thursday evening, we have our Christmas Program at 6:00 pm in the sanctuary.  Its so exciting to have our own space for special programs and events!

• Students should wear their red uniform shirts and jeans or navy pants
• Students should arrive by 5:30 to get into place and be ready for the program.

On Friday afternoon we have our class Christmas party!  Mrs. Ballard has sent out a sign-up genius so you can sign up to contribute items that are needed for the party.  Click on this link to sign up:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080e4daba92dab9-christmas.  A big thank you to Mrs. Ballard and Mrs. Parsons for all of their planning and preparation!  

This week in...

Reading:  We're talking about genres of Fiction and will specifically look at Folklore.

Language:  We'll be learning about simple and compound sentences

Writing:  The kids are wrapping up their writing on their Elf Applications (practice writing persuasive paragraphs using transition words), and will continue their own writing when they're finished.

Social Studies:  We'll wrap up our Geography Review and will take the assessment on Wedne3sday.  The kids will be able to use their Social Studies notebooks as a resource when taking the test.  When we come back from the Christmas break we'll be doing a science unit on the Respiratory System, adn then shifting back to Social Studies to learn about the Revolutionary War.

Math:  Math is very differentiated these days, which is fantastic!  The kids are working in small groups based on what level of challenge they need.  We have a few who have zoomed ahead to Unit 8 on Long Division (yikes! - One of them took one look at the pretest and said, "I'll just do the unit.  I don't know how to do long division!").  Most of the kids are working on Unit 5, where they're learning how to multiply 1-digit by 2- digit and 3-digit numbers.  A few needed some reinforcement on multiplication, and they just finished that up and are starting on our division unit.

Bible:  We're currently in the Book of Acts, Chapter 8, learning about how some of the disciples gave everything they had, even their lives, to continuing to teach others about the good news of Jesus. 

I'm praying that you'll all have a blessed Christmas and a safe and fun break!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

I am thankful for so many things...

• For God, who loves, and guides, and blesses me every day.
• For sweet students who give me hugs and tell me that they love me.
• For sweet students whom I hug and love right back!
• For a job that gives me so much joy, and where I can pray with, and share my faith with my students.
• For wonderful co-workers who are also friends.
• For friends who are always there to listen and love.
• For family who supports and loves me.
• For a roof over my head and enough food to eat.
• For the ability to walk, run, laugh, talk, hear, see, read, write...and so many other things that we take for granted every day (ask your kids about our current read-aloud, Out Of My Mind)
• And YOU, who are my partners in teaching your children, who say things like, "Call me if you need anything." and "He loves 4th grade!" or "She really enjoys reading this year!"  You make my job so much easier because you're such a great support to our classroom and to your kids!

When you think about all of the things that you're grateful for this Thanksgiving, I know your wonderful son or daughter will be high on that list, because they're pretty awesome people, and I love spending my days with them.  Thank you for sharing them with me!

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving!

Fourth Grade Update

Good Morning Fourth Grade Families!

The days in our classroom just fly by, and I love spending them with your kids!  It's a joy to see them learn and grow, especially when they grow in character.  When the kids are done with their work, they can read, write, or do an activity from our 'I'm Done, Now What?' board.  Last week one of the activities was to give an award to a classmate.  It's been so wonderful to see how the kids have recognized the 'good' in each other.  Here are some examples:

"...for being a good friend.  She shared her snack with me when I didn't have one."

"...for cleaning up the library, even though no one asked her to."

"...for being kind and helping people."

"...for being an awesome friend.  He is kind and loving to everyone in our class."

"...for helping me."

"...for being nice and having a good attitude."

"...for never being mean.  He always shows the fruit of the spirit."

"...he hugged someone when they were upset."

If you ever wondered how your kids behave at school, now you know :)  They have their "not so great" moments at times, but for the most part, they're pretty awesome kids!

This week in...

Math:  We're working on our 1 digit by 1 digit multiplication unit.  Keep practicing those math facts!

Reading:  We've been talking about Story Elements, and will be using them to analyze short stories.

Writing:  We're publishing new pieces for our Writing Portfolios.

Science:  We're continuing to learn about the Circulatory system and are currently studying the main components of blood:  red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, and what each one's job is.

There's no school on Friday, so enjoy your long weekend!

This Week...10/17/16

Hi!
We are SO excited about the field trip tomorrow!  There's been a lot of plotting and planning about who's riding the bus and who will sit with each other, who's riding with a parent and who can ride along with them.  So many details to work out!  Please remember to:

• Send two snacks (morning and afternoon)
• Send a bag lunch and drink
• Have your child wear a light blue uniform shirt and khaki bottoms

Next week Thursday is our annual Fall Festival, so I'm sure the plotting and planning will include who's wearing what costume and who's going to hang out with each other :)  I'm still trying to decide what I'll dress up as, but I'll be there!  It's a lot of fun for everyone in the family...I hope I'll see you there!

We'd love to have your help with candy donations for Fall Festival!!!  

You can send it in any time between now and Thursday, 10/27.

In between all of the Fall fun, we still have to get in some learning!

This week in...

Reading:  We're continuing to work on Fix-up Strategies.  This week we're talking about Rereading, Reading On, and Slowing Down.  Next week we'll move on to our Elements of Literature unit.

Language:  This week we're talking about Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections.  We'll continue working with these next week to get in some practice.

Writing:  Almost all of the kids are done with their first published piece and are working on new pieces during Writing Workshop.  Our writing focus has changed from Ideas to Excellent Word Choice, and in the spirit of Halloween, we talked about Dead Words (overused and boring words).  Later this week we'll continue this theme with Dead Verbs!

Social Studies:  We're almost finished with our NC Natives unit, and should wrap things up this week.  Next week we'll talk about the history of the North Carolina colony.

Math:  We've wrapped up our Place Value unit (rounding numbers was really hard for many of the kids, so practice with this skill would be great!), and will do a quick review of Adding and Subtracting up to four digit numbers.  Then we'll be starting our Multiplication unit.

Bible:  We're talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus' ascension and how the Holy Spirit came to them.

They saw what looked like tongues of fire, which 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...10/3/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

Where did September go?  I can't believe it's October already!  I'm looking forward to cooler weather and all of the fun that comes with fall activities!

Some upcoming activities to note on your calendar:

• Friday, October 7th - PTO Movie Night
• Monday, October 17th - Butterbraid Fundraiser begins
• Wednesday, October 19th - 4th grade Field Trip to Old Salem
• Thursday, October 27th - MID Fall Festival...don't miss it!  So much fun!
• Friday, October 28th and Monday, October 31st - Mandatory Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I'll be sending out a link to a Signup Genius in the next week so you can sign up for a day/time :)

We had so much fun seeing everyone's What's In Your Cupboard projects!  The kids did a great job reading their essays, and supporting each other as they presented their projects!  I learned something special about every single child...hearing why they chose their objects made my heart smile :)

This week in...

Reading:  We're working on Fix-up Strategies.  Last week we talked about things that can cause us to get stuck when we're reading.  We started talking about using context clues to help us figure out unfamiliar words (our most common problem!) and will continue working on using context clues this week.

Language:  This week we're doing our Parts of Speech review.  This week we'll work on Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs.

Writing:  We've been writing away in our journals, and this week we'll choose a piece to publish!  We'll go through the steps of revising and editing, both on our own and with a peer.  Then we'll publish our first pieces and add them to our Writing Portfolios!

Social Studies:  Last week we wrapped up our study of the NC Regions, and this week we started learning about the native people who lived in each region.  We'll study where they lived, the types of homes they lived in, the roles of men, women, and children in their societies, how they used the natural resources around them, the kinds of foods they ate, and more!

Math:  We've started our Place Value unit and are going to be working on rounding whole numbers, using money to understand decimals, and counting money.  Below are some websites and games that your child can go to for extra practice.

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

Bible:  We'll continue to study the first chapter in Acts, digging deeper into why it's so important that there were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ascension into Heaven.  Our memory verse this week is:

After Jesus said this, He was taken up to heaven.  They watched until a cloud hid Him from their sight.  Acts 1:9

Have a wonderful week!

This week...9/19/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

Please be sure to check the Safety Patrol schedule, as it begins this week.  Also, please write Curriculum Night on your calendar for next Thursday, the 29th.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

Here's what we'll be up to in 4th grade this week:

Over the past week or so, Ms. Bright and I have been working on completing our Beginning of the Year assessments in Reading, Math, and Spelling.  We've almost completed them, and anticipate having all of them done early this week.  Then we'll be able to begin to work with students in groups that will focus on their specific needs :)

Reading:  In reading we've been working on analyzing characters by determining their physical and personality traits.  We'll dig a little deeper this week by looking at how a character shows their traits through their actions, words, and thoughts.

We've been really enjoying our read aloud of The Indian in the Cupboard, and will continue that this week.  We'll finish the story sometime next week and will do a fun project to wrap things up!  I'll send home information about the project with our homework this week.

Language:  I always start the year with a series of "hard and fast rules" for common aspects of language/writing conventions.  Last week we worked on capitalization, and this week we'll be working on proper use of commas.

Writing:  In writing, we're focusing on the many ways that we can develop ideas for our writing.  This week we'll look at examples of authors that have written about special places and special moments.

Math:  In math we're working on adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers, which should be a review for all of the students.

Social Studies/Science:  We'll be alternating Social Studies and Science units and are starting off with a unit on North Carolina geography and history.  This week we'll be looking at the regions of North Carolina and their physical characteristics.

Bible:  In our Bible curriculum, we'll spend much of the year in the Book of Acts, learning about the early days of the Church.  This week we'll look at what happened when Jesus ascended into Heaven.

Our memory verse for the week is:  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth.  Acts 1:8

Have a wonderful week!

The First Few Days

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

The first few days with your kids have been SO GOOD!!!  They have been polite, cooperative, and willing to try everything I've thrown at them.  So far we have:

• Set up our Writing notebooks and started learning the procedures for studying Mentor Sentences (we study the writing of published authors and use them as our mentors).  
• Set up our Math Notebooks and gone through all of the types of problems that we'll do each week in the Mountain Math Center (this is a great way for them to regularly review the skills that they've learned in 3rd grade, and will learn in 4th).  
• Gone over 3 days of the Daily Language Review that we'll do during our Morning Work time (they'll do 5 problems every Mon-Thur and each morning follows the same pattern).

• Started our class read aloud, The Indian in the Cupboard (I know they're loving it when I finish a chapter and they're begging for "just one more chapter...please?!?").  
• Set up our Reading Notebooks and learned how we'll format our Reading Responses.
• Looked at what kind of smart we are (with a Multiple Intelligences survey).
• Started building our Reading stamina during independent reading time (I call it Read to Self time).
• Learned about our "I'm Done, Now What?" activities.  The kids can always take out their books and read if they finish an activity early, but these activities give them some other options, such as:  Read It, Write It, Solve It, Draw It, Journal It, and Create It.  This is something new I'm trying this year, and so far the kids are loving it!
• Started working on Math and Reading assessments that will allow me to understand what their strengths and struggles are so we know what to focus on.


Whew...looking at that list makes me tired!  But it also shows me how much we've been able to accomplish in only a few days.  


Your kids have been working hard, but we've thrown some fun in there too.  Ask the kids about a teamwork activity we did called Save Fred.  It's challenging and fun, and the kids will had a ball!


I'm having so much fun getting to know your children, and I can already tell it's going to be a great year!

This Week 4/18/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

This week the kids will participate in Jump Rope for Heart to benefit the American Heart Association.  If you haven't already, please turn in permission slips and donation envelopes by Wednesday, 4/20.  Our time slot is on Wednesday from 1:45 to 2:45.  Please feel free to come and join us in the gym!

Also, a reminder that we have an Early Release day on Friday.  The kids will be dismissed at noon, before eating lunch.  Back up care is available if needed.

This Week In...

Language:  We'll be continuing our unit on Figurative Language, learning about alliteration, onomatopoeia, consonance, and assonance.  Soon we'll begin to use our new knowledge to write some poetry!

Reading:  Students are continuing with their partner reading, formulating discussion questions, and completing comprehension activities.

Math:  This week we'll wrap up our unit reviewing fractions, and will begin a new unit where we'll add and subtract fractions.

Writing:  We'll be working on writing passages where we compare and contrast.

Science:  This week we're learning about the Periodic Table of Elements, and how elements combine to form substances.

Bible:  Our memory verse this week is:  You are my rock and my fortress.  For the sake of your name, lead and guide me.  Psalm 31:3

Have a blessed week!

This Week...4/11/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

We've got our Scholastic Book Fair going at MID all this week.  Yesterday the kids made wish lists for the books they'd like to buy, and they should have brought them home.  We'll be shopping at the book fair on Friday afternoon from 2:00 - 2:30.  If you need to figure out the tax that should be added on so you can send a check for the exact amount, you can go to this link and put 7.25 in the tax percent:  http://www.calculator.net/sales-tax-calculator.html.

We'll be going on our field trip to Imaginon on Thursday, 4/14 to see Schoolhouse Rock!  We've watched many of the videos during our grammar lessons, so it should be fun to see how they present the songs and concepts on the stage.  Permission slips are due on Tuesday, 4/12 and $6.50 for lunch at Fuel Pizza is due on Wednesday, 4/13.  I apologize for the mix-up regarding the fee!!!

This week in...

Math:  We're continuing our unit on fractions.  This week we're working on reducing fractions, improper fractions, and ordering and comparing fractions.  We'll review and take our assessment early next week.  This link has a bunch of fraction games that will help your child practice these concepts:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm#fractions

Reading:  We're continuing Discussion University where the kids write discussion questions based on their reading that day, and then begin the next day with a discussion with their reading partner.

We also finished our read aloud, Three Times Lucky, yesterday.  We were all surprised by the ending!  We'll begin our new book today:  Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.  It's a great story about a young girl named Melody.  Here's the book blurb from the back:

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory.  Her head is like a video camera that is always recording.  Always.  And there's no delete button.  She's the smartest kid in her whole school - but NO ONE knows it.  Most people - her teachers and doctors included - don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again.  If only she could speak up.  If only she could tell people what she thinks and knows...but she can't, because Melody can't talk.  She can't walk, She can't write.  Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind.

Writing:  This week we're working on sequence paragraphs, where we focus on writing about a topic in sequence.  This could be a sequence of events, the order in which a task is completed, etc.

Language:  We're continuing to learn about figurative language.  This week we'll talk about personification and idioms.

Science:  We're wrapping up our work on atoms, and will begin looking at the Periodic Table of Elements.

Bible:  This week we talked about how Paul finally began to head toward home after three long years of travelling to spread the Good News about Jesus.

Our memory verse this week is:  My life means nothing to me.  I only want to finish the race and complete the work the Lord Jesus has given me.  He wants me to give witness to others about the Good News of God's grace.  Acts 20:24

Have a wonderful week!

This Week...4/4/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

This week we'll be hosting Math Night in our classroom!  On Thursday, April 7th, the evening will begin with a PTO meeting at 6:00 pm, followed by Math Night in the classrooms.  You'll get to do some of the hands on activities that your kids do in class.  I hope to see you there!

This Week In...

Language:  We've started a unit on Figurative Language and are talking about similes and metaphors this week.  We listened to some songs yesterday (Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts and Speak Now by Taylor Swift) and identified the similes and metaphors that we found in the lyrics.

Reading;  We're doing partner reading, so each student is paired up with another and they're reading a book together.  For the next couple of weeks we'll be doing 'Discussion University'.  Every day after they read together, the kids generate a discussion question for their partner.  They also complete an activity that demonstrated their understanding of what they read that day.  For example, yesterday they created a 'billboard' based on something from that day's reading.  The next day's reading begins with a partner discussion using the questions generated the day before.

Our current read aloud is Newberry Award Winner Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, and it's keeping us on the edge of our seats!  The main character is Mo (her full name is Moses because as a baby she was found floating in a river after a terrible storm).  Mo was adopted by the Colonel and Miss Lana who run the local cafe, but she still looks for her 'upstream mother' by putting notes in bottles and tossing them into the river.  Mo's best friend is a boy named Dale.  Eleven year old Mo and Dale run the Desperado Detective Agency, and usually investigate things like missing cats.  Everything changes when a local man is found murdered and Dale is on the list of suspects. Ask your child if they have any guesses about whodunit!

Math:  We started a new unit on fractions this week.  We'll be learning about equivalent fractions, improper fractions, mixed fractions, simplifying fractions and comparing and ordering fractions...whew!  In our next unit we'll move on to adding and subtracting fractions.

Writing:  In Writing we've been working on the organization of our writing by trying out different styles.  This week we're working on writing a descriptive passage by using all of our senses to add details.

Science:  We've moved on to our Chemistry unit, and are currently learning all about atoms and their parts:  nucleus, protons, neutrons, and electrons.  We're finding out that the difference in the make up of an atom determines what element it is.  Soon we'll be talking about how elements combine to make many of the things around us, and we'll be studying the periodic table of elements.

Bible:  In Bible, we're back in the book of Acts, learning about how Paul continued to travel to different cities to encourage the growing churches, and how he didn't stop even in the face of opposition and abuse.  He continued to be faithful in his effort to spread the word about Jesus, and to encourage others who were doing so.  His perseverance was amazing!

Our memory verse this week is:  Christ has set us free.  He wants us to enjoy freedom.  So stand firm.  Don't let the chains of slavery hold you again.  Galatians. 5:1

Have a wonderful week!