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!