Here's what we did in fourth grade today:
Math: We did some stations today to practice rounding. I feel that the students have a good grasp on the concept and after reviewing the chapter tomorrow, we will have a test on Chapter 2 on Thursday.
Reading: Today we began a chart in the back of our notebooks to keep track of reading topics, authors, and books that we are interested in reading some time during the year. That way, we can have a good idea of what to read! I continued to meet with individual students to discuss their reading letters.
Word Study-I met with Groups 3 and 4 today to go over their word lists. Group 3 is studying the endings of -ction and -ssion. Group 4 is studying the endings -ible and -able. Groups 1 and 2 prepared their words for the word sort we will do tomorrow.
Writing-We chose a draft from our Writer's Notebooks today to take through the writing process all the way to the publishing stage. We discussed why that piece would make a good published piece and then began re-writing it on draft paper, making sure to skip lines so that there is room to make changes.
Social Studies-All groups have finished up their Regions posters and will present tomorrow. I can't wait to see the presentations! Check back tomorrow for pictures of the kids with their posters.
Here's tonight's homework:
Math-WS 2.3, both sides
Remember to read and write!
Reminder: Please turn in any book orders tomorrow or go online this evening to place your order. I will be submitting the order tomorrow morning. Thanks!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
August 30th
I hope everyone had a great weekend! We are off and running in the third week week of school!
Here's what we did today:
Math-We started rounding today and it went very well. I will be working with small groups of students tomorrow on rounding to get a better understanding of each child's understanding of the concept. If all goes well, I am anticipating a test on Chapter 2 on Thursday. We also took the 2's multiplication quiz and most everyone passed, meaning they will take the 3's quiz tomorrow. Those who missed more than one on the 2's quiz will retake it tomorrow.
Reading-We discussed the 2nd paragraph of our reading letters. Students may write on anything they are thinking as they read such as connections, prediction, thoughts about the characters, etc.
Word Study-Groups 1 and 2 met to get their word lists today. Groups 3 and 4 will meet tomorrow. Group 1 is working on plural words that end in either 's' or 'es'. Group 2 is working on words that end with either 'ture', 'sure', or 'cher'. I will put the words on spelling city tomorrow and the students will be able to practice their lists at home.
Writing-We learned a way to get ideas for a new piece of writing by pulling a sentence or two out of an older piece of writing and using it as the beginning for a new piece.
Social Studies-The regions posters are looking great! Students will finish tomorrow and we will present on Wednesday. I'm excited to see and hear all that they've learned.
Here's tonight's homework:
Math-WS 2.4
Writing-I will be collecting Writer's Notebooks on Friday to make sure that the students are writing at least 3 times per week at home. We discussed this in length during class today. Students should be writing for a minimum of 10 minutes 3 times per week.
Don't forget to read at least 100 minutes per week!
Have a great night!
Here's what we did today:
Math-We started rounding today and it went very well. I will be working with small groups of students tomorrow on rounding to get a better understanding of each child's understanding of the concept. If all goes well, I am anticipating a test on Chapter 2 on Thursday. We also took the 2's multiplication quiz and most everyone passed, meaning they will take the 3's quiz tomorrow. Those who missed more than one on the 2's quiz will retake it tomorrow.
Reading-We discussed the 2nd paragraph of our reading letters. Students may write on anything they are thinking as they read such as connections, prediction, thoughts about the characters, etc.
Word Study-Groups 1 and 2 met to get their word lists today. Groups 3 and 4 will meet tomorrow. Group 1 is working on plural words that end in either 's' or 'es'. Group 2 is working on words that end with either 'ture', 'sure', or 'cher'. I will put the words on spelling city tomorrow and the students will be able to practice their lists at home.
Writing-We learned a way to get ideas for a new piece of writing by pulling a sentence or two out of an older piece of writing and using it as the beginning for a new piece.
Social Studies-The regions posters are looking great! Students will finish tomorrow and we will present on Wednesday. I'm excited to see and hear all that they've learned.
Here's tonight's homework:
Math-WS 2.4
Writing-I will be collecting Writer's Notebooks on Friday to make sure that the students are writing at least 3 times per week at home. We discussed this in length during class today. Students should be writing for a minimum of 10 minutes 3 times per week.
Don't forget to read at least 100 minutes per week!
Have a great night!
Friday, August 27, 2010
August 27th
Happy Friday! We had a fun day today with a couple exciting activities thrown in. Mrs. Critchlow came for our first counseling session today. She will be coming in for a half an hour every other week this year. We also enjoyed reward time with other fourth grade classes at the end of the day.
Here's what we learned:
Math- We turned our phone numbers into numbers that went into the millions place value position and organized ourselves into a long line from least to greatest. This made it really easy to order 3 or 4 numbers later in the class!
Reading-We started our first Reading letters and wrote the first paragraph today. The first paragraph includes the title and author of our independent books, as well as a summary of the book. Monday we will discuss the second paragraph of the letter.
Word Study-We took a practice test today with our list of the names of everyone in the class. Monday and Tuesday we will start our real word study groups.
Social Studies-We spent a lot of time working on our regions projects. A couple groups began their posters and they are turning out great!
Writing-Because of our extra activities today, we ended the day with a little bit of writing in our Writer's Notebooks. Next week we will be choosing a piece to take through the writing process.
This weekend's homework:
Math-WS 2.2, circled numbers Don't forget the 2's multiplication quiz is on Monday!
Read and Write a lot!!!
Have a fantastic weekend!
Here's what we learned:
Math- We turned our phone numbers into numbers that went into the millions place value position and organized ourselves into a long line from least to greatest. This made it really easy to order 3 or 4 numbers later in the class!
Reading-We started our first Reading letters and wrote the first paragraph today. The first paragraph includes the title and author of our independent books, as well as a summary of the book. Monday we will discuss the second paragraph of the letter.
Word Study-We took a practice test today with our list of the names of everyone in the class. Monday and Tuesday we will start our real word study groups.
Social Studies-We spent a lot of time working on our regions projects. A couple groups began their posters and they are turning out great!
Writing-Because of our extra activities today, we ended the day with a little bit of writing in our Writer's Notebooks. Next week we will be choosing a piece to take through the writing process.
This weekend's homework:
Math-WS 2.2, circled numbers Don't forget the 2's multiplication quiz is on Monday!
Read and Write a lot!!!
Have a fantastic weekend!
Online Math and Science books
I wanted to pass along the website, username and password for the online Math and Science books. They are though the same publisher so you will be able to access both with the same information. The website is www.eharcourtschool.com. The username is 'tfourth' and the password is 'pass'. When you enter the site you simply click on the book you are wanting to access.
I highly recommend the online Math book because, besides having everything the Math book has, there are extra activities along the left side that are great practice and review.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the online books!
As a side note, I really enjoyed meeting with most of you last night at curriculum night. I hope I was able to answer any questions you had and provide you with some helpful information for 4th grade. If any questions pop up, just let me know!
I highly recommend the online Math book because, besides having everything the Math book has, there are extra activities along the left side that are great practice and review.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the online books!
As a side note, I really enjoyed meeting with most of you last night at curriculum night. I hope I was able to answer any questions you had and provide you with some helpful information for 4th grade. If any questions pop up, just let me know!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
August 26th
Don't forget that tonight is curriculum tonight at 7:30 in room 217. I look forward to seeing everyone tonight!
Here's what we did today:
Reading-We learned a way to keep track of the books we are reading by genre and difficulty level. We will keep this sheet glued in our classroom reading notebooks so that we can use it all year.
Math-We began Chapter 2 today and started with comparing numbers.
Word Study-Today we did a buddy check with a partner. This is a good way to know which words the students need to study for the test. Tomorrow is practice test. It will not count for a grade. We will begin our real word study groups on Monday.
Writing-You will see today's writing assignment when you come for curriculum night. If you are unable to make it, your child will be bringing it home tomorrow.
Social Studies-We continued with our Regions activities. The students are doing a great job working in groups and learning about their regions. Some of them have chosen to do some extra research at home to learn more about their region. Tomorrow, many groups will be ready to start putting their information on their poster.
Here's tonight's homework:
Please keep up with your reading and writer's notebook each night.
Math-WS 2.1-A note was also sent home regarding multiplication quizzes which will begin on Monday.
We are having a party with the other 4th grade classes tomorrow for those students who have shown great responsibility and behavior these first two weeks. The students have a choice of which room they would like to join. The choices include a movie, board game room, and electronics room. If they choose the electronics room, they may bring an electronic from home as long as it is appropriate for school.
Have a great night and I hope to see many of you this evening!
Here's what we did today:
Reading-We learned a way to keep track of the books we are reading by genre and difficulty level. We will keep this sheet glued in our classroom reading notebooks so that we can use it all year.
Math-We began Chapter 2 today and started with comparing numbers.
Word Study-Today we did a buddy check with a partner. This is a good way to know which words the students need to study for the test. Tomorrow is practice test. It will not count for a grade. We will begin our real word study groups on Monday.
Writing-You will see today's writing assignment when you come for curriculum night. If you are unable to make it, your child will be bringing it home tomorrow.
Social Studies-We continued with our Regions activities. The students are doing a great job working in groups and learning about their regions. Some of them have chosen to do some extra research at home to learn more about their region. Tomorrow, many groups will be ready to start putting their information on their poster.
Here's tonight's homework:
Please keep up with your reading and writer's notebook each night.
Math-WS 2.1-A note was also sent home regarding multiplication quizzes which will begin on Monday.
We are having a party with the other 4th grade classes tomorrow for those students who have shown great responsibility and behavior these first two weeks. The students have a choice of which room they would like to join. The choices include a movie, board game room, and electronics room. If they choose the electronics room, they may bring an electronic from home as long as it is appropriate for school.
Have a great night and I hope to see many of you this evening!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
August 25th
Can't believe it's already Wednesday! We've been very busy! Here's what we did today:
Math-We took the Chapter 1 test. The majority of the students did very well! They should have their tests with them tonight and can correct any missed problems for an extra point. Any scores below 80% need to be signed by a parent.
Reading-We talked about why readers abandon books. They may abandon books if they are too easy or too challenging, boring, scary, sad, etc. We also discussed that a good time to abandon a book is after reading at least a chapter, but not halfway through the book. This way you will have given it a try, but not wasted a week or so reading something that's not right for you.
Word Study-The students did a second sort today and chose from sorting by syllables, number of letters in the word, or alphabetical order.
Writing-We wrote for 15 minutes without stopping! This was a challenge for some of the students, but we discussed that the only way to become a better writer is to write a lot. It doesn't matter what you are writing, as long as you are writing. Also, if you chose a topic, but find you don't have a lot to write about, then change the topic! :)
Social Studies-We began working in groups on a project about the 6 regions of the United States. Each group is researching one of the regions and will put together a poster in class sharing what they learned. The students may want to do some extra research at home to find out even more about their region.
Here is tonight's homework:
Math-Correct your math test.
Reading-Read, read read!
Writing-Write, write write!
Don't forget about curriculum tonight tomorrow at 7:30!
Math-We took the Chapter 1 test. The majority of the students did very well! They should have their tests with them tonight and can correct any missed problems for an extra point. Any scores below 80% need to be signed by a parent.
Reading-We talked about why readers abandon books. They may abandon books if they are too easy or too challenging, boring, scary, sad, etc. We also discussed that a good time to abandon a book is after reading at least a chapter, but not halfway through the book. This way you will have given it a try, but not wasted a week or so reading something that's not right for you.
Word Study-The students did a second sort today and chose from sorting by syllables, number of letters in the word, or alphabetical order.
Writing-We wrote for 15 minutes without stopping! This was a challenge for some of the students, but we discussed that the only way to become a better writer is to write a lot. It doesn't matter what you are writing, as long as you are writing. Also, if you chose a topic, but find you don't have a lot to write about, then change the topic! :)
Social Studies-We began working in groups on a project about the 6 regions of the United States. Each group is researching one of the regions and will put together a poster in class sharing what they learned. The students may want to do some extra research at home to find out even more about their region.
Here is tonight's homework:
Math-Correct your math test.
Reading-Read, read read!
Writing-Write, write write!
Don't forget about curriculum tonight tomorrow at 7:30!
Scholastic Online Ordering
Good morning! I have set up online ordering through Scholastic Book clubs. To order online please go to www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs. You will find a box to enter the class activation code which is GP6FX. You should only have to enter the code once because you will be prompted to get a user name and password which you can use on all future orders. Please make your orders by September 1st. Let me know if you have problems with the site or any questions. Thanks!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
August 24th
Happy Tuesday! Just a reminder that on Tuesdays a lot of notes from the office will be sent home with your child. Please check their file folders for these notes. Today, I have included a set of book orders. Please return these by next Tuesday, the 1st if you would like to order anything. I will also set up online ordering. Please check back on the blog tomorrow if you would prefer to order online. I will post the link and password.
Here's what happened in Room 217 today!
Math-We spent a lot of time reviewing for the Chapter 1 test. The students have a practice test, the worksheets from the chapter and their books with them to help them review tonight. While the practice test is multiple choice, the actual test is not; however, the questions will be very similart to the ones on the practice test.
Reading-We visited the library today for the first time and got to check out some new books. We also practiced discussing our reading in groups.
Word Study-Today we finished up our vowel sort from yesterday and learned about some of the new activities on the contract. Remember, this first cycle of word study is being completed as a whole class so none of the contract needs to be completed at home.
Writing-We will be learning about different authors this year. Today we discussed the author, William Steig, who has written two books we've read together: Gorky Rises and Wizzil. We are learning about each other as authors as well and did an activity which focused on asking unusual questions of others. Ask your child about some of the silly questions we discussed!
Here is tonight's homework:
Reading-Continue to read and record the title and minutes read in your planner.
Math-Study for the Chapter 1 test!
Writing-Remember to write in your notebook this week.
Have a great night!
Here's what happened in Room 217 today!
Math-We spent a lot of time reviewing for the Chapter 1 test. The students have a practice test, the worksheets from the chapter and their books with them to help them review tonight. While the practice test is multiple choice, the actual test is not; however, the questions will be very similart to the ones on the practice test.
Reading-We visited the library today for the first time and got to check out some new books. We also practiced discussing our reading in groups.
Word Study-Today we finished up our vowel sort from yesterday and learned about some of the new activities on the contract. Remember, this first cycle of word study is being completed as a whole class so none of the contract needs to be completed at home.
Writing-We will be learning about different authors this year. Today we discussed the author, William Steig, who has written two books we've read together: Gorky Rises and Wizzil. We are learning about each other as authors as well and did an activity which focused on asking unusual questions of others. Ask your child about some of the silly questions we discussed!
Here is tonight's homework:
Reading-Continue to read and record the title and minutes read in your planner.
Math-Study for the Chapter 1 test!
Writing-Remember to write in your notebook this week.
Have a great night!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Curriculum Night Correction!
Curriculum night is at 7:30, not 7:00 (as posted earlier). Sorry for the confusion!
August 23rd
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I just wanted to let all the parents know that I am so impressed with the students' great behavior here at school. They are all participating in class, remembering their manners and setting a good example for others. Let's keep it up!
As a reminder, this Thursday night is Curriculum night. It starts at 7. There is a town hall meeting at 6:45 for new parents only. Administration is asking that if you are not new to the school, you skip the town hall meeting due to parking. I look forward to seeing everyone!
Here's what we did today:
In Reading we discussed we can think about our reading such as making connections, predicting, summarizing, and noticing the author's choice of words. I encourage the students to stop and write down their thoughts on sticky notes as they read indpendently.
In Math we finished up Chapter 1 by discussing benchmark numbers and pictographs. We will review Chapter 1 tomorrow and there will be a test on Wednesday.
We did our first word sort during Word Study and sorted our list into short vowels/long vowels/ and both.
In Writing we shared our Writer's Notebooks and signed a contract promising to take extra good care of our notebooks and use them to learn about ourselves as writers.
Finally, in Social Studies we read the book A River Ran Wild and discussed how rivers can affect the area around them and vice versa.
Here's tonight's homework:
Reading-Keep reading at home and recording the minutes in your planner.
Writing-Write in your Writer's Notebook 3 times this week.
Math-Finish WS 1.4 and 1.5. Chapter 1 test Wednesday.
Have a great Monday night!
As a reminder, this Thursday night is Curriculum night. It starts at 7. There is a town hall meeting at 6:45 for new parents only. Administration is asking that if you are not new to the school, you skip the town hall meeting due to parking. I look forward to seeing everyone!
Here's what we did today:
In Reading we discussed we can think about our reading such as making connections, predicting, summarizing, and noticing the author's choice of words. I encourage the students to stop and write down their thoughts on sticky notes as they read indpendently.
In Math we finished up Chapter 1 by discussing benchmark numbers and pictographs. We will review Chapter 1 tomorrow and there will be a test on Wednesday.
We did our first word sort during Word Study and sorted our list into short vowels/long vowels/ and both.
In Writing we shared our Writer's Notebooks and signed a contract promising to take extra good care of our notebooks and use them to learn about ourselves as writers.
Finally, in Social Studies we read the book A River Ran Wild and discussed how rivers can affect the area around them and vice versa.
Here's tonight's homework:
Reading-Keep reading at home and recording the minutes in your planner.
Writing-Write in your Writer's Notebook 3 times this week.
Math-Finish WS 1.4 and 1.5. Chapter 1 test Wednesday.
Have a great Monday night!
Friday, August 20, 2010
August 20th
We made it through the first week of school! It was a great week! Today we had an all school assembly to introduce all the faculty and staff and get introduced to our character theme: Oh, the place you'll go with character!
We moved on in place value and went up to the hundred thousands. An important concept is that a period is a group of 3 numbers. We covered the ones and the thousands period today.
In Reading we discussed how to know when a book is just right, too easy, or too challenging.
Word study continued with preparation for getting our words ready to sort by writing them in boxes and cutting them out. We also learned a new contract activity with vowels and consonants.
In Writing we read the book Wizzil and used it to come up with some more writing ideas about using magic to turn into something.
Social Studies focused on more maps. The students were given a blank map of the US and had to identify (with the help of a map in their textbook) the different regions and important landforms and bodies of water.
Here is the homework:
Reading-Continue to do some independent reading and record the minutes read in your planner.
Math-WS 1.2 The students circled the assigned numbers. They may complete the other problems if they need some extra practice.
Social Studies-Finish the map if you haven't already.
Writing-Decorated Writer's Notebooks are due Monday! Keep making entries too!
Have a great weekend!
We moved on in place value and went up to the hundred thousands. An important concept is that a period is a group of 3 numbers. We covered the ones and the thousands period today.
In Reading we discussed how to know when a book is just right, too easy, or too challenging.
Word study continued with preparation for getting our words ready to sort by writing them in boxes and cutting them out. We also learned a new contract activity with vowels and consonants.
In Writing we read the book Wizzil and used it to come up with some more writing ideas about using magic to turn into something.
Social Studies focused on more maps. The students were given a blank map of the US and had to identify (with the help of a map in their textbook) the different regions and important landforms and bodies of water.
Here is the homework:
Reading-Continue to do some independent reading and record the minutes read in your planner.
Math-WS 1.2 The students circled the assigned numbers. They may complete the other problems if they need some extra practice.
Social Studies-Finish the map if you haven't already.
Writing-Decorated Writer's Notebooks are due Monday! Keep making entries too!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
August 19th
Today we really got more into the subject areas so school is definitely in full swing! We started with place value in Math and talked about ways we choose books in Reading. In Word Study we will evenutally split into 4 groups, but are going through a Spelling cycle whole class right now to introduce procedures. We spent time generating ideas in Writing as well as writing in our Writer's Notebooks. In Social Studies we began looking at different parts of maps such as the compass rose and the map scale.
Here is tonight's homework:
Reading-Continue to read at home and record the title and minutes read in your planner.
Math-Complete worksheet 1.1
Social Studies-Complete the geography landforms worksheet.
Writing-Don't forget to decorate your Writer's Notebook if you haven't already done so.
Also, tomorrow is Truman Spirit day so remember to wear your Truman gear or green and gold colored clothing!
Lastly, there was a fourth grade student who was found to have lice. A note was sent home with your child regarding this. A note was also sent home with a list of peanut-free items. Please refer to the note when sending in birthday or other school treats.
Have a great night!
Here is tonight's homework:
Reading-Continue to read at home and record the title and minutes read in your planner.
Math-Complete worksheet 1.1
Social Studies-Complete the geography landforms worksheet.
Writing-Don't forget to decorate your Writer's Notebook if you haven't already done so.
Also, tomorrow is Truman Spirit day so remember to wear your Truman gear or green and gold colored clothing!
Lastly, there was a fourth grade student who was found to have lice. A note was sent home with your child regarding this. A note was also sent home with a list of peanut-free items. Please refer to the note when sending in birthday or other school treats.
Have a great night!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
August 18th
We had another great day in fourth grade today! We spent time getting into some subject material and I pre-assessed the students in Math and Spelling to get an idea of where they are at. The students also chose some books from our classroom library to enjoy at school or at home. Here are some important things to know:
Reading-At the bottom of each page of the planner there is a spot to record the current book the student is reading. I would like for them to write down what they read each week/night. They should also write down the number of minutes they read in the Reading box of the planner for each day. I will keep a running total on a chart in the classroom and we will see how much they read in 4th grade!
Writing-We talked about the Writer's Notebook and how it will be a very important place to write down any thoughts, ideas, stories, poems etc. The students should decorate the covers of their Writer's Notebook by MONDAY. We will share these in class. They may also begin writing in their notebook if they choose. I will collect these each month for an effort grade and am expecting at least 3 good entries per week on any topic they choose. The length is not as important as the quality of the ideas.
Math-Due tomorrow, is a Math interview. The instructions are on the sheet.
Have a great night!
Reading-At the bottom of each page of the planner there is a spot to record the current book the student is reading. I would like for them to write down what they read each week/night. They should also write down the number of minutes they read in the Reading box of the planner for each day. I will keep a running total on a chart in the classroom and we will see how much they read in 4th grade!
Writing-We talked about the Writer's Notebook and how it will be a very important place to write down any thoughts, ideas, stories, poems etc. The students should decorate the covers of their Writer's Notebook by MONDAY. We will share these in class. They may also begin writing in their notebook if they choose. I will collect these each month for an effort grade and am expecting at least 3 good entries per week on any topic they choose. The length is not as important as the quality of the ideas.
Math-Due tomorrow, is a Math interview. The instructions are on the sheet.
Have a great night!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
First Day of School
We had a great first day of 4th grade! All of our notebooks and folders have been labeled and we also spent time learning how to use the file folder. We will use the notes folder to bring home and return to school notes and other homework. The subject folders will be used to store papers that we are using over longer periods of time in the different subjects.
I will use this blog to post nightly homework. For tonight there are just a couple things:
~ If you are in strings, remember to bring your instrument tomorrow for the instrument check.
~All students should go over the classroom packet with their parents tonight and sign and return the last page.
I hope you all have a great night and feel free to practice blogging by leaving a comment below!
I will use this blog to post nightly homework. For tonight there are just a couple things:
~ If you are in strings, remember to bring your instrument tomorrow for the instrument check.
~All students should go over the classroom packet with their parents tonight and sign and return the last page.
I hope you all have a great night and feel free to practice blogging by leaving a comment below!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Welcome to Fourth Grade!
I am so glad you have found your way to our class blog! This will be a great resource to you and your families throughout 4th grade. Homework assignments will be posted nightly, as well as any other important information. We will also be using the blog in most of our subjects to share what we've learned and hear what others have to say. Feel free to post a comment below and let me know what you are thinking about beginning 4th grade. Just be sure not to include your last name in the post. I look forward to meeting you all!
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