Sunday, June 22, 2014
Last Week?!?!
I can't not believe this is the last week of 4th grade for all of us! WOW!
You have amazing children and I am so lucky you shared them with me this year. Thank you.
This week we will be finishing Survivor. There will be mental and physical challenges. There will be no official HW but if your tribe mate would like to work on mental challenges at home, they can!
I will be packing up my room and hope to have all of my books returned by Tuesday... please do a whole house search for anything that you may have at home!
I am going to update my photos on Snapfish and send out the link later this week. You will be able to see and print any photos from this year.
Thank you for your support and encouragement of your Team Jones member this year.
You rock!
Love, Laurel Jones
You have amazing children and I am so lucky you shared them with me this year. Thank you.
This week we will be finishing Survivor. There will be mental and physical challenges. There will be no official HW but if your tribe mate would like to work on mental challenges at home, they can!
I will be packing up my room and hope to have all of my books returned by Tuesday... please do a whole house search for anything that you may have at home!
I am going to update my photos on Snapfish and send out the link later this week. You will be able to see and print any photos from this year.
Thank you for your support and encouragement of your Team Jones member this year.
You rock!
Love, Laurel Jones
Friday, June 13, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
I'm Back!!
I can't wait to see my team tomorrow... I'll greet them at the door!
This week we will be wrapping up a few things from Mrs. Higgs' time with us:
This week we will be wrapping up a few things from Mrs. Higgs' time with us:
- Math - finish Geometry, review the chapter, and take a test on Wednesday
- Social Studies - finish our last lesson in Government on Rights and Responsibilities
- Writing Workshop - finish up Historical Fiction - students will edit and revise their work Monday and Tuesday before publishing on Wednesday. Some of this may come home for HW this week.
A few new things:
My scientists have been patiently awaiting our critters for their ecosystems. I am hoping they arrive on Monday. We will be making observations of them and how they interact with their surroundings.
In Reading Workshop we will be spending a few intensive days on poetry. We will be both reading it and writing it.
Beginning on Wednesday we will play SURVIVOR!!! I have 4 parent volunteers for correcting. I really need 8 so that it is not too much work for a few families. Let me know if you are willing to help out!
See everyone soon! - Laurel
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
The next 4 weeks
We are powering through the units that we are working on... American Revolution, Literary Essay, Historical Fiction and our Read Aloud. I am trying to get to a great place for Mrs. Higgs to start up on Thursday.
Mrs. Higgs is going to cover the following items:
Mrs. Higgs is going to cover the following items:
- Historical Fiction - writing unit
- Ecosystems (Science)
- Decimals
- Geometry
- Science Review - Test May 1st
- Government (SS)
- Reading content area materials (Reading)
She has email and will be in contact with you!
I am so glad that we are finished with the math and ELA state tests! Great job Team Jones!!!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Math Test week
We had a great a week last week with reading Historical Fiction, planning our literary essay, starting a Revolution project with a partner, and making dinosaur eggs with our buddies!
This week will bring some more fun as well...
All of that review and it is finally time for the math test!!! This week we will wrap up our review and quick study of geometry and take the test Wed, Thurs, and Friday. One book per day.
In Reading Workshop, we will continue our class study of The Matchlock Gun. I hope your reader has told you about it. We are working on reading historical fiction because after our literary essay we will be writing historical fiction. We are working on this unit as a whole class and in small groups.
In Writing Workshop, we have mapped out a literary essay about the picture book The Other Side. After students complete this essay, they will write another one on their independent book as a book letter on the blog.
Our new American Revolution project is a newspaper - we hope to send home "the news" late next week. We hope you enjoy reading about the American Revolution!
On a side note, I think you will really love their next choir concert... I watched some of their practice on Thursday and it was wonderful!
Enjoy the rest of this rainy weekend.
This week will bring some more fun as well...
All of that review and it is finally time for the math test!!! This week we will wrap up our review and quick study of geometry and take the test Wed, Thurs, and Friday. One book per day.
In Reading Workshop, we will continue our class study of The Matchlock Gun. I hope your reader has told you about it. We are working on reading historical fiction because after our literary essay we will be writing historical fiction. We are working on this unit as a whole class and in small groups.
In Writing Workshop, we have mapped out a literary essay about the picture book The Other Side. After students complete this essay, they will write another one on their independent book as a book letter on the blog.
Our new American Revolution project is a newspaper - we hope to send home "the news" late next week. We hope you enjoy reading about the American Revolution!
On a side note, I think you will really love their next choir concert... I watched some of their practice on Thursday and it was wonderful!
Enjoy the rest of this rainy weekend.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
We're back...
One more official day of vacation until we return for the final stretch of 4th grade! Amazing!
This week we will spend a bit of time reviewing for the math test next week. We will do one full practice test (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3). Extra practice/review sheets will be sent home for homework. Again, please remember that this is one test in your child's year and they shouldn't get too worried about it. They should get a good night sleep, eat a good breakfast, and do their best work.
We will be continuing our unit on Literary Essay this week. It will continue to involve reading as well as writing. We will choose great characters and books to read as part of our study.
In Reading Workshop, we will begin a unit of Historical Fiction. This unit will help us to focus on the importance of setting and time period on literature. I look forward to seeing the great thoughts my readers have on the books they will be reading.
We worked on science centers on Friday before break and did not have a chance to finish - we will work on these this week as well. These centers focused on the water cycle, animal adaptations, food chain, weighing objects, electricity, force, and magnetism.
Please make sure you check your teammates folders before they return to school on Monday... some of them were bursting at the seams last week!
This week we will spend a bit of time reviewing for the math test next week. We will do one full practice test (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3). Extra practice/review sheets will be sent home for homework. Again, please remember that this is one test in your child's year and they shouldn't get too worried about it. They should get a good night sleep, eat a good breakfast, and do their best work.
We will be continuing our unit on Literary Essay this week. It will continue to involve reading as well as writing. We will choose great characters and books to read as part of our study.
In Reading Workshop, we will begin a unit of Historical Fiction. This unit will help us to focus on the importance of setting and time period on literature. I look forward to seeing the great thoughts my readers have on the books they will be reading.
We worked on science centers on Friday before break and did not have a chance to finish - we will work on these this week as well. These centers focused on the water cycle, animal adaptations, food chain, weighing objects, electricity, force, and magnetism.
Please make sure you check your teammates folders before they return to school on Monday... some of them were bursting at the seams last week!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
One more week and break?!!?
It is hard to believe that we are only one week away from April Break!
It is going to be a great week in Team Jones. I am out scoring on Monday but Amy Higgs will be there again (she was there Friday) and I am sure everything will run smoothly.
This week in Reading Workshop, we are going to spend time concentrating on Fluency. My readers will be coming home with short pieces to read aloud three times. Please, do it with them. Have them read to you, you read to them, read it together. The goal is to make these readings flow nicely and smoothly.
We have started our unit on Literary Essay and we will be spending time on reading closely to see what the author is trying to say. Reading is such a big part of writing...
In math, we will be reviewing multiplication, division, place value, and fractions (again). We are in a fantastic place for the math test coming up in three weeks. I will also do a fun (yet educational) project with Jelly Beans. We will count, graph, measure, and calculate many different aspects of one bag of Jelly Beans.
We had a very nice end of the week activity last week watching Frozen and discussing the lessons learned: be in control of your body, your action affect others, and be accepting of your and others differences. To piggyback on this, we will be doing a team building activity where everyone in the class teaches something they are great at. We all have differences and sometimes we just need to get to know each other to discover how amazing each of us are! We will have 4 "teachers" each week until we finish the project.
I hope you get outside today, it is SUNNY! Thank you again for all that you do for our class!
It is going to be a great week in Team Jones. I am out scoring on Monday but Amy Higgs will be there again (she was there Friday) and I am sure everything will run smoothly.
This week in Reading Workshop, we are going to spend time concentrating on Fluency. My readers will be coming home with short pieces to read aloud three times. Please, do it with them. Have them read to you, you read to them, read it together. The goal is to make these readings flow nicely and smoothly.
We have started our unit on Literary Essay and we will be spending time on reading closely to see what the author is trying to say. Reading is such a big part of writing...
In math, we will be reviewing multiplication, division, place value, and fractions (again). We are in a fantastic place for the math test coming up in three weeks. I will also do a fun (yet educational) project with Jelly Beans. We will count, graph, measure, and calculate many different aspects of one bag of Jelly Beans.
We had a very nice end of the week activity last week watching Frozen and discussing the lessons learned: be in control of your body, your action affect others, and be accepting of your and others differences. To piggyback on this, we will be doing a team building activity where everyone in the class teaches something they are great at. We all have differences and sometimes we just need to get to know each other to discover how amazing each of us are! We will have 4 "teachers" each week until we finish the project.
I hope you get outside today, it is SUNNY! Thank you again for all that you do for our class!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Business Compliment Letters
We heard back from our first business today!
Anya got a letter from Walmart who was generous enough to give us $75 for a class party! WOW! Beyond our expectations. Thank you Walmart!
Anya got a letter from Walmart who was generous enough to give us $75 for a class party! WOW! Beyond our expectations. Thank you Walmart!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Testing Week
Welcome to the first of three testing weeks in 4th grade.
My readers and writers are ready to go. We have completed one full practice test and part of a second one. My goals for your wonderful children is for them to do their best. We will not have much homework this week as I prefer them to get a good night sleep and get their energy out during the week.
We will continue with our math, writing, and social studies this week as well. We are about to learn about the Declaration of Independence and write Literary Essay's.
As a heads up: I am a lead scorer for the ELA and will be out on Friday and Monday to get the tests graded for the district. Mrs. Higgs will be in for us both days. I know everything will run as smoothly as I was there.
Please encourage your reader to do their best work this week!
My readers and writers are ready to go. We have completed one full practice test and part of a second one. My goals for your wonderful children is for them to do their best. We will not have much homework this week as I prefer them to get a good night sleep and get their energy out during the week.
We will continue with our math, writing, and social studies this week as well. We are about to learn about the Declaration of Independence and write Literary Essay's.
As a heads up: I am a lead scorer for the ELA and will be out on Friday and Monday to get the tests graded for the district. Mrs. Higgs will be in for us both days. I know everything will run as smoothly as I was there.
Please encourage your reader to do their best work this week!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Upcoming Week
I can't believe it is SPRING! Now, for the weather to take a turn.
I am very proud of my hard working Team for their successes this week and look forward to another great week ahead.
In Reading Workshop, we started with Book 1 and moved onto Book 2 for our ELA prep. Please note a rather lengthy note coming home today about the things we have discussed. Next week we will work on Book 3 and continue to practice all of the great skills we have been reminded about: complete sentences, capital letters, using textual evidence as details in the middle of our answers, and working to do our very best.
In Math this week we were lucky to have Ms. M take over for three days to introduce multiplying fractions. She has completed her teaching with us but will continue to observe what we are doing on Monday and Friday mornings for the remainder of her semester. Next week we will be moving onto measuring. It will be an ice break for those who were not very fond of fractions.
Our persuasive essays are completed and published! Each writer typed their essay and we have even had a chance to share them. As an added bonus, we wrote a letter of compliment to a company this week (in essay format). Ask your writer who they wrote to! Next week we will type and mail them. We will also begin our next writing unit of Literary Essay.
We will take a break next week from the Revolution to fit in everything else we are working on. It will be back next week!
Thank you for all of the assistance you give your children at home!
Even famous people use Apps!
Friday, March 14, 2014
Math Help
As a reminder, you can always view the math textbook by clicking the Pearson link above and logging in as your child!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Adding and Subtracting Fractions/American Revolution/Persuasive Writing/Fables
A busy week.....
Mrs. Reagan has been joining us all week for Writing Conferences... it has been a learning opportunity for both students, teachers, and even the principal. I am perfecting they way I work with your students on writing. They have been helpful and patient! We are publishing tomorrow and moving on to Literary Essay - our next unit - on Monday.
In math, we are quickly learning how to add and subtract fractions. As some say in the class "piece of cake". The difficult part is simplifying. We are working hard and will master it. Next week we are lucky to have a College of Saint Rose Graduate Student teaching 3 lessons!
Reading Workshop has focused on point of view and fables this week as well as answering questions in complete sentences. We are now 3 weeks away from the ELA test and I will be working on test taking strategies... i.e., how to answer questions with details, best strategies for multiple choice questions, and reading for meaning over the next few weeks. I will try not to make it too painful.
The American Revolution is underway in SS and we are enjoying a few episodes of Liberty Kids to help our understanding. Additionally, we are reading, creating venn diagrams, and having great discussions.
Thank you for signing off on the HW Update sheets. I appreciate your support.
Not sure what will happen with the weather.... we'll see about school tomorrow.
-Laurel
Mrs. Reagan has been joining us all week for Writing Conferences... it has been a learning opportunity for both students, teachers, and even the principal. I am perfecting they way I work with your students on writing. They have been helpful and patient! We are publishing tomorrow and moving on to Literary Essay - our next unit - on Monday.
In math, we are quickly learning how to add and subtract fractions. As some say in the class "piece of cake". The difficult part is simplifying. We are working hard and will master it. Next week we are lucky to have a College of Saint Rose Graduate Student teaching 3 lessons!
Reading Workshop has focused on point of view and fables this week as well as answering questions in complete sentences. We are now 3 weeks away from the ELA test and I will be working on test taking strategies... i.e., how to answer questions with details, best strategies for multiple choice questions, and reading for meaning over the next few weeks. I will try not to make it too painful.
The American Revolution is underway in SS and we are enjoying a few episodes of Liberty Kids to help our understanding. Additionally, we are reading, creating venn diagrams, and having great discussions.
Thank you for signing off on the HW Update sheets. I appreciate your support.
Not sure what will happen with the weather.... we'll see about school tomorrow.
-Laurel
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Behavior Plan
Today we are starting a new behavior plan. I really like Class Dojo but it is hard to manage. I always need it projected and it is impossible to leave for a substitute teacher. We will be moving to a clip system. There is an explanation in your child's binder. Thank you for your patience as I make changes to our plan.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Back to our ROUTINES
It feels great to be back in our routines after a week of floating and sinking. This week we will take a quiz on our floating and sinking unit on Tuesday!
Math will continue to focus on fractions. We will be comparing, ordering, and problem solving. We will review this chapter on Thursday and take the Chapter 11 test on Friday. We also have our March Interim Assessment on Friday. This does not count towards their averages but instead gives me information for my instruction.
In Writing Workshop, we will be completing our persuasive essays. We are focusing on how to make sure our reasons and evidence line up with our thesis statement. It is a skill that can be difficult to master.
For Reading Workshop, we will be looking at 1st person vs. 3rd person. Additionally, my readers will begin to practice answering questions about what they have read (as an early preparation for our ELA test in 4 weeks).
Today we began a new book about the American Revolution titled History Happened Here. It is a great book that tells the events as a story. At this point in our study, we are up to the Continental Congress and the war has begun.
Don't forget our spelling tests on Tuesday and Thursday will resume tomorrow. Vocab is due on Tuesday with a quiz on Wednesday.
Thank you to all who attended the Wacky Olympics!! I hope you enjoyed yourself.
Math will continue to focus on fractions. We will be comparing, ordering, and problem solving. We will review this chapter on Thursday and take the Chapter 11 test on Friday. We also have our March Interim Assessment on Friday. This does not count towards their averages but instead gives me information for my instruction.
In Writing Workshop, we will be completing our persuasive essays. We are focusing on how to make sure our reasons and evidence line up with our thesis statement. It is a skill that can be difficult to master.
For Reading Workshop, we will be looking at 1st person vs. 3rd person. Additionally, my readers will begin to practice answering questions about what they have read (as an early preparation for our ELA test in 4 weeks).
Today we began a new book about the American Revolution titled History Happened Here. It is a great book that tells the events as a story. At this point in our study, we are up to the Continental Congress and the war has begun.
Don't forget our spelling tests on Tuesday and Thursday will resume tomorrow. Vocab is due on Tuesday with a quiz on Wednesday.
Thank you to all who attended the Wacky Olympics!! I hope you enjoyed yourself.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Floating and Sinking
Are you ready for some scientific exploration???!!! Get ready because Floating and Sinking starts on MONDAY - this is an entire week of scientific exploration. All hw and assignments will center around floating and sinking. Because we lost half of Thursday and all of Friday before vacation, we will spend morning work reviewing what we have learned thus far in fractions so that we don't loose traction when we start back with our study in March.
Enjoy your final day of vacation and I'll see you soon!
Enjoy your final day of vacation and I'll see you soon!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Conferences, Snow Day, and a new FRIEND!
Team Jones was lucky enough to welcome Amiah to the group this week! We love having her and she seems to fit in wonderfully!We had quite a week this week including a SNOW DAY! Thank you Team Jones for successfully completing the Snow Dance with me.
Our unit on fractions has begun in Math with our study of factors and multiples. We will also discuss Prime and Composite numbers on Friday. Next week we will be comparing and ordering fractions. I hope to get through this unit before the upcoming February vacation.
In Writing Workshop, we have taken everything we learned from our Personal Essay unit to begin a study of Persuasive Essay. Your writers will be working hard on drafting thesis statements with reasons and evidence that also take into account a counter-argument.
In Reading Workshop, we will continue to learn the importance of including textual evidence when we answer questions about what we are reading. This is a skill that takes practice. We will also conclude our partner books with a small project.
The American Revolution will formally begin before the break. Currently we are learning about the causes of the war and the participants of the conflict.
I enjoyed the conferences on Tuesday and look forward to meeting with more of you next week. Thank you for all that you do at home to support your 4th grader!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wacky Olympics Training Video
Special thanks to Team Jones for helping me create a training video for the Wacky Olympics 2014. Invitations will come home soon for your teammate to joins us in watching teachers from different schools battle it out on February 28th in the HS gym.
Monday, January 27, 2014
A Full Week!
We have a full week starting today! I am so happy about all of the great things we have coming up!!
In Reading Workshop this week we are going to be focusing on using textual evidence when discussing text, answering questions about text, and writing about a topic. The topic this week will be Child Labor. We are going to spend time highlighting for meaning, reading with a purpose, and comparing different articles on the same topic. The technical term for this is Close Reading. Close Reading is a large section of the common core standards.
We are about to have a REVOLUTION in Social Studies. The colonists are NOT happy with the British raising taxes and it is time to fight back.
Report Cards will be loaded to BC@Home on Friday. A guide to the new report card was sent home last week. Please remember that there are changes to the grading this year. It is very difficult for a child to receive a "4" because they must demonstrate an advanced understanding and show initiative to be challenged. Proficiency at the fourth grade level is a "3" and if a student is working to demonstrate a skill, that is a "2." I am looking forward to meeting with many of you for conferences. Just a reminder that we are on a tight schedule and must adhere to our start and end times in order to accommodate everyone. If you have not yet signed up for a conference but you are interested the link is:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040E48AFAA2DA57-february
We have enjoyed our recent time with buddies as well. Last Friday we studied the Antarctic. It is fun to see the 4th grade faces when we do activities with the Kindergarten class!
Thank you as always for everything you do to support our classroom!
Don't forget that WEDNESDAY is the CHOIR/ORCHESTRA concert!
Math this week will focus on wrapping up our study of long division. Today we will be playing a computer game (Snork's Long Division) to get some additional practice with the steps. Almost all of my mathematicians have mastered this!! We will also be moving on to 4 digit division tomorrow. Again, this is a skill that takes practice and thought. Rushing doesn't help anyone get the problems correct.
In writing this week we will finally be coming to a close on our personal essays. The students have worked very hard gathering, organizing and revising evidence to support their personal thesis statement. We will be working hard to revise introductions and conclusions this week before publishing. We will then be moving into the final section of this unit, persuasive essays.
In Reading Workshop this week we are going to be focusing on using textual evidence when discussing text, answering questions about text, and writing about a topic. The topic this week will be Child Labor. We are going to spend time highlighting for meaning, reading with a purpose, and comparing different articles on the same topic. The technical term for this is Close Reading. Close Reading is a large section of the common core standards.
We are about to have a REVOLUTION in Social Studies. The colonists are NOT happy with the British raising taxes and it is time to fight back.
Report Cards will be loaded to BC@Home on Friday. A guide to the new report card was sent home last week. Please remember that there are changes to the grading this year. It is very difficult for a child to receive a "4" because they must demonstrate an advanced understanding and show initiative to be challenged. Proficiency at the fourth grade level is a "3" and if a student is working to demonstrate a skill, that is a "2." I am looking forward to meeting with many of you for conferences. Just a reminder that we are on a tight schedule and must adhere to our start and end times in order to accommodate everyone. If you have not yet signed up for a conference but you are interested the link is:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040E48AFAA2DA57-february
We have enjoyed our recent time with buddies as well. Last Friday we studied the Antarctic. It is fun to see the 4th grade faces when we do activities with the Kindergarten class!
Thank you as always for everything you do to support our classroom!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
4 Day Week
Welcome to a four day week! We will be busy but have fun too!
I would like to point out that HW is becoming an issue again. 11 assignments were missing today and 18 were turned in with no name. Your students know we will be working on this but anything you can do at hw time to help with binder and assignment checking would be a huge help.
We will continue to study long division this week. I will post a video next around the correct steps. We have been working on it now for 3 days and it should be getting easier. Feel free to help your mathematician at home on 1-2 problems but let them do the remaining 2-3 problems on their own. Again, knowing math facts will really help this process!
In Reading workshop we will conclude our unit on summarizing. They are getting better! The big idea is to only include the important details. We have moved from comics to short stories and will conclude the week by summarizing their partner books.
It is time to draft our Essays. We have done a lot of work prepping and organizing for this. I hope to have completed drafts by Friday! Then we will work on revising and making this work the best it can possibly be.
Our study of Colonial NY is coming to a close this week as well. Today we had a pop quiz to check for understanding and make sure everyone is paying attention to the work they have done in class. It was not great. We will be reviewing all of this information and taking a test on Friday.
Thanks for all that you do at home. You are wonderful!
I would like to point out that HW is becoming an issue again. 11 assignments were missing today and 18 were turned in with no name. Your students know we will be working on this but anything you can do at hw time to help with binder and assignment checking would be a huge help.
We will continue to study long division this week. I will post a video next around the correct steps. We have been working on it now for 3 days and it should be getting easier. Feel free to help your mathematician at home on 1-2 problems but let them do the remaining 2-3 problems on their own. Again, knowing math facts will really help this process!
In Reading workshop we will conclude our unit on summarizing. They are getting better! The big idea is to only include the important details. We have moved from comics to short stories and will conclude the week by summarizing their partner books.
It is time to draft our Essays. We have done a lot of work prepping and organizing for this. I hope to have completed drafts by Friday! Then we will work on revising and making this work the best it can possibly be.
Our study of Colonial NY is coming to a close this week as well. Today we had a pop quiz to check for understanding and make sure everyone is paying attention to the work they have done in class. It was not great. We will be reviewing all of this information and taking a test on Friday.
Thanks for all that you do at home. You are wonderful!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Colonial NY, Personal Essays, Summary, and Division
We had a nice first week back from a two week vacation. I am so proud of my learners. Great job friends!
This week will be another productive week. In math, we will be continuing our study of division. We have a test on Chapter 9 Tuesday and will learn longer division next week.
We have picked our topics for our Personal Essays and laid out the organization. Making a plan makes writing so much easier! We have started collecting mini-stories that fit into the "reasons" to back up our thesis statement. We are going to continue to collect stories, facts, and evidence this week. This is hard work and it takes good focus.
Reading workshop focused on characters last week and we will continue this next week as well as starting a unit on summarizing. I am noticing while reading book letters that it is not always clear when they summarize what is happening in their book.
Our study of colonial New York will continue this week as well. It has been interesting to learn how the Europeans immigrated to New York. Some worked as tenant farmers, endangered servants, or even slaves. We have learned what adults do for jobs and what children do as part of their chores.
I have been sneaking into choir rehearsals for the last few weeks and I am really impressed with the quality of singing your students are capable of - just wait until the concert. You will be so proud!
I look forward to another great week of learning!
This week will be another productive week. In math, we will be continuing our study of division. We have a test on Chapter 9 Tuesday and will learn longer division next week.
We have picked our topics for our Personal Essays and laid out the organization. Making a plan makes writing so much easier! We have started collecting mini-stories that fit into the "reasons" to back up our thesis statement. We are going to continue to collect stories, facts, and evidence this week. This is hard work and it takes good focus.
Reading workshop focused on characters last week and we will continue this next week as well as starting a unit on summarizing. I am noticing while reading book letters that it is not always clear when they summarize what is happening in their book.
Our study of colonial New York will continue this week as well. It has been interesting to learn how the Europeans immigrated to New York. Some worked as tenant farmers, endangered servants, or even slaves. We have learned what adults do for jobs and what children do as part of their chores.
I have been sneaking into choir rehearsals for the last few weeks and I am really impressed with the quality of singing your students are capable of - just wait until the concert. You will be so proud!
I look forward to another great week of learning!
Friday, January 3, 2014
January 2014!
Happy New Year Friends!
This year is going to start off with some great and challenging work for our fourth grade class. I look forward to getting back on a regular classroom schedule and watching the great minds at work.
In Math, we will begin DIVISION on Monday. This means that those mathematicians who do not know their facts will be struggling. (Not with the concept, but with the computation.) Please keep up the fact practice through this unit on division! Xtra Math provides great practice and is linked above. We will begin with simple division and by the end of the week we will be working with remainders.
In Reading Workshop, we will be starting a character study. We will be using the same Boxes and Bullets structure in our reading as we have been using in Writing Workshop when developing essays. My readers will take a deeper look at characters: who they are, how they change, and try to stand in their shoes and truly understand their actions.
In Writing Workshop, we will be choosing topics for our Persuasive Essays and develop our thesis and examples that support our thesis. This is going to be challenging for some writers but once our topics are chosen, it will become easier to write.
Our Social Studies curriculum takes us from Explorers to Colonial NY. New York has been discovered and it is time for it to become settled with immigrants from Europe. This unit will take us several weeks to work through. They will enjoy watching NY grow and change.
Thank you to all of my friends who chose to complete the extra credit work for the SS test. Grades improved greatly with those points.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy vacation. The snow is piled up today and I hope you are staying warm. Happy final weekend. Thank you again for your generous gifts (I bought ski boots from Amazon over the break!!!!). I am so lucky to have such a generous and hardworking group of students.
-Laurel
This year is going to start off with some great and challenging work for our fourth grade class. I look forward to getting back on a regular classroom schedule and watching the great minds at work.
In Math, we will begin DIVISION on Monday. This means that those mathematicians who do not know their facts will be struggling. (Not with the concept, but with the computation.) Please keep up the fact practice through this unit on division! Xtra Math provides great practice and is linked above. We will begin with simple division and by the end of the week we will be working with remainders.
In Reading Workshop, we will be starting a character study. We will be using the same Boxes and Bullets structure in our reading as we have been using in Writing Workshop when developing essays. My readers will take a deeper look at characters: who they are, how they change, and try to stand in their shoes and truly understand their actions.
In Writing Workshop, we will be choosing topics for our Persuasive Essays and develop our thesis and examples that support our thesis. This is going to be challenging for some writers but once our topics are chosen, it will become easier to write.
Our Social Studies curriculum takes us from Explorers to Colonial NY. New York has been discovered and it is time for it to become settled with immigrants from Europe. This unit will take us several weeks to work through. They will enjoy watching NY grow and change.
Thank you to all of my friends who chose to complete the extra credit work for the SS test. Grades improved greatly with those points.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy vacation. The snow is piled up today and I hope you are staying warm. Happy final weekend. Thank you again for your generous gifts (I bought ski boots from Amazon over the break!!!!). I am so lucky to have such a generous and hardworking group of students.
-Laurel
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