New Spelling Homework
Last week we completed the spelling workbook. Starting this week students will have a list of words to use to complete the Spelling Bingo activities. I have attached the Spelling Bingo activity sheet for your convenience.
Students will complete ONE activity in class on Monday, then ONE PER NIGHT for homework. This will give them a total of FIVE for the week. They may choose any horizontal row, vertical column, or work diagonally from corner to corner. The activities they choose must all be in the same row or column, no skipping around the page.
If you have any questions, please call me.
Attachments:
Farm Safety Day Field Trip
Friday, March 30 we will go to the Ray Family Farm for Farm Safety Day. We will be leaving school at 8:15 am, so please arrive to school on time!
Please bring the following things with you:
bag lunch (no heat-ups or refrigeration)
bottled water
snack
sunscreen
sunglasses
hat
closed toed shoes or sneakers (wear socks)
towel or small mat to sit on
clothes appropriate for the weather
a t-shirt will be provided for all students to wear
Directions to the farm:
Leave school, head toward Ace Hardware.
Turn LEFT on 39 (towards Bunn).
Go 8 miles, then turn RIGHT onto Jeffereys Road.
Go to the stop sign, turn RIGHT onto Pearces Road.
After 1 mile, turn LEFT.
RAY FAMILY FARMS
6932 Pearces Road
Bunn, NC
PENCILS & ERASERS!
We need pencils and erasers in class! We have used almost all of our very short pencils and all of our erasers! I need everyone to please send in more pencils and erasers so we can do our work next week!
Thank you for your contribution to our classroom.
Spelling City and Ten Marks go LIVE!!
We are very fortunate that we now have a premium account at Spelling City! http://www.spellingcity.com This means that we can practice spelling and vocabulary on the laptops in class, and students may also practice at home using their login information!
We are also using Ten Marks online math lessons. Check it out, I've made several assignments for the students to practice their math skills. If a student is unsure of how to do the math, make sure they watch the mini-lesson that goes with the topic they are working on. The same login information applies to Ten Marks as Spelling City. http://www.tenmarks.com
Both sites are available from any Internet accessible computer, and are great ways for students to get in extra practice. If you have questions, please contact me.
Welcome Back to Fourth Grade!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone back on Monday! Remember to wear your character costume and be prepared for your presentation at 1 Monday afternoon. I hope you are as excited as I am to see what you've prepared for us!
I've added some new photos and links to our site! Become a member, and you can order prints of these pictures taken during class. I hope to be able to take pictures more often this term.
Spelling City - we are changing out our spelling program to help with instruction in school. I hope you find this helpful for your student and their homework routine. Students will have daily worksheets to complete for homework. They will receive these on Monday, they are due on Friday before morning meeting. In class we will be using the new program in conjunction with Spelling City. This is an awesome resource that students may access from any internet connected computer. All students need to remember is their group name and to search for the Teacher's Name to come to our class page. (The name is Widmann) I hope to be able to get a premium account, which will give students individual logins and allow me to track what each student does on this website.
Ten Marks - This is an awesome online math site that allows me to assign students specific lessons tied to our curriculum. Whether the student needs additional practice in a certain area, or wants to accelerate their learning. This site also allows me to target specific skills to individual students. Along with assignments, students can get online help with concepts that are confusing to them. Students will be given individual login information so they can access their assignments. I will get reports for each student and their progress. If parents would like these reports, just send me one email address so I can add you to your student's account.
Reading - We will be changing things in reading, as well. I am adding more structure to the class to help students accomplish their goals more effectively. Homework will remain the same, unless students do not complete their classwork in the time given to them at school.
Vocabulary - I am now assigning vocabulary words to students. They are still encouraged to collect words, and will be given extra credit for adding their own words to their Word Study notebook. Vocabulary will come from their in class reading, math, science, and social studies topics.
Class Project - We will investigate Elizabethan England and the connections with North Carolina this term, and perform a play "The Colony is Lost." This is always a challenging, but fun way for us to learn about the beginnings of North Carolina and the United States. Students will be assigned roles to memorize, and will create their own props and costumes in class. If you would like to help us with our production, please call me. Right now I plan for us to present this on November 21. I will send more information about the exact time of the performance so you can make plans to attend.
Volunteers needed to help print and organize reading materials. Please contact me.
Thanks for everything you do to make our class an energized, focused, and engaged environment.
Reading Project - Come to School as a Character from a Book!
Dear Fourth Grade Students and Families,
This assignment should be a fun project to work on over track-out. Students will return to school on Monday, October 31 dressed as a character from a book. They will become that character for the day. Students will prepare 3minute oral reports about their character to the class.
Costumes should be home-made, rather than store bought, although they may use store bought parts such as hats, belts, shoes, etc. The costumes must be in compliance with our school-wide dress code, and may not depict acts of violence, gore, or have weapons of any kind, real or pretend. This includes guns, swords, knives, ninja stars, grenades, bombs, etc. No blood, excessive body paint, or masks are permitted. Students must be able to participate in PE class in costume, as we do not have time for them to change clothes.
We will not be having a party, but we will dedicate part of the afternoon for student presentations. You are welcome to come to see these presentations; plan to arrive by 1p.m.
The instructions were sent home on October 13, before track out.
North Carolina Pizza
Next week students will make dough to create North Carolina "Pizza." This topographic map helps students learn and understand about the geographic features and regions in North Carolina.
We need each student to contribute $2 towards purchasing the flour, salt, and pizza boxes needed for this project. Please send in your contribution by next Wednesday.
We also need volunteers to help us when we make the dough next Thursday and Friday afternoons.
Thanks for all you do to support our learning!
Old Magazines and Catalogs Needed
We need old magazines and catalogs for our class to use for projects! Any kind of magazine or catalog is welcome, as long as the subject matter is appropriate for school. We especially like magazines and catalogs with lots of pictures. Please keep in mind that we will cut these apart!
New format for Newsletters
The fourth grade newsletters are now in PDF format, and should be easier for everyone to view and print!
Academic Centers of Enrichment (ACE)
This year fourth and fifth grade will partner in community service projects for ACE. We will split the class in two groups, and combine each group with a group from fifth grade.
When the students are with Ms. Joy, we will work with the Franklin County Library. We will take several field trips there, and do several projects with the library.
When the students are with Ms. Lisa, they will work on dramatic productions.
Vocabulary Instruction and Assignments
Learning new vocabulary is important. My goal for my class is for each learner to study words that relate to the learner's interests and match their instructional level.
Each week we will have specific word instruction in class that focuses on a particular concept. All students will work on this concept. Each student's interest and needs will be addressed through the work they do while reading, and during workstation time.
While reading students will select 3-5 words and write the words, along with the page number where they got the word from, on the sticky note they keep in the book they are reading. When they have finished reading, they will transfer the collected words into their "Word Collector" page in their HAWK binder (in the Word Study section.)
Each day, while working in the Word Study workstation, students will select two words from their "Word Collector" and add them to their Word Work notebook. This notebook will hold the words we study in class, as well as the student selected words. We are currently learning how to do the work, and how to record it in their notebooks.
Word selection must be done with care and thought. We want students selecting words that are at their instructional level. Selecting words that are too easy won't push their learning forward, even though it is tempting for them to do so. The words they pick should be words they either don't know the meaning of, or, when they can't find unfamiliar words, they should select words that are interesting. An interesting word could be a word with an interesting structure, a complicated pronunciation, or a word from a subject area.
Words that will not work for vocabulary instruction include, names of people or places, product names, most spelling words (with a few exceptions), and high frequency words. If I feel a student needs to use any of these types of words, I will make a note in their collector and/or notebook.
After students have completed several weeks’ worth of word work, we will start creating vocabulary games that students can play in school and at home.
Most of their vocabulary work will be completed in school. Occasionally a student will need to work on this at home, say if they fall behind from absences or other distractions.
So, you may be thinking, "How can I help?" One thing you can do is check that your student has selected and written 3-5 words on their sticky note and transferred them to the "Word Collector" daily.
You may also be thinking, "This seems complicated and my child doesn't seem to be able to explain their work." Please contact me so we can meet and discuss this, and I can show you what I expect. It really isn't all that hard, but it does require that students work consistently.
Schedule
I am posting the current fourth grade schedule.
Please notice that reading, writing, spelling, and vocabulary are from 8:30 until 10:40. Math is from 1:30 - 2:30.
We've had too many students miss math this week because they left school early. Please try to wait until dismissal time to collect your student.
First week - done!
Whew! We've finished the first whirlwind week of school! We've been working hard learning routines and procedures. We've done a mini-project about how we talk about discipline in our class, and had a few assessments, too.
Please join our website so you can stay on top of what is happening in our class. By becoming a member, you can print newsletters and photos taken in class. The photos above are from our class last year. Note: if you are looking for something to donate, our class could use a new digital camera, the old one broke last year. We use it for documenting our class projects, as well as for projects. I love posting the pictures here so we can share them with you!
If you have any questions, please send a note in your student's HAWK binder. I look forward to a wonderful year with our students.
First Day of School!
Tomorrow is the first day of school! I know I'm excited, how about you? I plan to do something very calming at bedtime so I can get to sleep quickly. I want to be well rested for all the activity we will have tomorrow!
When you arrive at 8 tomorrow morning, bring all your stuff to your desk, but put your lunch box in your cubby. I will have baskets and bins around the room for our supplies. You can start putting your things in the baskets. Anything that does not have a basket can stay at your desk.
Morning meeting will start at 8:20 sharp. I will have a timer go off, and I will ring a chime when we are ready to start meeting. I ask that you say a prompt good bye to any family who might be in class so we can get started quickly.
If you have put your things away before morning meeting, I will have some activities you can do until we are ready. Some of the activities will be discussed during our class meeting.
Be sure you wear sneakers, as we have PE on MWF this week. Also, remember to bring your lunch, a drink, and a snack. Lunch will be at 11:15, snack will be at 2:30 after we pack up.
If you are in the middle of reading a good book, bring it from home, as we will have time set aside for self selected reading each day. I have a small classroom library, so if you don't have a book right now, you may choose one from there.
I can't wait to see you all! We have a nice group of girls and boys in fourth grade, and I have lots of interesting things planned for you.
Sincerely,
Ms. Joy
Get Ready!
Can you believe it's almost time to return to school? Oh my, the summer has just flown by!
One thing you can do to get ready that doesn't cost any money, is start practicing your skills! Think about how nice it would be to walk into class as a multiplication wizard! There are many things you can do to practice that don't involve the old boring drills.
First, you can challenge yourself at this web page:
http://resources.oswego.org/games/mathmagician/cathymath.html You can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You can even print a certificate if you do well! Remember, in fourth grade we are focusing on moving you forward past multiplication, so do your best here! If you bring in a certificate of 100% on the mixed number test, I will feature it in the classroom the first week of school!
You say you're not quite ready for that yet? What's that, you need more practice? Here's a place that has some fun games to help you practice:
I know many of you are gamers, and love being immersed in a game with cool graphics. Here's a game designed just for you! (This is my personal favorite, by the way!)
Do you or your parents have a smart phone or iPad? There are apps available from Everyday Mathematics (our math publisher) and others for practicing your math facts.
I hope you have fun brushing up on your math skills! If you want more ideas, shoot me an email, I try to check it everyday. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Ms. Joy
Library Fun
Beat the heat at your local public library! The public library has books, thousands of books! Between the covers of each book is a new world waiting to be discovered. Whether it's a fiction or nonfiction book, every book offers entertainment and learning.
Not sure what to read? Stroll through the library, browse the shelves, open books, read the covers and jacket notes, scan the story. Look for subjects that excite or interest you. Still stumped? Talk to the librarians. They have great suggestions and resources to help you.
Worried about how easy or hard a book is? Pick a random page in the middle of the book. Start reading. Every time you find a word you don't know how to pronounce, or don't know the meaning of, stick out a finger. If you have less than five fingers out after reading the whole page, it's either easy or a good fit for you. If you have five fingers out, it could be a bit harder. If you have five fingers out BEFORE you get to the end of the page, it means the book could be difficult, unless you have someone who can help you work through the rough spots.
But books aren't the only thing you will find at the library. The public library has audio books, magazines and newspapers, videos, and free access to the Internet. They have activities planned especially for children, and opportunities for volunteers.
Contact your local library for more information and schedules.
Franklin County Library
906 North Main Street
Louisburg, NN 27549-2169
919.496.2111 Fax 919.496.1339
Keep learning over the summer!
Summertime, and the living is easy . . . these words to an old favorite song of mine reminds me of lazy days of summer when I was young. Swimming, spending time outdoors, playing with friends, spending quality time with family, and visiting new places far and near filled my summer days and nights.
All the fun and relaxation of summer days does not mean that kids have to stop learning. Summer break is a wonderful time for informal education. Recognizing the opportunities for learning is sometimes hard for adults. No need to worry, from time to time this summer I will post suggestions to help you discover learning opportunities for your child! Many are free or low-cost.
Check back frequently for tips and links to make this the best summer yet! I look forward to "talking" to you this summer!
Ms. Joy