Hello Families,
This short week has been fabulous! I'm happy to be back with your children and really missed them. They have adjusted well to being back at school, and I feel like it's been a productive few days. Here's a brief run-down:
In math, both grades are working on what it means to multiply by ten or by the multiples of ten. We discussed this earlier in the year, but I think the concept makes more sense to the students now that they have learned so much more. They understand that the rule is not "just add a zero" because you aren't actually adding anything! For example, 2X3=6. so 2X30=60, but we aren't just adding a zero to the 6 -- we are MOVING it over in place value and putting the zero in the ones place as a place holder. Phew! I know the "trick" of adding a zero is easier to remember, but I think understanding the concept will help them become more efficient math thinkers! The 4th graders are learning how to multiply a number by 10, then by 20, then by 25 -- all mentally, using what they know about multiplying by 10! We'll be finishing up this unit soon and moving on to.... fractions!
During reading, the students are researching animals in small research groups. They are learning how to organize their research into categories (habitats, food, bodies, etc.) how to take notes, and how to summarize the author's main ideas. This is preparing them for an independent research project which we will start by the end of next week. I am letting them research whatever they want, as long as we can find some books for them to use -- including books they bring from home. Please take a moment to discuss this with your child -- make sure they are choosing a topic they don't already know a lot about, and one that could lead to new learning without being too obscure. I am also helping with this here at school, but I know they will appreciate your input.
We have taken a short break from writing while we learn to research. Once they kids have learned some information about their topic, they will begin writing their research in the form of an informational essay. This will be their final large writing piece this year!
In the meantime, we are using our writing time to do some fun projects that are unrelated to the curriculum -- just for team building and to remember that learning is fun! We are doing an egg-drop challenge, and the students are really pumped up about this! Today they made lists of materials they need me to bring for them, and materials they can bring from home. If they come home asking you to go out and buy all sorts of strange things, please don't hesitate to contact me -- I'm happy to add materials to the lists they have given me. We will drop our eggs on Wednesday, and I'll be sure to get some video to share!
We've started our "Structure and Function" unit in science. Today we looked at and dissected flowers and some parsley plants. The students drew diagrams of the plants, labeled the parts, and worked on figuring out what each part does and how the entire plant works together as a system. Next we will get into structures in animals and what functions they perform.
I sent home conference sign up reminders on Thursday. If you didn't get yours and are wondering when we are meeting, please send me an email and I will let you know. I'm looking forward to meeting with all of you to talk about your children! As usual, they are invited to the conference if you'd like them to attend, but it's entirely up to you.
Finally, we are going to walk to the river (weather permitting) to visit "our" trees next Friday (3/13) at 9:45 and returning at 11:00. It's a short trip, but I'd love a few extra adults to go along with us. If you'd like to join us, please let me know.
I think that's all for this week. Enjoy the weekend!
Friday, March 6, 2020
Friday, February 21, 2020
Vacation is finally upon us! It's been hard to contain our enthusiasm today, but we have managed! We started our day with the annual JES chess tournament -- results to be shared when it ends. We took a break from chess for our tropical themed writing celebration, sipping juice with umbrellas in the cups while wearing flower leis. This helps those of us who aren't going to warmer climates next week!
Our week was full. We finished our persuasive writing pieces and completed our on demand assessments. I was happy to see a lot of the strategies we learned reflected in the writing the students did on their own! We also finished up our civics unit and the accompanying assessment. The students found creative ways to show me what they know about all our legislators need to consider when passing a bill into law. We had our mock legislature with Miss Fecura's class, and I was so impressed at how thoughtful all the "senators" were. They are ready to be active participants in our democracy now! Too bad they are too young to vote...
Our math work continued in earnest this week. 3rd graders started learning about how multiplication and division are related, and they worked hard to understand how to use what they know to figure out what they don't know, always remembering that "10 is their best friend." 4th graders began working on division with remainders and trying to wrap their heads around what exactly that means. They learned the difference between a straight mathematical answer (6r2, for example) and the answer to a specific question in a story problem. Ask them to tell you about this -- they get it now!
I have heard from all of you regarding conferences, and I have made a tentative schedule which looks like it will give everyone their first or second choice. I will take one more look at it over vacation and then send home a confirmation on Thursday March 5. I'm looking forward to seeing you and discussing your children.
I hope you all have a wonderful, warm, fun-filled week (+) with your children. I will miss them!
Our week was full. We finished our persuasive writing pieces and completed our on demand assessments. I was happy to see a lot of the strategies we learned reflected in the writing the students did on their own! We also finished up our civics unit and the accompanying assessment. The students found creative ways to show me what they know about all our legislators need to consider when passing a bill into law. We had our mock legislature with Miss Fecura's class, and I was so impressed at how thoughtful all the "senators" were. They are ready to be active participants in our democracy now! Too bad they are too young to vote...
Our math work continued in earnest this week. 3rd graders started learning about how multiplication and division are related, and they worked hard to understand how to use what they know to figure out what they don't know, always remembering that "10 is their best friend." 4th graders began working on division with remainders and trying to wrap their heads around what exactly that means. They learned the difference between a straight mathematical answer (6r2, for example) and the answer to a specific question in a story problem. Ask them to tell you about this -- they get it now!
I have heard from all of you regarding conferences, and I have made a tentative schedule which looks like it will give everyone their first or second choice. I will take one more look at it over vacation and then send home a confirmation on Thursday March 5. I'm looking forward to seeing you and discussing your children.
I hope you all have a wonderful, warm, fun-filled week (+) with your children. I will miss them!
Friday, February 14, 2020
Happy sunny Valentine's Day! We had another rather short week here at JES... with a field trip on Monday and a delayed opening Wednesday, we managed to squeeze in some good learning anyhow!
We are learning about multiplication and division in both 3rd and 4th grade math. Third graders are working hard to use models to show their thinking of equal groups, and they are learning about how multiplication and division are related. 4th graders are learning how to use partial products -- breaking up one number into tens and ones and multiplying each separately. They are also working on division and how to deal with remainders. There's a lot of good thinking going on!
In reading, we have finished up our social issues book clubs, and the students impressed me with their ability to discuss these issues and their newfound interest in what IS and ISN'T a social issue. Now that they are all finished reading their book group books, they have some time to read on their own while I finish up assessments and work with individuals. After break, we will begin a research reading unit.
Our persuasive pieces are just about finished, and the students have some very compelling arguments about hats, recess, homelessness, the environment, pollution, smoking and so much more! This week they learned how to address their specific audience and how to add examples when they elaborate. I think they have learned so much about organizing and saying more. I'm proud of the work I am seeing!
Each of the students has become a "Senator" in our General Assembly. They have been researching their counties and learning about demographics. Next week, we will have our Mock Legislature with Miss Fecura's class (the House) and we will discuss a bill that is currently being discussed in the legislature about healthy kid meals at restaurants. That will be the end of this unit -- and we will get back to science after the break.
A few important pieces of information:
The students have asked me to go back to giving them themes for sharing. Next week's theme is "something that warms your heart." Of course, the theme is entirely optional! I forgot to mention the theme to the kids today, so it would be great if you could tell them.
I have received many parent conference sheets but am still missing about half. Please get those back to me this coming week so that I can make a schedule and share it with you. If you don't want a conference, please let me know so I don't need to keep asking for your sheet!
No homework next week!
That's a wrap for this week. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
We are learning about multiplication and division in both 3rd and 4th grade math. Third graders are working hard to use models to show their thinking of equal groups, and they are learning about how multiplication and division are related. 4th graders are learning how to use partial products -- breaking up one number into tens and ones and multiplying each separately. They are also working on division and how to deal with remainders. There's a lot of good thinking going on!
In reading, we have finished up our social issues book clubs, and the students impressed me with their ability to discuss these issues and their newfound interest in what IS and ISN'T a social issue. Now that they are all finished reading their book group books, they have some time to read on their own while I finish up assessments and work with individuals. After break, we will begin a research reading unit.
Our persuasive pieces are just about finished, and the students have some very compelling arguments about hats, recess, homelessness, the environment, pollution, smoking and so much more! This week they learned how to address their specific audience and how to add examples when they elaborate. I think they have learned so much about organizing and saying more. I'm proud of the work I am seeing!
Each of the students has become a "Senator" in our General Assembly. They have been researching their counties and learning about demographics. Next week, we will have our Mock Legislature with Miss Fecura's class (the House) and we will discuss a bill that is currently being discussed in the legislature about healthy kid meals at restaurants. That will be the end of this unit -- and we will get back to science after the break.
A few important pieces of information:
The students have asked me to go back to giving them themes for sharing. Next week's theme is "something that warms your heart." Of course, the theme is entirely optional! I forgot to mention the theme to the kids today, so it would be great if you could tell them.
I have received many parent conference sheets but am still missing about half. Please get those back to me this coming week so that I can make a schedule and share it with you. If you don't want a conference, please let me know so I don't need to keep asking for your sheet!
No homework next week!
That's a wrap for this week. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
Friday, February 7, 2020
Happy Snow Day! I hope you are all on the slopes or cozy at home with your children, enjoying the day one way or another! It's pretty nasty out here in Huntington, and I'm happy to NOT be on the roads.
Not too much info to share this week since I was at a meeting one day, we had a field trip one day, and our week was a day short! Our trip to the State House was lovely. Our tour guide did a nice job keeping his presentation succinct and giving us just enough information. We got to follow a big idea all the way through the process from becoming a bill to becoming a law. We started in a Senate committee room where the bill was approved. Then we moved on to the Senate chamber where it was approved again. We walked over to the House chamber where we got to meet 2 pages and hear about their positions. Our bill was approved there as well. Finally, we moved onto the Mural Room where our student governor signed the bill into law. A highlight was getting to meet Lt Governor Zuckerman and being able to sit in his office and ask him questions. What a treat!
The Historical Society Museum was also informative and fun. We did a hands-on activity with old maps, and I was impressed by how engaged the students were and how hard they worked! It was a great day all around. Thank you to the chaperones that made the day go smoothly!
Here are 3 quick announcements:
1. I sent home a parent conference sign up sheet on Thursday. Please check to make sure you received it. Spring conference time is around the corner!
2. We have our All School Flynn Trip on Monday. We will be leaving by 8:30 and hope to be back by 11:30. The lunch on Monday will be a bag lunch. Our class doesn't have lunch until 12:30 so we will be back in plenty of time to eat in the cafeteria as usual.
3. Valentine's Day is coming up. I don't make a big deal out of it -- no party or special treats. However, I do give the students a bag to decorate and time to pass out and look at their Valentines. Bringing Valentines is entirely optional. The only rule is that students who bring any must bring one for every student in the class. Here is a class list to help you:
Hazen, Max, Blake, Hadley, Lena, Quinn, Anabel, Levi, Torrin, Cassie, Mollie, Sienna, Aila, Cooper, Silas, Kinsley, Griffin, Adri, Torsten, Cayla
That's all for this short week. Enjoy your weekend!
Not too much info to share this week since I was at a meeting one day, we had a field trip one day, and our week was a day short! Our trip to the State House was lovely. Our tour guide did a nice job keeping his presentation succinct and giving us just enough information. We got to follow a big idea all the way through the process from becoming a bill to becoming a law. We started in a Senate committee room where the bill was approved. Then we moved on to the Senate chamber where it was approved again. We walked over to the House chamber where we got to meet 2 pages and hear about their positions. Our bill was approved there as well. Finally, we moved onto the Mural Room where our student governor signed the bill into law. A highlight was getting to meet Lt Governor Zuckerman and being able to sit in his office and ask him questions. What a treat!
The Historical Society Museum was also informative and fun. We did a hands-on activity with old maps, and I was impressed by how engaged the students were and how hard they worked! It was a great day all around. Thank you to the chaperones that made the day go smoothly!
Here are 3 quick announcements:
1. I sent home a parent conference sign up sheet on Thursday. Please check to make sure you received it. Spring conference time is around the corner!
2. We have our All School Flynn Trip on Monday. We will be leaving by 8:30 and hope to be back by 11:30. The lunch on Monday will be a bag lunch. Our class doesn't have lunch until 12:30 so we will be back in plenty of time to eat in the cafeteria as usual.
3. Valentine's Day is coming up. I don't make a big deal out of it -- no party or special treats. However, I do give the students a bag to decorate and time to pass out and look at their Valentines. Bringing Valentines is entirely optional. The only rule is that students who bring any must bring one for every student in the class. Here is a class list to help you:
Hazen, Max, Blake, Hadley, Lena, Quinn, Anabel, Levi, Torrin, Cassie, Mollie, Sienna, Aila, Cooper, Silas, Kinsley, Griffin, Adri, Torsten, Cayla
That's all for this short week. Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, January 31, 2020
Another week has come and gone! Time is flying by.... I can't believe it's February already!
There aren't many updates this week. We finished up our geometry units for both grades, and I am really pleased with what the students have learned! Next week we will begin our new units, multiplication and division in both grades.
Almost everyone has gotten to the drafting stage in our writing unit. A few are still finding ideas and trying them out, but most have a bold thesis about changing the world or changing the school. I love this writing unit for the organizational structure it offers young writers. Now that we are drafting, the hard work begins!
We didn't have as much time in our reading clubs as I'd hoped for this week, but we took some time to decide exactly what is supposed to happen in a book club -- where to meet, how to have a discussion, how to be prepared, etc. That is time well spent, and I think the clubs will move along smoothly now!
Finally, we learned a lot more about the government this week. We learned how a bill becomes a law, and we discussed how difficult it is for our representatives to think about all the people they represent, their own values, and the pros and cons of each bill before them. We looked at 3 bills that are on the agenda this year (I rewrote them in child-friendly language) and decided on one to debate when we have our mock legislature next week or the week after. We are excited about our trip to the State House, and even more excited that we get to meet Lt Governor Zuckerman (thanks to Bill Lofy!) If you haven't already, please send in your money and permission slips for that trip on Monday.
I hope you all have a lovely, restful weekend!
There aren't many updates this week. We finished up our geometry units for both grades, and I am really pleased with what the students have learned! Next week we will begin our new units, multiplication and division in both grades.
Almost everyone has gotten to the drafting stage in our writing unit. A few are still finding ideas and trying them out, but most have a bold thesis about changing the world or changing the school. I love this writing unit for the organizational structure it offers young writers. Now that we are drafting, the hard work begins!
We didn't have as much time in our reading clubs as I'd hoped for this week, but we took some time to decide exactly what is supposed to happen in a book club -- where to meet, how to have a discussion, how to be prepared, etc. That is time well spent, and I think the clubs will move along smoothly now!
Finally, we learned a lot more about the government this week. We learned how a bill becomes a law, and we discussed how difficult it is for our representatives to think about all the people they represent, their own values, and the pros and cons of each bill before them. We looked at 3 bills that are on the agenda this year (I rewrote them in child-friendly language) and decided on one to debate when we have our mock legislature next week or the week after. We are excited about our trip to the State House, and even more excited that we get to meet Lt Governor Zuckerman (thanks to Bill Lofy!) If you haven't already, please send in your money and permission slips for that trip on Monday.
I hope you all have a lovely, restful weekend!
Friday, January 24, 2020
Hi Families,
I will keep this blog post short since we are still doing much of the same work as we were doing last week. Details below!
The BIG thing this week has been finger knitting (as I'm sure many of you have witnessed!) The students just love it and can't seem to get enough. It is soothing and satisfying, and I am happy to give them 5 minutes to work on it a few times during the day. Thank you all so much for the yarn. We are going through it fast, and I will be sure to bring in more next week. I also plan to invite a friend (who is a master crafter) in to show the class a few other basic yarn crafts next week, just for some diversity!
The students are working to come up with topics to write their persuasive speeches about. We started by looking for problems that exist in the world, but moved on to looking for wonderful people who need to be recognized. Next week we will settle on our topics and get into the nitty gritty of how to write a persuasive piece.
We've been learning a variety of strategies for recognizing social issues when they come up in books. We've discussed fairness, noticing when a character is struggling, and noticing when a scene is making us uncomfortable. All of this has been in preparation for book clubs, which we started today! The work today was mostly about where to meet, how many pages to read, what to discuss, etc. But the class seems really excited about the independence I am giving them, despite the fact that they didn't get to pick their books!
This week we learned what the government does for us and how it can afford it. We learned about taxes (very generally!) and are beginning to understand that we have to pay them so our government can do things like fix our roads, etc. Today we learned (again, in a very basic and non-biased way) the main differences between democrats and republicans. The main message was that all voters should be responsible enough to know the candidates and their views, despite which party they come from. Next we will learn about how a bill becomes a law.
We are finishing up geometry soon. 4th graders learned to use a protractor and are now learning about mirror symmetry. The 3rd graders are learning about the attributes of triangles and then will move on to quadrilaterals. We continue to work on knowing the difference between perimeter and area and how to find each.
Finally, we are going to the State House on February 5. I didn't send home the permission slip today since you just got one for the Flynn trip yesterday. I will send it home with the homework on Tuesday. Chaperones are welcome, so check the date and mark your calendars if you'd like to join us. I'd love to have your help!
That's a wrap! I hope you all enjoy a restful weekend.
I will keep this blog post short since we are still doing much of the same work as we were doing last week. Details below!
The BIG thing this week has been finger knitting (as I'm sure many of you have witnessed!) The students just love it and can't seem to get enough. It is soothing and satisfying, and I am happy to give them 5 minutes to work on it a few times during the day. Thank you all so much for the yarn. We are going through it fast, and I will be sure to bring in more next week. I also plan to invite a friend (who is a master crafter) in to show the class a few other basic yarn crafts next week, just for some diversity!
The students are working to come up with topics to write their persuasive speeches about. We started by looking for problems that exist in the world, but moved on to looking for wonderful people who need to be recognized. Next week we will settle on our topics and get into the nitty gritty of how to write a persuasive piece.
We've been learning a variety of strategies for recognizing social issues when they come up in books. We've discussed fairness, noticing when a character is struggling, and noticing when a scene is making us uncomfortable. All of this has been in preparation for book clubs, which we started today! The work today was mostly about where to meet, how many pages to read, what to discuss, etc. But the class seems really excited about the independence I am giving them, despite the fact that they didn't get to pick their books!
This week we learned what the government does for us and how it can afford it. We learned about taxes (very generally!) and are beginning to understand that we have to pay them so our government can do things like fix our roads, etc. Today we learned (again, in a very basic and non-biased way) the main differences between democrats and republicans. The main message was that all voters should be responsible enough to know the candidates and their views, despite which party they come from. Next we will learn about how a bill becomes a law.
We are finishing up geometry soon. 4th graders learned to use a protractor and are now learning about mirror symmetry. The 3rd graders are learning about the attributes of triangles and then will move on to quadrilaterals. We continue to work on knowing the difference between perimeter and area and how to find each.
Finally, we are going to the State House on February 5. I didn't send home the permission slip today since you just got one for the Flynn trip yesterday. I will send it home with the homework on Tuesday. Chaperones are welcome, so check the date and mark your calendars if you'd like to join us. I'd love to have your help!
That's a wrap! I hope you all enjoy a restful weekend.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Happy Friday! The sunshine is lovely, but we have hated being stuck inside all day. We're hoping for some fresh snow and a warm-up next week.
This week started with some finishing up. The students took one last look at their writing pieces and then published them. As you can see, they are just "works in progress...." We are learning that writers must have deadlines and decide they need to be finished, even when it frustrates them. The most important part of the unit was learning how to organize our thoughts into paragraphs or sections. Elaboration is difficult in nonfiction writing!
We have moved into our new reading and writing units. In reading, we are doing a unit I call "Social Issues Book Clubs." Today we discussed what is meant by social issues (poverty, divorce, bullying, pollution, etc. These aren't exactly uplifting topics, but important for kids to be able to identify in books. For now, we are reading picture books and learning strategies for recognizing the issues in the books. Next week we will begin reading books with others in a "club" format. The challenge is finding enough multi-copy books at appropriate reading levels that actually have issues in them! I am almost there, and look forward to passing the books out to the class and having them get started.
At the same time, we are starting our persuasive writing unit. This week the students "flash drafted" a speech about why recess should be longer, and then Ms. Graf came in to listen to them. Today we started thinking about ways we can find topics to write about. One way is to think of problems that exist in the school, or in the world (social issues come in handy here!) and write about those. We are brainstorming!
These units go well with our social studies work. This week we learned about the 3 branches of government and the importance of the balance of power. Next week we will begin to learn about how a bill becomes a law and how ordinary citizens can make a difference. Once again, thinking about social issues comes in handy!
Our geometry unit is getting more challenging. Third graders are learning about how to measure the area of irregular shapes. Fourth graders are starting to examine angles and learning to identify what is a right angle and what is not. We will begin using protractors soon!
The students have been asking about bringing in items to put into our centerpiece for our Connection Circle. I have told them that they are welcome to do this, BUT... the items need to be small (fit in the palms of 2 hands) and be something they are willing to leave her for a few weeks. They should also be items that represent them in some way. If they have items that fit those criteria, they are welcome to bring them. If you aren't sure what I mean by the centerpiece, talk to your kids! They are experts.
Finally, many of the students have gotten really interested in finger knitting. I am happy to have them do this while we are having read aloud, or during snack or indoor recess. If you have any yarn lying around that needs a home, we'd be happy to take it in the classroom!
I hope you all have a warm and cozy weekend.
This week started with some finishing up. The students took one last look at their writing pieces and then published them. As you can see, they are just "works in progress...." We are learning that writers must have deadlines and decide they need to be finished, even when it frustrates them. The most important part of the unit was learning how to organize our thoughts into paragraphs or sections. Elaboration is difficult in nonfiction writing!
We have moved into our new reading and writing units. In reading, we are doing a unit I call "Social Issues Book Clubs." Today we discussed what is meant by social issues (poverty, divorce, bullying, pollution, etc. These aren't exactly uplifting topics, but important for kids to be able to identify in books. For now, we are reading picture books and learning strategies for recognizing the issues in the books. Next week we will begin reading books with others in a "club" format. The challenge is finding enough multi-copy books at appropriate reading levels that actually have issues in them! I am almost there, and look forward to passing the books out to the class and having them get started.
At the same time, we are starting our persuasive writing unit. This week the students "flash drafted" a speech about why recess should be longer, and then Ms. Graf came in to listen to them. Today we started thinking about ways we can find topics to write about. One way is to think of problems that exist in the school, or in the world (social issues come in handy here!) and write about those. We are brainstorming!
These units go well with our social studies work. This week we learned about the 3 branches of government and the importance of the balance of power. Next week we will begin to learn about how a bill becomes a law and how ordinary citizens can make a difference. Once again, thinking about social issues comes in handy!
Our geometry unit is getting more challenging. Third graders are learning about how to measure the area of irregular shapes. Fourth graders are starting to examine angles and learning to identify what is a right angle and what is not. We will begin using protractors soon!
The students have been asking about bringing in items to put into our centerpiece for our Connection Circle. I have told them that they are welcome to do this, BUT... the items need to be small (fit in the palms of 2 hands) and be something they are willing to leave her for a few weeks. They should also be items that represent them in some way. If they have items that fit those criteria, they are welcome to bring them. If you aren't sure what I mean by the centerpiece, talk to your kids! They are experts.
Finally, many of the students have gotten really interested in finger knitting. I am happy to have them do this while we are having read aloud, or during snack or indoor recess. If you have any yarn lying around that needs a home, we'd be happy to take it in the classroom!
I hope you all have a warm and cozy weekend.
Friday, January 10, 2020
I love January! We are settling into some hard work with focus and determination. This week, we had our first "Connection Circle" following the guidelines of restorative practices. Be sure to ask your children what that looked like and felt like! I hope to have a circle time like this at least a few times a week for the remainder of the year, giving us a safe place to feel connected as a classroom community and get to know each other on a deeper level.
Our week started with a trip to the Flynn to see The One and Only Ivan. Most of the students seemed to enjoy the show, although they didn't all like the lack of costumes. I thought it was a beautiful envisioning of the story, which is moving and sad and happy all at the same time! I'm glad we were able to have the opportunity.
We are finishing up our non-fiction reading and writing units. The students are making final edits in their writing pieces, and this includes thinking about what text features they can add (pictures, charts, tables, glossaries, etc.) They want to add everything because it's fun to use technology that way, but we have had some good conversations about the importance of these features, and how authors only add them when they actually make it easier for the reader to understand the text. The finished pieces will be coming home next week. We got together into research teams this week to read about different kinds of extreme weather. The students worked hard to break their research up into categories such as causes of the weather type, how it is predicted and measured, how humans try to stay safe, and what the consequences are of these weather events. They are busy researching, synthesizing information, and taking some notes.
This week, we also learned more about democracy and the rights of citizens. We discussed how our Constitution came to be (becoming independent from Britain) and how our founding fathers set out to make sure we had rights as individuals, rights if/when we are accused of crimes, and protection from government power. The students made posters summarizing and illustrating the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, and they seemed excited to be learning this information! Next week we will get into the 3 branches of government and what responsibilities each has. We will be going to the State House in February, but dates are not confirmed yet. Stay tuned!
Finally, we completed the first bend of our new math unit (both grades.) In this bend, we learned about measuring, measuring systems and tools, and how to convert measurements. We also learned a lot about perimeter. Next week we will start learning more about measuring area.
Weather permitting, we are hoping to visit our trees on Wednesday 1/15. We plan to leave at about 9:15 and be back by about 10:30. If any of you are available and feel like taking a walk that day, you are welcome to join us! I always enjoy having parents join the class!
Thank you to those who have sent in bread ingredients. The only thing we lack now is butter. I will pick some up this weekend, and bread will start coming home again on Monday!
I hope you all enjoy the sloppy weekend. Stay dry!
Our week started with a trip to the Flynn to see The One and Only Ivan. Most of the students seemed to enjoy the show, although they didn't all like the lack of costumes. I thought it was a beautiful envisioning of the story, which is moving and sad and happy all at the same time! I'm glad we were able to have the opportunity.
We are finishing up our non-fiction reading and writing units. The students are making final edits in their writing pieces, and this includes thinking about what text features they can add (pictures, charts, tables, glossaries, etc.) They want to add everything because it's fun to use technology that way, but we have had some good conversations about the importance of these features, and how authors only add them when they actually make it easier for the reader to understand the text. The finished pieces will be coming home next week. We got together into research teams this week to read about different kinds of extreme weather. The students worked hard to break their research up into categories such as causes of the weather type, how it is predicted and measured, how humans try to stay safe, and what the consequences are of these weather events. They are busy researching, synthesizing information, and taking some notes.
This week, we also learned more about democracy and the rights of citizens. We discussed how our Constitution came to be (becoming independent from Britain) and how our founding fathers set out to make sure we had rights as individuals, rights if/when we are accused of crimes, and protection from government power. The students made posters summarizing and illustrating the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, and they seemed excited to be learning this information! Next week we will get into the 3 branches of government and what responsibilities each has. We will be going to the State House in February, but dates are not confirmed yet. Stay tuned!
Finally, we completed the first bend of our new math unit (both grades.) In this bend, we learned about measuring, measuring systems and tools, and how to convert measurements. We also learned a lot about perimeter. Next week we will start learning more about measuring area.
Weather permitting, we are hoping to visit our trees on Wednesday 1/15. We plan to leave at about 9:15 and be back by about 10:30. If any of you are available and feel like taking a walk that day, you are welcome to join us! I always enjoy having parents join the class!
Thank you to those who have sent in bread ingredients. The only thing we lack now is butter. I will pick some up this weekend, and bread will start coming home again on Monday!
I hope you all enjoy the sloppy weekend. Stay dry!
Friday, January 3, 2020
Happy New Year! This has been a short week, so this will be super short blog with just a few important announcements and a bit of news.
First of all, thank you all for your flexibility around the Flynn trip permission/money. I apologize for the confusion and not getting those to you earlier. It WILL all work out! I am looking forward to seeing the show -- the class loved the book and I know they will enjoy seeing it come to life on stage.
Secondly, I have added more dates to our bread sign-up since the kids really want to keep working on this fundraiser. The link is: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050548acac23a7f58-team
I am not completely out of ingredients, but can always use bread flour, butter, and eggs. Remember, this is all optional!
Finally, we have started our new social studies unit about civics. Today we learned the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship, and we learned the definition of democracy. I know from experience that this unit leads to a lot of interesting questions and conversations at home, so be prepared! It will be especially interesting in an election year!
That's all for this week. I will be sending homework home on Tuesday as usual, and you should expect it every week until the week before February vacation. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Have a wonderful weekend, and think snow!
First of all, thank you all for your flexibility around the Flynn trip permission/money. I apologize for the confusion and not getting those to you earlier. It WILL all work out! I am looking forward to seeing the show -- the class loved the book and I know they will enjoy seeing it come to life on stage.
Secondly, I have added more dates to our bread sign-up since the kids really want to keep working on this fundraiser. The link is: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050548acac23a7f58-team
I am not completely out of ingredients, but can always use bread flour, butter, and eggs. Remember, this is all optional!
Finally, we have started our new social studies unit about civics. Today we learned the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship, and we learned the definition of democracy. I know from experience that this unit leads to a lot of interesting questions and conversations at home, so be prepared! It will be especially interesting in an election year!
That's all for this week. I will be sending homework home on Tuesday as usual, and you should expect it every week until the week before February vacation. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Have a wonderful weekend, and think snow!
Friday, December 20, 2019
We had a wonderful day today making challah, learning more about trees, and making beautiful birch tree art out of watercolors and salt. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the wonderful parents and grandparents who came in to help and to just be here with us. It was chaotic, but everyone enjoyed the process and the end results! I couldn't have done it without your help.
I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, restful holiday and that you get to spend a lot of time with your children. I will miss them all!
See you all next year!
I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, restful holiday and that you get to spend a lot of time with your children. I will miss them all!
See you all next year!
Friday, December 13, 2019
Hello All,
I was so pleased when I came into school this morning and saw a note from yesterday's guest teacher. She had nothing but praise for Team 3/4! The kids really rose to the occasion and showed how their best sides. Well done!
Between the delayed opening on Wednesday and the fact that I was out yesterday, the week seems like it was super short. Next week will fly by, and then it will be January! Sometimes I would like to slow down time just a little bit...
We are finishing up our addition and subtraction units and getting ready to start our geometry units in both 3rd and 4th grades. Third graders are still working on different ways that subtraction shows up in story problems (comparison, give away, or how many left.) Sometimes they still think they need to add when the problem context isn't clear. We will continue to practice this skill during Math Menu. Fourth graders finished their 10,000 chart! They all know how to add large numbers using the US algorithm. Subtraction across a few zeroes is still a bit tricky, but we will keep practicing even as we move into geometry.
We continue to read and write non-fiction. We are learning tools to make reading non-fiction more exciting by activating prior knowledge, listening when our brains say, "Wow!" or "Really?" and being willing to be curious. As we write, we are organizing by making a tiny table of contents across our fingers for each chapter that we write. We are also learning how to write introductory sentences for each new section.
The students are just about finished with their science research about how humans use natural resources to make electricity. It was hard for them to grasp at first, but they have watched many videos and done quite a lot of research, and I think they understand how each resource is collected and used to make electricity, and how it harms the planet. We are growing smart consumers!
Next week will be fun. We will try to keep things as normal as possible at the beginning of the week. On Thursday we will get together with Mrs. Flint's class to make winter crafts. Then on Friday, we will walk down to visit our trees, make individual challah breads, and bake them in the outdoor oven. Many thanks to the volunteers who have offered to make the dough and help with the braiding. If you are interested in helping, you still can! We could use some more bodies to walk to the park with us, and we'd love having you around for the baking as well. If you'd like to help, just let me know. We will leave school at 9:15 to walk to the park, and we hope to be back and making bread by 10:15 or 10:30. We will bake the bread right after recess at 11:30. Join us!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Think snow!
I was so pleased when I came into school this morning and saw a note from yesterday's guest teacher. She had nothing but praise for Team 3/4! The kids really rose to the occasion and showed how their best sides. Well done!
Between the delayed opening on Wednesday and the fact that I was out yesterday, the week seems like it was super short. Next week will fly by, and then it will be January! Sometimes I would like to slow down time just a little bit...
We are finishing up our addition and subtraction units and getting ready to start our geometry units in both 3rd and 4th grades. Third graders are still working on different ways that subtraction shows up in story problems (comparison, give away, or how many left.) Sometimes they still think they need to add when the problem context isn't clear. We will continue to practice this skill during Math Menu. Fourth graders finished their 10,000 chart! They all know how to add large numbers using the US algorithm. Subtraction across a few zeroes is still a bit tricky, but we will keep practicing even as we move into geometry.
We continue to read and write non-fiction. We are learning tools to make reading non-fiction more exciting by activating prior knowledge, listening when our brains say, "Wow!" or "Really?" and being willing to be curious. As we write, we are organizing by making a tiny table of contents across our fingers for each chapter that we write. We are also learning how to write introductory sentences for each new section.
The students are just about finished with their science research about how humans use natural resources to make electricity. It was hard for them to grasp at first, but they have watched many videos and done quite a lot of research, and I think they understand how each resource is collected and used to make electricity, and how it harms the planet. We are growing smart consumers!
Next week will be fun. We will try to keep things as normal as possible at the beginning of the week. On Thursday we will get together with Mrs. Flint's class to make winter crafts. Then on Friday, we will walk down to visit our trees, make individual challah breads, and bake them in the outdoor oven. Many thanks to the volunteers who have offered to make the dough and help with the braiding. If you are interested in helping, you still can! We could use some more bodies to walk to the park with us, and we'd love having you around for the baking as well. If you'd like to help, just let me know. We will leave school at 9:15 to walk to the park, and we hope to be back and making bread by 10:15 or 10:30. We will bake the bread right after recess at 11:30. Join us!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Think snow!
Friday, December 6, 2019
Happy December! It feels like the school year just got started, and we are already almost half way through it. Wow!
This week has been a busy one academically. We are hunkering down and trying to get a lot of learning done in the next 3 weeks. In math, third graders are learning how to add and subtract up and down a number line using a story context. They are learning how to represent story problems with equations and how to move up or down the number line to the next landmark number in order to be efficient. This is hard work, but they are all able to do it! 4th graders and working with numbers in the ten thousands -- adding and subtracting using the US algorithm across multiple zeroes! Learning to regroup and what it means is conceptually challenging, but I am pleased with the progress I see. This class is a math thinking machine!
During reading we are focusing on main idea and supporting details. From my years of experience, I know this is a tough thing to grasp. To understand that the main idea is NOT the same thing as the topic is tricky. We are looking at topic sentences and trying to figure out how the text is structured (problem/solution, chronology, compare and contrast. etc.) to help us figure out what they author is trying to teach us.
In writing, we are finally drafting our expert books! We are learning all about how non-fiction writers elaborate, and we are figuring out how the chapters of our books should go -- in order, of equal importance, not repetitive. Once that work is done, the expert book almost writes itself! I particularly love how this unit helps students think about organizing their thoughts. I always see huge progress in paragraphing and organizing as a result of the expert book completion!
Our science unit on natural resources is winding down. This week we thought about how each of us could be a "Lorax" and do our part to save energy. Now the students are researching one renewable and one non-renewable natural resource to do a quick comparison. They are becoming experts in energy -- learning about geothermal, propane, wind, coal, solar, oil, and even nuclear. They are learning what is meant by a fossil fuel and how they can be informed consumers. I can't wait to see how they all present their research.
I am hoping we can use the outdoor wood-fired oven to bake something the day before the holiday vacation. I have been thinking about what would be easy and fun and different to bake. One idea I have is to make challah dough in bread machines and then let each student make their own mini challah loaf. We can either make them and bake them on the same day, or make them ahead of time and freeze them until Friday 12/20 when we can use the oven. I am looking for some volunteers to help with this. If you are free on Thursday 12/19 or Friday 12/20, please let me know so I can figure out how to fit this in. I am also open to other suggestions for things to bake. I like the idea of challah because I have a wonderful recipe for making the dough in the bread machine, and it would be satisfying to make dough, then bake it outdoors for a change rather than in the machine itself. And who doesn't love braiding bread dough?
Finally, many of the students have been asking to go out to recess without their snow gear or boots. Mrs. Graf sent out an email recently asking teachers to inform students that they need to wear their winter gear outside. This means boots, coats, snow pants, hats, and gloves or mittens. Of course I will be reasonable and not enforce this if the weather changes drastically, but my general policy is that students should wear what you send in their backpacks. If you have questions about this, please contact me. I know it feels "cool" to not care about the cold, but it's not so great to be in wet clothes and shoes for the afternoon!
That is all for this week. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend!
This week has been a busy one academically. We are hunkering down and trying to get a lot of learning done in the next 3 weeks. In math, third graders are learning how to add and subtract up and down a number line using a story context. They are learning how to represent story problems with equations and how to move up or down the number line to the next landmark number in order to be efficient. This is hard work, but they are all able to do it! 4th graders and working with numbers in the ten thousands -- adding and subtracting using the US algorithm across multiple zeroes! Learning to regroup and what it means is conceptually challenging, but I am pleased with the progress I see. This class is a math thinking machine!
During reading we are focusing on main idea and supporting details. From my years of experience, I know this is a tough thing to grasp. To understand that the main idea is NOT the same thing as the topic is tricky. We are looking at topic sentences and trying to figure out how the text is structured (problem/solution, chronology, compare and contrast. etc.) to help us figure out what they author is trying to teach us.
In writing, we are finally drafting our expert books! We are learning all about how non-fiction writers elaborate, and we are figuring out how the chapters of our books should go -- in order, of equal importance, not repetitive. Once that work is done, the expert book almost writes itself! I particularly love how this unit helps students think about organizing their thoughts. I always see huge progress in paragraphing and organizing as a result of the expert book completion!
Our science unit on natural resources is winding down. This week we thought about how each of us could be a "Lorax" and do our part to save energy. Now the students are researching one renewable and one non-renewable natural resource to do a quick comparison. They are becoming experts in energy -- learning about geothermal, propane, wind, coal, solar, oil, and even nuclear. They are learning what is meant by a fossil fuel and how they can be informed consumers. I can't wait to see how they all present their research.
I am hoping we can use the outdoor wood-fired oven to bake something the day before the holiday vacation. I have been thinking about what would be easy and fun and different to bake. One idea I have is to make challah dough in bread machines and then let each student make their own mini challah loaf. We can either make them and bake them on the same day, or make them ahead of time and freeze them until Friday 12/20 when we can use the oven. I am looking for some volunteers to help with this. If you are free on Thursday 12/19 or Friday 12/20, please let me know so I can figure out how to fit this in. I am also open to other suggestions for things to bake. I like the idea of challah because I have a wonderful recipe for making the dough in the bread machine, and it would be satisfying to make dough, then bake it outdoors for a change rather than in the machine itself. And who doesn't love braiding bread dough?
Finally, many of the students have been asking to go out to recess without their snow gear or boots. Mrs. Graf sent out an email recently asking teachers to inform students that they need to wear their winter gear outside. This means boots, coats, snow pants, hats, and gloves or mittens. Of course I will be reasonable and not enforce this if the weather changes drastically, but my general policy is that students should wear what you send in their backpacks. If you have questions about this, please contact me. I know it feels "cool" to not care about the cold, but it's not so great to be in wet clothes and shoes for the afternoon!
That is all for this week. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend!
Friday, November 22, 2019
Hello All,
We have made it to the end of our first trimester! Despite the ice day and the excitement over vacation, we have continued working in math, reading, writing and science. 4th graders have started their 10,000 chart and 3rd graders are learning to use number lines to subtract. Everyone is planning chapter headings for their upcoming expert books. In reading we have discussed how non-fiction books are structured and how to stop and jot our thoughts about main ideas and supporting details after each chunk of text. And in science, we went on a fun website called Energy Hog today and learned all about what appliances in our homes use the most energy and how to be wise consumers. Much of this will need to be reviewed after vacation, but we certainly haven't been idle!
It was lovely to see so many of you at our Scholastic Book Fair and our Thanksgiving Lunch. I'm sorry I didn't get to chat with more of you -- a half hour lunch for that many people goes by fast! I know some of you bought books for the classroom library. Thank you so much for your generosity!
Thank you also for your continued support of our bread baking project. To date we have earned $115 to donate to 350.org. We are doing our small part to save the planet, and learning to bake and eating yummy bread at the same time! I can always use more bread flour, butter, eggs, and yeast if you would like to help, but please don't feel pressured!
Report cards will be coming home the Monday after vacation. Please remember that these are just a snapshot of what skills and concepts your child has mastered at this time of the year. We are all continuing to grow, mature, learn, and change as the year progresses. I hope you will be in touch if anything about the report card confuses you, but there shouldn't be any surprises! This is a wonderful class of students who love to learn.
I hope you all have a restful holiday and get to spend time with the people you love. I will miss the class and look forward to seeing them in December.
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have made it to the end of our first trimester! Despite the ice day and the excitement over vacation, we have continued working in math, reading, writing and science. 4th graders have started their 10,000 chart and 3rd graders are learning to use number lines to subtract. Everyone is planning chapter headings for their upcoming expert books. In reading we have discussed how non-fiction books are structured and how to stop and jot our thoughts about main ideas and supporting details after each chunk of text. And in science, we went on a fun website called Energy Hog today and learned all about what appliances in our homes use the most energy and how to be wise consumers. Much of this will need to be reviewed after vacation, but we certainly haven't been idle!
It was lovely to see so many of you at our Scholastic Book Fair and our Thanksgiving Lunch. I'm sorry I didn't get to chat with more of you -- a half hour lunch for that many people goes by fast! I know some of you bought books for the classroom library. Thank you so much for your generosity!
Thank you also for your continued support of our bread baking project. To date we have earned $115 to donate to 350.org. We are doing our small part to save the planet, and learning to bake and eating yummy bread at the same time! I can always use more bread flour, butter, eggs, and yeast if you would like to help, but please don't feel pressured!
Report cards will be coming home the Monday after vacation. Please remember that these are just a snapshot of what skills and concepts your child has mastered at this time of the year. We are all continuing to grow, mature, learn, and change as the year progresses. I hope you will be in touch if anything about the report card confuses you, but there shouldn't be any surprises! This is a wonderful class of students who love to learn.
I hope you all have a restful holiday and get to spend time with the people you love. I will miss the class and look forward to seeing them in December.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 15, 2019
Friday comes so quickly!
This week we continued to work on adding and subtracting in math. Third graders are learning how to combine hundreds and how to combine tens to make hundreds. The strategies they are learning will prepare them well for regrouping when they learn the algorithms next year. Today we made a chart of various addition strategies including a number line, adding by place value, and keeping one number whole and adding on. They rocked at their math work today! Fourth graders have mastered the addition algorithm but aren't fluent with the subtraction one quite yet, particularly across a middle zero. They will all get it with a little more practice next week!
With the snow day and the delayed opening, we didn't have much time to explore our new writing unit yet, but we will dig into it more next week. So far all we have done is "rehearse" by telling about something we feel we are experts in. We will start planning and writing next week. Our non-fiction reading unit is under way, and the things students are noticing about non-fiction books as they read will help them when they write. So far, we have discussed text features and the difference between narrative and expository non-fiction. They are loving the books I have borrowed from BRMS by Peter Menzel -- Hungry Planet and Material World. Ask them to tell you about those. To go along with the topics in those books, I showed them the website Dollar Street today, and they were fascinated by the images comparing homes, toilets, beds, toothbrushes, etc. around the world. Check it out!
Finally, we are starting to learn about renewable versus nonrenewable energy sources. So far we have learned what the terms mean, but we will get further into which energy sources are fossil fuels and which are renewable next week. I love this unit because it really helps the students understand how they can be activists in their own way!
Two new vocabulary words this week: sullen and contemplating. I hope you can slip these into your everyday conversations!
We have decided not to go the Essex Hydro Dam after all. Between the upcoming holiday, getting a bus, arranging the field trip with Green Mountain Power, and finding dates that work for all 4 classes, it seems like an impossible task. By the time we make it happen, the unit will be over! We will take a virtual tour of a hydro dam instead, and I think it will be far less disruptive.
That's the week. I hope you all enjoy the weekend!
This week we continued to work on adding and subtracting in math. Third graders are learning how to combine hundreds and how to combine tens to make hundreds. The strategies they are learning will prepare them well for regrouping when they learn the algorithms next year. Today we made a chart of various addition strategies including a number line, adding by place value, and keeping one number whole and adding on. They rocked at their math work today! Fourth graders have mastered the addition algorithm but aren't fluent with the subtraction one quite yet, particularly across a middle zero. They will all get it with a little more practice next week!
With the snow day and the delayed opening, we didn't have much time to explore our new writing unit yet, but we will dig into it more next week. So far all we have done is "rehearse" by telling about something we feel we are experts in. We will start planning and writing next week. Our non-fiction reading unit is under way, and the things students are noticing about non-fiction books as they read will help them when they write. So far, we have discussed text features and the difference between narrative and expository non-fiction. They are loving the books I have borrowed from BRMS by Peter Menzel -- Hungry Planet and Material World. Ask them to tell you about those. To go along with the topics in those books, I showed them the website Dollar Street today, and they were fascinated by the images comparing homes, toilets, beds, toothbrushes, etc. around the world. Check it out!
Finally, we are starting to learn about renewable versus nonrenewable energy sources. So far we have learned what the terms mean, but we will get further into which energy sources are fossil fuels and which are renewable next week. I love this unit because it really helps the students understand how they can be activists in their own way!
Two new vocabulary words this week: sullen and contemplating. I hope you can slip these into your everyday conversations!
We have decided not to go the Essex Hydro Dam after all. Between the upcoming holiday, getting a bus, arranging the field trip with Green Mountain Power, and finding dates that work for all 4 classes, it seems like an impossible task. By the time we make it happen, the unit will be over! We will take a virtual tour of a hydro dam instead, and I think it will be far less disruptive.
That's the week. I hope you all enjoy the weekend!
Friday, November 8, 2019
Happy Snowy Friday!
Last week's storm threw us all for a loop! I hope you all managed to stay dry.
We've had another busy few weeks. We have been finishing up units and starting new ones. We finished our Vermont Geography unit -- and celebrated by making candy maps. Most of the kids have done a really wonderful job learning where many of Vermont's geographic features are located. They also learned about how Vermont's geography has made it possible for various industries/businesses to flourish here. They learned about the difference between human, natural and capital resources, paying attention mostly to the natural resources we have here in our beautiful state. This week, we moved on to learning about how humans use natural resources for energy. We will be learning about coal, wind, solar, hydro, and others. The main concepts in this unit are that some natural resources are renewable and others are not, and that no matter which we use, there are consequences for our plant. Not a cheery topic, but one kids can learn about and then use to make good choices.
Our new math units focus on addition and subtraction. Third graders are learning to conceptualize what 1,000 looks like and they are understanding magnitude of large numbers and place value. They are learning new strategies to put tens together to make hundreds, and ones together to make tens. This work sets them up well for 4th grade units next year, when they will need to learn regrouping so they can add and subtract more efficiently. Fourth graders are learning similar skills, but they are conceptualizing 10,000! They are learning how to use regrouping ("carrying and borrowing") when they add and subtract using the algorithm that we all used when we were in school (MANY years ago for me....) They love the efficiency of the algorithm now that they can understand what it means when they put those little marks in each place value column!
We also finished up our narrative reading and narrative writing units! The students should have brought home their writing pieces -- and yesterday they completed an "on-demand" assessment piece to show me all they have learned. I will be scoring these soon, and the scores will appear on report cards. Next we launch our informational writing unit. The kids will be writing "expert" books, and learning to organize their information in a variety of ways. This is the unit I love the most -- huge growth happens as they begin to use paragraphs and think of other ways to separate the parts of their books. We will also read informational books at the same time, giving us lots of mentor texts to use as examples in our own writing.
Today I learned about a wonderful website that I want to share with you. Here is the link: https://www.ryanandcraig.com/read-alouds This is a website where Randy and Craig, two funny and engaging men, read books out loud. Like teachers, they stop and think out loud during the read aloud, engaging listeners and making them think. This is a wonderful way to get your reluctant readers to be involved with stories! I highly recommend checking it out. There are MANY books on the website, all read aloud by these 2 funny guys. Who wouldn't love that?
Okay, that is all for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful and restful weekend -- the crazy holiday season is almost upon us!
Last week's storm threw us all for a loop! I hope you all managed to stay dry.
We've had another busy few weeks. We have been finishing up units and starting new ones. We finished our Vermont Geography unit -- and celebrated by making candy maps. Most of the kids have done a really wonderful job learning where many of Vermont's geographic features are located. They also learned about how Vermont's geography has made it possible for various industries/businesses to flourish here. They learned about the difference between human, natural and capital resources, paying attention mostly to the natural resources we have here in our beautiful state. This week, we moved on to learning about how humans use natural resources for energy. We will be learning about coal, wind, solar, hydro, and others. The main concepts in this unit are that some natural resources are renewable and others are not, and that no matter which we use, there are consequences for our plant. Not a cheery topic, but one kids can learn about and then use to make good choices.
Our new math units focus on addition and subtraction. Third graders are learning to conceptualize what 1,000 looks like and they are understanding magnitude of large numbers and place value. They are learning new strategies to put tens together to make hundreds, and ones together to make tens. This work sets them up well for 4th grade units next year, when they will need to learn regrouping so they can add and subtract more efficiently. Fourth graders are learning similar skills, but they are conceptualizing 10,000! They are learning how to use regrouping ("carrying and borrowing") when they add and subtract using the algorithm that we all used when we were in school (MANY years ago for me....) They love the efficiency of the algorithm now that they can understand what it means when they put those little marks in each place value column!
We also finished up our narrative reading and narrative writing units! The students should have brought home their writing pieces -- and yesterday they completed an "on-demand" assessment piece to show me all they have learned. I will be scoring these soon, and the scores will appear on report cards. Next we launch our informational writing unit. The kids will be writing "expert" books, and learning to organize their information in a variety of ways. This is the unit I love the most -- huge growth happens as they begin to use paragraphs and think of other ways to separate the parts of their books. We will also read informational books at the same time, giving us lots of mentor texts to use as examples in our own writing.
Today I learned about a wonderful website that I want to share with you. Here is the link: https://www.ryanandcraig.com/read-alouds This is a website where Randy and Craig, two funny and engaging men, read books out loud. Like teachers, they stop and think out loud during the read aloud, engaging listeners and making them think. This is a wonderful way to get your reluctant readers to be involved with stories! I highly recommend checking it out. There are MANY books on the website, all read aloud by these 2 funny guys. Who wouldn't love that?
Okay, that is all for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful and restful weekend -- the crazy holiday season is almost upon us!
Friday, October 25, 2019
So many highlights this week! One of the best parts of the past 2 weeks has been meeting with all of you. I always feel I get the know the students a little better when I meet their parents! Thank you all for taking the time to meet with me -- we make a good team!
One of our big highlights this week was having VEEP (Vermont Energy Education Program) come into the classroom. The students were able to see how solar and wind can work to make electricity, and they got to experiment with variables such as turbine blade angle, solar panel angle, distance from the source, etc. They were all very involved and it was a fun and engaging way to start thinking about how we use natural resources to make electricity. Today we are having a celebration with the other 4th grade and watching The Lorax. As we learn about electricity, we will focus on how each of us can be a Lorax in our own lives. Next week, we will be finishing up our Vermont Geography unit and start learning about electricity.
Another highlight this week was using our brand new pizza oven to make pizza! The class got to work with Mr. Brezic's class to stretch pizza dough and spread sauce and cheese on it. Then we fired up the oven and baked the pizzas, and they were yummy! The students were proud of their creations and definitely enjoyed eating! This is a group that loves to eat.
A final highlight has been making bread. Many of the students have had an opportunity to make it, and I haven't had to help them at all! The bread has looked and smelled edible, and I'm assuming it's being enjoyed at home! I am already getting a little low on bread flour and eggs. Donations are always appreciated!
We DID manage to continue academics this week! We finished up our math units in both grades. We learned all about the different physiographic regions in Vermont. We continued reading our fiction books and looked at how we find evidence to back up our ideas. And we continue our writing pieces, working on ways to elaborate and make the details come to life.
Have a wonderful weekend!
One of our big highlights this week was having VEEP (Vermont Energy Education Program) come into the classroom. The students were able to see how solar and wind can work to make electricity, and they got to experiment with variables such as turbine blade angle, solar panel angle, distance from the source, etc. They were all very involved and it was a fun and engaging way to start thinking about how we use natural resources to make electricity. Today we are having a celebration with the other 4th grade and watching The Lorax. As we learn about electricity, we will focus on how each of us can be a Lorax in our own lives. Next week, we will be finishing up our Vermont Geography unit and start learning about electricity.
Another highlight this week was using our brand new pizza oven to make pizza! The class got to work with Mr. Brezic's class to stretch pizza dough and spread sauce and cheese on it. Then we fired up the oven and baked the pizzas, and they were yummy! The students were proud of their creations and definitely enjoyed eating! This is a group that loves to eat.
A final highlight has been making bread. Many of the students have had an opportunity to make it, and I haven't had to help them at all! The bread has looked and smelled edible, and I'm assuming it's being enjoyed at home! I am already getting a little low on bread flour and eggs. Donations are always appreciated!
We DID manage to continue academics this week! We finished up our math units in both grades. We learned all about the different physiographic regions in Vermont. We continued reading our fiction books and looked at how we find evidence to back up our ideas. And we continue our writing pieces, working on ways to elaborate and make the details come to life.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, October 11, 2019
Another week coming to an end! This will be a short post since it feels like a short week, and I will be seeing all of you at conferences in the next 2 weeks. We had a lovely time at our school hike on Tuesday, and it was incredibly helpful to have some parent volunteers! Wednesdays's delay made for a short day, but wearing pajamas and having stuffed animals was special and reminded me, once again, how little the students really are! Today's tree study trip was wonderfully instructive (thank you Josh!) and we had a beautiful day for it. Again, thanks to the parents who make this kind of trip possible.
On to academics -- Math in 4th grade has switched to data and measurement, a short and fun unit all about making line plots and noticing the "shape of the data." 3rd graders are continuing to work on multiplication and division, using what they know to figure out what they don't know. I'll give more details of these units and concepts during conferences.
We are busily writing either small moment stories (3rd grade) or fiction stories (4th grade) and learning how to paint images with our words, how to think about beginning, middle and end, and how to make sure our characters seem real. This class loves to write, and I am enjoying reading their work and conferring with them individually.
They also love to read! Be sure to ask them about Rob and Sistine, the characters in our read-aloud, Tiger Rising. They are doing some heavy thinking about who they are more like. They are also learning that characters in books, like real humans, are complicated and don't just have one character trait.
Finally, we are learning a lot about Vermont and its geography. Today we examined population maps, precipitation maps, relief maps, and elevation maps. Next week we will get into the various "physiographic" regions of Vermont and think about what Vermont is famous for and why. We will end this unit by making fun candy maps of Vermont right around Halloween.
We start our bread making on Monday. A word of warning -- this bread is made by kids so it sometimes doesn't come out perfectly.... Please don't count on it as your main dinner! Most days it is perfect. but there are those times....
Next week's sharing theme is "something from another country."
Enjoy your weekend, and I will see you all soon!
On to academics -- Math in 4th grade has switched to data and measurement, a short and fun unit all about making line plots and noticing the "shape of the data." 3rd graders are continuing to work on multiplication and division, using what they know to figure out what they don't know. I'll give more details of these units and concepts during conferences.
We are busily writing either small moment stories (3rd grade) or fiction stories (4th grade) and learning how to paint images with our words, how to think about beginning, middle and end, and how to make sure our characters seem real. This class loves to write, and I am enjoying reading their work and conferring with them individually.
They also love to read! Be sure to ask them about Rob and Sistine, the characters in our read-aloud, Tiger Rising. They are doing some heavy thinking about who they are more like. They are also learning that characters in books, like real humans, are complicated and don't just have one character trait.
Finally, we are learning a lot about Vermont and its geography. Today we examined population maps, precipitation maps, relief maps, and elevation maps. Next week we will get into the various "physiographic" regions of Vermont and think about what Vermont is famous for and why. We will end this unit by making fun candy maps of Vermont right around Halloween.
We start our bread making on Monday. A word of warning -- this bread is made by kids so it sometimes doesn't come out perfectly.... Please don't count on it as your main dinner! Most days it is perfect. but there are those times....
Next week's sharing theme is "something from another country."
Enjoy your weekend, and I will see you all soon!
Friday, October 4, 2019
It was so lovely to see EVERY family here last night for Open House! The students were on fire, and so proud to show you around our classroom. I didn't even need to be here! Thank you all for coming out (and getting stuck in traffic!) to see our space.
Thank you also for sending in your conference sign-up sheets. Your confirmation will come home in Tuesday's homework folder. Keep your eye out!
Fourth grade mathematicians have finished their first multiplication unit. They reviewed what it means to multiply and they practiced using what they know to figure out what they don't know. Their final assessment was all about factors and multiples, and they all showed that they have a solid understanding of how we use these. The last few days, they have been involved in some "3-Act Problems," trying to figure out how many doughnuts were in a huge box, how long it took to fill a number of jars with water, etc. They have enjoyed the challenge! Finally, we have talked a lot about using multiples of ten, and what it means to "add a zero" when you are multiplying by 10. They now understand that they aren't actually adding a zero, but instead MOVING the number over in place value and placing a ten in the ones place! Monday we will start a short unit on measurement and data.
Third graders are still working on their multiplication unit and are busy making arrays to learn about dimensions and area. They are still working on understanding that multiplying means EQUAL GROUPS, and that skip counting is another way of getting at multiplication. We still have a few weeks to go in their unit, and then they will also move on to a measurement and data unit. We are taking our time to build this important foundation!
Literacy continues daily. Students are reading books at their levels and paying attention to character traits. We are tying to move away from retelling and into the realm of having thoughts and ideas about who are characters are, what they care about, etc. In writing, we have done a lot of work to come up with story ideas (true stories for 3rd graders and fiction stories for 4th) and have planned using a variety of strategies. Some have drawn pictures, others have used graphic organizers, and others have made story arcs. Today we started drafting, writing for as long as we could to get as much of our stories down as possible. Next week we will finish drafting and start the hard work of revising! We've also started our spelling program, which is a phonics based program this year. So far we are looking at beginning and ending consonant clusters and parts of words. Soon we will get into different kinds of syllabication.
We finished our first energy unit and have moved into Vermont Geography. This week we learned what a map is and what features it has. Then we examined a map of Vermont and added its most important features like the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. We will move into more details about Vermont's regions next week.
Next week is a crazy one! We have our field trip on Tuesday (please let me know if you plan to join us and make sure you have completed all necessary paperwork.) Then we have a delay on Wednesday. Weather permitting, we will walk to the park for our tree study again on Friday from 9:00 until 11:00. I'd love to have volunteers to help with that trip! Please let me know if you can join us.
Finally, on to bread. We have eaten 3 kinds of bread this week, and the students are excited to start making it themselves and selling it to you! I will make a Sign-Up Genius this weekend and get the link to you soon so that you can pre-order either French, Cinnamon, or Dill bread. I'd love some help with ingredients! I need bread flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. If you can help, that would be great. Send the ingredients in any time!
Next week's sharing theme: Something purple!
Enjoy the weekend!
Thank you also for sending in your conference sign-up sheets. Your confirmation will come home in Tuesday's homework folder. Keep your eye out!
Fourth grade mathematicians have finished their first multiplication unit. They reviewed what it means to multiply and they practiced using what they know to figure out what they don't know. Their final assessment was all about factors and multiples, and they all showed that they have a solid understanding of how we use these. The last few days, they have been involved in some "3-Act Problems," trying to figure out how many doughnuts were in a huge box, how long it took to fill a number of jars with water, etc. They have enjoyed the challenge! Finally, we have talked a lot about using multiples of ten, and what it means to "add a zero" when you are multiplying by 10. They now understand that they aren't actually adding a zero, but instead MOVING the number over in place value and placing a ten in the ones place! Monday we will start a short unit on measurement and data.
Third graders are still working on their multiplication unit and are busy making arrays to learn about dimensions and area. They are still working on understanding that multiplying means EQUAL GROUPS, and that skip counting is another way of getting at multiplication. We still have a few weeks to go in their unit, and then they will also move on to a measurement and data unit. We are taking our time to build this important foundation!
Literacy continues daily. Students are reading books at their levels and paying attention to character traits. We are tying to move away from retelling and into the realm of having thoughts and ideas about who are characters are, what they care about, etc. In writing, we have done a lot of work to come up with story ideas (true stories for 3rd graders and fiction stories for 4th) and have planned using a variety of strategies. Some have drawn pictures, others have used graphic organizers, and others have made story arcs. Today we started drafting, writing for as long as we could to get as much of our stories down as possible. Next week we will finish drafting and start the hard work of revising! We've also started our spelling program, which is a phonics based program this year. So far we are looking at beginning and ending consonant clusters and parts of words. Soon we will get into different kinds of syllabication.
We finished our first energy unit and have moved into Vermont Geography. This week we learned what a map is and what features it has. Then we examined a map of Vermont and added its most important features like the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. We will move into more details about Vermont's regions next week.
Next week is a crazy one! We have our field trip on Tuesday (please let me know if you plan to join us and make sure you have completed all necessary paperwork.) Then we have a delay on Wednesday. Weather permitting, we will walk to the park for our tree study again on Friday from 9:00 until 11:00. I'd love to have volunteers to help with that trip! Please let me know if you can join us.
Finally, on to bread. We have eaten 3 kinds of bread this week, and the students are excited to start making it themselves and selling it to you! I will make a Sign-Up Genius this weekend and get the link to you soon so that you can pre-order either French, Cinnamon, or Dill bread. I'd love some help with ingredients! I need bread flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. If you can help, that would be great. Send the ingredients in any time!
Next week's sharing theme: Something purple!
Enjoy the weekend!
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Hello there!
We have been busy this week!
We are continuing to discuss classroom routines and expectations for behavior. We are discussing the problems with interruptions and disruptions, we are focusing on how to be kind and caring, and we are always talking about how to stay safe and keep others safe as well. As a group, we really enjoy playing games and having fun together, but we are continuously talking about how important it is to be able to move quickly from silly to serious when necessary. We are learning!
We have completed some pre-assessments (which I call surveys) in both reading and writing, and those have given me some great information as we move into our first units. Our first writing unit is a narrative unit, and the students will be writing stories from their own lives or realistic fiction stories based on their own lives. Yesterday we spent a lot of time discussing all of the stages of the writing process, and I emphasized that REVISION is the part we spend the most time on. This is hard for young writers who think they are finished once they write their first draft! For now, we are working on collecting ideas for our stories before we begin to draft.
We started our first reading unit today. It is called Character Study and is all about getting to know our characters. In third and fourth grade, we move from retelling to having IDEAS about our characters. These ideas start with identifying character traits, then moving onto understanding how our characters change throughout the story. By the end of the unit, we hope to be able to interpret lessons our characters learned (and that we have learned as readers as well.) This is tough work, but we will get there!
Our multiplication units continue. Third graders are learning that doubling a factor doubles the product. They are using hundreds charts to skip count by various numbers to understand that multiplying means equal groups (or "jumps" on a hundreds chart.) 4th graders are examining factors of 100, trying to decide if 200, 300, 400, etc. have the same factors. They seem excited about this work!
Finally, we are still working with our marble tracks (bumper coasters) to learn about stored energy and energy transfer during science. I am hoping to finish this unit up by next week so we can get into learning about maps and the geography of Vermont.
Please look carefully in the Thursday folder coming home today since there is a Parent Conference Sign Up sheet in there. Let me know if you have any questions about conferences or if none of the times listed work for you. We will find a time to meet!
This week, we learned a few new words for you to all have fun with at home: rigid, massive, defiant and ignorant.
Next week's sharing theme is "something you lost and then found."
I hope you all enjoy the weekend.
We have been busy this week!
We are continuing to discuss classroom routines and expectations for behavior. We are discussing the problems with interruptions and disruptions, we are focusing on how to be kind and caring, and we are always talking about how to stay safe and keep others safe as well. As a group, we really enjoy playing games and having fun together, but we are continuously talking about how important it is to be able to move quickly from silly to serious when necessary. We are learning!
We have completed some pre-assessments (which I call surveys) in both reading and writing, and those have given me some great information as we move into our first units. Our first writing unit is a narrative unit, and the students will be writing stories from their own lives or realistic fiction stories based on their own lives. Yesterday we spent a lot of time discussing all of the stages of the writing process, and I emphasized that REVISION is the part we spend the most time on. This is hard for young writers who think they are finished once they write their first draft! For now, we are working on collecting ideas for our stories before we begin to draft.
We started our first reading unit today. It is called Character Study and is all about getting to know our characters. In third and fourth grade, we move from retelling to having IDEAS about our characters. These ideas start with identifying character traits, then moving onto understanding how our characters change throughout the story. By the end of the unit, we hope to be able to interpret lessons our characters learned (and that we have learned as readers as well.) This is tough work, but we will get there!
Our multiplication units continue. Third graders are learning that doubling a factor doubles the product. They are using hundreds charts to skip count by various numbers to understand that multiplying means equal groups (or "jumps" on a hundreds chart.) 4th graders are examining factors of 100, trying to decide if 200, 300, 400, etc. have the same factors. They seem excited about this work!
Finally, we are still working with our marble tracks (bumper coasters) to learn about stored energy and energy transfer during science. I am hoping to finish this unit up by next week so we can get into learning about maps and the geography of Vermont.
Please look carefully in the Thursday folder coming home today since there is a Parent Conference Sign Up sheet in there. Let me know if you have any questions about conferences or if none of the times listed work for you. We will find a time to meet!
This week, we learned a few new words for you to all have fun with at home: rigid, massive, defiant and ignorant.
Next week's sharing theme is "something you lost and then found."
I hope you all enjoy the weekend.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Hi All,
The main news this week is about our field trips, of course! We certainly got lucky with the weather, and both of our field trips were lovely! At the Maritime Museum we got to paddle in old wooden canoes, learn to measure the turbidity of the water with an instrument called a Secchi Disk, and learn about the life cycle of salmon and the obstacles they face as they swim upstream. On top of that, we got to practice good earth stewardship by learning about how plastic gets into our waterways, and then cleaning up the harbor area, where we filled more than 2 buckets with plastic! All in all, it was a great day.
Today we walked to the river and spent some time in the woods. Thanks to all the parents who volunteered, we were able to "adopt" 6 trees to follow throughout the year. The students were keen observers and scientists, and they took measurements, did rubbings, noticed details, smelled leaves, and got to know their trees really well. In the end, we were able to identify them as beech, red maple, eastern white pine, and yellow birch. The next time we go, we will notice what has changed and what has stayed the same.
Our math unit continues with learning what multiplication really means (Gr 3) and learning about arrays, multiplicative comparison problems, and dimensions (Gr 4.) I'm impressed with what I'm seeing! Much of what we are doing is review work, but this class knows math!
We are almost finished with the first part of our energy unit. Today we rolled marbles down ramps as we experimented with height energy (aka gravitational energy) and how to slow down the transfer of energy between 2 marbles. Next week we will finish up this part of the unit before moving on to learn about natural resources and how we use/abuse them to make energy.
Next week we will formally start both our reading and writing programs. We have spent a lot of time learning about procedures, how to pick books, how to keep track of them, and where to get ideas for our writing. I hope we have some writing to show you by Open House!
In the past, I have worked with students to bake bread (using a bread machine) to sell to families as a way to raise funds for a cause. I took a break from this last year, but would love to do this again this year. Here's how it works. First the class learns how to make a few kinds of bread (white, cinnamon, dill.) Then we set up a Sign-Up Genius for families (you, that is!) to purchase bread. If you sign up for a given day, you send in $5 and your child will come home with a freshly baked loaf of bread made by them right here in the classroom! We collect money until January, then donate it to a good cause. If all goes well, we do this again and make a second donation in the spring. It's super fun, delicious, and helps make a difference while teaching fractions, cooking, teamwork, etc. It's a win/win! I'll let you know when the Sign-Up Genius is set up, and you can order bread. Please don't feel pressured -- this is completely optional! If you'd like to help in ways besides/in addition to buying bread, I am always happy to take donations of bread flour and regular yeast. Together we can make a difference!
Related to fund-raising, today we watched a TED Talk by Greta Thunberg (thanks to Hazen!) and discussed climate change and what taking action really means. Then we discussed the bread making fundraiser and who we should donate our money to. The kids learned about global versus local help, and they learned (very basically) what is meant by a non-profit. We discussed many options for non-profits we could donate to, from the Humane Society to COTS to Doctors Without Borders and many others. I only suggested water.org, but the kids had MANY other ideas. We sorted them into categories: organizations that help people, organizations that help climate, and organizations that help animals. The conversation was very heated! These kids are passionate and want to make a difference! In the end, we voted, and overwhelmingly the class opted for giving to an organization that fights climate change. I am in the process of researching where our money can make the biggest difference, and we will begin our fundraising in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you have ideas for great non-profits that fight climate change, please let me know!
Next week's sharing theme is "something from nature." Monday sharers have a hard time remembering, so please check in with your child to see if s/he is prepared!
I hope you all enjoy the glorious weather this weekend.
The main news this week is about our field trips, of course! We certainly got lucky with the weather, and both of our field trips were lovely! At the Maritime Museum we got to paddle in old wooden canoes, learn to measure the turbidity of the water with an instrument called a Secchi Disk, and learn about the life cycle of salmon and the obstacles they face as they swim upstream. On top of that, we got to practice good earth stewardship by learning about how plastic gets into our waterways, and then cleaning up the harbor area, where we filled more than 2 buckets with plastic! All in all, it was a great day.
Today we walked to the river and spent some time in the woods. Thanks to all the parents who volunteered, we were able to "adopt" 6 trees to follow throughout the year. The students were keen observers and scientists, and they took measurements, did rubbings, noticed details, smelled leaves, and got to know their trees really well. In the end, we were able to identify them as beech, red maple, eastern white pine, and yellow birch. The next time we go, we will notice what has changed and what has stayed the same.
Our math unit continues with learning what multiplication really means (Gr 3) and learning about arrays, multiplicative comparison problems, and dimensions (Gr 4.) I'm impressed with what I'm seeing! Much of what we are doing is review work, but this class knows math!
We are almost finished with the first part of our energy unit. Today we rolled marbles down ramps as we experimented with height energy (aka gravitational energy) and how to slow down the transfer of energy between 2 marbles. Next week we will finish up this part of the unit before moving on to learn about natural resources and how we use/abuse them to make energy.
Next week we will formally start both our reading and writing programs. We have spent a lot of time learning about procedures, how to pick books, how to keep track of them, and where to get ideas for our writing. I hope we have some writing to show you by Open House!
In the past, I have worked with students to bake bread (using a bread machine) to sell to families as a way to raise funds for a cause. I took a break from this last year, but would love to do this again this year. Here's how it works. First the class learns how to make a few kinds of bread (white, cinnamon, dill.) Then we set up a Sign-Up Genius for families (you, that is!) to purchase bread. If you sign up for a given day, you send in $5 and your child will come home with a freshly baked loaf of bread made by them right here in the classroom! We collect money until January, then donate it to a good cause. If all goes well, we do this again and make a second donation in the spring. It's super fun, delicious, and helps make a difference while teaching fractions, cooking, teamwork, etc. It's a win/win! I'll let you know when the Sign-Up Genius is set up, and you can order bread. Please don't feel pressured -- this is completely optional! If you'd like to help in ways besides/in addition to buying bread, I am always happy to take donations of bread flour and regular yeast. Together we can make a difference!
Related to fund-raising, today we watched a TED Talk by Greta Thunberg (thanks to Hazen!) and discussed climate change and what taking action really means. Then we discussed the bread making fundraiser and who we should donate our money to. The kids learned about global versus local help, and they learned (very basically) what is meant by a non-profit. We discussed many options for non-profits we could donate to, from the Humane Society to COTS to Doctors Without Borders and many others. I only suggested water.org, but the kids had MANY other ideas. We sorted them into categories: organizations that help people, organizations that help climate, and organizations that help animals. The conversation was very heated! These kids are passionate and want to make a difference! In the end, we voted, and overwhelmingly the class opted for giving to an organization that fights climate change. I am in the process of researching where our money can make the biggest difference, and we will begin our fundraising in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you have ideas for great non-profits that fight climate change, please let me know!
Next week's sharing theme is "something from nature." Monday sharers have a hard time remembering, so please check in with your child to see if s/he is prepared!
I hope you all enjoy the glorious weather this weekend.
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