Post #5

I made tea. That's how our Writing Lab began. We watched a simple sentence expand into an imagery packed paragraph. The girls wrote their own descriptive paragraphs and focused on choosing specific verbs and adjectives to paint a vivid picture. Emoji writing was introduced this week. Fourthies really get a kick out of using emojis to write spelling and Wordly Wise sentences. Here's an example:
The 🙅🏼was  severely  mean to everybody in her class. The 🦏 weight was reduced, now he’s as skinny as a 🐍! The 🐇 nestled in his little hole.

Our first book project is underway-Taco 'bout a good book. The girls are creating a "book taco" and will share their "taco" next Wednesday. Our book share is getting kicked up a notch since the girls have earned their first 25 class compliments! We are going to have a little Mexican fiesta. I'm proud of the way they work together and they way they model our daisy petals.

History4Fourthies has us at the start of the 21st century. We are looking at key events including the spike in social media. On that note, I hope you had a chance to read Jim Astrove's article in Richmond Parent Magazine about digital responsibility. Our girls have unwavering moral compasses in regards to digital citizenship and I hope this never changes.

We reviewed Unit One in math by playing a variety of games (Bingo and Who Wants to be a Millionaire were a few class favorites), writing about math concepts, and pondering the world with EdPuzzles. Here's an example:

Unit One assessment will be on Tuesday; Unit Two will be packed with lots of complex problem solving and bar models will be BACK!

Big Sister/Little Sister kicked off this week. We are paired with Mrs. Beausang's eighth grade homeroom. We even have a real life Big sister/Little sister in our pairing.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

* We have decided to cancel our Parent Technology Night since attendance was going to be sparse. We want to keep everyone in the loop regarding our instructional technology practices in fourth grade. So be on the look out for weekly "How To" videos. This week's feature- accessing Newsela.

* Science Atom Project due: Friday, Oct. 12th (projects guidelines are in the student binders)

* Homework- Posted for family planning

* Blessing of the Animals- 10/1 @ 8:15 on The Green. Details here.

* Special Week Girl- Please choose a week so we can celebrate your daughter.

* Carpool Helpers- Chloe and Ginny

*Special Week Girl- Sissi

Class Leadership Week of 10/1

Ambassadors- Allie and Ellie

Photographer- Kensie

Closers- Lura and Sissi

Girls-Your blog question is.......Who has a real big sister in Mrs. Beausang's class? Post your answer here. 

Post #4

That was some kind of excitement on Monday! We are all safe and that's really all that matters. I am proud of your daughters and the way they weathered the storm.

It's been a full week, packed with laughter and learning. The girls are learning about disabilities and embracing the idea that there are no limits to what a person can do. Math review included several EdPuzzles about incredible individuals with disabilities. We started a new class read aloud, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The protagonist in the story is a gifted girl who has a learning disability. Our Wednesday chapel was lead by Beth Wartick, pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tipton, Iowa. Rev. Wartick shared her life's journey with the girls. Her message was about accepting individual differences and loving who you are. You can read more about this inspirational woman here.

The girls completed their first writing lab. The paragraphs are on display in the hall. I'm observing the girls stretch their imagination and challenge themselves to improve their writing and push their creativity. They are always eager to share their writing and I love that they are confident and proud of their efforts. The finishing touches are being made on the summer reading project. Check out the completed Buncees. We are also finishing up the book project for our last read-aloud, The Hundred Dresses. Their creations are beautiful.  

The Wordly Wise quiz was completed independently this week. Quia is our assessment tool. The Fourthie teachers will be building a digital- "How To" library for parents. Each video clip will explain a tool that we use with the girls. The first clip shows how to access your daughter's Quia account to review her vocabulary progress.

Before we begin math, I'll ask a student her first name, birthday, or any question that demonstrates automaticity. Then I explain to the girls that by the end of fourth grade they should be able to demonstrate fact recall the same way they can answer a simple question. Rapid fact recall is essential. There are MANY places on our Fourthie site to practice and the paper donut works great too. Thanks in advance for stressing the importance of automaticity in regards to basic facts. We are wrapping up the first math unit. We spent a good amount of time working with order of operations. We use the acronym- GEMS.  So naturally we had to add a little "bling" to this math tool.

This class loves our Personalized Learning block. They are researching, collaborating, designing, and exploring areas of interest. In additional to our structured block of Personalized Learning, I pointed out several enrichment opportunities for the girls. 

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

* We have decided to cancel our Parent Technology Night since attendance was going to be sparse. We want to keep everyone in the loop regarding our instructional technology practices in fourth grade. So be on the look out for weekly "How To" videos. 

* Science Atom Project due: Friday, Oct. 12th (projects guidelines were distributed in science class on Friday)

Fall Conference Sign-up

* Homework- Posted for family planning

* Blessing of the Animals- 10/1 @ 8:15 on The Green

* Special Week Girl- Please choose a week so we can celebrate your daughter.

* Carpool Helpers- Lucy and Lydia

Class Leadership Week of 9/24

Ambassadors- Kaylee and Chloe

Photographer- Sissi

Closers- Angelina and Isabella

Girls-Your blog question is.......In what state does Beth Wartick live? Post your answer here. 

Post #3

It's official! The girls are now Fourthies. We had our "Hat Ceremony." We talked with the girls about being leaders and the responsibilities and privileges associated with leadership. The yellow hats are always a big deal to the girls.

Math- it's all around us. The girls explored campus and completed a geometry scavenger hunt. Of course they could have made geometry flashcards but where's the relevance (or fun) in that? They are creating a collaborative slideshow with their findings that I will share next week. There was more work with factors and multiples. Prime factorization was introduced. One student commented that it was "magic." We used a few interactive sites, listened to the tale of the Hairy Toe, and found factor pairs while "Building a Buttercup." The girls also received their donut for Donut Math. Your daughter can explain about all of this.

Creative writing (Wordly Wise and Three Word Thursday) is a huge part of our curriculum. Our writing labs are a more formal activity and teach the four genres of writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, and Narrative.   Each lab has a specific focus and is typed on a Google Doc. This allows me to read the girls' writing in "real time" to make suggestions and encourage edits. A writing lab is completed over several days to encourage revision and attention to detail. They will amass an impressive digital portfolio by the end of fourth grade. 

Spelling dictation and Wordly Wise picture match-up were introduced this week. The girls are encouraged to check their spelling dictation using their words. This activity really requires ATD (attention to detail). ATD will become the Fourthie mantra.

We finished The Hundred Dresses and have started our book project. The girls designed a dress and will make a life size version of it next week. A virtue quote will be embedded in the dress. The younger girls are going to love seeing these on display.

Everyone likes to receive a note of appreciation or gratitude, right? We will practice the art of expressing gratitude using personalized notepads. The girls designed a note pad with their monogram or signature. Expect your daughter's note of gratitude next week.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

Fall Conference Sign-up

Parents' Technology Night (10/4) Sign-up- Click here

Picture Day-9/18/18

* Homework- Posted for family planning

* Digital copy of Fourth Grade Club details.

* Special Week Girl- Please choose a week so we can celebrate your daughter.

* Carpool Helpers- Sissi

Class Leadership Week of 9/17

Ambassadors- Ginny and Lauren

Photographer- Allie

Closers- Kensie, Lucy

Girls-Your blog question is.......Name at least one girl whose notepad is at the bottom of this post? Post your answer here. 

Post #2

Week two- completed! I asked the girls what they were most excited about in fourth grade. They typed their thoughts into Mentimeter. Here's the word cloud that was generated:

The first Wordly Wise quiz, the first spelling quiz, the first fact check, YIKES! I promise we did way more than assessments this week. The girls did a great job following along and understanding the rhythm of Wordly Wise, spelling, and fact checks and how the assessments work. All three are completed online (Wordly Wise through Quia, spelling through Spelling City, and fact checks through That Quiz). Soon your daughter will understand how to log in to these accounts and share her progress from home. These Fourthies are navigating our Fourthie site with ease. They are finding assignments in Google Classroom and have impressed me with their independence.

There was more practice with factor pairs as well as writing and reading large numbers. The girls worked with estimating and rounding. We wove a drawing and writing activity into math. The girls problem solved and practiced mental math strategies in a variety of ways. They practiced taking geometry notes after listening to clever video clips from Numberock.com. Mindful Maths is how we begin math each day. This is an independent listening activity that reinforces what the girls are learning. It's just a great way to focus and get in a math state of mind. 

A multimedia project involving the summer reading is underway. The girls were introduced to Buncee (a dynamic platform for creating presentations). I gave a very brief overview and allowed them to explore and discover this creative tool on their own. And did they ever discover. I learned a lot from their exploration.

The girls shared their creative writing and are proud of their first two Three Word Thursdays. Take a look at their language arts journal when you get a chance. We are working on editing skills while reflecting on our core values. After listening to some tunes, the girls edited the lyrics. It's amazing how many songs contain the words honest, responsible, kind, respect, and responsible. 

Finally, I enjoyed chatting with many of you last night. Thanks for trusting me with daughters. I promise to take great care of them and to "Keep the Lamps of Learning Burning."

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

Fall Conference Sign-up

Parents' Technology Night (10/4) Sign-up- Click here

Band letters went home today. Band begins on Friday. Please complete this form.Girls should bring their instruments to school on Friday. Questions? Please contact: Lisa Overmyer (lovermyer@st.catherines.org)

Picture Day-9/18/18

* Homework- Posted for family planning

*Presentation shared at Parents' Night for those unable to attend

* Swimming next week- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Details from the PE department.

* Special Week Girl- Mrs. McCallum

* Carpool Helpers- Jacey

Class Leadership Week of 9/10

Ambassadors- Lura and Lauren

Photographer- Allie

Closers- Kensie, Lucy

Girls-Your blog question is.......When should you finish reading your fiction book and taking the notes? Post your answer here.