Post #13

Seriously- if you've never spent the weeks leading up to Christmas in the company of a room full of 9 and 10 years old, then you are missing out. The excitement is in everything that we do. The girls began each math lesson with a seasonal EdPuzzle. There's a lot of "oohing and ahhing" and an occasional sentimental tear. Here's an example: 

We worked with fractions using interactive websites and a mini project that has paved the way for a more complex activity next week. The girls are gaining confidence working with fractions and their mastery of these tough concepts is impressive. I hope you have noticed that we don't use many worksheets in Room M02. The old grayscale worksheet doesn't cut it in today's brilliant, technicolor world. They also don't promote critical thinking (and don't even get me started on the boredom factor). Our girls deserve so much more. So.... I need to explain the math worksheets that you will be seeing in greater abundance. The girls have "Cubby Christmas Trees" and they will be adorned with mathaments (math+ornaments) during the next several weeks. The girls are earning mathaments by successfully completing math problems (yes, on grayscale worksheets) but I promise they are engaged in math and having fun. Each Cubby Tree was topped with an "Angel Math Chick" (thanks for the idea Vivian), so adorable. 

One last math note, I hope your daughter told you about our Math Expo at St. Chris. If only I could have recorded the event. I was so impressed with the girls and the way they engaged with the boys. Their shyness disappeared when it came time for the business of math. I overheard one boy comment about his partner, "She doesn't need a white board. She does everything in her head and she's fast and she's right!" 

This week's writing lab (which will span several weeks) started with a partner interview with girls from Mrs. Cavallo's class. We talked about how to phrase a question to encourage a detailed response. The girls had fun interviewing each other and taking notes. Next week the girls will practice their summarizing skills and write about their partner. There's an additional piece to this activity that will place the girls on the cover of a magazine. Stay tuned. 

The girls earned their second compliment celebration. Several wanted a class slumber party. I let them down gently:) They voted for a Secret Santa gift exchange. Each girl should bring a wrapped gift ($5) limit to put under our class tree. The gift exchange will happen on Tuesday, December 18th. They may bring in the gifts anytime.

We will be working on only one Wordly Wise list (#7) until the new year. There are so many writing, reading, and enrichment activities with our Wordly Wise program, that there is no need to rush. 

Please consider participating in the Lower School Christmas Service project. Details went home in the girls' work folders. Our class has been asked to bring in gifts for a boy age 15 and up.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.
Christmas Gift Service- The morning of December 19th (more details to come)

* Carpool Helpers- Kaylee and Lura

*Special Week Girl- Lucy

Class Leadership Week of 12/3

Ambassadors- Lucy and Lauren

Photographer-Ginny

Closers- Sissi and Kaylee

Girls-Your blog question is.......Why all these math worksheets? Write a one word reason. Post your answer here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.

Book Fair 11/28-11/30 Our class goes on 11/28 @ 3:10

* Homework- Posted for family planning- NO Homework until after Thanksgiving

* Carpool Helpers- Allie

*Special Week Girl- Kensie 

Class Leadership Week of 11/27

Ambassadors- Ruby and Kensie

Photographer-Allie

Closers- Lucy and Lauren

Girls-Your blog question is.......When do we go to the book Fair? Post your answer here.

Post #12

ERBs are coming to an end. We have one final test to complete on Monday. I am confident that these girls will finish with the same focus and positive attitude that they had when testing began. A HUGE thank you to the families (The Nguyens, The Parrinos, The Greens, The Turners, and The Liesfelds) who sent in class snacks. So thoughtful and dalicious! 

Each girl finished her multimedia book trailer, rated her book (on a scale of 1-5 popcorn bags), and projects were shared with all. Take a look at their creativity here. 

We moved into fractions and I explained to the girls that fraction concepts are taught a little differently in Singapore. We took the Singapore approach. We began by taking a look at our family and class and what a math sentence looks like when we say 11 of the Fourthies in M02 take band. From there the girls wrote factions about our class and their families. This generated a great deal of math talk about fractions and different ways to say and write them. Hmmm- if I didn't know any better, I would say that these girls understand equivalent fractions. 

The girls finished their fourth writing lab- by far their best writing. I'm seeing much more independence when it comes to editing and revising. Most girls were able to work on a character analysis activity using our class read aloud, Fish in a Tree. Many were so excited about the scholastic site that they created character trait charts for each other. We had some gloomy days this week and that dictated some "feel good" writing. Ask your daughter about her snow buddy and the kind words that were written about her by her snow buddy.

Our regular Fourthie routine will pick back up after Thanksgiving. It's going to be a busy four weeks!

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.
St. Chris Math Expo- Tuesday Morning- Please wear Field Trip Attire and dress warmly as we will be walking.
Outreach Project- Canned Food Drive

Book Fair 11/28-11/30 Our class goes on 11/28 @ 3:10

* Homework- Posted for family planning- NO Homework until after Thanksgiving

* Carpool Helpers- Allie

*Special Week Girl- Kensie 

Class Leadership Week of 11/19

Ambassadors- Vivian and Blair

Photographer-Kaylee

Closers- Angelina and Kensie

Girls-Your blog question is.......Why should you bundle up on Tuesday? Post your answer here.

Post #11

It was a packed four day week! We started our week by taking a look at how voting has changed throughout the course of our history. There were lots of- "That's not fair!" and "That's not right!" The girls chatted about why voting is both a right and a responsibility.

The girls worked with their Halloween candy counts and created a chart in Google Sheets (similar to Excel). We tried something a little different with this assignment. I provided the girls with a video tutorial that explained how to create a chart and what they needed to include in theirs. It was interesting to observe how they went about this activity. Each girl chose a method that worked for her learning style. We talked about their maturity and personal insight. How great that a fourth grader can understand her learning needs! The girls completed their unit test after a day of review. All math tests include a listening station, writing prompt, and an EdPuzzle. Tests scores were great. Corrections will be made on Monday. And then we are ready to move on to fractions.

We launched into All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. The girls are reflecting on their reading by choosing a summarizing hashtag and then writing several sentences about key events. Here's an example:

Your daughter can give you a tour of her Google Drive and you can see her All of a Kind Family slideshow.  This week's writing lab focused on the importance of choosing specific transitions in expository writing. The girls are working on a procedure essay. They chose a topic of expertise and the topics are VARIED! As with all writing labs, the girls will revise and edit before printing.

The multimedia book project is moving along. There is much excitement with this project. We will have a viewing of the book trailers next week. Here's a sneak preview from Isabella:
 

ERB testing begins on Monday. The girls will be taking the tests on the computer. The Middle School has been using the digital format for years and raved about it. We decided to go digital last year and testing was smooth sailing. We will begin with a few practice tests on Monday to get the girls comfortable with the format. It is a homework free week (yippeeee!). I know you will send your daughters to school rested and ready for the test. The girls may bring in cozy slippers or socks- just to make the testing environment a little more palatable:)

Monday 11/12	Tuesday 11/13	Wednesday 11/14	Thursday 11/15	Friday 11/16	Monday 11/19
9:00-10:00	8:15-9:00	9:00-10:00	9:15-10:15	8:15-9:15	9:00-10:00
Practice test	Math Part1	Math Part 2	Writing Concepts	Quantitative Reasoning	Wriitng Mechanics
11:30-12:30	11:30-12:30	11:30-12:30			Make-up tests
Auditory Comprehension	Reading Comprehension	Verbal Reasoning			11/27, 11/28

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. This week's feature-Google Drive and Google Classroom
Outreach Project- Canned Food Drive
St. Chris Math Expo- Tuesday Morning (11/20)- Field Trip Attire

* Homework- Posted for family planning- NO HOMEWORK WEEK

* Carpool Helpers- No Fourthies from M02

*Special Week Girl- Kensie 

Class Leadership Week of 11/12

Ambassadors- Vivian and Blair

Photographer-Kaylee

Closers- Angelina and Kensie

Girls-Your blog question is.......What day do we go to St. Chris? Post your answer here.

Post #10

What a week! We started our week by meeting with our eight grade big sisters. The girls read about Halloween and then the Fourthies treated the older girls to some fun on our new playground. Wednesday we celebrated Halloween with a fun party of snacks and crafts (BIG THANKS to the parent volunteers) and the Fourthie tradition- Wordly Wise Dress Up! Take a look at these clever Fourthies:



Ours is not a quiet math class. These girls are on the move-thinking, writing, and talking math. It's true that their fact recall and computation is improving, but the excitement is in the problem solving. They roamed the Lower School on a math scavenger hunt. They worked together to solve equations. A musical math project was assigned and you guessed it- more problem solving with a little karaoke song writing thrown in. I love the way they explain their strategies and the reflections they make regarding their understanding. The girls will take a unit two assessment on Thursday (11/8).

A Multimedia Book Project is in the works. The girls are taking their realistic fiction book and creating a book trailer- think movie trailer but for a book. We are using a program called Animoto. We will begin a new novel on Tuesday, All of a Kind Family, and use it for the next book project. All of a Kind Family is a heart-warming novel set in the early 1900's and is a perfect way to launch into the decade studies. The girls will read the novel in class and at home. An audio version of the book is on our Fourthie site for those girls who want to follow along in an audio format.

The girls are becoming quite skilled at writing strong compound sentences and labeling parts of speech in their writing. Nothing we do is taught in isolation. No grammar skill worksheets for these creative Fourthies! The girls practiced their doodling skills and then wove Wordly Wise words into strong summaries. Several girls took advantage of Wordly Wise enrichment this week. Check out Isabella and Allie's Star Wars credits and Ruby and Vivian's retelling of The Little Mermaid using a comic generator and Google Slides. On the topic of enrichment, I am seeing more girls stepping up to enrichment challenges and extensions.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. This week's feature- That Quiz!
ERBs are coming. Week of 11/12 (details to follow)

* Homework- Posted for family planning

* Carpool Helpers- No Fourthies from M02

*Special Week Girl- Kensie (Week of 11/12)

Class Leadership Week of 11/5

Ambassadors- Lucy and Lydia

Photographer-Lura

Closers- Allie and Ginny

Girls-Your blog question is.......When is your math test? Post your answer here.