Happy Holidays Everyone!

It's hard to believe the New Year is just around the corner!  We have been working very hard on our research topic this month, December Holidays.  Each student picked a different holiday in December and researched the food, how to celebrate, gift giving, and symbols of each holiday.  We turned them into expository essays which came out great. 

We also have been working on character development through our guided reading, read aloud, and by studying The Grinch, and Mr. Scrooge from the Christmas Carol.  The students have practiced with using transitional phrases to support their examples and show character change.  We will be using these transitional phrases throughout our expository essays and reader response journals in the new year. 

Our math unit continues to focus on multiplication and division.  Please remember to study multiplication facts NIGHTLY with your child.  It is very important that they memorize them as much as possible.  The GLE for 4th grade states the students learn 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  I have taught the students lattice multiplication which requires them to learn only the facts up to 9x9, which is an easier method for those students who have difficulty with the traditional method of multiplication.  For more information on the lattice method of multiplication click the link:   http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-lesson-lattice-multiplication-1.html 

Finally, I wish all of you a very safe and healthy holiday season!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mrs. Kiernan

Week in a Peek for week ending November 19th

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week!  We are learning many things about the first Thanksgiving this week.  On Tuesday we watched a live web cast from Plimoth Plantation.  Click here to view it at home.  Book Reports are due on Monday! 

Reading:

We completed our Skinnybones novel study and have spend the week researching different aspects of the First Thanksgiving.  The students are working in groups of 3 to research various topics and are creating large poster displays to teach the rest of the class about their topics.  Some topics include the Mayflower, building homes in the 1600's, 1600 cooking, Wampanoag and Pilgrim children and other exciting topics.  After Thanksgiving we will begin our Andrew Clements Literature Circles/Guided Reading groups.  Students will each read a different story written by Andrew Clements.  One of our reading response projects involves a small munchkin box.  I am going to try to ask the Dunkin Donuts in my area for donation of small munchkin boxes.  If you happen frequent Dunkin Donuts and could ask for a few donations of small munchkin boxes we would greatly appreciate it!!! 

Math:

We completed Unit 2 this week.  Our next unit will be on Multiplication.  Students should study their Multiplication facts to help with this unit.

Writing:

Our Turkey Persuasive Letters are coming out nicely.  The students have taken a side, either the turkey or the farmer.  Our Turkeys are trying to convince the farmer to eat something else on Thanksgiving.  Our farmers are trying to convince the turkeys to be eaten.  They have come up with some very convincing arguments!  

Science:

Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary ... These were the types of rocks we studied this week.  We began an investigation on Sedimentary rocks.  Students started the process of making their own sedimentary rocks from water, glue and colored sand.  We will make observations throughout the week and when they are dry enough we should have our own Sedimentary rocks!

Health:

We began our health lessons this week.  Health will be taught every Thursday, on our non itinerant day.  Our first unit will focus on safety.  We discussed how to be safe at home and at school, including fire safety.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Week in a Peek!

Parent-Teacher Conferences went very well!  It was great to finally get to meet so many of you!

Reading:

We are continuing with our whole class novel study of Skinnybones by Barbara Park and the students have a wonderful job making inferences, connections, asking questions, and supporting their answers with evidence from the text.  To help at home, ask your child a question BEFORE they read the chapter and give them a few sticky notes, see if they can answer the question and give reasons to support their answer.  

Writing:

The month of November will focus on Persuasive writing.  We discussed making a list of reasons why you are for or against a topic.  The students argued the point of adding more homework to the weekly homework.  Believe it or not, we had a few students who were for more homework and actually gave some great points as to why we should have more, don't worry, this was only a task in class and there will NOT be more homework added to the weekly folders!!!  We will end our Persuasive unit by writing an essay either convincing the turkey to be eaten for Thanksgiving or persuading the farmer to put something else on his Thanksgiving table!

Math:

Our pictographs came our great!  We will finish up Unit 2 with Place Value and Mental Math.  Students will be working on place value puzzles such as this one:  

  

Write the number:

   Hundreds           Tens               Ones

      3                      15                  23

The correct answer is 473!

Science:

We will complete our Earth Materials kit this week, however, we will continue to learn about rocks and minerals throughout the month of November.  Check out the science page for some links to some fun games.

Social Studies:

Chapter 1 study guide will come home this week.  Vocabulary words will be included in our Chapter 1 test.  Please have your child study the vocabulary words.

Week in a Peek for October 18th-22nd

It was great to get back into our routine after testing for 2 weeks!

Reading:

 

Our Read Aloud Book

Our Whole Class Novel

Our Text Talk book!

We continued to read Skinnybones by Barbara Park together as we get use to listening to our Inner Voice.  Everyone is doing a wonderful job making connections, asking questions, and making inferences!  We completed our Reader Response Journals together this week so the students each have an example of what is expected when they hand in their assignment.  So far they look to be doing a wonderful job!!  Our Inner Voice has also helped us as we listen to our read aloud book, The Witches by Roald Dahl.  There are LOTS of inferences and questioning happening during this time!  Listening to our Inner Voice will help us as we comprehend our Social Studies and Science texts as well!  Our vocabulary words for this week and next are from the book A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon.  Look for our vocabulary words to come home next week!

Math:

Unit 1 post tests were sent home on Friday.  Attached to your child's test you will see a tracking sheet.  The tracking sheet shows your child's progress from the pre-test to the post test.  Please return the post test as well as 1 copy of the tracking sheet.  Our Math curriculum is a spiral curriculum and topics covered in Unit 1 will be revisited in later units.  Great Job everyone!  We are continuing to work on addition and subtraction with regrouping.  At home you can help by giving your child a 3 digit by 3 digit number and having them teach you the process.  I will introduce some subtraction centers next week to give extra practice with these skills!  Unit 2 involves collecting and analyzing data.  We have created bar graphs this week all about Halloween.  Everyone had the chance to create questions regarding their graphs they made on their own.  I will keep portfolios for each unit to help with the final assessment.  

Science:

Scratch tests help us to identify minerals that are softer than others.  We utilized a paper clip, penny and our finger nail to determine the order of our minerals.  We put them in order from softest to hardest.  Next week we will embark on a Calcite Quest!

Social Studies:

Pumpkin Studies is here!!!!  Our pumpkins were delivered on Thursday and we drew our Equator and Prime meridian on Friday.  Monday afternoon we will work on tracing our continents onto our pumpkins!  If anyone would like to help trace on Monday afternoon we will begin at 1:45!  Painting will take place on Tuesday at 10:30.  A notice will go home on Monday to let you know what time to come for those who volunteered!  Thank you to all our volunteers!!!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  Enjoy the fall weather!

Week in a Peek

We made it through NECAP!!!  The students did a wonderful job and worked so hard on the NECAP Reading and Math during the past 2 weeks.  

Reading:

Skinnybones by Barbara Park is our whole class novel for the next few weeks.  I will model many comprehension strategies over the next few lessons.  We have already discussed our inner voice, that little voice we all hear when we read to ourselves.  Our inner voices helps us to question what we are reading, make inferences, and lets us know when we are not making meaning in our reading.  Text Talks are another way we will introduce new vocabulary and comprehension strategies through literature.  This week the students heard the story Dear Mrs. LaRue.  A note was sent home on Friday with our 6 vocabulary words we tried to use more often throughout our day.  Keep a tally at home to see how many of our new vocabulary words are used!!!


Math:
Addition and Subtraction with regrouping is our skill focus for the rest of October.  Your child will receive homework on this skill next week.  We are hoping the students transfer their knowledge of math facts to 2 and 3-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping.  Unit 2 is Collecting, Orgnanizing, and Interpreting data.  We will graph many things in the next unit!!!  Our first Math Masters celebration will be Thursday October 21st.  We had many Math Masters this month!  Keep up the good work!!!


Science:
Minerals can be rocks but rocks can NOT be minerals.  Students learned that rocks are made up of different minerals.  We also worked on properties of rocks so that our classmates could identify a mystery rock.  We also created editable mock rocks on Friday.


Social Studies:
Pumpkin Studies is coming!  If you have not turned in your money yet, please do so soon, we will begin creating our globes this week, preparing to paint them next week.  If you would like to volunteer your time during that time we would greatly appreciate it!!!


I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  

Reminders:
October 20th - Progress Reports go home
October 26th - Pumpkin Studies paint day - Wear OLD clothes as the paint does not come out!

Week in a Peek for September 27th - October 1st

I can't believe October is here.  Hopefully the weather has changed for good and the humidity has passed!  This week has been a busy one!   NECAP begins this week and it is very important that all students get a good nights sleep (at least 8 hours), eat a good breakfast, and be at school on time.  We will begin the NECAP around 9:30.  The only homework I will assign during these next 2 weeks will be a reading log and a math log.  There will be no spelling words this week or next.

Reading:

The students are continuing to work on making connections and inferences.  We have also been working on supporting our answers with information from the text and recycling the questions to help form complete sentences.We also worked on some NECAP prep items throughout the week.

Writing:
Students are continuing their Animal essays.  They are doing a great job adding details to their paragraphs.  We need to work on self editing our pieces.  We will continue editing our DLP's daily and adding to our editing notebooks.  The focus for the last 2 weeks was adding the suffix -able to words.

Math:

This week we will finish up with Unit 1 - Geometry.  The students have been working on lines of symmetry,  congruency,  and flips, slides and turns.  I have included a few web sites on my math page that will help with these topics.

Science:

We began our Mock Rock investigation this week.  The focus of this investigation is to identify what rocks are made of.  We broke apart our Mock Rocks and found 4 different types of materials, red gravel, green gravel, shells, and gray matter.  We've determined that the red and green gravel, and the shells can not be broken down any further and are there for considered minerals.  We have yet to determine if we can break down the gray matter any further and have decided to try to dissolve the gray matter in water to see what happens.  Next week we will set up evaporation disks to see what is left in our solution.  The students enjoyed being geologists and even though our dry mock rocks became quite moist with all the humidity this week, the students had a good time using their geologist picks to break apart their rocks.

Social Studies:

We will have our first test on Monday October 4th.  The test will consist of the continents, oceans, equator, and prime meridian.  The students will fill in a map listing all these things.

Breakfast Club:

The first Breakfast Club will take place on Thursday October 7th.  I will provide muffins, cereal, and juice to those students who have brought in ALL their homework for the month of September.  Students will receive their breakfast treat when they come into the classroom on Thursday.  October is another month so let's try to add to our Breakfast Club!!  Look for invitations to come home on Tuesday! 

Reminders:

• NECAP is this week.  Please make sure to get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast and to arrive at school on time!
• Breakfast Club will be held on Thursday October 7th.
• Picture Re-take day is on Tuesday October 5th. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully fall is here to stay!!!

Week in a Peek for Sept 20-24th

Happy Fall!!!  It's hard to believe that October is right around the corner!

Reading:
This week we started working in our guided reading groups.  Our books were non fiction which fit in with our writing prompts. We read The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg and introduced inferencing.  We will continue adding to our comprehension strategy bank throughout the year.  So far we have made connections and inferences.  An inference is when you take your background knowledge, the information from the text, and make an educated prediction that has the probability of coming true. 

Math:
Our problem solver focus is on Discrete Math.  Discrete Math is when you have to make combination of choices and see how many combinations we have.  For example, if we have ham and cheese and PB&J sandwiches for lunch and we can choose apples, oranges, or pudding for a side, and milk, or juice for a drink how many possible combinations can we make?  The formula for solving this type of problem is multiplication.  We multiply the sandwiches X sides X drinks to find out how many combinations.
We also continue to work on Geometry.  Check out the math page to find games to help understand flips, slides and turns.

Writing:
Informational writing is our current focus.  We worked together to find information on the butterfly, fill out a graphic organizer, and begin an information expository essay.  This weekend the students can choose a topic and find information to bring in or they can choose from the many National Geographic Magazines that I have in the classroom.  Students can also choose to use their stories from guided reading to find information for their essay as well.  Students DO NOT have to research at home. 

Science:
Our first science unit will be Earth Materials.  We started the notebooking process with a small activity.  The students predicted which color tooth pick would be the easiest to find in the grass and which would be the hardest to find.  We will work with mock rocks for our first investigation to try to find out what rocks are made up of.

Social Studies:
Our first test will be on Friday October 1st.  The test will be on the 7 continents, 4 major oceans, the equator, and prime meridian.

Other notes:
The Reading NECAP will be held on October 5, 6, and 7th.  Math NECAP will be held the following week on October 12, 13 and 14th.  Please make every effort to have your child here on time as they will not be allowed into the classroom once testing has begun.  If they should miss any part of the test they will have to make it up on a make up day.

Hopefully it will feel like fall soon!  Have a good week!

Week in a Peek for Sept 13-17th

It was great to meet so many of you on Monday at Open House.


Reading
We have been very busy getting use to our Reader Response Journals.  What I have decided to do this year is send home the rubric after a Journal entry has been corrected.  The rubrics for the first 2 journal entries will not grade vocabulary as we are easing into our new routine.  I will write the rubric scores into the Reader Response Journals so we have a record in school and you have one for home.  The main thing I want to focus on is supporting their responses with evidence from the text.

This we we finished the story Mandy Sue Day, and we read another story about Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher.   We also used our morning work story, Hearing vs. Seeing, to help us make Text-to-Text connections.

Writing
We are finishing our All About Me writings.  We are focusing on writing 3 paragraphs, each with a main idea and 4 details.  Next week we will move on to research expository.  The next writing unit will guide the students through the research process and ending with the students researching their own topic and completing their first 5 paragraph expository essay.

Math
We continued with Parallel, Intersecting, and Perpendicular lines, as well as naming polygons.  The students will need to know these terms to help identify shapes.  For example, what shape has 2 pairs of parallel sides?  (square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid).  This question can be taken a little further by adding: shape also has at least 2 acute angles.

Social Studies
We are continuing to learn the continents and oceans and their locations on the globe.  A study guide will go home this week and we will have a test on Friday September 24th.

Other News:
The volunteer schedule is a work in progress!!  If you sent in the weekly volunteer form look for an email from me soon.  I am hoping to use parents to help read with students, do flashcards for math facts or vocabulary, for fluency practice, and of course the typical copying!!  I am creating folders to help with all of these activities (which I may need some help creating!!!) but they are coming along!  Thank you again to all who volunteered their time!!!!!

Dates to remember:

• Friday September 24th is PTA "Make a Friend" Movie Night - Look for information from the PTA - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED.  LOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE NEW DATE!
• Math masters celebrations will begin soon.  Our first Math Master's celebration will be on October 21st.  Invitations will be sent home as your child passes each level!
• Nickelodeon's 7th Annual Worldwide Day of Play is on September 25th.  Log on to www.planetexplore.com to find outdoor events in our area.

Week in a Peek for Sept 6-10th

The children are beginning to learn the routine of the room!

Reading:

We began working in our Reader Response Journals this week.  Our first Comprehension strategy that we will focus on is connections.  We look for "WOW" moments during reading that make us think of text to text (T-T) connections, text to self (T-S), or text to world (T-W) connections.  Ask your child to describe each type of connection.  We read Mandy Sue Day by Roberta Karim from our Signatures book aloud and in partners.  Our read aloud book is Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar and we've read I Hate English by Ellen Levine.  Some connections we discovered as we read I Hate English was that even though there are things we hate to do, they still need to be done.  We also realized that the reason why Mei Mei hated English was because she was afraid she would forget where she came from.

Math:
We completed our Geometry dictionary and I've posted a copy under the math section on my web page.  The students were also given a quick assessment to see how well they remembered the terms.  Many did very well.  I will post some helpful websites on the website which will reinforce topics taught in class.  Math Masters is set to begin next week.  All students will begin at addition and work their way up!  I've included a Math log in the homework folder this week.  You may have your child practice addition facts to help with Math Masters.

Writing:
Our All About Me bags have been helpful in generating ideas for our 1st essay.  We will focus on Main Ideas and details in this first essay!  We discussed how our main ideas and details need to match.

Social Studies:
We are continuing with our globe and map skills.  This week we've discussed hemispheres, equator, prime meridian, and the 7 continents.  I will send home a study guide before we take our 1st test in a few weeks. 

Reminders:

• Open house is on Monday September 13th.  I look forward to meeting you all then!  There will be 3 - 20 minute sessions.  We are also offering a PBIS information session for those parents interested in learning more about PBIS at Washington Oak.
• There is no school on Tuesday September 14th for Primary Day
• Picture Re-takes are scheduled for October 5th.
• NECAP will take place in October, look for more information to come.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Kiernan

Our books this week:

Great 1st Week of School!

We had a wonderful week getting to know each other. The class worked very hard on our pre-assessments and are gearing up to get in the grove of things next week! Here is a quick peek into our week:

Reading:
We created our Discussion Guidelines for Literature Circles and group work. We role played how NOT to have a reading discussion and will be working on how to discuss books as the weeks go on.

Math:
Our Unit 1 Pretest and our Problem Solvers have been completed. The students understand that the purpose of our pretests are so we can create flexible groups and know where they need to begin and what we already know!

Writing:
We are in the process of completing our writing assessment. Our focus in writing will be on expository essays. The students will learn how to create lead and thesis statements and create conclusions to wrap up their essays. The pre-assessment will give us a very good starting point!

Social Studies:
Some vocabulary words that we are learning are Geography, Erosion, Region, Natural Resources. Globes will also be a large part of our discussions in the coming weeks. Look for information on our Pumpkin Globe Project in October! Lots of volunteers will be needed as it is a very fun and messy activity!

Science:
Our science kits have arrived! Our first science kit will be Earth Materials! 

Reminders:

• Tuesday is picture day!  Envelopes went home Wednesday!
• Open House is Monday September 13 from 6-7:30
• Our classroom has the good fortune of receiving sun all day long, during the winter months this is an added benefit, however, on very warm days it gets very warm.  Please pack a water bottle with your child to keep them hydrated!
• Homework will go home Tuesday and will come back on Friday!
• Dates to remember in September
• 9-7 ~ Picture Day
• 9-13 ~ Open House
• 9-14 ~ Primary Day no school

• Please remember to send in the signature forms and the emergency cards.  The signature forms let me know who has read over my policies and who has yet to do.  Emergency Cards are needed back in the office and nurse's office incase you need to be contacted.

I have truly enjoyed getting to know your children! I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend and hopefully we will not have a visit from Earl!!!!!

Mrs. Kiernan