Hello families!
We have had such an interesting and busy week!
First, we were treated to a lesson on electricity by our friends at Boone Electric! The kids learned some interesting properties of electricity, and they also learned some valuable safety tips! Ask them, and I'm sure they will remember!
Also, we are so grateful to our fourth grade parent volunteers who have come in for Career Week! We have had doctors, police officers, firemen, technology supervisors, and others come in to discuss what their job entails and how they had to work to get there. It has been fun to hear the kids talk about all of the exciting new opportunities we discovered this week!
Here is a brief rundown of the past week in class:
Reading- We are enjoying "The Mighty Miss Malone", and we are practicing summarizing in fiction.
In Daily 5 groups, we are excited to begin some new novels and review comprehension strategies!
Math- We will be taking our division test (Topic 8) on Wednesday. I will be sending the practice game home by email so kids can practice before-hand.
Writing/SS- We are working through our informational writng piece, and finishing up our research on Missouri Cities! Next week, we will be working on adding details and drafting our informational essays.
I think that covers most of what we have done this week. Please remember to bring in shoeboxes for our craft next week, if you have extras available!
Thanks, and enjoy the weekend!
KM
Friday, January 27, 2017
Thursday, January 19, 2017
January 20, 2017 Weekly Update
Hello Families!
I hope you are getting through the heart of winter! The days may be short, but they are still busy and full of learning in room 218!
I wanted to give a quick "thank you" to Mrs. Lynn, our school nurse, for coming in to discuss spinal screening. Spinal screening for girls will be held during the morning of Thursday, January 26th. Boys' screenings will take place during middle school. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Here is a snapshot of what we've been working on the past week:
Reading- We are working with author's purpose and fact vs. opinion this week. Knowing why the author wrote a given text, or why they made a certain plot choices helps us understand what we are reading.
During our Daily Five time, students have been responding to written response questions on ipads, as well as meeting with me for winter DRA updates.
Math- I'm sure your child has mentioned that we have been working through division basics. Specifically, we have been practicing dividing two and three-digit numbers. I have also been looking to work with students who need/want extra practice during our morning arrival time. I love seeing the kids confidence grow with practice!
Writing- We are researching our Missouri cities and learning how to navigate and look for credible information from online sources. Next week, we will organize our notes and begin planning out and writing our informational reports.
Social Studies- Our social studies unit is integrated into our writing time for this unit, as we are conducting research on our local region. We will be writing an informational paper based on the founding, development, and current status of various cities around our state.
That's the report for this week. Remember to have your child read at home, and keep up with the reading logs. Until next time, have a great weekend!
KM
I hope you are getting through the heart of winter! The days may be short, but they are still busy and full of learning in room 218!
I wanted to give a quick "thank you" to Mrs. Lynn, our school nurse, for coming in to discuss spinal screening. Spinal screening for girls will be held during the morning of Thursday, January 26th. Boys' screenings will take place during middle school. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Here is a snapshot of what we've been working on the past week:
Reading- We are working with author's purpose and fact vs. opinion this week. Knowing why the author wrote a given text, or why they made a certain plot choices helps us understand what we are reading.
During our Daily Five time, students have been responding to written response questions on ipads, as well as meeting with me for winter DRA updates.
Math- I'm sure your child has mentioned that we have been working through division basics. Specifically, we have been practicing dividing two and three-digit numbers. I have also been looking to work with students who need/want extra practice during our morning arrival time. I love seeing the kids confidence grow with practice!
Writing- We are researching our Missouri cities and learning how to navigate and look for credible information from online sources. Next week, we will organize our notes and begin planning out and writing our informational reports.
Social Studies- Our social studies unit is integrated into our writing time for this unit, as we are conducting research on our local region. We will be writing an informational paper based on the founding, development, and current status of various cities around our state.
That's the report for this week. Remember to have your child read at home, and keep up with the reading logs. Until next time, have a great weekend!
KM
Thursday, January 12, 2017
January 13, 2017 Weekly Update
Welcome back to school, everyone!
We had a short week last week, but it was good to get back into the swing of things. We have started working on a few exciting things that I wanted to mention in this update.
First, we have begun working on our Missouri City Research Paper. In this paper, students are to research information about different aspects of a city they chose. This week, we started taking notes on our cities, and students have been given a note-taking page with different topics for them to research. Next week, we will finish up our research and begin looking at pre-writing and organizing our research papers. We will mostly be focusing on the introduction, body, and conclusion of an informational essay.
This week in math, we have also started dividing whole numbers! I encourage all students to continue to practice their basic facts. I can't stress enough how much this is going to help them in division.
Finally, we have started an exciting new novel in reading, called "The Mighty Miss Malone". This is a realistic fiction story set during The Great Depression, and we have talked about what life was like in those times, to provide the students some historical context for the book.
Please take note of the weather forecast, as there is a possibility that school may be called off if conditions are expected to be dangerous. Due to the weather, I will be giving students the STAR Math and Reading tests today, so as to not have to worry about it tomorrow.
Hope everyone stays warm, and enjoy the Monday off!
KM
We had a short week last week, but it was good to get back into the swing of things. We have started working on a few exciting things that I wanted to mention in this update.
First, we have begun working on our Missouri City Research Paper. In this paper, students are to research information about different aspects of a city they chose. This week, we started taking notes on our cities, and students have been given a note-taking page with different topics for them to research. Next week, we will finish up our research and begin looking at pre-writing and organizing our research papers. We will mostly be focusing on the introduction, body, and conclusion of an informational essay.
This week in math, we have also started dividing whole numbers! I encourage all students to continue to practice their basic facts. I can't stress enough how much this is going to help them in division.
Finally, we have started an exciting new novel in reading, called "The Mighty Miss Malone". This is a realistic fiction story set during The Great Depression, and we have talked about what life was like in those times, to provide the students some historical context for the book.
Please take note of the weather forecast, as there is a possibility that school may be called off if conditions are expected to be dangerous. Due to the weather, I will be giving students the STAR Math and Reading tests today, so as to not have to worry about it tomorrow.
Hope everyone stays warm, and enjoy the Monday off!
KM
Thursday, December 15, 2016
December 16, 2016 Weekly Update
Hi there!
We are getting close to Winter Break!
Please remember the kids will have their winter party this Tuesday. I will email times/details reminders on Monday. We are looking forward to sharing a great time with friends and I want to thank everyone who has helped make this possible!
I also want to congratulate everyone on a spectacular musical performance on Thursday evening. Our class did a great job in both the singing and speaking roles. They also did a nice job in the audience as the BEU choir sang some holiday favorites. What a nice inauguration for what will become a yearly tradition.
A quick update on the classroom:
Social Studies/Writing- Students have completed their presentations on Missouri regions. We learned about the rich farmland in the north, the dense forests and hills in the south, and the rolling plains in the west. Students practiced their parts and made interesting slideshows.
Math- We have completed our problem-solving unit. I think the kids found it very challenging, as they were required to use multiplication to find the answers to division situations. We worked extensively with partners, and the kids are learning to share ideas and solve problems together!
Reading- As a treat, I am reading "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli. This has been a favorite book of mine for years, and I can tell the students agree! They just can't wait to see what happens to Maniac next! Along the way, we are reviewing narrative elements, and next week we will experiment using our ipads to answer questions on Schoology!
I want to wish everyone a happy winter break. I hope your time off is relaxing and full of cheer. See you in 2017!
KM
We are getting close to Winter Break!
Please remember the kids will have their winter party this Tuesday. I will email times/details reminders on Monday. We are looking forward to sharing a great time with friends and I want to thank everyone who has helped make this possible!
I also want to congratulate everyone on a spectacular musical performance on Thursday evening. Our class did a great job in both the singing and speaking roles. They also did a nice job in the audience as the BEU choir sang some holiday favorites. What a nice inauguration for what will become a yearly tradition.
A quick update on the classroom:
Social Studies/Writing- Students have completed their presentations on Missouri regions. We learned about the rich farmland in the north, the dense forests and hills in the south, and the rolling plains in the west. Students practiced their parts and made interesting slideshows.
Math- We have completed our problem-solving unit. I think the kids found it very challenging, as they were required to use multiplication to find the answers to division situations. We worked extensively with partners, and the kids are learning to share ideas and solve problems together!
Reading- As a treat, I am reading "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli. This has been a favorite book of mine for years, and I can tell the students agree! They just can't wait to see what happens to Maniac next! Along the way, we are reviewing narrative elements, and next week we will experiment using our ipads to answer questions on Schoology!
I want to wish everyone a happy winter break. I hope your time off is relaxing and full of cheer. See you in 2017!
KM
Thursday, December 8, 2016
December 9, 2016 Weekly Update
Hello Everyone!
I hope you're all staying warm during this cold snap! We have had a great week, and here are some of the things we have been learning in class:
Math- Working in groups and problem solving have been the keys to our success in math this week. The problems the kids are working through are division based, but they use multiplicatioin to help the students understand the meaning of division. They enjoy creating posters with their partners and showing them to the other students!
Writing- We are integrating writing and social studies as students are preparing presentations for the regions we have been researching. Students took notes, made maps, and will be making a powerpoint presentation about their regions next week.
Reading- We are finishing up our read aloud book! It has been so exciting, it's hard to imagine starting something else, but we will soon have to move on to another great story. Stay tuned!
Before I go, I wanted to mention that we are having our class spelling bee next week. I will send an email out soon with a reminder, but it will be held Tuesday afternoon. I am encouraging all students to participate, so I hope everyone can join in on the fun!
We'll see everyone at the musical on December 15th! Take care, and winter break is approaching soon!
I hope you're all staying warm during this cold snap! We have had a great week, and here are some of the things we have been learning in class:
Math- Working in groups and problem solving have been the keys to our success in math this week. The problems the kids are working through are division based, but they use multiplicatioin to help the students understand the meaning of division. They enjoy creating posters with their partners and showing them to the other students!
Writing- We are integrating writing and social studies as students are preparing presentations for the regions we have been researching. Students took notes, made maps, and will be making a powerpoint presentation about their regions next week.
Reading- We are finishing up our read aloud book! It has been so exciting, it's hard to imagine starting something else, but we will soon have to move on to another great story. Stay tuned!
Before I go, I wanted to mention that we are having our class spelling bee next week. I will send an email out soon with a reminder, but it will be held Tuesday afternoon. I am encouraging all students to participate, so I hope everyone can join in on the fun!
We'll see everyone at the musical on December 15th! Take care, and winter break is approaching soon!
Friday, December 2, 2016
December 2, 2016 Weekly Update
Hello Families!
We are happy to be back from break, and I hope everyone enjoyed some much needed time off!
Here is a quick breakdown of the things we did in room 218 this past week:
Math- We spent the week looking at a problem solving situation that gave us practice with multiplication, and introduced some important connections with division.
Reading- We have started putting together a parts of speech interactive notebook. So far, we have covered nouns and pronouns. Next week, we will look at verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Social Studies- We are researching the different regions of our state. Next week, we will complete note-taking and work with groups to create a map of our region that shows landforms, economic products, and other features!
Spelling- Students will be working on Sort 9 next week in spelling, and they will take the spelling test over sort 8 on Monday.
I wanted to extend my thanks to everyone who helped contribute to our holiday feast before the break. The kids really enjoyed it, and it would be a great tradition to start for our new school. Thanks again, and have a great weekend!
We are happy to be back from break, and I hope everyone enjoyed some much needed time off!
Here is a quick breakdown of the things we did in room 218 this past week:
Math- We spent the week looking at a problem solving situation that gave us practice with multiplication, and introduced some important connections with division.
Reading- We have started putting together a parts of speech interactive notebook. So far, we have covered nouns and pronouns. Next week, we will look at verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Social Studies- We are researching the different regions of our state. Next week, we will complete note-taking and work with groups to create a map of our region that shows landforms, economic products, and other features!
Spelling- Students will be working on Sort 9 next week in spelling, and they will take the spelling test over sort 8 on Monday.
I wanted to extend my thanks to everyone who helped contribute to our holiday feast before the break. The kids really enjoyed it, and it would be a great tradition to start for our new school. Thanks again, and have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 17, 2016
November 18, 2016 Weekly Update
Welcome back from a busy couple of weeks. Conference week seemed extra busy and hectic with all of the election drama going on! It feels good to get back to a sense of calm before the holiday week has us rushing about all over again!
Speaking of conferences, I am thankful for meeting with everyone last week. I appreciate you taking the time out to meet with me about your child's progress. I am truly thankful to have this group of students in my class, and I will continue to do my best to keep them focused, engaged, and learning each day.
Thanksgiving Feast (for students)- Thank you to those parents who have agreed to donate a food item for our Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday, November 22nd. The students are really excited to try all of the different traditional favorites!
Students will go to recess and lunch at the normal time, but they will be eating lunch in the classroom, not the cafeteria.
Here is a quick briefing of our busy week:
Math- We are finishing up our lessons on two-digit by two-digit multiplication. We took our unit test on Friday, and we will soon be looking at solving multiple-step problems!
Reading- We have been enjoying our reading of Jack's Run. Everyone is so excited to see if Jack and Joanne will escape, and what will become of the family! We have been studying the problem and solution pattern in stories. In small groups, we are working on comprehension and accuracy.
Social Studies- Next week, we will be starting our unit on Missouri regions. Students will study the goegraphy, economy, resources, and cultural differences between the different regions of the state.
Writing- In writing, we will begin our unit on the informational essay. Students took a pre-test based on the Lewis and Clark adventure, and we will learn and practice with a paper on the Missouri regions. In spelling, students continue to learn to spell based on prefix and suffix patterns, as well as short and long vowel patterns.
I think that covers it for now. I hope everyone has a very safe Thanksgiving, and you celebrate with the ones you care about!
KM
Speaking of conferences, I am thankful for meeting with everyone last week. I appreciate you taking the time out to meet with me about your child's progress. I am truly thankful to have this group of students in my class, and I will continue to do my best to keep them focused, engaged, and learning each day.
Thanksgiving Feast (for students)- Thank you to those parents who have agreed to donate a food item for our Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday, November 22nd. The students are really excited to try all of the different traditional favorites!
Students will go to recess and lunch at the normal time, but they will be eating lunch in the classroom, not the cafeteria.
Here is a quick briefing of our busy week:
Math- We are finishing up our lessons on two-digit by two-digit multiplication. We took our unit test on Friday, and we will soon be looking at solving multiple-step problems!
Reading- We have been enjoying our reading of Jack's Run. Everyone is so excited to see if Jack and Joanne will escape, and what will become of the family! We have been studying the problem and solution pattern in stories. In small groups, we are working on comprehension and accuracy.
Social Studies- Next week, we will be starting our unit on Missouri regions. Students will study the goegraphy, economy, resources, and cultural differences between the different regions of the state.
Writing- In writing, we will begin our unit on the informational essay. Students took a pre-test based on the Lewis and Clark adventure, and we will learn and practice with a paper on the Missouri regions. In spelling, students continue to learn to spell based on prefix and suffix patterns, as well as short and long vowel patterns.
I think that covers it for now. I hope everyone has a very safe Thanksgiving, and you celebrate with the ones you care about!
KM
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