Wednesday, September 28, 2011

9/28/11

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesdays are always a little wacky around here with a different schedule than other days of the week.  On top of that, we had our popcorn party for the students who turned their book report in on time!  I thought that these 4th graders did a very nice job on their popcorn bag book reports.  Our October book report will be to fill out a story map, and it will be due Wednesday, October 26.

Homework:
* Math - None
* Science -Study for test
* Social Studies - Study for test
* Language Arts - page 102 questions 1-5
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Group - chapter 6 worksheet and vocab word
* Word Journeys - Study for test Friday

Reminders:
* October 3-7 - OHS Homecoming Week
* October 5 - Walk to School Day
* October 7 - Walk to School Rain Date
* October 7 - OHS Homecoming Parade at 2:30
* October 27 - Pioneer Parents Fall Festival
* October 27 - End of 1st Quarter

Have a wonderful evening!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

9/27/11

It is Terrific Tuesday in 4th Grade!

We are gearing up for 2 big unit tests at the end of this week!  Our Science Nutrition test will most likely be this Friday, as well as our Social Studies Map test.  We will do plenty of review in class, and students will have study guides for both tests.  I told the students they should be studying a little bit each evening this week instead of waiting until Thursday night!  I am confident that the students will do well on both tests!

We are also nearing the end of our first math unit, which included place value, addition and subtraction strategies.  At the end of this week, we will dive into multiplication!!

Homework:
* Math - None
* Science - Meal Time Day 2 worksheet
* Social Studies - None
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Class - Chapter 6 worksheet and vocab word
* Word Journeys - study for your next test!

Reminders:
* September 28 - Popcorn bag book report due.  This is TOMORROW!
* October 5 - Walk to School Day
* October 7 - Walk to School Rain Date
* October 7 - OHS Homecoming Parade at 2:30

See you all tomorrow for Wacky Wednesday!!

Monday, September 26, 2011

9/26/11

What a Marvelous Monday!  LOTS of learning took place today, and excellent behavior helped us out a lot!

Homework for tonight:
* Math - finish anything from pages 67 and 68 which you have not finished yet
* Science - None
* Social Studies - Begin studying for the map unit test which will be Friday.  Students have a study guide to use in their white Social Studies packets
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report due THIS Wednesday, September 28
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Class - None
* Word Journeys - Study for your next test!

Reminders:
* September 28 - Popcorn bag book reports due.  There will be a popcorn party for every one who turns in a QUALITY book report ON TIME!
* October 5 - Walk to School Day
* October 7 - Walk to School rain date
* October 7 - OHS Homecoming Parade at 2:30

Enjoy the beautiful weather this evening!  See you tomorrow!  :)

Friday, September 23, 2011

9/23/11

Wow!  What a difference a new day makes!  My 4th graders are back to "wonderful!"  We had a MUCH better day today, so I hope we are back on track!

We spent a large portion of our morning finishing up our science nutrition research.  Hopefully we will get to work on creating our posters next week!

This afternoon, after Word Journeys and guided reading, our class enjoyed our class reward for filling our marble jar!  We watched a Bill Nye the Science Guy video to go with our nutrition unit, while enjoying our snacks and drinks!  We had a little fun, but were still able to learn more about what we are studying!

There should not be any homework for tonight unless students are still working on their popcorn bag book report, or unless they received an assignment from their guided reading teacher!

Students have a lot of papers in their mailboxes to take home tonight.  Be looking for these papers to come home with your student!

Reminders:
* October 5 - Walk to School Day (your student should bring a note home tonight with more details)

Have a FABULOUS weekend!  It sounds like the weather is supposed to be pretty nice!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

9/22/11

Wow!  This week is flying by!

Unfortunately, today has not been a great day in 4th grade.  We accomplished lots of learning, but the students are really struggling with talking when they should not be.  Mr. Olsen had to take 5 minutes of their recess away for how loud the students were in the lunchroom, and I had to take an additional 5 minutes of recess away for their behavior in PE, as well as all of the talking in class when I needed them to be listening.  I told the students that, for me to accomplish my job and do it well, they need to do their job (following the rules) well, also.  Hopefully, losing 10 minutes of recess gave them time to think about how they can do better tomorrow.  I am looking forward to a better day tomorrow.  I know I have great students in my class, and I know what great behavior they have shown me in the past, so I hope we can get back to that point!

Homework for tonight:
* Math - None
* Science - None
* Social Studies - None
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report - 9/28
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Group - chapter 5 worksheet and chapter 5 vocab. word
* Mrs. Duvall's Word Journeys Group - 10 sentences due Monday

Reminders:
* Bring a snack and a drink tomorrow (Friday) for our class reward for filling our marble jar
* Book orders are due tomorrow (Friday)
* October 5 - Walk to School Day

Have a wonderful evening, and I look forward to having a day of excellent behavior tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

9/21/11

Happy Wednesday!

Here are some brief updates about what we are studying in each subject this week!

Math: We continue on with place value, addition and subtraction strategies, and practicing our multiplication facts!  If you notice your student do his/her addition and/or subtraction problems in a different way than how they would "traditionally" be done, don't panic!  Our Investigations math series pushes students to think outside the box a little bit, which in turn gives students a better understanding of numbers and math concepts (we call that "number sense").  We have NOT thrown the traditional way of adding and subtracting out the window, we are just trying new ways of thinking, also!

Science: We are getting ready to start our nutrition research!  Students will be using netbooks to research the food groups/healthy living.  Once we have completed the research, the students will demonstrate their learning by creating a new model/way of representing the food pyramid!  I am looking forward to all of the creative ideas my students come up with!

Social Studies: This week we have worked REALLY hard on locating places on maps using latitude and longitude!  See if your student can tell you the difference between the two!  It is kind of a tricky concept, and we will continue to practice with it.  Next week, we will study the different map types and the purpose(s) for each type.

Language Arts: Earlier in the week, the students had some opportunity to do some creative writing with a story starter that I put on the board.  "One morning, I woke up and saw a dinosaur in my backyard!"  We had so much fun being creative writers, and we definitely enjoyed sharing our crazy stories with the class!  We continue to work on getting familiar with our 7 comprehension strategies (sensory imaging, schema, inferring, questioning, determining importance, fix-up strategies, and synthesizing).  We are also still on our unit titled "Journeys."

Homework for tonight:
* Math - page 61
* Science - None
* Social Studies - Maryland map
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report due September 28 (1 week from today)
* Word Journeys - study new words


Reminders:
* Book orders are due THIS Friday, September 23
* Bring a snack and a drink THIS Friday, September 23
* Popcorn bag book reports are due a week from today, Wednesday, September 28
*October 5 - Walk to School Day - more info to come
* Answer the joke on this blog by Friday for a treat!  If I don't have your answer by Friday morning when the bell rings, I will not accept it!

Have a wonderful evening!  See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

9/20/11

It was a HAPPY day in our class room today!  We finally filled our marble jar all the way to the top!  We get to put marbles in the jar for good class behavior, so this is something for the students to be PROUD of!  A note is coming home with your student tonight explaining the class reward that our class voted for.  I gave them three options, and the one with the most votes was to watch a Bill Nye the Science Guy video, and the students may bring a drink and a snack to enjoy during the video.  Students should bring their drink and snacks THIS Friday, September 23.  I am not going to be too picky about what students bring, but I told them NO energy drinks (ie: Monster, Rip, etc), and snacks do not need to be huge.  Great job on this accomplishment, 4th Graders!

Homework for tonight:
* Math - pages 53 and 54 in packets
* Social Studies - Delaware map
* Science - None
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report due Wednesday, September 28 (1 week from tomorrow)
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Group - Chapter 4 picture with main idea and 3 details
* Word Journeys - Study new words

Reminders:
* Bring a snack and a drink THIS Friday, September 23
* Book orders due this Friday, September 23
* September 28 - Popcorn bag book report due
* October 5 - Walk to School Day (more info to come) 

Enjoy your evening!  See you for Wacky Wednesday tomorrow!!

Friday, September 16, 2011

9/16/11

Happy Friday!  We've completed our first full week of school, and we accomplished lots of learning!

In Math, we continue to work on addition and subtraction strategies.  We are learning that there are many ways to solve a problem, and the students are getting really good at using more mental math!

During Science class, we are still studying nutrition.  We have read some informational pages from www.choosemyplate.gov to learn a lot about healthy eating habits.  If any of you parents are interested, visit the Choose My Plate website.  There is so much information there!

In Social Studies, we have just finished up being cartographers, or map-makers!  Each student designed his/her own island.  The students used the Fab 4 Map Features to help them develop their maps.  Ask your child if he/she can list the Fab 4 Map Features for you!

In Language Arts and Guided Reading, our theme unit is "Journeys."  During both class periods, students are engaged in stories in which the main character(s) are on some type of journey.  In Whole Group Language Arts, we are also learning about some "tools" to help students with reading comprehension.

Reminders:
* No School Monday, September 19 - Teacher in-service
* Popcorn bag book report due Wednesday, September 28
* Walk to School Day - October 5 (rain date October 7) - more info to come

Homework:
* Math - None
* Science - None
* Social Studies - New Jersey map due Tuesday
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Group - chapter 4 worksheet and chapter 4 vocabulary word

** Just a little note about homework - MANY of the 4th graders are using their time at school very wisely, so don't be surprised if they don't have a lot of homework to bring home at night!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

9/15/11

This week sure is flying by!

I am really enjoying this group of 4th graders!  They are such hard workers and great learners!

Reminders:
* No school on Monday, September 19 due to teacher in-service
* I am sending a book order home today!  Please have them turned in by Friday, September 23 and make checks payable to Scholastic
* Popcorn bag book reports due Wednesday, September 28.
* Walk to School Day is October 5 (rain date is October 7) - more information to come

Homework for tonight:
* Math - page 35 and 36 in math packets
* Science - None
* Social Studies - Pennsylvania map due tomorrow
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report
* Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Group - None
* Word Journeys - Test tomorrow, so study your words tonight.

Specials Day 3 tomorrow - Music and PE.

Have a great evening!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

9/14/11

Happy Wednesday!

It's been a great day in 4th grade, and I have really been impressed with the TRRFCC behavior of the students in my class!  We are getting SO CLOSE to getting our marble jar completely filled!

Reminders:
*No school Monday, September 19 due to teacher in-service
*Popcorn bag book reports due Wednesday, September 28
*It is supposed to be pretty chilly tomorrow morning!  Make sure you wear the appropriate clothing/gear to stay warm!
*Answer the joke on this blog before Friday for a special treat!
*Parents - always look for work and other miscellaneous papers to come home with your child each FRIDAY (or the last day of school for the week)!

Homework:
*Math - None
*Science - 5 Related Word Sentences
*Social Studies - None
*Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report
*Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Class - Chapter 3 worksheet in packet
*Word Journeys - 10 sentences - due Thursday (for most, but not all, groups)

Have a fabulous evening!  :)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

9/13/11

What a GREAT day in 4th grade!

This morning in Math, we played a fun game called "Close to 1,000."  Ask your student to see if he/she can explain the game to you!  It was a great game for practicing our addition skills!

In Social Studies, we are making our own maps - we are being cartographers!  The students will design their own island and make a map to represent it.  Their map must have a title, scale, compass rose, and a key/legend which includes at least 5 symbols.  The students can get as creative as they want with this!  The map must be colored and each student should write 2 questions about their map on the back for another student to answer tomorrow!

In Science, we are continuing on with our Nutrition unit.  Go to www.myplate.gov to see the replacement model for the food pyramid.  We are also studying "My Plate" as part of our unit this year!

Many of you have either finished your book report or are in the process of working on your popcorn bag, which is great!  Don't forget that popcorn bag book reports are due Wednesday, September 28.  We will have a popcorn party that day for all students who finished their book report on time and did QUALITY work!

My class is also in the process of filling a jar with marbles to earn a class reward.  Every time the class is caught doing something outstanding, I add marbles to the jar.  On the other hand, I take marbles away when the class is not following directions or expectations.  Once we get the jar filled, we will vote on a class reward!  We are getting SO CLOSE!

Two students have answered the joke on the Jokes/Trivia page on this blog, and they got it correct!  I will not post their answers because I don't want to give it away, but head over to the jokes page and post your answer!  There will be treats on Friday for anyone who tries!

Have a wonderful evening!  See you for Wacky Wednesday tomorrow!  :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

9/12/11

We spent some time today talking about what September 11 means to our nation since the tragedies that took place 10 years ago.  It is such an important part of the history of our nation.  This year's students were either not born yet, or just babies when the 9/11 events occurred, so many of them only know what they've been told.  They were able to see how emotional this topic was for me, as well as many Americans who were old enough to remember that tragic day 10 years ago.  To show our patriotism for our country, we made a red, white and blue unity chain (paper chain) in which all of us wrote a sentence on a link telling why we are proud to be Americans.  Each student also decorated a paper quilt square displaying their patriotism.  Come visit the 4th grade hallway to see our class quilt!


Homework for tonight:
*Math - page 30
*Science - NONE
*Social Studies - NONE
*Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report due September 28
*Mrs. Duvall's Guided Reading Class - Chapter 2 worksheet and Chapter 2 vocabulary word
*Word Journeys - Study new words (students should have a list to bring home with them this evening)


Reminders:
*No school Monday, September 19 - Teacher In-service
*Visit the joke/trivia page on this blog for a new joke!


Have a GREAT evening!  Enjoy this warm weather while it lasts!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

9/9/11

Please remember to bring your picture order form tomorrow, and come to school with your best SMILES!  :)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

9/6/11

We have had a FABULOUS start to the school year in 4th grade!  I have been VERY impressed with the behavior of my class!  They follow the classroom and school rules, and they do their best on their school work!  I can tell we are going to have a GREAT year!

I have updated the "Important Dates" page, as well as the "Homework" page.  I hope to be better at updating this blog more often now that we are back into the swing of things!  I usually do my best to update daily.

Reminders:
*Our special tomorrow is Media Center (we will start keyboarding next week in place of media center).
*OES Picture Day is this Friday!  Bring in order forms as soon as possible!