Our Week in Review

This week we took our first unit test in math. Everyone did very well! If you haven't seen your child's test, check the backpack! It was sent home on Thursday.

Today we began making our Puff Mobiles and worked cooperatively in groups. Mr. Adams came to talk about engineering. He is an engineer and he helped us with our plan for building. Our job is to build a vehicle that can go half the gym's length, powered by wind. We will be "PUFFING" to get the vehicle across the gym. Our race date has not been set.

Tommy's ideas for his Puff Mobile

Today we had our first extra recess! We earned 15 points and had recess after lunch. There were some kindergarteners out with us too! We also worked on our bio poems.

This week during Open Circle we talked about listening and talking in class. We shared how talking when we're supposed to be working is disruptive to everyone else. Today was a great day!

In reading, we discussed choosing Just Right books. Look for a full post on this topic soon. We also listened to two books this week written by Chris Van Allsburg. We compared the plot of Jumanji and Zathura and we found that the plot was very similar.

Overall, this was a great week! We are really starting to work together like a class!

Book Update!

Many of my former students know that I'm a big fan of books in a series. I love to get to know the characters, and by the end of the series I feel as if they are old friends! Educationally, reading books in a series is an excellent way to build comprehension. Students spend the first book getting to know the characters, and then they can really focus on comprehension while reading the rest of the series.

Tonight, while I was at the library, I found two new releases. While these books would be a challenge for many of our fourth grade readers, they would be great for many of my former fourth graders.

The two new releases are:

This Isn't What it Looks Like, by Psyeudonymous Bosch~Click here for a summary of the book and some reviews.

The Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow, by Ridley Pearson ~ This book's setting is Walt Disney World in Florida. It is really fun for students to read about books that take place in places where they have been. This is the website for the series.

Nightly Reading in Reader's Workshop

Our class blog will have a few types of posts. The "Week in Review" section will be done with help from the students. I anticipate using their help starting this week. We also may have a post which relates to important information going on in our classroom. Lastly, you may find a post "From the Teacher's Desk". This type of post is information regarding more to the learning and growth of the children in fourth grade. I hope you find all of these posts helpful.

From the Teacher's Desk
One aspect of Reader's Workshop is the connection the children make about reading at school and reading at home. I have asked the children to continue to read the same book both at school and at home. This allows the students to meet two goals (1) to read a book within 2 weeks, so that we may discuss various parts of the book, and (2) this allows the students to focus on one plot, one set of characters, one story at a time. This allows students to be more successful in reading and thinking deeply about a story or topic. In order for the flow of reading to be consistent, the students are asked to bring their book to and from school everyday. Therefore, if a book is forgotten, it counts as a homework miss. This has been an adjustment for many of the students. It would be helpful if you could help your child to develop a plan to help to remind them to get their book into the book bag.

The reading portion of our homework is not optional. I ask the students to read for a minimum of 15 minutes nightly. I will be checking in with the students at least a few times weekly. In your child's backpack you will find an article about nightly reading that I received from a colleague. I hope you find it interesting!


Please remember that if you have a question or concern regarding anything that goes on in school, don't hesitate to ask.

Our Week In Review

Phew! We made it through our first full week! This week was full of fun! In reading we got to listen to a few read aloud books. Mrs. Merten was impressed with our thinking! We talked a lot about choosing just right books, too.

In Math, we continued learning about geometry, and we have our first math test on Tuesday. We learned a few math games this week, including Polygon Pair Up. We will complete a review day on Monday.

Today we celebrated Constitution Day. We started our day listening to a guided imagery about the constitution. We also watched a Schoolhouse Rock video about the Preamble to the Constitution. Many of you might remember this video from your childhood! We worked with children from the other fourth grade classes to talk about the Bill of Rights. The groups had to remove five amendments- and decide which ones were most important. It was a tough task. We graphed our results. Ask your children about this activity!

From the teacher's desk:

Parents,
Our first week went smoothly in the classroom. The children have adjusted to the expectations of fourth grade, and are handling the workload in school. I realize that there is more responsibility in fourth grade, particularly with homework. I have noticed some difficulty in getting all parts of the homework finished, particularly with following written directions on the homework sheets. Please remind your child to reread the directions carefully to be sure all parts of the assignment are complete.

Below is an excerpt from an email from the Wellesley Booksmith. They are having a few children's authors coming to speak. I have been to their events, and find it very exciting to meet the authors of books I love.

EVENTS – The event season is kicking into high gear and below is a sampling of a few great authors that we are welcoming in the near future. John D'Auria - Ten Lessons in Leadership and Learning Join us at the store on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 4:00 pm (for an educator presentation) and 7:00 pm (for a parent presentation) as popular educator and former Wellesley Middle School Principal John D'Auria discusses his newly published book, Ten Lessons in Leadership and Learning. Co-sponsored by Teachers21. Patricia MacLachlan - I Didn't Do It and Word After Word After Word The Wellesley Free Library welcomes celebrated author Patricia MacLachlan on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 4:00 pm as she discusses two of her latest books in the Wakelin Room. Julie Berry - Secondhand Charm, The Rat Brain Fiasco and Curse of the Bizarro Beetle On Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 7:00 pm, enjoy an entertaining evening at Wellesley Booksmith with author Julie Berry as she celebrates the release of her latest books. Annie Barrows - Ivy & Bean #7: What's the Big Idea? Visit the store on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 4:00 pm and catch award winning author Annie Barrows as she discusses her latest book in the Ivy & Bean series. Sara Pennypacker - Clementine, Friend of the Week The Wellesley Free Library hosts author Sara Pennypacker for a reading of her latest Clementine book on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Children's Room. Laurie Halse Anderson - Forge Join award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson for a stirring presentation on Friday, October 29, 2010 at 4:00 pm in the Wellesley Free Library's Wakelin Room.

Classroom Update

What a whirlwind it has been! We spent last week continuing to learn our rules and routines for our class. We also began math, reading and writing.

In math, our first unit is Geometry. This week we'll be learning about properties of polygons and we'll be learning about circles. The children will have the opportunity to use compasses to draw circles as well.

In reading, we have gotten through most of the routine of Reader's Workshop. Last week I read aloud Ish, by Peter Reynolds. He has a great website here.It is a short storybook about a boy who loves to draw. I was really impressed with the children's thinking about this story. We also got some Reading Zone time last week. Ask your child about Reading Zone, they should have something to share! This week I will be helping the children find books to put in their book bags. Each book your child reads should be finished within 2 weeks. The children have reading homework everynight, with the reading log due in class, signed, on Friday. I ask that the children read the same book at home that they are reading here at school. Therefore, if your child has a book that he/she would like to read, please have them bring it to school, and we'll discuss it and put it in their book bag.

In writing we began to write Bio Poems. I will post some of our poetry throughout the year, as it is finished. We will begin talking about goals for fourth grade this week.

Look for more posts, with photos as the week progresses. I plan on updating our blog weekly, on Fridays, with the help of the students.

A SUCCESS!

What a week! We started off well- the children and I all started to get to know each other this week. First the children were able to interview each other and ask a few questions. It's amazing how much we have in common while still all being so unique. I took pictures on that first day, as the children came into the classroom. Some look so excited to be back in school, and others look a bit scared. I hope the butterflies have calmed down and everyone is comfortable in our class. Here are a few of those pictures.




















After those first, scary moments, we got down to work. In our class we'll work in many different ways, including working with partners at times.










This week we learned a lot about reading and Reader's Workshop. Mrs. Merten read a book, Today Was a Terrible Day by Patricia Reilly Giff. Hopefully, nobody will have a day as terrible as Ronald Morgan's. Today we were able to take a book from the class library to read. Mrs. Merten went over how the library is organized. We are allowed to borrow books from her for Reader's Workshop, and we can take them home. Next week we'll fill book bags and really get started with reading.

We also said goodbye to those often heard words "I CAN'T" today. We will no longer need these words in our classroom. We replaced these words with I can, I will and If I try. Ask your child about this activity.

Lastly, our first homework assignment was to create a puzzle piece showing ourselves. Below are some of the pieces. Can you guess who belongs to each piece? We will be sharing these on Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend!