Our Week In Review

Fall has arrived!  We have been very busy in room 24.

This week we had our first math assessment.  The children worked really hard, despite some nerves with this first test.  On Monday, you will receive the corrected assessment.  You may also see your child's work online at www.pearsonrealize.com.  Beginning next week, our math focus will be on addition and subtraction.  If your child isn't automatic with his/her addition or subtraction facts, there are some links which provide practice on our curriculum page.  Another idea is to use the website Quizlet. Here your child can search for various sets of "electronic flash cards". Many students enjoy using these cards on an ipod or ipad.   A quick search of "addition facts" or "subtraction facts" gives your child many options for flash cards.This tool can be used for all subjects, and students can even make their own flash cards to help with studying in other subject areas.  We will explore Quizlet in the coming weeks during Technology on Fridays.

This week we began and ended our week with our fourth grade friends.  We enjoyed our weekly grade level meeting Monday, and ended with Dance Party Friday (many children's "high" of the week). We also met at the end of the day to discuss Constitution Day.  You can find more information about the grade level activities on the "Fourth Grade News" page (use the link to the right). There you will find information about Creative Arts Friday for this week as well.

We have been working on various reading strategies during Reader's Workshop, and we will continue to work on our routines for the next week.  By the end of the week, all students should have books in their book bags, and should have an established routine at home for evening reading.  If you have any questions about reading or your child's book choice, please contact Mrs. Merten.  We had a "guest teacher" this week...Mrs. Richards came in to share some strategies for looking at words.  We enjoyed her teaching!

On Wednesday we celebrated our summer reading with story teller Len Cabral!  He was wonderful.Your children should have many stories to share.

We continue to work on our classroom community, and we have really grown!  Students are feeling more and more comfortable working with one another and talking about their thinking.

Looking Ahead ~

• On Monday we will have a visit from our "Engineers in Residence". We will begin our first engineering project next week.
• We will begin our Map Skills unit in Social Studies and our unit about Weather in Science.
• We will continue working on our Hopes and Dreams during writing.
• As soon as conference dates are confirmed, you will receive a message along with a link to sign up for a date and time that is convenient for you.

Author Alert!

If you ar a fan of Rick Riordan, you will LOVE this! Scroll down for other author information.
(Information was taken directly from the Unlikely Story website.  More information can be found here.)

Rick Riordan

We've got an event of mythological proportions with bestselling author Rick Riordan to celebrate the newest book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, The Hammer of Thor. Please know that our seating capacity is limited to a maximum of 200 people, so not all who would like to attend will be able to purchase tickets.

Important Details:

• Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 20th at 6:00pm.
• Tickets are $23.41 and include admission for two (2) people and one (1) copy of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Hammer of Thor. Additional copies will be available before and after the event.
• The presentation will consist of a Powerpoint by Rick with Q & A, lasting about 45 minutes.
• Rick will be signing and personalizing books following his presentation.
• Photos will be allowed while in the signing line.
• Rick will sign any books purchased at the event, and you can bring 2 books from home to be signed.

In addition to Rick Riordan, there will  be some other great authors at the bookstore in September and October.

• CeCe Bell (author of El Deafo) 
• Tom Angleberger, her husband (author of the Origami Yoda series) 
• Click here to scroll through the events calendar. 

***Keep in mind that some of these events require preregistration.

T-shirt of the Day

Rounding Homework Help

Friends,
If you would like some help with your math homework, or if you would like to practice rounding in order to prepare for our assessment, check out these videos.

• Learnzillion - Rounding (click the link)

Our Week In Review

We made it to our first Friday!  This week we continued to work on establishing our classroom community, while beginning to focus on our academic tasks.

We began our week with our first 4th grade Community Meeting. We greeted each other, and learned a little about one another. We finished our meeting by learning a few yoga poses.

On Tuesday, we were entertained by the FPS Music Department!  The music/band teachers came to JFK to share information about various instruments.  If your child is interested in playing an instrument, information was sent home Tuesday.

During Reading this week, we focused on learning the structure and routines of Reader's Workshop.  We read some picture books, and students filled out a survey, sharing their feelings about reading.  We practiced our "Reading Zone" (independent reading) and began discussing strategies for choosing a "Just Right" book.  Next week, Mrs. Merten will help students fill their book bags and we will begin to have formal reading conferences.  One important aspect of Reader's Workshop is that the students read the same book at home and at school.  This maintains consistency with student thinking about the plot, characters, theme, etc. Students should be taking reading books back and forth to school each day.  They are invited to take books from our classroom library, and are also invited to bring books to school from home. In the coming weeks, this will continue to be reinforced.

During math, we have been learning about Place Value, as well as working on our routines and expectations of Math Workshop.  Students can find some videos, games and other links which reinforce this topic on our blog on the Homework Help page (The link is also at the top of this page).  If your child would like to access the online version of the math book, there is a link on the Homework Help page as well.  Our first math quiz - on Place Value- will take place next Wednesday.  Students received a study guide today.

Today we also enjoyed our first "Creative Arts Friday".  We began to write bio poems with Mrs. A. Williams, and started some team building activities with Mrs. E. Williams. Be sure to ask your child about the "Marshmallow Activity"!  With Mrs. Merten we worked on organizing our Google Drive and learning about expectations during Tech Workshop.

We also had our first 'Dance Party Friday!"  What an awesome way to start our Fridays!!!

Looking Ahead~

• We will be talking more about our Hopes, Dreams and Goals for fourth grade, and writing about these during Writer's Workshop.
• We will begin our first Social Studies unit, Map Skills.

From the Teacher's Desk:

A major focus of fourth grade is independence and responsibility.  There has already been much discussion about what this looks like, and how students can show independence and responsibility. This theme will be woven into our year. I look forward to meeting you at our parent orientation meeting on Wednesday.

National Parks Program:

   Once again, this year, the government has announced a program for fourth graders called "Every Kid in a Park".  This initiative is to encourage fourth graders to visit the National Parks FREE OF CHARGE!  All fourth graders in the 2016-2017 school year can receive a pass good for the year.  Information about this program can be found here.

Fourth Grade Communication

 The fourth grade team has created a blog.  This blog will include information from the grade regarding the week, and upcoming events that are whole grade. We hope you check it out by using the link to the right "Fourth Grade News".

Homework Help- Place Value

This week we have learned how to read and write large numbers.  If you are feeling a little unsure ~ don't worry!  You will get there!  Below are some videos that may help you with your homework over the next week.  You can also find links to these videos on the "Homework Help" page.

Remember to see Mrs. Merten if you are confused!

Reading and Writing Numbers in Expanded Form

Comparing Large Numbers Using Symbols

T-Shirt of the Day

Yes we should!

Our Week In Review

Our first week of fourth grade was terrific!  We spent the majority of our week establishing our classroom community.  We want our learning space to be a place where we can all succeed!  We also learned some new things about each other, even about those friends we have known for a long time!

The Toothpaste Activity

We began to talk about our hopes, dreams and goals for fourth grade.  We created a list of classroom rules that we all agree to follow (we all signed it, too!).  On Thursday, we got together with ALL of the fourth graders, and we met both Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Williams.  We learned about Creative Arts Fridays, and talked about our weekly morning meeting with fourth grade. Your child can tell you more about how Fridays will run in fourth grade. 

In the next week, we will continue to establish our routines in the classroom, while beginning to focus on academics.  We will begin our first math unit (Place Value) on Monday, and will practice our Math Workshop while learning about this topic. We will work on our Reader's Workshop routines as well, while also exploring our classroom library.  During Writer's Workshop, we will focus on writing about our Hopes, Dreams and Goals. Science and Social Studies will begin later in the month.

Throughout the year, I will ask parents and/or students to fill out brief surveys.  These are meant to gather information in order to continue to learn more about each child/family. Here is the link to the first survey for the children. Students, please complete the survey if possible.

From the Teacher's Desk

Our class blog is written for students and families. At times, I may have a specific message for the parents/guardians.  Those messages are in this section "From the Teacher's Desk".  Look for "adult specific" information here.

National Parks Program:

   Once again, this year, the government has announced a program for fourth graders called "Every Kid in a Park".  This initiative is to encourage fourth graders to visit the National Parks FREE OF CHARGE!  All fourth graders in the 2016-2017 school year can receive a pass good for the year.  Information about this program can be found here.