LL38 Update....

Battle of the Books….

We prepared for “battle” last week, as we started the Battle of the Picture Books.  We are in the "training" stages as we read through the picture books that are going into battle.  32 fiction and nonfiction picture books are participating in our Battle of the Books.  After we have had time to read all of the contenders, we will start to vote on the best picture book. 

Vacation Reading…

I know that winter vacation is usually a very busy time.  I am going to be reminding the kids about the importance of finding time to read over vacation.  Reading for a few minutes a day will help them to start 2015 on the right note!

Thank You!

        Thanks to everyone that has sent in (or will be sending in) the sugar cubes and frosting for our Snow Fort project.  The kids are very excited to get started on their snow forts.  It isn’t the real thing, but it will be close!  J

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays with their families.  Have a great week!

~Mrs. Lewis

It’s Time to Build

SNOW FORTS!!!

            Next week we are going to work on a math project using what we have learned about area and perimeter!  We are going to use our math knowledge to build SNOW FORTS!  The only problem is we don’t have any snow! 

        We are asking for your help so that we can make snow forts inside.  We are looking for each student to donate a box of sugar cubes.  Also, if you are able to donate a container of white frosting (not whipped frosting) that would be helpful too.  In the past we have been able to find sugar cubes at Market Basket and Hannafords. 

        We are hoping to have our “snow” (sugar cubes) delivered by Monday, December 22^nd!  If you can donate an additional box of sugar cubes for students that cannot bring in a box, please let me know.

        We look forward to building our “snow” forts next week!   

                    

Realistic Fiction Publishers!

        I have attached a letter that was sent home with students on Friday.  I wanted them to be able to work on their final copies of their fictional narratives if they had time this weekend.  Thank you for your support with this.

Dear Families,

          Your child is ready to publish their realistic fictional narrative!  We have been learning lots of great strategies that writers use to create realistic fiction stories.  For the past few days we have been starting to type these stories in the computer lab on Google Docs.  It is now your child’s responsibility to finish typing these at home. 

          I have explained to the kids that they can have someone help them type, but it should be typed exactly as they have written it.  I want this to be a reflection and a celebration of what they can do as a writer. 

          These narratives need to be typed by Wednesday, December 17^th.  Your child DOES NOT have to print them as we will print them in school. 

          They are very proud of their work.  They are going to be placing these stories in the Farley School Library for other children to see and learn from!

          Thank you for your support with this assignment.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lewis

Mystery Reader Reminder….

On Tuesday, December 23^rd we have a full day of school.  To kick start our winter vacation, we are going to be participating in a fun reading activity called, “Booked In.”   We are going to spend a large part of that day reading some great books.  To add to the fun, I thought it would be great if we could host some MYSTERY READERS. 

What is a MYSTERY Reader?

We are looking for parents, grandparents, or siblings to volunteer to read a favorite picture book or poem to our class on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd.  The mystery will be that the students will not know who is coming in to read to our class.  It will be a great surprise for all of the kids. 

Here is what you can do….

J  Volunteer as a mystery reader…let me know via email or a sealed envelope if you are available to read a picture book or poem on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd. 

J  Shhh….keep this a secret from the students!  J

If you can’t volunteer to read that day, it is completely fine.  I know that this is a very busy time of year.  Please let me know if you are available to be a Mystery Reader by Thursday, December 18^th  so that I can put together a schedule.

Coming up this week….

MATH

We will continue to work on division this week.  By the end of the week we will be learning about double digit by double digit multiplication.  They students continue to impress me with their understanding of division and multiplication.  We will be wrapping up Unit 3 by next week!

READING WORKSHOP

       We are continuing to talk about theme in reading.  We have talked about how theme is like an umbrella and is the big idea, and the lesson of the story falls under the umbrella or theme.  We have also talked about how books can have more than one theme or lesson.

       While your child is reading at home, you can check in with him or her and talk about what the theme of the story might be.  Students should also be able to back up their thinking with evidence (words right from the text) from the story.

WRITING WORKSHOP

        In writing, we are starting a new unit on Literary Essay.  The kids will be able to take what they learned from our personal essay unit back in September and apply it to talking and writing about books.  We will spend a lot of time this week reading picture books to get a better idea of the types of books that we like and which books get us thinking more deeply about the story.

I hope everyone has a great week! 

~Mrs. Lewis J  

Just a reminder:   Report Cards go home with students on Friday, December 19^th!

Shhh....Mystery Readers Wanted!

On Tuesday, December 23^rd we have a full day of school.  To kick start our winter vacation, we are going to be participating in a fun reading activity called, “Booked In.”   We are going to spend a large part of that day reading some great books.  To add to the fun, I thought it would be great if we could host some MYSTERY READERS. 

What is a MYSTERY Reader?

We are looking for parents, grandparents, or siblings to volunteer to read a favorite picture book or poem to our class on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd.  The mystery will be that the students will not know who is coming in to read to our class.  It will be a great surprise for all of the kids. 

Here is what you can do….

J  Volunteer as a mystery reader…let me know via email or a sealed envelope if you are available to read a picture book or poem on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd. 

J  Shhh….keep this a secret from the students!  J

If you can’t volunteer to read that day, it is completely fine.  I know that this is a very busy time of year.  

Please let me know if you are available to be a Mystery Reader by Tuesday, December 16^th so that I can put together a schedule.

Thank you,

Mrs. Lewis

jlewis@hudson.k12.ma.us

"Bright" Students!

Fourth Graders SHINE…

          Last week our fourth grade scientists had the challenge of getting a light bulb to light up for our Magnets and Electricity unit!  Each group had wires, a D-Cell, and a light bulb and set to work.  Some groups were able to get the bulb to light up right away, while other groups took a little more time.  Either way, it was very exciting when they were able to get the bulb to light up!  At times some kids didn't think they could do it, but with a growth mindset every single student was successful!  It was a great day in our classroom!

Taking a CLOSE look at our writing….

          On Thursday we started to talk about how we could take on the difficult task of editing our writing.  We talked about how editing our writing for capitals, punctuation, and spelling can be overwhelming, however, if we zoom in on our writing and edit using one “lens” (capitals, punctuation, or spelling) we can complete the task.  Each student decided what part of editing they were going to focus on.  They took their time and worked like “college students” to edit their writing.  They certainly rose to the occasion and really focused in on improving their writing.

As excited as kids in a candy store….

Early on in the week we started to talk about adding similes into our writing to really “paint” a picture for the reader in our writing.  We talked about similes which compare two objects using the words “like” or “as.”  The kids had the opportunity to create similes for a variety of objects that were placed around the classroom.  (I tried to post some pictures here, but they were very blurry!)  Ask your child what similes they were able to write for the objects.  

:)

What can you do to support your child at home?

          You can help support your child at home by noticing similes in books with your child.  You could also notice times throughout your day when you hear a simile or can create a simile based on something that is going on around you.  Have fun!

I hope everyone has a great week!  

~Mrs. Lewis

Important Dates:

12/10- Half Day of School

12/19- Report Cards Go Home

Homework Update Parent Letter- Coming Home on Monday

       A letter will be coming home on Monday explaining a few of the changes that we will made to homework starting this week.  Please sign and return the bottom portion of the parent letter by Wednesday.  

     I have also attached the new Reading in the Edges page and the new Math at Home page so that you can see the changes on there as well.

     Thank you so much for your support.

Coming up this week...

Great Opportunity…

        Our class is going to get the opportunity to work with Choice Literacy in a few weeks.  Over the past several years we have been working with 2 Literacy Consultants for reading and writing workshop and they work with Choice Literacy.  Choice Literacy is creating an instructional video for other teachers.   The students are going to be able to “teach” other educators what small group work in reading and writing workshop look like. 

        On Monday, 12/1, I will be sending home a video-taping permission slip.  It is a yellow sheet of paper that needs to be filled out and sent back to school with your child if you are okay with him/her being taped for this project.  It would be helpful to have these permission slips back by this Friday, December 5^th. 

Author Study

        This week we will continue with our author study of Chris Van Allsburg.  We have already read a few of his books including The Widow’s Broom and The Wretched Stone and watched the movie Jumangi about a month ago.

        This week we will read his books and think more closely about the characters and the themes in the stories. All of this thinking and hard work will lead to each student creating and presenting a Kid’s Choice Award  to one of the books or characters of a book based on their reading notes.

Visiting Ellis Island

        This week in social studies we will “visit” Ellis Island in New York as part of our trip around the Northeast Region of the United States.  We will read a book about a young boy and his family who travel from Russia to Ellis Island and what they had to go through to make it to America. 

        Ask your child about their Mount Washington Newscast that we finished up last week in Social Studies.  The kids did a great job acting out what it is like at the top of Mount Washington.  They also were able to show all that they learned through this fun activity!

Division

        We are continuing to work through division problems using “number disks.”  We are not using the standard division algorithm this year in 4^th grade.  The kids have a much better understanding of the process of division through this method.  There is a lot less frustration during math with this way of dividing.  We are also working on “checking” our work with multiplication as a way to show that we are putting in the time that it takes to solve a problem correctly.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 

~Mrs. Lewis

Putting in the Effort

Last week we continued our growth mindset discussion.  We looked at what Effective Effort is and how it helps us to reach our goals.  We also talked about how we need to use strategies that we have learned along with hard work. 

There are 6 components to Effective Effort that we discussed as a class.  The kids broke up into small groups and talked about what each “piece” might look like.  The 6 components are…

J Commitment

J  Use of Feedback

J  Resourcefulness

J  Persistence

J  Time

J  Focus

We spent the rest of the week talking about and pointing out when students were using one of the effective effort strategies. 

We spent a lot of time talking about being committed to getting our work done.  Many students showed “commitment” during an independent reading activity.  They had to read a short story and answer a question in writing after.  Many students realized that when they were finished reading the story, they weren’t quite sure of the answer to the question.  To demonstrate their commitment to getting the assignment completed to the best of their ability, they reread and thought about the answer to the question more carefully the second time.

            Other students demonstrated “time” during math.  We started working on division this week.  For some students it took more time to understand the strategies that they were learning.  Several students, worked on taking their time on the problems.  They also “checked” their work, which also showed how they were taking their time and making sure the answer was correct.   It took a little bit longer, but in the long run they were able to fix any silly mistakes that they might have made.

            On Friday we reflected on the 6 pieces of effective effort.  Each student thought about a time during the week when they demonstrated one piece of effective effort.   Our class and Mrs. Leger’s class started to post our examples.   Here are a few pictures of our board in the hallway outside of our classroom…

           Just a reminder that Wednesday is a half-day of school and there is no school on Thursday or Friday.  I hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving break.

~Mrs. Lewis

Celebrating Our Week...

Celebrating Our Week!

          On Friday afternoons we take some time to reflect and think about our week.  Each of the kids fills out a “celebration” ticket.  Today it was very exciting to see that a lot of the kids were proud of themselves for being able to work through the partial product multiplication strategy in math. 

There has been a lot of growth mindset in our classroom during math this year.  It is great to see that they are starting to have a better understanding of these strategies.  The kids have had to put a lot of effort into learning this strategy.  Many of them have struggled with this strategy, but their ability to stick with it is impressive! 

Character Change

       In reading we are learning about character change.  The kids have been learning strategies that help them think about how a character has changed from the beginning of the book to the end of the book.  It has been helpful to use the story arc that we use in writing to help us think about how a character changes from the beginning of the story, what event helps the character to change, and what traits they possess at the end of the story. 

How Can You Help at Home?

       If you would like to encourage your child to use strategies that they are learning in school at home, it would greatly benefit your child as a learner. 

          While your child is reading, you could check in with him/her and have a discussion about the character in the book that they are reading.  You could also work with your child to have them think about how the events in the story caused the character to change. 

          Even having a discussion about the book that we read in class this week would be great.  Your child can tell you about The Bat Boy and His Violin.  They can explain how Papa in the book changed from being very insensitive toward his son to becoming more accepting of him. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!    

         

Hard Working Mathematicians!

        The kids put a lot of effort into practicing the partial product multiplication strategy this week.  This multiplication strategy uses place value to help with multiplication.  We were able to practice this in a variety of ways including word problems. 

On Friday the kids took an assessment on the first part of our Multiplication and Division Unit.  Below is a picture of the Partial Product strategy.  We also used the area model strategy a little bit.  We will use the area model strategy more as we learn how to multiply double digit by double digit multiplication.

Library Grand RE-OPENING!

        Unfortunately our classroom library was closed down earlier in the week.  The library was very disorganized and messy.  There were a lot of book that had been placed back on the shelves and not into the correctly labeled baskets.  Also, there were many books left on the floor.  It was really hard for kids to find what they needed. 

        The class learned how much they relied on being able to take books out of our classroom library when they were ready to start a new book.  Having the library closed, really made it clear how much we need our library to be in good condition. 

        As a class we talked about how to keep the library clean and organized.  We had a discussion about putting books back in the appropriate baskets and the reasons for doing so.

        We had several volunteers offer to clean up and organize the library.  On Thursday, we were able to have a Grand Re-Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!  There were lots of cheers when the library volunteers cut the ribbon to reopen the library! 

Here are a few pictures showing the hard work of some of the students. 

Just a reminder there is no school on Monday, November 10^th or Tuesday, November 11^th. 

I hope everyone has a great long weekend!

~Mrs. Lewis

This Week in Fourth Grade...

Northeast Experts

          Last week, the students became experts on a part of the Northeast Region of the United States.  We had experts in the land of the Northeast, the climate of the Northeast, and what the Northeast is like today.  After taking notes on their part, they were given the big responsibility of teaching their classmates.  The kids were very proud of themselves as they became the teachers of important information about the Northeast Region.  It was great to see the learning that was taking place as the “learners” were able to ask questions of the experts.  We ended with the students sharing something new that they had learned about the Northeast.

          Next week we will “visit” Mount Washington in New Hampshire.  The students will be able to see what it is like to drive up to the top of the tallest peak in the Northeast.  They will then create a special newscast from the top of Mount Washington! 

Reading to Respond…

In reading, the students started to the learn strategies for responding to questions as readers.  We looked at an exemplar response to see what we noticed about this type of written response.  We found that we could use a strategy that we became familiar with in writing.  This strategy is using boxes and bullets.  This strategy helps students to structure their responses.  We will continue to practice this strategy as readers.

Writing a Summary vs. Writing a Scene

          In writing we talked about the differences between writing a summary and writing a scene.  We used this example below about the story, Three Billy Goats Gruff.  The first example is a summary of the story.  The students realized that the summary was a paragraph that went through the story quickly rather than slowing down and providing details.  The summary doesn’t allow the reader to get a clear picture in their mind. 

          In the scene, the students found that the author using thoughts, action and dialogue to describe what was happening in the story.  Students also said they were able to get a clear picture in their mind.  The scene was slowed down by the writer and was more exciting to read. 

          We spent a lot of time writing scenes that used details that create a picture in the mind of the reader.  We focused on trying to find a balance between adding thoughts, action, and dialogue into our fictional narratives.

Picture Re-Takes…

·         School pictures for re-takes and absences are on Tuesday, November 4th with O'Connor Studios.

·        For students that had their picture taken on 9/26 and want to re-take them, they must return the original package to the photographer in order to have this done.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

~Mrs. Lewis