Coming Up This Week....

Publishing Our iMovies...

     The kids worked very hard last week trying to complete their rough draft of their literary essay.  Almost all of the kids were able to record their iMovie.  My plan is to post these iMovies on a website that I am going to create and allow parents, classmates, and other students to watch the book trailers and comment/compliment the author!  I will let you know the details once I have them all posted!

Taking Pride in Our Work...

     We talked a lot about what it means to take pride in our work last week in class.  I am starting to notice that many students are making silly mistakes and are forgetting to really show off what they know.  We talked about when you take pride in your work you make sure it is your very best work.  Some of the ways that you can take pride is to show off the strategies that you have learned, pay extra close attention to capitals and punctuation, and double check the work before turning it in.  

     This week many students will be getting classwork and/or homework papers returned that need to be fixed to meet the fourth grade expectations.  Be on the lookout for a paper with a colored slip attached.  Your child needs to fix the mistake/problem on a separate piece of paper OR with a different colored writing utensil (for example:  a colored pencil).  I will be explaining all of this to the students tomorrow morning!  Then I am asking for a parent to sign stating that they have seen the paper.  (This is similar to what was sent out earlier in the year.)

Here is an example of a slip:

Reading/Writing

Work Expectations

Your child is bringing home classwork/homework that hasn’t been completed according to fourth grade expectations (YET).  Your child needs to fix the work and return to school tomorrow.  Please sign the paper stating that you have seen your child’s work.

This paper is not meeting the following expectation(s): 

-      Correct capitalization

-      Correct punctuation

-      Complete sentences

-      It doesn’t match what you are capable of in the classroom

-      Other:  ______________________________________

Calling all MYSTERY READERS…

On Wednesday, 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 Friday, December 18^th so that I can put together a schedule.

I hope everyone has a great week!  

~Jen