Welcome Back..

Welcome Back!  I hope everyone had a great vacation week!  I can't wait to hear about the fun that the kids had throughout the week.  

Spine Poetry

Before vacation we created Spine Poetry.  The kids got into groups and used the books from our classroom library to create these poems using the spine of the book.  They arranged books into a way that created a poem that made sense (sort of!).  They had a lot of fun creating these poems.  I wasn't sure how it would be, but the kids started to get on a roll and they came out great!! 

Having Fun in Math....

Before vacation we had been learning about line plots.  One of the skills that the kids need to learn is how to plot fractions on a number line. To practice this skill, they competed in two events.  One event was using a straw to blow a dice across the table, and the other was the standing long jump. They each got a chance to complete each activity and they got practice measuring distances as well.  We will be using the data we collected before vacation to place on a line plot this week during math!

Researchers....

In writing we will continue to research the regions of the United States.  If you visited another state on vacation, it would be fun if you could share a few pictures of this state.  The kids really enjoy researching the different regions, but it becomes more meaningful if they can connect with real pictures of the region they are learning about.  I will encourage the class to share their adventures from vacation with their classmates as well.

Book Clubs

Before vacation the kids were placed into Book Clubs based on their interests.  Many are reading an I Survived book that goes along with an event that occurred in the United States. This goes along with our Regions work in social studies as well.  Since I Survived books often go along with a weather related or historical event, the kids will be meeting with me to learn about this event as a way to integrate nonfiction reading with fiction.

To help move the Book Clubs along, the students have created a calendar of the days that they are going to meet to talk about their book that they are reading.  Your child will be given time in school to read, but some kids might have to finish reading at home.  Please encourage your child to take responsibility for their Book Club reading so that they are prepared when they go to meet with their group.

I hope everyone has a great week!

~Jen

This Week in LL38.....

It was great to be able to meet with so many parents during conferences last week.  It is always nice to be able to check in with families and share all of the progress the kids are making up to this point in the school year.

This week will be a full week!  Yikes!  After last week and testing the week before, it will be a nice way to head into April vacation.

We do have O'Connor Studios coming to Farley on Thursday for the Fourth Grade picture.  Your child should have come home with the picture form last week.  If your child didn't come home with it, remind him/her to check his/her desk or locker!

Tomorrow, April 11th, is Red Sox Day to celebrate the home opener.  The kids are encouraged to wear their Red Sox gear and/or red, white, and blue.

Writing Workshop

We are starting to work on our research unit in writing.  Last week each student shared the regions they were most interested in learning more about.  Each of the kids were placed into one of three region groups.  Over the next few months we will be putting together a research paper using writing strategies that we have learned throughout the school year as well as learning new strategies that writer's use.  Be sure to ask your child about the region that he/she will be learning about!

Thanks to Laura Atwater for reminding me that all fourth graders get free admission to all National Parks through the summer.  This would be a great opporutnity for your child to see the different states that we have learned so much about throughout the year!!

www.everykidinapark.gov

I hope everyone has a great week!  

~Jen

This Week in LL38....

      Last week was a busy week in fourth grade, but this week will certainly be busier!!  We are in the middle of working on a few projects that the kids are excited about!  We have MCAS testing on Monday and Tuesday this week.  Also, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are 1/2 days.  We will also be going to the Scholastic Book Fair on Wednesday and Friday this week.  Phew!

Parent-Teacher Conferences
  Thanks to those of you have signed up for a conference time.  Conferences are on Thursday and Friday this week.  I am pretty sure that parents aren't able to sign up for conferences on the website from this point forward, but I can add your name if you let me know the day/time that works best for you.
     I sent a Conference Questionnaire home with your child last week.  I am attaching a copy below as well.  If you could get those in to me by Tuesday, that would help me plan for our meeting and make the most of our 10 minute time block!  If you would rather email me your answers/thoughts, feel free to do that as well.
                                                                                                                                      March 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I thought it would be helpful to get some information from you before we have our conference next week.  By your child’s conference you will have received your child’s report card, so this conference allows us to have a discussion about what we all see happening right now and where we need to strengthen your child’s academic and social skills. With that in mind, please answer these questions as best you can and return it to school by Tuesday, April 5th so that we’re all ready to discuss your child in a timely manner.

          1. What strengths/improvements do you see your child showing?

          2. What weaknesses do you see your child still needing to work on?

3. What social concerns do you have for your child?

4. What other topics would you like us to discuss?

Sincerely,

                                                                                                                       Mrs. Lewis 

Math Workshop

     The kids took a Mid-Module Assessment last week.  I am going to be sharing the assessment with the students this week, and then they will be sent home for you to go over and review with your child.  As usual, please sign the bottom portion and send it back to school with your child.  You can keep the assessment at home.
     We are continuing to work on adding and subtracting mixed numbers  and improper fractions.  We are also working on solving word problems with fractions.

I hope everyone has a great week.  I look forward to meeting with many of you at conferences later this week.

This Week in LL38....

I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend!  We have a busy week ahead of us.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

     Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up next Thursday, April 7th and Friday, April 8th.  I know many of you have signed up for conferences already.  If you haven't, please use the link below to sign up for a time that is convenient for you.   If for any reason you have trouble signing up for a conference, please email me and I can arrange a time for you.   I look forward to meeting with you next week.

https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/C_A_Farley_Elementary_School    

MCAS

     Just a reminder that we have our first session of MCAS testing this Friday.  Testing starts right away, so please make sure your child arrives to school on time.

Math Workshop

     Last week we used the number line to add and subtract fractions.  The kids worked on adding and subtracting mixed numbers as well.  Using the number line helps the students to visually subtract or add on to fractions.  

I hope everyone has a great week!  

~Jen

This Week in LL38...

Team Farley Fire Foxes

As part of our preparation for our "big game," the MCAS test we have discussed what makes a team successful.  As a class we brainstormed some ways that teams become successful.  Here are some of the ideas that the kids came up with...

• Hard work
• Practice
• Take advice/use feedback
• A positive attitude
• Look at their own "game" (strategies known)
• Look at the "game" of their opponent (what does the MCAS look like)
• Have a "game plan"

We also came up with a team name (Farley Fire Foxes) and took some pictures that show how "fierce" we are.  Our pictures also got us pumped to show off just how ready we are for our big game!

My overall message for the kids is that the MCAS is an assessment that we have to take, but it is also just another way for us to "show off" all that we know.  

Thinking about it as a game and working to come up with a "game plan" makes it more exciting for the kids.  We try to have fun during our test prep by incorporating lots of exercise (warm ups).  They also have a "coach" that likes to use her whistle to get the kids moving!  :)  We will certainly be ready for April 1st!!  

Ask your child about some of the "coaching tips" they have learned in school.

Science

We started our new unit on Energy in science.  We were fortunate enough to receive a class set of Hot Wheel cars and ramps to use for this unit.  Last week we determined what happened to a Hot Wheel car when the distance between the ramp and the floor increased.  The kids had a ton of fun playing around with the ramps to see how to get their car to go the farthest!

                                                             

Just a reminder that we do not have school on Friday because of Good Friday.  Tomorrow (Monday) is also a 1/2 day of school.

Book Orders are due by this Thursday!

Have a great week!

~Jen

This Week in LL38....

We had a few more presentations last week!  Congratulations to Christiane, Ti-Ti, and Kylie (not shown here) for their amazing presentation on sea turtles.  This group created an iMovie and a slide show to teach the class about sea turtles and what we can all do to help protect them!  I am hoping to upload both the slide show and iMovie at some point this week!

 

Also,,,,,,Congratulations to Angelina and Lizzie for their presentation on birds!  They taught the class a lot of fun facts about a variety of birds!  It is great to be able to learn from our classmates.  All of the kids have been encouraged to use these 3 presentations as possible inspiration to start their own project!

Math Workshop

Last week in math we started plotting fractions on a number line.  This led us to being able to compare 2 fractions using the number line.  One very important skill that was taught to all of the kids last week was the importance of using benchmark fractions such as 0, 1/2, and 1 whole.  We spent a lot of time getting lots of practice comparing a fraction to 1/2.  This will help us as we continue to work through this fraction unit.

Here is another way for the kids to think about it.....

Fraction Online Games

Each student now has on his/her Google Docs account a page with several links to fraction number line games.  These websites are a great way to practice what we are working on in the classroom.  

Reading Workshop

We jumped into the world of poetry last week in reading!  We were reading poems from a book called My Man Blue.  It is a collection of poems that tell a story about a man named Blue and a boy named Damon.  As we have been reading the poems from this book we have been talking about the inferences that we can make as well as noticing some of the poetry terms that we are becoming familiar with such as mood and stanza.

Giggle Poetry 

We also went on this website last  week.  This website a ton of funny poems written by Bruce Lansky.  For homework this week your child will be going onto this website and completing an assignment that goes along with it on Google Docs.  More information will be sent home with your child tomorrow!  This will be due on Friday.

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the weather this weekend!  Have a great week!

~Jen

This Week in LL38.....

We had a busy week as engineers last week as the kids designed their earthquake resistant buildings.  We also got to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Read Across America Day on Wednesday.  We had a guest reader come in and read a few books to our class!


Congratulations Amelia!  Amelia shared her PowerPoint about pollution with our class on Friday.  Amelia chose a topic that she was interested in, found out more about it at home, decided on a way to "show off" her learning, and then presented it to our class!  Great job!  We learned a lot about pollution.

We also got a sneak peek into another project about sea turtles.  Ti-Ti, Christiane, and Kylie will present their iMovie this week to our class!

Engineers!

The kids were able to finish researching earthquake resistant buildings.  They then created sketches of a few buildings that they felt showed off what they had learned in their research.  After creating their own sketch, they came together with their partner/partners and decided upon a building using all of their ideas.  They spent a few days using the materials that we had and trying to build a structure that would stand up to our shake table.  

The shake table simulated an earthquake.  The kids did a great job and many of the buildings held up under all of the shaking!  If a building fell apart, the kids went back to think about how they could revise their idea based on the results.  

I am really proud of the kids and all of the hard work and great thinking that went into building the earthquake resistant buildings!  

Reading Workshop

We have talked a lot about equality in our class this year through many books that we have read.  Last week we learned about Susan B. Anthony and how she worked hard to get equal rights for women.  Ask your child what he/she learned about Susan B. Anthony and her struggles!

This week we will take a little break from nonfiction reading and take a closer look at poetry.  We will be reading a variety of poems and analyzing the poems.

I hope everyone has a great week!

~Jen