Picture Perfect Week!

Magnets!

     Earlier in the week we got to experiment with magnets in our Magnets and Electricity science unit.   The kids learned a lot about the ways that magnets interact with each other.  It is always so neat to see the fascination in the eyes of 9 and 10 year olds as they watch a magnet on the bottom of a desk move the magnet on the top of a desk!  There was certainly LOTS of excitement in the classroom.

Lots of Questions...

     In reading workshop we have been working on asking questions over the past few weeks.  The kids came into 4th grade knowing a lot about stopping and asking questions as they are reading.  We have been working on focusing our questions to make sure that they are talk-worthy or "thick" questions instead of always asking "right there" questions.  Thick questions usually start with WHY or HOW.  In addition, thick/talk-worthy questions can ask the reader to describe the lesson in the story or use a word to describe a character.  These types of questions usually encourage the children to think more deeply about what is happening in the story.  These types of questions also require the reader to go back into the book and find "evidence" or words in the book to back up their thinking.  Getting into the habit of asking these types of questions takes some practice.  We have been practicing as a whole class, with partners, and independently. 

How can you help your child at home?

     Often times fourth graders like to read independently, however, it is also important to read with your child.  Picture books are also a great way to share a book with your child!  I will usually read a picture book to the class on a daily basis and they really do love being read to!  

     Even if your child is reading independently, you can ask them to share with you a question that they had while they were reading.   Below is a great chart that gives some sentence starters for asking thin (right there) questions and thick (deep) questions. Having a discussion about any question is also very beneficial for your fourth grader.    

                                                  

     I am looking forward to seeing you at Open House on Thursday, October 2nd!  There will be 2 sessions to accommodate families that have two children.  The first session will go from about 6:30-7:00 and the second session will start around 7:15.  I will share information about our classroom expectations and the fourth grade curriculum.  I hope to see you there!

Enjoy the warm weather!

~Mrs. Lewis

A Rewarding Week!

Dance Party!    

     Let's start at the end of the week and work back!  It was a great end to the week.  As a class, the kids worked together by being respectful, responsible, and ready and filled the class Paw Print chart. At the end of the day on Friday we had a Newspaper Dance Party.  Each person had a piece of paper to dance on.  Sounds easy, but the fun part was every few minutes they had to fold their paper in half.  As the paper got smaller, so did their dance floor.  It was a lot of fun to watch!  We certainly have some very creative dancers in our class!

    

Building our Independence

     Throughout the week we worked on building our independence.  We talked about what it looks like to read and write independently.  To go along with our growth mindset discussions, we have talked about the importance of practice.  Each day we have been working towards building our stamina, or the amount of time that we can read and write independently.  The more time that they spend reading and writing independently, the more success they will have.  The hope is that this becomes a routine for the students in the classroom.  

Encouraging Math at Home

     As you may have heard, we are using a new math program called Engage NY.  There are many components to this program including whole group instruction, small group instruction, and independent work.  Since the program is new this year, there is some new terminology that is being used in the classroom.  I am attaching a link so that you can go on and read the parent newsletter for our first math unit.  We will be finishing up this unit on place value within the next 2 weeks.  I will then send the link for our next unit.  

Engage NY parent letter link 

 http://hudsonmathfacts.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/9/5/10957324/grade_4_module_1.pdf

Mrs. Buscemi's Math Website -- One of our math specialists has some great links on her website for math.

http://hudsonmathfacts.weebly.com/

Xtra Math

     Late last week your child came home with a letter about a math fluency website that we will be using.  It is called Xtra Math.  It is a program that I have signed the entire class up for.  Each child has their own log in code.  Ideally, I would like your child to use this program 4-5 times per week.  The program starts off with addition fact fluency and moves through the other operations.  Each child moves at his/her own pace.  Fact fluency is extremely important as we move on in math, so I am hoping that this program will help your child succeed.

I am looking forward to another great week.  This Friday, September 26th we have school Picture Day.  Order forms will be sent home early next week.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

~Mrs. Lewis

Last Week in LL38.....

Good Job LL38...

      I am really proud of the kids for taking responsibility for turning in their homework on time this week.  Almost the entire class turned their homework in the day that was due.  I love to see them taking responsibility for their learning in this way!

Reading in the "EDGES"....

     I had the kids experiment with reading in the "edges" this week for homework.  We talked a lot about improving as a reader requires that we practice reading.  I challenged the kids to find time to read in the "edges" of their days this week.  Maybe they didn't have time to sit and read before bed for a full 20 minutes, but were able to find bits of time to read.  For example, many of the kids talked about reading while waiting for a sibling to finish a practice or while driving in the car.  These are great examples of finding time in the day to make reading a priority.  

     During reading on Friday, I had the kids reflect on how reading in the "edges" went for them.  In their reflections some students talked about how they were proud of themselves for finding 20 minutes (or more) each day to read, or that they were able to read 10 minutes on the way to a practice and then on the way home as well.  This was GREAT to hear and helps support the growth mindset that we are working on this year.  

     I reminded the kids that reading is reading, so it doesn't matter if they are reading to themselves, to a parent, sibling or even a stuffed animal. :)  Any reading that they are doing is better than not reading at all.  Picture books are also a great way to share books with your child.  

Opinions Galore!

     In writing we worked as essayists to share big ideas about topics that are important to us.  We were able to observe and notice the set up of an essay and try planning essays.  One of the important part of an essay is providing clear reasons to back up our thesis or opinion.  The kids have loved sharing their opinions with their classmates.  We will continue to work this week on pushing our thinking and adding details to our essays.

 Book Orders

     Book orders went out on Friday.  They are due on Friday, September 19th.  You can order online at www.scholastic.com or send in the order with your child.  If you order online our class code is  GXC4P.  If you choose to send your order into school, please send checks made out to Scholastic Book Clubs.

Thank YOU! 

     It was a great first full week of fourth grade!  Thank you to all of the parents that shared information and important insight with me about their child on the pink Getting to Know You form.  This is so important in helping me get to know your child as a person and a learner.  Also, our storage cabinets are overflowing with tissues, disinfectant wipes, and additional supplies.  Thank you for sending in all of this for our class.  It will come in handy as the year goes on!

Have a great weekend!

~Jen

   

Learning about Growth Mindset and Famous Failures

       We continued to work this week on understanding what growth mindset is.  We have talked about how it is important to challenge ourselves each day.  We have also talked about how failing is okay because it is a way for us to learn.  

     At the beginning of each subject we remind each other to have  a growth mindset.   For example, as a class we have discussed how people aren't "bad" at math.  Some of us struggle in math, but that just means that we need to keep practicing and challenge ourselves so that we can succeed. 

      We have also discussed the value of making mistakes.  The kids are really starting to have a deeper understanding of this.  

     I will share some of this information at our Open House on October 2nd, but wanted you  to have this information to help support what is going on in the classroom at home.  

     Below is a great visual to go along with having a growth mindset.

     When I first introduced Growth Mindset, I showed the kids this video.  It is only a 90 second video, but it is very powerful.  

Growth Mindset

https://www.khanacademy.org/youcanlearnanything

     Often times kids will think that their favorite sports star, singer, or musician was "just born that way."  We spent time this week learning about "famous failures."  We watched a great video on Michael Jordan and how he had to put a lot of extra work into becoming one of the best basketball players. Jordan talked about how he was in the gym before anyone else practicing every day, and that he made many mistakes along the way.  Also, he spoke about how even though he was one of the best, he still had to challenge himself to become better.  Below is a quick video on some other famous failures.

Famous Failures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dT4Fu-XDygw
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     We will continue to talk about Growth Mindset this year.  I have found that the kids are really putting the effort in when a problem becomes difficult.  I am hoping this growth mindset foundation will continue to build as we move through fourth grade!

A Great First Week!

          Thanks for checking in with our classroom blog!  I will typically post once a week.  I will let you know about what is going in our classroom.  I will share what the students did during that week and what we are going to be working on the next week.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at my school email.  I typically don't check my google email account.

    

A Great First Week...

     There was lots of nervous energy in the air as the kids came into school on Tuesday along with a lot of excitement!  We spent a lot of time this week getting to know one another.  We played a true and false game, worked on a class scavenger hunt, and created and shared our heart maps.  We also started to learn the routines of our classroom. 

     We focused A LOT on the idea of growth mindset this week!  We watched a lot of videos and did some activities around this.  We learned that our brains are always growing.  In fact, when things get difficult we are actually "growing" or strengthening the neurons in our brain.  We talked a lot about failing, but not giving up.  To go along with this, we completed a poster with an inspirational quote on it in art integration on Friday.  Mr. Martinez helped us create these posters which will eventually be hanging around the school to help inspire others to not give up and have a growth mindset!

     We started reading workshop on Wednesday with a reading interest survey.  I was able to get to learn about the kids as readers. I loved learning about the different genres that they are interested in, names of their favorite authors, as well as some of the hobbies or interests outside of school.  Knowing their hobbies/interests can help me point them in the direction of some great books! 

   We really focused on having a growth mindset in math this week.  We are using a new program this year called Engage New York.  It is a new program across the district.  The program has us starting with multiplying by 10 on the place value chart.  A lot of the vocabulary was a different than we were used to in the past.  We will continue to work on this new vocabulary and "strengthen" our neurons in the process!  :)

     Overall it was a great week!  It was so fun to see the excitement in the classroom this week.  I know we are going to have a great year of fun and learning!

Have a great weekend!

~Jen

One of my favorite growth mindset quotes:

If you think you can’t, you are right.  If you think you can, you are right!