3/31/09

A wet and chilly day!

Today flew by! With double specials we were really crunched for time. We were able to spend time reviewing the grammar skill of the week and talking about our" I Love to Read" activity that will be happening this Friday. Yes... We reached our goal! The four 4th grade teachers will become human banana splits on Friday. Thank you to all of those students who read and those parents who encouraged them to read!

Homework:
***Spelling test- Friday
***Read and record minutes in the planner

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Today in Math we worked on converting Celsius to Fahrenheit and Fahrenheit to Celsius. This seemed confusing at first but once we discussed the formulas, they seemed to really get it. Please have them practice their homework problems and memorize the formulas.

Homework:
***Complete the 8 temperature conversion problems.
***Memorize the formulas

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Today was the last day of our Social Studies rotation. We had our Chapter 4 test. Tomorrow I will start Social Studies with Miss Grannan's class and my homeroom with start Health with Mrs. Woods.

Homework:
***None

3/29/09

Friday was a great day!

Language Arts: We had our usual assessments and worked on our writing. The day flew past!

Homework:
*** Don't forget to log your reading minutes for Friday. It was our last day!
***Everyone needs their biography by Tuesday. I am waiting on just a few students to check in with me.

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Math: We continued with Pan Balances. They continue to get a little more difficult each day.

Homework:
***None

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Social Studies:We reviewed lesson 4 and discussed lesson 5. On Monday we will read and discuss lesson 6. Tuesday is the last day of this rotation. We will play a review game on Tuesday and have our final test of the year!

3/26/09

What a day! It was nice to see the sun today.

Language Arts: We had a great morning! We took some time to review articles before the test tomorrow, discussed open and closed syllables in spelling, and worked on a worksheet dealing with making judgements.

Homework:
***READ,READ,READ!- Reading calendars are due tomorrow.
***Please check your biography with Mrs. Suddarth before you start reading it. There has been some confusion about what is a biography and what is not.
***Spelling- cursive/test-due tomorrow

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Math: Part 1 of the Unit 9 test was passed back today as well as another standard assessment. Please check folders for those graded papers. Today we worked on Study Island in the lab and began working with pan balances. This is a fun way of practicing algebraic equations!

Homework:
***Challenge problems page 343- Math Box and Study Link 10.1
***Friday sheet

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Social Studies: Today in Social Studies we reviewed lesson 3 and discussed Pioneer Living which is lesson 4. We will have a short 10 question quiz tomorrow over lessons 3 and 4 after we discuss it again in class.

Homework:
***Look over your lesson 3 and 4 notes.

Until tomorrow...

3/25/09

Wild Wednesday!

We had a wild time this morning"Kickin' back at the beach" and enjoying a great book. It was fun seeing the kids laying on beach towels, wearing their sunglasses, and actually reading!

This morning in Language Arts we continued working on our grammar skill for the week which is articles. We even had a short 10 question quiz to ensure that they are all understanding before we take the test on Friday. We also found the time to finish our read aloud, work on our rough draft in writing, and work on Language skills on Study Island.

Homework:
***Read and record your minutes- We need to reach our goal by Friday!
***Publish book forms were due today. If you did not send yours in yet, I need it tomorrow. All books should be completed by tomorrow.
***Rough draft on letters are due tomorrow if they were not completed during class time today.
***Spelling- cursive and test- Friday
***Biography(Wax Museum)- I hope that everyone has their biography picked out by early next week. They need to get approval from me before they start.

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In Math we had our Unit 9 test. When they finished, we did a lot of useful reviewing of overall skills.

Homework:
***Skill sheet- due Friday

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We did not have content today. We had Art Smart. Thank you Mrs. Schatz, Mrs. Walsh, and Mrs. Kilmer. We enjoyed our project!

Reminders:
***Connor Prairie forms were passed out on Monday. Please get the permission slips in as soon as possible. The money is due by April 20th.
***Next Thursday and Friday are 1/2 days.

Until tomorrow...

3/24/09

What a day!

Today was a fast day in Language Arts. We reviewed articles in grammar and spent some time writing before having double specials. Several assessments were sent home today. Please be looking for them in blue folders.

Homework:
***Published book order forms are due tomorrow. We need them all turned in whether you are ordering additional copies or not.
***Read- We need to hit our classroom goal on Friday!
***Spelling- cursive and test- Friday
***Did you see your child's report card? They were sent home on Friday of last week. If you need to send back the conference form to confirm your conference time, please do so tomorrow.

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In Math we reviewed skills by completing a set in our folders and worked on a practice test for tomorrows test. It will cover coordinates, area, and volume. Several assessments were passed back today. Be looking for them in folders.

Homework:
***Review the practice test

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In Social Studies we reviewed Chapter 4-Lesson 3(Statehood). We went over the notes, and filled out the study guide. We will not have content tomorrow due to Art Smart.

Homework:
***Practice Book pages 39 and 40

Until tomorrow...

3/23/09

What a great day!

I love Mondays! We are together all morning and we get so much accomplished!

Reminders: Connor Prairie notices were sent home today with homeroom groups. Please look for them in blue folders.

Language Arts: Today in Language Arts we took our spelling pre-test, reviewed our new vocabulary, read a play aloud, and discussed articles in grammar. We even took about 40 minutes to work with our reading buddies. We finished up our morning by listening to our read aloud and either working on the finishing touches of our published books or independent reading.

Homework:
***Published book forms were passed out today in language Arts. They are due on Wednesday of this week. Please send them in on time so that we can get our order ready by the dead line.
***Spelling- test and cursive- Friday
***Biography project- due on May 15th. Please check your book with Mrs. Suddarth prior to getting started.
***Read- We need a lot of minutes this week if I am going to be a human banana split!
***No fluency and Flow this week. Your minutes should reflect the extra time...

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Math: We worked on computation today while completing a set, completed computation on white boards, and reviewed a variety of skills on a standard assessment. Tomorrow will be spent working on a practice test and reviewing for our test. The test will be on Wednesday.

Homework:
***No Math Box or Study Link
***Sheet- due Friday

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Social Studies: We reviewed lesson 2- Native Americans Fight for Their Land, took a short quiz, and started lesson 3- Statehood. We are planning on a quiz over lessons 3 and 4 on Thursday or Friday if all goes well. The test will be next Tuesday.

Until tomorrow...

3/20/09

A Fabulous Friday!

It is report card day! Be looking for them in blue folders.

Language Arts: Today was a busy day in Language Arts. We read independently, worked on our published books, took all of our assessments, visited the library to pick out a biography for our next project, and started planning for our next writing assignment. Several assessments were passed out today. Others will be sent on on Monday. Please be looking for them in folders.

Homework:
***Read- We need to have a great week. As a class we read 9,469 minutes with two students not reporting minutes. I'd love to hit 10,000 next Thursday. Without having Fluency and Flow homework, I expect students to be reading!

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Math: Today we continued practicing with volume and started to discuss capacity. We will spend next Monday and Tuesday reviewing for the test which will be on Wednesday. Look in folders for two area assessments that were passed back today.

Homework:
***None

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Social Studies: Today we reviewed again lesson 2- Native Americans Fight for Their Land. We filled out a chart together that will help knowing what each Native American was famous for and the Battles fought. We will have a quiz on Monday over lesson 2. Look in folders for a practice book page that was passed back today.

Homework:
***Study for the lesson 2 quiz.
***Looking ahead... The last day of this rotation is March 31. We will have the test on that day.

Until Monday...

3/19/09

Another sunny day!

Language Arts: Today was a great day in Language Arts. We discussed a variety of terms including denotation, connotation, and onomatopoeia. We even had time to do a practice book sheet on them. We listened to our read aloud too! We are almost at the end...I wonder if the Calcets will get their house on wheels?We should know by Monday when we finish the book.

Homework:
***Reading calendars are due-Please have a parent initial by each date.
***LTBN data sheets are due
*** Spelling /cursive is due- Spelling test

Reminders:
***Some assessments were sent home yesterday. Be looking for them in backpacks.
***Afternoon adventure sheets were sent home today.
***Tomorrow report cards will be coming home with Language Arts.

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Math: Today in Math we spent 25 minutes in the computer lab working on Study Island. The students worked their way through lessons and games dealing with area and perimeter. We also continued our discussion and practice with finding volume.

Homework:
***Math Box 9.9 and Friday skill sheet(This was sent home on Monday.)
***If all goes well, we will have our Unit test on Wednesday of next week. Please look in planners tomorrow for specific topics that will be tested.

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Content: Today in content we reviewed quickly lesson 1. The students were able to retell the events as if they were telling a story. (Wow-How impressive!) We also passed out notes and a study guide for Lesson 2- Native Americans Fight for their land. We will continue with this tomorrow as well as fill out our study guide. We will have a short quiz over lesson 2 on Monday.

Homework:
***Quiz over lesson 2 will be on Monday.

Until tomorrow...

3/17/09

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today was a busy Tuesday! With the weather being so beautiful outside, it was hard keeping the kids on task. Make sure they get a chance to go outside and play this afternoon...

LA: Today we continued working with adjectives and proper adjectives as well as reviewed sources of information. We found a little time to work on our published books. Our goal is have them completed by Friday.

Homework:
***Read and record minutes
***Let There Be Light sheets due each day
***Spelling Test and Cursive-due Friday

Reminders:
***Tomorrow is "Overall Good Book Day." Come dressed as a farmer and be ready to read!

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Math: We continued studying area today. We also discussed and worked through examples of the following vocabulary: transversal, corresponding angles,vertical angles, proportions, and rational numbers. We will add on each day. I am hoping on taking the Unit 9 test next Tuesday or Wednesday. I am not certain yet of the date. I want to make sure that we are ALL ready.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 9.7 and Math Box 9.8

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Social Studies: Thanks to Mr. Glassman, we enjoyed the outdoors and listened to him talk about prey, predators, and many other interesting things.


Until tomorrow...


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3/16/09

What a beautiful day! I hope everyone can find the time to take a great book outside and read!

We had a busy day around here. We started off by taking our spelling pretest, listening to our new story, Because of Winn Dixie, and discussed adjectives, proper adjectives and practiced our summarizing skills. We will continue to focus on these things this week as well as work on illustrating our published books, reviewing our figurative language terms, and wrapping up our read aloud.

Homework:
***Spelling test/Cursive 2x each-due Friday
***Read and record your minutes. We need to set a record of reading minutes this week!
***Biography- Wax Museum Reading Project- due May 15th

Reminders:
***Tomorrow we will not have content rotations. We will have a visit with Mr. Glassman instead
***Wednesday is "Overall Good Book" day. Dress in your overalls and be prepared to read, read, read!
***We recorded our information for the "Let There Be Night "project. Please be sure to record as close to 9:30 or later. We need to collect your readings each day.
***Report cards will be sent home on Friday.

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In Math we completed Set #5 which contained a variety of skills and vocabulary, and we worked on finding the area of parallelograms and triangles again today.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 9.6
***Skill sheet- (2 sided)- due Friday

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Social Studies- Welcome back homeroom students! We spent the day today discussing Chapter 4- Lesson 1. This lesson dealt with such things as the Northwest Territory and The Ordinance of 1785. We will continue to go over this lesson on Wednesday as well as the notes that were passed out today. We will have a short quiz over this material only on Wednesday.

Until tomorrow...

3/13/09

Happy Friday the 13th!

I am glad to be back in school today. I was out Wednesday and yesterday afternoon sick. On a sadder note, today was Miss Nufer's last day with us. She will be flying to Ireland tomorrow to continue with the second half of her student teaching experience. We will all miss her!

***Let There Be Night observation sheets came home today. Be sure to look for them in blue folders. Recording starts tomorrow.(Homeroom)

Today in Language Arts we took our usual assessments and took some time to play a few games that we created about our favorite book as well as work on our published books.
I am proud of this weeks reading minutes. Many students worked hard and spent a lot of time reading. Let's keep it up. We have close to 14,000 minutes so far!

Homework:
***Read...Read...Read-Be sure to record your minutes on the pink calendar
***Our next reading project will be the Wax Museum. This is always a favorite! The information was sent home yesterday. Be sure to keep it someplace handy to refer to.(The rubric as to how you will be graded is on the back.)
***Be sure to bring in pictures for your published books. My goal is to have them all finished by next Friday. Order forms will come home some time next week as well.
***Be on the look out for the spelling and grammar test that was handed back today. It should be in blue folders.

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In Math today we completed a set of computation skills in our folder, worked on computation on white boards then split up into groups. Some students worked on a review packet and some worked in a small group with me. We worked on RIT vocabulary, examples, and had short mini lessons. This was a great way to see who knows what!

Homework:
***None
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Today was the end of the grading period and the last day of our content rotations. Goodbye Miss Grannan's class-See you next grading period. Be looking for the Chapter 3 tests to come home on Monday in their folders.

Until Monday...

3/10/09

A Wet Tuesday!
We all came into school today feel a lot like a duck! I guess it is better than snow...

Today in Language Arts, we listened to our read aloud and learned about possessive pronouns and pronoun contractions.(It was a double special day.)

Homework:
***Read and record your minutes on your pink calendar. Minutes are due on Friday.
***Thursday is our day to vote for the WSBT-I Love to Read Challenge. Please refer to your childs' planner for times and voting instructions. We need everyone to vote!
***Tomorrow is "Dress as your favorite character" day.
***Spelling words in cursive- 2x each-due Friday

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Today in Math we worked on computation on white boards, reviewed RIT vocabulary, and continued our study of coordinates.

Homework:
***Pages 300-302
***Packet review- due Friday

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Today in Social Studies, we reviewed Chapter 3 and worked on our story boards,

Homework:
***Study for our Chapter 3 test. It is on Friday.

Until tomorrow...

3/09/09

What a Magnificent Monday!

We started Language Arts today spending time reading with a buddy or a parent. We shared hot chocolate and granola bars. Yummy! We had a great time.
We also took our pre-test, reviewed our new vocabulary, listened to our story of the week on tape, and finished up all the game board presentations. What a busy morning!

Homework:
***Spelling test- Friday
***Spelling words in cursive- due Friday
***We will not have Fluency and Flow this week. I would like the students to spend their extra time reading. We need a lot more minutes this week!

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In Math we passed out our 5th grade Student Reference Books, worked on computation on white boards, reviewed past vocabulary, and started our homework. The students will be given a packet each Monday that will review skills. This packet can be worked on during the week when they are finished with their nightly homework. It will be due on Friday.

Homework:
***Study Link 9.1
***Review packet-due Friday
(Checking Progress- Unit 8 was passed back today. Please ask to see your childs work.)

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In Social Studies we reviewed lessons 3 and 4 by playing "Slap-It", took a short quiz over the material, and worked on our storyboards. We will continue to work on our storyboards tomorrow over lesson 1 as a way to review.

Homework:
Looking Ahead- Our test is on Friday !

Until tomorrow...

3/06/09

What a beautiful day!

Today in Language Arts we started presenting our game boards. We will continue with this next week. The Pops Concert was a big hit! I was proud of the audience behavior that our 4th graders displayed.

Homework:
***Read and record your minutes- WE NEED A LOT MORE MINUTES THIS WEEK!

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No Math

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In Social Studies we finished lesson 5.

Homework:
***Page 32 if not completed in class
***Study for lessons 3 and 4 quiz on Monday

Have a great weekend-Until Monday!

3/05/09

We are finally finished...At least for now!

Today we took our last two ISTEP+ tests. I am very proud of how hard the students worked this week. We know that some of the tests were difficult and we are proud of the effort that they put forward. We will finish up the next part sometime in late April.
We also found a few minutes today to squeeze in some typing time. We will work on our published books next week. Be sure to send in pictures and stickers to use in your books.

Homework:
***Reading projects are due tomorrow!
***Pink reading calendars are due tomorrow. Please initial each day including Monday-Thursday reading minutes.


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We did not have Math today. We tested instead.

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In Social Studies we took class time to work on practice book pages 31 and 32. Then we read through lesson 5.

Homework:
***Page 31-(If not completed in class.) We will complete page 32 tomorrow in class.
***Quiz over lessons 3 and 4 will be on Monday.
***Our Chapter test will be on Friday. This is the last day of our rotation.


Until tomorrow...

3/04/09

Just one more day of ISTEP!

Today in Language Arts we completed a 55 minute writing prompt(ISTEP), listened to our read a loud, watched a short video about the upcoming book fair, and worked on a differentiated poetry Tic-Tac-Toe that Ms. Nufer designed. We will continue to work on these through next week.

Homework:
***READ,READ,READ!- Remember to log your minutes on the pink calendar and get a parent signature each night.. Calendars are due on Friday.
***Reading projects are due on Friday.
***Pictures, graphics, and stickers are due on Monday. If you would like to include these in your published book, you will need them on Monday. We will be spending some time doing the illustrations and finishing up the typing then.

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In Math we worked on quite a bit of fraction practice on white boards. I think after another day or two, everyone will be more confident in this skill. We also worked on a RIT Vocabulary review- fill in the blank. This is great practice for review. More time will be spent on this next week since we will not have math again until Monday.

Homework:
None*****************************************************************************

In Social Studies we continued our discussion on Chapter 3- Lessons 3 and 4. We also started a practice book page. We will continue with this tomorrow in class. If you are looking ahead, we are having a quiz next Monday over lessons 3 and 4. Our final test will be Friday, March 13th-the last day of the rotation.

Until tomorrow...

3/3/09

Two more ISTEP tests completed!

Today was a busy day. We took two long ISTEP tests, had double specials and really only had Math. Hang in there! We only have two more days of testing!

I hope that all of you are taking advantage of the fact that we do not have homework this week. Everyone should be reading each and every night and logging their minutes on their pink reading calendar. I can't wait until Friday to see how many minutes our class read this week. I expect a lot!

***Reading projects are due on Friday, March 6th
***Pink I Love to Read calendars are due on Friday. (It shou7ld have minutes from Monday-Thursday logged.)

Come to school with a positive attitude, full belly, and well rested... We can do this!


Until tomorrow...

3/02/09

ISTEP is back!

We spent all morning long in our Language Arts groups. We did get two of the math tests completed, though. Tomorrow will be filled with more testing and double specials. Please make sure to send your child to school with their bellies full and fully rested! It is a long morning!

Reminders:
Today was the first day of the I Love to Read Challenge. Please log and initial your childs' pink WSBT reading calendar. These will be turned in on Fridays throughout the month of March. (Remember-In order for us to reach our goal, everyone needs to read, read, read!)
***Reading projects are due on March 6th.

Until tomorrow...

3/01/09

Friday was a busy day!

ISTEP+ starts soon... Get plenty of rest and eat a healthy breakfast each morning!

In Language Arts we took some time to type our poetry for our published books, reviewed skills, and finished up a piece of writing that will be turned in for a grade.

Homework:
***Get to bed early and eat a healthy breakfast Monday morning. We will start to test first thing in the morning.
***Reading projects are due on Friday, March 6th.

Reminders:
***The I Love to Read challenge officially starts on Monday. Please encourage your child to read. Be sure to log their minutes each night on the pink calendar that will be coming home on Monday. The calendars will be collected at the end of each week and totaled to keep track of our classroom minutes and the school minutes read to see if we our achieving our goal. Remember... We ALL need to read in order to reach our goal!

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In Math we reviewed coordinates and practiced plotting them. WE will not have math on Monday due to the ISTEP.

Homework:
None
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In Social Studies we continued on with our discussion of lesson 2. We will continue on next week.

Homework:

None

Until Monday...