Hello to our 4th grade families!
We filled our first full week of school with our first lessons in math, reading, writing, and social studies. We are getting closer each day to our prescribed schedule, but we are also still making time to continue practicing our routines and expectations. We are working the most on respectful listening to both each other and the teacher. We also fit in a few 'story times' where the students get the chance to share their experiences (and then we turn them into writing ideas! :) ). Our class is very proud of our rather effortless reach toward our goal of 20 minutes of reading 'stamina'. This has turned out to be a favorite part of the day for all of us - pindrop silent time to get lost in our reading books. We all want more - that's a great situation to have in our clasroom!
Math lessons have begun with geometry - segments, lines, rays, angles, polygons... I have been insisting that each student brings home the two math journal/studylinks each night (even if they feel they have completed the assignment), so that they will show you and can explain to you what they learned and practiced that day. Please ask your student to demonstrate to you what they did in math that day, and that will give you both a good idea if they are grasping the new concept. I tell the kids that if they are able to explain and demonstrate the concept to someone else, it helps them learn more deeply, and they prove to themselves that they understand it. There was so much new vocabulary to grasp this week, that on Friday we cut back and spent the class hour reviewing and giving more practice on all of the previous 4 lessons. We continue to review each day as we add new concepts, so if it appears uncertain after the first day, we have more chances to practice and ask questions.
We've tied our reading and writing lessons together as we examine what makes for an effective description of 'setting' in a story. We have also been practicing together how to write a "Thoughtful Log" entry after hearing/reading a story. We have turned our composition notebooks into these Thoughtful Logs, and have begun using them to respond in writing about our connections with the reading piece, as well as share our opinions and answer with some deeper thinking comprehension skills. Our first lessons have generated some valuable discussions with our class already, and I can't wait to see how this will translate into more reflective writing and the growth of comprehension skills.
Has your student come home with some 'udderly' amazing facts about dairy cows? (sorry, couldn't resist) We jumped into Wisconsin Agriculture with a study of the six major breeds of dairy cows and more crazy information about these unique animals than we ever knew existed! Some of the students even asked to have copies made of these facts to take home, and so I will do that for everyone. We received confirmation this week that we are approved for our trip to the 2012 World Dairy Expo at the Alliant Energy grounds on Wednesday, October 3rd. All three 4th grade classes will leave on a bus at 10:50 am that day (we'll have an early 'lunch' at 10:30 in the room that morning), and will meet our tour guides at 11:30. We will leave the grounds by 2 pm so that we are back to school in time for buses home. Any and all parents that are interested in joining us - please know that you are welcome!! We'd love to have you tour around with us - the more the merrier - plus, the smaller our groups of kids among us, the easier it will be. We will see grooming, milking, judging, calves, and more. Last year, it worked well for parent chaperones to meet at school, carpool in a few cars, and follow the buses there. So let me know if I can put you on our parent chaperone list and I will keep everyone informed as we come closer to October 3rd.
Our September Scholastic Book Order forms went home last Monday. This Monday, the 17th, is the last day to send in your money and orders, and I will get them sent out. I want to thank the many parents who have volunteered to help with room celebrations and special events, and a big thank you to Stephanie Reinke for becoming our PTO Representative. Any news from the WM PTO will come to you through her. The new tie dye T-shirt project began on Thursday in art class, and next Thursday will be the big dye day! Thank you to Jean Yosick and Joyce Rolnick for coming in to help us there! Check the Google Calendar on our classroom website for upcoming school events, especially Picture Day on September 21, and the Back To School Night event on September 28.
As always, I invite you to email me any concerns, questions, and information you need to tell me regarding your student - I find them very helpful! Here's to a renewing weekend, and an energy filled week ahead! Melanie
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