Hello to all of our 4H families. March has arrived, and it is shaping up to be a very busy month - though it's only three weeks before the Spring Break Week of March 25 through 29. We start off celebrating Literacy Week from March 4th through 8th. On Monday a group of actors that perform for students will act out stories written by our own students. They are an improv group that includes students from the audience in each act for each story. On Tuesday the last period of the day will have all of our students moving to a different room and teacher from their own, to hear a story read out loud. Wednesday is Wordy Wardrobe Day - wear a shirt with words to celebrate literacy. Thursday is the day to recycle and share literature. Students may bring in gently used books from home to contribute to the 'book shop' and may pick up a different used book in return. If you have books at home that you'd like to give a new home, send them all in any day this week before Thursday, and we will get them to the proper place. On Friday, it is the ever popular "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day". Students should keep the outfits fairly simple, and bring along the book that goes with the outfit, if possible. We will parade around the hallway circle that morning!
I look forward to talking with all of you during one of the two coming Conference Days, Thursday, March 7th or Tuesday, March 12th. Our students will have a chance to show you their latest work, and we'll talk about good goals for the last third of the school year. I plan to stay as closely on schedule as possible, but if you are early or do have a few minutes' wait, be sure to check out our updated photo albums which will be on chairs outside our classroom door. We have some beautiful shots of our Winter Prairie Hike, our Valentine Party, our latest Science experiments, and Writing class. Take note: The second trimester ends on March 8th, we have till March 15th to enter report card data, and you will receive those reports on March 21st, right before Spring Break.
We've missed some math classes over the last week or so, due to snowy delays, music rehearsals, and a field trip day! In 4th grade math, we are digging into fractions. Be sure to check in with your student when they bring home their two math journals, and ask them to show and explain to you what they are learning. This will give you - and them - a chance to be sure they are grasping the new skills. In science we have been conducting experiments with rocks and minerals, which has been good practice for not only the content area, but also for the important skills of listening and following directions accurately - whew! - not always a pretty sight in Room 117! In Writer's Workshop, half of our classmates have completed their Realistic Fiction "Book" and the rest should finish this coming week, hopefully in time to show you at Conference time. We have also been moving on into analyzing story meaning and character details more deeply, writing our realizations and opinions in our Thoughtful Logs. This has been a real challenge for most of us, and it has stretched some students' writing skills. Amid some groans and frustrations, it has been truly rewarding - and eye opening to some of our reluctant writers - to see some very perceptive reflections written down! They CAN do it!!
I will end my update with a humble request to help us with our supply of Kleenex boxes, if you can - we are down to our last box! Thank you so much! The only other supply that needs attention is each student's collection of good pencils - we are seeing more eraser-less stubs with each passing day! I will talk to you all very soon! Sincerely, Melanie Hannam
No comments:
Post a Comment