Hello again to our 4H families! I have been collecting a list all week with news to share with you. I must tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your answers to the questionnaire I asked you to fill out for your 4th graders. It has helped me greatly in understanding how your child learns and what works best for each one of them in the classroom. Each day that we spend together on our lessons, projects, and most of all, our classroom discussions, we all become better acquainted, and the respect and the community in our room develops more strongly. It is so much fun to be a part of this group.
We have had a full and satisfying week as we work to make every minute count. Our first writing projects are being edited now in Writer's Workshop - we have been writing personal narratives about sharing a memorable experience with someone important in our lives. We have also been describing a special place in which we love to spend time and describing why it is so special. Our students are building up their writing stamina daily, just as they are happily building up their reading stamina. Many identify our 'pin drop quiet' reading sessions as a highlight of their days (music to this teacher's ears!). I am asking them to keep a more detailed record of their reading time and progress this year in their reading logs, so that they can learn to analyze what kinds of books are just right for them, and what is working to make their 'reading life' the best that it can be. While they get lost in their books during these sessions, I am able to meet with individuals and small groups to listen to them read and conference about how to improve their comprehension skills. Everyone is pushing for a whole day of reading sometime - we just may try that soon!
We have sent out our first Scholastic Book Club orders, and I just heard today that our box has shipped already! My first attempt to handle our entire order online worked beautifully, so now I am a fan - thanks to all the parents who placed your own orders online and got me started! Of course, families may always send me the usual paper order forms and checks to school, and I can still place those orders online and just send the checks through the mail. We will have the opportunity to order through Scholastic each month of the school year. We can't wait to get our own brand new books, and also add new books from our bonus points to our classroom library. Thank you!
In math class, the 5th grade students have their first unit test on Monday, and our 4th grade (along with our six 3rd graders) math test will be next Tuesday. The first unit was actually a lot of fun, increasing knowledge of geometry. Hopefully you are seeing both the Journal and the Studylinks coming home every day, even if the assignment was able to be completed in class that day. I love hearing that your student is able to explain the new concepts to you. When they bring home each of their unit tests to show you, there will be a cover sheet summarizing their results. This cover sheet will have a place for your signature to show that you have seen it, and then I request that these test pages and cover sheet all come back to school as promptly as possible. We save all of our tests in a math folder, and it is excellent documentation of your child's progress as well as a great record of areas that need more practice. You will end up with that entire folder at year's end, and it provides a perfect summary of 4th grade skills to perhaps keep brushed up on for the next year. Thank you for your signature and return.
We began doing our 3 minute drills this week on basic math facts. The goal is to correctly answer all 100 basic facts for each of the 4 operations within 3 minutes. This exercise has revealed that most of our students do need to put in some extra time almost every single evening to practice facts! Even 10 minutes extra each day can result in sharply increasing scores - you can use the sheets in plastic that came home, flashcards, dice, computer games... Thank you for making this a priority along with your student. The Everyday Math program in 4th and 5th grade assumes that students at this level have mastery of their basic facts - it is essential to success in handling the new concepts we cover every day.
The first spelling list came home this week. Most of our weekly lists will be composed of words that our 4th graders and I find in our reading and want to use in our writing - words that they actually want to use and read at this stage in their lives. There will be a variety of ways to practice their lists, and test dates will generally happen about a week after first getting the new list. Each student is to keep their 'master copy' in their Take Home Folders - this way, their word list is always with them at home and at school!
We finally have our dates and times set for TWO field trips in October! This week Friday, permission slips for both trips are coming home. The information you need to know is described on each of the slips. Please keep the top half of these papers for yourself, and return the bottom half with your signature. We will attend the World Dairy Expo at the Alliant Energy grounds on October 1st from 12:00 noon to about 2:15 pm. On October 17th, we will be bused to nearby Pope Farm Park to attend a special hands-on program provided by MCPASD to every 4th grade class in our district. We will be there from 12:30 to 2:30 that day. See the permission slips about how we will handle lunch - we will eat earlier in our classroom with sack lunches either ordered through Lunch Express, or sack lunches brought from home. Take note that we do have three students in our room this year who have nut allergies.
If you are interested in chaperoning one or both of these trips, just send me an email! ALL interested parents are welcome on both trips - the more the merrier! You will be driving yourselves to these destinations (usually carpooling to the World Dairy Expo). I hope many of you can join us - these are fun trips. Once I have my list of parent chaperones, I will contact you with more details.
There is so much to tell you, but I'd better stop here for now. Keep in mind that we are in the midst of MAPS testing (Measures of Academic Progress) - computerized assessments for math and reading done 3 times in the school year, as well as other Reading Assessments individually. We tie dye our school t-shirts on Monday, September 23rd - watch for them to come home with special washing instructions. On Friday, October 4th, from 6 to 8 pm, the Back To School Fall Dance and Pumpkin Sale will be held at West Middleton. I will keep you posted on all news and details and activities each week, and remember to check our classroom blog for calendar items, daily schedule, and the HOMEWORK PAGE, updated daily! Write me anytime! Till next note, we are very happy in 4th grade! Sincerely, Melanie Hannam
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