September 27, 2013 Weekly Update

Greetings to our 4H families! It has been such a satisfying week! Our kids have been writing and reading up a storm this week. Our Writer's Workshop hour is first thing in the morning, and maybe this is proving to be well timed. We have had three classes in particular this week where it was close to pin drop quiet for as long as 45 minutes while everyone worked on their 3 personal narrative pieces. The only sounds were pencils scratching on paper and my editing conferences with individuals. Our 4th graders are making beautiful progress with their writing stamina just like they have with their reading. I think you will really enjoy reading what your child has chosen to write about concerning important people, moments shared, places, and objects they value in their lives.

In our Reader's Workshop, the discussions about our books and favorite authors and what makes for 'wide-awake' reading have been extremely stimulating for all of us! We have so many in our class that practically eat books for dinner, and they are recommending good books to me as much as I am guiding them! Almost everyone in our class allows themselves to get excited about analyzing characters and events during our discussions, and it is so much fun to listen to everyone share their thoughts and opinions. We finished our first class read-aloud book, The Lemonade War, last Friday, and this week we started Stone Fox together. This is prized time in our classroom along with 'stamina' time when we all dig into our current favorite book. We will soon also begin reading Out Of My Mind, by Sharon Draper, which is this year's Global Read Aloud book. We will be reading through this special story at the same pace and time frame as thousands of other upper elementary students from all over the world!

Both of our 4th and 5th grade math students are past that first unit test, and have begun the first assignments for Unit 2. Thank you for returning the 4th grade tests with your signature. This is the second year we are using the grading system using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 - so hopefully you are familiar with it. We assign these numbers to each of the goal concepts in Everyday Math, which are aligned with the Common Core Standards. I award a '3' whenever proficiency is demonstrated, meaning they are meeting all expectations. A '2' is given where they show they are well on their way to proficiency, with some need for some extra practice or improved accuracy. A '1' is given when beginning skills are still developing. I tend to reserve that '4' for report cards when our students have been able to show consistently over time a high level of mastery and are able to apply a concept to another situation. If you ever want to discuss this system, or see a written summary of each level in more detail, just let me know. Conference time will also give us a chance to talk about it as well.

Somehow we also managed this past week to fit in some reading assessments, our first spelling assignments, and our schoolwide tie dye shirt project. I hope you were all able to finish the process at home without too much hassle! The entire fourth grade is encouraged to wear their new shirts next Tuesday when we go on our first field trip. All plans are in place to attend the World Dairy Expo. We have 5 moms who volunteered to come along on Tuesday - many thanks! Our social studies classes have been full of talk about each of the main cow breeds we hope to identify at the Expo. We are also learning about the bigger picture of Wisconsin agriculture, and we opened some eyes in our discussions about cranberries, soybeans, corn silage, Christmas trees, ginseng, mink pelts, baitfish, cucumbers for pickles, carrots, green peas, potatoes, maple sugar, tart cherries....and much more... who knew?!

Thank you for all your support as your student brings home assignments and notices about events and projects. We'll let you know all about our trip next week, and maybe share some pictures as well! Sincerely, Melanie Hannam

September 20, 2013 Weekly Update

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

September 11, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello to all of our "4H" families!  I have finally been able to enter in the classroom email addresses for our new group for this year.  If you find that you would prefer receiving my updates and notes to any additional email addresses for your family (or if you would like me to delete any addresses included on this list), please do let me know!  I am happy to adjust this list so it is most convenient for you.  I will also put this note on the main page of our classroom blog (see the address below my name), in case you might not get this email but are able to see the blog page.  All of my newsletters will be emailed to you as well as copied onto the blog page (apologies for getting my notes twice, in many cases - just trying to cover all bases!). 

 

I have much news to share with you, and I have been anxious to begin communicating with you.  I promise not to bombard you with everything all at once.  I will start with the most immediate items.  First of all, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be getting to know your 4th graders.  We are off to just an excellent start - this is a wonderful group!  Everyone agrees that our days are flying by so far, and it appears all are enjoying our activities and lessons.  I am very conscious of making optimum use of every minute we have together each day - there is so much to learn and experience this year!  As we go through these first weeks, I will fill you in on how we handle the content for each subject of the day.  I welcome any questions from you - anytime!

 

As you saw from the order forms that came home last Friday, we have the opportunity to order our first books from Scholastic Book Clubs (new name this year).  I will send home forms each month.  This year I want to begin doing our orders online - and parents have the chance to order online as well, instead of ordering through me.  You will need a "class activation code" if you place your own order - and our class will still be able to earn bonus points from your orders to get more books for our classroom library.  The website is:  https://orders.scholastic.com/MFRC8

(the last 5 digits are the activation code for our class).  Let me know if you have any problems doing this - I am learning, too.  You can still send in to me at school your check to Scholastic Book Clubs with your order form, if you prefer.

 

In 4th grade we actually have TWO field trips in October already!  We like to attend the World Dairy Expo each year at the Alliant Energy Center grounds, because it ties in so well with our study of Wisconsin and a major industry in our state.  This event is always during the first week of October, and we haven't been informed yet if our tour this year will be on October 1st or 2nd.  I will let you know as soon as I know!  I will be looking for any number of chaperones who would like to join us, so think about coming - we go for 2.5 hours in the early afternoon.  I've told our students that they will never see such clean and pampered cows anywhere else - ever!   Our school district also provides all 4th grade classes the opportunity to take a trip to nearby Pope Farm Park for two hours during the week of October 14th - again, I will let you know the date and time assigned to us as soon as I find out.  Naturalists, historians, archeologists, and geologists all meet us there to lead us in classes and hands-on activities about Wisconsin history, native people, landforms, rocks, etc.  I will let you know when I am ready to collect chaperone names, but I wanted to give you a heads up about the possibilities coming up.

 

I will stop here, and please stay tuned for more information very soon.  If you'd like to send me a quick reply that you received this email okay, or if I need to know any changes, feel free to email me.  I look forward to communicating closely with you throughout the year so your student has the best 4th grade year possible.  Sincerely, Melanie Hannam

WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE - 2013 - 2014!

Hello to all our new 4th grade families! 

I am very much looking forward to getting acquainted with all of my new students, and to meet you, their families! 

All students should bring their backpacks with their supplies into our classroom on Tuesday morning when they get to Room 117.  We will be organizing off and on all day!  Don't forget to bring your current or favorite reading book for the first day of school.

On Thursday evening, September 5th, all families are invited to come visit the classrooms from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.  It will be another chance to get better acquainted, and I will have some information to give parents.

This blog site is one good way to stay connected!  Each day I will be updating the homework list on the Homework Page, there is a page to view our Daily Schedule, and there is also a Google Calendar I will update with upcoming events.  The Home Page will provide you with my weekly newsletter, where you will be kept up to date on all our hard work - and fun together!

See you all very soon!  Melanie Hannam

May 31, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello, dear 4th grade families of 2012-2013, we have arrived at the final week of this school year.  This milestone always seems so far in the future, and then it comes so quickly, and just like that we have to bring our units of study to a close, ready or not!  I have just a few hundred things I still would have liked to cover with our kids!!  :)  Learning does truly never end, no matter what a school calendar tells us.  Hopefully, that message has been one our students have come to realize better this year.

 

We will start off our final week with a bang - our day long visit to the Cave of the Mounds.  We will have a full dozen parents coming with our class, so that will be lots of fun!  The weather forecast is looking quite promising!  I asked the students to write this list in their assignment notebooks:  Wear our grade's tie dye or blue shirts if possible, bring a light jacket or sweatshirt for the 50 degree cave, wear sturdy shoes for some hiking and slippery, damp surfaces, bring a completely disposable lunch (chaperones, don't forget your own!).  If anyone wants to bring a water bottle, cap, camera, or money, it is their own responsibility to keep track of these items.  There will be a short time to browse the gift shop.  We will be meeting with guides to learn the history of this remarkable site, hike above ground to see signs of the cave, see a short video before entering the cave, which will be about a 45 minute tour, pan for gold, and have time for a picnic lunch and runaround time outside on grass with picnic tables.  Note: if any chaperones would have a large cooler they could stow in their car for our lunches, that would help!   If you do bring a cooler along, bring it along into the classroom at 8:35, and we can fill them with our lunch bags.  Thank you! 

 

Then on Tuesday, we have more special plans.  Don't put the good hiking shoes away - after lunch we will board buses to get to Pope Farm Park on Old Sauk Road by noon.  Naturalists and geologists will lead us on an exploration of glacial landforms and evidence of Wisconsin's past - more hiking! - until 2:15 pm.  We have six parents who have committed to joining us there, and if any parent would still like to come meet us there, feel free!  No admission, no limit - just a great and scenic afternoon hike (with 73 fourth graders - ha!).  AND for our class we have one last very special lunch in Room 117 that day -- at 11:00, Luigi's dad is bringing in his amazing pizzas for us from Café Porta Alba!  Woohoo - can't wait!  Thank you so very much!  I will treat the class to Izzies to go with the pizzas.  Anyone up for baking some cookies for our dessert?

 

Next week is also our building-wide Celebration Week.  In honor of the last week of all of our hard work of the year practicing the West Middleton Way of Being Safe, Respectful, Responsible, and a Learner, we will wear neon clothing on Tuesday, dress like twins or triplets with friends on Wednesday, and wear Badger colors on Thursday, along with a special surprise for everyone at school Thursday afternoon during the last hour of classes.

 

In between all these special events, our class will find time to organize our papers, projects, and materials.  These items will come home a little each day.  A special note about the Everyday Math books coming home (2 journals, 1 studylink, and a yellow folder containing all unit tests and reviews):  I encourage you to save these over the summer.  If you are able to spend periodic time over the summer to help your student practice the skills contained on these pages, it will give your student an excellent start to next year's math lessons.  Pay particular attention to staying practiced on the basic facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Everyone gets 'rusty' in a big hurry if they don't keep using them.  It will be key in 5th grade to know their basic facts. 

 

Next week we will share our beautiful Informational Booklets with each other and also a class of 2nd graders, have a few math contests reviewing some of our skills, see a couple more National Geographic presentations on our country's breathtaking National Parks, teach each other the fantastic Space Factoids we have been collecting in Science, take one last WM Prairie Walk, and do some reflecting on what has meant the most to us during this past year of great growth and hard work.

 

I take this opportunity to tell you most sincerely that it has been a huge privilege to work with each and every one of your children - and you, the parents! - for this important 4th grade year.  I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed seeing the progress your child has made in so many ways, and how much I have enjoyed getting to know you and your families.  I will miss our visits and our teamwork!  I feel lucky that at least you will all be around next year yet, and I can see you and the kids in the hallways - the last year that will happen, since next year's 4th graders will start the move to middle school for 5th grade.  Your feedback and support and thoughtfulness has made my role as a classroom teacher even more of a pleasure.  Thank you!!  Melanie Hannam

May 17, 2013 Weekly Update

 

The countdown to year's end is on, but we have lots left to accomplish in 4th grade!  You should find the letter and permission slip for our June 3rd field trip to Cave of the Mounds in your student's Take Home Folder.  Keep all the info and send back the half sheet with your signature.  Thanks a lot.  If you would still like to join us on this day, you are most welcome - just let me know.  I have asked the kids to talk over with you if they should bring their own completely disposable sack lunches for this day, or if you want them to buy the sack lunch through Lunch Express at school.  We will have to fill out forms for Ms. Kay by Tuesday if we want to order a lunch.

 

Another permission slip will come home in the next couple of days!  This one is for our afternoon on June 4th at Pope Farm Park.  The naturalists have gone to great effort to accommodate our classes and I think it will be a very special tour and hands-on experience for all of us.  Again, any number of parents are welcome to join us, so just let me know.  The buses will get us to the Park by noon that day, and we will be back to school by 2:30.  See the permission slip info to find out all the details.  Your signature will be needed promptly for this trip as well.  Thank you!

 

Back in the classroom, we have spent nearly every day in the past week deeply involved in up to hour-long sessions with our new Chromebooks, doing research for our Informational Booklets.  Thanks so much for your support at home with computer time and printing jobs.  This coming week, we will be working on creating and constructing our book pages.  The kids have been excited to do their searches for info on the Chromebooks, and we have all been teaching each other how to find facts, pictures, save and share documents, etc.  They have taught me a number of tricks and shortcuts!

 

In 4th grade math, we are halfway through Unit 11 already.  In a few short days, look for the unit review sheets which will prepare everyone for our last unit math test within the next week.  We are learning about metric weights, volume and capacity, three dimensional polyhedrons, and subtracting with negative numbers.  Quite a mix of concepts!

 

Social Studies has had us roaming the western states lately, and comparing the extremes of geography and conditions in this region.  Thanks to some high quality National Geographic DVD presentations, within three days we explored the depths of Death Valley in California all the way up to the highest peak in Denali National Park in Alaska.  Fascinating!  We will still find time to do more exploring in our final science unit during the next two weeks when we delve into a study of our Solar System.  We are running out of time with so much to discover, but we are going to pack in as much learning as we can right up to the very last days!  

May 10, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello to all!  I must say, it was a special week of feeling appreciated!  I came to our classroom Monday morning with a newly decorated door crawling with personalized little Pac Man ghosties - it was "a Maze ing".  Thank you to the creative moms who put this all together - Trisha P. and Stephanie R.  In addition, our staff was very well fed all week long with breakfast, desserts, and two incredible lunches.  I love getting handwritten notes from our kids - they are precious.  Thank you all!

 

Speaking of gifts, your son or daughter will need to do some explaining when Mom opens her decorated envelope for Mother's Day.  We 4th grade teachers tried something new this year - and we will all have to wait and see if this is a successful venture.  I can't explain any more now, in case you have to wait till Sunday to see what I'm referring to!  I told the kids that an additional gift would be if they took responsibility for the 'care' of this gift... Let me know if anyone experiences any successful 'sprouting'!

 

We have already conquered Unit 10 in math, and took the final test today.  Watch for the test next week to sign and return.  We will begin Unit 11 on Monday. We will continue to meet in all of our math groups, 4th and 5th, through Friday, May 31st. 

 

Our Writing Project for creating Informational Booklets on a topic of interest, in order to teach other classmates, has been a major activity this past week.  We have been taking advantage of the new Chromebooks in our school, which are like small laptops.  At the same time, everyone can do research for their topic and take notes, saving articles and pictures to their own Google Drive accounts.  We cannot print from the Chromebooks, but by saving their material in Google Docs, they can access this material at computers in our computer lab, or at home, and get pictures printed from there.  I have been encouraging our students to take time at home to research, take notes, and print pictures in addition to time at school.  There is never enough time to do it all in class.  The kids love working with the Chromebooks, and the time we have them goes way too fast.  Next week we will have to decide on a deadline for note-taking, and get to the process of creating their booklets.  Thank you for helping your student get time on a home computer, if possible, to gather information for their note cards.  If any parent would like to come in for 45 to 60 minutes one or two days next week, to help some of our students gather information and take notes, that would be so very helpful.  It is difficult for me to get to everyone who needs assistance with notes and printing.  Just email me if you can help, and we can look at times and days.  Thank you! 

 

An update on upcoming field trips:  We are all set to spend the full school day on Monday, June 3rd, at the Cave of the Mounds.  Any and all parents who want to spend the day with us at this special place can do so, and follow our buses in your cars.  Some of you have let me know you plan to come - please email me if you want to chaperone, too.  Details with a permission slip are coming home soon.  Our other outing was to be for the morning of June 4th at Pope Farm Park.  That day needed to be rescheduled due to the conflict with the MHS Senior Class trip (no buses available for us!).  However, we got rescheduled to June 3rd!  At this time, I am trying to coordinate new plans with one of the naturalists with the Pope Farm Program, so I will let you all know as soon as I can if we can still make something work.  As it is now, June 4th will be a regular day in class for us.

 

Our final Scholastic Book Order is due this Monday, May 13th.  Another deadline is Friday, May 17th, the last day we collect Box Tops and Food Donations toward our building goal of 12,000 total items.  We send Mr. Macklem to the West Middleton rooftop for a day if we succeed!  Also, if you have a 4th grader interested in performing in a 4th grade (only) talent show on the afternoon of May 31st, the deadline for turning in audition/permission slips is Wednesday, May 15th. 

 

May you enjoy family time this Mother's Day weekend!  Melanie