December 20, 2013 Weekly Update

I send you wintery greetings on this Thursday night, as we await the effects of our freezing wet weather on tomorrow's schedule.  Assuming we do have school tomorrow, we have several special plans to carry out - the Rocks and Minerals science test, our 'board game day' during 3rd hour with our first grade buddies, a math contest with Ms. Somers' room, a special present to wrap to take home, and finally a chance to relax and unwind with a wildlife DVD and a treat at day's end.  If we do have to miss tomorrow's classes, we will probably be able to do all these activities during the two days we get back on January 2nd and 3rd.  So stayed tuned to the weather reports and we will see what happens! 

 

 

It is my hope that many pages will be read by our students over the holiday break!  Hopefully plenty of books are already home or went home today, and for tomorrow I had also planned to make sure our readers are well supplied with good books, and extra reading logs sheets.  If anyone runs out of lines on their current reading log, they may continue to note books and pages and time read on the back of their last sheet. That should pretty much be all there is to any 'homework' over vacation time.  Speaking of reading books, I would like to pass along an appeal for help from our 4K teachers.  They have learned that at least two of the 4K rooms which are located at community sites in Middleton do not have even nearly an adequate supply of picture books or early reader level books for a classroom library.  Many of the children who attend these 4K classrooms do not have a good supply of books at home, either, so it is critical that their classrooms have good libraries.  Our West Middleton 4K teachers are asking all of us to collect books to give these rooms.  I wondered that if any of you have time to look through your shelves at home, and find books that you do not mind giving up, would you send them in with your 4th grader?  I will make sure they get to our 4K staff.  Thanks so much for checking!

Today in math our 4th graders wrapped up Unit 5 with their final test.  Also, there are quite a number of our students who have been making some noticeable progress on their basic facts drills, and that has been fun and exciting.  Keep it going all the way to 100%!  This week we also finally completed our class ReadAloud book, "Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper.  Today we checked out this author's official book website together, and also watched an interview done with her, all about the writing of this book.  The kids were SO interested in what she had to say about the writing of this book, and how she came to develop the character of Melody, who truly became a new friend to all of us as we shared in her story.  Now most of our students want to read more of Sharon Draper's books.  She writes for adults, teens, tweens, and middle elementary aged children, so it might be a good idea for you to check out her official book website before your student begs you to get or borrow any more of her books.  There are two series (about a girl named Sassy, and a set of mystery stories where a club of elementary aged boys follow the clues) that seem very appropriate at this point.

Once we get back to school after the Break, I will fill you in on the latest in each of our subjects.  In the meantime, as I sit here writing to you, I hear ice hitting my window - so we will see what develops by morning.  I wish you all a most wonderful time together with your family and friends over the next two weeks, and I will be thinking of all my 4th graders, looking forward to catching up on all their news and stories when we gather back in room 117 on January 2nd once again.  Happy holidays to you all, Melanie Hannam

December 6, 2013 Weekly Update

December Greetings to our 4H families!  I certainly enjoyed meeting all of our parents and families at conferences a couple of weeks ago!  It was a real pleasure being able to meet with you and your 4th grade around the table to talk over your child's hard work and continuing progress.  I've always believed conversation together is the best way to help our students achieve their best in school, and to update you on their efforts.  You will also be receiving the first trimester report card by the end of next week.  Keep in mind the 'new' (as of last year) method of reporting progress, which is a number system 1 through 4.  A '3' is noted when students demonstrate they have met the grade level expectations with consistent accuracy.  A '2' is noted when they are well on their way to achieving the expectations, but still need more practice or instruction to achieve proficiency.  A '1' is given when skills are beginning to form, but more work is required to meet expectations.  A '4' is reserved for demonstration of skill that consistently rises above the expectations for grade level, where students show they can apply that skill in new situations.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

In both of our Reading and Writing Workshops, we are moving into the 'informational' phase of our studies.  We are analyzing how to best read and communicate in writing about nonfictional content.  We are examining what text features most effectively relay important factual information, how to pull out the main and supporting facts, and then how to do the same in our writing!  This is new ground for many in 4th grade, but so very valuable for their future years in school.  This week we are also wrapping up our work writing essays with thesis statements and supporting evidence.  This was an obvious stretch for everyone in class, but by breaking down the process step by step each day, I've been able to see their growing awareness of what it takes to write these essays effectively, and I am so very proud of our kids for their efforts and their growth!  I would like to take the time to have them type their final essay drafts, which may be a bit of a painstaking process, but it will give them a chance to practice much needed keyboarding skills.  Our kids are pretty motivated to be able to create a page with their choice of font, etc. so we will take advantage of this positive mindset!  :)  They will be typing their essays in Google Documents, so their papers will be accessible from home computers as well, in case our students want to do more typing at home to help with progress in this endeavor!  Thank you in advance for your patience and encouragement at home in this task!

We are making excellent progress in math.  All groups have begun Unit 5, and this unit will give our 4th graders the chance to practice multi-digit multiplication.  We will be using the traditional method as our main way to solve these problems.  Alternative methods, such as 'lattice', are no longer used after this year, so we are not going to spend more time practicing this.  You will see extra practice sheets coming home so our students can get as comfortable as possible with more involved multiplication problems.  This is when those who know their basic facts thoroughly will be SO glad they do!  For those who still struggle, I encourage continued practice at home whenever possible (long division problems are also coming soon!).

 

Science will finish off this month with the remainder of the Rocks and Minerals unit.  In Social Studies, we have moved off those chilly glaciers and on to the characteristics of different regions in our state.  We have just confirmed plans to take a 4th grade field trip to our State Capitol building and the Wisconsin Historical Museum on February 26th, 2014!  More details will come when we get closer to that date!

This Friday, we have 4 students from our classroom taking part in the annual West Middleton Spelling Bee (1:20pm).  Fourth grade is the first year students can take part, and will include 5th graders.  Top spellers remaining from our Bee will move on to our district Bee which will include 4th through 8th graders.  This first experience for our kids can be a bit stressful, but a valuable experience for future participation, and all of our 4th graders will be there for support! 

Thank you for any Scholastic Book Orders for this month - I will submit our order online during the evening of December 9th. I have been informed that if I order by December 10th, we will get our new books before we leave for the Winter Break.  Box Tops are still piling up in Room 117!  We hope to sneak in with a surprisingly large amount by this Friday's deadline, and blow all the other rooms away!  We will see!  Thank you for any last contributions on Friday this week. We will let you know how it ends up!!  Till next note, stay warm!  Sincerely, Melanie Hannam

November 8, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello, 4H families! Even with the addition of WKCE testing sessions during the past week, we were able to settle into some very productive and satisfying lessons this week. In Reader's Workshop, we got good, uninterrupted time with our favorite books and carried our study of 'character' and 'prediction' to deeper levels. We began our new unit in Writer's Workshop, which is essay writing. Our curriculum starts us off with small steps toward this largely unfamiliar mode of writing for our 4th graders, and we build up each day to a complete essay over at least 2 or 3 weeks. Every day our students figure it out a little more. In Social Studies we have finally been able to start studying about the Ice Age and Glaciers and the Ice Age Trail - and the kids are very enthusiastic about our discussions! We have all begun Unit 4 in math classes. In the 4th grade group we have jumped into decimal work and they have bravely held on with their attention as we practice some very new concepts - I am quite proud of our group. Like I said, it has indeed been a satisfying week of learning!

It has proven to be very beneficial to stretch out our WKCE testing over a 3 week period, using only parts of two days in each of the three weeks. None of our students appears to be feeling too anxious about the testing sessions, and all seem to be giving it their best efforts. They are being good troopers! Next week, our final week, we will be testing once in the morning on Tuesday, and once in the afternoon on Wednesday. Thank you, parents, for our students' excellent attendance!

An event coming up soon: We will be holding 7 rounds of individual classroom spelling bees over the next two weeks, in preparation for the School Bee sometime in December. Our students each get 7 chances to spell their word correctly in the class rounds, and then I send those scores to our Advanced Learning Coordinator, Ms. Weber, who will then choose the top 25 scores among all of our 4th and 5th graders to take part in the School Bee. The words being used for both Bees should be located in your student's Take Home Folder, and it is entirely up to the students, and you, to decide how much time and effort goes into preparing and studying.

Also keep in mind that our November Scholastic Book Orders are due November 15th. If you haven't tried to order online, give it a try - I was so pleased to find out it was quite user friendly when I started ordering for our class this way the first time in September. Otherwise, you may still feel free to send me your paper order form and check to Scholastic Book Club, and I can take care of it from there. I am just so thrilled at the opportunity we've had to grow our classroom library this way, using bonus points from our orders. We have quite the READING CLASS this year, and we use our books more this year than I have ever seen so far. We keep our awesome school librarian, Mrs. Dagitz, very busy as well, with requested books. It's impressive, and so much fun to share out about the great stories our students are discovering. Our students still ask to get as much reading time each day as I am able to provide - yay!

Upcoming events for our calendars are: NO school on Monday, November 11th, the new BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION contest starting next week and lasting till December 6th, parent conferences (including our 4th graders!) on November 19th and 21st, the Book Fair in our West Middleton Library during that same week, and NO school on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The first trimester ends with that holiday weekend - wow, how did we get to that milestone so quickly?! The first report cards will be ready about two weeks into December. Also, December 4th, Wednesday, is the annual West Middleton Winter Tea!

Stay tuned for continued updates and news notes, and please take time daily to look through your student's Take Home Folder with him or her. I will be seeing you all soon! Sincerely, Melanie Hannam

November 1, 2013 Weekly Update

Happy Halloween Week! I have just looked again at the pictures taken at our classroom holiday celebration - full of 4th grade mummies! I can't wait for you to see these great shots! (There will be a photo album for your to page through when you come for conferences.) While it just poured rain outside, it was an exciting time in room 117 on Halloween as we snacked on goodies, played Spooky Bingo, and lost several of our classmates as they became rolled up in toilet paper! Hilarious! Many, many thanks to the team of 'moms' who plotted and planned such a good time: Melissa C., Mary O., Michele P., Wendy K., Wendy A., Patty S., Lori C., Sara D. Thank you all for your generosity and creativity - wow! The kids won't forget this party!

What a contrast that was to our two very quiet mornings this week when we got a solid start to our WKCE testing. Our students are doing their best and I am very proud of them. Next week we will be testing only on Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. The 3rd week will be similar, and I will keep you up to date on days and times. Thank you for your support at home!

Some notices about upcoming events: The School Picture Retake Day is Tuesday, November 5th. We have no school on Monday, November 11th (due to the two evenings on the 19th and 21st when we hold conferences). Beginning November 12th until December 6th, West Middleton will hold a contest for the most BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION collected by classrooms - so start saving and scrounging and snipping!! The PTO will provide the winning classroom with a pizza lunch (we like pizza!). By the way, if you can attend, the next WM PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday evening, November 13th, at 7 pm in the Library.

Also, you will soon see the November Scholastic Book Order forms come home. Included this month will be a Holiday Catalog as well. If any parent wants to order books as a surprise for gifts, just let me know and I can set these aside and get them to you. Ordering online is very helpful and quite easy! You will also see the flyer come home about our annual Scholastic Book Fair, held again in the school library. Different this year is the timing - the Fair days will coincide with the week of Parent Conferences - this will be so convenient for your family!

We continue to make steady progress with our math lessons. We are reviewing Unit 3 in 4th grade, and the final test will probably be Monday. Check the Homework Page on the classroom blog to be sure. After our 'Bold Beginnings' writing project and our 'Ghost Story' project, next week our Writer's Workshop leads us into a new unit on writing essays. Stay tuned for more details as we get into those next week. In Social Studies, we are finally going to be able to enter the Ice Age in Wisconsin.

There is always SO much to do in 4th grade! The days just fly by, and our group becomes closer and more cooperative and helpful with each passing week (also more sociable, which we are working hard to channel to the appropriate times!). It is such a pleasure to be together each day! More news soon! Melanie Hannam

October 18, 2013 Weekly Update

Greetings to all of our 4H families.  We were so fortunate on Thursday afternoon - just in time for us, the drizzle ended, the clouds parted, and all 66 fourth graders from WM enjoyed a beautiful, mostly sunny fall afternoon trekking all across Pope Farm Park with gardeners, naturalists, and archaeologists.  Our sessions focused on how the native people who lived right in this area 13,000 years ago were able to thrive and survive.  Our kids were highly engaged in their simulated hunt for necessary supplies, tools, food, and shelter.  It was a memorable afternoon!  Thank you again for coming with us:  Cindy M., Hana A., Betty S., Jamie F., Wendy A. - it was fun sharing this experience together.

 

Back in the classroom, we are wrapping up another writing project, focusing on strong beginnings and significant endings.  In reading we have been delving into tips and strategies for knowing the characters in our books more deeply, and therefore, our understanding and our engagement in our reading also becomes deeper.  Math class has all groups beginning Unit 3 this week.  For the 4th grade students, the unit focuses on all aspects of multiplication - not only becoming more accurate with the facts, but also understanding factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers, division, and number sentences.  Social studies continues to give us opportunities to become familiar with our state's rivers, lakes, boundaries, neighbors, major cities, and landmarks.  We are leading up to a big study of the glacial age and how it has affected Wisconsin.  Science with Mrs. Bertz has been full of experiments with rocks and minerals.

 

Right along with all of our studies comes the development of good work habits and the goal of increasing the ability of each of our students to become organized and meet deadlines for completed assignments. Some of our students are not taking advantage of good strategies for keeping track of papers and due dates, such as using their planner and keeping their Take Home Folder organized.  I would like our 4th graders to be in charge of their folders, and their 'to do' lists in their planners, supported by you.  Sitting together for 5 minutes each day/evening after school and allowing your child to take you through their papers (what needs to stay home, what needs your attention, what needs to remain in the folder, what needs to go back to school) is to be their responsibility - please allow them to be in charge.  Let them tell you what is due and when, so that it remains their job, and not yours - thank you!  :)  It is the same with their reading log and their math books - you can support them best by asking them to show you what they are doing.

 

You have probably heard about the "Pride Paws" being handed out all through West Middleton.  Students earn these slips of paper whenever a staff member observes them demonstrating safe, responsible, and respectful behavior anywhere in and around school. All classes are focusing on hallway performance now through November.  Starting this week, Willy's Warehouse will be open for business!  Pride Paws are saved and 'spent' every two weeks at our new school store - Willy's Warehouse!  Orders will be submitted every other Friday, and within the next week, students will receive their purchased 'merchandise' which will usually go right into backpacks to be taken home.  The kids are pretty excited about it.

 

I am just about ready to send home the entire list of our Parent/Student/Teacher Conference schedule for November 19th and 21st.  This will confirm everyone's time, and if you encounter a problem with your time, you might be able to switch with another family if necessary.  Do let me know if you have any changing circumstances or questions.  Please remember that next week is a short week of school, with no classes on Thursday and Friday.  In addition, I have been invited to be a member of a team from our school who will attend seminars on 5 different days throughout the school year on 'The Culturally Responsive Classroom' - and the first day will be Tuesday, October 22nd.  Therefore, Mrs. Connie Johnston will be our guest teacher that day.

 

The following week - and the last week of the month already! - includes Halloween.  I will be looking for any parents who might like to plan a little celebration for the last 40 minutes of the day on Thursday, October 31st - some goodies to eat, an activity like a craft or a game or two...  whatever you might dream up!  Keep it in mind, and if I hear from you, I will put you in touch with others who have responded, and you may plan away!  Thank you, thank you!

 

Sincerely, Melanie Hannam

October 11, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello, 4H families!  This past week has been another full and busy one in Room 117.  In Writer's Workshop, we have organized our Writing Binders by inserting our first section with a cover sheet entitled "My Personal Narratives".  Now we have launched into analyzing what makes for a 'grabbing' story lead, and using dozens of books from our library, our class brainstormed a wonderful list of different techniques for story beginnings.  We are also identifying story endings that have meaning and relate back to the idea of the story (so there will be no more "and then we drove home and went to bed. The End.")  Our students created at least six original ways to begin a story, picked out their favorite one, and are now writing the rest of the story - so those will be fun to share next week.

 

We came to a good point in Reader's Workshop this week to stop and closely examine those Reading Logs that everyone has been filling out daily both at home and at school.  There is much to discover about each of our 'reading lives' as we look at the data we are collecting on these sheets.  Ask your 4th grader what they are noticing about their reading habits so far this year!  During conferences, we will take another look together at these logs.  We began our new Class Read Aloud book, "Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper - and it has pulled us in from the first page.  It is such an enlightening story - parents, if you get a chance to read a copy, you will certainly enjoy this book as well!  The new thoughts and realizations about what it must be like to be 'Melody', the main character, are just tumbling out of our kids, and our class discussions get deeper by the day.  Ask your 4th grader to explain a bit about this story so far - it will be fun to hear their impressions!

 

In Social Studies, we have been traveling all over Wisconsin, using state road maps.  Along with brushing up on map skills, we are becoming familiar with locations of major cities, highways, rivers and lakes, boundaries, and attractions all over our state.  This is leading us into our deeper study of Wisconsin landforms, the history of the glaciers, and then how this land became settled.  Our field trip to Pope Farm Park next week on Thursday afternoon will be perfectly timed to enhance our study.  There are 3 parents who have let me know they would like to join us - please do email me if you also can come and spend from 12:30 to 2:30 at the Park with us.  It will be a fun activity to share with your child and the naturalists and historians who will lead us in our 'adventures'.  We will not change our normal school lunch plans for this trip - your child may still bring their own lunch or order the hot lunch like any other day.  We will just go down to the lunchroom 5 to 10 minutes earlier than usual that day, so we may board our buses by 12:20.  I am told we can all meet at the LOWER parking lot of the Park, not the higher lot.  

 

All of our math students are wrapping up Unit 2 with final tests (4th graders - this Friday / 5th graders - next Monday).  Everyone is being encouraged to keep practicing those basic facts!  Many are showing some steady improvement, but we need to see even more.  Students in my 4th grade group are keeping track of their results each week on the back pages of their Studylink books, so ask them to show you how those numbers are looking - are they climbing, or plateauing?  Thank you for supporting practice time at home  - it makes all the difference.

 

We had an exciting surprise this week - we have welcomed a new girl to our 4H family!  Cecelia D. has joined us from a Madison elementary school, and everyone has been so welcoming and helpful in making her feel comfortable and at home with us.  I am so proud of our friendly and thoughtful classmates!

 

On Friday this week, you will find a Parent Conference Sign-Up Sheet in your student's Take Home Folder.  Please give it some thought, check calendars, and mark your 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices for time slots, and then I will confirm one of those times with you once I hear back from everyone.  Thanks so much.  This weekend I will place any final orders for our October Scholastic Book Orders online.  If you still want to order online, feel free - I can wait till Sunday to do my part.  Just a heads up - early in November I will be sending home the usual order forms for that month and there will also be an extra catalog form for Gift Books for the holidays. 

 

I look forward to seeing some of you at Pope Farm Park next week - hope we still have some of the gorgeous weather we had this week!  As always, feel free to email me anything you wonder about or need to inform me.  Our kids are having some awesome days in 4th grade - it's been so much fun!  Melanie Hannam   

October 4, 2013 Weekly Update

Hello to our 4th grade families!  Today some of our students remarked, "It's Thursday already?!"  This week did seem to go by especially quickly, partly due to our beautiful Tuesday afternoon touring the grounds of the World Dairy Expo in Madison.  We couldn't have ordered a more comfortable day to wander through immaculate cow barns, milking parlors, and dairy tents.  It was so much fun to watch our kids look around in awe at sights quite new to most of them.  They especially couldn't get enough of watching and identifying the different breeds of perfectly groomed cows at every turn, and all of us were exclaiming at their SIZE - when we get within arm's reach of these gentle but powerful animals, we realize just how massive they are!  I want to again thank our terrific chaperones for coming along and keeping us together:  Mary O., Patty S., Lisa B., Kim P., Jamie F., and Rufino A.  Our students did a most wonderful job with listening to the many guides who were full of information, and I heard many intelligent questions being asked, as well.  Way to go, fourth graders!   We all said we wished we could take a field trip for every unit we cover in social studies and science this year!

 

On October 17th, we do have another opportunity for a couple of hours away from the classroom again - thanks to our school district.  From 12:30 to 2:30 that day, all 3 of our classrooms are invited to Pope Farm Park on Old Sauk Road for a hands-on program with guides, naturalists, and historians.  Three parents have volunteered so far to join our class there that day - please let me know if you would like to come, too.  We can have as many parents with us as we'd like - you are most welcome!  See the info half of your permission slip for a refresher on all the details (all parent signatures have already been turned in - thank you!)

 

Coming home this Friday, October 4th:  The October Scholastic Book Order forms - remember that you may order through me and send me a check made to Scholastic Book Club with your order form, or you may order directly online (which has proven to be very easy and convenient!).  We are setting a deadline for our order this month of Friday, October 11th.  Also coming home this Friday is a small laminated login card attached to an information sheet about how you and your student can access "Everyday Math Online".  Your 4th grader can find games and other activities on this site which will help them practice basic facts, and other math concepts.  Take a look and give it a try!  Almost all of our math students, whether they attend the 4th grade or the 5th grade class in math, need more practice with accuracy and recall of their basic facts - this is another fun way to get that practice.

 

Friday, October 4th, is also the date for the PTO-sponsored West Middleton Fall Dance in the gym from 6 to 8 pm!  This event also includes a Pumpkin Sale.  These pumpkins got delivered to our school entryway this afternoon, and what a collection of huge, perfect pumpkins they are!  It creates an atmosphere of instant Autumn at school.

 

Very soon I will send you a sheet with a list of time slots for our two parent/student/teacher conference evenings on November 19th and 21st.  You will have the chance to mark your first, second, and third choice for times, and I will confirm those with you after hearing from everyone.  It is so valuable for our students to be present as we discuss their goals and progress, so hopefully there will be time slots that work for everyone's schedules.

 

This week we are over the halfway point in Unit 2 for math already and it is going so well!  We are polishing off our first three personal narrative writing projects and organizing them into those binders which will collect all of our 4th grade writing this year (a real keepsake).  In reading class we have been using both our personal reading books and our class read-aloud book, "Stone Fox" to practice reading "Stronger, Faster, Longer", "reading ourselves awake" and to read "like the words are GOLD!"   Next week we shift our social studies emphasis to Wisconsin's Ice Age history and the resulting landforms, along with adding to our mapping skills, and in science, Mrs. Bertz has our students deep into experiments with Rocks.

 

One last thing - and not the least thing!  Our class has been very motivated to demonstrate orderly and respectful behavior in ALL of their classes throughout the building.  We have been collecting 'compliments' from teachers and other staff members and keeping track!  We set ourselves a target of 25 positive remarks and today we reached our goal!  Therefore, we have voted that the way we most want to celebrate our achievement is to enjoy a 'read-in' day, which will take place next week on Friday, October 11.  On this day, we may each bring in a small blanket or pillow, wear 'comfy' clothing and/or slippers in the classroom, and read our way through our book collections.  We will also munch (Mr.!) Hannam's special carmel corn, and watch the movie version of the book we will have completed by then, "Stone Fox" (produced for NBC back in 1987!).  We just wanted to let you know about this special day ahead of time!  They have earned it - and I love their idea for 'all day stamina' with their books, of course!

 

We'll let you know how everything goes next week!  Until then, Melanie Hannam