I'm thankful for...

WOW...that's a hard statement to follow...let's see if I can make my answer blog worthy...

I'm thankful for...

...neelam

...garrett

...john b.

...olivia

...jacob

...logan

...john g.

...dylan

...zach

...clifton

...hoseok

...quinton

...kevin
...allie

...viktor

...farzad

...nicholas

...corry

...phuong

...samantha

The direction on the board said, "Use your hands to make a turkey!" Amazing how one bunch of "turkeys" can work together when asked, isn't it?!

I'm also very thankful for...

...my family...they are my pride and joy

...my friends...if only I had more time

...my job...I am very blessed to wake up wanting to go to work

...and so much more...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

...may you enjoy all of the things you are most thankful for....

Happy American Education Week!

We had a great week...I was gone for two of the days, but tons got done, as usual!! I had the opportunity to attend a workshop given by Kay Law, a specialist in the area of teaching gifted learners. This workshop was offered by the Bureau of Education and Research and I walked away with lots of new ideas!!

This week we had quite a few guest readers in celebration of American Education Week. Ms. Kim, Hoseok's mom, came in on Monday to share some of her favorite poetry, as a kickoff into our poetry unit. On Wednesday, Mrs. Gibbons, Zach's mom, and Mrs. Cicerone, Jacob's mom, both came into the classroom to share their love of reading. Mrs. Gibbons shared a book full of similes titled My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks, and Mrs. Cicerone shared a part of the novel A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The kids enjoyed all of the readers and I'd like to thank them for their time! Please shoot me an email if you would like to come in and share a book or part of a favorite book with the kids...we love having guest readers and it's important for our kids to see that reading is enjoyable at all ages and in all stages of life! (Grandmas and Grandpas...that means YOU, too!)


We also had a wonderful visit from John Steven Gurney, author and illustrator. Thanks to our wonderful PTA for bringing Mr. Gurney in during American Education Week...he was WONDERFUL!! He showed the kids all of the books he has illustrated and talked about his exciting career. He inspired many of our classroom authors and illustrators! It was a wonderful presentation...thank you PTA!!

Another thanks to ALL of you for the donations of envelopes and stamps last week. I am proud to say our 20 students wrote 35 letters for the Soldiers' Angels letter writing campaign!! We turned in about 150 envelopes and over 50 stamps...you all are extremely generous...thank you. We will be starting new letters next week for the "Christmas in Afghanistan" effort for the Frederick based Marines. We will also be composing poems for these men and women to enjoy over the holidays! Please review the list of needed items for these marines (previous blog post titled "Where to Begin" Nov. 6th) and send them in by Monday, November 30th if you are planning to participate! Thank you!!


Now to our academic week...


Math
We have been working with simplifying fractions, finding least common denominators in order to make equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and creating mixed numbers from improper fractions. We have broken up into different groups in order to maximize learning during math. If you find your child struggling with an assignment, please feel free to send me a note. If they do not tell me they're having trouble, and their papers are coming back with correct answers, I will assume they are doing it with little to no help. Thanks!


Language Arts
Poetry is our new focus...we will be working on so many different types of poetry...reading it, analyzing it, writing it, breathing it...just kidding...but we will be working with poetry into December. Each child was asked to memorize a poem for next Tuesday. They can use one of the short "Fall Poems" I gave them or choose a favorite of their own. This assignment is part of the ongoing attempt to make them excellent public speakers. Please encourage your child to use a loud, clear voice, a good pace, and expression. Also, because it is memorized, their eye contact should be spectacular!! I will be scoring all of these areas while listening to your child recite their poem.


We are finishing (I HOPE!) our Ella stories. Once they are published I will be scoring them and sending them home. They are so fun to read, but they take a long time!! As well as taking this story through the entire writing process, we have been perfecting the art of writing a friendly letter, and I feel confident your child has mastered this form of writing.


Science
As science would have it...we had a failed science experiment this week. It was finally time to see what chemical reactions would occur when mixing the powders with red cabbage juice. Guess what we learned? OLD red cabbage juice causes NO chemical reaction with our powders. So, then I figured we'd scrap that and I'd show them the video of what kind of chemical reaction occurs when each powder is heated...then I couldn't find the video to SAVE MY LIFE. It was not one of my better science lessons. HOWEVER...we watched the heat video later in the week, and I'm hoping my husband is a real dear and will cook me some cabbage juice this week (he's a much more skilled cook than me!!) We will be drawing some conclusions as this month comes to an end...the kids have been doing a great job!


I'm sure I'm forgetting something...I'll send a weekend post if needed...hope you have a wonderful weekend...I plan to!

Newsday Tuesday

Kind of catchy, don't you think?

An important piece of news...

The due dates that I have assigned to each part of the science fair project are suggested due dates!

It is totally fine with me that many children have not turned in the pieces by the time those dates come along...it was a way to help make the final product less tedious for them (and YOU!)

In the same way, the Monday, November 23rd deadline, for turning in the boards and presenting the info, is suggested...I, personally, would not want to work on a science fair project over Thanksgiving break, so I asked that they be completed ahead of time...HOWEVER...you and your child may need the extra time...therefore...please know that ALL BOARDS are due BY Monday, Nov. 30th at the latest...and if your child finishes ahead of time, by all means, bring it to school!

If you have ANY questions about ANY of this, please email me and I'll be happy to help!

I'm really excited to see their projects!

Lots of Good Stuff...

OK...where to begin...

Let's start with this direction...hug your kids hard tonight...they have written the most beautiful letters to the soldiers in support of the U.S. Dept of Veteran Affairs program "Soldiers' Angels"...I told the kids they could do more than one final copy as extra credit...I have a couple of kids who did FOUR beautifully hand written copies. I am really proud of all of them.


Writing
So, we reviewed the format of a "friendly letter", discussed what kinds of information should go in our letters, and then we wrote rough draft and final draft letters to the Soldiers (as mentioned above). But this week we also wrote paragraphs about the growing and repeating patterns the kids made during math. The kids created a growing pattern of at least four levels and a repeating pattern with at least two shapes in the core of the pattern...then we worked to solve them! That was fun and challenging. They followed up the pattern work with the writing assignment that they drafted in the Computer Lab using Microsoft Word. These patterns and paragraphs are hanging in the classroom. And then of course, the homework assignment - Write About Your Bedroom - using fractions. I LOVED reading these paragraphs! I made notes on a lot of the papers suggesting some elaboration...you're going to here that a lot this quarter...I want to see more details, more adjectives, more WOW work...so as you review the papers in your child's folder, please encourage your child to do WOW work and discuss what that entails. Thanks.


Language Arts
We finished up our short story unit and took a "clicker test" this week...if you don't know about clickers...ask your child...they LOVE clickers. They did a good job answering questions and showed their understanding of the different types of stories and the characteristics that define them. Today I introduced the Poetry Unit. I LOVE this unit and look forward to sharing it with the kids...I asked the kids today if they have a favorite poetry book at home...if not, please have them check one out of the library on your next visit...at some point they will need to memorize a poem and present it to the class. Thanks to Allie for sharing some of her favorite Shel Silverstein poems this morning.


Science
We have completed so many tests on our mystery powders and have collected a lot of pertinent data that we will use to determine what each powder is...during the water test we found that some of the powders created solutions and others suspensions. During the vinegar test, we found that one of our powders had a chemical reaction when mixed with the acidic liquid. During our iodine test, we found that one of the powders had a chemical reaction...a color change...when mixed with this liquid. Next week we will complete a Cabbage Juice test and we will see the results of how heat affects each powder. Needless to say, your budding scientists are having a ball! Today they took a test and were able to use their notes to help answer a couple of questions...this helped the kids to see that keeping accurate and detailed records is extremely important when doing science.


Math
I gave the Quarter One post test yesterday...I was so pleased with the results...ask your child about it. I have to keep the assessments, but they saw them today and they know what their pre-test score was and what their post-test score was...everyone showed improvement. We have been working with fractions this week...equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, fractions of a set, fractions on a number line...yesterday we "made pizzas" and compared the different sized pieces to add and subtract fractions.

A Giving Opportunity
"Christmas in Afghanistan" is our focus for next week...Logan Cresswell's uncle was deployed to Afghanistan last week. He is part of our own Frederick based Marines, Bravo Company, 4th LAR. Logan's mom, Kristen Forse, is putting together care packages for these brave marines that will include letters from our class. The goal of "Christmas in Afghanistan" is to send each Marine a "present" to open on Christmas day. Mrs. Forse is also collecting items for the care packages...below I have listed these items. All donations must be collected by December 1st in order to get the care packages there on time. If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Forse at 240-357-0626. Items that are in need include: baby wipes razors shaving cream bar soap socks hand/foot warmers toothbrush/toothpaste magazines books crossword puzzles stationary gum canned food candy...

Report Cards
Remember that this year's report card will look VERY different...listing 3rd grade indicators for all subject areas. Make sure your child's report card indicates that he/she receives "Essential Curriculum with Enrichment" and that they receive G & T services. This implies that the letter grades listed on the report card reflect his/her performance in a Magnet classroom setting. In the case of Math specifically, your child's letter grade reflects his/her mastery of the FOURTH grade curriculum standards, NOT the 3rd grade indicators listed. It seems confusing now, but I'm sure you'll find it easy to figure out when the hard copy arrives. Please feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns you have regarding this issue...or any other!

Have a wonderful weekend...hug those cute little people...they work so hard!

Where to begin....

Happy Friday...we have been super busy...here is the rundown...

LANGUAGE ARTS
In Language Arts we have been focusing on fables, tall tales and legends...these kids are very knowledgeable when it comes to all different types of stories! While reading fables we have been discussing the moral/lesson, while reading tall tales we have enjoyed the exaggeration and impossible feats, and now that we're headed into legends, we are discovering what make these stories different from all the others...we haven't figured that out quite yet...just started the Legend of Sleepy Hollow today! At the end of this unit the kids will take a test...one that summarizes all that we have been reading, discussing, and reflecting on. The test will cover the elements of each type of story: folk tales, fairy tales, fables, tall tales, and legends.

In writing I am pleased to say that almost all students have finished drafting, revising, proofreading, and conferencing their "Ella" stories. We will begin the publishing process next week. I am excited for the final products! Speaking of writing...take note of the special message at the end of this post...a letter writing opportunity that I am very excited about!

We took a break from word study this week and will continue with it for next week. I feel like I need to make something more clear for both students and parents. WORD STUDY is truly the study of words...sometimes it's about spelling, other times it's about the meaning, many times it is both. Many of our students are excellent spellers. When given the 15 word pretest, they do not get any wrong. Those children are encouraged to look for words that they have misspelled in their writing (and put in their Quick Word Handbook) or words they find that they do not know the meaning...it may not always be a challenging spelling test on Fridays, but the goal would be that each student is spelling and using the words appropriately. There are certain word study/vocabulary/phonics assessments that all students in each grade level have to take....our word study activities help the kids prepare for such assessments. If your child is writing very simple sentences and you see that there is not a lot of challenge involved...encourage (or force, whichever you prefer!) your child to write more elaborate sentences, using the words in appropriate and descriptive ways. Some of the challenge HAS to come from them...I can only provide the foundation. It may sound as if I am being defensive...but, actually no one has come to me and said that it's not challenging...however I am seeing some kids just doing what is asked and nothing more...I'd like to see the "more" in their word study work. Thanks for letting me vent! :-)

MATH
We have been working with fractions and patterns this week. The fourth grade indicator is that "students will identify, describe, extend, and create growing patterns (with at least 3 levels of growth) and repeating patterns (at least 3 repetitions) using symbols, shapes, designs, or pictures to generalize a rule"....iayaiyai!! So we took that indicator and paired it with "students will read, write, or represent proper fractions of a set or region using symbols, words or models." What better way to pair them than to have the kids create their own patterns...had to have at least FOUR levels and the core of the repeated pattern had to be repeated at least two times...and then to write about the patterns using fractions. You should have seen their heads swimming!! Some of my favorite words..."this is hard..." :-) Results of their efforts will be hanging in the classroom soon!

SCIENCE
You have sent me some aspiring scientists!! They are heavy into figuring out which mystery powders are which household chemicals...and of course, they all think they have it figured out! The focus this week was to provide evidence from an investigation to identify the processes that can be used to change materials from one state of matter to another...we made solutions and suspensions...then used filters to separate the mixtures...then observed crystals!! You should have heard the noise levels in here...the more excited they are, the louder they get. I should back up and tell you that on Thursday, while we waited an extra day for all of the water to evaporate, the kids read a non-fiction article about crystals, highlighting new information that they found. I had a child tell me that he went to La Paz for dinner last night...and he said, "Guess what I ate on my chips?! CRYSTALS!" I love it when they make connections! We will continue our investigations next week as we add different liquids to see how the different liquids affect the chemical reaction with each powder.

Speaking of science...the science fair projects are now in full swing. The kids' questions and hypotheses were due today...along with the UES forms for the Science Fair. I am still missing 7, so please check your child's folder for the form and see that they fill it out and you sign it, please. We will be working as a class next week discussing the next steps, I will model the steps and they will record the next deadline in their agendas. I am hoping to help them (and you!) stay on top of it so that you are not left spending Thanksgiving weekend doing a science fair project! Please email me as you have questions.

And now...to the letter writing opportunity..."Christmas in Afghanistan"...Logan Cresswell's uncle was deployed to Afghanistan this week. He is part of our own Frederick based Marines, Bravo Company, 4th LAR. Logan's mom, Kristen Forse, is putting together care packages for these brave marines that will include letters from our class. The goal of "Christmas in Afghanistan" is to send each Marine a "present" to open on Christmas day. Mrs. Forse is also collecting items for the care packages...below I have listed these items. Please know that I completely understand how tight times are right now, I just wanted to make you aware of these care packages that are being put together, and if you were looking for an opportunity to give this holiday season, there is one going on in our "own backyard" with which you can participate. All donations must be collected by December 1st in order to get the care packages there on time. If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Forse at 240-357-0626.

Items that are in need include:
baby wipes
razors
shaving cream
bar soap
socks
hand/foot warmers
toothbrush/toothpaste
magazines
books
crossword puzzles
stationary
gum
canned food
candy

Have a great weekend...enjoy your families.

Happy Fall Festival Day!

So, if you don't mind...I'm taking a shortcut this week...we were busy all week...investigating, computing, reading, discussing, and as always, having fun...but I was also dealing with a loss in our family and my energy is spent...so I'm hoping you'll all forgive me for leaving out the details...I didn't skimp in my lesson planning or teaching...just in my blog...oh yeah, and in grading papers...your kids will be getting TONS of papers after this weekend.


So, I'm just going to share pictures from today...we had SO much fun...a huge thank you to Mrs. Gallo for planning our party...and thanks to all the parents who donated $, supplies, food, and/or their time...you'll see we had a great day!

We started the day with

PUMPKIN MATH...

...and then...

our FALL FESTIVAL party!!

Have a wonderful weekend...and REMEMBER...no school for students on Monday!

PAJAMA DAY PICTURES...ENJOY!

Make sure to read the post that follows these pictures!!