Hello, parents and students! We are already two weeks into the second grading period, and busy learning a lot! Keep up all the hard work, and thank you for all the support of our curriculum at home by allowing your child to use the computer for extra practice. I feel so lucky to be at Ford where we have such wonderful families! Now on to our announcements:
* Please remember that in order for an absence/tardy to be counted as "Exscused - for medical reasons" you must send in a doctor's note from the physician who saw your child. This is county policy, thank you for understanding.
* Thank you ALL for your wonderful donations for our sister school, Brown Elementary. Mrs. Kastensmidt has been amazing for coordinating this effort, and she will be picking up the box on Friday, Oct. 31st. We will be writing the students letters this week to send with our supplies.
* This week's writing project will be to create a fall poem. Maybe this weekend you and your child can take a moment to appreciate all the fall colors by taking a walk and allowing them to get a sense of how fall looks, feels, and smells. These poems will be published for display in the hallway, and also your child will have a chance to recite their poem to an audience this week at Barnes & Noble at the Avenues! Thursday evening is 4th grade's time slot to present - times to come home soon. We will be taking volunteers to sign up to share their poetry. What a great opportunity to practice the 4th grade standards of listening/speaking - and to get experience before the "Book Talk" project coming up in November! I hope you all will be able to come out to shop and enjoy the special activities at Barnes & Noble this week, even if you can't make the performing time. Don't miss Mrs. Fritts dressed up as the Magic School Bus' "Mrs. Frizzle" on Thursday also, doing a read-aloud!
* Speaking of the "Book Talk" project - have you picked the book you're going to use yet? It should be a chapter book that you have read recently or are currently reading now, and this time it should be fiction. Send in your choice as soon as possible using the form at the bottom of the packet we sent home. Keep that back page with suggested ideas and the grading rubric to guide your work. This project is to be completed entirely at home, and your child will be graded on the live presentation. This is different than a "book report" where we grade the written project, this activity looks at how well your child is communicating what they know and understand. If you have any questions, please let me know, I'd like to clear up any confusion before the actual presentations start on Nov 17th.
* We sent home a letter on Friday outlining your child's progress with the "25 Books Campaign." I know you're probably thinking, "My child has read way more books than this," but have they filled out the story map to show their knowledge of the book? We keep extra story maps by the bookshelf in the classroom, and if your child needs more time to fill them out, they are welcome to complete story maps at home. The books do not have to be AR books, and we are expecting half of them to be fiction and half of them non-fiction. They do need to be chapter books, however, to count.
* We have a busy week ahead! On Tuesday, Mrs. Kastensmidt and Mrs. Povich will be in the classroom to do our Earth Lesson for the month - making homemade weather instruments! We look forward to this as a wrap-up to our unit on weather. We will be reviewing this week and having a test on Thursday, Oct. 30th. Your child should be bringing home their interactive science notebook to study - and don't forget the online version of the science textbook that you can access at home. It reads to you!
* Thursday we look forward to Mrs. Nardulli presenting our next Fine Arts lesson!
* Starting in November, we will be coordinating Mystery Readers along with classroom reading parents. I'm looking for parents to give us an hour a week to read and practice test taking skills with individual students. If you're interested, please email Mrs. Kastensmidt. Early morning, 7:15-8:00 works well, as does 10:00-11:00, or 12:00 - 1:00. Whenever you can come in, we'll be able to put you to great use!
* Did you get the flyer about the upcoming Fun Run? Start calling your friends/relatives to prepare them that you will be asking for pledges soon to support the new "SCIENCE LAB" we want to get at Ford! We will be having a student pep rally on Nov 5th to give out further details. 10% of the proceeds go directly back to our classroom to support our instruction! This could help supplement the book publishing project your kids are interested in doing, buy more books for the classroom library, or science materials for projects. It's our choice!
* This week Mrs. Waddell will make her yearly pilgrimage to Cincinnati for the Halloween weekend to visit family. Mrs. Fritts and Mrs. Anglin (primo substitute) will be holding down the fort in her absence, and I know the students will be as awesome and respectful as they are to their regular instructor. Please wish us safe passage, and I'm looking forward to visiting my favorite teacher from elementary school who I just got in touch with again! I'll be bringing back pictures to show the kids when we do our "Favorite Teacher" writing project coming up soon.
* Have a SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Week in Review - 10/24
Class Update 10/17
Our first week of the new grading period has come to a close, and we're doing great! I feel so lucky to be able to teach your children every day and play a part in shaping their futures and getting them prepared for middle school. They continue to make me more and more proud. Now on to our weekly wrap-up:
* We had a fun Donuts and Cider party on Tuesday to celebrate all our students who met their AR goals with at least an 85% overall accuracy. As a class, we earned over 300 points during the first 9 weeks! Thank you to all our parents who sent in supplies for the celebration, and to our wonderful Co-Room Moms for coming in bright and early to help serve. Goals have already been set for the new 9 weeks, and students are already hard at work on earning points. I will have several weather AR books in the classroom this week the students can choose to read as part of their varied "reading diet." We will be visiting the library on Tuesday for a lesson/checkout, so at that time all students should have 2 books checked out of the library. 4th grade students should always have at least one chapter book that they are reading, as well. Don't forget to log your nightly reading in the agenda, as well as on the Book It! calendar, and filling in your bowling balls on the Stampede to Read yellow sheet. Don't pass up your chance to earn free pizza and the $5 gift card to Stars and Strikes! The "Million Dollar Store" at Ford will be opening soon, so remember - those AR points turn into $$$ to spend on books and small toys.
* Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of supplies for our sister school at Brown Elementary - you all have been wonderful! Also, a big thanks to Mrs. Kastensmidt for coordinating this activity. Our students will be writing letters to send with the supplies at the end of the month. What a great lesson in giving as we head into the holiday season!
* Next week is "Bus Driver Appreciation Week." If your child is a bus rider, please have them make a card for their bus driver to thank them for providing safe transportation to and from school every day. I even suggested a nice drawing or a warm muffin - just to make their day!
* "Red Ribbon Week" also starts on Monday, October 20th. Red bracelets will be distributed on Monday, and students should wear them all week. The spirit events are as follows:
Mon –The students will get drug free bracelets in class. They will wear them all week.
Tues- Sock it to Drugs- Wear Crazy Socks. (yes, it was supposed to be Hat Day but due to lice situation it was changed)
Wed- Don't get crazy and mixed up with drugs- Wear mix-matched clothes/crazy hair.
Thurs- Team up against drugs- wear favorite team attire.
Fri- Spirit Day- Wear as much red as possible.
Curriculum News
Math
We are continuing to extend multiplication computation. The standard is for your fourth grader to be able to multiply 2 digit by 2 digit numbers using a variety of methods. You may see partial products and area model homework practice coming home. Please remember how important being fluent in your multiplication facts is to this process! Practice, practice, practice!
Science
We've completed the water cycle, and are now working on weather forecasting and weather instruments. We plan on making a weather map and creating our own weather forecast as a culminating activity. Have your child start watching the weather report on the news with you daily to get some ideas!
Writing
How do I know if my writing is good? This week we finished rewriting a Haunted House story, making sure to include an engaging beginning, complex characters, descriptive language to establish a setting, and a sense of closure. This piece of writing will be graded. We also wrote a "Diary of a Water Drop" as part of our Science curriculum. Next week we will continue narrative writing with a new project, as well as doing a pre-assessment on our next genre - Response to Literature. We are currently reading aloud a very amusing book called Stuart's Capeto base this piece of writing on.
Reading
Guided reading groups will be reading weather books, and practicing using text features to locate information, and using strategies to locate the answers to our questions.
Grammar
Complext subjects and predicates, varying our sentence lengths when we write using compound instead of simple sentences. Next week we'll begin a Shurley English unit on prepositions.
Spelling/Vocab
This week we will have a test Wed over the words in Vocabulary Unit 4, and reviewing Units 1-4. Thursday we'll begin studying the words in Sitton Spelling Units 7/8, with a test planned for Friday, Oct. 31st!! Visit the Sitton Spelling website (link on right) to preview the words.
Questions of the Week 10/18
We are always encouraging your child to go "above and beyond" to get more out of their learning. At-home research projects on something that we're studying is always encouraged, so students are not limited to these ideas. Be creative! This week's suggested "extra stick" opportunities are:
1. Visit the vocabulary website using the link on the right and click on "level orange." Choose an activity such as hangman or word scramble for the words in Unit 4 to prepare for this Wednesday's test. If you complete 2 activities, have Mom or Dad jot me a note or send me an email that you practiced your words at home!
2. Make a weekend "Cloud Diary." Draw the clouds you see in the sky this Saturday and Sunday. Can you name them? (use the Internet for help) Write a sentence or two describing the weather at the time.
3. Clip out (2) color weather maps from the back of the front page of the newspaper and bring in to class.
Field Trip to Cobb Youth Museum
We had a wonderful time on Thursday at the Cobb Youth Museum! I hope your child came home and told you some of the exciting history that they learned about the events of the Revolutionary War. It will still be a couple of months before we get to this in our study of American History, but these interactive lessons where the students got to play parts in the historical events should bring it to life for them. Check out the photos below of the day we spent in the 1700's! (Click on "Full Screen" for it to come up)
Our Week in Review 10/10
It's the end of the first 9 weeks! Time sure does fly. We've had a very eventful week, keep reading to get up to date announcements:
- Report cards will go home NEXT Friday, October 17th
- Please remember that Wednesday, October 15th is an Early Release Day, students will be released two hours early at 12:10.It will also be SLIPPER DAY to support the Relay for Life team. (formerly HAT DAY) Students may pay $1 to wear slippers that day. All donations benefit Cancer research, and the winning class gets a treat!
- The Scholastic Book Fair was a great success! Thank you so much to all the students and families that donated books to our classroom library - we will really enjoy reading each and every one.
- New AR goals will be given out next week. We had quite a few students meet both their point goal and achieve 85% overall accuracy, and we will have a party to celebrate their success on Tuesday. If your child did not make their goal this time, every 9 weeks is a new opportunity! Keep reading!!!
- Stampede to Read began today. Students will need to read for 40 minutes a night, color in a bowling pin on the yellow card, and have a parent sign it. Cards are due on November 7th, and every child that meets their reading goal will receive a $5 gift card to Stars and Strikes Bowling Center.
Our Week in Review 10/3
October is under way! How great to finally feel that chill in the air. I hope you get some time to root on your favorite football team this weekend. Mrs. Waddell's Bulldogs will be taking on Mrs. Fritts' Volunteers next weekend - that oughta be good!!! Read on for some important announcements:
- Watch for the Book Fair all next week! Our class took a preview trip through to make our Wish Lists on Friday. Students may visit the Book Fair before announcements each morning if they bring money to school. Check the green flyer sent home in the Friday folder for times the Book Fair is open after school, so parents can visit, too. Great place to do your holiday shopping!
- Due to the power outage on Tuesday, Picture Retakes have been rescheduled for October 7th
- Thursday, October 9th will be our field trip to the Cobb Youth Museum. Please remember to wear your green class t-shirt. Watch this blog for some photos of our fun!
- Friday, October 10th is the last day of the 9 week grading period. Report cards will go home on the following Friday, October 17th.
- October 10th is also the final day for this first AR Goal challenge. Those students who meet both their point goal and have greater than 85% overall accuracy rate will be invited to an AR celebration on Tuesday, October 14th. That still leaves almost a week to be reading and accumulating points! We have checked out many shorter books that we are keeping in the classroom for students to read when they are finished with their work. We want EVERYONE to meet their goal! An updated report was sent home in the students' agendas on Friday, so you can be aware of their current status.
- A bright orange calendar for the Book It! program went home on Thursday. This is not meant to be an extra amount of reading, students simply need to record their required 30 minutes of reading in their agenda AND on this calendar. That will total the 2 hours a week, for a total of 8 hours for the month. Return the form by October 31st with a parent signature, and your child will receive a coupon for a FREE personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. They will have the opportunity to participate in the same challenge every month from now until March. Those who meet their goal all 6 months get a special certificate.
- I hope everyone has had a chance to try logging into their textbooks online at home. This saves having to lug the SS, Science, and Math books home on the nights you have homework that requires a textbook. If you are having trouble, please let me know as soon as possible.
- I'm proud of all our students who entered the PTSA Reflections "WOW!" contest. Good luck Grace, Tate, Brianna, Bethany, and Nikki!
- Hope to see everyone Saturday night for "Movie in the Garden!" Bring your chairs, blankets, and picnics out to watch Snow Buddies on the track with your Ford Family!
Questions of the Week 10/3
Complete these activities and return to Mrs. Waddell for an extra stick!
- Visit the "Wacky Web Tales" link on the right side, and complete a tale by filling in the proper parts of speech. Print it out and bring it in!
- Visit and review the Cobb Science newsletter at http://picasso.cobbk12.org/cobbcurriculum/curriculum/ScienceElem/waterparentnewsletter.doc and visit the links with a parent. Watch the video on the EPA website of the water cycle, then draw and label your own diagram of the water cycle!
- Visit this website http://www.goenglish.com/Idioms.asp and research an idiom. (you can click on the underlined text to get more background and examples) Illustrate the literal AND the intended meaning with written explanations for both. If you redo a final copy in class on our class book paper, that will be worth an EXTRA stick, for a total of 2 for this activity!
- What are the 4 types of precipitation, and what place in Hawaii claims to be the rainiest place on earth?
Curriculum Review
A special thanks to Mrs. Nardulli for the Fine Arts Lesson on Wednesday! We enjoyed viewing and discussing the artworks of Romare Bearden and making our own collages in his style. We look forward to learning more about Andrew Wyeth later this month!
Math
We have studied algebra with variables, and all compacting classes are now working on multiplication and graphing. Several methods of solving double digit problems will be presented, including the area model, partial product, and the traditional way. Don't forget to visit the math book website for extra practice. A weekly review of multiplication facts is also necessary for students to stay sharp. Check out multiplication.com for some fun games.
Spelling
We are now studying words from the Sitton Spelling Units 5-6. Tic-Tac-Toe activities are due on Thursday, October 9th, and our cloze and skill tests will be given that day after the field trip. Make sure to study words before that, however, since the sentence dictation test will be given on Wednesday. Don't forget to visit the link on the right to extra Sitton Spelling activities!
Social Studies/Science
This week we began a unit on the First Americans, and began to study the different regions of natives, and how they used the land to survive. The students studied the Northwest Indians with Mrs. Waddell - LOVED THE TOTEM POLES!- then travelled to Mrs. Fillingham's room to learn about the Hopi Indians of the Southwest Region. They will visit 4 more regions over the next 2 weeks. In our homeroom, we will begin learning about the parts of the Water Cycle, and are looking forward to our Earth Lesson this week.
English/Grammar
We continue to study the 4 main parts of speech in a sentence, the subject/predicate relationship, and are now studying proper use of quotation marks. Proofreading is a great skill that can be practiced at home too on eduplace.com/powerproofreading. We will be doing some MadLibs this week to practice parts of speech, but there are also online versions for fun at home practice. (check the links to the right)
Reading/Writing
We are continuing to work on strategies of good readers (connectiona, visualizing, summarizing) and the elements of good story. This week we practiced our engaging beginnings, and establishing a setting. Next week we will incorporate complex characters, and adding suspense/conflict to the plot. Students are rewriting a Haunted House story that will be graded for these narrative elements when they are finished.
