Week 6

I am really enjoying this nice weather!  How about you? :-)

In my math class, we have started studying about graphs.  The students have had lots of fun taking surveys, organizing their data, and creating graphs.  We will continue this graphing unit for another week.  We will review at the end of the week and be ready to test on Friday, September 23.. If you would like to help your child look over some graphing information, you can pull up the online textbook.  I put the log-in information on last week's blog posting.

Although we still have two Native American tribes/regions we will be learning about this week, I am going to go ahead and send home the Native American unit study guide this Monday.  We will test on Monday, September 25. This is a unit with LOTS of information, so it would be in your child's best interest to start reviewing now. 

As I mentioned at curriculum night, our spelling studies have changed a bit.  Actually, your child will continue to have the same types of dictation sentences they have had in the past (along with the regular spelling homework on the five words), but there will be ten new words added that include prefixes and suffixes.  This is a new word study program adopted by Gwinnett County.  We will be doing lessons daily on prefixes and suffixes that pertain to these words, but it is their responsibility to study the words throughout the week.  They will be given time to write the words in their agenda book each week.  They will receive the words either Monday or Tuesday of each week.

In science with Mrs. Howell, your child will test on their water and weather vocabulary on Tuesday of next week.  They should have their words and study materials in their journal.

Please continue to send in any Fun Run fundraiser money that you have collected. Way to go to those that have already turned money in. 

We have started receiving our Time Magazine. The kids had fun reading their first issue. It was a blast discussing 'on line school' with the kids, as this was the topic of the featured front page article.  

Soon you will be receiving information about conferences, so please be on the lookout for all the details.

Please remind your child that our media center day is every Monday.  This is a weekly opportunity to renew a book or check out a new one.  We go as a class once a week, because there simply aren't many opportunities for students to go individually. 

Does your child know all of their multiplication facts?  Do they have quick recall with them?  If not, please work with your child each night using flashcards.

I think I have covered all of the important tidbits of information for the week.  If I remember anything, I will come back and post again.  Have a great rest of the weekend!

Please excuse any typos.  Thanks!

Week 5

The kids had a great time at the Fun Run!  Thanks so much for helping your children get pledges for their efforts.  You can send this money in any time until the end of the month. 

Progress reports went home Friday.  Please sign and return these on Monday.  Please look through the folder for any other papers that need to be signed and returned. 

Last Thursday, your child should have brought home a study guide for their subject/predicate test, which they will take on Monday.  Please take time time to review this topic with your child.

For my math class......You are  going to see multiplication timed activities averaged in with their math grades. The students are given 30 problems and they have 5 minutes to complete them.  For the most part, the students have done great. Please remember, your child is supposed to have mastered the times tables in third grade.  They actually start learning them in second grade.  These weekly activities can really hurt a math average if your child receives several failing grades, so if your child is struggling with quick recall of their multiplication facts, please help them study EACH NIGHT.  Just spending five minutes a night doing flash cards can make a huge difference.

If you would like to view the math or social studies textbook online, I have created an account.  The log in information is: username: 4phillips  password:math    The link for the websites can be found on the school's web page.

Topics of Study
Types of sentences
Graphs
Native Americans (different regions/tribes)
Water/Weather
Reader's response
Character Traits
Themes of Stories
....much more

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  The weather is beautiful!

Three Day Weekend- week 4

Yeah!  It's so nice to have a 3 day weekend.  Enjoy this time with your children.

The kids had so much fun with the first auction.  I hope to do this at the end of each month.  In order for it to work though, I will need ongoing donations.  Those of you that have donated items already, they were all perfect, so keep them coming.  We have one month to build the stock back up, so if you see cheap items, go ahead and grab them.  A great place can be Target's dollar section, which is located right when you walk in their front door.  Sometimes they mark this section 75% off, and things can get really cheap. You can send in items all through the month.

Now that I have every one's individual reading level figured out, we are ready to get Reader's workshop into full swing.  This means that I will be working and conferencing with students in small groups and individually.  We will also begin working on reading strategies.  This is ongoing throughout the year, and includes topics such as questioning the text, connecting with the text, and visualizing the text (among many others).

Other topics of study include:  character traits, Native Americans, estimation, sentence structure, sustained silent writing, memories for writing (we share 3-4 memory bags a day), water cycle, and many others

NOTE:  My math group will test on estimation and rounding this coming Friday. 

Remember, we do have a fundraiser going on.  Your child brought home all of the information and the collection envelope in last Friday's folder.  Thanks for your support in helping your child get donations.  We are scheduled to have our Fun Run on September 9.

In this Friday's folder, you will find an information request sheet for our class directory.  Thank you for filling this out and returning it on Monday.

If your child signed up for a club, I also included any club information I received. 

Please take the time to look through your child's papers.  If your child did not do well on an assignment, I will sometimes  put a sticker at the top requesting that you sign and return it. I like to keep these papers on file just incase your child shows a pattern of struggling.  This can be very helpful in conferencing about struggles, as well as helping me keep track of specific skills your child is need extra help with. 

I am really enjoying this group of kids, and I feel like we are having a great year.  Enjoy your weekend. 

Pleae excuse any typos.  Thank you!

Week Three

I can't believe we are moving into the fourth week of school.... where does time go? It was another super week in the classroom.

It was great seeing many of you at Curriculum Night.  If you were not able to make it, I understand and will look forward to seeing you soon. 

If you attended Curriculum Night, I provided you with a sheet where you could make a donation to the classroom to help with the cost of me purchasing each child a subscription to Time Magazine for Kids.  On the sheet, I said you could pay with cash OR write a check to Burnette.  I need to correct that.  In talking with our bookkeeper, it is going to be best if you send the $4.50 in CASH.  This has something to do with me already having ordered the magazine and the school not being able to now write a check for it out of school funds.  Please do not feel obligated to make a donation, as your child will receive the magazine regardless.  For those that have given money, I do appreciate  it.  

In your child's Friday folder, you will find a fundraiser envelope.  Please review the information.  We had a pep rally on Friday to kick off the fundraiser, so I think the kids are pretty excited.  Your children benefit in so many ways from the money that is raised, so I thank you for encouraging them to participate by getting pledges from family and friends.

Some Topics of Study
* Finished US Land Features (TEST on Wednesday of next week)
* Starting Native Americans
* Starting Rounding/Estimating
* Water Cycle (with Mrs. Howell)
* Subject/Predicate, types of sentences
* Reader's workshop- Responding to literature, Character Traits
* Much More

Please note that your child was instructed to bring home their SS journal this weekend to start studying the vocabulary and locations of important land features.  They were also instructed to write this in their agenda book. 

I would still love any donations towards our Token Economy auction.  It has been postponed one more week due to lack of donations.  Please send in any trinkets or Dollar Store items that you think would be of interest to a child. Next Friday, we will plan to do it regardless of donations, there just simply won't be many items to bid on.  It is a lot of fun, so I am looking forward to the first auction!!

Please help your child to remember that our media center day is MONDAY of each week.  Because we go as a class, there will not be many opportunities to go individually.  Students have been taught methods of choosing 'just right' books, so they need to be utilizing those when selecting books.  Because we have sustained silent reading each day, students need to have a chapter book.  They can select this book from the media center, the public library, home, or my class library.  I have books for all reading levels in my class.... even up to sixth-seventh grade and as low as first and second grade, so there is something for everyone. There is never an excuse to not have a book. 

A new spelling page has been added to the class blog.  When you click on the link, you will see the fourth grade words that your child is responsible for this year.  In addition, if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see words from first-third grades.  These are the words your child should have already mastered.  The kids usually enjoy the activities for each unit, so let your students try them out.

Have a great weekend, and if I have forgotten anything, I will come back and post again.

Please excuse any typos. Thank you!