2017 Commissioner's Summer Math Challenge
5/19/17
In Writing, we are starting a new unit on writing about what we read, in other words, writing a literary essay. I opened by reading and analyzing with the class the picture book Fox by Margaret Wild. This is a story, similar to a fable, about a dog, a magpie, and a fox and how they interact. The whole class discussion on the book was fabulous. Thoughtful comments, inquisitive insights….I was getting goosebumps the whole time. Then, if that wasn’t enough to make my heart swell, students were assigned to write a continuation of the story. Wow! Their word choice, their voice, their eagerness to write and finish the story was amazing; I was truly a “happy camper” today.
In Reading, students worked really hard on their post Unit assessment. This was different than the ones we have had in the past as it used media as the second text. Also, since our writing unit is about responding to what we read, our writing and reading time will be intertwined. As I mentioned before, I read aloud Fox and we spent time analyzing everything we encountered in the book: title page, endpapers, and page layout. Students noted the colors the author and illustrator chose and how they affected the mood of the story. Students even noted the font style and how it added to the mystery of the story. For such a short “picture book,” the students really looked carefully at all the different elements of the story.
In Math, students are continuing to strengthen their geometry skills. Students classified two-dimensional shapes into categories, in particular, those with/without parallel lines and perpendicular lines. Students also used the protractor to create given angles. Since singing and music help us learn, I found a song about quadrilaterals that I thought the students might like. It is a parody of the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. Listening to this has helped the students remember that quadrilaterals have angles that measure 360°. Then students went on to prove, using what they know about angles, that quadrilaterals do indeed have 360°. Here are a few links that illustrate what we have done in math this week.
How to use a protractor to draw an angle
Classifying Shapes
Quadrilateral song
In Writing, we are starting a new unit on writing about what we read, in other words, writing a literary essay. I opened by reading and analyzing with the class the picture book Fox by Margaret Wild. This is a story, similar to a fable, about a dog, a magpie, and a fox and how they interact. The whole class discussion on the book was fabulous. Thoughtful comments, inquisitive insights….I was getting goosebumps the whole time. Then, if that wasn’t enough to make my heart swell, students were assigned to write a continuation of the story. Wow! Their word choice, their voice, their eagerness to write and finish the story was amazing; I was truly a “happy camper” today.
In Reading, students worked really hard on their post Unit assessment. This was different than the ones we have had in the past as it used media as the second text. Also, since our writing unit is about responding to what we read, our writing and reading time will be intertwined. As I mentioned before, I read aloud Fox and we spent time analyzing everything we encountered in the book: title page, endpapers, and page layout. Students noted the colors the author and illustrator chose and how they affected the mood of the story. Students even noted the font style and how it added to the mystery of the story. For such a short “picture book,” the students really looked carefully at all the different elements of the story.
In Math, students are continuing to strengthen their geometry skills. Students classified two-dimensional shapes into categories, in particular, those with/without parallel lines and perpendicular lines. Students also used the protractor to create given angles. Since singing and music help us learn, I found a song about quadrilaterals that I thought the students might like. It is a parody of the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. Listening to this has helped the students remember that quadrilaterals have angles that measure 360°. Then students went on to prove, using what they know about angles, that quadrilaterals do indeed have 360°. Here are a few links that illustrate what we have done in math this week.
How to use a protractor to draw an angle
Classifying Shapes
Quadrilateral song
Week of 5/8-12
In Math, students have used non-standard and standard units to measure angles. Students learned a half-circle is 180° and a full circle is 360°. When measuring angles, students need to consider whether the angle is obtuse or acute. This will help when reading a protractor to get the correct measurement. Here are few helpful links: Measuring angles , Using a protractor and Practice Measuring angles .
In Reading, students are synthesizing a written passage and text presented in visual media. For example, students watched (and read subtitles) on the statues, or moai, of Easter Island. Together, we discussed how to determine the main idea. We also discussed how the music and visual effects affected what we thought the main idea was. Figuring out the main idea will help when synthesizing this “text” to another. Next students read a passage on Easter Island. Students needed to collect and merge the ideas from both sources. I encouraged students to sort and organize the information into categories.
In Writing, students are independently writing an informational text. They are showing all they know about how to write informational and applying it by writing about a topic they feel they are an expert in.
In Science, students created complete circuits as well as created series and parallel circuits, and compared their properties using the Circuits Gizmo. According to their Gizmo lessons: A circuit is a closed path along which electronic charges can travel. A simple circuit consists of a power source such as a battery, wire, and a load that provides resistance. Examples of loads include light bulbs, motors, buzzers, heating coils, and resistors.
In Math, students have used non-standard and standard units to measure angles. Students learned a half-circle is 180° and a full circle is 360°. When measuring angles, students need to consider whether the angle is obtuse or acute. This will help when reading a protractor to get the correct measurement. Here are few helpful links: Measuring angles , Using a protractor and Practice Measuring angles .
In Reading, students are synthesizing a written passage and text presented in visual media. For example, students watched (and read subtitles) on the statues, or moai, of Easter Island. Together, we discussed how to determine the main idea. We also discussed how the music and visual effects affected what we thought the main idea was. Figuring out the main idea will help when synthesizing this “text” to another. Next students read a passage on Easter Island. Students needed to collect and merge the ideas from both sources. I encouraged students to sort and organize the information into categories.
In Writing, students are independently writing an informational text. They are showing all they know about how to write informational and applying it by writing about a topic they feel they are an expert in.
In Science, students created complete circuits as well as created series and parallel circuits, and compared their properties using the Circuits Gizmo. According to their Gizmo lessons: A circuit is a closed path along which electronic charges can travel. A simple circuit consists of a power source such as a battery, wire, and a load that provides resistance. Examples of loads include light bulbs, motors, buzzers, heating coils, and resistors.
Week of 5/1-5/5
In Math, students have been exploring the world of Geometry. Students have learned about polygons, angles, shapes, lines, and their attributes ( or features). One fun activity the students learned in Geometry Simon Says. Student use their arm and form the different geometric shapes and we play just like the traditional Simon Says game. Students have learned a lot of information this past week. They applied this learning while going on an ABC Scavenger Hunt in their Math Notebook. Students matched up Alphabetic letters with different attributes. Please refer to our classroom charts to see the details of our many activities.
Since we were taking the Smarter Balance Assessment for English Language Arts this week, we spent our Reading time this week reviewing how to write a summary and how to determine the Main Idea of a passage.
In Writing, student worked on final edits and revisions of their Informational Google Presentation Slides.
In Science, students have been learning about electricity. Students learned that electricity comes from atoms and have a positive and negative charge. There are two kinds of electricity: static and electric currents. Many are familiar with the “shocks” they receive during the winter and they now know why this occurs. We have also discussed insulators and conductors. Knowing about these two will help students this week when they work on creating a complete circuit to light a small light bulb.
The week ended on a fun note. We celebrated Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be with You). We have a new attendance board with X-Wing fighters and we read with Wookie, because you should read Solo. I think the most favorite was marching down the hall to our Special in 3 rows of five students to the Imperial March, or Darth Vader’s theme song). The students feet marching down the hall sounded just like Storm Troopers. We definitely made other classes stop and pay attention. Some of our Star Wars Day activities are on our Class Dojo Class Story as well as individual photographs of your child with Mrs. Farrell’s C3PO and R2D2 cut out.
In Math, students have been exploring the world of Geometry. Students have learned about polygons, angles, shapes, lines, and their attributes ( or features). One fun activity the students learned in Geometry Simon Says. Student use their arm and form the different geometric shapes and we play just like the traditional Simon Says game. Students have learned a lot of information this past week. They applied this learning while going on an ABC Scavenger Hunt in their Math Notebook. Students matched up Alphabetic letters with different attributes. Please refer to our classroom charts to see the details of our many activities.
Since we were taking the Smarter Balance Assessment for English Language Arts this week, we spent our Reading time this week reviewing how to write a summary and how to determine the Main Idea of a passage.
In Writing, student worked on final edits and revisions of their Informational Google Presentation Slides.
In Science, students have been learning about electricity. Students learned that electricity comes from atoms and have a positive and negative charge. There are two kinds of electricity: static and electric currents. Many are familiar with the “shocks” they receive during the winter and they now know why this occurs. We have also discussed insulators and conductors. Knowing about these two will help students this week when they work on creating a complete circuit to light a small light bulb.
The week ended on a fun note. We celebrated Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be with You). We have a new attendance board with X-Wing fighters and we read with Wookie, because you should read Solo. I think the most favorite was marching down the hall to our Special in 3 rows of five students to the Imperial March, or Darth Vader’s theme song). The students feet marching down the hall sounded just like Storm Troopers. We definitely made other classes stop and pay attention. Some of our Star Wars Day activities are on our Class Dojo Class Story as well as individual photographs of your child with Mrs. Farrell’s C3PO and R2D2 cut out.
Week of 4/24-4/28
In Reading, students learned to recognize the valuable information that can be found in an author’s word choice. The words an author used reveal details about the topic as well as the author’s perspective. For example, students read a short passage entitled, “A Massacre in Boston.” After reading, students discussed what they learned from the passage and to choose words or phrases they felt were strong. Students chose phrases such as “angry colonists” and “hurling taunts” and words such as “violence” and “mob.” Students began to form thoughts that the author was probably not on the colonists’ side. This was giving insight as to the author’s perspective on how the Massacre in Boston started. Students also learned to question the text they are reading and to check the credibility of their source. They should read other sources to be sure they are forming a well-rounded thought about the topics they are reading about. I believe most students have a different perspective about the American Revolution than when we first began reading about it. This perspective is now powered by evidence from many different sources that they have read over the last couple of weeks. In small reading groups, students are once again working on constructing a summary of a text. In order to write a summary, students are reviewing how to determine the main idea, and adding details to it to come up with a complete summarization.
In Math, students have been working on solving five-step word problems involving decimals and decimal fractions. Students are taking the time to use their notebooks as a resource for writing Connections and Representations. Students also learned how to write decimals in the tenth or hundredths on a number line. Students changed the decimal to a decimal fraction (a denominator of 10 or 100) and were then able to to plot it on a number line.
In Reading, students learned to recognize the valuable information that can be found in an author’s word choice. The words an author used reveal details about the topic as well as the author’s perspective. For example, students read a short passage entitled, “A Massacre in Boston.” After reading, students discussed what they learned from the passage and to choose words or phrases they felt were strong. Students chose phrases such as “angry colonists” and “hurling taunts” and words such as “violence” and “mob.” Students began to form thoughts that the author was probably not on the colonists’ side. This was giving insight as to the author’s perspective on how the Massacre in Boston started. Students also learned to question the text they are reading and to check the credibility of their source. They should read other sources to be sure they are forming a well-rounded thought about the topics they are reading about. I believe most students have a different perspective about the American Revolution than when we first began reading about it. This perspective is now powered by evidence from many different sources that they have read over the last couple of weeks. In small reading groups, students are once again working on constructing a summary of a text. In order to write a summary, students are reviewing how to determine the main idea, and adding details to it to come up with a complete summarization.
In Math, students have been working on solving five-step word problems involving decimals and decimal fractions. Students are taking the time to use their notebooks as a resource for writing Connections and Representations. Students also learned how to write decimals in the tenth or hundredths on a number line. Students changed the decimal to a decimal fraction (a denominator of 10 or 100) and were then able to to plot it on a number line.
Week of 4/3 - 4/7
In Reading, students are continuing to read their informational books on the American Revolution. Students are reading and taking notes for the research they are doing for their informational writing. In the gallery, there is a chart we used in class to help students record and explain important information. Students learned to pause at the ends of chunks of text to recall the text. A detail is important enough to record when it connects to something bigger-to the main idea, an issue, or a key subtopic. These details also spark our thinking. Stopping to jot these thoughts adds to our thinking. Students have also been synthesizing texts. Synthesizing is merging new information with existing knowledge to create an original thought, view something from a new perspective, or form a new line of thinking to achieve insight. Students used the chart for phrases to help them merge information from more than one text. I posted a photograph on our ClassDojo Class Story of how I modeled how to follow this procedure.
In Writing, students are applying what they know to the drafting of their historical informational book on the American Revolution (or expert informational). Students have constructed a first chapter which is an All About. Their next chapter is going to be a micro-story or narrative. Students who are working on their expert informational have narrowed their chapters done to important subtopics that will help teach the reader about their main topic. Students were also encouraged to use an editing checklist to check their work so far. Students need to reread aloud to find run-on sentences and to check for clarity of their topic. Students learned that writers plan out their book and list the names of their chapters. Students created their own written plan to follow. In Math, students have been introduced to decimals. Their lesson is very similar to this lesson from Khan Academy: Intro to decimals. We are using manipulatives to help with our conceptual understanding. In the gallery is a page from their math notebook which illustrates this. Students have also taken notes on decimal fractions. Just today, students learned an activity called Decimal Compare. Partners drew cards and compared the decimals. Students then had to explain their thinking. Many did this through representations or by comparing the decimal to money. For example, when comparing twenty five hundredths and three tenths, students explained that .25 is composed of 2 tenths (or 2 rods) and 5 hundredths (or 5 cubes) and then .3 is composed of 3 tenths (or 3 rods). Three rods is more than two, so they know .3 is more than .25. If they think of it as money, then they may see 25 cents (twenty-five hundredth) compared to thirty cents (three tenths). Thirty cents is more than a quarter.
I hope everyone has a fantastic break!
In Reading, students are continuing to read their informational books on the American Revolution. Students are reading and taking notes for the research they are doing for their informational writing. In the gallery, there is a chart we used in class to help students record and explain important information. Students learned to pause at the ends of chunks of text to recall the text. A detail is important enough to record when it connects to something bigger-to the main idea, an issue, or a key subtopic. These details also spark our thinking. Stopping to jot these thoughts adds to our thinking. Students have also been synthesizing texts. Synthesizing is merging new information with existing knowledge to create an original thought, view something from a new perspective, or form a new line of thinking to achieve insight. Students used the chart for phrases to help them merge information from more than one text. I posted a photograph on our ClassDojo Class Story of how I modeled how to follow this procedure.
In Writing, students are applying what they know to the drafting of their historical informational book on the American Revolution (or expert informational). Students have constructed a first chapter which is an All About. Their next chapter is going to be a micro-story or narrative. Students who are working on their expert informational have narrowed their chapters done to important subtopics that will help teach the reader about their main topic. Students were also encouraged to use an editing checklist to check their work so far. Students need to reread aloud to find run-on sentences and to check for clarity of their topic. Students learned that writers plan out their book and list the names of their chapters. Students created their own written plan to follow. In Math, students have been introduced to decimals. Their lesson is very similar to this lesson from Khan Academy: Intro to decimals. We are using manipulatives to help with our conceptual understanding. In the gallery is a page from their math notebook which illustrates this. Students have also taken notes on decimal fractions. Just today, students learned an activity called Decimal Compare. Partners drew cards and compared the decimals. Students then had to explain their thinking. Many did this through representations or by comparing the decimal to money. For example, when comparing twenty five hundredths and three tenths, students explained that .25 is composed of 2 tenths (or 2 rods) and 5 hundredths (or 5 cubes) and then .3 is composed of 3 tenths (or 3 rods). Three rods is more than two, so they know .3 is more than .25. If they think of it as money, then they may see 25 cents (twenty-five hundredth) compared to thirty cents (three tenths). Thirty cents is more than a quarter.
I hope everyone has a fantastic break!
4/2/2017
We are trying something new that is a part of the ClassDojo website. It is called Stories. Students each have their own “story” thread and there is also a “Class Story” thread. When you log onto Classdojo, the “feed” should pop up your home tab. You will be able to see the Class Story and anything your child has posted. You will not see other students’ information unless it is posted on the “Class Story”. Above the photo or video, it will indicate who posted and onto to what thread (Class or Student Story). Only the teachers, parents, and students of a particular class are able to view the Class Story. I’m excited about using this for the students to share their work with you via photographs and/or video. We have spent class time getting students on to ClassDojo, but they do need your permission, so please check your email to approve their requests. If you have any questions, please let me know.
In Math, students continue to work with fractions. We have compared fractions in many different ways. See the graphic below, which is also in their Math Notebook, on how we can compare fractions. Here is a lesson on LearnZillion which explain how to compare fractions with different denominators by using a number line. Students have also learned how to decompose fractions into smaller fractions. Here is a quick review of how to decompose fractions into unit fractions on LearnZillion. This week we will begin discussing decimal fractions. These are fractions where the denominator is (for a fourth grade purpose) a power of 10 or 100. These decimal fractions can be written with a decimal point which will make doing calculations easier. Here are a few examples: 6/10 is a decimal fraction and it can be shown as 0.6. We read it aloud as zero and sixth-tenths.
In Reading, we need to read differently based on the discipline in which we are reading (history, science, math). We read these text differently and sort our ideas differently. Students learned that readers and researchers of history pay attention to the who, where, and when. Students also learned the value of rereading a text, especially informational. Rereading can help them gain a deeper understanding of the text. It can also aid in accuracy, fluency and vocabulary acquisition.
During our Writing time, students have learned the importance of elaboration. These details we use when elaborating help to bring our topics to life. Students are working on understanding how even the smallest details add credibility to their nonfiction text. These details are being worked into their nonfiction text with a micro-story. This micro-story is embedded into their writing and gives the reader a different glimpse or perspective. Students need to consider daily life during the Revolutionary War to shape their story. The most intriguing to students has been the language aspect. Student enjoy hearing about the language differences. For instance, using “tis” instead of “it is” or address men or women as sir or Madame.
We are trying something new that is a part of the ClassDojo website. It is called Stories. Students each have their own “story” thread and there is also a “Class Story” thread. When you log onto Classdojo, the “feed” should pop up your home tab. You will be able to see the Class Story and anything your child has posted. You will not see other students’ information unless it is posted on the “Class Story”. Above the photo or video, it will indicate who posted and onto to what thread (Class or Student Story). Only the teachers, parents, and students of a particular class are able to view the Class Story. I’m excited about using this for the students to share their work with you via photographs and/or video. We have spent class time getting students on to ClassDojo, but they do need your permission, so please check your email to approve their requests. If you have any questions, please let me know.
In Math, students continue to work with fractions. We have compared fractions in many different ways. See the graphic below, which is also in their Math Notebook, on how we can compare fractions. Here is a lesson on LearnZillion which explain how to compare fractions with different denominators by using a number line. Students have also learned how to decompose fractions into smaller fractions. Here is a quick review of how to decompose fractions into unit fractions on LearnZillion. This week we will begin discussing decimal fractions. These are fractions where the denominator is (for a fourth grade purpose) a power of 10 or 100. These decimal fractions can be written with a decimal point which will make doing calculations easier. Here are a few examples: 6/10 is a decimal fraction and it can be shown as 0.6. We read it aloud as zero and sixth-tenths.
In Reading, we need to read differently based on the discipline in which we are reading (history, science, math). We read these text differently and sort our ideas differently. Students learned that readers and researchers of history pay attention to the who, where, and when. Students also learned the value of rereading a text, especially informational. Rereading can help them gain a deeper understanding of the text. It can also aid in accuracy, fluency and vocabulary acquisition.
During our Writing time, students have learned the importance of elaboration. These details we use when elaborating help to bring our topics to life. Students are working on understanding how even the smallest details add credibility to their nonfiction text. These details are being worked into their nonfiction text with a micro-story. This micro-story is embedded into their writing and gives the reader a different glimpse or perspective. Students need to consider daily life during the Revolutionary War to shape their story. The most intriguing to students has been the language aspect. Student enjoy hearing about the language differences. For instance, using “tis” instead of “it is” or address men or women as sir or Madame.
3/5/17
Last week was our Dr. Seuss Spirit Week. Everyone, including teachers and staff had a great time participating. On Tuesday of last week, we had a special presentation for Rare Disease Day. Rare Disease Day is celebrated every year on the last day of February. It is a day to recognize and raise awareness for others living with a rare disease. Our fellow GCS student Evan was born with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a rare skin disorder that affects less than 20 people in our country. Evan’s mom gave a talk to teach Goshen Center students about Ichthyosis.
In Math, students continue to learn about fractions. Students worked on identifying and creating equivalent fractions. Check out our photo blog to see how students used their hands on models to help identify equivalent fractions. Students learned equivalent fractions can be generated by equally dividing an area model into smaller and smaller pieces. Students also learned that multiplying (or dividing) the numerator and denominator by the same number will also create equivalent fractions. Students have used the online activities in Gizmos to practice. Students are also learning how to put fractions on a number line. Students also created Fraction Flags. Student chose a flag from a country and created it on a 10 x 10 rectangle. Students worked to determine the fraction represented by each color in their flag. The students really enjoyed this activity. Some of the flags, along with flags from Ms. Scozzafava’s class and Mrs. Maritano’s class (JMS ) are on display in the district office up at Wamogo. Here is a link to the tweet I sent out on Friday.
Also, here is a link to the google doc which contains all of the flags our class created.
In Reading, student worked on close reading an excerpt from the book, Walk Two Moons. First students listened to me read the passage to get the gist (or flow) of the passage. Then, students read through the passage on their own. Finally, students read a third time. This final time, student used Thinkmarks as they went through the text. The use of these marks help students to show and share their thinking as they read. It helps them make a connection to the text. In the end, students have a better understanding of what they have read. As I met with students in groups, it was clear that students who took the time to make thinkmarks and take notes on the text, had a higher success rate when answering comprehension questions.
In Writing, students wrote their pre-prompt on informational writing. Students were asked to think of a topic that they have studied or that they knew a lot about. They needed to write an informational text that taught others interesting and important information about their topic. As writers, their goal was to show what they knew about informational writing.
Last week was our Dr. Seuss Spirit Week. Everyone, including teachers and staff had a great time participating. On Tuesday of last week, we had a special presentation for Rare Disease Day. Rare Disease Day is celebrated every year on the last day of February. It is a day to recognize and raise awareness for others living with a rare disease. Our fellow GCS student Evan was born with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a rare skin disorder that affects less than 20 people in our country. Evan’s mom gave a talk to teach Goshen Center students about Ichthyosis.
In Math, students continue to learn about fractions. Students worked on identifying and creating equivalent fractions. Check out our photo blog to see how students used their hands on models to help identify equivalent fractions. Students learned equivalent fractions can be generated by equally dividing an area model into smaller and smaller pieces. Students also learned that multiplying (or dividing) the numerator and denominator by the same number will also create equivalent fractions. Students have used the online activities in Gizmos to practice. Students are also learning how to put fractions on a number line. Students also created Fraction Flags. Student chose a flag from a country and created it on a 10 x 10 rectangle. Students worked to determine the fraction represented by each color in their flag. The students really enjoyed this activity. Some of the flags, along with flags from Ms. Scozzafava’s class and Mrs. Maritano’s class (JMS ) are on display in the district office up at Wamogo. Here is a link to the tweet I sent out on Friday.
Also, here is a link to the google doc which contains all of the flags our class created.
In Reading, student worked on close reading an excerpt from the book, Walk Two Moons. First students listened to me read the passage to get the gist (or flow) of the passage. Then, students read through the passage on their own. Finally, students read a third time. This final time, student used Thinkmarks as they went through the text. The use of these marks help students to show and share their thinking as they read. It helps them make a connection to the text. In the end, students have a better understanding of what they have read. As I met with students in groups, it was clear that students who took the time to make thinkmarks and take notes on the text, had a higher success rate when answering comprehension questions.
In Writing, students wrote their pre-prompt on informational writing. Students were asked to think of a topic that they have studied or that they knew a lot about. They needed to write an informational text that taught others interesting and important information about their topic. As writers, their goal was to show what they knew about informational writing.
2/24/17
What a fun day students had today. We had a special activity with hula hoops today. Students worked in partnerships dancing and moving around the gym with hula hoops. Check out our photo blog for pictures. The other fun activity for the day was meeting with our preschool book buddies.
In Reading, I jumped ahead of myself in thinking our next unit was Historical Fiction, but it is not. We are in Reading History, a nonfiction unit on reading history. This unit pairs nicely with our next Writing unit, Bringing History to Life, which is a historical information writing unit.
In Writing, students learned about pronouns. Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun. Pronouns are everyday words and don’t have much meaning on their own. Students also learned about the antecedent, which is the word a pronoun is replacing. For example: Mary bakes cakes. She will bake one dozen. She is the object pronoun and Mary is the antecedent.
In Math, we have started our unit on Fractions. Fractions often invoke groans and sighs, but now when I show our Number Talks on Fractions, I hear excitement in their voices. Below is an example of a Number Talk we did on how ½ can be represented. Students discuss their thoughts amongst themselves, then we discuss as a class. Students are als making “fraction kits” to help them understand the concept of fractions. I’ve listed the many benefits of using Fraction Kits in the gallery below. Additionally, students learned the four ways to represent a fraction. Students can use fraction bars, number lines, parts of a group (or set), and a circle model. Knowing these different representations will help students when comparing fractions. This information is in their math notebooks for quick reference.
What a fun day students had today. We had a special activity with hula hoops today. Students worked in partnerships dancing and moving around the gym with hula hoops. Check out our photo blog for pictures. The other fun activity for the day was meeting with our preschool book buddies.
In Reading, I jumped ahead of myself in thinking our next unit was Historical Fiction, but it is not. We are in Reading History, a nonfiction unit on reading history. This unit pairs nicely with our next Writing unit, Bringing History to Life, which is a historical information writing unit.
In Writing, students learned about pronouns. Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun. Pronouns are everyday words and don’t have much meaning on their own. Students also learned about the antecedent, which is the word a pronoun is replacing. For example: Mary bakes cakes. She will bake one dozen. She is the object pronoun and Mary is the antecedent.
In Math, we have started our unit on Fractions. Fractions often invoke groans and sighs, but now when I show our Number Talks on Fractions, I hear excitement in their voices. Below is an example of a Number Talk we did on how ½ can be represented. Students discuss their thoughts amongst themselves, then we discuss as a class. Students are als making “fraction kits” to help them understand the concept of fractions. I’ve listed the many benefits of using Fraction Kits in the gallery below. Additionally, students learned the four ways to represent a fraction. Students can use fraction bars, number lines, parts of a group (or set), and a circle model. Knowing these different representations will help students when comparing fractions. This information is in their math notebooks for quick reference.
2/10/17
I feel like there isn’t much to update due to the crazy "snow induced" schedule of this week, but then I started typing and (wow) I guess I do have a lot to say. On Wednesday before dismissal, when repeating homework, I encouraged all students to bring home all their work just in case we didn’t have school on Thursday. I will expect homework to be handed in on Monday, just as if it were Friday. This week students had Spelling activities, a Reading Response worksheet, a problem solving worksheet and I’ve asked them to do some work in preparation for their final in class opinion essay.
For the essay, students need to take a personal statement and develop it into a persuasive claim. Then, students should identify three reasons to support their claim as well as provide examples. Students will have more class time to draft the essay. The in class time is important as this will give them the opportunity to use the resources in their binders to help them write the essay. In the photo gallery below, I will include the models I did in class of how to go from personal to persuasive and the accompanying starter sentences. Also I’ll include a chart from class on what opinion writers do. Lastly, I will post the checklist for opinion writing on Google Classroom. This will help students to see what should be included in their essay. I’m hoping that by giving it to them as “homework,” they will have time to discuss and/or rehearse their ideas for the final draft that they will be doing in class. I have also encouraged students to read nonfiction articles or books that pertain to their topics. The more knowledge they have about their topic, the more convincing their essay will be.
In Math, students continue to work on using the different strategies to solve 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication equations. Please see last week’s update for the strategies and anchor charts on how to. Here are video links to help with partial product and area model.
In Reading, we will be beginning our new unit-Historical Fiction! This is one of my favorite genres. On Wednesday, we began reading our new read aloud, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It is about a Jewish family, the Rosens and how they escape from Denmark during World War II. Our main character, Annemarie, risks her life in order to help her best friend, Ellen, who is Jewish.
Enjoy the unexpected long weekend!
I feel like there isn’t much to update due to the crazy "snow induced" schedule of this week, but then I started typing and (wow) I guess I do have a lot to say. On Wednesday before dismissal, when repeating homework, I encouraged all students to bring home all their work just in case we didn’t have school on Thursday. I will expect homework to be handed in on Monday, just as if it were Friday. This week students had Spelling activities, a Reading Response worksheet, a problem solving worksheet and I’ve asked them to do some work in preparation for their final in class opinion essay.
For the essay, students need to take a personal statement and develop it into a persuasive claim. Then, students should identify three reasons to support their claim as well as provide examples. Students will have more class time to draft the essay. The in class time is important as this will give them the opportunity to use the resources in their binders to help them write the essay. In the photo gallery below, I will include the models I did in class of how to go from personal to persuasive and the accompanying starter sentences. Also I’ll include a chart from class on what opinion writers do. Lastly, I will post the checklist for opinion writing on Google Classroom. This will help students to see what should be included in their essay. I’m hoping that by giving it to them as “homework,” they will have time to discuss and/or rehearse their ideas for the final draft that they will be doing in class. I have also encouraged students to read nonfiction articles or books that pertain to their topics. The more knowledge they have about their topic, the more convincing their essay will be.
In Math, students continue to work on using the different strategies to solve 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication equations. Please see last week’s update for the strategies and anchor charts on how to. Here are video links to help with partial product and area model.
In Reading, we will be beginning our new unit-Historical Fiction! This is one of my favorite genres. On Wednesday, we began reading our new read aloud, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It is about a Jewish family, the Rosens and how they escape from Denmark during World War II. Our main character, Annemarie, risks her life in order to help her best friend, Ellen, who is Jewish.
Enjoy the unexpected long weekend!
2/5/2017
In Math, students learned to solve 2-digit multiplication problems. Using the strategies they already know for multiplication, students addressed how to solve a 2-digit by 2 digit. Students learned how to solve by partial product and by area model. When using the partial product method, students need to decompose the numbers by place value. Then, they need to multiply each part. The charts below illustrate the methods used in class. I’m encouraging students to use the method they are most comfortable with first when solving, then I want them to try a different method to check their work.
In Reading, student learned about the craft techniques authors use when writing. The craft is anything done on purpose by the writer to make their writing look or sound a certain way. Craft is the art of writing. For example, students learned about how authors use text features to help readers better understand facts about a topic. Authors can also purposefully use words. These words can be quotes from experts or even specific vocabulary about the topic. Another example of author’s craft techniques is the use of a detailed example. Student read a story about a girl who was having an allergic reaction. The author detailed what the reaction looked like so readers would better understand what was happening as well as understand the severity of the reaction. The author’s goal in using these techniques in nonfiction writing is to inform or teach the reader about the topic.
In Writing, students used their writing time to complete the final draft of their opinion essay. Using the structured organizer for guidance, students put in their “boxes and bullets” ideas. Student also revised and edited to be sure they have an introduction and a conclusion which shows the importance of their opinion.
In Math, students learned to solve 2-digit multiplication problems. Using the strategies they already know for multiplication, students addressed how to solve a 2-digit by 2 digit. Students learned how to solve by partial product and by area model. When using the partial product method, students need to decompose the numbers by place value. Then, they need to multiply each part. The charts below illustrate the methods used in class. I’m encouraging students to use the method they are most comfortable with first when solving, then I want them to try a different method to check their work.
In Reading, student learned about the craft techniques authors use when writing. The craft is anything done on purpose by the writer to make their writing look or sound a certain way. Craft is the art of writing. For example, students learned about how authors use text features to help readers better understand facts about a topic. Authors can also purposefully use words. These words can be quotes from experts or even specific vocabulary about the topic. Another example of author’s craft techniques is the use of a detailed example. Student read a story about a girl who was having an allergic reaction. The author detailed what the reaction looked like so readers would better understand what was happening as well as understand the severity of the reaction. The author’s goal in using these techniques in nonfiction writing is to inform or teach the reader about the topic.
In Writing, students used their writing time to complete the final draft of their opinion essay. Using the structured organizer for guidance, students put in their “boxes and bullets” ideas. Student also revised and edited to be sure they have an introduction and a conclusion which shows the importance of their opinion.
1/29/2017
In Writing, students are composing introductions and conclusions to their opinion pieces. When writing an introduction, students are getting readers to care about their ideas and they are putting the reader into the context (or the moment) of their opinion. To do this, students are choosing an introductory sentence that can bring drama to their writing . A few examples may be “What people need to know is that…”, or “Many people don’t know ... but I have come to know…”. When writing a conclusion, students are being sure to show their readers that their ideas are important. They are using common phrases to signal importance and they are making their readers realize something new or trying to get them to act differently about the idea they are writing about. “Other people should care about this because …” and “This is important because …” are a couple of examples for conclusions. In our grammar work in writing, students learned about adjectives and how they can make sentences more interesting as well as providing details for clearer understanding. Students also compared adjectives to adverbs. Adjectives describe a noun whereas adverbs describe a verb. Adjectives tell us about color, size, sound, shape, number, taste, texture and even the weather.
In Reading, students are learning how to summarize a piece of informational text. The summary is a short description of the important details of a particular text that student put into their own words. The details to include are the text’s structure as well as the main idea of the passage. Students have worked through a process together as a class and are now working on summarizing nonfiction on their own. Students can refer to the “Summarizing Nonfiction” anchor chart that hangs in our room. The reading strategy we have been using, which is extremely helpful when pulling out the main idea and details, is close reading. Close reading is the reading of the same text multiple times. After reading and rereading, students should be able to explain the text and know the main idea of the text. Again, there is a chart within the room that students can refer to when doing this process.
In Math, our focus is still on division. Students are able to use the “partial quotient” and the “think multiplication” strategies when solving division problems as well as a new strategy, “area model or box method”. This method involves decomposing, or breaking down, the dividend. It is very similar to partial quotient, but the structure of the boxes and separate area to do the subtraction seem to work better for some students. Here is a link to a video that may be helpful when trying to understand this method. Students also created a folder called Division Pockets. This folder activity gives students the choice of creating a 2-, 3-, or 4- dividend division problem. Once they choose the dividend, they then use the spinner to determine what the divisor will be. Next, they write their equation out and solve using the method of their choice. Below you will find photographs of the folder activity as well as the charts that describe the three strategies for division.
In Writing, students are composing introductions and conclusions to their opinion pieces. When writing an introduction, students are getting readers to care about their ideas and they are putting the reader into the context (or the moment) of their opinion. To do this, students are choosing an introductory sentence that can bring drama to their writing . A few examples may be “What people need to know is that…”, or “Many people don’t know ... but I have come to know…”. When writing a conclusion, students are being sure to show their readers that their ideas are important. They are using common phrases to signal importance and they are making their readers realize something new or trying to get them to act differently about the idea they are writing about. “Other people should care about this because …” and “This is important because …” are a couple of examples for conclusions. In our grammar work in writing, students learned about adjectives and how they can make sentences more interesting as well as providing details for clearer understanding. Students also compared adjectives to adverbs. Adjectives describe a noun whereas adverbs describe a verb. Adjectives tell us about color, size, sound, shape, number, taste, texture and even the weather.
In Reading, students are learning how to summarize a piece of informational text. The summary is a short description of the important details of a particular text that student put into their own words. The details to include are the text’s structure as well as the main idea of the passage. Students have worked through a process together as a class and are now working on summarizing nonfiction on their own. Students can refer to the “Summarizing Nonfiction” anchor chart that hangs in our room. The reading strategy we have been using, which is extremely helpful when pulling out the main idea and details, is close reading. Close reading is the reading of the same text multiple times. After reading and rereading, students should be able to explain the text and know the main idea of the text. Again, there is a chart within the room that students can refer to when doing this process.
In Math, our focus is still on division. Students are able to use the “partial quotient” and the “think multiplication” strategies when solving division problems as well as a new strategy, “area model or box method”. This method involves decomposing, or breaking down, the dividend. It is very similar to partial quotient, but the structure of the boxes and separate area to do the subtraction seem to work better for some students. Here is a link to a video that may be helpful when trying to understand this method. Students also created a folder called Division Pockets. This folder activity gives students the choice of creating a 2-, 3-, or 4- dividend division problem. Once they choose the dividend, they then use the spinner to determine what the divisor will be. Next, they write their equation out and solve using the method of their choice. Below you will find photographs of the folder activity as well as the charts that describe the three strategies for division.
1/20/2017
In Math, students are continuing to practice their division skills using the partial quotient strategy. It is tempting to teach them the way we may have learned (long division or US Algorithm), but for 4th grade, it is best that students practice the partial quotient strategy to build their conceptual understanding of division. Students are applying this strategy to solve and represent division story problems. Students were given a division equation and they needed to create a story for it. The equation did not divide evenly so students next task was to make sense of the remainder in terms of the problems context. For example, one story was dividing bananas among 5 people. With a remainder of one banana, students concluded that the final banana could be equally divided into fifths. On the other hand, the story about dividing up marbles couldn’t be concluded in the same way. Students came up with logical ideas of what to do with the remaining marble. Some suggested giving it away or saving it, just in case someone lost a marble.
In Reading students are continuing to work on their Connecticut History Google Slide presentation. In class, we have discussed how to research a topic well. First, students prepared by investigating resources, topics and evaluating which texts would fit their needs. Next (this is where most students are), students take organized, structured notes on their topics. Today and into next week, student will take those notes and synthesize what they have learned from the different texts/sources and write their own ideas about their topic. Students are researching 3 different aspects of Connecticut history and creating a Google slides presentation:
In Writing, students continue to be in the drafting stage of their writing. They are writing out their claim statement as their introductory paragraph. Student will then more on to the body of their essay. Many students are listing their reasons and are now providing evidence or examples to support their reasons.
In Math, students are continuing to practice their division skills using the partial quotient strategy. It is tempting to teach them the way we may have learned (long division or US Algorithm), but for 4th grade, it is best that students practice the partial quotient strategy to build their conceptual understanding of division. Students are applying this strategy to solve and represent division story problems. Students were given a division equation and they needed to create a story for it. The equation did not divide evenly so students next task was to make sense of the remainder in terms of the problems context. For example, one story was dividing bananas among 5 people. With a remainder of one banana, students concluded that the final banana could be equally divided into fifths. On the other hand, the story about dividing up marbles couldn’t be concluded in the same way. Students came up with logical ideas of what to do with the remaining marble. Some suggested giving it away or saving it, just in case someone lost a marble.
In Reading students are continuing to work on their Connecticut History Google Slide presentation. In class, we have discussed how to research a topic well. First, students prepared by investigating resources, topics and evaluating which texts would fit their needs. Next (this is where most students are), students take organized, structured notes on their topics. Today and into next week, student will take those notes and synthesize what they have learned from the different texts/sources and write their own ideas about their topic. Students are researching 3 different aspects of Connecticut history and creating a Google slides presentation:
- One famous person from Connecticut history
- One historical place in Connecticut
- One well-known event from Connecticut history
In Writing, students continue to be in the drafting stage of their writing. They are writing out their claim statement as their introductory paragraph. Student will then more on to the body of their essay. Many students are listing their reasons and are now providing evidence or examples to support their reasons.
1/13/17
In Math, students are looking at division by solving problems and discussing strategies. Many students are using the “multiplication for division” strategy. They are using their knowledge of multiplication facts to help them solve division problems. Students are also using representations to act out the situation. All students are highly encouraged to use more than one strategy to check their work and answers should be clearly marked with labels. Students are using and interpreting division notation. Students are recognizing the different ways a division problem can be written. Both equations should be read fifty divided by two. Students also recorded in their math notebooks a diagram naming the parts of a division equation: divisor, dividend and quotient. We even added clues to help us remember which one is which. Students have begun to use the division strategy of Partial Quotient or The Big Seven. Students will continue to practice partial quotient, as they seem to favor it because it is similar to “long division” which they will learn next year. I have linked a tutorial and an online practice game, Quotient Cafe.
In Writing, students’ attention was on writing their claim statements. Their claim statements explain to the reader their opinion or main idea of their essay. Students learned their claim statement is usually one sentence which is a claim to be argued. Their work this week will be on constructing the evidence within their essay to support their opinion.
In Reading, we are tying in our Social Studies unit. Students have started a webquest on Connecticut History. Students have used our Connecticut Adventures textbook to help them find a person, place or event to research. Our focus is on a person, place, or event that has historical relevance. Students will also be expected to draw a map of Connecticut and identify the counties and major landforms.
In Math, students are looking at division by solving problems and discussing strategies. Many students are using the “multiplication for division” strategy. They are using their knowledge of multiplication facts to help them solve division problems. Students are also using representations to act out the situation. All students are highly encouraged to use more than one strategy to check their work and answers should be clearly marked with labels. Students are using and interpreting division notation. Students are recognizing the different ways a division problem can be written. Both equations should be read fifty divided by two. Students also recorded in their math notebooks a diagram naming the parts of a division equation: divisor, dividend and quotient. We even added clues to help us remember which one is which. Students have begun to use the division strategy of Partial Quotient or The Big Seven. Students will continue to practice partial quotient, as they seem to favor it because it is similar to “long division” which they will learn next year. I have linked a tutorial and an online practice game, Quotient Cafe.
In Writing, students’ attention was on writing their claim statements. Their claim statements explain to the reader their opinion or main idea of their essay. Students learned their claim statement is usually one sentence which is a claim to be argued. Their work this week will be on constructing the evidence within their essay to support their opinion.
In Reading, we are tying in our Social Studies unit. Students have started a webquest on Connecticut History. Students have used our Connecticut Adventures textbook to help them find a person, place or event to research. Our focus is on a person, place, or event that has historical relevance. Students will also be expected to draw a map of Connecticut and identify the counties and major landforms.
1/7/17
I hope everyone had a restful winter break. It was nice to have time to relax with friends and family.
In Reading, we are continuing our journey on Reading Nonfiction Well. Recently we have focused on reading hybrid text. This text contains narrative elements as well as expository (informational) elements. Being able to identify hybrid text can help with understanding. We have also learned strategies to tackle unknown words in our texts. Students have learned to “look in and around” the word to get clues. One of the activities students did was “Con-TEXT Clues,” see photo gallery for this example. Students read sentences from cell phone screens with unknown words in them, then as the conversation went on, it provided clues as to the meaning of the word. Students had to then identify the meaning of the word as well as identify what clues helped them to come to that conclusion.
In Writing, students learned the characteristic of good freewriting. Students learned the characteristics of good freewriting and applied those characteristics to their own writing. The class also discussed way to push their thinking in order to develop their writing by discussing topics with a peer group. The anchor chart below is a resource for the students to use when they freewrite. Before break students also spent time on writing an opinion essay. Students were given facts about artificial trees and real trees. They sorted the facts they thought supported their opinion on which one was the best to have for Christmas. Students will continue to work on writing opinion essays during the next week.
In Math, students solved multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers. Students needed to consider ways to break apart these problems in order to make them easier to solve. For example, when trying to solve 18x9, some students broke the eighteen into ten and eight. Many find it easier to then solve the equations 10x9 and 8x9. Once they have these partial products, they add them together to get the final answer. Students also represented this strategy by making big arrays and finding the smaller arrays within it to solve the equation. Here is a link to a video that explains this process of “Breaking Apart a Multiplication Equation.”
A couple of important things to mention is our field trip this coming week to Jame Morris School of the Inaugural Celebration. It will be on January 12th. This event will feature an open ceremony, recitation of speeches by each of school’s student council presidents, break out activities, lunch, and a musical closing ceremony. Next, I would like to mention the new homework policy. Students are doing well with the new style of handling their work. It is going to take a bit to get used to, but my main goal is to put the responsibility in their hands. I am always available to the students to help them manage their time and if they are feeling overwhelmed or unsure, please let them know to just come and talk with me. I want them to be successful and I am willing to help them along the way.
I hope everyone had a restful winter break. It was nice to have time to relax with friends and family.
In Reading, we are continuing our journey on Reading Nonfiction Well. Recently we have focused on reading hybrid text. This text contains narrative elements as well as expository (informational) elements. Being able to identify hybrid text can help with understanding. We have also learned strategies to tackle unknown words in our texts. Students have learned to “look in and around” the word to get clues. One of the activities students did was “Con-TEXT Clues,” see photo gallery for this example. Students read sentences from cell phone screens with unknown words in them, then as the conversation went on, it provided clues as to the meaning of the word. Students had to then identify the meaning of the word as well as identify what clues helped them to come to that conclusion.
In Writing, students learned the characteristic of good freewriting. Students learned the characteristics of good freewriting and applied those characteristics to their own writing. The class also discussed way to push their thinking in order to develop their writing by discussing topics with a peer group. The anchor chart below is a resource for the students to use when they freewrite. Before break students also spent time on writing an opinion essay. Students were given facts about artificial trees and real trees. They sorted the facts they thought supported their opinion on which one was the best to have for Christmas. Students will continue to work on writing opinion essays during the next week.
In Math, students solved multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers. Students needed to consider ways to break apart these problems in order to make them easier to solve. For example, when trying to solve 18x9, some students broke the eighteen into ten and eight. Many find it easier to then solve the equations 10x9 and 8x9. Once they have these partial products, they add them together to get the final answer. Students also represented this strategy by making big arrays and finding the smaller arrays within it to solve the equation. Here is a link to a video that explains this process of “Breaking Apart a Multiplication Equation.”
A couple of important things to mention is our field trip this coming week to Jame Morris School of the Inaugural Celebration. It will be on January 12th. This event will feature an open ceremony, recitation of speeches by each of school’s student council presidents, break out activities, lunch, and a musical closing ceremony. Next, I would like to mention the new homework policy. Students are doing well with the new style of handling their work. It is going to take a bit to get used to, but my main goal is to put the responsibility in their hands. I am always available to the students to help them manage their time and if they are feeling overwhelmed or unsure, please let them know to just come and talk with me. I want them to be successful and I am willing to help them along the way.
12/18/2016
In Reading, students have identified text features and how they help you to “Read Nonfiction Well.” Knowing your text features and how they can enhance your understanding of what you are reading helps students make a connection to their text. Each table group, or campsite, is creating a text feature book. Students looked through older Scholastic News and DynaMath magazines and found the text features that can help us understand difficult text. They have been asked to keep nonfiction in their reading bins as well as in their poly-envelope for reading at home.
In Writing, students are continuing to collect ideas for writing. Each student should have an idea and entry for a special person, place or object. As students created their entries their goal was to push their thinking, to dig deeper into their idea and create more topics to write about. This coming week, we will create a chart similar to the one below. This anchor chart contains “starters” that can help spark ideas and help them push their thinking.
In Math, students are worked on understanding multiplication problems dealing with equal groups. Also introduced were problems dealing with multiplicative comparison. Multiplicative Comparison problems involve a comparison of two quantities in which one is described as multiple of the other. The relation between quantities is described in terms of how many times larger one is than the other. Students enjoyed the examples I gave in class. I used fellow classmates in the word problems, which the kids thought was fun. I am also expecting students to label their answers for clarity. As we do more with multiplication, students are realizing how important it is to know their facts. Students will be going through fact lists and identifying the facts that challenge them. Those facts should be their focus for study each night.
Students had a great time on our field trip to Chapter 126. I did take several photographs during our visit. I will upload those to the photo blog on Monday.
In Reading, students have identified text features and how they help you to “Read Nonfiction Well.” Knowing your text features and how they can enhance your understanding of what you are reading helps students make a connection to their text. Each table group, or campsite, is creating a text feature book. Students looked through older Scholastic News and DynaMath magazines and found the text features that can help us understand difficult text. They have been asked to keep nonfiction in their reading bins as well as in their poly-envelope for reading at home.
In Writing, students are continuing to collect ideas for writing. Each student should have an idea and entry for a special person, place or object. As students created their entries their goal was to push their thinking, to dig deeper into their idea and create more topics to write about. This coming week, we will create a chart similar to the one below. This anchor chart contains “starters” that can help spark ideas and help them push their thinking.
In Math, students are worked on understanding multiplication problems dealing with equal groups. Also introduced were problems dealing with multiplicative comparison. Multiplicative Comparison problems involve a comparison of two quantities in which one is described as multiple of the other. The relation between quantities is described in terms of how many times larger one is than the other. Students enjoyed the examples I gave in class. I used fellow classmates in the word problems, which the kids thought was fun. I am also expecting students to label their answers for clarity. As we do more with multiplication, students are realizing how important it is to know their facts. Students will be going through fact lists and identifying the facts that challenge them. Those facts should be their focus for study each night.
Students had a great time on our field trip to Chapter 126. I did take several photographs during our visit. I will upload those to the photo blog on Monday.
12/11/16
We ended our week with an assembly called The Ned Show. It is a character education program that centers around NED. NED is a cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Our speaker, Megan, was fantastic at doing yo-yo tricks as well as magic tricks. Several students sat with their mouths open with that “how did she do that?” look on their faces. This coming week, there will be a yo-yo sale during our lunch periods as a fundraiser, so that GCS can pay it forward for another school to receive the same program we did. Forms and information were sent home on Friday. Visit the Parent Page on The Ned Show website for more information on this program.
In Reading, students have learned a strategy to be able to "Read Nonfiction Well." It is to Tackle the hard parts. Tackling the hard parts is to first be aware of the parts of a text that can cause us problems or confusion and then take action to be able to understand them. See the anchor chart below. This was illustrated in class when I read a short passage titled, "Why Swim." This article was filled with numerous facts and statistics concerning the recreational sport of swimming. After I read, I asked what made this hard, many cited: "too many numbers to keep track of" and "lots of unfamiliar [vocabulary] words." I pointed out how successful they were because they had already accomplished the first step in the process of tackling hard text: NOTICING. Students then discussed their next step: TAKING ACTION. Upon their suggestion, I reread the text to help clarify exactly what we felt the author was trying to teach us about swimming.
As I mentioned last week, students are becoming essayists! Students learned that an essay is a “scholarly piece of writing that gives the author's own argument” and how a claim is being put forward as the idea to be maintained. Students learned that essay writing is a step in the direction of writing like a grown up and it requires them to write with sophistication. The class is individually collecting ideas to write as essays. Some have chosen a special person, a place or an object to write about in their Writer’s Notebook. Their entries are subjects that matter to them and they write about their observations of the subjects in a general way. I am encouraging students to be creative in their observations and thoughts. To help our writing become more sophisticated, students learned this week to use FANBOYS to create compound sentences. Compound sentences are two simple sentences connected with a (coordinating) conjunction. Students learned that these conjunctions are called FANBOYS.
In Math, we are laying a foundation for multiplication and division. Students learned the parts of a multiplication equation: factor x factor = product. We have discussed factors and multiples and what they are and the best way to determine them. See our classroom chart below to see what the students can see in the classroom. We have also begun to discuss prime and composite numbers. Students learned what these numbers are and they are working on being able to identify whether a number is prime or composite.
Miss Miller visited our classroom this week for a Tech Talk lesson. Students learned about Hour of Code. The students were very excited to be programming.
This week students also visited their preschool buddies. All students, preK and fourth graders, enjoy this time to read and talk about books.
We ended our week with an assembly called The Ned Show. It is a character education program that centers around NED. NED is a cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Our speaker, Megan, was fantastic at doing yo-yo tricks as well as magic tricks. Several students sat with their mouths open with that “how did she do that?” look on their faces. This coming week, there will be a yo-yo sale during our lunch periods as a fundraiser, so that GCS can pay it forward for another school to receive the same program we did. Forms and information were sent home on Friday. Visit the Parent Page on The Ned Show website for more information on this program.
In Reading, students have learned a strategy to be able to "Read Nonfiction Well." It is to Tackle the hard parts. Tackling the hard parts is to first be aware of the parts of a text that can cause us problems or confusion and then take action to be able to understand them. See the anchor chart below. This was illustrated in class when I read a short passage titled, "Why Swim." This article was filled with numerous facts and statistics concerning the recreational sport of swimming. After I read, I asked what made this hard, many cited: "too many numbers to keep track of" and "lots of unfamiliar [vocabulary] words." I pointed out how successful they were because they had already accomplished the first step in the process of tackling hard text: NOTICING. Students then discussed their next step: TAKING ACTION. Upon their suggestion, I reread the text to help clarify exactly what we felt the author was trying to teach us about swimming.
As I mentioned last week, students are becoming essayists! Students learned that an essay is a “scholarly piece of writing that gives the author's own argument” and how a claim is being put forward as the idea to be maintained. Students learned that essay writing is a step in the direction of writing like a grown up and it requires them to write with sophistication. The class is individually collecting ideas to write as essays. Some have chosen a special person, a place or an object to write about in their Writer’s Notebook. Their entries are subjects that matter to them and they write about their observations of the subjects in a general way. I am encouraging students to be creative in their observations and thoughts. To help our writing become more sophisticated, students learned this week to use FANBOYS to create compound sentences. Compound sentences are two simple sentences connected with a (coordinating) conjunction. Students learned that these conjunctions are called FANBOYS.
In Math, we are laying a foundation for multiplication and division. Students learned the parts of a multiplication equation: factor x factor = product. We have discussed factors and multiples and what they are and the best way to determine them. See our classroom chart below to see what the students can see in the classroom. We have also begun to discuss prime and composite numbers. Students learned what these numbers are and they are working on being able to identify whether a number is prime or composite.
Miss Miller visited our classroom this week for a Tech Talk lesson. Students learned about Hour of Code. The students were very excited to be programming.
This week students also visited their preschool buddies. All students, preK and fourth graders, enjoy this time to read and talk about books.
Winter Concert
12/2/16
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. I was fortunate enough to spend time in New Jersey with my 100 year old Grandma. I showed the students a picture of her yesterday during our writing lesson. In Writing, the students’ as essayists are gathering essay entries. Students needed to think about a person that matters a lot to them, so I chose my grandmother and I thought they would like to see my writing inspiration for the day. Students are collecting ideas for writing in our new unit which is on opinion writing. Students also spent time during writing workshop evaluating their narrative writing. They looked at what they wrote in September and compared it to a published piece they did in November. I conferred with them and helped them to see the growth they have made since the beginning of year. Students are also conferring with me about an on-demand piece of opinion writing. This initial writing is looked over in our conference to establish their goals for their opinion writing. Student learned this week that their opinion essays need to have structure. Students are using “boxes and bullets” to organize their thoughts for their essays.
Boxes and bullets are also being discussed during our Reading Workshop time. Students are learning about different text structures in their nonfiction/informational reading. Boxes and bullets (or description) is a common text structure, where there is a main topic or idea and the details that follow support that main idea. The other text structures we are discussing and taking notes on are: chronological (sequential), compare and contrast, cause and effect, and problem and solution. Knowing these text structures can help us better understand what we are reading as well as help when we are taking notes for new learning. Students’ note-taking should reflect the same text structure.
In Math, we started off the week with a fun Holiday Shopping activity to reinforce their multi-digit addition and subtraction skills. Students were asked to do some (imaginary) online shopping for family members. They needed to add up the total dollar amount of products they intended to purchase and then apply a specific gift card amount and figure out the balance on the gift card. The whole class was motivated to find the best Cyber Monday deals. Other math activities, array hunt and array workshop, are documented on our photo blog. Students are learning more about arrays and how they are important and useful in the math world.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. I was fortunate enough to spend time in New Jersey with my 100 year old Grandma. I showed the students a picture of her yesterday during our writing lesson. In Writing, the students’ as essayists are gathering essay entries. Students needed to think about a person that matters a lot to them, so I chose my grandmother and I thought they would like to see my writing inspiration for the day. Students are collecting ideas for writing in our new unit which is on opinion writing. Students also spent time during writing workshop evaluating their narrative writing. They looked at what they wrote in September and compared it to a published piece they did in November. I conferred with them and helped them to see the growth they have made since the beginning of year. Students are also conferring with me about an on-demand piece of opinion writing. This initial writing is looked over in our conference to establish their goals for their opinion writing. Student learned this week that their opinion essays need to have structure. Students are using “boxes and bullets” to organize their thoughts for their essays.
Boxes and bullets are also being discussed during our Reading Workshop time. Students are learning about different text structures in their nonfiction/informational reading. Boxes and bullets (or description) is a common text structure, where there is a main topic or idea and the details that follow support that main idea. The other text structures we are discussing and taking notes on are: chronological (sequential), compare and contrast, cause and effect, and problem and solution. Knowing these text structures can help us better understand what we are reading as well as help when we are taking notes for new learning. Students’ note-taking should reflect the same text structure.
In Math, we started off the week with a fun Holiday Shopping activity to reinforce their multi-digit addition and subtraction skills. Students were asked to do some (imaginary) online shopping for family members. They needed to add up the total dollar amount of products they intended to purchase and then apply a specific gift card amount and figure out the balance on the gift card. The whole class was motivated to find the best Cyber Monday deals. Other math activities, array hunt and array workshop, are documented on our photo blog. Students are learning more about arrays and how they are important and useful in the math world.
11/20/2016
In Reading, we have moved onto our next unit: nonfiction. We discussed the many, varied and different kinds of nonfiction reading we do each day. Reading a homework assignment, baseball scores, recipes and ingredient lists are all nonfiction reading we do each day and probably don’t realize its importance. Nonfiction reading fills up so much of our lives. Next, we made a distinction between two types of nonfiction reading. The first being, “waiting for the dentist” type reading. This reading looks like flipping through a book or magazine, reading little snippets or facts that appeal to us quickly. The other type of reading, which we are striving to do in this unit, is the “reading to become smarter” way. This later type of reading requires students to make a commitment to read their nonfiction texts with interest and purpose. At times, there may be a lack of interest in the subject we are reading, but we discussed a strategy of how we can make a connection to our text to develop an interest to help us make that commitment and to read to learn. Students also reviewed the learning progressions of how they read in third grade and how we are going to read as fourth graders. Students analyzed the information and discussed it with a partner and together we created a Venn diagram to highlight the information. In the gallery below, there is the learning progressions and a sample diagram.
In Writing, we tied up some loose ends with narrative writing. Students did some story writing I call Rapid Write. Student are given choices of characters, settings, and an event. This helped the students have a direction of who and what to write about. Students also learned how to create conflict and tension within a narrative story. Students learned about three ways to create conflict. It can be created by having two characters compete for something, a character having a big desire/big obstacle and by characters being forced to be together. Student also learned three ways to build tension. Tension can be developed by raising the stakes in a situation, by the characters motivation, and by putting a time limit on the situation. Just as we are moving on to a new unit in Reading, we are starting a new unit in Writing. We will begin writing opinion essays.
In Math, students are learning to work addition and subtraction problems using large numbers. Students learned an activity called Close to 7,500. Students are to use 7 or 8 digits to create two numbers that when added together come close to 7,500. Students choose random digits from a deck of cards. Students then must find the difference between their number and 7,500 and that difference becomes their score. Students continue to work diligently on taking notes on representations to make or create when they problem solve. Students have notes in their math notebooks on charts, tables, line graphs, bar graphs, line plots, diagrams, and models. Students were given a fun size bag of M&M’s (Halloween leftovers) and they had to create a chart to organize information on colors and how many of each color. Once their chart was complete, students then used their notes to help them make a bar graph.
Right outside our door, we now have a Root Word a week display. Each week we will focus on a root word. We will discuss its meaning as well as come up with words we know that have this root word in it. This week was “aud” meaning “to hear or listen.” Being able to see root words within larger words can help students to identify the meaning of unknown words. For example, in our exploration of the reading learning progression, the students came across the word expository. I asked the class to look for a word they do know within the word expository. I pointed out the word part “expos” or expose. Student were able to conclude that expository text is text that exposes you or reveals something to you.
Lastly, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends.
In Reading, we have moved onto our next unit: nonfiction. We discussed the many, varied and different kinds of nonfiction reading we do each day. Reading a homework assignment, baseball scores, recipes and ingredient lists are all nonfiction reading we do each day and probably don’t realize its importance. Nonfiction reading fills up so much of our lives. Next, we made a distinction between two types of nonfiction reading. The first being, “waiting for the dentist” type reading. This reading looks like flipping through a book or magazine, reading little snippets or facts that appeal to us quickly. The other type of reading, which we are striving to do in this unit, is the “reading to become smarter” way. This later type of reading requires students to make a commitment to read their nonfiction texts with interest and purpose. At times, there may be a lack of interest in the subject we are reading, but we discussed a strategy of how we can make a connection to our text to develop an interest to help us make that commitment and to read to learn. Students also reviewed the learning progressions of how they read in third grade and how we are going to read as fourth graders. Students analyzed the information and discussed it with a partner and together we created a Venn diagram to highlight the information. In the gallery below, there is the learning progressions and a sample diagram.
In Writing, we tied up some loose ends with narrative writing. Students did some story writing I call Rapid Write. Student are given choices of characters, settings, and an event. This helped the students have a direction of who and what to write about. Students also learned how to create conflict and tension within a narrative story. Students learned about three ways to create conflict. It can be created by having two characters compete for something, a character having a big desire/big obstacle and by characters being forced to be together. Student also learned three ways to build tension. Tension can be developed by raising the stakes in a situation, by the characters motivation, and by putting a time limit on the situation. Just as we are moving on to a new unit in Reading, we are starting a new unit in Writing. We will begin writing opinion essays.
In Math, students are learning to work addition and subtraction problems using large numbers. Students learned an activity called Close to 7,500. Students are to use 7 or 8 digits to create two numbers that when added together come close to 7,500. Students choose random digits from a deck of cards. Students then must find the difference between their number and 7,500 and that difference becomes their score. Students continue to work diligently on taking notes on representations to make or create when they problem solve. Students have notes in their math notebooks on charts, tables, line graphs, bar graphs, line plots, diagrams, and models. Students were given a fun size bag of M&M’s (Halloween leftovers) and they had to create a chart to organize information on colors and how many of each color. Once their chart was complete, students then used their notes to help them make a bar graph.
Right outside our door, we now have a Root Word a week display. Each week we will focus on a root word. We will discuss its meaning as well as come up with words we know that have this root word in it. This week was “aud” meaning “to hear or listen.” Being able to see root words within larger words can help students to identify the meaning of unknown words. For example, in our exploration of the reading learning progression, the students came across the word expository. I asked the class to look for a word they do know within the word expository. I pointed out the word part “expos” or expose. Student were able to conclude that expository text is text that exposes you or reveals something to you.
Lastly, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends.
11/5/2016
We ended our week with a visit to the gymnasium for GCS Arcade Games. The fifth and sixth graders created an arcade which was inspired by Caine’s Arcade. All the games were created out of recycled material. The older students enthusiastically engaged younger students to play. I even became caught up in a game of “air hockey”. Everyone had a great time. Another special activity we had this week was a visit from the Math Genius. He discussed how we use math everyday and will continue to use it everyday for the rest of our lives. He made math fun and even mysterious. Mr. Johnson made the students want to learn about math. He discussed numbers, shapes & geometry, estimation, patterns, problem solving (without panic), measurement, time, spending money and a brief history of four mathematicians who are famous for doing exciting and dangerous things (from Pythagorus to Florence Nightingale). He even did a bit of juggling. He was very entertaining.
In Reading, students continued to work on how to determined theme. Earlier in the week, as a class, students brainstormed themes they knew from movies, TV shows or books they have read. I wrote them on an anchor chart which hangs in the back of our classrooms. Then, yesterday’s assignment was to read a picture book and determine the theme. Students enjoyed reading familiar picture books. It was great to see them looking at these books from a different perspective. Many hadn’t thought that deeply about a picture book. Students also learned about the seven syllable types. Knowing and recognizing these syllable types will help students to read multisyllabic words. Students learned that a syllable is a unit of pronunciation containing a vowel sound. By analyzing these patterns students will be able to decode longer words and it also helps students remember spelling patterns. Understanding these seven syllable types will help students become better readers and even better writers. Students also practiced alphabetical order. It is another important skill students will use throughout life.
In Writing, students completed the basic parts of their narrative writing draft: a beginning, middle and end. Now, our focus this week was on revising. As the chart in our classroom indicates, revising is the process of making changes, especially to correct or improve. Students pulled skills to work on from the envelope and checked their writing for them. Students could then share with a partner or with me what that skill looked like in their writing.
In Math, problem solving was again our topic of discussion. Many students needed their organizer to be more detailed, so on top of the organizer we were already using, we added in details of sentence starters, ideas, and details to be sure to include. In the gallery of photographs, you can view our reformatted graphic organizer. Students have this in their Math Notebooks and I project this on the Smartboard screen for students to refer to when completing a problem solving task. Students also learned the formal math terms for the parts of an addition problem and parts of a subtraction problem. The photographs below are screenshots from mathisfun.com. This website is a wonderful resource to help students (and adults) to understand math. Students feel like real mathematicians when they use the terms minuend and subtrahend. Students were also taught the difference between an equation (473+267=n) and an expression (473+267). We are also introducing what a variable is in our equations. It is a symbol for a number we don’t know yet. In the case of the above equation, the variable is n. Students copied this information into their math notebooks. When I told students that this is a part of learning algebra. They were impressed with themselves.
Lastly, please take a minute to click on the Principal’s Message button at the top of this page. It contains the latest happenings at Goshen Center School, as well as upcoming events.
We ended our week with a visit to the gymnasium for GCS Arcade Games. The fifth and sixth graders created an arcade which was inspired by Caine’s Arcade. All the games were created out of recycled material. The older students enthusiastically engaged younger students to play. I even became caught up in a game of “air hockey”. Everyone had a great time. Another special activity we had this week was a visit from the Math Genius. He discussed how we use math everyday and will continue to use it everyday for the rest of our lives. He made math fun and even mysterious. Mr. Johnson made the students want to learn about math. He discussed numbers, shapes & geometry, estimation, patterns, problem solving (without panic), measurement, time, spending money and a brief history of four mathematicians who are famous for doing exciting and dangerous things (from Pythagorus to Florence Nightingale). He even did a bit of juggling. He was very entertaining.
In Reading, students continued to work on how to determined theme. Earlier in the week, as a class, students brainstormed themes they knew from movies, TV shows or books they have read. I wrote them on an anchor chart which hangs in the back of our classrooms. Then, yesterday’s assignment was to read a picture book and determine the theme. Students enjoyed reading familiar picture books. It was great to see them looking at these books from a different perspective. Many hadn’t thought that deeply about a picture book. Students also learned about the seven syllable types. Knowing and recognizing these syllable types will help students to read multisyllabic words. Students learned that a syllable is a unit of pronunciation containing a vowel sound. By analyzing these patterns students will be able to decode longer words and it also helps students remember spelling patterns. Understanding these seven syllable types will help students become better readers and even better writers. Students also practiced alphabetical order. It is another important skill students will use throughout life.
In Writing, students completed the basic parts of their narrative writing draft: a beginning, middle and end. Now, our focus this week was on revising. As the chart in our classroom indicates, revising is the process of making changes, especially to correct or improve. Students pulled skills to work on from the envelope and checked their writing for them. Students could then share with a partner or with me what that skill looked like in their writing.
In Math, problem solving was again our topic of discussion. Many students needed their organizer to be more detailed, so on top of the organizer we were already using, we added in details of sentence starters, ideas, and details to be sure to include. In the gallery of photographs, you can view our reformatted graphic organizer. Students have this in their Math Notebooks and I project this on the Smartboard screen for students to refer to when completing a problem solving task. Students also learned the formal math terms for the parts of an addition problem and parts of a subtraction problem. The photographs below are screenshots from mathisfun.com. This website is a wonderful resource to help students (and adults) to understand math. Students feel like real mathematicians when they use the terms minuend and subtrahend. Students were also taught the difference between an equation (473+267=n) and an expression (473+267). We are also introducing what a variable is in our equations. It is a symbol for a number we don’t know yet. In the case of the above equation, the variable is n. Students copied this information into their math notebooks. When I told students that this is a part of learning algebra. They were impressed with themselves.
Lastly, please take a minute to click on the Principal’s Message button at the top of this page. It contains the latest happenings at Goshen Center School, as well as upcoming events.
10/28/16
I would like to start off this update with a few announcements. The first is to encourage you to join our PTO directory to receive emails about PTO sponsored programs at school, contact info of your children's classmates, volunteer signups etc. Please use the following link and enter the invitation code GCSPTO when prompted:
https://www.myschoolanywhere.com/join.a5w
The second message I’d like to convey is about the Harvest Parade which will be held here at school on October 31st at 2:45 p.m. Weather permitting, students will parade around in the Halloween attire on the field near the playground. Parents are welcome to attend and line up around the field area. Students should bring their costumes to school and I will give them time to dress for the occasion. Please note that costumes should be appropriate for viewing by students of all ages, free of simulated weaponry or graphic images. In the event of poor weather, students will parade around in the gymnasium.
In Reading, students learned that they need to look beyond the characters and elements of a story. They need to examine the characters, relationships, setting, and important objects to figure out what it all means and what it can teach us. We have discussed how reading is more than saying the words on the page and retelling what has happened. Students are now taking this interpretation and applying it to how we can figure out the theme of a story. Students learned the definition of theme and the best way to determine it. We have used this visual to help: the message. Theme is the message or big idea the author is trying to teach you. It can be a life lesson, a moral or a message about life.
In Writing, students are learning how to properly write dialogue into their stories. Students learned to use quotation marks around the exact words a person says. Students are also learning to use dialogue tags to indicate who is talking. Students learned the importance of using different tags to help show the mood or action in their story. For example, “I’m sorry,” said Mark, sounds better when the tag is changed: “I’m sorry,” whispered Mark. Students should be finished with the draft of their story. Many are moving into the revising stage of their writing. In revising, students took a look at their lead. A powerful lead is important because it draws the reader into the story. It hooks the reader at the beginning and make them excited to continue reading. Our focus was on creating three different version of their current lead. All students learned about an action lead, a dialogue (or talking) lead and a snapshot (or setting) lead. See the screenshot of the slide we used in class.
In Math, students are continuing to work on their problem solving skills by learning what to include when solving, communicating and connecting word problems. We discussed what to include when writing about our understanding of the problem as well as how they need to communicate their plans on how to solve. Student are working on solving subtraction problems involving zeros. After their instruction in class, students went to our Google Classroom site and watched two videos to help them in their understanding. One is a Khan Academy video and the other is a quick (and quirky) explanation by a classroom teacher. Students are also reviewing writing numbers out in written form. I’ve connected this to a real world activity of writing checks. They loved the idea.
I would like to start off this update with a few announcements. The first is to encourage you to join our PTO directory to receive emails about PTO sponsored programs at school, contact info of your children's classmates, volunteer signups etc. Please use the following link and enter the invitation code GCSPTO when prompted:
https://www.myschoolanywhere.com/join.a5w
The second message I’d like to convey is about the Harvest Parade which will be held here at school on October 31st at 2:45 p.m. Weather permitting, students will parade around in the Halloween attire on the field near the playground. Parents are welcome to attend and line up around the field area. Students should bring their costumes to school and I will give them time to dress for the occasion. Please note that costumes should be appropriate for viewing by students of all ages, free of simulated weaponry or graphic images. In the event of poor weather, students will parade around in the gymnasium.
In Reading, students learned that they need to look beyond the characters and elements of a story. They need to examine the characters, relationships, setting, and important objects to figure out what it all means and what it can teach us. We have discussed how reading is more than saying the words on the page and retelling what has happened. Students are now taking this interpretation and applying it to how we can figure out the theme of a story. Students learned the definition of theme and the best way to determine it. We have used this visual to help: the message. Theme is the message or big idea the author is trying to teach you. It can be a life lesson, a moral or a message about life.
In Writing, students are learning how to properly write dialogue into their stories. Students learned to use quotation marks around the exact words a person says. Students are also learning to use dialogue tags to indicate who is talking. Students learned the importance of using different tags to help show the mood or action in their story. For example, “I’m sorry,” said Mark, sounds better when the tag is changed: “I’m sorry,” whispered Mark. Students should be finished with the draft of their story. Many are moving into the revising stage of their writing. In revising, students took a look at their lead. A powerful lead is important because it draws the reader into the story. It hooks the reader at the beginning and make them excited to continue reading. Our focus was on creating three different version of their current lead. All students learned about an action lead, a dialogue (or talking) lead and a snapshot (or setting) lead. See the screenshot of the slide we used in class.
In Math, students are continuing to work on their problem solving skills by learning what to include when solving, communicating and connecting word problems. We discussed what to include when writing about our understanding of the problem as well as how they need to communicate their plans on how to solve. Student are working on solving subtraction problems involving zeros. After their instruction in class, students went to our Google Classroom site and watched two videos to help them in their understanding. One is a Khan Academy video and the other is a quick (and quirky) explanation by a classroom teacher. Students are also reviewing writing numbers out in written form. I’ve connected this to a real world activity of writing checks. They loved the idea.
10/23/16
It was a pleasure to connect with you during the student led parent/teacher conferences. It was great to see the student take charge and explain his/her progress as well as reflect on their progress so far this school year. Most seemed to enjoy being the center of attention and being able to explain what is was they were good at or explaining about their goals. One of my goals as a teacher is to continue my professional learning. I was able to attend the Saturday Reunion at Teachers College (Columbia University) in New York City on Saturday. It is a day for educators from all over to learn through workshops to improve reading and writing within the classroom.
In Writing, students are still in the drafting process. It is my goal to get them to finish their draft by getting the basic beginning, middle and end written down. Then they will move into the revision process. The goal of revising is to make their stories better by reflecting on their writing. Students have already been introduced to the Narrative Writing Checklist which they will use as a tool to help them reflect and improve on their writing.
In Reading, students are learning to understand and/or interpret a story. They are doing this by paying attention to the characters, setting, recurring objects or images and the plot. Students then need to ask themselves the question: What does this teach me? Good reading is the result of time, thought, and work. I used the image of a winning slot machine to illustrate this. When students “line up” all their thoughts and understandings, students will get something special. This something special will hopefully be the life lesson, big message or a powerful insight they had not seen before.
In Math, students are continuing their work with multi-digit numbers. Student are working towards adding and subtracting these numbers with ease and accuracy. Students learned three strategies are subtraction. The three strategies are standard algorithm, Adding Up, and Expanding the Second Number (place value). This coming week, students will reproduce these strategies into their math notebook so they will have it as a resource. Students are also working on their problem solving skills by learning what to include when solving, communicating and connecting word problems.
The photo blog has a couple of new entries. Students worked on building their cars for the trials on how weight affects the movement of their vehicle. The other entry is of the students working together to solve subtraction problems using two different strategies.
It was a pleasure to connect with you during the student led parent/teacher conferences. It was great to see the student take charge and explain his/her progress as well as reflect on their progress so far this school year. Most seemed to enjoy being the center of attention and being able to explain what is was they were good at or explaining about their goals. One of my goals as a teacher is to continue my professional learning. I was able to attend the Saturday Reunion at Teachers College (Columbia University) in New York City on Saturday. It is a day for educators from all over to learn through workshops to improve reading and writing within the classroom.
In Writing, students are still in the drafting process. It is my goal to get them to finish their draft by getting the basic beginning, middle and end written down. Then they will move into the revision process. The goal of revising is to make their stories better by reflecting on their writing. Students have already been introduced to the Narrative Writing Checklist which they will use as a tool to help them reflect and improve on their writing.
In Reading, students are learning to understand and/or interpret a story. They are doing this by paying attention to the characters, setting, recurring objects or images and the plot. Students then need to ask themselves the question: What does this teach me? Good reading is the result of time, thought, and work. I used the image of a winning slot machine to illustrate this. When students “line up” all their thoughts and understandings, students will get something special. This something special will hopefully be the life lesson, big message or a powerful insight they had not seen before.
In Math, students are continuing their work with multi-digit numbers. Student are working towards adding and subtracting these numbers with ease and accuracy. Students learned three strategies are subtraction. The three strategies are standard algorithm, Adding Up, and Expanding the Second Number (place value). This coming week, students will reproduce these strategies into their math notebook so they will have it as a resource. Students are also working on their problem solving skills by learning what to include when solving, communicating and connecting word problems.
The photo blog has a couple of new entries. Students worked on building their cars for the trials on how weight affects the movement of their vehicle. The other entry is of the students working together to solve subtraction problems using two different strategies.
10/14/16
In Reading, students generated provocative, debatable ideas about the texts they are reading. Some ideas were based on character traits or what the author was trying to say. Students debated amongst themselves. Students’ ideas needed to be grounded in evidence from the text. We discussed how to find the scene, then the paragraph and if possible, the exact sentence which was proof of their position. Students are also creating insightful ideas about characters based on what they are reading and then use exact, precise and true words to convey our thoughts about those characters. For example, a recent reading response homework really made some of the kids think about their characters. The question was: which character would you most like to have as a friend? Then, they had to provide evidence from the text, citing what it was that made them feel that way about the character they chose.
In Writing, students began the drafting phase of their writing. They are drafting their story scene by scene. Each scene is taken from their story arc. They follow “the map” of their story arc and let the drama unfold as they follow their character through their story. It is highly encouraged that students “act out” their stories as they write: moving the way their character would or talking like their characters. Students are learning to bring their story to life through dialogue, actions, feelings and thoughts of their characters. Students are drafting using their Chromebooks. Students start off by using a document I created on our Google Classroom stream. This creates a unique document for them and I am able to access the document as they work. Students get excited when they see my icon pop up on their screen. I can then read their stories and make comments on their writing. It is a great way for students to get feedback from me.
In Math, students took notes on the four strategies to use for addition. The U.S. Algorithm is the most efficient strategy to use. It can be quick and accurate. In years past, we used to refer to changing the numbers as carrying, but we now say regrouping. If you can watch the Khan Academy video, the presenter does a nice job of explaining the how and why of “regrouping” as we explain it in class. Also this week, students are learning the meaning of the steps and notation for the algorithm for subtraction. Students are encouraged to use the expanded form method. Once they are successful then they can use the shortened form of regrouping most of us adults are familiar with using. Another concept students are developing this week is problem solving. Students have learned how to create their own graphic organizer to help themselves when solving complex math problems. This organizer helps students formulate an understanding and a plan for solving the problem. Students will continue to learn more about this next week.
In Science, students added to their Force and Motion lapbooks. Students described the four types of friction: static, sliding, rolling, and fluid. Students then listed examples of each type of friction.
In Reading, students generated provocative, debatable ideas about the texts they are reading. Some ideas were based on character traits or what the author was trying to say. Students debated amongst themselves. Students’ ideas needed to be grounded in evidence from the text. We discussed how to find the scene, then the paragraph and if possible, the exact sentence which was proof of their position. Students are also creating insightful ideas about characters based on what they are reading and then use exact, precise and true words to convey our thoughts about those characters. For example, a recent reading response homework really made some of the kids think about their characters. The question was: which character would you most like to have as a friend? Then, they had to provide evidence from the text, citing what it was that made them feel that way about the character they chose.
In Writing, students began the drafting phase of their writing. They are drafting their story scene by scene. Each scene is taken from their story arc. They follow “the map” of their story arc and let the drama unfold as they follow their character through their story. It is highly encouraged that students “act out” their stories as they write: moving the way their character would or talking like their characters. Students are learning to bring their story to life through dialogue, actions, feelings and thoughts of their characters. Students are drafting using their Chromebooks. Students start off by using a document I created on our Google Classroom stream. This creates a unique document for them and I am able to access the document as they work. Students get excited when they see my icon pop up on their screen. I can then read their stories and make comments on their writing. It is a great way for students to get feedback from me.
In Math, students took notes on the four strategies to use for addition. The U.S. Algorithm is the most efficient strategy to use. It can be quick and accurate. In years past, we used to refer to changing the numbers as carrying, but we now say regrouping. If you can watch the Khan Academy video, the presenter does a nice job of explaining the how and why of “regrouping” as we explain it in class. Also this week, students are learning the meaning of the steps and notation for the algorithm for subtraction. Students are encouraged to use the expanded form method. Once they are successful then they can use the shortened form of regrouping most of us adults are familiar with using. Another concept students are developing this week is problem solving. Students have learned how to create their own graphic organizer to help themselves when solving complex math problems. This organizer helps students formulate an understanding and a plan for solving the problem. Students will continue to learn more about this next week.
In Science, students added to their Force and Motion lapbooks. Students described the four types of friction: static, sliding, rolling, and fluid. Students then listed examples of each type of friction.
9/30/16
Our class had an exciting Friday! Student Council speeches and the election took place during our lunch period. The speeches given by the fifth and sixth graders were awesome. After lunch and recess, our class, along with Ms. Scazzafava’s class met together. The entire fourth grade heard short speeches from their classmates who wanted to be classroom representatives. Students then voted. The representatives from 4S are Michael and Liam. The representatives from 4Sca are Nicole and Rosco. The other exciting part of our day was visiting preschool. We are so fortunate to be able to visit these “little ones.” The benefits are twofold. Preschoolers see the fourth graders as role models for reading. The fourth graders are able to practice their fluency, questioning skills, listening and communication.
In Reading, students practiced their envisioning skills, making the movie in their head. Making these movies help the student grow ideas about their characters. Students also learned about taking a step back from their characters and reviewing what they have learned about them and their character’s world. Students also learned about thinking about the author and why they author wrote what they did about their character.
In Writing, students were introduced to a story arc. This story arc will help them map out the events of their narrative story. I am encouraging them to develop a few story arcs and to discuss these ideas with their writing partners. Story arcs can help our fourth grade authors from getting lost in their stories. They are maps for their writing imagination. It allows them to picture each event and pull out the details of each scene.
In Grammar, to help us write more clearly, students are learning about complete and incomplete sentences, or fragments. Student learned that complete sentences contain a complete thought and have a subject and a predicate. A complete sentence is able to answer two questions: 1) Who or what is this sentence about? And 2) Who or what did something?
In Math, students are learning strategies for multi-digit addition. Our goal is add numbers up to the millions fluently. Right now, we are reviewing the possible strategies and choosing the one that is most efficient. We have discussed the algorithm, portioning/decomposing, and number line. During this upcoming week, students will be creating a chart illustrating these strategies as well as another strategy called starter numbers.
In Science, students are learning about simple machines. Simple machines are tools that help make work easier. Students are currently working on creating a flipbook with definitions and examples of six simple machines.
Just a reminder, Thursday all of Goshen Center School will be traveling to Warren for the Warren Fall Olympics. There is also no school on Friday due to teacher professional development.
Our class had an exciting Friday! Student Council speeches and the election took place during our lunch period. The speeches given by the fifth and sixth graders were awesome. After lunch and recess, our class, along with Ms. Scazzafava’s class met together. The entire fourth grade heard short speeches from their classmates who wanted to be classroom representatives. Students then voted. The representatives from 4S are Michael and Liam. The representatives from 4Sca are Nicole and Rosco. The other exciting part of our day was visiting preschool. We are so fortunate to be able to visit these “little ones.” The benefits are twofold. Preschoolers see the fourth graders as role models for reading. The fourth graders are able to practice their fluency, questioning skills, listening and communication.
In Reading, students practiced their envisioning skills, making the movie in their head. Making these movies help the student grow ideas about their characters. Students also learned about taking a step back from their characters and reviewing what they have learned about them and their character’s world. Students also learned about thinking about the author and why they author wrote what they did about their character.
In Writing, students were introduced to a story arc. This story arc will help them map out the events of their narrative story. I am encouraging them to develop a few story arcs and to discuss these ideas with their writing partners. Story arcs can help our fourth grade authors from getting lost in their stories. They are maps for their writing imagination. It allows them to picture each event and pull out the details of each scene.
In Grammar, to help us write more clearly, students are learning about complete and incomplete sentences, or fragments. Student learned that complete sentences contain a complete thought and have a subject and a predicate. A complete sentence is able to answer two questions: 1) Who or what is this sentence about? And 2) Who or what did something?
In Math, students are learning strategies for multi-digit addition. Our goal is add numbers up to the millions fluently. Right now, we are reviewing the possible strategies and choosing the one that is most efficient. We have discussed the algorithm, portioning/decomposing, and number line. During this upcoming week, students will be creating a chart illustrating these strategies as well as another strategy called starter numbers.
In Science, students are learning about simple machines. Simple machines are tools that help make work easier. Students are currently working on creating a flipbook with definitions and examples of six simple machines.
Just a reminder, Thursday all of Goshen Center School will be traveling to Warren for the Warren Fall Olympics. There is also no school on Friday due to teacher professional development.
9/23/16
I must apologize for the extreme lateness of this update. I prepped my notes and composed my email while camping this weekend. But camping this weekend without a stop wifi signal, prevented me from sending it out earlier.
In Math, students are reading and writing multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals (standard form), number names and expanded forms. Students are also using their knowledge of place value to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
When rounding, we have been using a similar strategy to this video from Khan Academy. We have also used the number line strategy to show our thinking when rounding.
In Reading, students solidified their ideas about choosing books they can read fluently and with adequate comprehension. The chart below shows when a book is too hard. Students are beginning to use the strategies on their own when selecting independent reading books. Students have also added two steps to their How to Read Intensely chart. Students will “Find the Flow of the Book” and “Make Movies in Their Minds” as they read. Finding the flow is getting into their book so much that they are “zoning out” and only thinking of their reading. Making movies in their minds is doing just as it says, making clear images of what is happening in the story.
In Writing, students are developing a believable character for their narrative. Students created lists of internal and external characteristics. This is part of our first step in our How to Write A Fiction Story! anchor chart. We will continue to develop these characters in next week's lessons, when we give our characters struggles and motivation.
I must apologize for the extreme lateness of this update. I prepped my notes and composed my email while camping this weekend. But camping this weekend without a stop wifi signal, prevented me from sending it out earlier.
In Math, students are reading and writing multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals (standard form), number names and expanded forms. Students are also using their knowledge of place value to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
When rounding, we have been using a similar strategy to this video from Khan Academy. We have also used the number line strategy to show our thinking when rounding.
In Reading, students solidified their ideas about choosing books they can read fluently and with adequate comprehension. The chart below shows when a book is too hard. Students are beginning to use the strategies on their own when selecting independent reading books. Students have also added two steps to their How to Read Intensely chart. Students will “Find the Flow of the Book” and “Make Movies in Their Minds” as they read. Finding the flow is getting into their book so much that they are “zoning out” and only thinking of their reading. Making movies in their minds is doing just as it says, making clear images of what is happening in the story.
In Writing, students are developing a believable character for their narrative. Students created lists of internal and external characteristics. This is part of our first step in our How to Write A Fiction Story! anchor chart. We will continue to develop these characters in next week's lessons, when we give our characters struggles and motivation.
9/16/16
In Math, students are working on reading, writing and saying multi-digit numbers into the millions. Student play the game “Place Value War” to practice the skill of reading, writing and saying these numbers. Students are also taking a closer look at place value. The place value chart below is the same one students have in their Math Notebook.
In Reading, students learned how to choose a Just Right Book for their independent reading. Students use the “five finger test” and should “interview” their choice by looking at the front cover, back cover and contents inside. We also discussed Reading Intensely. Our purpose is to read to grow ideas grounded in the text. As readers, we need to figure out confusing parts and take note (using Post-its and Think Marks) of important things to talk about later. This class already knows I have a passion for reading to them. I read with enthusiasm and share my experiences as a reader to help fuel discussion about what strategies help me read intensely. The Reading Intensely to Grow Ideas Chart below is our guide. Students even pantomimed each step. Some were more enthusiastic than others, but all were smiling when Mrs. Keilty came in the room to watch.
In Writing, students have met up with a writing partner. Our partners will help us become better writers by giving us feedback on our writing. Below are two charts from class. One chart describes what feedback is and the other provides students with “starter sentences” to encourage discussions with their partners.
In Math, students are working on reading, writing and saying multi-digit numbers into the millions. Student play the game “Place Value War” to practice the skill of reading, writing and saying these numbers. Students are also taking a closer look at place value. The place value chart below is the same one students have in their Math Notebook.
In Reading, students learned how to choose a Just Right Book for their independent reading. Students use the “five finger test” and should “interview” their choice by looking at the front cover, back cover and contents inside. We also discussed Reading Intensely. Our purpose is to read to grow ideas grounded in the text. As readers, we need to figure out confusing parts and take note (using Post-its and Think Marks) of important things to talk about later. This class already knows I have a passion for reading to them. I read with enthusiasm and share my experiences as a reader to help fuel discussion about what strategies help me read intensely. The Reading Intensely to Grow Ideas Chart below is our guide. Students even pantomimed each step. Some were more enthusiastic than others, but all were smiling when Mrs. Keilty came in the room to watch.
In Writing, students have met up with a writing partner. Our partners will help us become better writers by giving us feedback on our writing. Below are two charts from class. One chart describes what feedback is and the other provides students with “starter sentences” to encourage discussions with their partners.
9/9/16
The students have been troopers getting their work done during this heat. We have been taking it slow and steady. Sending in water bottles is a good idea. We are also close to a water fountain and I don’t mind if students go out of the room (at appropriate times) to get a drink.
In Writing, we have been finding ways to generate ideas for our writing. Students worked independently to think of “50 Things I Love”, then they conferred with a classmate. The outcome of this conferring was usually about ten more things that they love. Students’ lists are growing and growing with great ideas. Next, we took one idea and focused on the small moments within it. It is from these small moments, that your child will chose a special moment and began to write a personal narrative.
During our reading time, we have discussed how our classroom library is set up and looked for books to put in their book bins for independent reading. A new reading log, to record their time and pages for reading, was also introduced. This log will serve as a tool to help students, as well as myself, to look carefully at their reading habits and track their reading success. Student will be carrying their log and independent book with them back and forth to school in the poly-envelope I gave them. We have read a couple of picture books, First Day Jitters and Chrysanthemum to stimulate discussions about how we read and question. These skills can be practiced when they are reading independently. Our class read aloud chapter book is Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. This is a perfect book to highlight what we will be learning in Reading during the upcoming weeks. The class always asks me to keep reading! Ask them to tell you about the tiger.
In Math, we have been sharpening our addition and subtraction skills. A letter about your child’s mathematical journey in Fourth Grade was sent home earlier this week. It is a great resource to help you understand what your child will be learning. Our upcoming unit is Addition and Subtraction and The Number System within 1,000,000. Our Math Coordinator, Robin Moore, created another resource called What Your Child will Learn in Grade Four. It went home earlier this week. It has detailed information about concepts students will learn, the math vocabulary we will cover, as well as strategies and at-home activities.
Lastly, thank you for sending in earbuds or earphones for your child to use when they are working on their chromebook with Lexia or Reflex. I do have extras in the classroom for when your child’s personal pair breaks, but for hygienic reasons, it is best for them to have their own set.
Enjoy the weekend!
The students have been troopers getting their work done during this heat. We have been taking it slow and steady. Sending in water bottles is a good idea. We are also close to a water fountain and I don’t mind if students go out of the room (at appropriate times) to get a drink.
In Writing, we have been finding ways to generate ideas for our writing. Students worked independently to think of “50 Things I Love”, then they conferred with a classmate. The outcome of this conferring was usually about ten more things that they love. Students’ lists are growing and growing with great ideas. Next, we took one idea and focused on the small moments within it. It is from these small moments, that your child will chose a special moment and began to write a personal narrative.
During our reading time, we have discussed how our classroom library is set up and looked for books to put in their book bins for independent reading. A new reading log, to record their time and pages for reading, was also introduced. This log will serve as a tool to help students, as well as myself, to look carefully at their reading habits and track their reading success. Student will be carrying their log and independent book with them back and forth to school in the poly-envelope I gave them. We have read a couple of picture books, First Day Jitters and Chrysanthemum to stimulate discussions about how we read and question. These skills can be practiced when they are reading independently. Our class read aloud chapter book is Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. This is a perfect book to highlight what we will be learning in Reading during the upcoming weeks. The class always asks me to keep reading! Ask them to tell you about the tiger.
In Math, we have been sharpening our addition and subtraction skills. A letter about your child’s mathematical journey in Fourth Grade was sent home earlier this week. It is a great resource to help you understand what your child will be learning. Our upcoming unit is Addition and Subtraction and The Number System within 1,000,000. Our Math Coordinator, Robin Moore, created another resource called What Your Child will Learn in Grade Four. It went home earlier this week. It has detailed information about concepts students will learn, the math vocabulary we will cover, as well as strategies and at-home activities.
Lastly, thank you for sending in earbuds or earphones for your child to use when they are working on their chromebook with Lexia or Reflex. I do have extras in the classroom for when your child’s personal pair breaks, but for hygienic reasons, it is best for them to have their own set.
Enjoy the weekend!
9/6/2016
In these first days of school we have been working on creating a positive classroom environment. We have discussed classroom procedures for daily tasks and activities. Below are some of the charts we have reviewed in our classroom. Some were created with the students own ideas. The students did a great job working as team members on the Cup Challenge. Students now have an assigned seat and group (their "campsite) and they worked together to stack cups without using their hands. They could only use string and a rubber band. Check out the photo blog for photos. (Not all students are pictured, as I am still waiting for photo/media release forms)
In these first days of school we have been working on creating a positive classroom environment. We have discussed classroom procedures for daily tasks and activities. Below are some of the charts we have reviewed in our classroom. Some were created with the students own ideas. The students did a great job working as team members on the Cup Challenge. Students now have an assigned seat and group (their "campsite) and they worked together to stack cups without using their hands. They could only use string and a rubber band. Check out the photo blog for photos. (Not all students are pictured, as I am still waiting for photo/media release forms)