New seating choices!

First of all, we've been getting some new seating options in our classroom this week, thanks to PTO!! Here are some of the new (along with some not-so-new) options that your kiddo has to help them with focus:

 Wobble Stools give a little squirms without all the motion of a ball. (We have 2 and they really like them!)

 Small trays that allow them to sit on the floor or wherever they can be successful.

 Theraband on the chair legs to help keep jumpy legs busy. (And a pillow on the chair for a more comfy spot to sit!) We also have 2 "foot fidgets" for the bottom of the desks we have but I need special tools (and Mr. L) to get those attached...

 Wiggle seat cushion, again to keep the squirms at bay, without the extreme balance and motion of the ball.

Blue cushions to sit on the floor and work at the table but plastic-y so they can be cleaned easier than the pillows!

Stability ball but also desk for working independently and TV trays to move wherever needed to work collaboratively but also independently. 

Smaller table for collaboration on a small scale. (Pillow for comfort.)

Headphones and earbuds with iPod for listening to music during independent work time.

Huge bean bag :) for comfort and squirms without the movement of the ball. 

I'm out with Adison again this afternoon-actually headed to urgent care for chest x-ray and to be checked out to be sure no pneumonia or in more distress than we realize...hopefully, not going to end up in ER... Mrs. Lantz is our sub and I'm sure things will be great as she has been in for me before. She'll be working with them on adding and subtracting fractions in Math Workshop and using QR codes to research Ohio Inventors in Science/Social Studies. With me this morning, after completing our M4T assessment, we took the SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory) which takes a look at their reading comprehension. Each kiddo received a printout of book recommendations based on how they achieved. Then, they began working on their Spring Conference presentation. This is in Google Apps so they can work on it at home too-don't peek until it's finished, though! :)

Oops-Wednesday and Thursday

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday, thought I did but well, guess not! My Adison is really sick and has been out all week from school because of her asthma. She's on steroids and breathing treatments and cough meds and ibuprofen, etc. Anyway, here's what we did!

We began both days with M4T and morning meeting. Yesterday, students completed making their word searches for Word Study and then published their opinion pieces for Writer's Workshop. In Because of Mr. Terupt, we learned that Jeffrey might have a softer side and are recognizing how the characteristics of the characters are giving different perspectives on the same situations. We aren't even halfway in and they are already seeing this difference! Next, we read, Henry's Freedom Box to show plot with rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. They had a little bit of time to read and visit the library. We had Art, lunch and outdoor recess. (Some of the students created their own book club that I've helped to moderate. They just finished their second book! I love listening in on their conversations about the book~it reminds me of my own book club! We meet during lunch, on days that I don't have duty and eat and chat.) We had our little quiet time after lunch to get ourselves calm for the afternoon and then worked on fractions using a ruler. We looked at 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 inch segments. One of the trickiest parts was when we counted on by 1/2 or 1/4, 1/8 inch segments starting at a random place on the ruler. They had to apply their understanding of fractions and equivalent fractions to do this. It took some extra explanations and some re-do's but they ended up pretty successful! We ended Math Workshop with an Exit/Entrance Slip where they had to read a line plot displaying data of ribbon lengths that they needed to find the 3 lengths of ribbon that add up to 12 inches exactly. They did pretty good with this even though it was more of an entrance slip than exit. Our day concluded with Social Studies where we learned a little bit more about the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence so that the Northwest Territory could be established.

This morning, we took the Checkpoint Writing Assessment which took most of the morning. This writing assessment is given to every 4th grade student in the district and graded using the same rubric. Before writing, we went over the rubric so students could understand exactly what is expected of them. They then had 45 minutes to write about their opinion. They could choose any topic that they had a strong opinion about. When finished, they solved each other's word searches that they had created yesterday. Once all writing was turned in, they were able to read, blog and visit the library. While reading independently today, they were to figure out where they were in their chapter book in regards to the plot and put it on a post-it note for their book. Today was Music, lunch and outdoor recess. After we came in from recess, Dr. Donna was in for her final time where we made fossils! It was messy but we can't wait to see them when we take them out on Monday. We had about 20 minutes before Guidance so we discussed line plots and then created a line plot showing our shoe sizes. Once our data had been collected, we were able to make conclusions about our class and we added up different shoe sizes to make my shoe size. In Guidance, Mrs. Vidic talked a little about careers and inventions. We then, completed our OSW on the Northwest Territory and practiced reading bar graphs with economic data. Finally, our day ended with Wonder time.

No substitute?

My position was unfilled today as I was home with my sick kiddo but I think they pulled the substitute from Art and put them in my room. Good thing we didn't have Art today! :) Anyway, I know what I left out for the students to complete but when it comes down to the specific happenings, you'll have to ask your kiddo on this one!

M4T, morning meeting and generalization practice in Word Study. They edited in Writer's Workshop to make their writing LOOK better. For Read Aloud, they read, Leo: A Ghost Story which is another March Book Madness book. Reading their independent chapter book and searching for the main problem or plot of their reading was the focus in Reader's Workshop. They had gym, lunch and I'm assuming outdoor recess. I hope that quiet time allowed them to create calm and center themselves for the afternoon. They worked with adding and subtracting fractions in two ways for math. One using a number line and the other using a visual model. Dr. Donna came in for Science today.

amount of work > amount of time

I always feel that there is never enough time in the day to complete what is needed to complete and today was no different. We were busy and I did my best to continue to stick to our time schedule so once again, your child may have some extra work that they brought home because they didn't finish in class.

We completed our four M4T problems and went over the answers. We greeted our friends thoughtfully and met for our morning meeting where we shared about our weekend and set new goals for the week. In Word Study, we took a mini-assessment of the different generalizations we've had so far this year. I told them the pattern and then gave them a word that fit the pattern for them to spell. Some were more successful than others and some generalizations were simpler than others. We'll continue working with previous patterns this week in order to transfer and apply this to our daily writing. Speaking of writing, today, we worked on revising our writing and making it sound better. Then, we went to the Media Center to work with Mrs. Richardson on reviewing figurative language or more specifically similes, metaphors and idioms. We only had about 15 minutes before special so we read a little bit from Because of Mr. Terupt and learned just how mean and sneaking Alexia ("Lexie") really is! And how ornery Peter is! Today was Music, lunch and OUTDOOR recess. We had a quick quiet time and then Mrs. Firestone came in to get baseline on our multiplication fact fluency. She's going to use this to complete some research about how students learn and KEEP these facts over time. In Math Workshop, we practiced composing and decomposing fractions using pizza with writing story problems. Next, we listened to a parody on You Tube about Fossils and then worked to create ideas on how some fossils ended up where they did. Finally, we ended our day with Reading.

Is this our room?!

We began our day with a new set up! I came in last evening and moved things around in the room which surprised everyone when they arrived this morning! (It also made some kiddos really mad at me...) Once they found seats for the day, they began working on their M4T assessment. Unfortunately, there was a not-great report from the sub so we worked in silence and had a really long discussion about their behavior when I'm gone. I even quoted my book by Urban Meyer, Above the Line, about why The Ohio State Buckeyes are National Champions and how this relates to us. Too many of us have gone on auto-pilot and fallen below the line and we need to WORK to get back and keep ourselves there. 

I would love to say that things instantly were perfect, but I am realistic. Things were good though! We worked hard on our writing (some still may need to finish at home so they are ready to revise and edit on Monday). We learned a little bit more about Peter, Luke and Anna in Because of Mr. Terupt for Read Aloud but still don't know too much about all the characters of the class. Mr. T sounds pretty cool too...wonder if it will stay that way? In Reader's Workshop, we read and voted on Mrs. Slatinsky's 2nd grade class's Food Trucks and Menu. What did your kiddo vote for? (The one with bacon everything seemed pretty popular!) Some of us celebrated our Winter Break Challenge with a Pizza Party Lunch today! After indoor recess and quiet time, we had a great discussion about composing or adding fractions and then got time to practice this idea in certain situations. We started to fall apart toward the end of math but then pulled ourselves together to work on creating vocabulary puzzles via Kahoot.it or a crossword puzzle on puzzlemaker.com with the content words we used during Word Study this week. Our day ended with Wonder time, quietly. Ahhhh.... 

another sub...sorry!

It's so hard to be out of the room! I'd much rather be in the classroom with the children but I also need to know where they currently are in their learning...so today, there was a substitute in the classroom and I was next door pulling kiddos out to read with me. Here's what they (hopefully) accomplished:

M4T, morning meeting with greeting the guest teacher, sharing how they keep warm on cold days and playing "just like me," Word Study focused on understanding words associated with Social Studies, they continued their opinion writing in Writer's Workshop and read Imaginary Fred, a picture book for March Book Madness for Read Aloud. In Reader's Workshop, they just needed to read independently and for math, they worked with composing fractions and what that means. Also, Dr. Donna came to make fossils today! 

Sorry this isn't very detailed today but I wasn't there to get all the details! I'm sure your kiddo can share the ins and outs!

Mrs. Baumgartner is back!

Mrs. Baumgartner is an amazing teacher and someone that I continue to look up to as a friend and mentor. Unfortunately, she retired last year BUT she was back today as our substitute teacher in the morning! Since 11 of our students were in her class last year, it was great that they got a chance to see her again! I was out for professional development/training on differentiating in the classroom for students that are gifted.

They began with M4T and Mrs. B spent a lot of time going over the answers to today's problems, especially area and perimeter. Then, in keeping with our content vocabulary focus in Word Study, we used Science words today to try to figure out. They should have defined and drew pictures for at least 5 words. Next, they continued writing their opinion piece about saving the fig tree. We also had a lockdown drill today so they didn't get to Read Aloud or Reader's Workshop. Music was our special today. After quiet time, we worked with the field trip math problem we had last week about sharing sub sandwiches. Today, however, they tried to make the sharing a bit more fair. Students acted as if they were clueless although I know they had the skills to work on this. So, we had a little chat about riding a bicycle and that at this point in the year, the training wheels should start to come off and that they need to begin balancing on their own. The worst that can happen is that they might fall and scratch their knee but the only way to ride a bike is to just do it. I'll be there to help get them started and to bandage their knee if they need it but that they need to start trying it on their own more. I think they got my analogy. After Math, I gave them time for Reader's Workshop. They read, worked on the fiction story and theme of "The Great Hodgi" in StoryWorks, blogged and visited the library. We ended our day with Wonder time.

on-time

I decided that instead of feeling overwhelmed and stressed at the end of the day counting up everything we didn't get to each day, that I'm going to stick to our daily schedule. This created quite a bit of stress in the kiddos (as well as extra homework) but hopefully, by Friday, we'll have it down! Here is our schedule if you don't have it already:

8:50-9:05          Morning Procedures and M4T

9:05-9:20          Morning Meeting

9:20-9:35          Word Study

9:35-10:00        Writer's Workshop

10:00-10:20      Interactive Read Aloud

10:20-11:05      Reader's Workshop

11:15-12:00      Special

12:00-12:50      Lunch/Recess

12:50-1:00        Quiet time/assignments in planner

1:00-2:20          Math Workshop

2:20-2:25          Quiet time

2:25-3:05          Science/Social Studies

3:05-3:25          Wonder/i-Time

3:30                  Dismissal

Our morning was great-we got to everything planned and seemed to do well. (A lot of kiddos are bringing home their M4T and Word Study though because they did too much talking/socializing...) In meeting, we shared what EXTRA thing we did over the weekend with our EXTRA day and then set a our first ever WEEKLY goal. In Word Study, our focus is on understanding content vocabulary this week with today looking at Math words. What words did your kiddo pick to better understand? Then, we used LEGO Story Starters again to set the scene for an opinion writing--"Save the fig tree!" Which opinion/side is your child taking? The side of the protestors that want to keep the tree or the side of the city council that wants to chop it down? We began a new book for Read Aloud, Because of Mr. Terupt. This is a book on the list for March Book Madness and shows point of view and characters really well! In Reader's Workshop, we got our January issue of StoryWorks and began reading the fiction piece. They are encouraged to read and re-read this over and over as they work with this story. We also read and visited the library. Today was Art, lunch and indoor recess and then our afternoon got crazy! We learned Garage Band with Mrs. Bargar so that we can complete a poetry project soon and then Dr. Donna came in and worked with us on taking our "bones" and "fossils" and creating what the dinosaur looked like in a 3-D form, with flesh and muscle. We got to use Play-doh!! Finally, we ended our day with Wonder time. 

Blah, blah, blah...

This is the sound that must come out of my mouth when I think I'm speaking words to the children...! :) I had to repeat myself SOOO much today it seemed that way!

Our day began with our M4T assessment and no one received 12/12. I'm not sure if it was because they rushed so they could work on their LEGO writing or if it was just more difficult this week. I didn't think it was challenging, though. Our meeting only consisted of the news today as it was 10 minutes long! It did introduce us to 2 of the student teachers in the building and told us that TFK booklets will be coming home next week for our annual "fundraiser." We spent the next 45 minutes finishing up our LEGO Story Starters Stories. In Read Aloud, we finished Love That Dog and discussed how Jack's poems got better the more emotion he put into them. We finished up our TFK Year in Pictures, read new books that I got from the library in preparation for March Book Madness and created 40 flowers for Mrs. Andrews' 40th birthday today! (Our Intervention teacher.) We had gym, lunch and indoor recess (? maybe too wet?) and then took the Student Experience Survey about the culture of our classroom and school. After the survey, Dr. Donna came in and the students did an EXCELLENT job taking the bones and discovering the type of dinosaur they had found. I was super impressed! Finally, we ended the day completing OUR 2015 in Pictures. **If your kiddo didn't finish, they need to complete this for homework this weekend!

Crazy, busy!

Oh my goodness, today was crazy! Our morning began as usual with M4T and then greeting friends as we came to meeting. We shared the technology we used at home last night (most played games of some sort) and then played a quick activity of, "Would you rather?" After saying the Pledge, we got the computers out to use the LEGO Story Starter Story Visualizer software to put words to the scenes we created this week. Jack found inspiration in a poet and is really into this poetry thing now. He even wrote a letter to ask him to come visit his class. Love That Dog has really inspired our kiddos too! I love the poems hanging from our poeTREE! In Reader's Workshop, we continued the TFK work we've been working on this week. We also read, blogged and visited the library. Then, we had Music, lunch and another indoor recess. And then the crazy began... Dr. Donna was supposed to be in from 12:55-1:30 but got stuck in traffic getting to ADE from dropping her kiddo off at pre-school. (She'll be back tomorrow to make it up.) So, we worked on reviewing our fractions in our workbook and then played a quick game of Uncover. Mrs. Vidic came in and talked to us about Martin Luther King and the importance of why we don't have school on Monday. Then, we went down to the cafeteria and learned to draw with Mr. Steve Harpster. It was amazing! I had so much fun drawing with the kids!

...better...

Today was a bit better with the chatter but by the end of the day, I felt myself using the quiet symbol (knick-knack...paddy-whack...) every few minutes to get their attention because they weren't listening and/or following directions and/or too loud. It just gets so frustrating! We had a great morning and Math Workshop was awful so we're going to focus on that! :)

We began our day with M4T and a reminder that they learned about area last year and there should be no reason they are missing this problem in their M4T. Then, we greeted our friends with an "H" and came to meeting. We shared a food we'd like to try. Some things that were said were: dragon fruit, fried peaches, sushi, squash, lasagna and strawberries. We described ourselves with one positive characteristic and made it alliterative. I was 'loving Lambright.' What word did your kiddo use to describe themselves? We proved that we understood our Word Study generalization of past tense words by finding 10 words that followed the pattern. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we completed our scene for our story using the LEGO Story Starters. I gave extra time for this so we did not read any from Love That Dog today and we continued working with the Year in Pictures issue of TFK, read, visited the library and blogged. In Art, we worked on our weaving, enjoyed lunch and indoor recess. After quiet time, we continued our work on sub sandwich sharing on the field trip in Math Workshop. We had a gallery walk and then discussed what we found. In Social Studies, we worked on a crossword puzzle about timelines in an Ohio Studies Weekly and added more dates to our Ohio timeline. Finally, our day ended with Wonder Time.

Not a great day...

Our day always starts off so good but as the day continues, we just talk and talk and talk...  So much that Dr. Donna asked if they even wanted her here! I was so embarrassed! Of course, they said they did, however, I explained that their actions speak louder than their words and they need to SHOW that they want her back by being quiet when she's talking... Hopefully, Thursday will be better.

We completed our M4T and then greeted our friends on our way to meeting. We shared how we exercise at home during the winter and the importance of keeping our whole body and mind healthy because it's easy to get down during the winter. Then, for our activity, we calmed our bodies down with the Calm Down Yoga we learned last week. (This time it went MUCH better!) Even if they chose not to participate in the positions, they completed the phrases with us, "I am strong. I am kind. I am brave. I am friendly. I am wise." In Word Study, we sorted our words and although they are all past tense verbs, they have different ways of ending. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we brought out the Lego Story Starters and followed a mystical prompt about a girl, magical fish and golden crystals...we created today to tell our story for what happened when Sally arrived at school using these legos. We read a little more from Love That Dog and found that Jack is enjoying writing poetry more and more and is write-write-writing different kinds of poems more. :) In Reader's Workshop, we continued our work with TFK: Year in Pictures, read, blogged and visited the library. We had Gym today-Titanic again!, lunch and indoor recess. After writing our assignments in our planners and some quiet time, we got our Unit 3 Post-tests back and then did a little review of placing fractions on a number line-which is a 3rd grade standard-but also how to then show equivalent fractions on that same number line. This is something I noticed a lot of them missed on the assessment. **This is homework tonight. We just started in class.** Next, Dr. Donna came in and read the remainder of Barnum's Bones to us and we did some "digging" ourselves. We didn't finish today but I wonder what each group's set of bones will be... After Science, we came back to Math and began a problem about sharing sub sandwiches on a field trip and if each student received the same amount. Finally, our day concluded with Wonder time. Did your kiddo wonder today or just keep busy?

Too cold!

I dislike being cold. I don't know if it has to do with my RA or the medicines I'm on or if I just despise being cold. At home, I am always under a heated blanket or sitting almost in the fireplace. However, at school, I have the dreaded winter recess duty--duh, duh, duuhhhh. The kiddos know it, the staff knows it and my family hears about it. So, this year, I was prepared (see pic below), thanks to my husband's hunting gear, but am happy that it is even too cold for outdoor recess today! :) Here's your LOL for the day... :)

                                   

We began our day with M4T and in meeting, we shared with each other why we are happy to see them at school today. Then, we composed a list of things we can say to ourselves when we feel our mindset has closed. I'm noticing this a lot during Math and Writing times. Some examples are: instead of saying, "This is too hard!" try saying, "Can you help me?" or "I'll keep trying." We took a pre-test and got new words in Word Study and then in Writer's Workshop, we looked at the writing we turned in on Friday, along with my notes, and created a Writing Goal. What is your child's goal? We started a new read aloud today-a novel written entirely in poems by Sharon Creech, called, Love That Dog. We had to infer A LOT while reading a story in poetry. In Reader's Workshop, we read December 2015 Time For Kids, "Year-in-Pictures" issue. We'll be creating our own year in pictures too. We also read, met with me for Guided Reading, read poetry or visited the library. After Music, lunch and recess, those of us that hadn't yet, took the Unit 3 post-test, took the Unit 4 pre-test and we worked on introducing our next area of focus-mixed numbers and adding and subtracting fractions. We continued the time lines we began last week in Social Studies about conflict and settlement. Our day ended with discussing Wonder/i-time and how we can use this time more efficiently for ourselves. Most students agreed that there wasn't anything they completed during Wonder Time last week that made them better...something to think about as they choose their activities this week. 

I blame You Tube!!

Ok, so I finally figured out why this age group of children have no inner monologue and NEVER stop talking. They aren't even always talking to other people-sometimes just themselves! I realized this when I happened to watch a "show" Adison, my 4th grader, was watching. These people describe out loud every thing they are doing and every thought they have! "I got this toy so I'm going to open it and show you how to put it together. Hmmm...I wonder if this is going to be hard to do. Oh, look! There's stickers to put on..." Seriously! So, when I just reached my limit today, I told the class this reality. They are not "You Tubers." This is not You Tube. I am not a subscriber to their channel. They do not need to verbalize every thought and every action of their day. I am definitely one that talks to myself when I'm trying to solve a problem but I do not share every thought in my head! Ok. I feel better after my rant. Thank you for allowing me to share. I also said that even if you are not talking to someone, if sounds are coming out of your mouth, that counts.

Anyway, we took our M4T assessment for the week and then watched the ADE news. We didn't have a full meeting this morning because too many kiddos needed time to complete their writing. They had about 40+ minutes today to work on their writing that we began on Monday. I told them that I'm not seeing their growth as writers as I would like so I was going to assess this writing this weekend so we could set writing goals next week so that they could improve as writers. I'm looking at ideas, following the writing process, paragraphs, delicious words, punctuation, capitalization, spelling...everything. In Read Aloud, we finished The Beaded Moccasins which was bitter sweet. We were happy with the ending and the story but we grew attached to Mary and the characters! We spent extra time finishing the book so Reader's Workshop was cut a little shorter than usual. However, students finished their poetry work, read and visited the library. We had Art, lunch and inside recess due to the rain. :( **4 cell phones/iPods/electronic devices were taken from the teacher on duty at this time. We had a discussion that "Bring your own device" is for EDUCATIONAL purposes. It is a rule that there are no electronic devices allowed during recess-ever-because they cannot be properly monitored. There was an issue earlier in the week with someone taking pictures with their device during class. That means they have 2 strikes...if there is one more issue with our "Bring your own device" policy, they will not be allowed any longer. Most children use them to listen to music as white noise while they work or to get on ST Math or something. Hopefully, this point was made clear today. Math Workshop was a mess today-extremely chaotic. Students: took the Unit 4 Pre-test, took the Unit 3 Post-test, practiced for the assessment on Monday, challenged themselves with trying to figure out Mixed Numbers/Improper Fractions, completed ST Math, etc... One thing that remained the same was that it seemed that EVERYONE needed me at one time and all the time and Mrs. Sharma was out today... I tried to teach them "Calm Down Yoga for Kids" to calm us down after such a chaotic math but they chose to be too silly which created more stress and we ended up sitting silently at our seats for 5 minutes. I really like the poses and message involved in this so I hope to show them again next week when they are more receptive and less crazy. :)

We ended our day with completing our OSW from yesterday and Wonder/i-Time where most kiddos were working on finishing their writing. 

Ask them about their day!

I am out today with my oldest who is getting an MRI and meeting with a dietician due to low bone mineral density. So, you'll have to ask your kiddo about their day. Here is what I had planned and left for the substitute so this can help guide your questioning.

They were to complete M4T for morning work and then during meeting, greet the guest teacher, share a funny joke and play their favorite activity, "Would You Rather?" They have 4 new words to choose from for Word Study. Has you heard any new vocabulary this week?? In Writer's Workshop, they were to continue writing their "story" or whatever they chose to write and follow the writing process. Instead of finishing The Beaded Moccasins today, (they're going to be upset) the sub is going to read, Once Upon a Pie which is a book about dogs written in poem form. It's very cute! They are to finish their poetry analysis and comprehension in Reader's Workshop with time to read, blog and visit the library. Gym is our special today and I think they are playing a game, Titanic, that Mr. B created that they LOVE, then lunch and presumably outdoor recess. Hopefully the morning went well as this is typically our best part of the day. After quiet time-which I'm sure they'll need-the substitute will be reviewing ordering fractions and having them practice putting fractions in order. They know how to do this but freeze when they think it's something new. Anyway, some might be taking the test but without me there, I'm not sure if they will still choose to do so. After Math Workshop, they will be reading and completing an Ohio Studies Weekly on the Frontier Wars and then completing their Wonder/i-Time activities. As long as they do as they do when I am there, everything should be fine. I so dislike being out and think about them all day--just as I do if I have to leave my own children with a babysitter. I know that everything is fine but I just can't help thinking about them! :)

**I am reading a WONDERFUL book that you should check out (and can borrow from me when I finish), by Urban Meyer titled, Above the Line. It encompasses everything we can do to be successful and talks about all the things we discuss in class--"Above the Line" behaviors, pressing pause, how we can't control Events from happening but can control our Response which in turn determines the Outcome or E + R = O. Anyhow, I was reading it this morning while waiting on Ella to return from her MRI and thought I'd recommend it to all of you!

Out in the afternoon

Hopefully, the day was fine after I left...my oldest, Ella, cracked 2 growth plates in her elbow in November and we had our follow up appointment. Anyway, the doctor decided to get an MRI tomorrow morning and then we also have an appointment with a Dietician because she has Low Bone Mineral Density... ALWAYS SOMETHING!! Sorry to be out in a row...please let your kiddo know and send my apologies!

This morning, after completing and going over our M4T, we greeted each other with a fun handshake for meeting. We shared what we will be doing to make sure that we have a successful afternoon with the substitute and then we played, "Would You Rather?" We skipped word study today to allow us more time to work on our writing. They worked so well~I even commented on how bored I was! :) In Read Aloud, Mary got to see that Mrs. Stewart, now Mrs. Sequin, is doing very well~she's even going to have a baby and name it Samuel or Samantha after her Sammy. Mary is even more confused than ever because she is starting to realize that maybe people can be replaced... In Reader's Workshop, we continued our work with "Good Hot Dogs" a poem in our StoryWorks, read, blogged and visited the library. After Music, lunch and outdoor recess, the sub said they had an ok afternoon. They were loud and took too much time quieting/settling down, but overall not bad. In Math, they worked on fractions and then in Social Studies, they created timelines of the information they learned yesterday with conflict and settlement.

Back in the swing of things

Fortunately, today seemed like we had never left for 2 weeks and only returned yesterday! I'm so thankful that it only took us one day to get back to our schedule. 

We began our day with our M4T and then met for meeting where we greeted each other with a compliment. This time, we made sure to give and receive compliments. This prompted a conversation though, about thoughtful compliments. Telling 5 people that you like their hair doesn't really make the compliment authentic. We shared our personal goals for 2016 and I'm very impressed with the level of maturity and self-reflection these kiddos have! We ended meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance as always but first, we played, "Just Like Me!" In Word Study this week, we are trying to learn and USE as many new vocabulary words as possible. Today, they were given 4 new words and the choice to write about one of them. What word did your kiddo write about? Can they USE it for you? We continued our writing in Writer's Workshop but some are starting to get behind so help them to work at home to get caught up! In The Beaded Moccasins, Mary finally has a friend to talk to but she was forced to think about her "future" with the Delaware...marriage? children? We also read a couple of poems from Oops! by Alan Katz to show how poems primarily use word play and figurative language to get the meaning across. Then, we read the poem, Good Hot Dogs in our StoryWorks and completed some comprehension and analysis questions. We had Art, lunch and INSIDE recess today (thankfully because some kiddos had shorts on yesterday and only sweatshirts-no coats!). After recess, we had a lesson on fossils with Dr. Donna, a guest teacher/professor from OSU. She read, Barnum's Bones to us and then we had to use cooperation and teamwork to put a puzzle of dinosaur bones together. In Math Workshop, we continued building our fraction number sense by completing a few activities where we had to compare shares of lasagna (by the way, hardly anyone knew what this word was until I pronounced it...LOL!) and weird pieces of cake. Students decided today if they feel they are ready for the test or not. Here are their choices--fyi:

If your child is NOT yet ready to test, please help them to practice at home with comparing, ordering and equivalent fractions. We also had some time for Social Studies today so we read about Europeans and the Ohio Country and how the French and English were battling over this land...what about the Native Americans though? Our day ended with Wonder/i-Time. If you are curious about what your kiddo does during Wonder time, we began keeping a log so that we can make sure to best utilize this educational time-make us better not just free time. 

Welcome Back!

Yay! I missed these kiddos so much and was so happy to hear that everyone had a great break! Thank you for sending them back today...I'm sure you were so sad to get back to your typical schedule and a clean and quiet house. :) Anyway, we spent the beginning part of the morning sharing about our break, decluttering, cleaning and organizing our materials in order to begin the year on a good note. We wrote more specific goals (hopefully you can read your child's goal from the picture below...?) and then jumped right into our academics.

In Writer's Workshop, we will be writing a narrative, informational or opinion piece from start to finish by the end of Writing on Friday. We are going to focus on the ENTIRE writing process-especially revising and editing to make our writing the best it can be for a 4th grade student. Mrs. Stewart was eager to be traded to Sequin in The Beaded Moccasins but as she said, anything is better than where she is now. We took some time to read and blog or visit the library during Reader's Workshop and then had Gym, lunch and OUTDOOR recess--brr! After recess, we tried to calm ourselves during quiet time but we were very, very chatty today. Finally, we had a fraction number talk and discussed how we can compare fractions with same denominators or same numerators. Then, we used what we know to complete tasks about the WHOLE. If I ate a piece of pizza and Drew ate a piece of pizza, did we eat the same amount? Well, it depends on the whole...large or small pizza? from where? We ended Math Workshop by playing fraction war with partners. In Science, we started a K-W-L chart about fossils~our new subject!