Friday!

We had a fun and out-of-the-ordinary day today!
*Thank you to Mrs. Stathis for the yummy breakfast, Mrs. Elliott for the fun PAWS treat craft, and Mrs. Long for the yummy snacks!

We began with writing a response to an On-Demand Prompt about recess safety.  The kids worked very hard on this!

Next we had Junior Achievement and learned more about profit and the economy.

Then we met with our Math Buddies and helped them review (and us!) word form, expanded form, and standard form of numbers.

We also had Health with Ms. Timaji, and reviewed plural nouns by playing a Go Plurals game.

Have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

Thursday

Good Afternoon! :)

I forgot to mention the Science Fair Information Packet went home yesterday.  I went over this with the students today.  We wrote down each due date for all the papers and I tried to answer the questions as best I could for now.  There will be a Parent Info. Night on Nov. 8th and the parent volunteer is working to get the info made soon.  The Science Fair is MANDATORY for all 4th grade students and it will be a home project.

*Tomorrow the students get to wear PJ's and hats! PJ's are for our PAWS party.

*PS- I saw on Bulldog Bites that the classrooms were having "Fall Parties".  I never received information about this, and since we've never had a Fall Party in the past I was confused.  Sorry! :)
Math: Today we continued working on division.  I am getting worried about the students who do not know their facts still.  I hate that I do not have a few weeks to just focus on multiplication facts, but they were to have these mastered in 3rd grade.  I am thinking of having a multiplication log but will let you know.
HW: division practice

Reading: Today we practiced more with fact and opinion.  Then the kids took a Fact and Opinion leveled test. Students also read from their Lit. Books. 
No HW

Science: Today we went over anther fast change, volcanoes.  Students were very interested in this! We got to watch a cook Discovery video on different volcanoes.
No HW

Writing: Today we took a Plural Nouns walk-about and then took a quiz. We will continue to practice this tomorrow because a lot of students got confused with possessive and plurals.
No HW

Have a great night,

Wednesday

*Please check Wednesday Folders

Report Cards are coming home today.
Awards Program is Nov. 4th at 12:45 in the gym. You are invited to come. Students will be receiving Principal's List (all A's) and Honor Roll (A's and B's) awards.
Red Ribbon Week: tomorrow is Inside Out day with clothes
Math: Today we worked hard once again on division.  Students divided with 3 numbers today.  Most students do a great job, it's just getting those facts down!
HW: practice page
Test will be next Thursday over multiplication and division

Reading: Today we continued with facts and opinions.  Students read leveled readers and picked out 4 facts and 4 opinions.  Students had a harder time on this than I expected, so we will be working more tomorrow before taking our quiz.  Students also practiced this skill with their Lit. Circle books and found facts and opinions from the characters.
No HW

Science: We continued learning about fast changes today. We did different demonstrations to represent earthquakes and then watched a few clips about real earthquakes from the Discovery Channel online.
No HW

Writing: During writing time we had Guidance with Mrs. Moses.


Have a great night,

Tuesday

Tomorrow is school spirit day! Wear jeans and GSE gear.

We had an interesting afternoon with the lights going out due to the storm! :)

Math: We are still working on division. Kids are having a hard time because the mult. facts were not memorized.
HW: practice problems
Test is scheduled for next Monday. I think I will move it back, but I will let you know by Thursday.

Reading: Today we worked more on fact and opinion.  Students were put into groups to practice with different levels of games. Most students did a great job! Then, we caught up on our reading in lit. groups.
HW: finish reading chapters from Lit. Book

Science: We started learning about fast changes to the earth's surface.  We did an experiment on flooding and landslides. Then the students worked on inferencing with science about where to build an apartment complex on a hill. We finished with an exit slip.
No HW

Writing: Today we were going to do a plural nouns walk-about...but that turned into a sit-about once all the lights went off (except our room!).

*Students got their new Book Logs today. Some are stapled in the front of their planner.  It is due Nov. 19th.

Have a great night,

Monday

Hope you had a great weekend! Sorry for not posting on Friday ~ I ran out of here quickly to take care of my insurance and forgot once I got home! :)

FYI:
Red Ribbon Week! Tomorrow kids can bring their favorite stuffed animal to school.
Book Logs will be sent home by Friday
Report Cards are coming home this Wednesday
Math: Today we worked very hard on division again.  It's SO HARD for the kids to get this when they don't have their facts down. Please try and spend about 10 minutes each night with multiplication flashcards!
HW: 4 problems on division
Students can use the class practice page I asked them to bring home as a model for the HW

Reading: This week we're working on fact and opinion. We read an article together out of the Treasures series.  Students also read chapters from their Lit. Books.
HW: finish lit. book chapters, *bring in a magazine or ad that will be ok to cut out if you can!

Science: Today we learned where we get oil, fuel, minerals, etc. and how they help us in the environment.
No HW

Writing: Today we worked on plural nouns.  The kids had some trouble with -s, -es, -ies! We'll be working on this all week.
No HW

Have a good night,

Thursday

Busy day for me so only shows HW:

Math: problems with division with remainders - worksheet

Reading: Finish up Knowledge questions if not in class

Health was today for Writing

AR Points - I set the goals based on your child's Lexile level and the equivalence to AR points.  I feel that your child should be able to get the points in 9 weeks time with the amount of time given to read (20 min. per every night, 15-20 min. per day for DEAR time, any extra time in class) if they are reading on their level.  Reading is very important to me and my class, so I would like to see all students achieve the goals I have set.

Also, all students have plenty of opportunities in class to take AR tests and they can be taken at home as well.  We have a schedule up in the classroom to remind students when it's OK to take tests. Please advise to that or email me if you have questions.


Have a good night.

Wednesday

*Make sure to check the Wednesday Folders!
PS- I'm losing it! :) I thought the Report Cards were coming home today!!! But they aren't. They will be in next week's folder. SO SORRY!!!

FYI:
Thanks for all the cans and food donated! We've got a lot to share! :)
Multiplication Facts and Reading 20 minutes should be nightly!
AR Goals were sent home in the front of the planner ~ they are for the next 9 weeks
AR Goals from last time are in the planner as well for you to sign.

Math: Today we did more with division. Thank you to all the parents who checked and make comments on the HW about how smart your child is! I know it meant a lot to them!!
We continued with division and added remainders today. The kids did a great job.
HW: division sheet with 6 problems (please sign!)

Reading: Today we took the AR test on the read aloud I just completed with the class. The story was so fun and we could really incorporate all of our reading skills into this book! Most students scored a 10/10 or 9/10. YAY!  We also got into our small leveled groups to practice more with inferencing with practice probes. Students are doing a good job with this.  Lastly, students read some chapters out of their leveled literature groups.
HW: complete reading the chapters (students have the needed chapters on their Lit. Calendar. Please email if your child forgot to bring that home!)

Science: Today we started our new unit on Earth Materials.  We began with rocks and learned how to classify different rocks.  Students were able to classify several different rocks!

We also got our turtles today!!! Students were given a question to research with 2 other people to find the answer. Then we are going to make a learning web out of our new knowledge about red-eared sliders!


Stella and Ned! They are red-eared slider turtles! Check out the "Classroom Tour" on the right to see more pictures!

 Writing: Students received their new AR goals.  We also worked more on similes and metaphors.  Some students are really having a difficult time with this, so I am pushing back our quiz until Friday. 
HW: some students need to complete the simile/metaphor sheet

Have a great night!

Tuesday

* Short due to long meetings during planning and staff meeting.

Thanks for all the food donated! :)

Math: HW on division with no remainders. Let my kids show YOU!

Reading: Complete questions on comprehension and vocab. on lit. books if not finished in class

Science: No HW

Writing: No HW

Today we had Guidance so science was cut short and no writing today.

Have a great night,

Monday

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! :)

Don't forget to check the Student Blog out. The kids love writing this daily!

*FYI:
~Food Drive is still going on. We are collecting for a new week to win! We had lots donated today, thank you!!
~Report Cards come home in the Wednesday Folders this week
~Conferences are still going on ~ I will respond to your emails as quickly as I can and I will still try and write the blog with as much as I can with the limited time! :)
~Our turtles will be here Wednesday. We had a slight problem getting them here because the tank is so big! I know the kids are dying to meet their new little friends!
~Students are now doing Lexia (reading program) and SuccessMaker (math program) weekly on the computers. Each student has a day and he/she works on one of the programs as soon as they enter the classroom, and completes the other one during DEAR time. 

Math: Today we took a mini-quiz over double digit multiplication.  I haven't had time to grade them but will do so tonight. There were 6 total questions. If your child misses 3 or more, they will be sent home with a practice page to complete before Friday.
We also began some division today. We started with fact families with worked with division with no remainders. The students used manipulatives to really be able to see the separating into groups.  Tomorrow the kids are making a 'how to' video on division! I hope I can figure out how to post them on the blog!
No HW, expect practice mult. facts

Reading: Today we started working on inferencing again.  Students read a story out of Treasures and related to a real-life text we read and an article.  The text was about immigrants and green cards. It led to a great discussion!  Students also worked on their Literature Novels by reading more chapters.
HW: finish reading set chapters that are stated on their Lit. Group Calendars if not already finished

Science: Students took their Fossils test today. Can't wait to see how they do!  We will have a review day tomorrow over all the content we've learned so far, and begin our new unit on Wednesday over Earth Materials and Fast/Slow Changes.

Writing: We are finally able to get back to our grammar daily and mini-lessons daily now that our 2 pieces are complete! It's always hard to get the Memoir and the PTA piece completed in the beginning of the year while we are still learning (and hopefully reviewing) writing skills to be able to write these pieces.  Our new piece is the article, and we started researching for those today as well.  Our mini-lessons this week will involve verb tenses and metaphor/simile. 
No HW


Have a great night,

Friday

We had a great Review Friday today!

*We came in 2nd place for the Food Drive this week. I hope we can be in 1st place next week! :)
*Our turtles will be coming to us next week!
*Conferences are going great. Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me.

We started the day with Junior Achievement taught by Mr. Burton.  The kids were excited about making their own business and knew a lot about resources.

Next we had some math review over double digit multiplication. Kids did a great job with this. I was impressed by most work.
After that students were placed in partners where they each had a different state in the Northeast Region for Social Studies.  Students made up large baseball cards naming the climate, resources, population, and what the state was known for.  Kids did a great job with this and we all learned a little about each state after the students presented.

Next we helped our Math Buddies with regrouping in subtraction. This was a great review for my kids as well.  Soon I will have an extra board out in the hallway to show what we're doing in Math Buddy time.

Lastly we have Reading Review and DEAR/Lexia/SuccessMaker/AR time.

Mrs. Sharp also came in and read The Giving Tree with the class.

We had a great day! Enjoy the pictures below of math buddies, the social studies projects, and Mrs. Sharp.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday

Another great day!

*FYI:
The Food Drive is going on NOW! :)  When your child brings in a multiple of 3 (we are doing this on Calendar this month!) items (3,6,9,etc.) he/she earns lunch in the classroom with a friend! :)

*Report Cards will be coming home next Wednesday!

Math: Today we worked VERY hard on double digit multiplication again.  Students are trying their best, but still making silly mistakes because the facts are not memorized.  PLEASE take maybe 5 minutes a night to help your child on this. I really appreciate it!  We worked in small group centers today so that I could see a few students one on one.  The kids were awesome!
HW: 1 sheet with 5 double digit problems

Reading: Today we continued with our Author's Purpose and looked more at persuasive texts.  Students wrote me a persuasive letter about not having HW.  The best letter will earn a Hard Work Cafe pass for the student.  We also had our first Book Talk on the new Lit. Books.  I was very impressed with the conversations I had with the students. Everyone seems happy with their literature book.
HW: complete letter if not in class

Science: Today we practiced another Fossils sheet that can be used as a study guide. I really think students are ready for this test!
HW: do practice questions from yellow folder sheets for test on Monday

Writing: Today we continued brainstorming ideas for our new writing piece.  Students narrowed the topic down and decided on 3 specific things they want to include in their article.
No HW

Have a great night,

Wednesday

Remember to check Wednesday Folders!

FYI:
*Food Drive is going on now! Last year my class WON the big prize! I hope we can have a repeat!
*Conferences are going on now. I have them before/after/during school. Please advise as it may take me a bit to email you back! :)
*Grading Period ends next week
*We've been wasting so many tissues when using our white boards.  We love to learn with the white boards because it is an easy way to do quick assessments. If you are able to send in a washcloth for us to use instead of tissues that would be GREAT! Thank you in advance! If not, I will go this weekend and purchase some at the Dollar Store! :)
*We're getting a turtle!! Actually ~ 2!  2 girls wrote me a persuasive letter to get one for our class.  They were great at already figuring out all the reasons I would say no! haha!  However, I was offered 2 turtles on Tuesday for FREE with the container and everything! So, we will use the money students brought in for food.

Today:
Math: Today we continued on double digit multiplication. Some of the kids got it, and some were still frustrated.  The BIGGEST thing I saw today was that students do not know their facts which makes it so hard to do the problems.  Please try and have your child practice mult. facts nightly. 
HW: multiplication worksheet - please check!

Reading: Today we continued learning about author's purpose - PIE.  We used an ORQ to learn about this and it is hanging out in the hallway! We also found PIE in our lit. novels.  Students also had time to read in their new lit. novels.
HW: short sheet on author's purpose

Science: We will be having our Fossils test next Monday.  The kids took a practice quiz and did extremely well!! :)  The study guides are the sheets that are in the yellow folders.
No HW

Writing: We had Health today during writing.  We will begin our new piece tomorrow - article writing.

Have a wonderful night,
Mrs. Burton

Tuesday

Super long meetings today so only showing HW. Sorry! :)

Math: 5 problems on double digit multiplication

Reading: Finish vocab logographic cue cards if not complete (this is just where you write the definition of the vocab word and illustrate a pictures to tell the meaning)

Have a great night!

Monday~ 10/11/10

Hope everyone had a wonderful Fall Break!

FYI:
*Innisbrook due Oct. 13th
*Conferences start this week! If I haven't heard from you please contact me via note or email with some dates and times in October we can meet! Tuesday's during my planning and after school are out due to meetings and Thursdays during planning are out due to meetings.
*20 Minutes reading for Book Log should continue nightly as well as practicing multiplication facts!

I'm not at school today ~ but this is what your kids hopefully did today!! :) *Please check the planners to see if your child had HW from today!

Math: Students worked on word problems with multiplication. 
Possible HW: complete word problems from class

Reading: Students began learning about Author's Purpose with the book, Mighty Jackie.*New Lit. Groups will begin Tuesday since I wasn't there today!
Possible HW: complete author's purpose sheet

Science: Complete a Fossils ORQ and flashbacks page.
No HW

Writing: One of our students left GSE, so the kids were writing him letters.
No HW


Have a great night,

Tuesday

Today we worked very hard on multiplication in Math, comprehension during Reading, found the verdict GUILTY on Fossil Science Court, and completed our Memoirs. YAY!



Everything On A Waffle Treat!


We had a wonderful day!


Bee Winner #1

 Have a WONDERFUL Fall Break!

Monday

Good Afternoon!
We had a lot of kids out today ~ we missed you guys! :)

Conference Dates are stapled to your child's planner.  I did the best I could with the days/times you wanted but because I received several a few weeks late I had to switch some things around. Thank you for understanding! I still haven't heard from about 3 parents.

Math: We worked on 3 digits x 1 digit again today. We also had a multiplication quiz. The kids had almost 15 minutes to complete it! The highlighted problems are the ones the students did not complete.  We also worked hard on our multiplication.
HW: practice facts and finish multiplication quiz (highlighted ones)
Reading: Today students took their AR Literature Group tests.  Most students did a great job! We will begin our new literature books after Fall Break.  We also worked on character changes throughout a book.
No HW

Science: We made a petrified fossil today during our Science Court lesson. It was neat! We also finished parts 2 and 3 today. This has been such a neat experience. I hope your kids are telling you about it!
No HW

Writing: Students who needed to finish up the PTA Reflections piece had time to do this. 

Have a great night,

Friday

We had a great Friday today! The hats were so fun and festive! :) Thanks for sending your $1 to 5th Grade!
I also hope to see you at the Car Wash tomorrow for another 5th grade fundraiser!

*Innisbrook has extended the deadline to Oct. 15th. Please help PTA with this fundraiser!
*I will be sending home a slip with your Conference Date on Monday in the planners. PLEASE email me if you haven't set one up with me.

We started off today with a little Class Meeting with Molly and Jenna. They proposed we get a class pet! The girls did a great job and had thought of everything! They also have a flyer to send home on Monday with the students! :)

We rotated in Math Groups working on multiplication. We also had math buddies today where we worked on regrouping with subtraction.

The kids LOVED the Real Science guy. He had neat reptiles to share!

We also learned more about what the Northeast Region has in regards to landforms, bodies of water, and food produce!

We were also able to finish our science experiment for the first part of Science Court. It was neat.

Lastly, we worked on finishing up our memoir and pta writing pieces.
Here are a few pictures from Fossils Science Court I forgot to share yesterday:

Have a great weekend! :)