Wednesday

FYI:
Wed. folders are coming home! **Special note about Valentine's Day party!
**Math Test has been MOVED to Monday. We need more time! :)
Awards Program - Friday @ 12:30

**Special Note from our new UK student teacher, Miss Rickard:

Good Afternoon!

     I wanted tell you know a little about myself, as I will be in Mrs. Burton's class until early May!
I'm from Louisville, but I love living in Lexington as I attend UK. I'm a big Wildcat fan, and it's a great time to be one too!:) My previous placement was in a 1st grade class for 5 weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I learned a lot, however I am excited for the chance to work with fourth graders and learn from Mrs. Burton. I feel very blessed to spend my last semester of college in an excellent fourth grade classroom.
     I have enjoyed getting to know your children over the past week! It has been a busy few days full of learning names, faces, and the "in and outs" of Garden Springs. I feel right at home now, and I'm looking forward to all I will learn and experience over the next 16 weeks!:)
     I look forward to meeting you as the semester goes on. Have a great afternoon!

*We did not have Science or Reading today due to Science MAP and our Conservation Lesson.

In Math today we completed the study guide and worked in smaller groups to work on concepts students are having a hard time with.

In Writing today, students played a few grammar games and then completed their opinion pieces.

Have a good night,

Tuesday!

Good Afternoon!
Hope you enjoyed your 3 day weekend!

FYI:
Class Pics are Jan. 31
GSE Spelling Bee is Jan. 26
MAP testing - tomorrow
Awards Program - Friday at 12:30
Valentine Party - Feb. 14 at 1:30

Science:
Eek! The weather is not working well for us! We've been trying to get outside to do shadows for a while! So instead, we made our own shadows with me holding a flashlight and the kids standing in certain spots! :) We also made a diagram to show the time of day and where your shadow would be!
HW: complete the questions that we will use as a study guide for the test on Friday (we'll go over the answers tomorrow)

Reading:
We did not switch for reading due to Mrs. Maldonado's class having the MAP test.  Instead, our class rotated between 4 groups. We worked on math and reading. I was super impressed at how well everyone worked! Students practiced grammar on the MAP review page, students worked on computation skills in a game with me, students worked on divison with remainders in a small group with Miss Rickard, and students had DEAR as a station we well.
No HW

Math:
Miss Rickard taught the students a lesson on word problems involving stem and leaf plots, averages, and probability.  We will be having our Ch. 5 test on THURSDAY. Students will get their review guide and we will complete this tomorrow.
HW: complete the UK booklet with word problems for Miss Rickard

Writing:
Miss Rickard taught our mini-lesson on the correct uses of your and you're! A very needed lesson for our writing! The kids did a great job!! Now let's see if transfer over to their writing! We are ALMOST done with the opinion pieces.  Most students have completed their piece and a few still needed conferencing or re-writing.  Students who were finished had the option to work on the MAP review site for grammar practice or have DEAR time with their new library books.
No HW

Hope you have a great night and stay dry! :)

Friday

*Some of you will be receiving this letter stapled in your child's planner. Please understand my level of expectations for your child.  I realize this has been a hard year for your child to have 2 different teachers in the course of 4 months, but I expect your child to be completing work that is challenging to him/her and will not accept 'half-way' done work or a disrespectful attitude. To be quite honest, I do not remember some of these kids being so whiny before I left!!!! We are in the 4th grade friends!
Dear Parent,

I am very concerned with the lack of effort your child has shown in class. I cannot speak to what your child has done in the months I was not here, but currently I am hearing a lot of “I can’t do this”, “I don’t want to do this”, etc. Would you be able to meet with me for a conference over this or possibly work with your child at home? I strive to have a classroom where students are pushed to exceed their ability while challenging them.
Thank you,
Mrs. Burton – 381-3388, megan.burton@fayette.kyschools.us

Because of the delay, everything was a bit shortened!

Kids had a great first lesson with Miss Rickard. Most students showed her great respect.  She taught the kids in a fun way about Martin Luther King Jr.

We also participated in a Spelling Bee! Three winners from our class - Lily, Jack, and Katelyn - will compete on the 26th with other kids from the 4th and 5th grades. If they move on, they will get to compete with other elementary school kids!

We also started our new SS unit on US regions.  We had a map of the USA and made a pop-up sheet with the regions.

Lastly, we enjoyed some more MLK Jr. writing with our 2nd grade writing buddies as well as enjoyed some hot chocolate with a story and rewarded ourselves for passing Bootcamp {which I think we will continue!}.

Have a good 3 day weekend!

Thursday

FYI:
*I need all brown report card envelopes returned! Thanks for sending those in today!
*We are having a class Spelling Bee tomorrow! :) The winner from our room will go against other GSE winners on the 26th!
*Awards Program will be in the gym NEXT Friday at 12:30.
Science:
Today we continued working on our earth-sun systems unit.  We worked on the orbits and axis.
No HW

Reading:
Today we worked on our new vocab.  The words are hard for the kids but I think they are enjoying the challenge.  We also took a quick assessment on compare/contrast with literary texts.  Lastly, kids worked on their Lit. books. We will get new groups on Thursday!
No HW

Math:
We worked more on expressing probability as a fraction as well as using our outcome words.
No HW
*The math test will be THURSDAY.

Writing:
Miss Rickard and I conferenced with students on their opinion pieces.  Students are working on spelling, some last minute idea development, and paragraphs.  We hope to get these finished and turned in on Tuesday or Wednesday.
No HW

Wednesday

*Wednesday Folders -
Report Cards are in the folders. Please look and sign.

Our Student Teacher began today - Miss Rickard. We are excited to have her!

Science:
Today we worked on moon phases.  The kids did great and some of them even memorized the order after their activity!!
No HW

Reading:
We finally had reading class today!  We continued to work on comparing and contrasting literary texts.  We did an activity with hula hoops and post-it notes after reading a short passage. It was fun and the kids did a great job!  Students also received their NEW vocabulary.  This is a new way for us this year and I think it will REALLY help them with the vocab they will see on future MAP tests and the state test.  We will now be having the vocab/spelling tests every 2 weeks.  Lastly, the students had time to read in their Lit. groups.
HW: complete vocab 1A #'s 5-10 ONLY

Math:
Students did a great job reviewing probability.  We also went ahead and expressed outcomes as a fraction and students did great!
HW: workbook pg. 114, please sign
*Test is next Thursday over Ch. 5

Writing:
We had a mini-lesson over run-on sentences again today.  Students did better today than the first day.  We used our expo markers and wrote LONG sentences on our desks while neighbors broke up the run-ons.  We also worked on our opinion pieces.
No HW

Have a great night,

Tuesday

FYI:
Our student teacher from UK begins tomorrow! Please remind your kids to show her respect!
Behavior Boot camp Winners: the top BOY and GIRL were....Jorge and Elvira!! WOO HOO!! They will get their prize tomorrow!

*Check out this cool new site I found for math! I'll add it in the math section of website games. It has all the sub-subjects in math! http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/find-it/


Science:
We continued with our seasons unit. No HW

Reading:
We did not switch - we had MAP Math testing. Students have a 3x5 card for you to sign. The mean score for 4th grade Math is 208.6.

Math:
Students did a great job with stem and leaf tables today! So we moved on to outcomes. We used a few smartboard activities, did some partner work, and a few whole class activities. 
HW: pg. 113 in WB, please sign

Writing:
We are still working on our opinion pieces.  I'm trying to get the kids to work on their paragraphs and indention.  HW: complete draft with 4 paragraphs - an intro, and 3 ideas on your opinion if not completed in class

Have a good night,

Thursday

FYI:
*Thanks for sending in boards today! Hope I didn't cause too much of a problem.  I just wanted time to look over them and get their numbers on the boards before the morning! If you were not able to send in the board, make sure we have it tomorrow! The judging will take place between 8-10 am.

*Book Logs have all been sent home. They have the old Lexiles listed. Once MAP is finished, I will send home the new scores. Everyone has now seen and signed the cards from the test on Tuesday. We will take the Math MAP this coming Tuesday. Not sure when make-ups are.

*Behavior Bootcamp is almost to a close! We will celebrate on Monday because I want stickys on Friday, too! Here's hoping every child makes it! :)

Science:
We continued with our Science Court and discussed the earth's axis and tilt. NO HW

Reading:
We continued with comparing and contrasting literary stories. Students did a great job with this today! We also had time to work on finishing up our Lit. books.
No HW

Math:
Today we continued to review division.  I pulled small groups while Mrs. Powell helped, too.
No HW.  We will continue on with Ch. 5 on Monday, but will be revisiting Mult. and Division throughout the rest of the year!

Writing:
Today students chose a style of writing and drafted their opinion piece about recess.
No HW

Have a good night,

Wednesday

FYI:
Wednesday Folders come home today!
Science Fair boards due THURSDAY! Fair is Friday!
**Place a star next to your signature in the planner if you're reading this! :)

Science:
Today we began our new unit on Earth-Sun systems.  We went over all our new vocab and got into our Science Court groups.  We didn't quite finish Trial 1 yet! We will finish tomorrow.
No HW

Reading:
We continued working on comparing and contrasting different themes in stories.  We compared different fairy tales with modern tales and classic tales.  Students also had lots of time to work in their Lit. Groups.  I am hoping to begin new books with their new Lexile scores once MAP is completed.
HW: Compare/Contrast sheet (directions are at the bottom of the page instead of the top - FYI!)

Math:
Today we reviewed multiplication as well as began reviewing division.  A lot of students are having major problems with both of these. Maybe because they learned it in Nov. and forgot?! We will get back to Ch. 5 on Monday, but I will begin pulling small groups from 7:30-8:00 each morning with math kids next week to help with this.
HW: 2 division problems in their planners - please check and sign

Writing:
We watched a YouTube video on an opinion about Recess as well as read a few more research articles. The students then began forming their own opinion and brainstormed what type of writing piece they'd like to use to write their opinion piece.
No HW

Have a good night,

Tuesday

Woo Hoo! Behavior Bootcamp has gone wonderfully today! :) We were much better behaved, used manners nicely, and were helpful to our classmates. Love it! I've been collecting lots of 'post-its' today - that's a good thing! Ask your child how many he/she gave to me!

**Science Fair - FRIDAY. Boards need to be here THURSDAY.

**Book Logs for Homeroom come home TODAY. I do NOT have new Lexile scores on them as we just took the MAP test today and not everyone has finished!

Science: Today we played Energy Transformations Jeopardy to review those concepts.  The students did a great job! NO HW

Reading: We did not switch today due to the MAP test.  Students will be bringing home their index cards to show you their score. Please sign and return tomorrow.

Math: Today we continued reviewing double digit multiplication.  Students then made a math quilt.  Some have this for HW.

Writing: We began our next writing piece - an opinion piece.  We read several opinionated articles about having recess or not, and then students will begin drafting their pieces tomorrow.  No HW

*If you have any old washcloths you aren't using, we'd love to have them as erasers for our white boards to keep at school! Thanks!

Have a good night,

I'm back!

Good Afternoon!! I'm back! :)

Seeing the smiling faces this morning was just what I needed!! Sounds like you all had a wonderful break. I appreciate all the support I've received while on maternity leave as well as how you treated Mrs. Brady. However, I'm ready to get back in here and work with the kids! :)

Today we did a little Behavior Boot Camp, which will continue all week. Hopefully we can all 'graduate' from it and receive a treat on Friday!

Science:
Today we went over all the expectations as well as reviewed fast and slow changes.
No HW

Reading:
Today we started on comparing/contrasting themes and worked with 2 stories in the Treasures book. We also compared ourselves to the main characters of the Lit. books.
No HW - no vocab. this week

Math:
Yowza! We will be taking a break from Chapter 5 to review multiplication and division.  A LOT of the kids didn't remember how to do this...and I'm a little scared!! So, we will be working hard on it tomorrow and possibly Wednesday.
HW: one problem that is written in their planners

Writing:
Today we wrote a letter to ourselves describing the goals we are going to have to finish off 2012 school year.  I was impressed with a lot of the student goals. They will be hanging in the hallway for you to see!

**** Science Fair is FRIDAY. Poster Board is due THURSDAY.****

Hope tomorrow is even better than today! :) I'm running home to see Harper!

Friday

WOW!  I can't believe that school is out for Winter Break.  It seems like I was just meeting your children yesterday.  We had a great day with games, food and fun.  The visit from Mrs. Burton, and getting to see Harper was amazing.  What a beautiful child she is.  Thank you to everyone who sent in treats and supplies.  Also a HUGE thank you to the parents that came and helped.  It was great to meet some of you and see such involvement and support.  The kids really like to show you off.  I am also grateful for all the wonderful gifts.  I am truly blessed to have been given such a great class to sub for.   I am sad to leave but know that Mrs. Burton is ready to return and take up right where we have left off.  I wish you all the best, enjoy a wonderful rest and be ready to come back and be successful next year!

Mrs. Brady

Thursday

****We only have 1 school day left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

 **Our class holiday party is tomorrow from 9:45-10:45.   Please remember to send in the book and any snacks. 

 

Science- We read a quick story about snowflakes and then made some to decorate with.
HW: None

Reading - We took our unit test!  

HW: None

 

Math - We created a snowman using line plots.
HW: None

 

Writing - We created ornaments.
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Wednesday

*We only have 2 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony was today!  What a great job they all did.  Everyone has worked so hard.  

 

 **Our class holiday party will be Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.   PLEASE send in your items and books tomorrow! Thank you!!

 

Science- We did not have time for science due to review and extended calendar.
HW: None

Reading - We continued our non-fiction animal article.  They did a great job and these are posted in the hall.  We will be having our unit test tomorrow!  We reviewed today and everyone has a review sheet.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  anticipate      2. reindeer     3. blizzard     4. hibernate     5. frigid      6. chimney     7. sleigh                    8. presence     9. forecast      10. whistling      11. excitement    12.  avalanche    13. blistering

14. presents    15. wreath    16. ornament
HW: Study for test.

 

Math - We played mean, median, mode and range JEOPARDY.
HW: None

 

Writing - We worked on a tradition writing piece.
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Tuesday

*We only have 3 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be Wednesday, December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.   

 

Science- We completed an ORQ for the test.. 
HW: None

Reading - We are working on a non-fiction animal article.  Every student got a letter and they are to research and create a non-fiction page of an animal that begins with their letter.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  anticipate      2. reindeer     3. blizzard     4. hibernate     5. frigid      6. chimney     7. sleigh                    8. presence     9. forecast      10. whistling      11. excitement    12.  avalanche    13. blistering

14. presents    15. wreath    16. ornament
HW: Vocabulary sentences

 

Math - We continued to work with mean, median, mode and range. 
HW: Median, Mode and Range worksheet

Writing - We worked on editing passages.
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Monday

*We only have 4 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be Wednesday, December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.   

 

Social Studies - Today we discussed types of government and taxes. 
HW: None

Reading - We are working on a non-fiction animal article.  Every student got a letter and they are to research and create a non-fiction page of an animal that begins with their letter.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  anticipate      2. reindeer     3. blizzard     4. hibernate     5. frigid      6. chimney     7. sleigh                    8. presence     9. forecast      10. whistling      11. excitement    12.  avalanche    13. blistering

14. presents    15. wreath    16. ornament
HW: Vocabulary sentences

 

Math - We played a game using cards to find the median, mode and range of a group of numbers.  They all did really well. 
HW: Median, Mode and Range worksheet (front and back)

Writing - We had DEAR time with our new library books. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Friday

We only have 5 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be on December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be on Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.  You are welcome to come.  If there is a problem and you cannot bring in a book or the item please let me know and we will make other arrangements.  You may send in your books or items for the party anytime.  Please have everything in by Thursday so we will be able to get any last minute things.

 

Science - We did an experiment with volcanoes. 
HW: None.

Reading - We had guidance.

HW: None

Math - We worked on multiplication. 
HW: None

Writing - We wrote about what we would do if a holiday party was cancelled. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Thursday

*We only have 6 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be on December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be on Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.  You are welcome to come.  There were two letters sent home yesterday about the party.  One about the book exchange and one about an item they are to bring in for the party.  If there is a problem and you cannot bring in a book or the item please let me know and we will make other arrangements. 

 

Science - Today we too the test. 
HW: None.

Reading - We took the vocabulary test and reviewed text structure.  

HW: None

Math - We continued Unit 5.  We introduced mode and range. 
HW: Mean and median worksheets

Writing - We reviewed singular and plural nouns. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Wednesday

*We only have 7 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be on December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be on Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.  You are welcome to come.  I will be sending home a letter in the Wednesday folder with details!!!

 

 

Science - Today we reviewed for the test.  We used the clickers without any technical difficulty.  They have a review sheet of the slides we covered today. 
HW: Study for the test.

Reading - We used the clickers to review genre and their characteristics.  We then did Lit Groups.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  beckon      2. trauma     3. psycho     4. ambush     5. ecstatic

6. vivid     7. ebony     8. hesitant     9. luster     10. jubilant
HW: Study for Vocabulary Test

Math - We continued Unit 5.  We introduced median today.  We did several hands on activities that required finding the median (middle) of a group of numbers. 
HW: Line graph worksheets

Writing - We did some editing activities. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Tuesday

*We only have 8 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be on December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be on Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.  You are welcome to come.  I will be sending home a letter in the Wednesday folder with details!!!

 

 

Science - Today we reviewed for the test.  We used the clickers and had some technical difficulty getting started.  Because of the delay we will continue the review tomorrow and take the test on Thursday. 
HW: None

Reading - We worked on putting a story in sequential order.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  beckon      2. trauma     3. psycho     4. ambush     5. ecstatic

6. vivid     7. ebony     8. hesitant     9. luster     10. jubilant
HW: Vocabulary sentences

Math - We continued Unit 5.  We got into groups and measured our height and our arm length.  After completing a chart we then averaged the data to find the mean. 
HW: Page 173  questions 1-5

Writing - We did a peer edit of our morning work writing assignment. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady

Monday

*We only have 9 schools days left until Winter Break! Wow!!

 

**CATS Award ceremony will be on December 14 at 12:45.  We will be recognizing out current 4th and 5th grade students who scored proficient and distinguished on the CATS tests!!**

 

 **Our class holiday party will be on Friday, December 16th from 9:45-10:45.  You are welcome to come.  I will be sending home a letter in the Wednesday folder with details!!!

 

 

Science - Today we discussed rocks and their properties.  We finished the game using the clues to find the two rocks.  They did a great job!
HW: None

Reading - We reviewed text connections.  We then got in our Lit groups and read.  Vocabulary words for this week are:

 1.  beckon      2. trauma     3. psycho     4. ambush     5. ecstatic

6. vivid     7. ebony     8. hesitant     9. luster     10. jubilant
HW: Vocabulary definitions

Math - We started Unit 5.  Which is averages, mean and mode.     
HW: Lesson 4.3 Line Graph Review

Writing - We had DEAR time with our new library books. 
HW: None

Mrs. Brady