Tuesday, September 25

What a busy day! The students started with art class. They had Social Studies and a math quiz. We went to lunch early and then to the Food Pantry. We got so busy, we left five minutes later than scheduled! It was a rushed walk back to the school where the children went immediately to gym and then to music. We did a quick review for the Religion quiz, read a few more pages of Patricia Polacco’s JUNKYARD WONDERS and headed home. My head is still spinning so don’t be surprised if your child’s is!

Tomorrow will be a calmer day…and it will end with a 20-minute free time earned by FILLING THE WARM FUZZIES jar. The children are so proud of themselves…and so am I!

A Few Notes for Next Week

 

 

Beginning on Monday, both third and fourth grade will be reading the same book for ELA, Here We All Are by Tomie DePaolo. It is the second in the autobiographical series by the children’s author and illustrator. There are eight books in all if your child decides to continue reading them.

We will first delve into the text by closely examining the illustrations for things the students notice and things they wonder about. We will define vocabulary by using contextual clues in the sentences surrounding the unknown word. Students will be able to describe the characters and how their actions affect the plot of the story. Spelling words will be from the text.

We will be using this book for about two weeks. I had seven copies here at school, borrowed a copy from Mrs. Case, borrowed three from the public library, and bought one copy. Please be sure to remind your child to take good care of whichever book he or she may have.

Your child will bring home the book for rereading. Books MUST be returned to school each day as we will need them during the lesson. Please do not allow them to read ahead---it will be so tempting! They will also have some interesting homework: one night they will explain what “power reading” is, another they will ask for your memories of wanting to learn to read. A little more unusual assignments but beneficial as we discuss the answers in class and improve speaking skills.

I am currently looking into the next title we will use. I will have ten free books available through Scholastics as a welcome back gift, so I will not have an additional expense this time. If you continue to order books for your child through our account at Scholastics, they will give us more free books ($15 for every $25 ordered through our account). Our account number is L8RWH. It is very easy to order online. Drop me an email if you have any questions (ADittman@dordcs.org). This will help me greatly as I have already exceeded my personal classroom materials budget!

I also am placing a wish list request for dry erase markers. The fat line and thin line are both needed. Darker colors are best. Any you might be able to donate will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all your support!

Have a great weekend.

Curriculum Night

Tomorrow (Tuesday 9-18) is Curriculum Night from 6PM-7:30PM.

Please come for an informational overview of the Core Curriculum and then a presentation by your child’s classroom teacher regarding classroom routines and expectations.

Childcare is available for children in the after school rooms.

I hope to see you there!

REMINDERS

 

Spelling test tomorrow.

Parent homework due tomorrow.

Scholastic book orders due tomorrow.

 

 

New spelling words will be in the folders tomorrow as well as another set of 100 math facts. The weekend is a great time for short bursts (5 minutes or so at a time) of practice.

Mid-Week Notes

Just a few notes…

PARENT HOMEWORK is due on Friday! I cannot wait to read what you have to tell me about your children.

Your child is bringing home a poem every evening. These repeated readings will help to improve fluency. If your child reads it two or three or four times, he or she is getting that much more practice. It is why I choose silly poems. I want to make them want to read it.

Ask your child to read to you in a way that we read at school: underwater (my favorite), like a robot, like a king and queen. Although it may seem very silly, it does get results. I will be adding additional reading styles throughout the year.

Have you tried Spelling City? What do you think?

Your child will be completing a one-minute math fact quiz at school every day. When he or she receives 100% three times, I consider it mastery and move them to the next set of facts. It is ESSENTIAL that children know all of their math facts, really KNOW them, if they are to be successful in future math processes. If you can practice with your children using flashcards or just practicing them out loud in the car or before bed, it will be to their benefit.

I will also be sending home, once a week, 100 math facts. The goal is for students to be able to complete these facts in 5 minutes. Sometimes I will ask students to complete the entire paper. Other evenings, I will ask that you only allow them to work for 5 MINUTES and then put the sheet away.

I hope to see all of you at the CURRICULUM NIGHT next Tuesday (September 18th).

It has been a really good week! Your children are delightful.

OOPS!

 

   Art is actually on TUESDAYS     beginning September 11th.

Our Specials Schedule

  

The following has been added to our schedule:

Art is on Monday (beginning September 10^th)

Gym is on Tuesday and Thursday (beginning September 11th)

Health is on Friday (beginning September 14^th)

Music on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (beginning September 17^th)

What a Great Day!

 

We had a lovely first day…

The children are so well behaved. They are also clever and curious and courteous. I think our classroom is going to be a warm, caring , safe place for learning.

 

We discussed classroom rules and procedures. Ask your child to tell you what our three rules are and why they cover everything. You should also ask about the STAR PERSON/PICKLE PERSON reminder.

The fourth graders shared their ALL ABOUT ME bags. We learned so much about each other. I can hardly wait to hear from the third graders tomorrow.

We read our first poem together and the children took it with them for homework. We completed the first of a general math review and I noted areas of strength and weakness. We read ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (ask them to show you the sign language they learned) and talked about making each day a great one being their responsibility. We also completed a Word Ladder and we will continue doing them on a regular basis. We finished the day with the Patricia Polacco book THANK YOU, MR. FALKER. It is a wonderful story that really opened discussion for the differences between us and our acceptance of each other.

Ask your child to explain the WARM FUZZIES. Remember to send in the signed Highlights form tomorrow so we can add to the fuzzie container.

Tomorrow we will continue with the math review, begin reading and religion, be introduced to social studies with Mrs. Geiger, and work on our first writing assignment.

I am exhausted and imagine that your children are as well. A good night’s sleep for us all and we will be off and running again tomorrow!

Spelling City

 

Each week, I will post both the third and fourth grade spelling words on the site SPELLING CITY (www.spellingcity.com) After accessing the site, you can find our spelling lists by either searching my name or the school’s name.

Your child will be able to do a variety of games and activities, all using the words for the week. There are TEACH and GAME options. The site will teach the words (say them, spell them, use them in a sentence). There are also ABC ordering games, hang man, word search, matching, and many others. Practice tests are also available.

For now, you may only access the FREE games and activities. If you believe this site is beneficial, I will join the premium membership which will provide access to additional services.

Please let me know what you think!