Awesome alliteration has been deeply discussed as part of our everyday English efforts !
How about that?!?
The third and fourth graders have been very busy. We all survived the New York State exams. This was accomplished without tears, without erasing holes through papers, and without vomiting (yes, you hear a lot of horror stories). The tests were definitely difficult, but your children really applied themselves. I was very proud of the effort they put forth each day of the exams. I was required to go to Rochester on April 29th and May 6th to help with the scoring of the tests. (I did not see any of our exams---new rules for scoring prohibit teachers from scoring students from their own school.) I do not know when the scores will be made available.
In Math, we have been working on measurement, both customary and metric. After each lesson, the fourth graders are working together in small groups to solve multi-step problems. Each group member is expected to contribute and all the members must agree before an answer may be recorded. It has been a wonderful learning experience. As you all know, I am also pushing the multiplication tables. It is boring rote learning (I know) but so necessary as a foundation for future math. The time required for each 100 problem homework assignment is decreasing, a very good sign. Students are also taking a daily math quiz of 60 multiplication problems. The goal is to increase the number correct by one each day. Your children are definitely improving in this area!
In ELA, we have just completed the novel Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. (I also checked out a number of Creech’s other novels that the students have been borrowing independently from the classroom.) The students really seemed to enjoy the character of Jack from Love That Dog as his story is both funny and sad. The novel is written in free verse with references throughout to very traditional rhyming poetry, shape poems, and free verse poems. Students have been practicing their hand at writing their own poems in various styles. As a follow-up, I purchased and am reading the companion book Hate That Cat. It is hilarious!
Students presented their simple machine drawings with the explanations of their projects in class yesterday and today. They did a terrific job. I cannot help but think they were truly inspired by the presentation on simple machines made a few weeks ago by Mr. and Mrs. Rutzke. We are now moving on to cycles in Earth and space. There are a lot of interesting experiments in our future!
Social Studies will provide opportunities to further explore the early history of New York and people and their communities. Religion continues with more exploration of the Holy Spirit and the role God and Jesus play in our every day lives.
The school year is definitely winding down…
The following are some important dates to keep in mind:
May 9 Ascension Thursday Mass at 12:10PM
May 10 Scones with Moms
May 16 May Crowning and Grandparents Day (see your family envelope for more information)
May 22 New York State Science exam for 4th graders
May 24-27 NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day vacation)
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