McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

for the week of December 14th

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, December 21st- Reading logs due / 4th Grade Holiday Swap

Tuesday, December 22nd - Celebration of Reading Day

On Tuesday, December 22nd, our team will hold the Annual Celebration of Reading Day.  Students are encouraged to wear pjs or comfy clothes and bring a pillow, blanket, and favorite books for a cozy day of reading.  That includes activity books, Mad Libs, picture books, magazines, etc.  Students will also have access to classroom libraries as well.  WE also have some snacks planned.  If you signed up to send food or supplies for our reading day, please drop them off or send them in with your child on Tuesday morning.  We will have snacks around 9:30.  We told the kids that any items s/he brings (pillows, sleeping bag, etc), will need to go home with them that day, so please plan accordingly.  We will defer to parents on all the, “Can I bring this?  Can I bring that?” questions.

Academic Updates:

Reading

We focused on main idea this week, using a pieces about Amelia Earhart and panda bears to match supporting details with main ideas.  We also studied the lyrics to The Grinch song to identify the topic and the main idea (what the author wants us the learn about the topic), and to practice highlighting text evidence, circling key words, and underlining important details.

    As the 4th grade literacy mentor, I went to a children’s literature workshop on Thursday, presented by Judy Freeman, a former children’s librarian who reads over 300 of the newest books per year!  She also served on the Board of the Caldecott Award a few years ago!  She gives a dynamic performance, to say the least (she sings, she leads us in readers theater, she demonstrates with character-related puppets...much of which is out of my comfort zone, let’s just say).  She compiles her favorite books of the year and creates a handbook of those titles, complete with summaries, curriculum ideas, similar books, related titles, etc.   Then, Rebecca Gervais (the 5th grade lit mentor) and I met afterward to plan a Wednesday afternoon afternoon professional development session for January to introduce lots of the new books to our staff.  We will purchase some of the titles for classrooms, our Book Nook, and special ed programs.  It’s a highly motivating day, and teachers are already asking about what we learned!

    From Monday, December 21 through Monday, January 4, students need to read and log a minimum of eight times.  Logs are due Monday, January 4th.

Writing

We got a lot accomplished this week in our informational texts: writing the introduction paragraph using a surprising fact and/or telling why the topics matters; drawing and labeling a diagram; making a chart of pros and cons; and creating a way to compare and contrast our topic with another.  The kids chose to use Venn diagrams, T-charts, and/or sentences and paragraphs.  Please be on the lookout for an orange research sheet that may come home from time to time.  This sheet is for students to keep track of questions they have about their topics that they need to research at home.  This is self-assigned work, and students will use it as needed.  The research will most likely need some adult supervision if it’s internet-related.

Math

This week students started to work with decimals to the tenths and hundredths place. They used base-10 blocks and learned to read and write decimal and fraction equivalents. In addition, they played a game that helped to cement these concepts. At home you can support your child by showing them how you use decimals in daily life and giving them opportunities to read decimals in the real world.

Spelling

This week students participated in a word building activity.  We also reviewed patterns for the /k/ sound (c, k, ck, ch, and qu) and learned four more prefixes (anti, non, dis, and sub).

Theme

This week it was all about waves!  After building some background knowledge, students observed slinky waves to notice patterns.  We dropped objects into buckets of water to learn what happens when you disturb the surface and we studied the difference between how objects move in deep water vs. shallow water.  We also did a little Christmas chemistry - ask your child about it!

    Students also shared their projects with their classmates and completed a reflection about their work.  A paper copy of each child’s keynote is stapled to the rubric.  Students worked diligently on this project and I was quite impressed with the results.  Everyone got a M or M+ on the requirements and everyone got an M, M+, or E on their writing & research.  We went over the rubric as a class at the beginning of the project and midway through.  Groups also printed a paper copy and received direct feedback from me both in writing and grammar/mechanics.

Have a wonderful vacation with friends and families!  See you in the New Year!
Dena

McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

for the week of December 7th

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, December 14th- Reading logs due / Planner sheets due

Tuesday, December 15th - Home Link due / Box Tops due!

Wednesday, December 16th - Math Box Catch-Up night

Thursday, December 17th - Spelling Due! / ABL

Friday, December 18th - Home Link due / Recorder forms due

In take home folders, you’ll find a notice from Mr. Saunders, our music teacher.  After vacation, the children will be learning the recorder.  Students may already own a recorder, or you may purchase one, or you may borrow one for the year.  Everyone -- even if you already own a recorder -- is expected to please mark your choice and return that green form by next Friday.  If you are purchasing a recorder, also send $5 (cash or check payable to GMS).

On Tuesday, December 22nd, our team will hold its annual Celebration of Reading Day.  Students are encouraged to wear pjs or comfy clothes and bring a pillow, blanket, and favorite books/magazines/activity books, etc., for a cozy day of reading.  Any items your child brings (pillows, sleeping bag, etc) will need to go home with them that day, so please plan accordingly.  

Academic Updates:

Reading Workshop

This week, we have established some norms for our work in our new nonfiction unit.  Students will stick to nonfiction during reading workshop time, and can choose whether to read nonfiction at home.  We also have had a very successful text features quiz!  The vast majority of both classes achieved 100% correct!  With that behind us, we will get to work with other concepts to increase comprehension with nonfiction text, the most important of which is identifying the main idea and supporting details.  This is very difficult thinking, because it demands the ability to step back and look at the “big picture” of a text and ask, “What does the author really want me to understand?”  And then: “What details support that idea?” These learners are whole-to-part learners.  ORRRRRRR, some readers need to consider the details first and use those to determine that big idea. Those learners are part-to-whole learners.  So, I’ll teach it both ways.

    We’ll connect it to the boxes and bullets format we’ve used in the essay unit.  We’ll use a variety of texts: National Geographic for Kids magazine articles, leveled texts from the reading program, nonfiction texts in our classroom, short video clips, and maybe even throw in some other “fun” stuff.  And after vacation, we’ll start a big research project to combine all these strategies!

  Due to a big book order, we are lucky enough to have a bunch of new books in our library!  Thank you!  We got our hands and eyes on them today, and inhaled the unmistakable scent: New Book Smell.  Aaaaah!

Writing Workshop

To begin our Informational Writing: Personal Expertise unit, we have studied carefully one informational text and have identified text features writers use to organize their writing.  And it’s pretty helpful that they’re learning about those as readers, too!  We are also going to get to know a couple of high quality informational books to use as mentor texts, so we can study the writing moves of authors in order to strengthen our own pieces.  

    So far, students have made webs about topics they are experts on, and they are categorizing information into subtopics.  We have also studied the Informational Writing Checklist from the writing program, and we are using that to decide different ways to write information: compare/contract, pros/cons, and cause/effect (ask your child the example of cause/effect we used in class...Say, “Boo!” to jog her/his memory).

    I’m still trying to decide on the format of the final projects; I’m leaning toward books as opposed to posters so kids can use tables of contents and chapters effectively, but the jury is still out.

 

Math

Developing strategies to find equivalent fractions dominated our math lessons this week. Students also started to do work around comparing fractions to determine whether a pair of fractions is greater than, less than or equal. At home you can help make our fraction work have deeper meaning by sharing ways you use fractions in the real world and giving your child an opportunity to use them as well. Holiday baking is a great time to work with fractions!

Spelling

This week students participated in another word building activity and looked at the soft syllable endings of er, or, and ar.

Theme

This week students finished their culminating project for the Colonization unit.  Each group printed a draft of their presentation and one feedback session with me to go over any missing/incorrect information and to fix spelling, capitals, and spelling.  It was then up to them to make the changes.  I am working on grading the projects right now.

    Next week we will do our second STEM scope.  STEM scopes is a science curriculum with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math.  I piloted the program last year and now we are bringing it to the whole 4-5 staff.  Students completed their first scope within the rocks and minerals unit.  The scope we’ll do before vacation involves learning about waves.

Team Update for the Week of November 30th

McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

for the week of November 30

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, December 7th- Reading logs due

Tuesday, December 8th - Home Link due

Wednesday, December 9th - Math Box Catch Up Night

Thursday, December 10th - Spelling Due / Text Features Quiz for Reading Workshop

Friday, December 11th - Home Link due

Winter Gear

It’s not here yet, but it’s coming, right?  On most days it’s cold outside.  I’m requiring students to wear pants outside at recess.  If your child wants to wear shorts while indoors, please make sure s/he wears pants over them.  I’m also requiring a jacket outdoors.  Please make sure your child comes to school prepared to go outside in the winter weather.

    Also, it’s almost time for boots.  Because boots will be wet after kids are outside, I suggest having your child bring in a hand towel to keep in the bottom of her/his locker to absorb melting snow.  It works like a charm!  In addition, your child should have indoor shoes every day, which can include slippers -- I don’t care what it is as long as it has a hard sole in case we need to evacuate for a fire alarm or such.  It has happened before where we’ve been outside in the snow unexpectedly, so use that idea as a guideline as to what to have your child wear.  Good times…

Class Directory

Many thanks to Kathy Sligh who typed up your child’s contact information early in the year!  I have been remiss in getting a copy of the class directory to you until now!  Sorry!  Your child has a hard copy is in the homework folder.  If there are glaring errors that must be fixed, let me know.

Reading Workshop

This week, we focused on learning about nonfiction text features.  We have colorful posters in the classroom thanks to fellow 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan.  The kids also have a definition list in their reading notebooks to refer to as needed.  Annnnnd, we will have a quiz on some of the text features mid-week next week!  I’ll have the kids write flashcards for studying at home.  Some of the flashcards work will probably become homework on Monday.

Writing Workshop

On Wednesday, our writers showed what they know about writing an informational text on a topic about which they are experts: school!  The goals of the assignment include having students call upon things they already know about writing informational texts; helping me to decide what I need to teach them during the unit; and using this early piece to compare and contrast it with our end-of-unit piece to see our growth!

Math

This week students were introduced to unit 3. This is a unit heavily focused on fractions and decimals. We spent time this week learning how to represent fractions in different ways using drawings. We also started to explore equivalent fractions with fraction circles and students created a poster of fraction equivalents based on number line models.

    Already in this unit students are finding that knowing their multiplication facts and being able to identify multiples of a number are going to be helpful skills in our fraction work. Keep practicing those facts and it will pay off in a big way!

Spelling

This week students learned patterns for the /oy/ sound (oi and oy).  We looked are two r-controlled patterns, ore and or.  Finally, we studied some Latin roots (voc, tract, flex) to learn how their meanings can unlock the definitions of unknown words.

Theme

This week students began working on the culminating project for the Colonization unit.  Students have been drafting paragraphs about different items to consider for survival, giving evidence from the colonies studied.  Students were given examples and a rubric from the start of the project so they know the criteria for grading.  I have also been reading over 60 drafts every night, providing feedback to students.

    Next week they will be creating a Keynote presentation, giving their top 5 tips for surviving in the New World.  Our goal is to be finished by Friday, December 11th.

Adventure-Based Learning

In A.B.L. this week, our students went to the moon!  They worked in their focus groups to determine what items would be needed on this trip.  They put in order of priority provisions like water, oxygen (imagine having to choose…), dehydrated food, blankets, flares…  In a second activity where they needed to help each group member through a portal (hula hoop) to return to Earth, students practiced using a talking piece, while using our ABCDE process of problem-solving:

Ask questions

Brainstorm ideas

Choose an idea

Do it

Evaluate

    The photo below shows our opening circle.  Mrs. Murray is on the left in the pink shirt, leading a game of “Gotcha!” where students have to grab the thumb of a classmate while simultaneously avoiding their own thumb getting grabbed by the classmate on the other side.  Have your child show this game to the family -- all you need is three people.

McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

update for the week of November 16, 2015

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, November 23rd- Reading logs due

Wednesday, November 18th-November 29th - Thanksgiving Break

**In light of the short week, Mrs. Mayberry and Mrs. Begley will not be assigning spelling and math homework.  Please use the time to practice your multiplication facts.  Mrs. McFarland will still collect reading logs after the holiday break, so don’t forget to get your four reading sessions in!**

Please help your child be prepared for each swim class.  Your child’s swim bag should include: swim cap for hair longer than 3 inches, swim suit, goggles, towel, hair brush or comb.  

Mrs. Reichert, the long term substitute for technology class, has introduced the classes to an online typing program, Typing.com.  Kids will have time with the site in class, but she is encouraging kids to practice at home too.  Below is the login information if you decide to access this program.

Login Info:  Username - greely first initial,last name (no spaces)

ex. greelybreichert

PW - msad51lunchcode ex. msad5124879

Academic Updates:

Reading

If your child hasn’t already told you about our friend, Journey, it’s time to ask.  Ask how Journey changed from the beginning of the story to the end: his relationship with his grandfather, his hopes about his mother, and what Journey “got” in the end.  Monday and Tuesday, we will watch the Hallmark movie version of the book -- of course while taking notes on a Venn diagram to compare and contrast them, in preparation for our upcoming unit on nonfiction!

Writing Workshop

We are winding down the essay unit.  Students will be using their Google accounts to type their final drafts next Monday and Tuesday.  Cross your fingers that the technology will work, as it’s not a guarantee...

Math

This week has been one for review and assessments. Students have taken the end of unit 2 assessment, and a cumulative assessment which covers concepts taught since the beginning of the year. I am also conducting individual interviews aimed at assessing students overall multiplication facts and the strategies they use to solve unknown facts.

Spelling

This week students spent several days learning about contractions.  We also talked about the job of an apostrophe in both contractions and possessive nouns.

Theme

This week we have been immersing ourselves in a simulation to understand what life would have been like for the Pilgrims back in 1620.  Students are participating in activities to learn about the culture back then (how they lived, what they ate) as well as the things they did for survival (hunting, fishing, trading).

    After vacation, we will be embarking on a culminating project.  Students will be creating a keynote or Google slide presentation, giving their top 5 tips for surviving in the New World.  They will incorporate evidence from our research over the last four weeks.  This project will be completed in class and will be used in place of a formal quiz.  Project requirements and scoring rubric will be presented up front, as well as samples of work so students will know how they will be assessed.

McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

update for the week of November 9, 2015

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, November 16th- Reading logs due/ swim bags for P.E.

Tuesday, November 17th- Home link due / Box Tops collected

Wednesday, November 18th- Early Release / PTO Parent University

Thursday, November 19th -  Spelling due / Color Guard 3:00-4:00pm

Friday, November 20th - Home link due

Please help your child be prepared for each swim class.  Your child’s swim bag should include: swim cap for hair longer than 3 inches, swim suit, goggles, towel, hair brush or comb.  

A volunteer need: All classes have been invited to participate in a door decorating contest.  The theme is "fall," and the date of the judging will be Tuesday, November 24th.  I would love to have a parent volunteer take this over: from the concept, to the materials, to any coordination w/ kids, to the decorating.  It's a FUN activity -- but I'd like to slide it off my plate.  If you'd like more information, please contact me soon!  Thank you!

Academic Updates:

Math

This week students continued to work with multiplicative comparisons using unknowns. We also introduced properties of both triangles and quadrilaterals. The week finished up with an introduction to lines of symmetry. In addition, throughout the week we also continue to reinforce multiplication facts and skills covered in previous lessons.

Spelling

This week students participated in another word building activity.  We also practiced making compound words and adding the suffix -ment to various base words.

Theme

This week we finished our research on the Jamestown colony.  Students had one more opportunity to explore On The Trail With John Smith, the online simulation.  We took one day to learn about the failed Popham colony.  I'm impressed with the students’ ownership of their knowledge.  As we read about Popham, students debated about whether certain decisions were smart or not, citing evidence from prior colonies studied.  Just in time for Thanksgiving, we will be focusing on the Plimoth colony next week.

Reading Workshop

Envisioning...rubric...turning point...Journey...yadda, yadda, yadda...The highlight of our week was easily our new BOOK BAGS!

Thank you to the talented relatives of Adam and Sofi!  

Quotes heard during the Book Bag Distribution:

“Ooooooooh…”

“Aaaaaah...”

“Those are awesome!”

“I don’t know which one I want!”

“I want that one...No, I want that one...I don’t even care which one I get!”

“This is the best day of the year besides vacation days!”

Writing Workshop

Students were well-prepared early on this week with survey and interview questions and quotes and statistics.  We are working on using a variety of kinds of evidence to support our ideas.  Next week: introductions and conclusions, anticipating counter-arguments, citing sources (ooooo, advanced!), and typing final drafts using our Google accounts!  At least, that’s the plan.

McFarland-Mayberry-Begley Bulletin

update for the week of November 2, 2015

Due Dates / Upcoming Events:

Monday, November 9th - Reading logs due / Conferences / Internet Research Prep (Writing Workshop homework) due for those who chose that / swimming

Tuesday, November 10th - Study link due / Newspaper and Chorus after school / Survey/Interview Prep (Writing Workshop homework) due for those who chose that / Book Fair Family Night 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday, November 11th - Veterans Day No School

Thursday, November 12th -  Spelling due / Color Guard 3:00-4:00pm

Friday, November 13th - Home link due

Please help your child be prepared for each swim class.  Your child’s swim bag should include: swim cap for hair longer than 3 inches, swim suit, goggles, towel, hair brush or comb.  

Academic Updates:

Reading

This week, students focused on the reading skill of envisioning.  Earlier this week, the Begleys brought home a graded envisioning page (a white activity with a green feedback sheet stapled to it).  The McFarlands will have theirs early next week; I haven’t graded them yet.  As you can tell, we are working toward more formal reading responses to give readers instruction and practice with using written words to explain their thinking.  Next week, we will again focus on envisioning, and you’ll see that the responses will be more writing-based.  

    When possible, I share with students the grading tool, what it looks like, and what is on it, so they know in advance how their work will be assessed.  We find that this can motivate many students to plan and revise their work to meet 4th grade expectations, and we find that a grade of “partially meets” or “does not meet” can motivate students to increase the quality of their work the next time.

    We are also using our class read aloud, Journey, to follow big ideas in a text.  Now, we are a little more than halfway through the book, so we are anticipating the turning point.  This is when something happens to motivate a change in the character, a change usually being that s/he learns or realizes something.  I’m encouraging readers to pay attention to the possibility of a turning point in their own books, thinking about changes in their characters.  This is definitely “big picture” thinking, and it’s hard!  Most 4th-grade readers can recall details about the plot of a story quite well, and this shift to following the character’s internal story is different, higher-level thinking.

Writing Workshop

Writers got a great start on a new essay, this one about a thesis statement of their own choosing.  Your writer brought home writing homework over the weekend to prepare for survey, interview, and research work on Monday and Tuesday.  Students can choose to complete one or the other, or both.  Please help your child set aside 15-20 minutes or so this weekend to complete this work.

    After reviewing this assignment in detail with both writing classes, I can see where I could make the work clearer on the two sheets.  When you and your child are reviewing the assignment and have the sheet(s) in front of you, check out these (hopefully) helpful details:

• All writers need to choose one kind of evidence to prepare for: survey, interview, statistic, or quote.  That means that all writers have some writing homework this weekend.  Your child may have brought home a purple sheet or a green sheet, or s/he may have chosen to bring both home.
• Instruction and time to work on this evidence will happen in class Monday and Tuesday.  The homework is the preparation that needs to be done, so the in-class work can go smoothly.
• Writers may choose to prepare for more than one of these kinds of evidence.
• The purple sheet has space to write the prep work for a survey on the front and/or an interview on the back.  That work is due on Tuesday.  There is more space than is needed, in case writers choose to do more than one survey question.
• The green sheet is for the prep work for researching a statistic or a quote.  Writers do not have to do both, but they can if they want.
• Writers may choose to research a quote or statistic at home at home this weekend, with the help of their parents.  Or, they can do it in class on Monday.  They do need to write the supporting idea they’re considering, just so there’s a bit of a plan in place for that in-class research.

Math

This week students worked on converting units of time to smaller units of time and solved time related number stories. In addition, students were introduced to the concept of multiplicative comparisons.

Spelling

This week students reviewed compound words.  We also brainstormed words the fit the patterns for long /a/.  Finally, we worked on the suffix -ed.  Students sorted word cards based on what sound the /ed/ made (t, d, or id).  

Theme

This week we traveled to the New World!  On Monday, we learned about the Lost Colony of Roanoke and analyzed the decisions made that led to its failure.  On Tuesday, we started to explore the colony of Jamestown.  We looked at the hardships colonists would have to survive on the trip across the Atlantic.  Over the next several days students explored many resources (online simulation, books, videos) to learn about the struggles of the early settlers.  Students are asking many great questions (Why did the Native Americans surround James Fort?  What is Yellow Fever?) which we are posting to the Wonder Wall.  I’ve been assigning student “researchers” to look up the answers as we go.  It’s my goal to inspire kids to be self-directed learners this year when they have questions so that they can see that they can seek out knowledge themselves.