Field Trip to Intel Museum

We had a great time on our field trip to the Intel Museum! Here are a few memories....

Time Flies!

Wow, I know that I had missed a week of posting but I realized I missed 2 weeks! That's what conferences will do to a teacher. It was so great to get to sit down and talk one-on-one about your children. I really do adore all of them and learning with them.

We have been slowly getting through Dear Mr. Henshaw. I was actually glad to hear that some of you felt this book was too low for your children....you are right! For many of them it is, but our first two books were really about getting procedures down and learning how reading activities will work. We should be starting our new book in the next week so stay tuned!

Last week, math threw nearly everyone for a loop. Basic algebra when you are writing expressions that can't be solved was a really tough concept to grasp. As we moved on and learned to read word problems to find the value of a variable it started to become a bit more clear but I see us working on this more in the future. We will be moving into our next chapter which will dive into multiplication and division so I look forward to math becoming a little bit more challenging.

Science and Social Studies have taken a back seat for the past week or so. We normally cover these subjects in the afternoon so our half days didn't allow us to get to them. I am sure the kids will be happy to welcome them back this week!

This up coming week is our first field trip also and we are all excited!  Hope you have had a great few weeks and are ready to get back to a normal schedule on Monday.

Crazy Like Monkey's

We learned about similes this week. To prep the kids and give them a clear understanding we did a little experiment. Each student got a bag of Pop Rocks. The got to try them out and then we made a poster..."The Pop Rocks exploded in my mouth like....." They had a blast and I think it really helped make the connection.

We continued our study of Dear Mr. Henshaw this week. The students made diagrams of a section of the book where the main character describes the area where he lives. They turned out really well! Everyone has done such a good job of embracing what "Score 4" work means. They now know that they have to do their very best and when I ask them, "Is this a score 4?" They consistently take their paper and head back to make it better. Makes me happy!

In Social Studies we have moved onto discussing the Indian tribes of California. We started learning about how to take notes. Social Studies lends itself really well to learning how to take good notes. First we are learning 2 column notes. We will be practicing a lot in class.

Diorama's are due Monday! Everyone seems to be excited to share but are nervous for their oral presentations. I am really looking forward to seeing what students came up with and hearing what they learned.

When Pigs Fly!

This week has been a very bust one in fourth grade! The biggest event has been starting Dear Mr. Henshaw. We have been reading together in class as well as at home. We started this book by talking about our favorite authors. We wrote letters to our favorite authors and we will eventually send them out.

We have continued to work on our comprehension. I even threw a pop quiz there was which really scared them! It also proved to them how so many of them just rush through their reading and don't read for understanding. We had to go back and read the first 10 pages before we were truly able to answer them. I would challenge you, as parents, to ask your children what they are reading. Read a bit yourself and ask them some comprehension questions to see if they are reading for understanding.

Science brought our first experiment in the classroom! We learned how plants that are in sunlight produce more gas/oxygen then those that are in less sunlight. The kids started their science notebooks and worked hard on drawing as well as writing about their findings.

Today we talked about idioms. We, of course, had a blast talking about them. I think they especially liked the lesson because some of them I say frequently...."Zip your lips please!" I often tell them that they can have free time "when pigs fly" so we got a good laugh at all the ones we thought of today.

Have a great weekend!

Space Shutle Endeavor

Today was the type of day that teachers long for. I walked in this morning planning to discuss the shuttle fly over for a bit but ended up throwing out all my lesson plans for the day and ran with the kids excitement over the space shuttle!

We brought out the iPads this morning and spent an hour pouring over the NASA website. The kids were so excited to use the iPads! We got to read all about the space program, the different shuttles and about how the program was ending. After we finished reading we spent a long time outlining what we had read together so that we could write summary paragraphs. Students ended up writing 5 paragraph summary essays! To say I was proud of them doesn't do it justice.

After we had read all about the space program we headed outside to see the fly over. We honestly had no idea what we would be able to see but the plane flew RIGHT OVER our heads! It was truly amazing. I am pretty sure that the teachers were more amazed than the students but I am glad they got to experience it.

Your kids worked so hard today! Please make sure to give them HUGE kudos for their essays. A 5 paragraph essay isn't really a 4th grade standard but because we did so much together I knew they would do well!

We did get some free time with the iPad's as well today. We spent some of our math period playing math games which was really fun for them. Next week we move into Chapter 3 in our math books.

Language Arts this week was really focused on grammar. I found from reading students writing that
we really needed some grammar help. Using "is" and "are" particularly give us trouble so we spent a lot of time talking about that. Next week we will get started with our "Dear Mr. Henshaw" unit. Please make sure to send the book in with your student if you didn't order it from me.

Over the weekend please start looking for a shoebox. We are going to start an at home project in the next week that you will need a shoebox for. If you can't find one, I might be able to find one left over from the Festival.


Finally, please visit the NASA kids website with your children over the weekend. Once you have done that please have them answer the following question by leaving a comment on this blog.

What part of the space shuttle burns for 2 minutes and is then dropped into the ocean?

ITBS Is Over!

I dislike testing about as much as the students do. It throws everything off schedule and I long for the days when we are back to normal days. Thankfully, Monday we will be back to normal!

Although we spent each morning testing we managed to do some really exciting things this week. The kids got to do art for the first time with me this year. It can be really had to fit art into the schedule so this week we got to do several projects.

The first project we did was after learning about the color wheel. We talked about primary and secondary colors. We also discussed how they compliment each other. After our discussion we did a project called "Warm Hands." Students had to trace their own hands and then color in based on warm and cool colors. This project was as much about listening and following directions as it was about art.

The second project we did this week was with watercolors. Each student got 4 leaves and were asked to trace them by overlapping them. Essentially, it was supposed to look like a pile of leaves when done. Half way through, they weren't looking so good. The kids were frustrated, I was frustrated, it wasn't looking good. On Day 2 we water colored them and they turned out AMAZING!!! I actually love them so much I hung them on our front windows. Stop by and check them out.

On Wednesday we got to experience science with Mr. New. The kids were so excited to visit the science lab and I think they had a blast. We learned about how bird have different shaped beaks allowing them to be able to eat different goods based on their beaks. Students got to use different "beaks" to try and eat different foods. They had a great time!

I'm going to share our final art project next week because I want to be able to get some great photos to share. In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend and that I see you all on Sunday at the fall festival!

Going Back to Basics

The past 2 days have been pretty rough in 4th grade. No, ITBS testing isn't too hard, it's that students have forgotten how to follow directions and doing things correctly in class. Tomorrow, as I mentioned to them today, we are going "Back to Basics."

Everyone knows what a good line looks like, they know how to come in quietly, how to keep their hands to themselves. I know this because I have seen it! Starting tomorrow they are going to show it to me. We are going to work on it, even if it means relining up 10 times or re-entering the class over and over until we get it right. It could be ugly :-)

Please talk to your students tonight to talk about how important this is. Yes, there are a few kids who are always doing the right thing and are consistently following directions BUT more often than not, everyone slips up sometimes. I really appreciate your support in this.

In the meantime, we have been doing some amazing art in class this week. Today was especially great because students stepped into help each other as they finished their own projects!  I won't give too much away right now but instead will share a few photos....

Moving Right Along

I promised the kids that I would post the finish photo from the Color Me Rad race last weekend. We had a blast running together. It is really fun to be building this new amazing community!

 We finished Sarah, Plain and Tall today. I love that the children really got a feeling for what life was like back in the 1800's. They spent a lot of time answering comprehension questions which helped the practice re-reading passages to find answers as well as how to properly answer questions while using complete sentences. After ITBS testing we will be ready to take on our next novel together!

Social Studies has taught us about the 4 regions of California...the coastal region, mountain region, Central Valley and the desert region.  We spent time talking about the climate in each of the regions. We also spent some time learning about longitude and latitude. Finally, we learned how to read an elevation map.

We wrapped up Chapter 1 in math and have moved onto Chapter 2. Inverse relation and fact families were reviewed and students made some fact family flowers to decorate the room! We started working on rounding numbers up to the millions.  Having that many numbers in front of them has proven to be a little tricky!

Next week is ITBS testing. There will be no homework, which the kids are VERY excited about. It is very important that you give your student a good breakfast and have them get enough sleep.

This week, I want to leave you with some information about the characteristics of 4th graders. Of course, every child's development is unique. Every child hits milestone on his or her own timetable. The list below is only given as a reference to help you get a better understanding of your child. I am including info. on both 9 and 10 year olds.

The Nine -Year-Old

Physical Development

• Girls generally ahead of boys in physical maturity
• Improve coordination and reaction time
• May have poor posture; lots of physical habitual movements; fingers in hair, slouching, picking at nails
• Stomach aches, headaches, leg pains common
• High energy, often playing to the point of fatigue
• Inconsistent appetite and sleep patterns

Social and Emotional Development

• Enjoy being a member of a club
• Increased interest in competitive sports
• Learning to take responsibility for his/her own actions
• Begin to see parents and authority figures as fallible human beings; sees adult inconsistencies and imperfections
• Peer conformity in dressing is important
• May begin to be interested in the opposite sex
• Self-aware
• Concerned about being right or wrong, being fair; may complain about fairness issues
• Have great need to be in a group, but are also individualistic
• Need to be in control of some choices
• May become deeply attached to a best friend
• Can be sullen and moody

Intellectual Development

• Concrete Operations Stage of Thinking is solidified for most children, they can reason logically and organize thoughts coherently.  However, most thinking is done about actual physical objects.  They cannot handle abstract thinking very well unless abstractions are related to something they have directly experienced.  Even if they can make abstractions, they still learn best through active, concrete experiences
• Showing signs of being more responsible, inner directed, an independent worker
• Appreciate being trusted
• Interested in many different types of reading:  fictional stories, magazines, how-to project books, and non-fiction informational books
• May develop special interest in collections or hobbies
• Better able to understand concepts
• Are becoming much less egocentric and are able to understand the perspectives of others; better understanding the concept of “audience” when writing
• Less interested in fantasy; more involved in the real world
• May have problems with increased homework demands
• Age of negatives:  “I can’t,” “boring”
• May be less imaginative than at earlier grades

The Ten -Year-Old

Physical Development

• Girls are generally ahead of boys in physical maturity; onset of puberty for some girls
• Increase body strength and hand dexterity
• Large muscle development is advanced
• Handwriting often sloppier than at nine
• Have improved coordination and reaction time
• Desperately need outdoor time and physical challenge
• Complaints like stomach aches, headaches, leg pain, etc. usually less than at nine
• Snacks and rest periods helpful for growing bodies
• Appetite fluctuates but is generally good

Social and Emotional Development

•  Fairness issues peak and can be solved
• Like clubs, activities, sports
• Humor is broad, labored, and usually not funny to adults
• May discuss contemporaries in terms of capabilities; his reading or his math
• Usually direct, matter fact, clear-cut
• Generally easygoing, content, friendly, and balanced
• Usually less anxious, exacting, and demanding than at nine
• Talkative; likes to tell stories about something they have seen, heard, or read about; can talk something  “into the ground”
• May belittle or defy adult authority, but are closer to their families then at many other levels
• Enjoy both family and peers
• Developing more mature sense of right and wrong, good at solving social issues
• Often interested in caring for animals, boys and girls may be interested in horses, but girls are especially interested
• Shrug off responsibility; can usually toss off criticisms and bad grades
• Likes and dislikes are described in very specific terms
• Note passing, sometimes about the opposite sex

Intellectual Development

• Can be voracious readers
• Expressive, talkative, like to explain
• Cooperative, competitive and inquisitive
• Classification and collections of interest; like to organize
• Able to concentrate, read for extended periods
• Good problem solvers
• Like to complete a task but doesn’t usually wish to enlarge or elaborate on it;  wish to try
     everything
• Interest span is short
• Have a stricter ethical sense than most other ages
• Very concerned about fairness
• Generally love to memorize, but don’t generalize or correlate facts, or care what to do with
    the knowledge
• Often enjoy “place” geography--names of states, capitals, but vague about actual geographic
  characteristics
• Not able to plan own work, need schedules
• Better able to see the perspectives of others
• Most interested in concrete learning experiences and learning of specifics
• Like to talk and listen more than work

Social Studies, Science and Sarah, OH MY!

What a packed week it has been! The class and I have been so hard at work this week and I am really proud of them.

PE
PE started this week and the kids were thrilled. I am really excited to have the students work with Coach F! Some of them may have also mentioned that teachers are working out with Coach F after school. Many of them have seen us running, doing push ups and working hard to get in shape. I think it is so important for them to see this! In fact, 5 teachers are running the Color Me Rad run this weekend and the kids can't wait to see pictures. I will try my best to post some tomorrow after the run so have them checked back!

Math
We began our unit of study on place value. This week we focused on the different ways you can write numbers –word form, expanded notation, and standard form. Students practiced reading and writing whole numbers through the millions. Next week we’ll be comparing and rounding whole numbers and will begin to look at where decimals fall on the place value chart, as well as how you can compare and round decimals.Our favorite activity was putting the class in order based on the number each student had on an index card. It was great to see them work together to get all 28 of them in the right place!

Language Arts

We started reading Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Sarah takes place in the late 1800's so the first thing we did was make a K-W-L chart. Students told me things the knew about that time and things that want to learn about that time. When we are finished with the book we will fill in the things we learned. We have spent a time working on comprehension questions and writing answers in complete sentences. 

Social Studies

I quickly learned this week that Social Studies isn't this class's favorite subject. I hope to change that feeling because not only do we get to study California history, but it is also one of my favorite subjects! Students worked on being able to read a text for information. They also spent time using a glossary to look up vocabulary words.

Science

The class is just starting science and our first focus is on animals and adaptations. I am really trying to figure out how to get a regular time in the science lab so we can do a lot more hands on activities with science. The best way for kids to learn science is to DO IT!

Homework

Homework is supposed to take students about 40 minutes a night. They should also read for 20 minutes each night. Of course, some nights there will be more and some there will be less. I am trying to find the right balance but I would love feedback. Parents-- Has homework been too much? Too little?

Next Wednesday is Back to School Night and I am looking forward to seeing you all. As a head's up, I will be out of the classroom on Thursday attending a writing training.  As always, please email me any questions or concerns you might have.

Have a great long weekend!

Homework for 8/27

Math:  page 6 # 6-26 even

LA:  read for 20 min

Spelling: Write all works missed on the pre-test 3 times each

Other: Please sign and return the Emergency Card and Technology Agreement by Wed

     Please purchase one black/white marbled composition book and one 5-subject notebook

If you have any questions please email me at lfreitas@catholicacademysun.org

Whew!

What a fabulous first week! I must say that I am so thankful that we had half days all week because I am EXHAUSTED!  I loved getting to know each of your children and think I even have everyone's name down.

Although there wasn't much homework this week we did start to jump into curriculum. Students completed their first math assessment as well as a writing assessment. We talked a lot about standards of work. I will be doing a lot of scoring using rubrics this year so students completed drawings using a rubric. Stop by and see them on our wall!

Today, the class finished Venn Diagrams of themselves. Students worked in partners to discuss how there are alike and how they are different. When done brainstorming they drew and compared themselves using venn diagrams. We lucked out having half our class from St. Cyprian's and half from St. Martin so it was easy to blend and have kids get to know someone they didn't know last year.
Speaking of getting to know new people, 4th grade was called out at prayer service this morning for having 100% participation for getting to know new people! Great job!

I am really excited to see what next week brings. I didn't give homework over the weekend as we are still sorting out textbooks, etc. so enjoy this last weekend of NO homework! If you have a chance though, I would love for students to leave me a comment answering the following question:
What is ONE thing you would like to learn about this year?

Questions, Questions

Thank you so much for all your questions! I am feeling just like all of you....I just want the school year to start and all the confusion to be over.

1. Several of you have asked about the summer assignment that was given. I will be honest, I don't know if the assignment was given to both campuses or just to St. Martin.  The most important thing is that your kids have been reading.  I really want everyone to have read The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis because I plan to do something with it the first week of school. If this is a problem or you have an issue just shoot me an email.
2. There have been some changes in regards to supplies. Our class now has a supply list that you will need to purchase and send with your student on day 1. I will include that list here for you at the bottom and there should be something coming out on School Speak.
3. Many of you have asked about meeting me. I will be at the parent meeting next Tuesday as well as in my classroom the later part of next week. Feel free to stop and say "hi" by BUT this isn't a time to discuss your student. I have a TON of stuff to do to get ready for the year to start! If you want to chat about your student with me please send me an email and we can set time up.

Just a few more days until the year starts. I am getting more and more excited!

Supply List for 4th Grade

2 pks of #2 pencils sharpened

1 box Crayola washable markers

1 box Crayola 24 ct. crayons

1 box Crayola 12 ct. colored pencils

2 thin black Sharpies

1 homework folder

1 yellow hi-lighter

1 green hi-lighter

1 pink hi-lighter

3 pink erasers

1 pair of scissors

1 set of watercolors

2 reams of copy paper

2 packages of wide ruled lined paper

2 packages graph paper (2 lines per in.)

1 computer jump drive

1 pencil box

3 rolls of paper towels

2 boxes of tissues (2 additional boxes will be needed in January)

2 packages of baby-wipes for daily cleansing (NOT the antiseptic type.)

2 packages of Clorox wipes

2 large bottles of Purell hand sanitizer

1 backpack

School Supplies

There have been some questions about what you will need for school supplies this year.

This year, we (K-4 teachers) will purchase the initial classroom supplies for your child in bulk.  We have found that this enables us to begin the year with all of our ‘tools’ ready to go.  Additionally, by purchasing in bulk, we can get high quality materials at a lower cost than what you can find individually.  The anticipated cost for the materials will be $125 per student. This is an anticipated total as of now...I promise more info soon!

Each student will receive crayons, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, erasers, scissors, glue sticks, correcting pencils, journals, folders, ruler, craft supplies and classroom supplies.  These supplies will be used in the classroom and will need to be kept at school.  

You will need to provide your child with the following items to bring to school on the first day:        

3 rolls of paper towels

2 boxes of tissues (2 additional boxes will be needed in January)

2 packages of baby-wipes for daily cleansing (NOT the antiseptic type.)

2 packages of Clorox wipes

2 large bottles of Purell hand sanitizer

1 backpack

Finally, while preparing for the new year, please provide supplies for your child to use at home.

I will be putting together a wish list of things we would love to have in our classroom. If you are able to help donate that would be amazing! 

Welcome!

Welcome to our class web site! I am very excited to meet you on the first day of school.

In order to integrate technology into our classroom, we are going to be using this blog in class to do journal postings and lots of other exciting things.

In order to have you learn your way around this site, I am adding a summer assignment due HERE. You may complete your assignment at anytime but it must be completed BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. 

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Click on "comment" under this blog post
2. In the "Comment As" box chose "Name/URL" Enter your FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL. Do not use your full name! 
3. Tell me....Your name, where you were born, one thing you love to do and your favorite food.
4. I will post an example in the comments so you can see what I am looking for.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer and that you are excited as I am for the first day of school!