Things Are Moving Right Along

Happy Memorial Day to all.  Thank you to all who serve or have served. 

Fourth Grade News:

 

 

The students created google slides for our continuing unit of Opinion Writing.  They chose from various topics and gave reasons why they made those decisions.  The children did an amazing job on the slides.  They enjoyed getting up in front of their classmates to present what they created.  Oral speaking is a standard that they get graded on and they are mastering this skill.

 

 

 The children also worked on a special activity titled: Just One Word.  They were given a list of their classmates names and had to come up with a just one word to describe them.  They did a nice job and I cannot wait to share them with the class. 

 

We also continue to work on Word of the Day and reading, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM.  They work in small groups to read the chapters and work on comprehension questions.  It is so nice to see how well they work together and cooperative to get the work done. 

Fifth Grade News:
Our fifth graders are also working on Opinion Pieces.  Last week they did an activity that required using their senses of taste, touch, smell  and sight.  They were all given a wedge of an orange and had to write facts about it and then their opinion based on how it tasted, looked and felt.  The children were very engaged in the activity and were able to express their opinions in this writing activity.

 

 

 

 

As you can see, many of the children were enjoying the taste of it, while others did not.  They used some very descriptive words and strong opinions about the orange.  They were very involved in the activity and the conversations all lent themselves to creating wonderful writing pieces.  It was wonderful to see the children collaborate and discuss their thoughts.  They shared out what they thought and also put it in writing.  Communication is a big part of this piece.  They had to communicate how it felt, smelled, tasted and what it looked like.  They came up with some wonderful descriptive words, while also enjoying a healthy snack.  They have come a long way in being able to express themselves to make their writing more expressive. 

On Friday, we took part in an assembly for Jump Rope for Heart.  Mr. Dell, our Physical Education teacher, awarded prizes to the highest sellers.  They ended the assembly with  pie throwing in an educator's face. The excitement in the room was wildly strong.  The students enjoyed this event and had a great end to the week. 

 

 

 

Mr. Dell enjoyed this event, as well. 

Coming up:
The week ahead is going to bring a lot of fun and excitement. Field Day is on Tuesday.  This event is always filled with lots of fun and games.  Everyone is looking forward to it.  The children will also be treated to lunch provided to us by the PTA. 

Packing is happening also.  We are beginning to pack up our rooms not only because it is the end of the school year, but also because we will be moving into our brand new, state of the art, new school.  It is such a great feeling that we will be entering  a brand new building, but also a lot of purging going on.  In my classroom especially, I am reorganizing my materials and getting rid of things I have accumulated in my almost 20 years of teaching.  You'd be amazed at the stuff  you collect as an ELA teacher.

 

This is only the beginning of the packing that is taking place.  I still have so much more to go.  Further pictures coming as we come to the end of the school year.  Stay tuned.

 

The Final Days Are Upon Us

 It's amazing how quickly the year is going.  I can't believe that the end of the school year is coming to an end.  Between the packing, the meetings, correcting papers, and instruction time, I feel like I am running in all sorts of directions, but I still love what I do!!

The next few weeks will be full of activities, events, field day and field trips, but I wouldn't want it any other way.  Watching the students engage in all of this makes it all worthwhile.


Fourth Grade:

 The fourth graders are working on Opinion Pieces.  They are given topics or choose their own and have to give their opinion about it, as well as, the reasons behind it.  This week I put up an image of a cupcake and ice cream and they had to do a little activity dealing with facts and opinions of each one. 

The children were engaged and wrote their reasons for their choices.  I have expressed that we are each entitled to our opinion and others need to respect it.

They are also creating slides for opinions.  Many have worked on them in class.  They were given the guidelines to follow and I am eager to see the final products.

 

We have been building on our book a day board.  I enjoy the reading we do right after lunch.  The books lend themselves to many discussions and lessons that usually are followed by some writing activity.  This week we read, County Mouse City Mouse, and The Summer My Dad Was Ten just to name a couple.  The children have been taken turns to read it aloud.  Once we finish our discussions they are sent to their seats to do some writing.

Fifth Grade:

Our fifth graders are also working on Opinion Pieces.  They have been sharing their thoughts with their classmates and are making some great points as to why they choose what they do.  Sharing is a big part of  our writing class.  The students love to read aloud to the class and many have some terrific opinions.

 

They are also continuing to do work on the Summit platform.  Many are finalizing their book review and completing focus areas. They are showing some great progress and successes.  I am so pleased with the independence and accountability they have gained during this process.  They are responsible for completing their final products and holding themselves accountable for the work.  These are great skills that they will continue to use throughout their lives, as they prepare to leave us and enter middle school.

The children have been working hard these past few weeks.  They are winding down and are prepared for middle school.  Many have gained essential skills needed to be successful.  We are confident that if they put their mind to it, and continue to put in great effort, they can do whatever comes their way.

 

The students will go far once they continue to set goals and work at them.  If they have the motivation and drive they need, they will go places.  

Hope everyone has a great week ahead!!!

Our Week in a Nutshell

This week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week.  I am so grateful for all my students. Each day we would find little treats either in our mailboxes, on our desks, or in the teacher's room.  We really felt so appreciated and loved. 

Thank you to our principal, our PTO, our students and their families for a great week.

Fourth Grade News

Our 4th graders had a busy week.  They practiced speeches, prepared research papers and finally on Friday, they transformed into Famous Rhode Islanders for our annual Live Wax Museum.  They did a fantastic job representing the person they chose.  The entire school came to view them and listen to the speeches they prepared.  It was a great way to end our informational unit. 

 We had historians and politicians.

  Business owners were represented, as well as, actresses and actors, sports figures, authors, and many other celebrities.

We were even in the presence of the former Miss Rhode Island, Alexandra Coppa.

She came to see one of our 4th graders represent her.  She was even able to wear her crown and sash.  It was a great day.  All their hard work paid off. Thank you Allie for coming to our school and making a lot of the girls happy!!!

The students also were able to read their compliments or favorite memories written by other classmates.  They enjoyed reading about what other students thought of them.  It brought many smiles to their faces. 

We are also continuing to read, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.  They are pair reading and discussing the story as they go along. 

Our wall of books (#bookaday) has really grown.  The children have been listening to the books being read aloud to them and then go off to do an activity related to the book.  One example is when I read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The children then wrote their own version of what they wanted falling from the sky and created illustrations to go along with it.

Many wonderful writing pieces are being created from the books that are shared in class.  I have really seen progress with the details they are adding to their writing.  Opinion writing is our last genre of the year.  We are brainstorming, adding details and giving evidence to the opinion pieces.

Fifth Grade News

 Our 5th graders are also hard at work.  We are finishing up our last Summit project in English class.  This week they were grouped according to where they were in the process.  For example, we have groups of students reading their book, some completing checkpoints and others working on the final draft of their book review.  No matter what they are working on, they are engaged and focused.  They are meeting goals and passing content assessments.  We are going to finish the year strong. 

Fifth graders also worked on Opinion pieces and will continue to do more writing.  

We are busy completing tasks, finalizing pieces of our writing and getting ready to move on to the next chapter of our adventures.  The end of the school year is coming to an end, quickly.  It's hard to believe that in a few weeks we will be on summer break.