Building Foundations for Years to Come

 

Good Morning and Happy Sunday.  Every Sunday, my routine is basically the same.  I get up, have my coffee, start prepping for Sunday dinner and then sit down and begin working on my blog.  This morning, I got a late start due to the fact that I actually slept a bit longer than I normally do.  It felt good but it did push me back somewhat. Now, as I reflect upon the past week, I am also thinking about the week ahead.  It will be another busy one.  The children will be taking their Math RICAS testing.  This is our last section for the year.  I know, and feel confident, that they will use what they learned and apply it to the assessment.

The past week brought many wonderful activities and more learning.  We welcomed a new student to our classroom.  We continued working with our groups and had some great conversations and discoveries throughout the week.  

Wonders:

We began our new week with Unit 5. Our Focus Wall is the focal point all week long as we refer to it often throughout the day.  Our spelling, genre, essential question, grammar, vocabulary and so much more are all displayed.  We work on Vocabulary words consistently and in our Reading Writing Companion Book to go along with all the activities Wonders has to offer.  The children enjoy working together in their groups, but there is also time for individual work.  

We start out with the whole group and then break into our table groups to complete work.

Reveal Math:

The children have been working on Multiplying Fractions and with a few hiccups, we were able to finish the unit.  There will be a unit test tomorrow.  I am going to let them use their notebooks.  

Amplify Science:

We are continuing our work on Animal Senses and their Habitats.  The children are reading and taking notes on the booklet they are reading that ties along with this unit.  

I enjoy walking around the room and seeing how they interact with one another.  The looks on their faces as they learn something new is amazing to watch.  Listening to their conversations and asking them questions is part of our daily routine.

Social Studies:

The RI Research is coming along as they complete the ABC's of RI.  They should also be working on the scavenger hunt that was sent home.  This will be our final project in social studies.  I hope that they are discovering more things about the state we live in.  

Our days fly by but there is always so much going on.  The children are thriving.  The effort continues.  We push through the days and get things accomplished.  Friday we held our Star Conferences and I was able to meet with each student and discuss their goal for the upcoming month.

While I conferenced with them, they worked independently on the assignments that were on the board for them.  They have really done a great job with this as the year progressed.  They know what is expected during these times and what to do.

Our Week in Pictures:

Upcoming Events:

With the final days quickly approaching, keep your eyes on the events that will be happening.

On May 30th we will have Field Day with many fun things taking place.  Please send in the permission slip if you haven't already done so, since part of the day will be at Governor Notte Park.

That night the annual Talent Show will be taking place.  I can not wait to see the wonderful acts performed by many of the students throughout the school.

4th Graders are taking the Math Ricas test on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  I know they will use their strategies and show their great work.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

4Z in Full Bloom

 It was a fantastic week of relaxing, recharging and refocusing.  Now onto the final part of the year.  The children were given a RI ABC handout before we broke for vacation.  Some have started it and others will be starting during our Social Studies time.  They will also be getting their final Social Studies project of the year-The RI Scavenger Hunt.  I will discuss what this entails and I am sure that they will be sharing all this with you.  It is meant to be a fun, family project that will help us learn more about the state that we live in.  It is not meant to stress anyone or spend an any money.  Many of the items can be located locally- Governor Notte Park, Town Hall, and even on line.  

Wonders:

We continue to work in our Wonders Curriculum.  We are reading stories, making connections, summarizing and creating our own pieces of writing.  The children often work together in their groups and complete assignments.  

Amplify Science:

We continue to learn about vision and light for one more week in Science.  We are reading and participating in wonderful conversations.  The children use what they know to complete the workbook pages.

Reveal Math:

The children have been getting ready for the RICAS Math sessions.  We hold enrichment blocks so that we can become familiar with how the test is set up by working on released items from RIDE.  We are also doing a lot of work with fractions in our recent unit in our Math books.  Some of the children even come up and "teach" us how they get their answers.  We are using the UPS strategy when it comes to figuring out word problems.

Presentations: Expository Text

The children concluded their writing piece by presenting what they learned about a certain topic.  They were able to choose a topic and research it so that they can show what they learned in slide presentations.  These were presented on the Friday before vacation.  They did a wonderful job and taught us a thing or two.

                                           Spring Break:

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break.  I was able to get many little projects done around my house and even got a little bit of shopping in.  I am looking forward to the remainder of the year and continuing to do all the things that need to be completed before starting our summer vacation.