Quick Update

Hi Everyone,




We have been in such a groove, I have forgotten to update our blog.




Here's the scoop in room 5:

Mathematics: We are wrapping up fractions. This week we are working with improper and mixed fractions. Hopefully, your child can explain the difference between them. We will also add and subtract fractions with like denominators. Look for a study guide in your child's agenda this week and a test early next week.



Reading: We are also finishing Love That Dog by Sharon Creech this week. As a culminating activity, we will spend one period this week listening to the book on CD. Ask your child what the significance of the blue car is in the book.




Our next unit is a favorite of mine, Tall Tales! Pecos Bill, Slue Foot Sue and Paul Bunyan will be our new friends!



Social Studies: We had a test on the Southeast Region and will be moving into the Middle West Region. Do you know which state in the Middle West Region looks like a mitten? Do you know the names of the Great Lakes? We'll find out as we continue our journey across the United States.



Science: We are still studying adaptations using birds. We have a few more activities and then we will begin our project which is still a SECRET for right now! We will also dissect owl pellets and watch March of the Penguins.



Writing: We are still working on our Genie/Three Wishes project. Thank you to Mrs. Alessi, Mrs. Johnson, and Mrs. Ransden for volunteering to help out with conferences during writer's workshop. Let me know if you are interested in coming in to help us revise and edit.



Read-Aloud: We finished Matilda by Roald Dahl. It was nice to see how many kids picked up additional books by Roald Dahl this past week. I love when read-alouds inspire students to read new genres & authors! We also did a quick picture book called All About Owls by Jim Arnosky. Today, we started Poppy by Avi. Both books coincide nicely with our science unit.

Reminders:

1. Report Cards went home on Monday. Please call if you have not seen your child's report card.



2. Chorus Concert is on Thursday at 9:10 am. Families are welcome. This is the only time that 4th grade will perform for the Winter Concert. The children need dark bottoms (pants/skirts), dark shoes, and white tops for their concert attire. It looks lovely when everyone participates, but don't forget to pack sneakers as we have phys. ed. in the afternoon! The children can change into comfy clothes after the concert.



3. February 8th, 2008 is PTO's Family Game Night at 6:30 PM. Come out for a good time. I think I may be a "guest caller" for BINGO...and Emma may want to help me work the microphone! I am sure it will be a blast!

That's it for now. I promise to post some new pictures after the concert. We are just "wrapping" a lot of things up and pretty busy...not too much time for pictures.

Have a great week!
-JoAnne

Snow Day?

Hi Everyone!



We had a great full week together. We have been working on many activities. The students are also gearing up for their debut at the Winter Concert on January 31st at 9:10 AM. Parents and families are welcome to attend as the 4th grade ONLY performs at this time. They will perform at the evening Spring Concert in April/May. Please try to make it if you can. The children love to see their families in the audience and it is a wonderful culmination of their efforts since the beginning of the year. Additionally, the children need to be dressed in white shirts and dark bottoms (pants, skirts) for the concert. Information about the concert from Mrs. Stonebraker went home last week.

Thank you to those who were able to return the blog survey that I sent home last week. I will share the information with Mrs. Whitten. It was nice to hear the positive feedback. It seems that most people enjoy the information updates about current curriculum and love to see the pictures. Some ideas including having the students post a message and putting the spelling lists on the blog. If you are not already aware, there is a link to the blog from my page on the Zeh School homepage. This week, the children had an opportunity to explore the blog a bit during computer lab and can show you how to access it from our webpage.

I also forgot in my last post to say thank you for the lovely class gift! I have been using the gift card to shop for some new things for myself including some new sneakers. Thank you also for the many individual gifts that I received. Your generosity is overwhelming and very thoughtful. I am lucky to work with such nice families this year!


Here's the update:


Writer's Workshop: We are making fabulous progress on our Genie/Three Wishes stories. I am pleased to see the children use the stages of the writing process with such ease. Additionally, I am still in need of parent volunteers on Thursdays and Fridays from10:55-11:35. So far, Mrs. Alessi has graciously volunteered to join us on Thursdays. If you are available and interested, please drop me an email.

Science: We are continuing our study of animal adaptations and birds. We watched some videos and learned about variations in beaks and bird feet. Ask your child what a gizzard is? Hopefully, they can tell you. We also did a lab on opposable thumbs. The students completed a few activities (open/close a zipper, shuffle cards, write your name, cut along a line, turn pages in a book, pick up a dime) normally, Next, they had to do the same activities with their thumbs taped down with masking tape. Check out some of the fun photos:

Lauren tries to open/close a zipper without thumbs!

Kaitlin is attempting to cut along a dotted line without thumbs.

Brad is trying to write his name without using his thumbs.

Also, please feel free to check out the updated websites for animal adaptations over on the left side of the page.

Mathematics: The children did a great job on their division test and we have now moved into fractions. We took a quick poll at the launch of the unit and have concluded that some students have fractophobia (Zeh School term for "fear of fractions"). I told them of my own personal horrid history with fractions and how I have made it my "business" to make fractions easy for all to understand. Please have your child come see me if they are struggling. Understanding fractions will help to lay the ground work for success in decimals, our next unit. Next week, we will learn about equivalent fractions, comparing fractions and how Wonder Woman gets involved to help us out!

Reading: Last week we started a new book called Love that Dog by Sharon Creech. So far, there is no mention of any dogs...we are pretty curious, though. This book connects to our study of poetry. Additionally, we worked on choral reading. We used Joyful Noise: Poetry for Two Voices by Paul Fleishman. It was challenging to practice the poems and get the timing just right. Click on the videos below to watch our performances. (I am pleased to say that none of the videos are sideways this week!)

Scott, Anthony, Katie, Caroline and Taylor

Kaitlin, Brad, C.J. and Jake

John, Lauren, Ashley, Hannah, and Alyson

Brenna, Meg, Devin, and Patrick

Rachel and Will

Cait, Rachel, Allyson, and Justin

Read-Aloud: We are reading Matilda by Roald Dahl during snack. We love the characters and are amazed by the Truchbull, the headmistress at Matilda's school. We are waiting to find out what will happen next.

Reminders:

1. Book Order is due on Friday 1/18/08.
2. Monday 1/21/08 - No School for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
3. Tuesday 1/22/08- No School for Students: Professional Development for Teachers
4. Wednesday 1/23/08-Students return (there will be no spelling this short week)

Thank you and have a wonderful week!



-JoAnne

Welcome to 2008!

Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful break with family and friends. I had a busy time traveling to family in NY, NJ, and CT. It is always nice to be with family, but the "getting there" part can be a real grind!

Anyway, we are now back in full swing and had a great first week. There were a few mentions of "I miss Mrs. Brush" or "It's strange without Mrs. Brush here". I am glad that they enjoyed working with her last semester. She was a tremendous asset to our classroom community and her presence will be missed.


Let's get to it...here's the update from Room 5:

New Teacher Shower: We hosted a shower for Mrs. Brush and supplied her with all the things we think a new teacher needs. She received so many wonderful gifts. Thank you for your generosity and support with this project.

Winter Carnival: Thanks to all the parents that came in and volunteered to help the 4th graders celebrate the holidays. They were quite creative this year! We mixed up the children and rotated rooms to have the opportunity to participate in 6 different activities such as holiday stories and crafts. It was a wonderful afternoon for all!

Crafts

Holiday Bingo

Crafts

Holiday Stories

More Crafts

Mathematics: We are working on our division skills. We have switched to a Division Mad Minutes test, but will return to Multiplication tests on a "surprise" basis. We need to be prepared! Our Division test was today and we will be moving into fractions next.

Social Studies: We wrapped up the Northeast Region. We have started to explore the Southeast Region. Do you know what states make up the Southeast Region? What is the climate like? What products are grown there? Things to start thinking about...




Science: Mrs. Brush concluded her unit on Matter. Click on the link below to see a short video from our lab on the sound of matter.

We also did a matter lab on sink or float and tried to make aluminum foil boats that could support pennies. Check out Caroline and Ashley's successful boat building skills? (It is sideways. I am still learning about putting videos on blogs...and how to rotate them!)

In January, we will begin a new project to kick off our study of Animal Adaptations. Do you know what animal adaptations are? What makes a bird a bird? We will become experts on birds and the many adaptations that they have.


Reading: We are studying poetry and have been performing some poems in class. We are also playing "I-SPY" and looking to find poetry terms within the poems. We want to know if there is rhythm, how many stanzas, is there poetic license, is there a rhyme pattern, and other terms that we are learning. The children worked in partners and to select a poem to share with the class. They will get to be the teachers. See the photos below.

Writing: The At-Home Writing Project was due on December 20th. Another writing project will be assigned in January. In class, we will begin a new 5 paragraph essay as well. Hint: Start thinking about what you would wish for...




Help Wanted: Do you enjoy working with budding writers? Are you good with grammar? Can you revise and edit? Do you have computer skills/knowledge of MS Word? If you answered yes to any of these questions, than this is the job for you! We are currently seeking parents to assist with Writer's Workshop on Thursdays and Fridays from 10:55-11:35 am. Please send me an email if you are available to help us out on either day.


Indoor Recess Fun: Over break, I bought a microphone for us to use in class. Justin was inspired to bring in his "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" game and host his own version at recess. He even brought prizes!

Reminders

1. Please re-stock your child's pencils, highlighters, and gluesticks. If possible, label each item with your child's name.


2. Please label your child's snow gear. Many items are being "relocated" to the Lost & Found on a daily basis. I actually have laundry markers in the classroom, if you would like your child to do it at school.
3. I will be sending out a paper survey regarding the blog this week. Please complete it and return it to school. I will be sharing it with Mrs. Whitten and will be using it to plan the future of our blog. I appreciate your honesty with your answers.
   

Thank you and have a great week!
-JoAnne Gorham

Brrrrr!

Hi Everyone,


I hope you are all finding ways to keep warm during this recent streak of chilly weather. At school, we are working hard and beginning new units of study. We have many things to accomplish before we break for the New Year. Please encourage your child to stay focused during this hectic holiday season.


Here's the update from Room 5:


Science: Mrs. Brush has begun her fabulous unit on Matter. On Monday, we all traveled to the cafeteria where stations were set up for us to "explore" matter. Our objective was to discover the "Big Ideas about Matter." We used gloop, oobleck, playdough, scales/balances, tubs with water to test for sink/float, and much more. Thank you to Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Ransden, and Mrs. Stott for coming in to help us run the stations and especially for the help with clean up! See if your child can tell you anything about the big ideas.

Making Oobleck with water and cornstarch

What are the Big Ideas here?

Mrs. Stott assists with the equitable dispensing of cornstarch!

Sink or float? Let's test and find out!

Some types of matter will dissolve into other types of matter. Some will not.

Mathematics: We have finished with multiplication and are now moving into division. Please keep practicing your facts! We are still taking our Mad Minutes quizzes and will begin to switch it up with division. Congrats to Brenna & Meg for completing 60 facts in 2 minutes. Many others are also close to 60!




Social Studies: We are in the Northeast Region and have completed some fabulous sensory poems. Mrs. Guitard (our FSC field study student) also came in and shared a lesson on the Iroquois. We are learning about their families, shelter, clothing, food, and festivals/religious beliefs and making flip-books to organize our information.


OnWednesday, Mrs. Ransden came in to talk about her French Canadian heritage and the holiday traditions that they celebrate. She also shared some French songs with us and taught us to say a few holiday phrases in French. Thank you for offering your time and sharing your traditions with us.

Writing: We continue to work on our 5 paragraph essays at school. Are you working on your "At Home Writing" assignment? It is due on December 20th. Be sure to use your calendar to help you plan your time and see me with questions.


Reading: We will begin our unit on Poetry next week. I am so excited to share this unit with the students as we have many great activities planned. We will write, read, and perform poetry. Please check out the websites for poetry that I have posted on the blog and get inspired!


Indoor Recess: We are having a great time with our new board games! Thanks again to the P.T.O. for approving our grant for new games! Apples to Apples is a Room 5 favorite!

Unifix Cubes: a classic!

Boggle, anyone?

BrainQuest for Kids

Reminders:

• 12/14- Book Order is due today.
• 12/14- Field Trip the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Chaperones need to arrive at 8:20. We are leaving at 8:30. Remember to pack a lunch. No candy, soda, or glass bottles. Dress in layers as the museum is either roasting or freezing!
• 12/20- At Home Writing Project is due at school. Please send all draft work in with the final copy.
• 12/20- Holiday Party in the afternoon. Contact Michelle Ransden if you are interested in helping to organize this event.
• 12/21- All-School Meeting: Winter Songfest
• 12/21- 11:30 Dismissal for Students

The Vocabulary Parade

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to post pictures from the Vocabulary Parade. It was so nice to see so many parents able to attend. I know the kids had a wonderful time and walked with pride from classroom to classroom. The costumes were fantastic representations of words. This year was also the first time that Mrs. Zia, Mrs. Villaflor, and I also joined in the fun! We look forward to having it again next year. Thank you for helping to make it such a success.

Check out our great words...

Pearl

Electronic

Correspondent

Bewilder

Facet

Terrapin

Conifer

Effervescent


Spiritual

Quandry

Altitude

Patriotic

Salmonella

Icthyology

Caution

Gondola

Destroyer

Sashimi

Flamboyant

Bastion

Collective

Compassionate

Social Studies & Read Aloud: We read a great book to support our study of the Northeast. Did you know that there was a molasses explosion in Boston? Ask your child to tell you the tale of:

We also welcome a new student to our classroom from Lincoln Street School. Welcome Caitlynne! We are thrilled to have you in our class.

Reminders:

• 12/3- School House Rocks will visit us with perfomances by students from Algonquin



• 12/5- Wednesday: Multiplication Test



• 12/14-Friday: Field Trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Thanks and have a great week!

-JoAnne