Week of 2/25

Hello Everyone! I thought I had escaped the dreaded flu of 2013 until last week.  Yuck! I am sorry I was out all week, although I certainly did catch up on sleep! It was a rough week for me but I think I’m ready to roar back and have some wonderful learning take place in 4^th grade Language Arts!

NEWS FLASH! Please check out the crazy 4B and their wonderful Moustache Valentine's party pictures under "Pages"! That is one nutty crew, love them!

We have fallen behind on Black History Month and therefore, as with most years, we will run into March. In fact, we will without a doubt run into mid to late March J I have many areas of the curriculum I cover using Black artists, poets, musicians, history and narratives, so even though we are not technically in Black history past next week, we will be exploring more in class. We will look at voice in writing, we will work some with figurative language, we will write persuasive essays and letters, and research more about the history and experience of African Americans.  Our culminating event will be a wax museum the week of March  18^th (I will firm up the date as we get a little closer, but students will dress up as a famous Black American and give a short biography of themselves, including a famous quote. There will be no makeup, just clothing and props, as a way of representing one’s character.) This event will be in class during your student’s regular Language Arts class.

Classes will not have vocabulary this week, although we will learn new words and phrases, such as Emancipation Proclamation, abolitionist, Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, civil rights, etc… I will test on these phrases and words at the end of the unit.  I will make sure students have a list of what I expect them to know. Students will take notes in their composition books.

The third Book Report is Due March 12. It is a auto/biography. I have posted the format on a blog page, please look at it and follow. The project is an epic poem about your person's life and a portrait. The epic poem is just a poem that follows the famous person's journey through life. It should incorporate at least 7-12 facts about their life. Please use vocabulary from this year!

This is the last week I will collect money for EOG test prep books. They are $16.00 and I very strenuously recommend students buy one. I would also like to thank all of the generous parents who donated extra money to students who cannot cover this right now. Thanks very much.

Talent Show is going to be awesome this year! Keep this date for your calendar: March 15. Tickets go on sale this week!$5 for adults, $3 for students! Dinner will be available. Don’t miss this yearly extravaganza. 

International Festival was rescheduled for tomorrow. This is another wonderful event for students.

4^th grade Social Club meets this Wednesday, until 4:00. I require a note each time,  be sure and send a note soon. I can really only handle around 30 students and I know everyone wants to come, but I must maintain a safe environment.

Progress Reports go home this Wednesday. Once again, be sure and take the number with a grain of salt, especially this round. Normally, I am in class to make sure students get all their work in before progress reports and report cards. Since I was out last week, this safety net has fallen by the wayside. Many students having missing work. I will continue to take the work and adjust the grades as work come in, with the exception of homework, which I do not accept late. Do keep in mind; I dock student’s points for late assignments, so it is always best to get work in on time. Also, as more and more grades are added to the book, low (and high) numbers become less and less meaningful.  I usually drop the lowest classroom or participation grade per quarter before report cards come out.