Week of Sept. 4

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful 3 day weekend. I spent my time off in the mountains and enjoyed time spent with my family tremendously.
Just a few quick notes. This week:
-We will finish the metaphor poem that students began in class last week. We'll focus on adding figurative language in the form of onomatopoeia and a simile to the poem as well as using a few more interesting words.
-We will read Love That Dog by Sharon Creech aloud in class.
-We will revisit the poems we read last week and add a few more this week, using our newly acquired poetry terms: imagery, repetition, stanza, metaphor, among others
-We will delve into the vocabulary in our 1st real novel "Harriet the Spy", which I hope to begin by weeks end or early next week. The vocab is fairly advanced in this novel (which students will read along to and take notes to as it plays aloud in class). I will be giving students words in class to look up and use in sentences this week for a test grade. Please ask to see the words and talk about them with your students. Studies show a person must encounter and use a word at least 15 times before it becomes a part of their vocabulary.
-We will take the Words Their Way assessment to see how well students understand word patterns and phonics.

Week of Aug. 27

Hello Everyone! I hope this finds everyone well. I was “man down” on Friday but am back up and ready to roll again. I am confident that my students were all respectful and well behaved for the guest teacher in my absence. They are such a great group of children!

On Monday, the 4^th grade team will be sending home revised class lists based on the assessments given last week. There will be quite a few changes so please look it and forward any questions you have.  The decisions made were based on what we think is in the best interest of students.

                Please make sure your student has an agenda. We need all students to have one so we can send notes home, for parents to monitor your child’s behavior through the chip system (you will be able to see if your student was docked chips with a brief explanation as to why), and so students can write down days of tests and when projects are due. This agenda is a vital link between school and home, please make sure your child has one.

                I am still collecting money ($6) for the Scholastic News. I would love to get that ordered so we can begin using it. I had a very generous donation last week from a parent but I am still about $100 short. I f you haven’t sent it in yet, please do, ASAP. Thanks!

                We will read Love That Dog by Sharon Creech in class this week, as well as several works of poetry.  Students will write some poetry also!  Should be fun!

                Spelling/Vocabulary Tests begin this week! Hooray! I give tests a little different than students are probably used to. They will write full, compound sentences for ten words of their choosing (for nowJ) on their list. The poetic terms don’t count. We will spend some time in class on these words, but students will need to practice them at home for the test on Friday. There is no reading homework on Thursday so students may study for the test. I recommend parents pretest students.

                  Also, the printers at school have been down, so I may or may not be able to print these lists out tomorrow.  I will have students write them down, if need be.

Spelling/Vocabulary Words                                                                                Week of Aug. 27, 2012

Students should be prepared to use 10 of these words in sentences, with the spelling/vocabulary words spelled correctly.  The sentences must be compound sentences and must show that the student understands the definition of the word.  These are all words we will encounter in our reading and discussion this week.

Example: The word is “lolls” The sentence is: “The young child was lazy; he just lolls around doing nothing all day long. “

4A

lolls

especially

symmetry

immortal

though

through

totters

splatter

screech

straggly

sprouting

honored

anonymous

Poetic terms students should understand: stanza, narrative, imagery, repetition

Spelling/Vocabulary Words                                                                                   Week of Aug. 27, 2012

Students should be prepared to use 10 of these words in sentences, with the spelling/vocabulary words spelled correctly.  The sentences must be compound sentences and must show that the student understands the definition of the word.  These are all words we will encounter in our reading and discussion this week.

Example: The word is “lolls” The sentence is: “The young child was lazy; he just lolls around doing nothing all day long. “

4B

lolls

especially

symmetry

immortal

though

through

tottering

splattered

screeching

straggly

sprouting

honored

anonymous

Poetic terms students should understand: stanza, narrative, imagery, repetition

Spelling/Vocabulary Words                                                                          Week of Aug. 27, 2012

Students should be prepared to use 10 of these words in sentences, with the spelling/vocabulary words spelled correctly.  The sentences must be compound sentences and must show that the student understands the definition of the word.  These are all words we will encounter in our reading and discussion this week.

Example: The word is “lolls” The sentence is: “The young child was lazy; he just lolls around doing nothing all day long. “

4C

lolls

especially

symmetrical

immortal

though

through

tottering

splattered

screeching

straggly

sprouting

honored

anonymously

Poetic terms students should understand: stanza, narrative, imagery, repetition

The First 2 Days: Done!!

We had a terrific, if busy and somewhat chaotic, first 2 days! I am finding 4th graders to be absolutely delightful young people and I am certain we will have a wonderful year. We are off and running!

This week I will begin (and end) the initial assessments for reading, spelling and writing. We must determine that all students are placed correctly.  I am certain we will move some students around before all is said and done. The current placements are based on Reading EOG scores, and we didn't even have all of them when students were assigned! Rest assured, whatever homeroom a student is placed in, they will be challenged and taught the same curriculum as the other classes. Assessment is boring and long, but it is necessary, so bear with me and we'll get through it, get everyone in the correct class and begin the fun and arduous task of learning! I plan for my assessments to be completed by Thursday.

Thank you all for the supplies! I would like to remind everyone that I need each student to donate $6 for a year long subscription to Scholastic News. Very few  students have brought this in and it is a very necessary part of the Common Core curriculum this year. If I don't get enough money to cover subscriptions, I will try and order as many as I can and we'll have to share, with students who brought in money taking a copy home after we complete assignments in class. This is not ideal, but I can make it work, if need be.

Classes will begin spelling/vocabulary next week (9/27). I will also be sending home an info sheet about the year long book reports/projects. The handout will include dates, book genres, project ideas and expectations. Parents must sign and return the info sheet.

My homeroom: be sure to sign and return the NCS handbook paperwork.

P.S.We are in desperate need of a good electric pencil sharpener!

4th grade!!!!!! Common Core Info

4^th grade Common Core Units and Guiding Questions

North Carolina is implementing a shift this year to the Common Core curriculum, as I am sure you have heard. In order to manage the new curriculum and organize the year in a way we can all (hopefully) understand, I have, using the Common Core maps as a guide, laid out the year into units and would like to share them with you all. The guiding questions are directly from the Common Core.  I also require students to complete a yearlong reading project that I have incorporated into the unit study. Due with each book, there will be a one page, typed review of the book, as well as an individual project.  I will send home a page, to be signed and returned, with more information about the book project. I have added it here for you to see how the book project will work in tandem with the Common Core units. Unit length is approximate.

Unit 1: Tales of the Heart:  4^th graders will begin the year by exploring the emotions and growth they experience as 4^th graders. Science will be a large focus as we explain and look at systems of the body, such as the circulatory system. We also look at gossip, bullying, friendship and loyalty by reading the novel “Harriet the Spy” aloud in class and keeping an in-class journal of our reading. We will read the book aloud, listen to portions on tape and read to ourselves. Learning to read aloud is an important skill that we will develop with this unit. The guiding question is “How do stories reveal what we have in common?” This unit will last 4 weeks.

Unit 2: Animals as Characters. There is a voluminous amount of writing for young readers focusing on animals as characters. We will examine how animals are portrayed in writing. Why are wolves big and bad? Why are dogs always in sad stories? What does our portrayal of animals say about us? We will focus on personification, character development, elements of a narrative, and comparing and contrasting. We will work in Literature Circles reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. The guiding question for this unit is: “How do we portray animals in writing?” This unit is about 8 weeks long.

1^st quarter book: Select and read a fiction book about an animal. Write a 1 page, typed book review and then complete a project about a fable: write a script, perform for the class or make a movie, puppet show or PowerPoint with illustrations about a popular animal fable. This will be due during the animal unit, on Oct. 5.

Unit 3: Literature Settings: Weather or Not? This unit focuses on writing and reading poetry.  Artists have used the changing seasons and weather to describe mood and tone (“It was a dark and stormy night…”) since the beginning of time.  We will look at how setting affects plot and story. The guiding question is “How does an author’s use of setting affect the plot of a story?” This unit is about 4 weeks long (but I tend to run long during poetry units :)

2^nd quarter book report:  Choice of book and project. Learning to self-select books is an important skill to develop. I will have project ideas posted on my blog and students will write a 1 page, typed book review. This book project/paper will be due after Christmas break, on Jan. 2.

Unit 4: Revolutionaries from the Past: This unit focuses on learning to read historical fiction and non-fiction. We will read and write about revolutionaries in American History, with special attention paid to the Revolutionary War era and Black History. The guiding question for this unit is:” What life lessons do we learn from revolutionaries in fiction and non-fiction?” This unit will take 8-9 weeks to complete.

3^rd quarter book report: Students will read an auto/biography of a famous person and write a 1 page, typed review. The project will be to write an epic poem, create a PowerPoint or make a movie of the life of a person you find heroic (it can be your biography), it must include a timeline. Due March 12.

Unit 5: Literary Heroes: heroes, real or imagined? We will define what we think a hero is, using our book review information and other sources. We will discuss what it takes to be a hero. We will read and write about heroes, in real-life and in books. This unit uses the Middle Ages to help answer these questions. The guiding question for this unit is: “Can heroism be defined in words?” This is a 6 week unit.

Unit 6: Stories of the Earth and Sky: we will examine how the earth and sky are portrayed by artists, writers, musicians, etc… Much of the focus will be on Native American folklore and facts. The guiding question is:” How are earth and sky portrayed in fiction and non-fiction?” This is a 6 week unit.

4^th quarter book report: Students will read a non-fiction book about one of the elements: earth, wind, fire, or air. They will write a review of their book and create an informational poster to share with their classmates. Due May 6.

****Please be advised: Book report due dates will be enforced; points will be deducted for late work. Help to develop your child into a responsible student by adhering to due dates.

We will learn and explore these units with a variety of activities and assignments. I try to support the idea of multiple intelligences and talents by using many different approaches to a topic. Some assignments your student will like, some not so much, but I expect students to do their best and make a genuine effort. I try to individualize expectations and relationships as much as is fair and possible but respect for one another, ourselves, our school and me is not negotiable.  I use rubrics to grade most assignments, especially projects and writing.  

 I am always looking for new ideas and love to have guest teachers and or speakers. If you have a special talent or know an expert on one of these topics, let’s talk about sharing with the students! These units have a wealth of opportunity for learning associated with them and I, for one, am excited to do some learning and investigating! I look forward to a fun, educational year with 4^th grade and I hope you do to! Please e-mail me with any questions, ideas, thoughts, etc! lberner@neusecharterschool.org

Thanks, 

                       Mrs. Berner

 Common Core website: http://www.corestandards.org/

Last week of School :(

Dear 5^th grade families,

As the year draws to a close, and Mrs. Dohner and I begin to realize we won’t be spending every day with the wonderful children we’ve come to know and love so much this year for much longer, we wanted to officially thank everyone.  I can honestly say, and I believe Mrs. Dohner would agree, 5^th grade this year was awesome, challenging, rewarding, and, at times, frustrating but most of all, never dull! Thanks to all the fabulous children and their amazing families for all the help this year, you have been a bedrock of support and we truly and sincerely appreciate every bit of it. We have worked our hardest to help your children realize success, have a little fun, grow to love (…like?...tolerate?) math and language arts and mostly, to become prepared for the challenges of middle school. It has been our privilege to teach your children, one we don’t take lightly.  Thanks again, for sharing this journey and your beautiful children with us.

So, let’s have a party! After awards on Monday, June 4th (around 11:00) we thought we might order in a little pizza from Angelo’s  and have a great big 5^th grade style lunch and social. We’ll end the day with a kickball game out in the field. Once again, we’ll need some of your help.  Please send in $5.00, to cover the cost of pizza, we need donations of soda or tea (last names A-L), and chips (last names M-Z). Mrs. Dohner and I will supply dessert.  If your child doesn’t like or want pizza, just send them something else, but please fill out the form and return it so we know how much pizza we’ll need. Also, we will require a parent to pick up the pizza for us, as NCS frowns on teachers leaving students to pick up pizza in the middle of the day.  All families are welcome!  

Thanks again,

Mrs. Berner

____________________detach here and return______________________________________

Child’s name _________________________________ # of people  attending ___________

I am enclosing $ ___________ to help pay for pizza.

I will donate _______________________________.

I can pick up the pizza! _________________________ phone # _______________________(we’ll call the first positive response we get)

Week of May 21

Well, folks, here we go! The reading EOG for 5th grade is Monday, May 21st! Please make sure students are well rested and fed a healthy breakfast. This is a very long test (up to 4 hours, and some students will need all 4 hours) We have been preparing for this test all year, and most students are ready to shine! As you may have heard, students buried their testing fears on Friday, so we are full steam ahead.

Math testing will be both Tuesday and Wednesday. We get results Wednesday for math and reading. If a student needs to retake the test, parents will be called Wednesday after school. If I cannot reach a parent, I will leave a message that I called and that your student will need to retest. I will not discuss results in a message.

There will be some students who need to retest. This is not a reason to panic or to be upset. Students are given two attempts for good reason, everyone has an off day once in awhile. We will remediate students who need another pass, and they will retest next week. If your student does not earn a "3" or "4" the second time around, administration,  parents and teachers will discuss the best approach to next year for the student. Decisions regarding next year are always based on what is best for the student. If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail me. Thanks and good luck!

Week of May 7

 This just in!!! Emalee and Jacob G. won Honorable Mention in the Judicial Council of California's 1st Amendment Cartoon Contest!!! There were over 1,000 entries! And our class won 2 of the 5 Honorable Mentions!!!!!!!
During Black History Month, Berner and Brindles classes submitted cartoons based on the 1st amendment right to petition (or protest) our government to The Judicial Council of California 1st Amendment Cartoon Contest. Students drew cartoons in one panel of ways  people displayed the passive resistance we learned about during Black History Month. There were 1010 entries nationwide and, not one, but two, Neuse Charter 5th graders won an Honorable Mention! Way to go Jacob G and Emalee ! Congratulations and well done!!!Check out their work, I posted them on one of the pages! Check them out!

Here's the link to the winning images:
http://www.courtsed.org/firstamendmentcontest2012/Page2.html


I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend. It finally cooled off a bit. I really enjoyed the evening rain on my front porch on Saturday.

I have been posting grades this weekend for the progress reports that go home on Wednesday. Fortunately, for some of you, this is just the progress report and there will be time to improve grades. Week before last, I sent  notes or wrote in agendas stating that child's homework grades, and I asked for parents to sign them. Some returned them, some didn't. I also went over in class, who was missing assignments, what they were and when they could make them up. Only one student took me up on it. There are MANY missing assignments. When students go to 6th grade, it is not likely their teachers will post all missing assignments, give makeup time or work, even take late assignments, write in all students agendas or remind, daily, that students are missing work or homework. At this point in the year, students really should begin taking responsibility for missing work. In life, there are deadlines and when they pass, they are passed. There are consequences for missing them. I am very concerned about the lack of maturity in some students. I want to send all 5th graders to 6th grade ready to be successful. There are at least 16 students who failed to makeup work this rotation, and all were reminded they had work to do. There are 31 students who earned less than 60% on homework. I offered extra credit for homework last week, 6-7 students took me up on it. Please discuss with your student the importance of being academically responsible.

We will continue to work on review and the Native American project this week. We begin writing the essay for the book report in class tomorrow, please make sure student's have their book with them.