Week of Nov. 26

I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think it is very important to take some time out, slow down and count our many blessings, surrounded by family, good food and football :)

We are currentlyworking on our 2nd Common Core unit: Animals: A reminder of the theme and format:

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?” 

Students are working in Lit groups and discussing different books in class with their classmates. Be sure to ask your student what novel they are reading and what they think of it! After our intellectual discussions, we work in centers, completing a variety of Language Arts based activities. Students are enjoying a new level of independence with these activities, as I act mostly as facilitator and observer, offering suggestions and watching as students engage in group discussion and problem solving.  Students are discovering that working in a group has it's own set of issues and obstacles. It's fun to watch!

A note on the assessment I sent home last week:  I gave students another standardized assessment from the book last week, as I am required to do at least quarterly. Many students did not score as high on this as they normally do on classwork. Please do not be alarmed. I will count this assessment only as a classwork grade and it will, ultimately, not really hurt most students' grade. We went over this assessment in class and I gave students tips on handling tricky questions. I expect the next assessment to be a major improvement. 

Progress reports go home soon! Some students are missing work and it is affecting their grades negatively. I will give any student who is missing work an opportunity to make it up this week and will send home a list of anything missing in their agendas on Monday. Please be sure your student has their agenda!!! This is becoming a chronic problem with some children. I am reluctant to have students make a list of missing work on looseleaf because, many times, it goes into the black hole in their backpacks never to be seen again! Also, remember that grades on the progress report are designed to give you a picture of how your student is progressing, it is not a final or permanent grade, for good or bad. Grades will fluctuate depending on what we are working on in class. Everyone does better on some things than others.

And the moment you've all been waiting for...drumroll, please...This week's vocabulary words! I included definitions this week!

 

Vocabulary for 4C          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell all of 20 words correctly and write sentences with 17(Total of 20 words)

Word Words taken From Shiloh , Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions              small items

exasperated      frustrated

shrill                   loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                     fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking              moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

devilment           reckless mischief

groveling             lying or creeping with the body flat or face down

cringe                  to shrink in fear

feeble                 showing weakness, not strong

despicable         not-liked deserving to be despised

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant                showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Vocabulary for 4B          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell 19 words correctly and write sentences with 15 (Total of 20 words)

Words taken From Shiloh, Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions                small items

exasperated          frustrated

shrill                     loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                      fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking                moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

devilment           reckless mischief

groveling             lying or creeping with the body flat or face down

cringe                 to shrink in fear

feeble                showing weakness, not strong

despicable         not-liked deserving to be despised

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant               showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Vocabulary for 4A          Week of 11/26/2013 You will responsible to spell 16 words correctly and write sentences with 15 words (18 total)

Words taken From Tale of Despereaux,  Because of Winn Dixie, Ralph S. Mouse and Stuart Little

unsuitable           not suitable; inappropriate

notions               small items

exasperated        frustrated

shrill                    loud, piercing sound

civilized               to have polite and sophisticated behavior

rummaged          searched thoroughly

ultimatum           a demand or threat that is final

rigid                      fixed and unmoving

burdened            weighted down by work, duty, or sorrow

skulking                moving in a sneaky way

retraction            withdrawal of a statement

immediately       now or at once

distracted            when someone or something weakens your concentration

specifically          in a particular way, or definite way

despicable          not-liked deserving to be despised or hated

aspirations          noun a strong desire to achieve something, dreams

defiant              showing a willingness to resist.

empathy              ability to understand and identify with another's feelings and emotions.

Week of Nov. 5

Election Day has finally (almost) arrived! I don't know about you all, but I am ready to put this mess behind us and move forward.

On Friday, due to the awards ceremony and students leaving early, we did not take the vocabulary test that was scheduled. Students will take the test on Monday, so make sure they review the words today and are ready to rock tomorrow.

4B was unable to finish Harriet the Spy on Friday, 4a and 4c completed the book last week. I will not be giving a unit test, but they will have a comprehension and details quiz on chapters 10-16. Please make sure your student has read, or been in class to listen to, the final chapters by Tuesday.

After we finish up all these little details, we will begin our new unit on animals. Students will be reading, in Literature Circles, one of the following books: Stuart Little, Ralph S. Mouse, Tale of Despereaux, or Because of Winn Dixie. They will be expected to take notes, have literature based conversations, learn and explore new vocabulary and ask questions about the book they are assigned. I have selected the reading groups. I will rotate through the class and promote discussion. I will select a different group daily read with, after we have established the routine. This will require a discipline that some children struggle with. Please remind your student that staying focused and on-task benefits them in many ways.

 After about 30 minutes of reading and discussion, students will work in centers for 20-30 more minutes. Each center will focus on a different Language Arts skill. There is a contract that students will be expected to fill in and complete for a grade, in a timely manner. Please make sure your child has a Language Arts folder in which to keep the contract. As usual, class will begin with a writing or comprehension prompt. We will not have vocab this week or next, in an effort to establish this new routine. I expect this unit to last about 3 weeks, maybe a month. In case you would like to have the book at home that your child is assigned, I will have them write down in their agenda which book they are reading in class.

I am scheduling parent meetings all this week and next, and beyond. If you would like a meeting, please know I have not forgotten you. The best time for me to meet is during planning, 12:20-1:30. I have meetings set up for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. Tuesday is not good, because I have a study hall instead of planning. If you would like to meet Friday, please e-mail me. I can also meet after school , but that is not ideal because I frequently have other responsibilities to attend to then. I am finding these meetings are taking most of planning, so I can only schedule one a day with the time I have.

Just a note: I would really like to thank all the wonderful parents and students who make my day so much fun and full of learning. Students surprised me with delightful birthday cards on Friday and they just made my day. I feel very blessed to have so many beautiful and positive people in my life. I really appreciate all of you who are kind and supportive towards me. Thanks again :)

Week of Oct 29.12

Hello! I hope everyone had a terrific weekend and is ready for Sandy! Looks like a terrible system and I know we all pray for our friends up north and along the coast as they weather the storm.  As many of you know, I was supposed to be in New York over the weekend. However, I got that nasty bug that was going around on Thursday, left school early and, with the storm coming and feeling like I’d been run over by a semi, decided to postpone my trip. I was very disappointed, but think it was best. The last thing I wanted was to be stranded in Washington, DC Sunday afternoon, where I was scheduled for a 2 hour layover, sick and in the middle of a major storm system!

Report cards went home on Friday, please make sure you ask your student for theirs and discuss the progress they are making.  If they are doing well, and I consider an “A” and a “B” doing well, praise them. The Common Core curriculum has added a layer of difficulty for students this year. Grades should be tied, at least in part, to EOG test scores. This is Neuse Charter School policy. If your child struggled with end of grade testing last year, they will need extra support this year. I am following closely the new curriculum in an effort to stave off any surprises and make sure students will emerge successful, but this is uncharted water; the curriculum is much more challenging and the tests are new.  So far, I have been very impressed by how hard students in 4^th grade work (for the most partJ) and how much progress has been made.  Bravo! (Awards ceremony Friday at 10:00 a.m.)

Halloween in Wednesday and we have our chip reward celebration in the cafeteria! Students may wear costumes (remember, no gore or masks) Sadly, I pulled the short straw this time and will miss the party! Students who failed to earn the requisite number of chips will come to my room and work and I will supervise them.  Congrats to all who earned the party and for those who didn’t, you’ll earn it next time!

We will finish up Harriet the Spy this week and begin a new unit about animals next week. 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 will last about 4 weeks.  The unit test for Harriet the Spy will be on Thursday.

Vocabulary will take a new turn this week. We will begin Greek and Latin roots and affixes. This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  

 

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4A

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write 14 compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition.

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sentiment

consent

sensory

resent

sensible

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduate

progress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision

conclusion

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4B

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write 15 compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition.

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sentiment

consent

sensory

resent

sensible

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduated

progress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision

conclusion

Vocabulary Week of Oct. 28

4C

 This week we will focus on the Latin roots: sens or sent: meaning to feel, to think, and grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk. Also this week we will learn about the suffixes: tion and sion meaning: act of, state of or result of.  Students must know the Latin or suffix meanings in addition to definitions. Students will write compound sentences that indicate they understand the word’s definition. All words

sens, sent: meaning to feel, to think

sensational

dissension

consent

sensory

resent

grad, gress: meaning steps, to go or to walk

gradual

graduated

progress

egress

tion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

limitation

formation

reflection

separation

sion: meaning: act of, state of or result of

suspension

expression

discussion

decision

Oct. 24, 2012

Quick update: Chip Celebration had to be changed to Oct. 31st, as most of you know, because we couldn't get the cafeteria on the 26th. Students who have not earned enough chips to attend will be in my room, working. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Adams will coordinate the celebration, with parents helping to decorate the hour preceding the soiree. Please contact them to help!

Classes will finish Harriet the Spy this week and have a unit test next Tuesday or Wednesday. We will begin the 2nd unit, the literature of animals, next week. Students will read in Lit Circles, work on centers and learn about animals in literature, music and art. Vocab starts up again next week, watch for new words on Sunday.

New policy: I am experiencing some disruptive behavior that is becoming bothersome. I have instituted a new policy: When a student disrupts class 3 times by calling out, talking to his or her friends or any other disturbance, I will write that student up and her or she will explain what they are doing to Mr. Gahagan. It costs 10 chips each time a student is written up.

Week of Oct. 15

I really enjoyed the presentations last week! A lot of effort went into many of them and I was very impressed. Thanks to all my wonderful students and their families and friends for taking the time to create such terrific productions! The next book and project is "student choice", make sure your student chooses his or her own book. I have many ideas for projects on the blog.

The chip reward celebration this time will be a "Fall Festival" on Oct. 26, in the afternoon. We will have music, games and dancing. The date just happens to correspond to the day students may wear costumes (for $1) to school. Parents are asked to supply snacks and drinks. The 4th grade team will get a sign-up list out this week. In order to participate, students must have at least 80 chips per teacher (having not lost more than 20 in any class) and no suspensions or excessive office referrals. This is a reward for behavior, not grades. Let's Monster Mash!

Last week, I sent home a blind reading comprehension assessment. Many of you are concerned about your child's grade on this. Please do not be. If I am concerned, I will speak to you and we'll work out an intervention program. Comprehension is the most difficult skill to master in Language Arts and it is the most difficult skill to measure. Scores for this will usually be lower than other assessments, but it is important for me to see where a student falls in an unannounced, unpracticed assessment. After all, students will not have the questions in advance to the EOG. In fact, because this year it is completely new, none of us have an idea of what the reading EOG will look like. I am working diligently to prepare students for this more rigorous test.

This week in class; we continue with Harriet The Spy. The goal is to complete the book next week and begin the Unit 2, which is focused on animals in writing and reading. This book is really heating up this week and I imagine you will hear quite a bit about the next series of events in our young spy's life.

We will also learn to write dialog  this week. I have observed that this is a skill no-one in 4th grade has mastered, so we will practice this all week.

We will also, in lieu of a vocabulary test this week ( do I hear shouts of joy, again?), students will begin to learn about Greek and Latin Root words. We will also learn some new words from Harriet the Spy. Reading homework continues Mon-Thurs. Please make sure your student reads for the entire 30 minute period. Independent reading is extremely important to student success this year.

From poetry recommended by the 4th grade Common Core:

 They Were My People                                                 by Grace Nichols

 They were those who cut cane

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat

 They were those who carried cane

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat

 They were those who crushed cane

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat

 They were women weeding, carrying babies

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat

They were my people, working so hard

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat - - long ago

 to the rhythm of the sunbeat.

Week of 10. 8.12

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I am still fighting off this silly cold. I did manage to get a little caught up with grading though, so lying around hasn't been a total waste! I have also gotten a renewed sense of how important it is to be healthy. I know I just take it for granted that I will have energy and enjoy life. Feeling bad is no fun, and good health is a major blessing.

This week: Look at your child's agenda this week! I will list any missing assignments. The grading period will end soon and I don't want anyone to have incomplete work. I will give each child a list of what, if anything, they are missing. I will expect all makeup work to be done this week, including any spelling/vocab tests that need to be made up. I will try and get an updated homework grade sent home this week too.

No vocab again this week! Actually, we will have words, but there won't be a test. Students will focus on using words in class and we will begin looking more at Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes and basic word patterns. I plan to give the Words Their Way assessment that I have long been neglecting:)

We will focus on presenting our many (and from what I have seen, fabulous) puppet shows, movies, Powerpoints and skits this week and delving deeper into Harriet the Spy. Students seem to be enjoying the book and all the preliminary work we did on vocab has helped greatly with understanding it.

Last week, we read some fables in class in the form of  plays. Many of your students have a future on the stage! I asked the students if they would be interested in performing them for the younger classes. The answer was a resounding "Yes!". We will work on that project this week, as well. I will cast the plays based on who I think would be reliable and do a good job. Please keep in mind, if your student doesn't get the part they want, I have two more books of plays and there will be many more opportunities to shine. It is important to be a team player and support our friends, even if they have the role we want.

Reminder: Homework is to read 30 minutes a night, and write a summary about the reading, including the title of the book, and pages the student reads. The next book report will be on a book and project of choice. I have ideas on my blog for projects, but please allow your student to pick a book they are interested in reading. Self-selecting books is a very important skill. ( The only rule: it must be on or slightly above grade level)

Words we will work with this week are:

vacant

squirmed

expression

realism

allotted

barrage

intercept

wilted

dreary

flustered

petulant

disgruntled

pandemonium

frantically

din

radiant

evidently

Looking forward to a terrific week!

Week of 9.31.12

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Once again, my family and I enjoyed a weekend in the mountains. The leaves are already beginning to change in Boone. Looks like it will be a spectacular leaf season, if you can get there, I recommend it.

As we all know :), our project and book reports are due this coming Friday. Mrs. Jenkins has been working with students in Technology to type the book report. That should be a big help to most. Remember, this is the students project. I don't expect an extravaganza. The performance aspect of this (the fable) should take no more than 3-5 minutes. I do require students follow a script, so it should be rehearsed before they perform in front of class. I will have a puppet theater for student puppeteers to use in class.

As an added bonus for parents and students, I will not collect homework this week, although I strongly urge students to read everyday. As an even more fabulous bonus, we will not have a vocab test this week! I want students to work on bringing the best product they can on Friday, so work diligently, my friends.

We will focus on reading Harriet the Spy in class this week. We will also cover fables, and discuss what the differences and similarities are between fables, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales and legends. We will also begin learning how to properly write dialog in stories.

See you all tomorrow!