Snow Expectations

Please review these snow/ winter expectations with your child.  Students go outside when it is below 10 degrees or below 0 degrees windchill.

·     Wear Boots, snow pants, jackets, mittens/gloves, and hats.

·     If winter gear is forgotten, stay on the blacktop and stay clear of deep snow.

·     Leave snow on the ground.

·     Slide down the hill on your bottom. 

·     Snow can be used to build snowmen and snow forts.

·     Be respectful of snow forts and snowmen already built!

·     Walk around the ice – It will be slippery!

·     Finish all reports with the adult on duty.

·     Change your play according to the weather.

·     Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

·     Use equipment and materials as taught in Recess Rodeo.

·     Play games and display good sportsmanship.

·     Take care of equipment and property.

·     Use kind words.

·     Follow the adult's directions.

Fairy Tales

In Anthology, the theme is "That's Amazing."  We are studying different forms of "amazing stories."  In the first story, we are learning about fairy tales.  You can tell your child about different fairy tales you know.
¨Are a kind of FOLKTALE

¨Tale includes the use of magic.

¨Might include: fairies, giants, and impossible tasks

¨At the end, everyone “lives happily ever after.”

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg is the author or our current Anthology story, The Stranger.  He has written several well-known books.  Some examples are shown below.  You could check some of these out and read them with your child to do some comparing/contrasting between his different works.

How many parents are reading the blog?

Students have the opportunity to visit our blog during classtime, but my main purpose in creating it was for parent communication.  I'm curious to see how many parents are reading the blog on a regular basis.  If you are a parent of a student in my classroom and you read this, could you send me a quick email letting me know?   afreiberg@marshalltown.k12.ia.us

Anthology Vocabulary

The following are the vocabulary words and definitions for the current Anthology story, The Stranger, by Chris Van Allsburg.  Also listed is the context in which the word is used in the story.  We will start doing vocabulary quizzes for every story to see if your child is learning the words.  You can help them at home by reading a definition and asking for the word, or vice versa.

 

 

Key Vocabulary	Definition	Sentence
Autumn (p.312)	The season after summer	Not long ago it seemed that autumn was just around the corner.
Draft (p.308)	a flow of air	“There’s a draft in here tonight.”
Etched (p.316)	Made a design by cutting lines	And etched in frost on the farmhouse windows are words that say simple, “See you next fall.”
Frost (p.316)	Very thin covering of ice	And etched in frost on the farmhouse windows are words that say simple, “See you next fall.”
Mercury (p.306)	Silvery white metal used in thermometers	“It’s broken, the mercury is stuck at the bottom.”
Peculiar (p.312)	Unusual, strange, or odd	Farmer Bailey could not help noticing how peculiar the weather had been.
Thermometer (p.306)	An instrument that measures temperature	He’d forgotten his thermometer.
Timid (p.312)	Easily frightened; shy	Day by day he’d grown less timid.

Parent Resource Center

The Fisher Parent Resource Center is located in the Media Center at Fisher Elementary. Parents can find many resources including children’s books, computers, parent magazines, and board games. These items can be used here at school or can be checked out to use at home. Parents can visit the Fisher Parent Resource Center from 5:30 – 7:30 on the second Tuesday of each month.  I hope you/ your family can take advantage of this new resource!

Spelling

Most weeks, students are receiving a spelling list.  We discuss the meanings of the words at the beginning of the week and test at the end of the week.  I usually assign ABC spelling in cursive as homework on Mondays and a practice spelling test at home the night before we test at school.  Students also have an opportunity to practice these words during their Guided Reading independent times.  When students are practicing the words at home, please make sure they are also understanding the meanings/ definitions of the words.  

New Social Studies Unit

          Students will be starting a new Social Studies unit today with Ms. Christensen.  They will be focusing on the Southwest Region of the United States.  Unit Summary:

          The four states of the Southwest are characterized by landscapes of plains, deserts, and canyons.  The Pueblo Native Americans were the first people to call the region home and later Spanish conquistadors colonized the area.  People of the eastern United States finally settled in the region.  The region today boasts trade and high-technology industries as well as the oil and ranching industries.

Rocket Math

This is a reminder that your child should be frequently practicing basic facts flash cards at home.  We do not spend a lot of instructional time at school learning basic facts as they should be acquired over the elementary years.  We are, however, continuing Rocket Math.  I believe that basic facts should be automatic, not require thinking to figure them out.  Rocket Math has the same goals.  We have started using study sheets to practice for a couple minutes before taking the test every day.  With this, there are several students that are still struggling to pass the tests, even at the addition level.  Please make this a priority with your child!!

Math Topic 7

Our current math unit is called "Multiplying by 2-Digit Numbers.  The lessons are as follows:

1. Using Mental Math to Multiply 2-Digit Numbers
2. Estimating Products
3. Arrays and an Expanded Algorithm
4. Multiplying 2-Digit Numbers by Multiples of Ten
5. Multiplying 2-Digit by 2-Digit Numbers
6. Special Cases
7. Problem Solving: Two-Question Problems

Vocabulary we are reviewing is: array, compatible numbers, estimate, multiple, partial products, and rounding.
We will be learning the standard algorithm for how to solve a 2-digit by 2-digit problem.  This is much like many of you (parents) learned how to solve a problem when you were in school.  Please make sure your child is doing their homework every night and encourage them to ask questions when they don't understand.

Question Strategy

         A reading strategy that has been discussed in Guided Reading and will be reviewed today in Anthology is "Question."  Good readers will ask questions as they read about the characters, their feelings, events, author's purpose, etc.  A good question is not one that we already know the answer to or is unrelated to the plot of the story.  For example, "What color shirt will Karen wear to the dance?" is an unimportant question to helping us understand and remember a story.  "Will Mama make it safely back to the house?" would be a good question because the reader then wants to continue reading to find out the answer.  It's important to review the questions to see if they were answered. 
          You can ask your child what questions they have about their Guided Reading book or the Anthology story, A Very Important Day.  Were their questions answered? :)

Scholastic News

Students will be reading a Scholastic News magazine today.  The headlines that you can ask your child about are:

• No Toy Story
• Roman Ruin
• Jet Man's Newest Stunt
• When Dad's At War
• 2010 The Year in Review
• The Crossing
• A Rough Road for Wildebeests

Writing- Receiver of the Action

In Writing, we learned about predicate expanders that carry an action to a receiver.  There is a special way to diagram these.  When there is a receiver of an action, there is something that is answering the questions "whom" or "what" receives the action.  You can ask your child how to diagram the following sentences that include this special part of a sentence.

• The principal praised Mrs. Field's class of sixth grade students.
• Jack ate chocolate donuts.
• The scouts sell three kinds of delicious cookies.
• The children feed the ducks
• The students visited the airport.

Anthology vocabulary words

Key Vocabulary	Definition	Sentence
Allegiance p.264	Loyalty to one’s country or a person	Everyone then rose and joined the judge in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chamber p. 262	A meeting room used by lawmakers	“Let’s fine the chamber.  It’s on this floor.”
Citizens p.264	Official members of a country	“Two hundred nineteen of you from 32 countries have become US citizens here today.”
Citizenship p.264	The status of a citizen with accompanying rights, duties, and privileges	“… these petitioners have qualified for citizenship in the USA.”
Enrich p. 264	To improve the quality of	“May citizenship enrich your lives as your lives enrich this country.”
Examiner p.263	An official who inspects or asks questions	Soon the examiner appeared, and the room became quiet.
Oath p.264	A pledge or promise to act a certain way	“will you repeat after me the oath of citizenship.”
Petitioners p. 264	People who ask for something in writing	“… these petitioners have qualified for citizenship in the USA.”

These are for the story A Very Important Day.

A Very Important Day

In Anthology, students will be reading the story A Very Important Day.  It's about families that become citizens.  To build background on the topic, we read the story Coming to America.  This story is about the history of immigration in the United States.  You can ask your child what they learned about immigration and becoming citizens.

Math Topic 6

Math Topic 6 is a short unit!  We started it last Monday (22nd) and will be testing this Thursday.  It is called "Patterns and Expressions."  Students are learning:

• variable- a symbol that stands for a number
• algebraic expression- a mathematical phrase containing numbers or variables and at least one operation  example  d-12  or n x 2
• Students will understand how to work with variables in a table. 
• Students will study completed tables and determined a rule and write an expression using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

Move It!

In class, we did an activity called "Move it!" to help students summarize and remember the story Boss of the Plains.  They really enjoyed it and wanted another opportunity to "perform."  I told them I would paste the summary and actions on the blog.  This way, you can read it to them and they can perform the actions for you. :)

Everyone wore different hats (action) because of the weather (action).

John made hats (action) in the East (action) while everyone went West (action).  John was bored (action).

John got sick (action) so he decided to go West (action) to look for gold (action).

Finally, John felt better (action) because of the open air.  John told his friends that he could make a tent (action) out of rabbit’s fur.

John used his skills (action) to make felt.  They could finally sleep in warm tents (action) while they dug for gold (action).

John made a hat with a wide brim (action) and tall crown (action) to keep the sun out of his eyes (action) and rain off his back (action).  A man bought one for $5 (action).  After awhile, he decided to move back East (action) and make hats (action) again.

He wanted to be different so he decided to make his hat (action) and named it Boss of the Plains.

Orders for the new hat (action) poured in from the West (action).

The hat (action) could be used in many different (action) ways.

John became famous (action) for his hat (action).

Thanksgiving Books

In class today, we will be reading Young Squanto: The First Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving in the White House.  You can ask your child what they learned about how and why the first Thanksgiving was celebrated as well as what some traditions are in the famous White House!

                       

Plants and Animals

My class is currently doing a Science unit with Mrs. Duff called Plants & Animals.  They learn that all animals have both physical and behavioral adaptations to survive. They learn about producers and consumers and how each fit into the life cycle. They also learn how to classify animals by what they eat, by their ecosystem and by their type of animal. 

Handwriting

In cursive, there are four "tow-truck" letters.  These are letters that don't end on the bottom line.  They will ALWAYS end on the mid-line.  These letters are b, o, v, and w.  Any letter that comes after one of these letters has to have the beginning of it raised up to meet the "tow" of the tow-truck letter before it.  We are playing a game in class to help us remember these rules.  You can ask your child what tow truck letters are and ask them to write them individually or in words.

Recognition Assembly

This past Thursday, we had an all-school recognition assembly.  The 4th graders presented.  They all choral read a paragraph about Thanksgiving.  Then, we showed a powerpoint with different family traditions.  The 4th graders read these and if it applied to anyone in the audience, they said "That's me!"  It went wonderfully and the students did an EXCELLENT job!  Many of them had their "scripts" memorized.  They worked very hard.  They got lots of compliments from staff in the building.  Thank you to those that sent family pictures.  They really added a lot to the powerpoint.  You could ask your child what the script was about and what traditions they said that they celebrate on Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Boss of the Plains Vocabulary

Your child will be learning the following vocabulary in Anthology, through the story Boss of the Plains.  You can ask them if they know the definitions, or give them a definition and see if they can tell you the word! :)

• adventurers- travelers in search of unusual or exciting experiences
• determined- sticking to a purpose
• frontier- unexplored land
• gear- equipment used for a specific activity
• opportunity- a good chance
• pioneers- people who are the first to settle in a region
• settlers- people who travel to a little known area and make a home
• tanned- changed animal hide leather by soaking it in chemicals
• wranglers- cowboys

Anticipation/ Reaction

Yesterday, students completed an Anticipation/ Reaction form on a read aloud about pioneers.  Before this short story was read to them, they completed true/false questions about pioneer statements (anticipation).  Then I read the story to them.  As we went along, we decided on the correct response (reaction).  Ask your child if the following statements are true or false. :)

    1. Pioneers could stop in restaurants or grocery stores during their journey  West.    

     2. Flour was the most important item pioneers used.

   3. Butter was made while the wagon bumped along.                                       

    4. Pioneers could not eat any fresh foods while along their way.      

    5. Pioneers did not have a stove with them to cook food.               

   6. Watchagot stew was made out of dried vegetables, beans, and leftovers.

     7. Pioneers ate doughnuts.                                                                                   

Literacy Assessments

On Thursday, we will be going over three literacy assessments that have been completed in the last week.  Here is what your child is assessed over and what they would need to receive all points possible:
-Handwriting/ Cursive:
     All letters are formed correctly.
     All of the work is neat and legible. Excellent effort shown.
     All letters are connected correctly.
     All letters are located correctly in relationship to the lines.
     All letters and words are spaced appropriately.
-Framing Your Thoughts probe:
     Diagrammed Correctly
     Capital/Ednmark
     Subject
     Action Predicate
     Subject Describer (Set Apart)
     Predicate Expander
     Subject/ Predicate agreement (clarity)
-Paragraph Assessment:
     Organization- structure, introduction, conclusion
     Ideas and Content- main theme, supporting details
     Sentence fluency- clarity
     Voice- personality, sense of audience
     Word Choice
     Conventions- age appropriate spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar
     Presentation- final copy

Anthology Update

Students are finishing work today on the story Tanya's Reunion.  They have learned the following vocabulary:
-arrangements
-gathering
-great-uncle
-homestead
-persisted
-pitches in
-reunion
-satisfaction
They have also learned how to make inferences.  You can ask your child the definitions of the vocabulary words and places in the story where they made an inference.  In addition, asking your child to summarize what they read is always a great idea!

Veterans' Day

Today, your child learned about Veterans' Day.  We read the book H is for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet by Devin Scillian. 

You can ask your child what Veteran's Day is and what it means to them!

Lunchroom Expectations

Lunchroom Expectations.
Ready to Learn:
-Use table manners.
-Positive Talk
Ready for Safety:
-Stay in your seats sitting on your pockets.
Responsible:
-Quick pick of your table
Respectful:
-Talk in your box.
-Follow the adult's directions.

How is your child doing at following lunchroom expectations?

Classroom Expectations

Classroom Expectations

Ready to Learn:
-Enter the classroom appropriately.
-Try your best.
-Be ready to listen carefully.
-Body Basics
Ready for Safety:
-Value other people's opinions and differences.
-Ask permission to leave the classroom.
-Clean up after yourself.
Responsible:
-Arrive where you need to be on time.
-Bring your materials to class.
-Complete your work on time.
Respectful:
-Use kind words.
-"Golden Rule"
-Get the teacher's attention appropriately.
-Inside voice

You can ask your child how they are doing in the classroom at following these expectations.  You could also ask them to provide examples of how they demonstrate each of these things.

Hallway Expectations

Across the school, these are the CATS hallway expectations that we have here at Fisher.
Ready to Learn:
-Stay on the right side of the hallway
-Be ready to listen
Ready for Safety:
-Line basics
-Follow the adult's directions
-Walk
Responsible:
-Take care of yourself
Respectful:
-Hands to your side
-Respond when others greet you
-Use a quiet voice

You can ask your child what they do to follow hallway expectations.  Ask if there is anything they could improve on.

Spelling and Flash Cards

This is a reminder to please have your child study their flash cards and spelling at home.  Even if they are not assigned as homework, it is still a good idea to be practicing them.  I consider knowing both basic facts and how to spell words as a life skill.  Remember when practicing flash cards to practice them in pairs/ family of facts.  Example: addition/ subtraction (1+2=3, 2+1=3, 3-2=1, 3-1=2), multiplication/ division. If you need further tips and advice on how to practice at home, don't hesistate to ask! :)

Framing Your Thoughts

Students recently learned about the subject describer called "ownership".  Here are the rules:
-Singular- add "s" at the end  ex.  John --> John's shirt
-Plural ending in "s"- Add an ' at the end   ex. girls --> girls' team
-Plural NOT ending in "s"- Add 's at the end  ex. men--> men's team
-it's vs. its- "it's" is the contractoin for "it is", "its" is the ownership word (ex. its color)

Students will also be learning about the subject describer called "set-aparts".  A set-apart sets the subject apart by being specific.  It comes between the subject and predicate.  Example: The kittens in the white wicker basket live at the animal shelter.  "in the white wicker basket" is the set-apart.
If a set-apart is one word, it is placed in front of the subject.  Example: This hat fits. ("this" is the set-apart)

We diagram subject describers by drawing a box around them.
You can ask your child to provide you with examples of these types of subject describers. 

Pennants

Has your child told you about their pennant?  These are replacing the punch cards that we used last month to reinforce students.  Students decorated their own pennant with a Bobcat head.  When they are caught going above and beyond to do something good, they receive a sticker to place on their pennant.

Box Tops for Education

Our class brought in over 600 box tops recently during the last box tops "campaign."  Since each one is worth  10 cents a piece, that's over $60 raised for the school!  You can continue to send box tops at any time and we can keep them in the box shown below.

Handwriting Without Tears

We are reviewing cursive in 4th grade this year.  The district uses a curriculum called Handwriting Without Tears.  At home, you can ask your child to write in cursive.  Then, you can compare how they wrote to the cursive models below.  You could even print a copy and keep it at home!


Source: http://shopping.hwtears.com/category/cursive

100 Tricky Words

Here is the next set of tricky works.  Did you know how these words are spelled?  These are some of those words:
conscious
courageous
dangerous
definitely
develop
different
disappear
embaress
environment
equipment
especially
exceed
exercise
existence
experience
finally
foreign
fortunately
friend
government
guidance
happened
heard
immediately

Tomas- Events in Order

Today, students will finish their work and understanding of the story, Tomas and the Library Lady.  We will complete a graphic organizer that places the events of the story in order.  You can ask your child how they completed the following events:

• Pages 160-161
  At midnight, the family was headed by car...
• Pages??
  The boys carried water to the field, and when they got hot, they...
• Pages??
  First, the library lady brought Tomas some water. Then she...
• Pages 168-170
  All summer, whenever he could, Tomas...
• Pages??
  In the evenings, Tomas...
• In the future, I predict Tomas...

To build background for this story, students learned about Tomas Rivera, the boy that the story is about.  Tomas grew up to be a well-known author and educator.  You can ask your child what they learned and know about Tomas.

Midwest Unit

On Friday, students will be starting a Social Studies unit with me on the Midwest Region.  These are things they will be learning and that you can discuss with them:

• What are the 12 states in the Midwest Region?
• What are the definitions of ore, livestock, tornado, prairie, blizzard, assembly line, migration, teepee, frontier, agribusiness, reclamation, lake effect, Conestoga wagon, food processing?
• What types of things did pioneers make themselves? 
• Who were the Lakota and what do you know about them?
• What were the Roaring 20's like?
• What crops are grown in the Midwest?
• What is the climate of the Midwest like?

Math

Math Topic 4 is titled "Division Meanings and Facts."  Students have learned the definitions of:

• dividend
• divisor
• quotient
• fact family

The lesson titles are:

• Meanings of Division
• Relating Multipication and Division
• Special Quotients
• Using Multiplication Facts to Find Division Facts
• Problem Solving: Draw a Pciture and Write an Equation

You can practice with your child by writing and solving division story problems.  The test over this topic will be Monday, November 1.

Testing

     This Thursday (28th), students will be taking the math portion of the MAPS test.  Students tested on the reading portion last Wednesday.  This is the first year that 3rd and 4th graders across the district have taken the MAPS test.  MAP stands for Measures of Academic Progress. These are tests that let teachers know what skills and concepts in reading, mathematics, and language students know and what they need to learn.  The test is taken on the computer.  The difficulty of the test will adjust based on how students answer the questions. It will build a test for each individual! 
       In addition to the MAPS math test, students have several other tests coming up.  Students will have a test in Social Studies this week over their maps unit.  There will be a spelling test on Friday.  The Topic 4 math test will be next Monday (Nov. 1st) and the Cumulative test over Topics 1-4 will be next Tuesday (Nov. 2nd).  The following week they will be starting a paragraph assessment.  As with any testing, students should make sure to:

  -Get a good night’s sleep

  -Eat a healthy breakfast

  -Be sure to follow the directions and read the test items carefully

  -Use good test-taking strategies

  -Do your best

Framing Your Thoughts

In Writing (Framing Your Thoughts), we have been working on subject describers.  Subject describers are another name for adjectives.  However, not all adjectives are subject describers.  The different types of subject describers are: looks like/ physical, behavior/ personality, number, ownership, and set-aparts.  So far, we have covered the describers behavior, looks like, and number. 
Examples:
Looks like/ physical: large, oval, yellow, mushy, salty, rotten
Behavior: angry, peppy, stubborn, powerful
Number: several, neither, one, five

You can have your child write a sentence using subject describers or ask them to provide you with examples of each.

Anthology Update

This week, students have begun learning vocabulary and background on the story Tomas and the Library Lady.  It is a about the childhood of Tomas Rivera, who grew up to be a well-known reader and writer.  Along with reading the story, students will be practicing the skills of "making predictions" and "sequencing (putting in order) events."  You can ask your child the definitions of the words: borrow, check out, eager, glaring, lap, and storyteller.  In addition, you could ask them what they have learned about Tomas Rivera.