FANTASTIC FRIDAY!!!

Wow!   What an amazing experience for me and the students of PS8M.  I have never been at a school where they partnered with New York Cares and had a Winter Wishes Celebration.  Every student with the help of NY Cares and the staff of PS08M received a special gift (or two or three)... I have never been so filled with the spirit of the season as I was today....  THANK YOU!!!

1st Period - Check homework, collect permission slips, take AR tests, and finally, reading groups! I could tell that the students were excited for Winter Wishes because they were not as excited about reading groups today as they normally are.  I am very happy that my students are starting to love reading as much as I do.  My group of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory readers read chapters 16 and 17.  The plot is picking up and the author is doing a great job at getting us to feel a certain way about all of the characters.  The kids are really noticing the author's craft!

2nd Period - We did "clinical Friday" a little different today.  We read an article together and we took time to talk about the article.  Then we looked at the different questions and we went back and found the answers, the evidence, and discussed how to answer them.  The multiple choice were pretty easy to cross out answers that made no sense, then go back to the text to pick the best answer for the remaining options.  The short response questions we really stopped to look at how to restate the questions.  How to answer the question.  How to go back and cite the evidence that supports your answer.  And finally, how to explain how that evidence supports your answer.  I can see the growth in my students and it makes me proud.  KEEP IT UP!!!

3rd period - Science with Ms. Galan.

4th period - We continued answering questions and looking for evidence and practicing how to write them until it was time for WINTER WISHES!  How special!  WOW!

5th period - What was left after our Winter Wishes assembly, we spent doing MATH Waggle in the library.  They only got 30 minutes today, but they were so excited about their gifts in the other room, I am surprised they even did as well as they did.

6th period - lunch!

7th period - The kids have earned 33 class points, so today was a great day to head outside and burn off some energy from all the excitement.  Unfortunately, the last lunch group was not as well behaved as they should be and Mr. Hernandez said "NO"!  My babies said it wasn't them, it was the other classes... but anyway, we suffered.   We had some quiet reflection time before going over homework and playing multiplication flashcard races.

Happy Friday!!!

Homework:

• Writing: 
• Finalize legend for typing on Monday! (Must have planning sheets)
• Finish questions 7 and 8 and extended response 10 on the CC Rehearsal packet
• Write a thank you letter to New York Cares and PS08M for the wonderful Winter Wish present(s) you received.
• Reading:  40-45 minutes to finish independent reading books (picking books for break Monday)
• Math:  practice multiplication and division facts.

Thursday in Room #401

Today I was having one of those quiet moments in the classroom when I was thinking about numbers....   I was wondering what I could do differently to get my students to learn their multiplication facts.  I mean, I have told them and told them that for the entirety of their math careers... their facts would be the foundation for it all... This lack of basic number sense is really the glaring problem I see with the students...

Parents - if you are looking for a quick and easy gift, pick up flashcards or games that the students have to practice all their math facts.. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division... spend time each night... practice... number sense is the key to "getting" most math!

I kinda like Thursdays.... It is my one day where I really have no interruptions with the kiddos.  I pick them up at 8:15 and have them until they go to Gym 5th period.  It gives a large block of time to do much learning.  It's a good thing!

1st period we checked homework, did a read aloud, did some AR Testing, and then broke into Book Clubs.  My group is reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  We read chapters 10-13 today!  We had some deep meaningful discussions about tone and author's craft.  The author has done a great job at really making the reader dislike the other golden ticket winners, and sympathizing and rooting for Charlie and his family.   I can't wait to get further into the book and hear some of the ideas that the students come up with for theme.

2nd period we looked at several short legends, we looked at two animated stories (King Authur and the Challenges of Hercules) to review the "elements" of the genre.  We then read another short legend "How People Were Created" and talked about the elements we should see:

1) takes place long ago in some historical time period
2) has some elements of truth, but can be "larger than life" or "exaggerated"
3) often times they explain something that happens in nature
4) dialogue is used to tell the story and help convey tone, mood, and theme
5) the plot consists of some conflict or problem that has to be solved
6) the plot follows a logical sequence of events
7) the conflict or problem is solved in the end (resolution)
8) the author has a message that he or she wants you understand (theme)

I gave the students time to work on their legend in class.  I gave them an extended period to go over their planning graphic organizers and to start drafting. The only homework I had intended to give them was to finalize their legend, but they had some troubles in math that caused some of them to have extra homework.

3rd period - I collected the chapter 4 mid-chapter check and I went over the problems that covered what we did in sections 1-6 of the chapter. Wow!  The kids all agreed they got it and we moved on.  We took time to go over 4.7 again and then they worked on practice 4.7 in their workbooks.  Umm, I can't tell you how long it takes them to do repeated subtraction as a way to divide.

WARNING, WARNING, DANGER!  This goes back to what I said earlier... the students don't have a firm grasp of number sense.  They had trouble subtracting 4 repeatedly to get the correct answer.  Maybe it is lack of focus with the approaching holidays.  Maybe they think it is soo easy they are not being accurate. I don't know, but they kept making silly mistakes and I kept saying.. NOPE - not right!

4th - Kids who did not finish the 5 practice problems from 4.7 carried their math books to the library. The 7-8 students who got it and did it with accuracy, they were right on the computers doing Waggle ELA or AR Articles.  I gave them a choice today.   One at a time, the other students would approach me and get a "great job" or "nope, your repeated subtraction is off"... I don't know who was more frustrated.. them or me, but luckily, and SLOWLY, one by one all the kids finally made it on the computers.

5th Period - Gym!   The kids were a bit wound up heading to gym.  It took a solid 5 minutes to get them calmed down once we arrived at gym.  Nothing MAJOR, but the lines were crooked, the kids were talking...

6th - Lunch!   I had to bring 3 students up for detention for their behavior or not doing homework.  I guess this is the new normal because I am tired of students not realizing that homework is to practice skills and concepts learned in class.  If you don't practice, learning will take longer.

7th - We returned to class and I passed back all but 7 "Chapter 4 Mid-Chapter Check".  If the students didn't get it, they got it back to try again.  Hopefully they paid attention during the review so they can show me they really get it before we move further into the chapter.  We started Chapter 3, Lesson 3 in Social Studies.  We didn't get to finish it, but that is why we have tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow - tomorrow is WINTER WISHES day!  Parents, you are invited to attend if you would like.  Our scheduled time is at 11AM.  Students will not be opening gifts at school, they will be brought home!  I can't wait to see all of the students who wrote letters and returned their photo permission slips up on stage tomorrow.  :-)

Homework:

• Writing:  Finish draft of Legend (see rules above)
• Math:  If you were given your mid-chapter check back, rework the missed problems

Photo Permission Slips due TOMORROW!

Readathon Permission Slips due

Pizza Movie Critique Permission slips due

Readathon and Pizza Party - ON!

I got the approval... the morning will be a Pajama Party Readathon, the afternoon will be a pizza viewing party for Malificent (looking at tone, mood, theme and plot development).....

Wrapping Up Unit 2A Wednesday....

1st -  The students had science with Ms. Gallan.  She wasn't here today, so they had a sub.

2nd - First we checked homework.  Parents, please make sure you are checking with your students to make sure they are doing all their homework.  Many of them didn't do their homework which means they are behind in their writing.

Then we did book clubs.   My group read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory pp 37- 52.  We discussed the tone the author is using toward the other four golden ticket winners and the tone he is using toward Charlie.  The kids are starting to understand that the choices the author makes help you feel a certain way toward the character.  THAT'S TONE!

3rd - ReadyGen 2A.17.  The focus today was making comparisons across multiple text.  The kids today had to make connections between "Hiawatha", "Pecos Bill", and "John Henry".  We even talked about "How the Stars Fell into the Sky" too.

The I Can statements for the day were:

• I can make connections across texts
• I can plan and write a narrative legend

4th - GoMath:  We started by going over the 4.6 homework and clearing up any confusion from the previous lesson.  We then did the Animated Math 4.7 Mini-Lesson and then worked on lesson 4.7.

The I can statement for today was:  

• I can use repeated subtraction and multiples to find quotients

5th - Waggle MATH in the Library!

6th - Lunch

7th - Social Studies:  We finished Lesson 2 and then read an informational text about Peter Minuit.  We went over the homework for Lesson 2 as well.

Homework:

• Writing:  Sequence Chart B - Start breaking your Legend PLOT down by sequence.  Start thinking about dialogue to use to help tell the story and show your theme!
• Math: MidPoint Check Up after 4.6
• Social Studies:  Lesson 2 Homework Sheet

As you get ready to write your legend....

Probably the most important part of the writing process is toward the end...

Editing and Revision...

During editing, writers check mainly to be sure a piece of writing is correct and makes sense, but they also look for errors in conventions. 

Writers check mainly to be certain there are no errors in conventions, though writers can make other changes, if necessary.

Think about these questions as you edit and proofread narrative text:

• I have clearly told experiences or events and included dialogue and clear descriptive details.

• I have included an event sequence that unfolds naturally and makes sense.

• I have correctly used a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.

• I have included a clear conclusion that naturally follows the narrated experiences or events.

• All conventions are correct. All proper nouns are capitalized, all dialogue is correctly punctuated, and all words are spelled correctly.

Tuesday - ONE MORE WEEK!!!

Today was a BUSY day!

The kids had Dance first period today.  I got a "so-so" report as to their behavior.  I heard there was a lot of talking and a little goofing off.  I was so hoping for a better report.

When we got back to the classroom, there was a lot of behavior chart action.  I had 12 students not do their homework last night.  That is ALMOST half the class.  UNACCEPTABLE!   (btw, it is after school right now and I just called 12 of you!)

After checking homework, we broke into reading groups.  My reading group worked on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reading pp. 26-34.  We talked a lot about figures of speech, the tone the author used toward the 4 golden ticket winners so far.   We talked about how the author clearly wants the reader to think they are spoiled, horrible, brats!  We picked out parts of the text that supported our claim.  It was a fun reading group!

Third period we finished reading John Henry.  We finished by looking at theme.  What was the message that the author wanted to leave us with.  We really dissected the last lines of the story.  We decided that one theme was man vs. machine, but a bigger message was a man is just a man, and to never give up!  We then talked more about how narrative legends have to have a good conclusion that closes the lose ends and solves the problem (the resolution).  We then talked about the parts of John Henry and were able to talk about the beginning, middle, and end.  Once I was sure that they understood the idea of plot development, I talked about their legend.  We discussed several possible ideas of what the stories could be about.  We then passed out the Story Sequence Chart A and they had to work on their legend tonight for homework.  WHAT is the legend about?  Who are the characters and setting to be introduced in the beginning?  What problem will be introduced and developed in the middle?  How will the problem be solved in the end?

Fourth period we used animated math to review 4.5.  We worked through it as a class and really made sure we understood estimating to get friendly numbers to solve quotients.  We then went into using the distributive property to make friendly numbers for dividing.  For example, if you have 186 divided by 3... you can say 180 divided by 3 added to 6 divided by 3 to get your answer.  It is the same thing we did in multiplication, now with division.  (distributive property to get friendly numbers 4.6).

Fifth period we went to the library and worked on math Waggle.  The students are progressing nicely and I can tell that not only do they enjoy the program, but they are getting better.  The data shows improvement!

6th Period - LUNCH!

Seventh period we finished looking at 4.6 in math and then moved into lesson 2 of chapter 3 in Social Studies.  We learned some interesting facts about the Dutch settlements in New York (or should we say New Amsterdam!)  We learned about Peter Minuit purchasing Manhattan. I told the students that there is a marker and plaque in Inwood Hill Park that is a possible location where the actual selling of Manhattan took place many hundreds of years ago.  I would love to do a field trip, but might save it until it is a bit warmer out so we can enjoy the park too!  We also learned that the Dutch East India company was the group that was responsible for bringing slavery to the new world.

Friday is Winter Wishes day.  The students will go to the auditorium to pick up their gift they wrote letters for.  I paper came home today inviting you to attend if you can.  Also, we must have signed picture forms before that day so their picture can be taken.

Monday is the Winter Awards Assembly.  I am excited to be able to celebrate those who worked very hard to do their best in school.  I know that fourth grade is a challenge, but many of you are rising to the occasion and your hard work will be celebrated.  If you don't get recognition at this assembly, that should be your motivation to work harder, work smarter, and do more so you can be recognized at the next awards assembly as well.  Hard work pays off!

Tuesday - Pajama Party Readathon in the AM,  Pizza Luncheon and Movie in the PM.   Then we head off to Winter Break! I can't wait to fly home to Florida and see my family!

Homework:
Writing:  Use the Story Sequence Chart and knowledge of the legend genre to plan your legend.
Math:  Practice Book 4.6

Monday in 401

Today was a pretty good day!  After Friday and having to call so many parents, I decided to "use the strip chart" today from the get go!!

When the students came in, I got them started on a short response question from last week.  While they were working, I moved a few people from each group to rework some of the tables.  I called students one by one to check homework.  Quite a few students didn't do homework and had to change their strips.  I had students make sure they signed up for a book for the week and that it was in the right reading zone.

2nd period - DANCE!  Today was a good day because NO ONE got a bad report at dance!  That is a good sign!

3rd - We did reading groups for the first part of the period.  My group, CCF (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) reviewed chapters 1-3 and then read together chapters 4, 5 and 6.  The other groups met and read and one group was at the listening center.   After 25 minutes we pulled back together and did ReadyGen lesson 2A.15.  The focus was using the text to understand main idea and important details.  Their homework tonight is to use a main idea graphic organizer to get the main idea of pages 70 and 71.

The focus questions to use are:

• Tell the most important details about this event.
• How is John Henry performing at the end of the contest?
• How is the steam drill performing at the end of the contest?
• What main idea can you figure out from the key details of this event?

We also went over the upcoming Performance Writing Task and Rubric.  We will be starting it tomorrow "little by little" so by Thursday they can write it, Friday they can revise and type it.

4th period we did some GoMath review using animated math to review 4.2 and 4.4.    Once we worked through the animated math segments, we did the mini-lesson for 4.5 which was chosing a friendly number for your dividend to making estimating the quotient easy.  We did a lot of practice and then I walked around looking for "experts" to help others.   I can honestly say that if the students would memorize their facts, we would see a HUGE upswing in math performance.  PRACTICE PRACTICE my little ones!

If you have internet access, please log on to Renaissance Place and practice by using Math Facts in a Flash.  Practice and repetition are good things when memorizing basic facts and processes.

5th period the students crossed the hall to the library to work on Waggle ELA.  I had a few students who I worked with one on one with the division from the class and when they showed they "got it" they were released to work on Waggle as well.  I had students who had to have 5 minute time outs because they would rather talk than work.  After five minutes, they returned to Waggle as well.

6th period - LUNCH!

7th period - We reviewed chapter 3, section 1.   We then looked at my favorite map skill, longitude and latitude.   Longitude are the LONG lines that run from the north pole to the south pole.  Latitude lines are the fat lines that run around the globe like a belt.    The students had a little homework using longitude and latitude.

Homework:
Reading:  Main Idea pp. 70-71 Graphic Organizer
Math: Practice 4.4 and 4.5 FRONT ONLY
SS - Map Practice