New Class Website!

Please take a peek at our new class website:

http://4plato.weebly.com/

Click around!  Enjoy!  See you there!

What a great July!

Here are some highlights:

My son, Max

Fairview Fireworks

We love sparklers...and snaps...

On a crafters' trip with some of my favorite ladies

My boys and a quote I love...click and read...

Summer 2013!

I hope you are enjoying your summer!  I sure am! See you in August!

Math: FASTT Math; long division with remainders; CCR analysis; Reteaching Worksheet for homework

Great video of long division with remainders

Literacy block: Rules; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Wednesday, Week 27 is for homework

Social Studies: Discussed April goals; Southeast states quiz

Math: FASTT Math; Core Content Review; 2 x 2 multiplication

Class meeting today

Literacy Block: Rotations; sentence pattern with appositive; strategy groups; Handwriting, Week 23, Tuesday due tomorrow

Please continue to promote our fundraiser!

Welcome back!!

Math: FASTT Math/Fraction Nation; CCR analysis; 2 x 2 multiplication

Class meeting today

Literacy block: Handwriting, Week 23, Monday is due tomorrow; finished Spring stories; rotations

Report card signature cards due by Friday

Fundraiser envelope went home today!  Lots of great possibilities!

Happy Spring Break!

We will return on Monday, April 1, to dig in to 4th quarter.  What's in store?

• Assessment of 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication
• Mastery of multiplication facts through 9 x 9
• Seuss on the Loose field trip to the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts
• Memorizing locations of states in the United States
• Researching and presenting information to the class
• Miller Park Splash Pad and Picnic
• Reading Rules together
• So much more!!

ISAT Day 1

Today, students participated in Sessions 1 and 2 of the Science ISAT.

On tomorrow's docket:
-Math Session 1 (All multiple choice)
-Reading Session 1 (All multiple choice)

Tonight's homework: 
-Complete and hand in any late work
-Get a good night's rest
-Eat a brain-strong breakfast

Math: FASTT Math; angle measurement and construction; study facts

Science: ISAT review

Literacy block: Handwriting, Week 20, Monday due tomorrow; rotations; strategy groups; prepositional phrase sentence patterns

We were quite lucky that our field trip went as planned!  The Lincoln Presidential Museum is always a nice trip, and the students seemed to enjoy it very much.

Students should have brought home a multiplication timed test for a parent signature.  It is due Monday.

Field trip is...

...a go!

Yeah!

Come with lunches, if needed.  See you at 9!

Three-Day Weekend!

Math: FASTT Math; reasonability; study facts

Literacy block: Handwriting, Friday, Week 19 is due Tuesday

Science: ISAT prep competition

Get mark chart signed

PJ Day/Read-In on Tuesday!

Gone again!

Due to some curriculum meetings, I have been out of the classroom.  Today, I was back...and so happy!

Math: FASTT Math; timed tests need to be signed; study facts for timed test tomorrow; analyzing Discovery Assessment results

Worked on Valentine bags today!  Don't forget your Valentines tomorrow!

Literacy block: Preposition song; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Wednesday, Week 18 due tomorrow

Get planner signed

Math: FASTT Math; Discovery Assessment; timed test tomorrow; study facts

Social Studies: Quiz on map skills and types of social scientists

Literacy block: Handwriting, Week 18, Wednesday due; "Stone Soup;" rotations; strategy groups

Get planner signed tonight

Math: FASTT Math; CCR Data Analysis; study facts; assessment tomorrow on perimeter, area, and rounding to estimate

Social Studies: assessment tomorrow on social scientists and using a map grid

Literacy block: "Stone Soup;" rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Week 18, Tuesday, due tomorrow

Math: FASTT Math; timed test; study facts

Literacy block: Rotations; strategy groups; Stone Soup; Handwriting, Friday, Week 17 (POEM) due Monday

Mark chart slips due Monday

Math: FASTT Math; estimation in multiplication; study facts

Social studies: Geography challenge

Literacy block: Conflict/resolution; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Tuesday, Week 17 due tomorrow

I will be in Springfield for the next two days finalizing items written for the 2014 ISAT.  Mrs. Kalmes will be my guest teacher.

Math: FASTT Math; compensation; Core Content Review analysis; get timing signed; study facts

Social studies: Geography challenge

Literacy block: Expanded our word-hoard; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Week 17, Monday is for homework tonight

Math: FASTT Math; timed facts assessment (benchmark); Core Content Review 5-5; study facts

Social Studies: Geography Challenge

Literacy block: Hot chocolate!  Assessment for story elements; rotations

Get mark chart slip signed this weekend

Math: FASTT Math; Compensation mental math (section 5-4); get partial products quiz signed; study flashcards; completed CCR 5-4 in class

Social Studies: Geography Challenge

Literacy block:  No Handwriting this week; no spelling this week; read The Black Snowman; discussed plot, character, setting, conflict, and theme; rotations

No School Monday and Tuesday!

Math: Fact packets came home for a signature this weekend.  The packet included a sheet with 4 quizzes that we took throughout the week.  Student grades should have improved.  The students were given the same 25 flashcards in different order each time.  I attached a set of flashcards to this packet if your student would benefit from practicing this way.  They should practice EVERY night.  All grades went into our gradebook, but the highest grade was counted towards the letter grade.  Students who would still like the flashcards but did not get a packet can find them at http://www.multiplication.com/sites/default/files/BWFlashcards0-12.pdf  They print lined up front to back.  The best part is: They are free!  We have also started timed tests with 100 facts.  Students did a trial on Friday, and they really wowed me!  They are given 5 minues for 100 facts.  I could see the FASTT Math practice paying off.  The packet also has current FASTT Math progress reports.

Students also took an assessment on mult-digit multiplication on Friday.  They were permitted to use a multiplication chart, but that won't happen with every quiz.  The class as a whole did great!

Social Studies: We will start map work of a US Map this coming week.

Literacy Block: We started writing a thank you letter to our Donors Choose donor who allowed us to get Storyworks magazine for our class.  We watched Our Friend, Martin, a movie that gave us a good idea of the struggles that Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to abolish. Friday's handwriting is due on Wednesday.

Mark chart slips need to be signed this weekend.

Math: FASTT Math; multiplication assessment; multi-digit multiplication with partial products; assessment on Friday (watch yesterday's video to find out more); speed test for facts on Friday; study facts!

Social Studies: Map of room

Literacy Block: Adverb sentence patterns group work; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Wednesday, Week 16 due tomorrow

Absent!

Hello!

I was unexpectedly absent today.  My apologies for my late posting.

Math: FASTT Math; students are working on using partial products for computing two-by-one digit multiplication; below is a video showing how we discussed this method in class; please keep studying basic facts!

Students practiced this today, and we will talk more about it tomorrow.

Social studies: Map worksheets

Literacy block: MLK text; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting for Tuesday, Week 16 due tomorrow

The following went home for parent signatures this weekend:

• This week's mark chart
• Parent Conference Forms
• Report Card Signature Card

Math: FASTT Math; Analyzed CCR and Facts Assessment data for mode and range; study multiplication facts

Social Studies: Map of Classroom

Literacy block: Discussed targets we have hit in the first half of the year; added to class Word Collector; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Friday, Week 15 is homework

Look what we got to do for Friday Fun!  You can't pass up 50 and sunny in January!  Almost every 4th grader earned Friday Fun this week.  Outstanding!

Math: FASTT Math; data analysis; multiplication facts assesment; study facts

Social Studies: map of room

Literacy block: Handwriting, Week 15, Thursday due tomorrow; rotations; strategy groups

Students who earned the 0-2 marks recognition brought home a permission slip to be returned.

Math: FASTT Math; multiplying by 10 and 100; break apart method for multiplying 2 by 1 digit numbers; STUDY FACTS!  It's critical to be fluent in them with this content.

Social Studies: discussed social scientists; watched introduction to map skills video

Literacy block: Freind Venns; rotations; stratgey groups; Handwriting, Tuesday, Week 15 due Thursday

I have a guest teacher tomorrow.

Welcome to 2013!

Welcome back!

Math: FASTT Math; Scoot Pad; multiplying by 10 and 100; practice facts!

Social studies: social science artifacts in our room

Literacy block: Friend Venns; rotations; strategy groups; Handwriting, Week 15, Monday for homework

Winter Break Question #6

Welcome to a new calendar year!  Glad you came back to visit.  Here is today's Question of the Day.