Weekly Update 12/15

Last week of school in 2014!  Whoo-hoo!  We made it!  There is a lot of fun things planned this week, for starters it is Spirit Week here at Hansen:

Monday ~ Crazy Hair Day
Tuesday ~ Dress As Your Favorite Character
Wednesday ~ Wacky Sweater Day
Thursday ~ Favorite Sports Team Day
Friday ~ Hansen Spirit Day, wear your green and gold!

Math

Last week we finished up with learning the standard algorithm for multi-digit addition.  Now we are comparing it to other strategies we have learned.  I will collect a work sample this week that tells me what strategies they prefer when it comes to addition.  On Tuesday there will be a checkpoint that will go over place value and multi-digit addition.

On Wednesday we will shift our focus to subtraction.  Problem strings and story problems will help students deeper their understanding of and flexibility with subtraction strategies, including difference versus removal and constant difference.  We’ll end the week by going over the standard algorithm for subtraction so that after break we can compare it to the other strategies we have discussed.

Social Studies
We start chapter 5 this week in Washington History.  We will discuss the coming of Protestant and Catholic missionaries to the area and what effect they had on the Native Americans.  The bulk of the week will be spent discussing the Oregon Trail and its importance to Washington.  There will be a quiz on Friday.

Reading
Your child is reading “How to Babysit an Orangutan” by Kathy and Tara Darling.  look at the Reading tab for vocabulary and activities to do with your child.

On Friday there will be a short comprehension and vocabulary quiz.

Homework
Due to break, homework will be slightly different this week.  Math will be sent home as a packet on Monday and is not due until Friday.  Your child may turn it in a page at a time or all at once, as long as their name is on it.  Some students have earned ‘no homework’ passes.  They may only use it for one page of the packet.

On Friday, a ‘Winter Break’ Journal will be sent home for your child to complete over the break.  Instructions will go home with the journal.

There is a spelling test on Wednesday, and we will be doing it on the computer again.  This gives the students more practice on their typing skills as well as being able to finish at their own pace.  A new list of spelling words will not be released until the Wednesday after we return from break.

Other Notes
On Wednesday, we will be having our Winter Assembly.  The Fourth Grade will be performing!  

Have a great week and a fantastic break!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Weekly Update 12/8

My goodness, I can’t believe it’s December already!  Let me give you an overview of this week as we start our countdown to break.

Math
We’ve finished fractions and decimals and had a lot of fun!  Make sure to help your child recognize these concepts, just because we’re no longer studying them in school doesn’t mean they disappear until 5^th grade.

We are now changing our focus to addition, subtraction and measurement concepts.  This week we are looking at place value to 1,000,000 and multi-digit addition strategies.  We are bringing back our Great Wall of Base Ten to develop understanding of place value to 10,000 and then build a model showing 1,000,000 units.  These activities help students see patterns and relationships in the base ten counting system.  They will use what they learn about place value to investigate and review addition strategies for larger numbers.  We round out the week by learning the standard algorithm for addition and compare it to other strategies they have learned. 

Social Studies
Now that we’ve studied a little about the Native peoples that first lived here, we’re now moving onto American and European explorers who came to the area.  We will look at explorers who came by sea and by land, most notably Lewis and Clark.  We will also discuss about the fur trade.  The Chapter 4 quiz will be on Friday.

Reading
This week you child is reading “The Garden of Happiness” by Erika Tamar.  In this story, a girl learns about different cultures, community pride, and helping others when she takes part in a neighborhood garden.

The vocabulary words for this week are:

inhaled

mural

skidded

lavender

haze

Please check the website for a fun activity to help your child with this week’s vocabulary.

On Friday, there will be a short quiz on vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Other Notes
Here are some events going on this week:

Coin Drive for Doctors Without Borders!  Mr. Samson’s class is doing a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders.  Please bring any spare change this week to help this amazing cause!  The last day to bring change in is Friday, December 12th!

Thursday, December 11: Orchestra Concert!  7:30 pm at Marshall Middle School.  Tuning begins at 7 pm.

Friday, December 12: Family Movie Night!!  6:30 pm in the Cafeteria.  See The Hansen Herald for more information.

Just a head’s up, Spirit week is coming!  December 15 – 19, please see The Hansen Herald for details.

Have a great week!

Excelsior!

~Ms. B

Weekly Update 12/1

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the break!  Here’s what we’re working on this week.  As a reminder, the daily activities will be listed in your child’s planner.

Math
We are finishing up on our unit on fractions and decimals this week.  We will be looking more at the relationship between fractions and decimals and play some games to help develop a sense of those relationships.  We will also look at their relationship on a number line.  

Social Studies
This week we are learning about the Native people that first lived in Washington.  This chapter ties in with what they learned during Of Cedar & Salmon. 

Reading
Your child is reading “Nights of the Pufflings,” a nonfiction article that is written and photographed by Bruce McMillian.  The selection describes how puffins, which are small sea birds, come to shore on an island near Iceland to raise their chicks.  It also tells how, on the nights when the young birds leave their nests and attempt to fly out to sea, the children of the island help by rescuing baby birds that crash-land on the island.  These children later release the rescued birds into the sea. 

Other Notes

Just a reminder, there is Late Start on Wednesday and Friday is a Half Day.  

Many of you may have noticed there were no spelling words in the planner on Wednesday.  In all hullabaloo that was the day before Thanksgiving, it simply was glossed over.  There will not be a spelling test this week, but a new list will go out on Wednesday.

We start going to the computer lab on a weekly basis this week.  We will be working on our keyboarding skills every Wednesday.  Speed is not our focus, but more the ability to type a story in one sitting.

Have a great week!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Weekly Update 11/24

Happy Thanksgiving!  This week hopefully will be short and sweet.  Here’s what we’re looking forward to, listed below are the weekly targets.  Look for the daily activities in your child’s planner.

Math

This week we start transitioning from fractions to decimals and look that the relationships between them.  On Wednesday we will have a quiz on both fractions and decimals.  This checkpoint will help direct math groups for the rest of the unit.  There is a homework assignment with the Tuesday lesson; this will be due the Monday after break.

Social Studies

There are no new lessons this week.  However, the final draft of the friendly letter about a place in Washington State is due Tuesday, November 25.

Reading

This week during Daily 5 we are focusing on fluency.  Students will be taking minute timings during the week and gauge progress.  We are not doing our “story of week” due to the short week, so there is no new vocabulary.  There is still a spelling test on Wednesday. 

Market Fair

Market Fair will be Wednesday afternoon.  This is a fun activity for Fourth and Fifth graders.  We are still determining where we are having it since our original location fell through, the most likely candidate will be Madrona pod.  Each student will receive $200 (fake money) to spend at the fair.  Students selling items are able to buy from other booths, they just need to either close up shop or have a partner stay run the business.  Booth sizes are limited to an individual desk.  Students are limited to one flyer per group and will be posting them the day of the fair.

Other Notes

After meeting with the district science specialists and with the other fourth grade teachers, I have decided to start science at the new semester.  We will continue and finish social studies through the end of January and at the start of February we will begin our science units.

On Wednesday, November 26, we will have our Veteran’s Day assembly in the morning.  Also, those that have fundraiser orders, those need to be picked up at 3pm.

It’s Apple Cup week!  In honor of the state rivalry game between the Cougars of Washington State and the University of Washington Huskies, students may wear shirts representing the school of their choice on Wednesday.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Happy Halloween!

*Edit:  Due dates changed on the social studies project to later in the month.

I apologize for this update getting out late.

Math

We started division strategies this week.  Everyone was a little hesitant at first, but I think we're coming along after today.  We are starting off very basic and working with small remainders.  I will be introducing a game this week called "Remainders Win" that will help students grasp this concept a little better.  We've done a few checkpoints and everyone has shown improvement!

Reading

We start diving into the "meat and potatoes" this week.  As a class we're still building our stamina, but I am confident that I can now pull the small groups aside to work with them.  CAFE conferences are starting up as well.

Spelling

Just a reminder there is no spelling test this week.  However on Wednesday they will get a new list and we start right back up again.  Packets will be going home with those students who have requested them.

Social Studies

We finished chapter 1 of Washington State history, which was just a brief overview of what history is and why we study it.  This week we will start setting the stage and studying the geography of this beautiful state.  We are going to have a project of sorts.  Students will be writing a friendly letter describing a place in Washington.  A checklist will go home on Thursday that will explain what they need to do.  The rough draft is due Tuesday, November 4 Friday, November 21.  We will go through edits that day during class, take them back home and the final draft will be due Friday, November 7 Tuesday, November 26.  It is optional to have the final draft typed.  Students must use their best handwriting both drafts.

Science

Several students have been asking about science.  I'm really wanting to get started in science as well.  I will be meeting with the elementary science coordinator for the district on Monday so that I can have a better understanding of what we need/should be doing and then get that started.  However, we will be visiting the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail on Monday, November 10.  The students are super excited for this opportunity.  Feel free to click the link to learn more about the trail.  Please turn in the permission slips ASAP!!

I hope you have a fantastic week!

Excelsior!

~Ms. B

Conference Week Wrap-Up

It has been a blast getting to meet again with you during this past week.  Thank you for all your comments and questions.  I have several notes that I will be following up on over the weekend and into next week.  Thanks again!

Hope everyone got a chance to visit the book fair.  From what I hear, there was a lot of great books to choose from.  I do ask that the spy pens please stay at home.  They have been causing several distractions in class recently.

Some of you may be confused or curious, but yes, there is no spelling for this next week.  Every 5 weeks we will be taking a one week break from spelling.  This just helps spread the lists out over the course of the school year.

Just to give you a heads up on some upcoming events, we have another field trip on Nov. 10 to the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail.  On Nov. 13 & 14, we will be participating in 'On Cedar & Salmon' and learning more about the Native American cultures in the Pacific Northwest.  Information and permission slips will be going home on Monday.

As always, please do not hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Have a great weekend!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Weekly Update 10/13

Happy October everyone!

The air is getting crisp, leaves are turning color, it must be time for...conferences!

Today letters went home with your assigned date and time for conference.  It is on a bright orange sheet of paper.  Please send the bottom portion back ASAP.  If for some reason your time does not work, please let me know so I can reschedule you the best I can.  Both you and your child need to be present so we can work as a team and set goals for this year.  I am super excited to meet with each of you!

Math

In math we are starting to work on 2-digit multiplication.  We've been working with base 10 pieces to visualize the multiplication.  Now we are drawing our arrays on grid paper.  Homework will be going home today, Wednesday and Friday.  As always, homework is due two days after it is assigned.

Reading

Today we added another big piece to our daily 5 puzzle.  We are now rotating through Read to Self, Read with a Buddy, Word Work and Work on Writing.  There are mini lessons scattered throughout the rotations to introduce new topics and ideas for the kids to practice as we build our stamina and literacy independence.

I'm also excited to announce that I have started taking additional classes to work towards my reading endorsement.  I'm excited to take what I'm learning about the latest research in literacy education and put it to use right away to help your child become a better reader and a better writer.

Spelling

I do apologize for the list getting up so late this week.  There was a glitch in the system and it never went through.  Students do receive the new list in their planners as well.  I was hoping to put up the worksheets that I have as well, but due to copyright permissions, I cannot.  Please let me know if you want your child to work on these sheets.  I will be happy to make copies for them to take home.

Other News!!

• Our class won a party from the summer read-a-thon!  On Friday, October 17th, we will be having root beer floats and pajama day!!

• Don't forget about the classroom activity fee!  This helps pay for field trips and other fun activities for the class to do all year.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Weekly Update 10/6/2014

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We're really starting to settle into our routine and then they change it on me.  :)  I want to thank everyone for being so flexible.

Due to scheduling conflicts, both MAP tests were taken last week.  Make-ups will be taken care of this week.

Math

We started Unit 2 of Bridges on Friday with starting the initial construction of our Great Wall of Base Ten.  In this unit we will:

• multiply by 10, 100 and 1,000
• multiply 2-digit numbers
• represent multiplication with arrays and ratio tables
• divide with and without remainders
• solve multiplication and division story problems

I will be sending home a unit overview that has some examples of the problems we will be working with so you can help your child with their homework.  There are also some frequently asked questions for your reference.

Reading

We started Daily 5 and we're having a blast!  This week we will add Reading to Someone and Word Work to our rotation.  We will be breaking up into groups during this time to take our spelling test on Wednesday.  Groups were randomly assigned.  The list for this Wednesday was the one that went home last Monday.  The new list will be up Wednesday evening.  Hopefully this new schedule will allow for more time to study as well.

Other Important News

• Fall Conferences are just around the corner!  Be on the look out for sign ups to go home this week.  The Book Fair is also the week of conferences.
• Please remember to turn in the classroom/activity fee!  If you have any concerns, let me know and we can work something out.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.

Excelsior!

~Ms. B

Weekly Update 9/29

Wow!  Has it really almost been a month?!  And what a busy month it's been.  October is only going to get busier!

This morning our class took our first field trip to Port Blakely Tree Farm.

Big Leaf Maple - Our first tree identification

The rain tried to slow us down, but we didn't let it stop us from having fun!  We identified five different types of trees and learned which tree is our state tree.  We even took a core sample to learn how old a tree was without having to cut it down.

Tree core sample to determine age

Spelling

Spelling words went home today and I also posted them on the spelling page on Saturday.  Please make sure your child is studying them.  I can send home packets if requested.

Reading

I am super excited to start implementing Daily 5 in the classroom this week.  Daily 5 is a reading method that fosters student independence in learning.  In our class it will actually be more of a Daily 4, as "listening to reading" will not be an option for the students to do individually.  They get enough from the read alouds done in class.  The components are "read to self", "read to someone", "work on writing" and "word work".  The first three will be daily options for the students during our reading blocks.  Word work will provide some extra study time for spelling, but it only available once a week to the students.

With the implementation of this new program, a log of reading done at home is no longer required.  Reading at home is still highly encouraged!!

Speaking of reading, September book orders are due TOMORROW!  I will be submitting orders at the end of the school day.  The flyers for October will go out later this week.  You can order online at scholastic.com/readingclub and input the code: NFL8V.

Upcoming Events

Here's a list of the exciting things coming up:

10/1 - Late Start

10/3 - Aug/Sept Birthdays

10/10 - No School!!

10/17 - Class Read-a-thon Party

10/20-24 - Book Fair

10/21-24 - Conferences

10/31 - Oct Birthdays

If there is anything that you think I may have missed or any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Hope you have a super week!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Field Trip!!

Our first field trip of the year is just around the corner!!

We will be visiting the Port Blakely Tree Farm on Monday, September 29.  We will be leaving in the morning and returning just before lunch.

If you are wanting to volunteer, please make sure you have filled out the volunteer information on the OSD Website.  Yes, this does need to be filled out every year.

We are looking forward to having a great experience!

Please remember to dress your child warmly and are prepared for rain.  No sandals, flip-flops or slip-on shoes, please.

~Ms. B

Hello World!!

With almost three weeks of school under our belts, it's time to start getting down to business.  While we won't be defeating any Huns, I have finally managed to get the class website up and running.

After reviewing a variety of formats and playing with code, I've decided to do a blog design.  Basically it came down to the easiest and most efficient way to get information out to you, the parents.

My goals for this blog are (so you can keep me accountable):

1. Have weekly updates posted by 5pm on Mondays, so you can see what's coming up for the week.
2. Spelling Lists updated on Fridays for the following week

On this page you will also find some helpful tabs for you.  One is our classroom ABC's, if you ever want to refresh your memory on those.  Another is our spelling lists.  The current list will be at the top of the page along with any helpful links for study.  You will also find upcoming events such as picture day, book order due dates, field trips and birthday celebrations.  Any state testing information will be found in the next tab as that becomes available.  The last tab is any miscellaneous information, it's a kind of catch-all.  Please be sure to check those pages often!

As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns!

~Ms. B