1/8-1/12
This week in Language Arts, we are diving into nonfiction! We have spent the first quarter focusing on fiction through Wonder. We learned the parts of a story and the components that make it "fiction". Now, it is time to focus our attention to the text features and structures of nonfiction. We are starting with a review on what we already know. Text features are being reviewed (heading, subheading, table of contents, glossary, index, photograph, caption, bold words) and text structures will be slowly introduced. There are five text structures to help us when reading/writing a nonfiction text- description, problem/solution, sequence and order, compare/contrast, cause and effect. We will be taking it step by step and focus on one of these for every couple of days for the next month or two. That way I can be very thorough and teach it through many different avenues to compliment all learning styles. We will also have a project with this unit creating a nonfiction magazine.. (we have a while before this happens!!)
Word of the Day-
Mon- unique
Tues- candidate
Wed-numerous
Thurs-exact
*Quiz will be Friday (as usual). We have implemented a new morning work where students complete one day at a time, instead having two passages per week. On Thursday night, please go over this morning work with your child to refresh. We go over each day in class together so all answers should be correct. The skills from the morning work each week will be tested with the Word of the Day quiz.
*Please have your child bring scissors each day to class until further, as we will be creating lots of foldables to display notes and activities.
Have a great week!! :)
Word of the Day-
Mon- unique
Tues- candidate
Wed-numerous
Thurs-exact
*Quiz will be Friday (as usual). We have implemented a new morning work where students complete one day at a time, instead having two passages per week. On Thursday night, please go over this morning work with your child to refresh. We go over each day in class together so all answers should be correct. The skills from the morning work each week will be tested with the Word of the Day quiz.
*Please have your child bring scissors each day to class until further, as we will be creating lots of foldables to display notes and activities.
Have a great week!! :)
12/4-12-22
We have been so busy over the past couple of weeks!! We are full swing learning about the customs and traditions celebrated around the world in different countries. This week, we are focusing on Italy, France, Mexico, and Russia. We will add four new countries next week then decide which one was the class favorite by using tally marks and math integration of charts and graphs.
Our words for this week are: amuse, weary, baffled, marionette
Next week words are: command, hilarious, devour, solo
Our Friday quizzes for the next two weeks will have our usual word of the day section as well as a grammar section. We have been working on specific grammar rules each day during morning work that will be on their quiz instead of comprehension until Christmas.
Our words for this week are: amuse, weary, baffled, marionette
Next week words are: command, hilarious, devour, solo
Our Friday quizzes for the next two weeks will have our usual word of the day section as well as a grammar section. We have been working on specific grammar rules each day during morning work that will be on their quiz instead of comprehension until Christmas.
10/23-10/27
Words of the Day- Weekly quiz Friday
obligation
panic
lofty
dawdle
We are working to finish Jack's part and will be having our test on Wednesday. There shouldn't be much studying for this, just participation and engagement in class should be enough to make a 100%. We have meaningful, in depth conversations each day and it's pertinent to be present and focused during this time. On Thursday, we will be analyzing song lyrics and connecting them to Wonder. These songs will be familiar to the students and will allow for stories and examples to be shared from the story.
obligation
panic
lofty
dawdle
We are working to finish Jack's part and will be having our test on Wednesday. There shouldn't be much studying for this, just participation and engagement in class should be enough to make a 100%. We have meaningful, in depth conversations each day and it's pertinent to be present and focused during this time. On Thursday, we will be analyzing song lyrics and connecting them to Wonder. These songs will be familiar to the students and will allow for stories and examples to be shared from the story.
10/16-10/20
This week in Language Arts we will be studying our regular four word of the day words and will have a quiz on Friday. Since it is a short week, we will double up on our Wednesday word. The words for the week are: determined, dilemma, random, and obvious.
We have begun Jack's part in Wonder and this where it starts to get even better! Lots of truth and perspective comes out in this part. We are discussing how characters actions can sometimes be read differently when coming from different points of views. We are also working in stations this week, incorporating what we are reading in Wonder. Jack's part is a little bit longer than most so I am hoping to have Jack's part finished by the end of next week. Doing my best to meet the November 17th deadline.. (when Wonder comes out in theaters!) :)
We have begun Jack's part in Wonder and this where it starts to get even better! Lots of truth and perspective comes out in this part. We are discussing how characters actions can sometimes be read differently when coming from different points of views. We are also working in stations this week, incorporating what we are reading in Wonder. Jack's part is a little bit longer than most so I am hoping to have Jack's part finished by the end of next week. Doing my best to meet the November 17th deadline.. (when Wonder comes out in theaters!) :)
10/9-10/13
We have finished Summer's part (Part 3) of Wonder and will have our test on Wednesday. We have thoroughly worked together in class to spur thinking and engage in comprehensive tasks. We have been working on word of the day but there will not be a weekly quiz this week.
Words of the Week-
Compass
Atmosphere
Collide
Criticize
**Remember:
Early release day on Thursday
No school Friday
Words of the Week-
Compass
Atmosphere
Collide
Criticize
**Remember:
Early release day on Thursday
No school Friday
10/2-10/6
We have made it through the first two parts in Wonder (August and Via). SO many great discussions have taken place while making connections to the lives of the characters in our book. Our first test on Part 1 and Part 2 will be on Tuesday in class and books will be able to be used. So far, I have been reading out loud to the students and we complete activities together. Going forward, now that they understand the different viewpoints, the students will be expected to do more independent reading with group discussions. It is extremely important that everyone stays up to speed when reading independently. We have touched on the following skills so far- character traits, point of view and perspective, inferencing, and main idea. These skills are then reiterated within station groups daily.
Please remind students to continue completing their morning classwork daily, with their best effort. I always tell them to practice throughout the week so they can do their best on the Friday quiz.
**Wonder Test Part 1 & 2 Tuesday
**Morning classwork due Thursday
**Vocabulary weekly quiz Friday
Please remind students to continue completing their morning classwork daily, with their best effort. I always tell them to practice throughout the week so they can do their best on the Friday quiz.
**Wonder Test Part 1 & 2 Tuesday
**Morning classwork due Thursday
**Vocabulary weekly quiz Friday
9/18-9/21
This week in Language Arts, we will be beginning Via's part in Wonder. Now, instead of hearing August's point of view, we will be hearing how Via feels and learning about all of her thoughts. Students are working in class on a Part 1 check in to make sure we are all up to speed with comprehending the text so far! We will be doing our Word of the Day quiz on Thursday this week and ALL morning work for ELA is due Wednesday. That way we can go over it and correct it before our quiz Thursday.
Words for the week- decline, plunge, capable, massive
**No school Friday
Words for the week- decline, plunge, capable, massive
**No school Friday
9/11-9/15
This week we have been continuing our Wonder book study. We are wrapping up August's part in the book and have been studying specific characters. Ask your child each night what they read in Wonder that day. Centers are in full swing and routines/procedures are more solid as the rotations have continued. Center notebooks are picked up each Friday and are graded on based on the rubric in the front cover.
**Remember, morning work is due every Thursday in class. It is very important to have it with them/completed because we go over it in class to prepare for our quiz on Friday. Not only do they have time in the morning to work on it, but they also have Cougar Time each day (45 minute block).
**Remember, morning work is due every Thursday in class. It is very important to have it with them/completed because we go over it in class to prepare for our quiz on Friday. Not only do they have time in the morning to work on it, but they also have Cougar Time each day (45 minute block).
9/5-9/8
This week in Language Arts, we WILL NOT have a vocabulary quiz. Word of the Day will pick back up next week. Usually on short weeks, we do not do a word each day but instead focus on a specific skill. This week during centers, we are focusing on Main Idea. In each center, there will be many activities incorporating different skills. In our small reading group, we will be reading Wonder and discussing main idea. We will have a short quiz on Friday on main idea. Students will be asked to read a passage to find the main idea and support it with details! This is a previously taught skill from third grade but will be retaught this week and continue throughout the year.
Hw all week- review main idea notes/ main idea quiz Friday
Ask your child what we have read so far in Wonder. Ask them to describe all of the characters they have met so far. (August, Julian, Charlotte, Jack Will, Mr. Tushman, Ms. Garcia)
Hw all week- review main idea notes/ main idea quiz Friday
Ask your child what we have read so far in Wonder. Ask them to describe all of the characters they have met so far. (August, Julian, Charlotte, Jack Will, Mr. Tushman, Ms. Garcia)
8/28-9/1
We are off to a fabulous start in fourth grade! I have loved getting to know all of your sweet babies and learn about them as students.
This week, we first complete our Word of the Day in their composition notebooks each day. We make a circle map which includes the word, definition, part of speech, sentence, and picture. I draw an example on the board and we discuss in detail many different sentences and ways to use it. I talk about synonyms and antonyms, multiple definitions (if applicable), and why it is a certain part of speech. After finishing up WOD, we are walking thru each station that students will start working on next week. I wanted to make sure they all understood each one by itself, before having them complete them in groups while I am pulling reading groups. We are completing an example station each day and I am modeling the procedures. Monday- Reading Response, Tuesday- Write Right, Wednesday- Informational Text, and Thursday- Word Work.
For homework this week, everyone will be asked to finish their work from class on each center. They will have all resources to complete the classwork. Most students finish in class and also have Cougar Time. Along with finishing classwork, everyone is expected to review their WOD every night to prepare for Friday's quiz. On the back of the WOD quiz, students will have a passage to read and answer four comprehension questions. It's very similar to their morning work passages. We check those on Thursdays and go over strategies for close reading as well as modeling how to find the correct answer.
**Remember- students coming to class without supplies and/or homework will be given a Cougar Communication stamp. Please remind your child to be prepared and ready for class each day so new material isn't missed!!
Please don't hesitate to contact me via email with any questions! :)
This week, we first complete our Word of the Day in their composition notebooks each day. We make a circle map which includes the word, definition, part of speech, sentence, and picture. I draw an example on the board and we discuss in detail many different sentences and ways to use it. I talk about synonyms and antonyms, multiple definitions (if applicable), and why it is a certain part of speech. After finishing up WOD, we are walking thru each station that students will start working on next week. I wanted to make sure they all understood each one by itself, before having them complete them in groups while I am pulling reading groups. We are completing an example station each day and I am modeling the procedures. Monday- Reading Response, Tuesday- Write Right, Wednesday- Informational Text, and Thursday- Word Work.
For homework this week, everyone will be asked to finish their work from class on each center. They will have all resources to complete the classwork. Most students finish in class and also have Cougar Time. Along with finishing classwork, everyone is expected to review their WOD every night to prepare for Friday's quiz. On the back of the WOD quiz, students will have a passage to read and answer four comprehension questions. It's very similar to their morning work passages. We check those on Thursdays and go over strategies for close reading as well as modeling how to find the correct answer.
**Remember- students coming to class without supplies and/or homework will be given a Cougar Communication stamp. Please remind your child to be prepared and ready for class each day so new material isn't missed!!
Please don't hesitate to contact me via email with any questions! :)