This Week in LL Corner....

Hi Families, 

We hope everyone enjoyed the warm, sunny weekend even though autumn has officially started. Last week was certainly a busy week.  The kids did an amazing job during the Fun Run on Thursday.  It was great to see how excited the kids were to help out our school. 

This week we have a 1/2 day on Wednesday.  Dismissal will be at 11:40.     

Pajama Day- Tomorrow!

As part of our Fun Run Class Reward, we will have Pajama Day tomorrow, Monday!  Your child can choose to participate if he/she wants to.  

Envisioning

This week we worked on reading intensely.  This means that we are reading with such focus that we are putting ourselves in the character's shoes.  We are noticing small details that we may have missed if we were to just let the words wash over us.  We are rereading when things don't make sense.

To read intensely we must also envision as we read that means we are making a movie in our mind.  I have enclosed the anchor chart that we are using in the classroom to help us with this.  When we envision we are not just picturing the character's actions, we are also imagining what they might be thinking and feeling.  We are also trying to picture these characters in their settings and think about why they are doing what they are doing.  

Please spend some time reading with your child this week and asking them what they are envisioning.  Ask them follow up questions to pull out small details. Ask them why they are seeing that in their minds.  The more practice they get, the better off they'll be!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1-yFqPyRkGCNXpTdGx1RXA4V00/view?usp=sharing

Immigration

We have been learning about immigration during Social Studies.  This week students were able to explore a map online which shows the population of immigrants from different countries here in the United States from the year 1900 up through 2000.  They were asked to explore the interactive map and write "rigorous" questions.  Rigorous questions are ones that may not have an immediate answer and require some research.  They also may not have one single answer.  Students were very engaged by this activity as you can see in the photos below.  They had many rigorous questions!  

This week students will be bringing home a new assignment where they will have to interview a family member about how their own family came to this country.  Please look for this in the backpack on Monday or Tuesday.  It will be due on Friday.

Math Workshop

In math workshop last week we spent a lot of time talking about the different forms of a number.  The kids learned about standard form, expanded form, and word form.  As part of our learning the students will be able to "buy" a dream home and practice writing out a check (word and standard form) to buy the house!  Ask your child where he/she chose to live and how much their dream home cost.

The kids have been doing a nice job with their multiplication fluency homework packet.  This is a great way to practice multiplication facts.  To make this even more effective, you could have your child say the fact families and multiplication problem out loud.  This will give them two ways of practicing by handwriting and by listening to the facts.  

Science

Last week the students were introduced to tree root wedging, a form of weathering.  Each class was challenged to see if they could find examples of tree root wedging around their neighborhood or even if they were out walking or hiking over the weekend.  If your child was able to find examples of tree root wedging, please send the pictures to jlewis@hudson.k12.ma.us so that we can share them with the rest of the class!

Thank you so much for your continued support!  Have a great week!

Jaime and Jen

This Week in the LL Corner....

It was great to meet so many families at Open House last Thursday night.  Please let us know if you have any questions about our departmentalized model moving forward. 

We have an exciting week coming up with our Fun Run on Thursday!  The kids are totally pumped for this!  We can't wait to see how many more kids will sign up and get sponsors over the next few days!

Also, Friday is Picture Day!  Picture envelopes went home with each student last week.  Please return the envelope on or before Friday.

Community Meeting

     On Friday we had a community meeting with both classes.  The topic of our meeting was to think about and discuss the power of our words.  The classes participated in a Toothpaste activity with Ms. Spadafino.  Ask your child what he/she learned from this toothpaste activity and how it makes them think about the power of words.

Toothpaste = our words.

Try to put ALL of the toothpaste back in the tube.

Keep going.....

Still trying to put the toothpaste (our words) back into the container.

Not sure it can be done.....

Reading in the Edges

This week we will continue to read in the edges of our day and to discuss good reading habits at home.  I will send home a tracking sheet again this week so that students can continue to notice the reading opportunities that they have.  If your child has not brought in last week's tracking sheet, or the photograph of their reading, please do so tomorrow.  Students will also be asked to jot down one thought they have while reading at home each night this week.  This complements what we have been learning in the classroom about growing ideas about our reading. The sheets for this will be sent home on a post-it sized pad of paper tomorrow in student binders.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if your child needs any further support at home!

Math Workshop
     We had a very productive first week of math workshop.  The kids were divided into 3 different teams including the Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots.  They stay with their "team" and progress through several work stations.  Each group meets daily with a teacher and has time to practice the skill as well.  We are also using a website called Zearn.  It matches with our Engage NY math curriculum.  Each student has a username and password.  Your child can use Zearn at home if he/she would like to.  Zearn allows to students to preview or review concepts from class.  I am very excited to use this website throughout the year!

Please click link here:  Zearn!

Writing Workshop

     We worked on storytelling our writing ideas last week.  When we story tell we try to tell our story idea step by step to a partner multiple times.  This is helpful because when we go to write our story, it will already be fresh in our minds!

     The kids were very excited to get onto Google Docs late last week to start their first personal narrative story. 

      Decorated Writer's Notebooks are due on Tuesday this week!  Your child came home with the directions last week for this.  I can't wait to see all of the things that make each child "happy!"

Science

     Teamwork was the focus this week in science.  We had a problem which was to build the tallest, vertical, freestanding tower in 20 minutes using 10 straws, 1 foot of tape, and a pair of scissors.  The kids worked on brainstorming ideas, creating a plan, trying out the idea, and revising (many times).  It is a great way to see how each group is able to work as a team and what we might need to focus on as we continue to work in groups moving forward!

  

Have a great week!
~Jaime and Jen

This Week in LL Corner....

     Even though it was only a 4 day week, we were very busy in 4th grade!  It is a nice way to ease back into the school year.  We are hoping that the kids are ready for their first 5 day school week coming up!

Morning Routine

     We started our morning work responsibilities this week.  Throughout the week as students arrive for the day they will find their name on the board along with the activity that they are responsible for completing.  Some days your child will be working on reading and writing and other days students will be working on math.  Children who need more assistance or review in a particular subject will get that during this time. The kids did a fabulous job settling into the new routine.
     This week we will add onto the morning routine by copying down homework.  Be on the lookout for your child to have reading and math homework that will be due on Friday this week.

Leger's Lunch Spot

We launched Reader's Workshop on Tuesday by having a book tasting.  It was a fabulous way to get books into students' hands and to give them a chance to try out genres that they may not have leaned towards in the past. Most students left my classroom with two books and a list of others that they can't wait to read this year!  We also reviewed how students look for good books and how they make sure that they are just right for them.  Below are some pictures of "Leger's Lunch Spot" our book cafe!

Campfire Stories

We launched Writer's Workshop this week by sharing stories around the "campfire."  It was a relaxed way for students to begin telling stories without having a blank sheet of paper staring back at them.  Many students were inspired by their classmates and remembered stories of their own that they can tell.  Next week, when we begin to write personal narratives, students will have these stories to draw from.  We will have pictures of this activity to share soon!

Math Workshop

     We started math this week with a number sense activity. We have been working on looking at numbers, answering a question (or two) about the numbers and then preparing to explain our thinking to our classmates.  We have been practicing using the Accountable Talk sentence starters to have a conversation about our thinking.





Here is an example of a type of number sense activity that one of the classes did this week. For this activity the kids needed to determine which number DOES NOT belong.  We talked about how there are many answers and many ways to think about these numbers.  Ask your child what number that they felt didn't belong.  Then you can share your idea too!



We hope everyone has a great week!

~Jen and Jaime

   

This Week in the LL Corner....

     It was a great start to fourth grade!  We spent a lot of time last week getting to know one another.  On Thursday, we got together for our first community meeting.  It was great to get all 42 of the kids together to talk about expectations and create a set of community rules. 

We Can Learn Anything!

     This year we will focus on having a Growth Mindset or a “can do” attitude.  To get us thinking about this, we watched a video that shows how each of us has the ability to learn anything as long as we put in the effort and don’t give up.  Here is a link to the video that we watched…

https://www.khanacademy.org/coach-res/reference-for-coaches/how-to/v/you-can-learn-anything

Ask your child…

• ·        What he/she learned about the NEURONS of the brain. 
• ·        What happens to your neurons when you practice? 
• ·        What happens to your neurons when you take on a challenging problem?

Reading Workshop

     Tomorrow we will launch independent reading with a book tasting!  Students will have the opportunity to "dine" at "Leger's Lunch Spot."  They will get to "taste" many different genres of books and review how to find books that are just right....not too hard, not too easy.  Students will also make a list of books that they are interested in so when the need for a good book arises, they will know just which ones to grab!

   
Writing Workshop

     Later this week, we will spend some time at "Camp Leger" story-telling around the "campfire."  This will be a wonderful way for us all to get to know each other a little better and for us to realize that stories are all around us.  We tell them all of the time without our hands ever touching paper, pencil, or keyboard.  This activity serves as a wonderful warm-up as we get ready to launch Writer's Workshop.  Stay tuned for pictures later this week!




Math Workshop
     
      Last week we brainstormed what math means to us.  The kids in both classes shared where they see math in the real world, what they know about math, and how they feel about math.  We had great conversations about all of their thinking.  
      This week we will talk about what it means to be a "good" mathematician.  We will start our week with a Number Sort, where the kids will come up with a variety of ways to sort a group of numbers.  We will start to see that there are many ways to think about problems.  

Paperwork

     Please send any paperwork back to school with your child by Wednesday.

We are looking forward to a great week!

~ Jaime and Jen