Final Friday

Thanks for today's title, Audrey.   Of course, it is not the final, final Friday. That comes in June. This is the final Friday of 2019.

Enjoy your break!

The only assignment from me, is to keep up with the Winter Reading Challenge. It is due January 6. We MUST get 100% participation to earn the hot chocolate celebration.

If you have time and want to get ahead, work on IXL. Kids may focus on their target strand. If you can't remember, work on Grade 4 and % ELA skills.

Check with Ms. Hicks about math IXL expectations.

Field Trip forms are due January 7th.
The trip is January 10th.
These parents are "approved" by CPS to join us: SC,KN, AA.
I know that other parents have expressed interest. PLEASE call this number to speed up the process.
773-553-1544

If you have not begun the application process, please see the tab on this blog called "CPS University" to get started. I know it is a pain, but it is a quick process.

Approved volunteers are clear to join us on trips, attend Field Day, help in the classroom, and join us for special presentations.

The Son of Poseidon Thursday

 is tomorrow!




This evening at home.....
-study for tomorrow's spelling test.
-finish the Percy Jackson Flag design. The entire design should be colored.
-finish writing about the flag. How does each element represent the children of Poseidon?

Tomorrow is Pajama Day!


Spelling Words:
weary
appear
square
weird not wierd
scarce
scare
prepare
spare
spark
cheer
compare
repair

Tomorrow is crazy sock day: is-match, crazy colors, or make your own...

Hello fourth grade families. I know that everyone is busy getting ready for the holidays. We are working until the end of the year in Pod 200, and there is still much to accomplish in the next few days.

Today we...

• added some more lights to our decor. Thank you Jaeden!
• logged on to Common Lit, a new resource for reading. I can be accessed via this blog.
• examined out MAPS data and found the skills on IXL that match our target areas. We will be talking more about this in the next couple of days and in early January.
• enjoyed the Winter Concert. What a treat!
• learned about eclipses in Science.
• went to lunch and recess
• learned some new ways to divide using regrouping
• studied for tomorrow's Southeast Quiz 
• read Percy Jackson

This evening....

• finish the PJ sheet that was sent home yesterday.
• read the yellow note.
• read about the Winter Break Reading Challenge
• don't forget that there is a reading test tomorrow.
• remind yourself that the spelling test in Friday.

If we have 100% participation in the Winter Break Reading challenge, I will treat the class to hot chocolate. The challenge sheet is due January 6th, which should give you plenty of time.

Parent Volunteers: Several parents have volunteered to come on the trip. Our master list indicates that most are "Awaiting School Approval." 

Please call the following number at the Board to check your status. Otherwise, you may not be able to join us. 773-533-1544

Time to Design Tuesday

I can not guarantee that the "gingerbread houses" will make it home in one piece. I can assure you that it was a hands on experience.

This evening at home...

-The Percy response is due on Thursday. Pace yourself! Use the book to help you. It is linked to the blog.

-We will take the Reading and SS tests on Thursday.

-We will take the Spelling test on Friday.

Tomorrow is festive fancy dress day. 

Stay tuned to learn about the Winter Break Reading Challenge.If we get 100% participation, I will make hot chocolate for the kids to enjoy during a "read in."

Missed You Monday

Hello 201 and 202 Families!

I had to make an unplanned visit to the doctor with my son today, which meant I could not make it to school. All is going to be fine, and I am looking forward to our Gingerbread House making tomorrow.

We will get started right away!
Don't forget your supplies.

Any parent who is on the "approved" list for CPS is welcome to join us. We will need all hands on deck to make it work.

If you can come, please come on up to 201 at 8, and please send me an email so that I can let the office know to expect you.

If you can donate long heavy duty tin foil, please let me know. Otherwise I will make sure to pick some up.

There is no regular homework tonight. Please read, do some IXL and make sure that you are preparing for the SE quiz and the Reading test.

Because our monthly incentive is Friday, we will take both the Reading and SS tests on Thursday. 

Forever Friday

Ask Sophia about today's title!

This weekend at home....

-Study for next week's tests and quizzes.

-We will take the SE test on Thursday. We made a study guide today.

-We will take the reading and spelling tests on Friday.

-Don't forget about the thirty minutes of IXL. You can find skill goals on the tab above.  I will be checking on Sunday evening and entering smart scores.

*Don't forget about Gingerbread House supplies. Tuesday is construction day!

Happy Birthday Gabriel! Thanks for the goodies!

Spirit Week
Monday-Candy Cane Day
Tuesday- Holiday Sweater Day
Wednesday- Festive traditions day. Get dressed up!
Thursday- Crazy Sock Day
Friday- Pajama and Incentive Day

Thank You Thursday

Thanks to Sophia's family, 201 is twinkling with holiday light. We had fun stringing them up this morning, and I didn't fall off a table, which was a plus.

Yesterday, I attended the CPS Region 2 Learning Summit. I am excited to practice all that I learned with your kids. The report from the substitute teach was excellent, which is a credit to your wonderful children. Thank you 201!

This evening at home..

• make sure you are studying for next week's Southeast States and Capitals test.
• complete the "Generalizations" sheet and the "conclusions" sheets.
• read!

Reminders

• Pod 200 will attend the second grade CAC show tomorrow.
• Field Trip notes are going home today.
• Next Tuesday is Gingerbread House Making Day. See the note below.
• Next week is School Spirit Week. A note went home yesterday.
• Next Friday is pajama day and our monthly incentive. We will be watching a movie in the pod and hanging out with friends. 
• Progress Reports will go home tomorrow. Remember that this is a "week 5 snapshot." Missing or late work was recorded as a "0" and may be dragging down averages. There is still time to get the work in, but it will earn partial credit.  Our goal is to eliminate late work, except in case of illness. Teachers on the third floor do no accept late work.

Gingerbread House

• Is any family able to ask their local pizza parlor for pizza round donations? We need 26 -12 inch rounds. 
• We need long, heavy duty foil to wrap each creation. 
• We need enough plastic knives for 26 students.
• Each student needs to bring graham crackers, a tub of frosting and some candies for decorating.
• Parents, the more the merrier! Let me know if you would like to join us to help organize. This is a fun hour with the kids.
• Our time slot is from about 8:00-9:10.

Tuesday Thoughts

Hello Parents!

Please read the note about MAPS testing!
Please read the note about Gingerbread Houses.

This evening at home....
-pp 103 and 104 of the Readers notebook
-read!

*If anyone wants to donated holiday lights, we would love to do some decorating in 201!u

Drawing Conclusions

Click on the link to see the task cards.
You and your partner have fifteen minutes to discuss and find an answer for each of the cards.
Record your answers on an index card.
Number each response.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Sd0RqXh4vTVEJYcERZVVpCeVE/view?usp=sharing

Making Excuses Monday

Hello Team 201 and 202 Families!

Kids, do you know how I selected today's title? I am truly genuinely sorry if you don't.


I may have time to add more later, so check back in a few hours.

This evening at home...

• complete pages 99 and 100 in the Readers Notebook
• read!
• tell a parent about the Gingerbread House Project and show them the note.

Our reading test on Lesson 9 will be next week, as will the spelling test. Start preparing now!

1. weary
2. appear
3. square
4. weird
5. scarce
6. scare
7. prepare
8. spare
9. spark
10. cheer
11. compare
12. repair

Thumbs Up Thursday

1. mystery
2. discovery
3. prairie
4. starry
5. injury
6. envy
7. mercy
8. melody
9. alley
10. valley
11. steady

We are working hard today, and your kids are getting the job done!
Today we....

• broke in our new Writing Journals and met in small groups to brainstorm ideas and complete a graphic organizer.

• finished up some comprehension work in Life and Times of the Ant.

• created "A Day in the Life" journal entries, based on our reading.

• learned why Percy Jackson is the Supreme Lord of the Toilet, which is the title of chapter 6 and responded in writing.
• passed out notes about Six Flags Reading. This year, the reading log is online. The letter has a special code that is associated with our class. 

This evening at home....-read about Ares, the god of war.-use the half sheet provided to provide a sketch of Ares. Use text features to help your reader understand who he is and why he is important.-study those spelling words, and make sure you are comfortable with the vocabulary words. We have a test tomorrow.
201 only: the NE scrapbook is due tomorrow!

Wednesday Words

Readers Notebook: pp. 173 and 174
Make sure that you are going over and studying this week's vocabulary words, found in Life and Times of the Ant
Don't forget that the NE Scrapbook, complete with fully colored pictures and informative captions, is due on Friday morning.

Terrific Tuesday

This evening at home...
-read, or reread The Dove and the Ant in Journeys
-complete the questions based on the Dove and the Ant(handout)
-read
-201, finish the SE States, Capitals and Abbreviations list in your SS notebook.

Don't Forget 201, tomorrow is Picture Day!
The Northeast Scrapbook is due on Friday
These students have turned it in:GD, JR, MB, AA, AK, MH, BS,HH, GF
 Tips: fully colored, captions, info-rich

Mandibles Monday

Today we read The Life and Times of the Ant in Journeys. We will also forge ahead in Percy Jackson. We carved out some time to read our library book club books, meet with book club members,  and respond in our reading notebooks.

The Southeast region is our Social Science destination. Today, we will get to know the states and capitals, and will explore the region's geography.

This evening at home....

• finish reading The Life and Times of the Ant.
• as you read,annotate the text using post it notes. I will be checking! This can count as your nightly reading.
• complete pp. 171 and 172 in the Readers Notebook.

Don't forget...

• This Wednesday is Picture Day
• I will be checking for an hour of ELA IXL next Sunday. See the tab above for directions and skill sets.
• Make sure to bring your book club selection to school each day. Please keep up with the reading goals, and be willing to reread if you choose to read ahead of the group.
• If you have not turned in your Northeast Scrapbook, please get it to me by this Friday.

This week's spelling list:

1. mystery
2. discovery
3. prairie
4. starry
5. injury
6. envy
7. mercy
8. melody
9. alley
10. valley
11. steady

Want to learn more about amazing ants? Click on the links.

https://www.natgeokids.com/nz/discover/animals/insects/ant-facts/

https://pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/ants/

Picture Day Reminder

201 takes pictures this Wednesday, December 4!

Where's the Turkey Wednesday

We are working hard to answer that question right now. Kids in 403(ask your kids to explain) are reading clues, eliminating suspects and hope to solve the Case of Stolen Turkey very soon.

Enjoy the long weekend at home. 

There is no regular reading homework.

Don't forget about IXL. I will NOT be checking for 30 minutes this Sunday. I will be checking for an HOUR next Sunday, December 8. Please budget your time. Smart Scores for assigned skills will be entered into Aspen. If kids are not practicing at home, a score of 0 is earned.

Please see the new IXL Express tab to stay informed about skills.

On 12/8, I will enter Smart Scores for Grade 5 A.1/A.2

Turkey Tuesday

Today we.....

• worked so hard to complete ongoing projects.
• took the Hurricanes test, as many students will be absent tomorrow. I will be here tomorrow, and we have a fun day planned.

This evening at home...

• help around the house. What can you do to contribute or lend a hand? Ask how.
• read!

Good To Know

• If you are not coming to school tomorrow, you will not have time to finish these ongoing projects: NE Scrapbook, Hurricanes Flipbook, Planets Flipbook.
• I do NOT plan on assigning regular homework over the holiday break. 
• Kids who do not finish the class work will need to find time to get them done at home. I will extend the due dates for the Hurricane and Scrapbook project until next Friday, December 6. We will not use any more class time to get these done, so please budget your time.

Mashed Potato Monday

Hello Team 201 and 202 families,

Yes, I am thinking about mashed potatoes. However, this is a busy week at school and we are staying productive.  201 and 202 will have slightly different schedules this week, due to assemblies. Check out these reminders so that you can stay in the loop.

• 201 and 202 took the spelling test today.
• 201 was NOT able to take the reading test today, due to the Awards Assembly. 201 will take the reading test on Wednesday.
• 202 was able to take the Hurricanes reading test today.
• Tomorrow, we have a special assembly in the CAC. The title is "Breakin' it Down: Hip Hop History.
• our next selection in Journeys is The Life and Times of the Ant. I will post the new spelling list asap.

This evening at home...

-Study for tomorrow's Social Studies quiz. Both 201 and 202 have a quiz on the NE region.

-Read for 20 minutes or more and get a parent signature. Email confirmation is fine.

Friendly Friday

We all enjoyed spending time with the Big Friendly Giant today. Thank you to our parent volunteers for joining us. Thank you too, to all of the parents who offered to help. We will make sure that parents get an equal opportunity to join us. We should have a trip in December too. I will keep you posted.

This weekend at home....
202 and 201: Study for Monday's reading, vocabulary and spelling tests.
201- Study for Tuesday's Social Study test. You must have the NE states and capitals memorized, and you must know the location of each state when looking at a blank map.



Spelling words:

somebody, fireplace, nearby, make-believe, anything, all right, forehead, classmate,  twenty-two, driveway, alarm clock, 

Vocabulary Words

whirling- to spin quickly.

rapidly- done in quick or speedy fashion.

condense-to change from a gas to liquid form.

source-to point where something comes from.

rotating-To turn on an axis.

rage-To move with great violence.

experience- To have something happen to oneself.

ancient- very old.

predict- To tell about in advance.

registered-To show some kind of information as on a scale or other device.

Comprehension Skills and Strategies:

Text and Graphic Features

Explain Scientific Ideas

Text Structure

Genre:

Informational Text

Grammar Skill:

Frequently Confused Words

Vocabulary Strategies:

Suffixes –ful, -less, -ness, -ment

Spelling Skill: compound words

Thwindy Thursday

We know that it is windy outside, because we just had a fire drill! It was a bit stressful, and it was very chilly. We all got out of the building quickly and safely, which is the goal.

Right now, kids in 201 are finishing the math test. They will extend their math period a bit, so that everyone will have ample time to finish.
Parents, please support your kids in learning their multiplication facts "like that." Fact fluency sets the foundation for success. With practice, they will get it!

This evening at home...
-read for twenty minutes or more.
-Math: show what you know/vocab builder in Go Math ch 4.
-Science: Mystery Science assessment

GTK
-Tomorrow is Field Trip Day! Bring a bag lunch or lunch box to school. We will eat in 201 after the trip.
-Picture forms were sent home earlier this week. I will be collecting money until December 4, which is out picture day.
-We will take a Reading/Vocabulary/Spelling test on Monday.
-The Social Studies Northeast test is on Tuesday. Today, kids had time to record the states and capitals. This information will be on the test.
-Don't forget that I will be checking IXL At Home each Sunday evening. I will be recording Smart Scores in Aspen. This week's skill is K.1. If you finish, move on to another Grade 4 skill.


Get ready for tomorrow's performance!  

......When Sophie is snatched from her bed by a Giant, she fears that he’s going to eat her. But the Giant has no intention of harming her - after all, he is THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT!

The BFG takes her to his cave in Giant Land, where he hides from the other nasty giants. While they're squiffsquiddling off to Turkey ("to have turkey dinner!") he stays behind, cataloging his dreams, the dreams he blows into the ears of sleeping children in hopes of giving them very good sleep.

But when Sophie finds out that the Giants are headed back to England to wreak havoc on English children, she convinces the BFG to help her foil the plot, and no one other than the Queen of England will have to be part of the plan!

-Adapted from Roald Dahl’s modern classic book, this is great fun for students grades K-5, and perfect for libraries and civic centers