Wednesday, March 28, 2012

3.28.12

It's Wednesday :)

Hello!!  I hope you're having a fantastic Wednesday. 

Today in reading we continued to work on identifying character traits.  We read 2 passages and identified the main characters traits.  During small groups, students are reading a new book beginning this week.  We are also working on identifying character traits in ourselves and writing a story about our traits :)

READING HOMEWORK:
Students should complete "The Night Before".  This is a reading passage and then there are questions on the back to complete.

In math today we took our decimals test.  We've been learning about decimals the last few weeks and tested over what we had learned. 

MATH HOMEWORK:
none

In writing we are continuing our living wax project.  Today students will see other students who are giving speeches on a famous person and begin working on their own speeches.  This is a fun project we are looking forward to having families involved in as well!

Thank you! Enjoy your day!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

3.27.12

Hello Tuesday :)

What a gorgeous day outside, just a bit too chilly this morning though right?  Spring time really is my favorite time of year! I love getting outside and enjoying the sunshine before its too hot out!

Today in reading we continued to further our understanding of character traits.  In whole group we discussed what character traits are and wrote a poem using our initials.  The class helped each other to identify traits about themselves and it was a fun way to learn more about our own character traits :)

We do not have reading homework this evening.

In MATH we reivewed our chapter take home from last night's homework and began working on a packet to prepare the class for our test tomorrow. 
For HOMEWORK in MATH:
Students should complete their math packet and study their decimal information to prepare for their test tomorrow (WEDNESDAY March 28).

Thank you, happy Tuesday to you!

Monday, March 26, 2012

3.26.12

Good Monday to you!!

In reading this week we are working on characters and identifying character traits.  We want to identify what character's actions prove to be a character trait.
We do not have any reading homework for MONDAY.

In math we are continuing to work on decimals and demonstrating what we know about decimals.  We DO have Math homework for Monday.
Math Homework:
Chapter Review/Test - Textbook pages 51-52.

In writing we are working on our Living Wax projects.  Students are researching a famous Kentuckian and beginning to write a paper on their chosen person.  This week we will be beginning to write our paper about our Kentuckians.

Have a great Monday :)

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thursday :)

Hello!!

I am so grateful to be working with these students.  What a bright group of fourth graders at Deep Springs we have!!

Reading:
We are learning about theme in reading this week and finding the theme in different texts.  Theme is the central idea or message of the story.  Some stories tell you the moral or lesson, others do not. 

HOMEWORK:"Jason and the Golden Fleece" students should answer questions 1-10.

Math:
We are continuing to compare decimals.  Today we started rounding decimals to the nearest whole number or tenth.  We are ordering numbers with decimals from least to greastest.

HOMEWORK:
Students should complete pages 13-16 in their workbooks.

Enjoy this beautiful weather  :)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Happy Wednesday!!!

Hello!!  I am Ms. Collins, I will be substituting for Mrs. Thomas for the remainder of the year.  She needs to stay home and take care of herself before baby Jack arrives.  I have substituted for this class several times before and look forward to getting to know each of your students better!

Today we reviewed expectations.  With the transition I wanted your student to know what I expect from them and wanted to get to know your student better!  I look forward to a fantastic remainder of the school year.  If you all need to get in touch with me for any reason feel free to call the school and we will make time to chat :)
Today in READING we are working on finding the theme of a story, drama or poem.  Finding the theme of a story is when you find the central moral or lesson. 

HOMEWORK:
Worksheet that is called "The Guide"

MATH:  We continue to work on comparing and ordering decimals, and completing a decimal pattern.

HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:

We worked on getting information from our research.

HOMEWORK: none

SCIENCE:

The student are continuing their unit over Force and Motion with Ms. Frederick.

HOMEWORK: none

Monday, March 19, 2012

3.19.12

Woweeee...did you SEE the Wildcats in action this weekend?!?  YAAAAAY!!!  I am so pumped, I hope that this is the sign of good things to come for our boys in blue!  I've got the fever...the March Madness fever...do you?!?

READING:
This week, we are reviewing the skills of summarizing, making inferences, and identifying themes in fictional texts.  The theme is the overall message of a fictional passage (kind of like the main idea of a nonfiction text).  We first worked to make inferences of passages we read.  The students did TERRIFIC with this review so we moved quickly onto themes which are sometimes harder to identify.  We practiced this skill with some known fables and finding the moral of the story.  In groups, students complete word work assignments for vocabulary; read fables and identified what lesson we can learn from them (the moral...or THEME of the story); and did a theme scavenger hunt where I gave them several fictional texts to read and they had to identify the theme of each.
HOMEWORK: Vocabulary Exercises 1 and 2.

MATH:
We worked on comparing and ordering decimals, and completing a decimal pattern.
HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:
We worked on getting information from our research.
HOMEWORK: none

SCIENCE:
The students started on a new unit over Force and Motion with Ms. Frederick.
HOMEWORK: none

Have a wonderful evening!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Thursday, March 15, 2012

3.15.12

Happy Thursday, all!  What fantastic weather today, but boy has it ever been HOT in here?!? Wowza!  Like, I do not think anyone can fully comprehend what we've been dealing with...it is actually about 20 degrees cooler OUTSIDE, than it is INSIDE.  NO lie...it is stifling!  We are literally sweating our britches off!  Eeeeeee! 

Thank you to those of you who have sent back your conference forms!  Remember, it is first come, first serve and I MUST meet with you prior to my leave.  Next week is the best time to do so, so please get back with me ASAP to ensure a time that is convenient for you!

a.m. Activities:
This morning, we took our KPREP practice session assessment for Math.  It was HARD, but the students worked so well and so diligently and you should be very pleased with their efforts!

MATH:
After the practice test, we had Math.  I went over the workbook pages from last night to review hundredths and then I taught them 2 games to practice skill.  We had a lovely time!
HOMEWORK: none (for either class)

PM Activities:
We took a summative assessment over our skills of focus in READING for the previous weeks which was Main Idea, Author's Opinion, and Fact & Opinion.

REMEMBER, there is NO school tomorrow (Friday, March 16th) because of staff development day!  See you back here Monday, March 19th!

and good luck to our boys in blue, the C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS who take on my alma mater, WKU, tonight at 6:50!  I love my former school, but I will NEVER root against those WILDCATS!!!  Hopefully, we just keep on winning and winning until title number 8 is OURS!


HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Have a terrific 3-DAY weekend!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

3.14.12

Happy 'PI' day!  Did you know it is 3.14 and that is Pi Day?!?  Mathematicians unite!
Pi, Greek letter
(π), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. Pi = 3.1415926535…

With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational and transcendental number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating. The symbol for pi was first used in 1706 by William Jones, but was popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737.

For more information, visit: www.piday.org

Aaliyah is our birthday girl today!!!
ALSO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AALIYAH!!!!  We love you so, so much and hope you have the best day ever!!! 

a.m. Activities:
This morning, we took a practice KPREP assessment for Reading which is the new name for our summative tests that we take each spring (formerly referred to as CATS testing or KCCT testing).  It is imperative that we practice the procedures and expectations for this testing to be as adequately prepared as possible!  Also, tests look very different from years past so we got to iron out the kinks!  The students were so encouraging and supportive of each other and it was incredible to see!  Because of these though, we had quite the "adjusted schedule"!

At the completion of the test, we had READING and with my class, we played a few games for review - visit THIS LINK to practice Main Idea, or THIS LINK to practice with Author's Purpose.
HOMEWORK: "From Pet to Threat" and "Nobel Work" reading passages.  Read the passages and answer the coinciding questions.  These are due TOMORROW. 

At the completion of Reading, we went to RECESS, had a boxed lunch in the classroom, had D.E.A.R. time and then Guidance with Ms. Burks for our special area class.

MATH:
We finally got around to MATH by 1:10.  We worked on hundredths in decimals.  It takes 10 hundredths to equal 1 tenth.  I compare these to dimes and pennies for easier understanding of the concept.  Hundredths are like pennies because it takes one hundred pennies to equal one dollar (one whole), and tenths are like dimes because it takes 10 dimes to equal one dollar (one whole).  Accordingly, it takes 10 pennies (hundredths) to equal 1 dime (a tenth).
HOMEWORKWORKBOOK pages 5, 6, 7, and 8 for MY MATH CLASS; WORKBOOK PAGES 5-6 for Ms. Frederick's class

Following MATH, our day was complete!

REMINDERS:
We do NOT have school on Friday (March 16th).

UK plays tomorrow at 6 (against my alma mater - Western Kentucky University - ahhhh!!!)

**I sent home conference requests in planners TODAY for conference night on Thursday, March 22nd.  Please schedule yours with me as soon as possible.  If you cannot meet on the day of the 22nd, see the back for scheduling another day in the following week.  It is VERY important that we meet so we can go over your child's report card, progress for this year, and next steps as we prepare the students to transition to 5th grade.**

Spring Break is 11 school days away after today!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and perfect Pi Day!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

3.13.12

Happy Tuesday, friends!  Boy, was it a BEAUTIFUL day or what?!?  I can't wait to grill out something delicious for dinner...how about you?!?  What kind of mood does this awesome weather put you in?!?  We only have two more school days in this week! (No school Friday...remember?!?)

READING:
We worked on identifying an author's opinion and finding details within the text to support it.  Students had quite a bit of independent practice with this skill.
HOMEWORK: none for my reading class - but tomorrow is our practice KPREP test that we will be running like the test later in the Spring!  In Mr. Harman's reading class, students must finish: "Buckle Up", "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?", "Art Crime 2", "Independent Practice" sheet, and a comprehension sheet to catch up on any incomplete activities from the previous weeks.

MATH:
We finished working with tenths in decimals.  Tomorrow, we will begin working with hundredths.
HOMEWORK: WORKBOOK pages 1-4 in MY math class; and pages 3-4 in Ms. Frederick's math class.

SCIENCE:
With Ms. Frederick, students worked together on an ERQ about sound energy and then peer scored each other's.
HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:
Because of a meeting Ms. Schrader had, we had a FULL class in writing today!  We utilized that time to go through our research and put it into our Living Wax Information Booklets.  Students are learning so much about their people they're researching!
HOMEWORK: none

REMINDERS:
There is NO school THIS Friday (March 16th!)
Tomorrow is our practice KPREP assessment for reading
Schedule a conference with me for conference night on March 22nd.  All times are open except for 3:15 as I had my first scheduled today (thanks for being so diligent!)
Spring Break is 12 school days from today!

Have a tremendous Tuesday!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Monday, March 12, 2012

3.12.12

Good Monday afternoon, all!  I hope I find you well and wonderful and not too tired after "springing forward" an hour this weekend!  Our kiddos were absolute ZOMBIES this morning...I literally felt like I was having to put on a dog and pony show to catch and keep their attention.  It was sad :(
On a different note, YAAAAAYAYAYAYAAAAY for our Kentucky Wildcats getting the overall NUMBER ONE seed in the NCAA tournament!  This is my absolute very most favorite time of the year!  I love, love, loooooove it!  How can you be in a bad mood during this great time?!?  I hope this is the year we bring home national title number 8!!!  I was telling the kids, the last time we won, I was going into high school and it was years before they were born!  We are due for another!
READING:
We reviewed identifying the main idea of an informational text and finding details within that text to support our reasoning.  And, we got some fun practice by playing THIS GAME.

Next, we moved on to the skill of identifying an author's opinion about a topic.  This is important because as readers, we need to be able to recognize how an author feels about a subject and how they express these beliefs and opinions.  We read several articles and practiced identifying how the author felt about the topic and finding details within the text to support this reasoning.
HOMEWORK: we will NOT be having Vocabulary words this week because of our mock KPREP test this Wednesday and Thursday in preparation/ practice for our upcoming Spring tests.  There is NO homework otherwise for this evening.

MATH:
We began our new unit which is DECIMALS!  Decimals are all around us as we see them in our grades, advertisements, money, etc.  They relate to fractions because they are part of a whole.
HOMEWORK: none for MY math class; WORKBOOK pages 1 & 2 for Ms. Frederick's math class.

SCIENCE:
With Ms. Frederick, students got to work in centers and use our AWESOME iPads to reinforce practice with sound energy!!!  When I came back to the room, they had an EXCELLENT report for behavior so I was super happy!  I love getting GREAT reports!
HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:
We worked on sorting through our research about our person for the Living Wax Museum projects.  Students are learning so much about their person and it is so wonderful seeing their interest and fascination as they become a living wax representation of these famous Kentuckians!
HOMEWORK: none

REMINDERS:
  • Class pictures are TOMORROW (please bring money and forms by then and look super pretty!)
  • KPREP practice tests are THIS Wednesday and Thursday (please come to school well rested and on a full tummy - unless you get breakfast here!)
  • We DO NOT have school THIS Friday, March 16th
  • Conference Night is Thursday, March 22nd.  Please schedule a time to meet with me so I can review your child's report card with you and go over progress from our last conference.  I feel it is even more imperative that we meet since I will be leaving for maternity leave very soon!
  • SPRING BREAK is 13 school days away (after today!)

Have a marvelous Monday!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

This combines two things I LOVE: Seinfeld (TV show) and UK basketball...hahaha!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

3.8.12

Happy Thursday, all! 

READING:
Students worked on completing their "airing out our opinions" t-shirts that we began yesterday.  In this, they read 4 different articles and chose one in which they developed an opinion, then made up a slogan for their opinions and put it on a t-shirt (a paper one) that we will hang up on a clothesline in the classroom.  They also participated in a "fact and opinion scavenger hunt" where they went through Scholastic News and found examples of facts and opinions and put them on a t-chart.
HOMEWORK: complete "Viva Cinco de Mayo" vocab word study, AND complete Main Idea Practice2 sheet (both sides)

MATH:
Students took their summative (final) assessment over fractions!  It was a doozie but many did well!
HOMEWORK: none

SCIENCE:
With Ms. Frederick, students watched THIS VIDEO and then discussed elements of sound such as frequency and amplitude.  They got to a fun activity where they used rulers on their desks to examine vibrations.  So cool!
HOMEWORK: none.

WRITING:
Many students needed to finish their ERQs for the fraction test so I allowed my class to do that while others did some creative writing.  Then, we worked on going through our booklets for our Living Wax Museum projects.  Look for information to be coming home about these TONIGHT!
HOMEWORK: discuss living wax museum topic with parents.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

3.7.12

Whew!  I feel like it's been forever since I've had a post on here...and it has!  Last Friday?!?  Eeeeek!  I know we had the storms on Friday, then the weekend, then a SNOW DAY on Monday (seriously, how crazy is good ol' Mother Nature right now?!!?), and then I was out yesterday due to illness.  I cannot believe we're already on Wednesday of this week!  I hope all of your loved ones are safe and sound and were not affected by the tragedy that took place Friday in many areas close to us.  I will continue to pray for everyone affected!  As far as the snow day...we FINALLY got one!  I hope you had a chance to get out and play in it...it sure was beautiful while it lasted!  And now we're supposed to get into the upper 60s today?!?  I tell you what, that Mother Nature sure is one crazy gal!

READING:
We played catch-up!  With our snow day Monday and me out yesterday, we have some ground to cover.  Yesterday, with Ms. Collins, (the sub - who is also my long-term sub!) the students revisited the skill of fact and opinion.  Today, we revisited identifying the main idea of nonfiction texts and using details from that text to support it. 
HOMEWORK: Exercises 3 & 4 (Vocab); and Main Idea reading practice worksheet (front AND back)

MATH:
We reviewed all of our fractions skills because we will be moving on to decimals by the end of the week!  YAY! 
HOMEWORK: MY CLASS AND MS. FREDERICK'S MATH CLASS (BOTH) --> complete fractions packet from class (it is a review and is to help in preparation for our BIG fractions test tomorrow!)

SCIENCE:
With Ms. Frederick, students worked on sound.  They watched THIS VIDEO and then used Science books to read about sound and answer coinciding questions.
HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:
Since it is "Read Across America" week (in honor of Dr. Seuss) it was requested that the students have extended D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time to focus on their reading.  We utilized our writing time as reading time today and had 40+ minutes of calm, silent, and focused reading.  It was peaceful and pleasant!
HOMEWORK: none.

Have a wonderful Wednesday evening!  Tomorrow is HAT day!!! 
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

REMINDERS:
Class Pictures are NEXT TUESDAY (March 13th).
There is NO SCHOOL NEXT FRIDAY (March 16th)

Friday, March 2, 2012

3.2.12

It's a stormy Friday Gents and Judies!  I hope everyone stayed safe and dry through our rainy day :)  Guess who had car rider duty this afternoon?!?  Ahhhh...memories :)  hahaha!

READING:
We took our final assessment over point-of-view and sources (primary and secondary).  The students had quite a whopper of an assessment so we gave them plenty of time to do their best!  Once finished, I allowed the students from my reading class to finish putting together their presentations for their Wright Brothers' Projects.
HOMEWORK: none.  Next week, we will be using LESSON 13 from Wordly Wise...check it out over the weekend if you get a chance!

MATH:
We reviewed and worked on some of our fractions concepts since many students feel that all of this fraction hubba-ma-jubb is running together...ahhhhhh...we don't want THAT to happen!
HOMEWORK: none.

We had early dismissal due to the inclement weather we are expecting this afternoon. 

WRITING:
We were going to begin going over our our Living Wax Museum research project and looking at formulating good questions to guide our research, but Fayette County called for Early dismissal!  Some information regarding the projects though...

Over the next several weeks before Spring Break, students will be selecting a famous Kentuckian to research and learn about in order to emulate them in a final presentation dubbed, "the Living Wax Museum".  We will be presenting these wax sculptures (the students dressed up and impersonating their person, giving a detailed account of important parts of their life throughout Kentucky's history) on Thursday, April 12th.
HOMEWORK: please review your student's choice and begin discussing some history involving that person. A good home to school connection will be more than imperative throughout the course of this assignment!

Have a terrific weekend!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Thursday, March 1, 2012

3.1.12


RABBITS, RABBITS, RABBITS...HAPPY MARCH EVERYONE!!!  Did you know there's only 20 school days left until spring break?!?  Whooaaaaa, Nellie!

READING:
Students were able to piece together their poster for their Wright Brothers' Project.  This included showing: a comparison of two sources and identifying the most reliable; a t-chart detailing all 7 sources; a historical narrative about the Wright Brothers; a brochure about their planes; and various other components.  They did a SENSATIONAL job and everyday I am absolutely WOWed by their amazing capabilities and successes!
HOMEWORK: STUDY for Vocabulary test TOMORROW. 

MATH:
We reviewed multiplying fractions and finding fractions of a set.
Remember, when finding fractions OF a set, you are multiplying (the clue word 'OF' should signal you to multiply).  To multiply a fraction you (using the example 1/2 x 8):
1) Make the whole number into a fraction (8 becomes 8/1).
2) Line up the fractions side by side so the numerators are next to each other and the denominators are next to each other as well (1/2 x 8/1).
3) Multiply straight across to make a fraction product (so, 1 x 8 = 8; and 2 x 1 = 2). The resulting fraction is now an improper fraction which is 8/2.
4) Convert fraction product (8/2) to a mixed number by seeing how many times the denominator goes into the numerator (2 goes into 8, 4 times, so the simplified product is 4).
HOMEWORK: complete #s 1-15 on worksheet administered in class (MY MATH CLASS); NONE for Ms. Frederick's class. 

SCIENCE:
With Ms. Frederick, students watched THIS VIDEO about sound and then completed a fun activity on the SMARTBoard dealing with pitch and vibration.
HOMEWORK: none

WRITING:
We worked on some creative writing as we are putting our personal narratives "to bed" for a while since we are beginning our Living Wax Museum Projects/ Reports tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: none

Have a thrilling March 1st!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas