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Chavura (grades 3 & 4)
Things you need to know:End of quarter tests! Wordly Wise, Tuesday; 4th grade math, Wed. Unit 4; PofI - On the Move: Immigration: written test Wed., summative projects due Thursday;
Program of Inquiry - finishing up our immigration unit from 1500s to the present (immigration to the US); Next mini unit will focus on refugees (see more info. later on the Torn From Home museum visit) and on how arts and crafts of a region reflect the people and natural resources available (we'll look at how even in refugee camps, children create toys out of found items).
For the week of: December 7. 2009
Things you need to know We're working on ideas for our holiday party. Secret Santa? Treats and a movie? Please share your ideas with class mom, Stephanie Pate.
Drivers needed for Wednesday's rehearsal at the Art Center auditorium.
Program of Inquiry
Central Idea
Inquiry Into:
Teacher Questions:
This week students are learning about the: This P of I is taking much longer than anticipated. We proabably won't complete this unit of inquiry until after Winter break (and then some!). But this is an important unit - students will likely never again study Native Americans or their role in the founding of the Americas until college. Further, contemporary immigration and refugee issues are a constant source of news and interest to the US and world communities so I'm justifying taking extra time.
Summative Project
Field Studies We'll be visiting the "Torn from Home" exhibit (which HDS is co-sponsoring) at the Hickory Art Museum, in January or February.
Spelling
Vocabulary
Math Please continue to review multiplication facts with your child. Students are doing really well but can always benefit from practice.
Reading Don't forget to talk to your child about what they're reading for fun - final revisions to current IBRs will be due before holiday break
Writing Don't forget to ask students to share or discuss what they're writing in their WNs. Encourage them to expand their quantity and improve on the quality (depth) and breadth (range of kinds of writing) of their entries.
Other important information
For the week of:November 23, 2009
Things you need to know
Program of Inquiry
Central Idea
Inquiry Into:
Teacher Questions:
This week students are learning about the:
Summative Project
Field Studies
Spelling - Quiz Tues. 11/24 on last week's rules (did 't have time for test last week)
Vocabulary
Math 4th grade math test, Mond. 11/23, on unit and mulitiplication tables
Reading - Revision to last week's calendar: next DRAFT of IBR due Tues. 11/24 Final will be due the week after Thanksgiving after we've had a chance to revise one more time.
Writing
Other important information - During the Festival of Thanks, we're hoping to show families and friends the corn husk figures and decorations students have been making using only found (natural world) items as well as the "antiqued" letters , ship logs, and journal entries students have written from the perspective of a character from the early 1600s. Have a great Thanksgiving!
For the week of:
Things you need to know - every Friday, students have 3 reading responses (in reading "journal") and 3 WN entries due; spelling HW (if any) is due and it's also spelling test and spelling rule quiz day; Wordly Wise lessons are due every Friday - test on this lesson is the following Wednesday; Thursday is geography quiz day; D'Nealian is due on Friday, assigned on an as-needed basis.
Program of Inquiry - Immigration, continued
Central Idea
Inquiry Into:
Teacher Questions:
This week students are learning about the: continuing study of the voyage to Jamestown, life in early New England for both colonists and Native Americans. Several students will share their learning with the class and participants will be asked to create a ship's log or write a letter to an imaginary person (role play in historical fiction).
Summative Project - students continue to hone their keyboarding skills in preparation for a power point presentation
Field Studies
Spelling - as needed; whole class rules will be: review of pronouns and contractions; introduce syllables and "ou" and "ow" sounds.
Vocabulary
Math
Reading - Independent Book Review #2 - Final piece - will be due Monday, Nov. 23.
For the week of: November 2-6
Things you need to know
Thank you to Stephanie Pate for organizing our trip to see Bunnicula, to Ray for driving and Kate Adair for the doughnut treats! Thank you also to Stephanie, Jennifer Oursler, Amy Chang, and Sharon Whitener for making our Halloween party a blast. Thank heavens the upcoming week is a peaceful one - nothing big on the horizon for now.
Program of Inquiry
Central Idea
Inquiry Into:
Teacher Questions:
This week students are learning about the: After looking at some of the first white explorers to the Americas (Columbus), our attention turns now to the "Indian" (Native American) point of view and contact with the first European settlers. We'll read about Pocahontas and Powhatan, watch and analyze Disney's Pocahontas for contrast, study about the mysterious disappearing colony of Roanoke Island, the Jamestown settlers, their voyange to what would become the Colonies, why they left England, ship-board life, and early settlement life.
Summative Project: students continue to read from a selection of fiction texts concerned with various immigrants' and indigenous peoples' experiences and the cultural overlaps and clashes that come with contact.
Field Studies none this week
Spelling - long o, and as-needed words; spelling rules
Vocabulary - Wordly Wise
Math 4th: introduction to division; continuing speed drills in multiplication; Multiplication Baseball during center time
Reading: the first draft of the next Independent Book Review (No. 2) is due Tues. Nov. 10. - see last peer/teacher input before writing; students should be reading 30 minutes per night, minimum. ; Ask students about their "Think-marks" or reading strategies: they are "making explicit the implicit" by writing about their reading practices such as connecting with the text(text to text, text to self, text to world connections), re-reading, predicting, inferring, summarizing, and questionning; these responses are written in their "reading journal notes (see reading binder).
Writing: we've resumed writing in our WNs, minimum of 3 entries a week. Have you considered reading and writing along with your child?
Other important information: Talk to your children about what's going on in the world, about the fluctuation of the stock markets, about health care and the flu virus, etc.
We have a very enthusiastic and thus sometimes overly talkative class. Students need to practice listening to their peers and the teacher, raising hands and not interrupting to share their ideas, and learning to manage themselves and their OWN strengths and weaknesses.
For the Week of October 19-23
Things you need to know
Parent teacher conferences will continue this week. Please email me if you haven't yet signed up for a time slot. First quarter conferences are mandatory I'm afraid.
Reminder:
We will be attending the play, Bunnicula, based on the book by James Howe, at the Hickory Community Theater, on Tuesday, October 27. Drivers needed, please. See Stephanie Pate.
Spelling: Spelling test will be Friday, 10-16. Grammar and spelling mini-lesson focus for the next week will be a review of short vowel sounds; doubling consonants when adding “ed” and “ing;” use of articles “a” and “an.”
Math: 3rd grade: (see last week for detailed description of new unit). Mrs. Dollar will be teaching 3rd grade math for the time being.
4th grade math: test on Unit 2 Wednesday, 10-14.
For the Week of October 12-16
Things you need to know
"Ms. Tanya" has officially adopted Bunnicula! She is a past president of the Humane Society, has several bunnies already, plus many and sundry other animals. She is the perfect home for our Bunnicula. (When she came to pick him up, she showed some of us how to hypnotize him! )
For your calendars: DATE CHANGE: we will be attending the play, Bunnicula, based on the book by James Howe, at the Hickory Community Theater, on Tuesday, October 27. Drivers needed, please. See Stephanie Pate.
Summative project: NEW PLANNER beginning this week - “On the Move” - Immigration, its causes and effects. Inquiry into: Native Americans and European immigration; Ellis Island; settlement patterns; immigration legislation; refugee issues; continuing our family heritage focus (where WE came from and why).
Field Studies: DATE CHANGE: Bunnicula, the play, Tuesday, October 27 at Hickory Community Theatre. Please email or see Stephanie Pate for transportation information. Drivers needed.
Spelling: Because of Grandparents day, last week's spelling test will be Tuesday, Oct. 6. Grammar and spelling mini-lesson focus for the next week will be plural words: changing “y” to “i”and adding es; doubling consonants when adding “ed” and “ing;” use of articles “a” and “an.”
Math: 3rd grade: Look for next family letter - Unit 2: basic addition and subtraction facts; focus on automaticity (quick response); knowing when to add and when to subtract; number stories; continued practice with calculators; computational strategies – using more than one way to arrive at an answer; continued practice with telling time – focus on elapsed time (“if we started at 5:10 and finished at 6:40, how long did it take?”); 4th grade: uses of numbers: counts (5 people, 10 cars...), measures, location, ratios, percentages, and scale numbers, and identification numbers (zip codes, etc.). reviewing place value; algorithms (stategies) for adding and subtracting multi-digits NOT using a calculators; collecting, organizing, and describing data (bar charts and tally graphs). BOTH CLASSES continue to practice working with money in our school store. Counting change is very important.
Reading : Immigration-related readings – TBD; reading strategies focus will continue to be on summarizing, skimming, and supporting opinions with text-based sources. Independent Reading reviews (we used to call them Book Reports, but it's more than that :-)will be one of the foci of Center work; students need to be finishing one book on their own time.
Writing: Circling back to explaining the writing process: brainstorming using Writer's Notebooks, drafting, revising, peer editing/editing, and publishing.
For the week of: Sept. 28 - Oct. 2
Things you need to know
The students of Chavura have come to realize that Bunnicula is not a happy bunny in our classroom. He needs quiet and freedom to run. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting him, please let us know.
Student presentations of their Suitcase Projects will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 2 – Grandparents Day. Please join us! The students have been working very hard on these projects.
Summative project: Drafting and revising family stories, heirloom stories, interviews, family trees, maps of family origins, and genealogy (nurture/nature) charts. Students should decide this weekend what “suitcase” and which photos, heirlooms, and items of significance they will include in their final project. “Suitcases” may be anything that can contain these items: mine is a paper bag representing my family's humble beginnings in this country.
Field Studies: We are hoping to go see Bunnicula, the play, on Wednesday, October 28 at Hickory Community Theatre. More information to come.
Spelling: Spelling words are written in planners every Friday or Monday. Tests are Friday. Words are assigned individually based on each student's needs (misspellings) .Spelling and grammar lessons are taught throughout the week. The last two weeks we focused on homophones and short vowel sounds well as he meanings of infinitives and conjugation of verbs; this week we're looking at “f” sounds and irregularities in spelling, specifically “i before e except after c.”
Vocabulary: Wordly Wise lessons are due every Friday. Tests on that lesson are the following Tuesday (sometimes Wednesday); the next lesson is always being worked on concurrent with the one being tested. Please help your children remember this.
Math: I'm experimenting with alternating days for Everyday Math - 3rd graders have an hour plus of teacher-directed math Mondays and Wednesdays; 4th have an hour plus on Tuesdays and Thursdays; Fridays are split and used to review, catch up, binder check. Every student has Math Center time on the off days as well.
Reading :
Writing: drafting, revising, and publishing of summative projects; we will continue with Writer's Notebook assignments, speed writes, etc. following Suitcase Project presentations; students should be encouraged to write in Writer's Notebooks regardless!
For the week of: Sept. 21 - 25
Things you need to know
Central Idea: Where we come from influences who we become.
Inquiry Into: continued investigation of nurture and nature in our development as individuals: the role of geneology, one's family's culture, society.
Teacher Questions: In what countries does your family originate? What traits have you interited, what have been taught? What family artifacts reflect your heritage (describe one in detail) ? What family stories can you tel (write one); How can you summarize your heritage in an oral and visual presentation?
This week students are learning about the:
Summative Project: Wroking out of their writers notebooks, drafting and revising written responses to the above questions.
Field Studies: Planning on a field study to see Bunnicula, the play, in late October.
Spelling: learning spelling rules for short a, i before e, doubling consonants when adding ed or ing; individualized spelling words based on pretesting; spelling tests will be on Fridays for the time being.
Vocabulary - Individualized books for Wordly Wise; students complete one lesson a week, test on that lesson the following Tues. or Wed.; vocab. from shared reading continues on an as needed basis;
Math - 3rd: Everyday Math review of addition/subtraction number grids, analyzing and displaying data, bar graphs, minimum, maximum, range, mode, telling time, begin using a calculator, begin working with money.
4th: Everyday Math review of geometry terms (angles, lines, parallelograms, polygons, etc.), using a compass to draw circles,tangent circles, hexagon and triangle construction, inscribing figures inside other figures.
Reading Reading Worshop - strategies to learn include skimming, summarizing, supporting opinions with textual evidence; completed shared text, Sign of the Beaver, and we will be writing and testing on it over the next 2 weeks as we complete our family influences/Heritage planner; nightly individual reading should continue (20-30 min. per night); new books focusing on memoir and family histories will be issued to be read primarily in class (Red Scarf Girl; Sarah, Plain and Tall, Boy, House on Mano Street).
Writing Writing Workshop - ongoing practice in Writer's Notebook (WN); assignments for writing skills workbooks, cursive workbooks (D'Nealian) until cursive is mastered/easy are weekly and assigned on an individual basis.
Other important information
I plan to experiment with a rotating workshop schedule: Math on Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour and a half; Language Arts on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half; Fridays will be swing days devoted to what still needs to be accomplished and P of I specific issues; homework for both Math and LA may be given any day, however. Remember you have answers to their Math homework Home Links. Math Journals will be discussed in class.
For the week of: August 31-September 4
Things you need to know Our "Chavura" (class) needs a class parent! Please consider volunteering ; check homework folders and agendas nightly; our class pet will be arriving soon; please discuss current events whenever you can
Program of Inquiry
Central Idea: Where we come from (family, culture, region, etc.) influences who we become.
Inquiry Into: investigating nurture and nature in our development as individuals: the role of geneology, one's family's culture, one's society.
This week students are learning about : newspapers and current events, sports scores, stock market (DOW), weather
Summative Project "Suitcase" project - illustrate your's and your family's history and heritage through artifacts, interviews, and presentation
Field Studies - in the works
Spelling New words and a test on the previous week's words every Friday
Vocabulary Derives from the current reading; presently our shared (class) text is Sign of the Beaver; check Reading binders for words;
Math Everyday Math - 3rd grade is reviewing and reinforcing "math facts,' i.e. addition and subtraction; 4th grade reviewing and reinforcing multiplication tables; speed drills and timed tests (complete 50 addition and subtraction problems in 2 minutes); building dodecahedrons to learn geometry, parallel lines, etc.
Reading reading strategies being studied are skimming, summarizing, supporting opinions with direct textual evidence
Writing learning to write in our Writer's Notebooks! Parents, consider keeping one too, and write nightly (ok - every other night?) with your child.; writing skills workbooks (grammar, punctuation, etc.) and cursive workbooks (D'Nelian) join the activities at the Language Arts Center
Other important information - our class name is Chavura which in Hebrew means a group of friends that study and socialize together and often do service work as well; students are excited about the class store - we're working on what it will look like and what it will carry; we need to earn money to support our class pet.
Chavura (grades 3 & 4)
For the week of: Sept. 8 - 11
Things you need to know - "Bunnicula" has arrived - no, not the book, our namesake class bunny. To earn money for his food and bedding, Chavura's class store will open for business Tues., September 8. Every break and lunch, the students will sell fresh fruit, vegetables, healthy snacks, juice, and water at reasonable prices.
HELP! Chavura needs a Class Parent. The volunteer parent will help coordinate holiday parties, field studies, and communication with other class parents. Please see me if you are interested. I know how busy everyone is but every class at HDS must have a class parent. Thanks in advance.
Central Idea
Inquiry Into:
Teacher Questions:
This week students are learning about the:
Summative Project
Field Studies
Spelling
Vocabulary - Test on vocab from Sign of the Beaver on Friday, Sept. 11. Check reading binders for words.
Math - 3rd: Everyday Math review of addition/subtraction number grids, analyzing and displaying data, bar graphs, minimum, maximum, range, mode, telling time, begin using a calculator, begin working with money.
4th: Everyday Math review of geometry terms (angles, lines, parallelograms, polygons, etc.), using a compass to draw circles,tangent circles, hexagon and triangle construction, inscribing figures inside other figures.
Reading Reading Worshop - strategies to learn include skimming, summarizing, supporting opinions with textual evidence; complete shared text, Sign of the Beaver, continue individual reading (daily/nightly)
Writing Writing Workshop - ongoing practice in Writer's Notebook (WN) - 3 entries per week (M/W/F); PARENTS: consider keeping a WN of your own and write with your child; share Ralph Fletcher's guide, A Writer's Notebook; writing skills workbooks (3 exercises per week re grammar and punctuation, etc.); cursive workbooks (D'Nealian) until cursive is mastered/easy;
Other important information
We continue to read the newspaper daily and report and graph weather, stock market, and sports, share national and inernational headlines; we just received our first copy of the New York Times for Kids - a bit difficult, but we'll give it a try. You are encouraged to discuss news events with your children.
For the week of: August 31-September 4
Things you need to know Our "Chavura" (class) needs a class parent! Please consider volunteering ; check homework folders and agendas nightly; our class pet will be arriving soon; please discuss current events whenever you can
Program of Inquiry
Central Idea - Where we come from (family, culture, region, etc.) influences who we become
Inquiry Into: investigating nurture and nature in our development as individuals: the role of geneology, one's family's culture, one's society.
Teacher Questions: How are you like or unlike your family? What family artifacts reflect your heritage? How are other people influenced by their histories and environments
This week students are learning about : newspapers and current events, sports scores, stock market (DOW), weather
Summative Project "Suitcase" project - illustrate your's and your family's history and heritage through artifacts, interviews, and presentation
Field Studies - in the works
Spelling New words and a test on the previous week's words every Friday
Vocabulary Derives from the current reading; presently our shared (class) text is Sign of the Beaver; check Reading binders for words;
Math Everyday Math - 3rd grade is reviewing and reinforcing "math facts,' i.e. addition and subtraction; 4th grade reviewing and reinforcing multiplication tables; speed drills and timed tests (complete 50 addition and subtraction problems in 2 minutes); building dodecahedrons to learn geometry, parallel lines, etc.
Reading reading strategies being studied are skimming, summarizing, supporting opinions with direct textual evidence
Writing learning to write in our Writer's Notebooks! Parents, consider keeping one too, and write nightly (ok - every other night?) with your child.; writing skills workbooks (grammar, punctuation, etc.) and cursive workbooks (D'Nelian) join the activities at the Language Arts Center
Other important information - our class name is Chavura which in Hebrew means a group of friends that study and socialize together and often do service work as well; students are excited about the class store - we're working on what it will look like and what it will carry; we need to earn money to support our class pet. | 
