Stone Fox Book Club

Go to this link during book club today!
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0211900/fox/stone_fox.htm

Reading Response Due Oct. 1

It should be about the book you are reading at home.


•You should tell the title and the author.

•You should tell a little bit about what the book is about. (This is a brief one or two sentence summary)

•Include one question you had while reading. Tell if this is a thick or a thin question. Did you find and answer?

It needs to be one paragraph of 5-7 sentences.

Muliplication Games

Penguin Milkshake Multiplication
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/milkshake/MilkshakeShoppe.htm

Fantastic Fish Shop Multiplication
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/FishShop.htm

Math Wash-Up Multiplication
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/windows/washup.htm

Monkey Multiplication
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/Monkeys.htm

Week of September 27-October 1

Good evening,

Here is a look at our week.

PICTURE DAY IS WEDNESDAY

• Math
• We will have our test on Thursday.  A study guide will come home for review on Wednesday night. Students should also have their vocabulary sheets in the math section of their expandable folder. These should also be used for studying. 
• We will move on to Chapter 5 next week.  We will be discussing different ways to read a clock (minutes before and after an hour) and we will look at a calendar.  We will also be discussing the concepts of decades and centuries. This is a short chapter that will only take 1 week. There will NOT be a bonus packet for this chapter.
• We will also begin spending much of our morning work time focusing on multiplication. It is very important that the students become efficient with their single digit multiplication before we begin double and triple digit multiplication! Please study at home. I will post some fun games on this blog. 10 minutes of studying each night will make a BIG difference!
• Reading
• Even though it is a short week a reading response, from an at home book, is due Thursday. As always this may be done on paper and turned in or on the blog. This week we are continuing to look at questioning while were reading. Ask your child what their commitment book is that they are reading in class (this is different than their book club book!).
• Writing
• We are working on our choice writing piece. We are using this piece to explicitly model the steps of the writing process. Our choice piece will be due October 12th.
• Word Study
• New words and contracts were given today!
• We are now using word study folders instead of notebooks.
• Check out spellingcity.com!
• Contracts and Tests are October 8th

Reminders for the week of Sept 27

A few reminders for the upcoming week.

• Math Test is Thursday, September 30th. The math bonus packet is also due Thursday. 
• New Word Study Words will be given on Monday.

• No School Friday, October 1st. This is a professional development day for teachers. 

Spelling City-Word Study Resource

I have decided to add spellingcity.com to our word study activities. For those of you who have not used this FREE website it allows me to add multiple words lists that students will get to use and play games to help them study!

1.) Go to spellingcity.com
2.)Click the find a list button
3.)A white box will appear that says: Enter Search Term. You will need to enter Christina Phillips.
4.) My name should appear!
5.) Click on my name.
6.)Your child will then click on their list. They should know which list is theirs from our work in class.
7.)Finally, choose your child may chose an activity they want to do. They may play a game, do a teach me lesson, print an extra copy of their list (this is great if they forgot their list at school!).

I will be sending home directions on how to use spellingcity.com this week.

I will be modeling how to navigate this website in class this week. I will not require students to use the website at home, however I do highly encourage using spellingcity.com as a way to study each night. It is much easier to convince a 4th grader to play a game on the computer than to sit at the kitchen table and write their words a bunch of times!
Students will also have the opportunity to access spellingcity.com in class.

Please Note: Spelling city is not replacing any word study activities that are already in place. It is just an addition resource to help students become motivated and successful.

As always, thanks for your support!

Function Machine!



 Today we learned about functions in math class. A special thanks to our function machine: Sam and Jason!

Our function machine Sam and Jason. Izzy is the output.

Grace is inputting into the machine!



We needed J.C. and Grace to input to figure out the rule j x 2 = g

Then we spent some time on the computers practicing. These games are all on the blog!



Chapter 4 Math Games

Here are some games to practice the skills we are learning in class. Leave me a comment and tell me which game was your favorite to play!

Addition Property Practice
http://www.aaamath.com/pro74ax2.htm

Mental Math Practice
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Ghostblasters3/ghostadd3.html

Function Machine
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/3-4/activities/functionmachine/functionmachine3_4.html

Function Practice
http://www.mathplayground.com/functionmachine.html

Addition Property Vocabulary

Today we learned about the communicative, associative, and identity properties of addition. The vocabulary sheets we worked on in class are posted below! Students should also be bringing home their personal sheet to help with homework tonight!

New Math Vocabulary

You may click on the picture to enlarge. Students should also bring home their vocabulary sheets they filled out in class today. This should help with homework!

Reading Response Due 9-24

As you write your own reading response this week, please remember these things:



•It should be about the book you are reading at home.


•You should tell the title and the author.

•You should tell a little bit about what the book is about. (This is a brief one or two sentence summary)

•Include one question you had while reading. Tell if this is a thick or a thin question. Did you find and answer?

•It needs to be one paragraph of 5-7 sentences.


•It can be turned in on paper OR by commenting on this blog post. The response is due 9-24.

Weekly Update 9-19

Good Evening!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I enjoyed going to the Lindbergh Flyers football game Friday evening. It was fun to see all of the school spirit! We had to leave at half time because Charlie and Nicholas were well past their bed time!

Math
Last week in math we finished Chapter 3: Add and Subtract Whole Numbers. Overall I was pleased with our test scores. These tests will be coming home tomorrow but the scores are on SIS now. Monday we begin Chapter 4: Algebra: Use Addition and Subtraction. This chapter can intimidate some students as we introduce the use of letters into math! Remember that you can access the math book online to help students with homework questions.
http://www.eharcourtschool.com/
Login in: tfourth
password: pass

Reading
Last week we began working on the questioning strategy. Be sure to ask your student the difference between a thick and a thin question. I encourage students to stop, think, and record their questions throughout the reading process. I was super excited to see the great reading responses that were posted to the blog last week! We will do the same thing this week with a focus on questioning rather than inferences.

Writing
Last week we finished publishing our personal narratives. This week we will work on choosing titles and sharing our writing. We will have our first writers' buffet!

Social Studies
Last week the students begin Social Studies with Mrs. Davis.

On a side note I will be out 2 half days this week. Thursday afternoon I will be out for literacy training and Friday afternoon I will be out for my son's doctor appointment.

Have a great week!

Christina Phillips

Progress Reports

Progress reports are coming home today. It is hard to believe that we are 1/2 way through the first quarter already! Please sign the reports.

Weekly Reading Response

Each student is required to either post one short paragraph on this blog during the week about the book they are reading at home OR should turn in a paragraph on paper on Friday.  Responses should be 4-5 sentences in length.  This week we are focusing on inferences. I also recommend that you discuss this in your reflection.

Here is an example of what your reading response homework might look like:



This week I have been reading The Big One-Oh by Dean Pitchford. It is about a boy named Charley Maplewood who is planning a tenth birthday party. Charley does not have any friends. As I’m reading this book, I’m reminded of the times when I was planning birthday parties and was worried about who might come and if they would have a good time. Today while I was reading I made an inference. The author wrote, "it felt like the weight of the world had just dropped onto my shoulders." I inferred that Charley was feeling very stressed and overwhelmed. I’m looking forward to finishing this book to see what happens to Charley and if he does get to have a good birthday party after all.

As you write your own reading response this week, please remember these things:


•It should be about the book you are reading at home.

•You should tell the title and the author.


•You should tell a little bit about what the book is about.


•Include one inference you made while reading.

•It needs to be one paragraph of 5-7 sentences.


•It can be turned in on paper OR by commenting on this blog post

Hats for Haiti

Tomorrow is hat day. Students may pay $1.00 and wear a hat all day. This money will be used to help the Haitian orphans our school has adopted.

Update for Week of September 6-10th

Good Afternoon!

Here is an update of our week!

Character Education
This week we discussed our character word of the month, RESPECT. We wrote acrostic poems about what respect means to us. The poems are displayed outside our classroom door.

Math
I was so pleased with our test scores for Chapter 2! WooooHooooo!
In math we began Chapter 3, we will test over this chapter at the end of next week. The beginning of this chapter was a challenge for some students. They were asked to apply mental math strategies to addition and subtraction problems. This is a difficult skill, especially when student rely heavily on paper and pencil. If your child struggled with this, we will spiral back around during the year and review the concept. Next week we will continue learning all about strategies for addition and subtraction, and will be applying our rounding skills to estimating.

Reading
This week we focused on our inferring skills. Be sure to ask your child about inference charades! We continue to work on our reading workshop community expectations and choosing just right books. Next week we will learn our procedures for responding to our independent reading at home. Students will have the option to blog their response or write it with paper and pencil. Look for information to come home about this early next week!

Word Study
Today we took our first word study tests. I gave the assessments in small groups. Students were tested over their word study words as well as some surprise words (15 words total). I will send these home on Monday. I also collected and checked word study notebooks and contracts today. Please be sure word study notebooks come home several times a week for studying. Also, please sign your child's word study contract to show that it comes home.
Next week will will get new words and begin a new contract. We will also work on neatness and organization in our word study notebooks!

Writing
We have officially launched writers' workshop! We are in varies stages of the writing process with our personal narratives. Students chose one of their memories from our writing ideas section to expand into a personal narrative. We are working on editing skills with a specific focus on showing, not telling in our writing.

Science
We spent this week learning all about rocks and the rock cycle. Today we reviewed all the concepts we have learned this year in science: soil, weathering, erosion, rocks, and the rock cycle. The test is Monday. Students should be bringing home a study guide tonight to review over the weekend.

Social Studies
Wednesday students will begin Social Studies with Mrs. Davis.

Other Notes:
Some students are having a difficult time getting homework turned in each day. Please help your child remember their homework everyday! We are working on a class incentive to get homework completion at 100%.

Donuts Anyone?????

Yahoo! We earned our Mystery Motivator! Ask your child how our class earns a flipped letter.

What will our next motivator be??????????????????

We Can Show, Not Tell In Our Writing

In our writing we are working on showing, not telling. We are also using this to tie into inferences in reading. Here are some great examples of our writing. These short excerpts were taken from our personal narratives. Under each excerpt is the inference the class made about the sentence.

My heart was pounding. The outside of me was trembling and the inside was racing." -Kayla

Inference :She is feeling nervous and excited

"When I saw the blood I just stood there and didn't know what to do." -Max

Inference: He was feeling surprised

"I was all ready in my sprinting position, ready to run." -Jacob

Inference: He was scared.

"As the Voyage went to the top I put my arm around the ride so hard that my knuckles turned white."-Lucas

Inference: He was nervous and scared.

"I was jumping up and down screaming."-Jaimie

Inference: She was excited.

"I clenched my teeth, waiting for the drop."-J.C.

Inference: He was really nervous.

"I tripped and fell on the asphalt, before you knew it was was screaming at the top of my lungs crying."-Kara

Inference: She was hurt and sad.

Math Games

I encourage students to practice their math skills at home. Here are some fun free math games to play at home!

Mental Math Games
For this game choose addition 2 or subtraction 2
http://www.19online.net/math/

Fact Practice
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/mathfact/mathFact.htm
Skill Level: Up to 100
Operation: add or subtract

Space Shuttle Launch: Mental Math Practice
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/shuttleLaunch/shuttleLaunch.htm
Addition or Subtraction
Skill Level : Hard

Math Baseball
http://www.funbrain.com/math/index.html

How is my student doing?????

I just wanted to let you know that I am working to post all grades on SIS's electronic grade-book. As of right now I have all of math and most of science posted. After this week I hope to be up-to-date on all grades. I encourage you to check SIS and use this as a resource to stay current on your student's progress as well as assignment completion.



Please be aware that a student may show an assignment is missing for many reasons, including absences. I will try to write a comment is the missing assignment is due to a valid reason.


Also, please remember that it is not possible to grade reading or writing solely on percentages and points. Many reading and writing behaviors/skills may be observed, but not necessarily assessed with point value. Therefore, reading and writing grades may differ from the point average as seen on SIS.

Science: Rocks In Our Own Words

"Today we talked about different kinds of rocks. Then we made sedimentary rocks."-Izzy

"While we were making our sedimentary rocks we had to take the clay apart to make small pieces of sediment." -J.C.

"We looked at different kinds of rocks on the ELMO." -Jason

"The rocks that we looked at are called sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic."-Lucas

"We observed 3 types of rocks and we wrote down our observations."-Jaimi

Labor Day Plans?

Do you have any fun labor day weekend plans? I am celebrating my son, Charlie's, second birthday! Help your child leave a comment and tell me what you are doing this weekend!



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