What a GREAT week!This short week was anything but easy-breezy for learners in 4W! However, I am thrilled to report that the challenging work facing the little people was met with enthusiasm, curiosity, effort, and a fabulous can-do attitude. Hopefully your child came home with much to share with you this week, but just in case...below are some words and images to help get the conversation going. INNOVATION DAY"AWESOME." This is my answer to "How did Innovation Day go?" The day was filled with motivated kids with a plan. RESEARCHING, ORGANIZING, and PROJECT PRODUCING 4th graders filled the room, the hall, the computer lab, and the library. I could not be more proud with how students used and managed the time allotted for this important work. I am reviewing self assessments and these will be coming home shortly! The Place ProjectThis week we ventured out for the first of many great visits to Elizabeth Gardens for the Place Project. Ask your child to share about the following with you! Field Journals Our Whistle System Qualitative and Quantitative Observations Check in with Kidblog to read about your child's special spot! From the pages of student Field Journals 10/30/13:
The day has come! I have the sound of the creek in my ear. “The Comfort Spot” is where I lean on a special form of rocks that fit my back perfectly. Leaves and vines secure my spot together. I found a spot with water and I am happy! The bush that leans over and bears “fruitful” berries is the royal archway. The leaves are the soft carpet. There is a squirrel’s nest right over me and a cloudless sky. There are many trees above me like a canopy under the sky. I need a shower...bad I can hear cars, but I am still calm. I was having a lot of trouble finding my spot, but when I did I just knew right then and there that this spot was going to be it. Above me are branches from all the trees around me. I can hear little droplets from the trees, and I can see little droplets in the water splashing. I’m sitting next to a creek, and in a hill on a root of a tree so I do not get wet! There are many types of trees that I would like to learn about. There are beautiful trees everywhere and underneath them is smooth, brown dirt. I hear birds chirping and singing songs. The heart shaped leaf is like a boat floating in the water. There is also a frog in the stream. Under me is a big animal hole. I wonder what animal lives there. There is also a bouncy vine that I can rest my feet on as an alternate. We are so high, that we have a good view of almost everything. The puppies were born yesterday! Sanford's new little brother or sister is in that sleepy pile. He's super jazzed. In an effort to make the best use of our quick 20 minutes together at Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences, I am asking 4W parents to complete the following questionnaire. Thank you for your feedback! We had a wonderful week in 4W! It was really exciting to see learners using the skills they have been taught throughout our first quarter together. During our trip to Sunwatch today, I was so impressed by the attentiveness of my students as well as the thoughtful questions they asked during the visit. I am looking forward to upcoming conferences and for embarking on Quarter 2 on Monday. We have a big week ahead...Innovation Day, The Place Project, Red Ribbon Week, and Halloween. Let the fun and learning continue! Students in 4W were invited to be "Hello, Harman" Fans of the Show!A beautiful day was enjoyed by all at Sunwatch! Great weather, great learning, and great students.I am just so proud of these kids! Our week was a little different due to necessary testing, but students in 4W handled it well and made the most of the moments when we were back in the classroom moving forward with our learning. BRAVO, team!Students learned a new strategy for previewing a non-fiction text and setting a purpose for reading. Please ask your child to share this strategy with you! We will be using this strategy throughout the year to help assist us in the comprehending of non-fiction reading material. Additionally, students learned a new signpost to look for when reading fiction text. Tough Questions can teach us about conflict in a story and help us make predictions about events to come! Students are becoming such close and careful readers and the discussions we have are just great! Here is an example of the close reading we are doing in 4W. The One and Only Ivan was the perfect book from which to choose a short excerpt for discussion. Students are learning to notice and note! Kicking off The Place Project was a lot of fun this week! Students practiced the writing, observing and questioning routine that will take place at Elizabeth Gardens once we make our first trip to pick our special spots. Students are excited and so am I . Permission slips will be coming home in backpacks soon! Check out the district homepage! You may see some familiar faces! SWEET, SMART, SILLY, and an all around GOOD TIME! We took a short break during the gorgeous weather to catch some fall photographs. Enjoy! Below are some questions that can be used to help your child share his/her learning from this week! What did you enjoy/learn from the Dayton Philharmonic performance? Tell me about cardinal and intermediate directions and how they can be useful. What is the difference between a primary and secondary source? Can you give me examples of both? How are some ancient tales and present-day language connected? Tell me about the myths you read this week. Tell me about work jobs. What type of work did you do in small teacher-led groups this week? In collaborative groups with your peers? What are you studying in math? *Invite your child to share his/her Notice and Notebook with you from time to time! This will help you see the work we are doing in class. Also, please stop by and check out Kidblog! Students have been working on developing writing about characters from Stone Fox. (If your child has NOT received a comment from me yet, it is coming! ) TESTINGI sent a testing schedule to parents via email. If you have difficulty opening the attachment, please let me know so I can be sure to get you the information. Thank you so much for helping your children to get a good night's rest, a healthy breakfast, and an on-time arrival to school. MUCH APPRECIATED!
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