Going Fourth at RCS!

May 12, 2012

By now I hope your child has come home and shared that we are reading the novel, “The Wizard of Oz” in class. This is one of my favorite all-time books, and I love to share it with the students. L. Frank Baum was a truly gifted writer, and his descriptive style in the novel makes this American classic one of the best examples of how a book can take you places. Most of the students are familiar with the story from the motion picture adaptation, but as in many cases, the book is FAR BETTER than the movie. We’re getting to know the characters and how they all managed to get to live in the Land of Oz. Did you know that the Tin Man became a man made out of tin because his fiance’s mother didn’t want her daughter to marry him? Have you ever heard that the ruby red slippers that Dorothy wears were really silver in the book? The only reason they were red in the movie is because silver didn’t show up well on screen! Did you know that you can visit the Emerald City and walk through the Hotel del Coronado where L. Frank Baum wrote many of the books in the series? We are learning so much about the history of this novel, and its American influences.

We are creating a “Wizard of Oz” booklet in class to respond to the novel as we go along. So far, the students have designed a cover that is a picture of Kansas as it was described in Chapter 1. They are choosing two new vocabulary words from each chapter to define, and they have made an illustration of the Land of Oz as it was described in Chapter 2. As we move along, the students will be adding a new character to accompany Dorothy and her friends to see the Wizard, and they will be writing a new adventure for the friends to encounter in the story. When we’re finished reading the story, the students will write what they predict became of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion five years after Dorothy left Oz. Their back cover of the booklet will be a design for the sequel to the novel. These will be assessed and count as the final test for the book.

The students will receive guidelines for an in-class book report this week as well. Long story short, students will work in pairs to create a board game that tests the comprehension and memories of their classmates. Specific instructions are written out in detail, and we will be going over them in class. All of the work for the board game will be done in class, and we will have lots of fun playing the games that each pair creates. When we’re finished, each student will bring the game home to play with your family, and you get to write a review of the game! We’re going to get the whole family involved!

In other subjects, we continue along toward the end of the fourth grade curriculum. Religion class has been very interesting as we discuss God’s justice. It’s funny to hear how the children interpret the parable, “The Owner and the Vineyard.” There is a test on this chapter on Monday. In science, we continue learning about the weather, and have enjoyed utilizing the web and LCD projector to bring weather from around the world into the classroom. Technology brings the world into our lessons. The students did an EXCELLENT job on the adjective grammar test. We will be covering one more chapter in the series before the end of this year. There is a Vocabulary Workshop test on Unit 10 this week, and a vocabulary quiz in science on Unit D, Chapter 1 words.

As you can see, we are busy bees in the classroom. The students are doing a wonderful job of keeping with the pace. I also want to mention that I will be out two days this week. On Tuesday, I am going with the Marsville REACH students to an exposition at Georgian Court University in Lakewood. On Thursday, I am taking a personal day. Mrs. Matela will be in for me on both days, so I know we won’t miss any opportunities for learning. She is a wonderful teacher and the children love her.

I hope you all have enjoyed this beautiful San Diego weather we’ve been having, and I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Mothers Day! You certainly have done a wonderful job raising your children, and deserve a special day of recognition! Enjoy!!

May 6, 2012

As the school year winds down each year, I always make a mental check list of annual events that must be completed before the end of the year. One of these items is the class trip. I tend to stress out the week before the trip as I start to worry about how the day will go. My biggest fear is that the students will be disappointed. They wait all year for this trip, and the last thing any teacher wants to hear is, “This is boring!” When I come to this day on my checklist, I am always glad to cross it off. This year, there is a big check mark AND a big smiley face! They seemed to love it. We had very nice weather, despite the “dangerous thunderstorms” that were predicted. No one got sick on the bus (one hour each way), all of our scheduled events ran like clock work, and we even had time to visit the stores. As always, I was very proud of the students’ behavior. I can always count on them to be polite, quiet when necessary, and exceed my expectations. You can be very proud of your children! I hope that they shared with you some of the interesting things we learned about glass blowing, clay, and nature. It really was a very enjoyable day.

This week we will be attacking the curriculum full force. There are only 20 actual, uninterrupted instructional school days left this year. Though we have 28 actual school days, time is taken for our Ascension Thursday Mass, Field Day, Walk-a-Thon, KOCA picnic, and the Reading Express play. In the instructional time remaining, we need to complete a science chapter on weather, two more chapters in religion, read “The Wizard of Oz,” accomplish some benchmark reading and writing assessments, and whatever else Mrs. Whitehead and Mrs. Steinmetz have planned in math and social studies. It will all get done, with time to spare, I promise. I will tell you that I try very hard to limit homework during this time of year. Between First Holy Communions, graduations, holidays, and sports, the last thing you need is a heavy homework load. I will remind you, however that studying is very important for this last quarter. The students have worked so hard all year, and have been very successful. I’m rooting for them to all cross the finish line with success. I advise the students in my classes to spend 10 minutes per night throughout a quarter reviewing the day’s lessons in science, vocabulary, math, and social studies. If they did that, they would have devoted over an hour on each subject. When they are in the habit of doing this, studying for a test becomes less stressful and overwhelming. Thank YOU in advance for providing the time and space for them to do this.

Hopefully your family will be able to take time out of this busy season to enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the colorful blooms around us. I was disappointed to have such a mild winter, but the bountiful Spring certainly makes it worthwhile. Have a great week.

April 29, 2012

I cannot believe we enter the month of May this week. Time seems to be flying! Spring is definitely in the air. I’m hearing lots of stories about ball games, bike riding, plans to be on the swim team this summer, and general outdoor activities. I have to admit that I’m feeling a bit of Spring Fever myself. My sign that the season is here happens when all the yard sales start being posted throughout town. Is there anything more fun on a Saturday afternoon than riding around and looking at the contents of everyone’s house? It’s amazing how much “stuff” seems like great junk when someone else is selling it. Just today, my husband came home with a plaque that read: “One old fisherman lives here, with his greatest catch.” Just as I was about to say: “Oh, how sweet,” he said, “I bought this for my sister and brother-in-law.” Hmpf……Guess who is not getting the camping chair I found for him!

This week in school, we will be finishing up our unit on light in science with a chapter test on Tuesday. Our next unit will be Unit D, Chapter 1 on Weather. The season always seems to cooperate nicely with what we’re studying in the classroom. In religion, we’ll be testing on the Beatitudes this week, as well as finishing up our project. The students have been working in groups to create scenarios to be acted out that show the Beatitudes in action. In reading, we will be starting a new selection in the reader. I know I planned on beginning “The Wizard of Oz,” but we’re going to begin that later in the week, or most likely next week. Once we start that book, we really sink our teeth into it, and I wanted to get another selection from our reading series in before we start. We’re almost finished our grammar unit on adjectives, so a test will be scheduled for the week of May 7th. We will also introduce the new words from Unit 10 in Vocabulary Workshop, with a test on the unit on May 10th. I know it sounds like there are a lot of tests, but this quarter goes quickly, and I really push to get as much done in May as possible. When June hits, there are so many activities and special events going on that it’s hard to schedule assessments. With the new date of June 15th as our last day, we really won’t get much done in the way of learning in June. The bigger the push in May, the better June will be for all of us. Thank you for bearing with me.

The long-awaited and anticipated class trip is this Friday. Please remember to pack a lunch with a disposable drink for your child, as well as a light snack. There will be time for shopping at the end of the day, so if your child will be bringing money, please help them find a safe place to carry it. The students have all returned their electronic permission forms, so please be sure to remind them that they are responsible for keeping the unit safe throughout the day. Just a reminder that the bus is pretty full with both classes and room parents on it. I have received a few requests to ride the bus, and I am doing my best to accommodate, but it may not be possible. There are several car pools forming. Right now I know that Mrs. Giletto and Mrs. DiRenzo are driving. You may want to contact them if you’d like to ride with someone to Wheaton Village. If they don’t have room, they may know of other parents planning to drive. I’m looking forward to a fun filled day of bead making, working with clay, seeing the glass blowing demonstration, and looking at the beautiful creations throughout the area. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

April 24, 2012

Please excuse me for being late in posting this blog! The weekend went by so quickly, and then Monday flew by as well. In any case, thank you for your patience!

This week is going well. Thank you to all who came out to the State of the School meeting last night. It’s good to hear that our enrollment, staffing, and school are all in good shape. We certainly have much to be proud of here at RCS. I feel privileged to be a part of this community.

I would like to clear up some confusion on the testing dates that I prematurely posted in my last blog. The Vocabulary Workshop Unit 9 test will be given this Thursday, April 26th instead of Wednesday, April 25th. The Science Unit E, Chapter 4 Light Energy test is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 1st, not Friday, April 27th. I wanted to do a few labs and special LCD presentations in the classroom before giving the test, so I thought the rescheduling was necessary to enhance the student’s learning.

We are moving along in our grammar packet on adjectives, and have been practicing our oral reading and fluency skills. Our latest selection, “Firestorm,” was a very interesting story. To strengthen our reading comprehension skills, we are focusing on learning how to identify main characters, their challenge and solution in the story, and how the genre of realistic fiction applies to our own experiences. Next week we will begin to read “The Wizard of Oz” in class. This is one of my all time favorite books to read with the students each year. In my next blog, I’ll fill you in on the details of how you can visit the “Emerald City” yourself!

Thank you once again, as always for your support and encouragement of all that we do here in the classroom. I am really going to miss this group of students when they move on next year. Have a great week ahead!

April 13, 2012

Happy Easter! I hope that everyone had a blessed holiday and a restful break. I thoroughly enjoyed the time to unwind, and rest up for this final push in fourth grade. We are in the home stretch now, and in less than 50 school days, your children will be FIFTH GRADERS! This year has literally flown by, but I truly believe it’s because I’ve loved every day with this class. Each year, a class comes to you with their own personality. Sometimes a class can struggle socially. Other times, they get along well, but their classroom behavior makes teaching tough. And then sometimes, a class comes to you as a group that gets along very well, is able to be serious when necessary, but loose at other times, and makes you laugh at least once per day. I can honestly say, I have laughed a great deal this year. This is a wonderful group of students, with parents who trust, support, and encourage every step of the way. It’s been an absolute pleasure teaching this fourth grade, and I intend to relish every remaining moment with them this year.

Unfortunately, we will need to get some work done! We’ll find time to laugh, create, discover, and explore, but we’ll also have to study, write, test, and assess. Two important things to note as we return on Monday is our Easter liturgy at 10:30 a.m., and the fact that Mrs. Maria Keating will be substituting for me on Monday. I will not be in school because I will be attending the Green Challenge Exposition at the Rutgers Eco Complex with the fourth and seventh grade REACH students. I’m very disappointed to miss our liturgy, but this is a very special day for these students. They have been working very hard on a project that they will present to a panel of judges, along with other students throughout the state. It should be an exciting day, and I look forward to seeing the class on Tuesday. Mrs. Keating will ensure that the students have a full, productive day.

We will be working this week on several new areas. In science, we will begin our study of light energy in Unit C. There will be a vocabulary quiz on the words for this chapter on Friday, April 20th. It’s a short chapter, but very interesting. We will explore how light travels, how light enables us to see, and how color is separated to form rainbows. Look for a chapter test on this subject in early May.

We began Vocabulary Workshop Unit 9 before our break, so we will be testing on this unit on Wednesday, April 25th. We’ll be back to our regular chapters in our religion series, beginning with chapter six. These are short chapters, so we will test on this chapter on Friday, April 27th. I know this may seem like a lot of assessments, but we began a lot of the preliminary work before Easter, so we will be able to move quickly once we get started.

We will also continue our reading comprehension strategies with stories from our literature series, a special independent reading project, and our oral reading partner sessions. The students are making good progress in building reading strategies. The last set of papers that came home assessed the specific skills we have been focusing on. These help us to see which areas each student needs to strengthen, as well as where they are making the most progress. Mrs. Steinmetz and Mrs. Whitehead will be moving along in social studies and math, and will update you on any upcoming tests or projects.

Our class trip is scheduled for Friday, May 4th to Wheaton Glass in Mullica Hill. Last year’s fourth grade went here and absolutely enjoyed their day. This year, we will be making clay trivets, glass beads, and get to see a live demonstration by professional glass blowers. It’s an active itinerary for the day, but of course, there will be time for shopping ! More information is coming home in the form of a letter. Your child should bring this home on Monday or Tuesday of this week. Please fill out both sides of the permission form and return it with your payment by the specified due date. I’m not sure at this point how many parents will be able to ride on the bus with us, but all parents are welcome to meet us at the facility. I do have to caution that some of the classes restrict the number of people at one time, so there may be some times that you will not be able to be with your child. There are plenty of shops and a museum to keep you busy though!

As always, thank you so much for all that you do to help your child meet the demands of fourth grade. Without your support, it would be difficult to accomplish as much as we do. Have a great week ahead!

ALLELUIA…..HAPPY EASTER!