Week of January 31st!

This Week’s Objectives:

Reading: We will focus on figuring out theme and writing a story that goes with a specific theme. Students will also finish up the unit on Summarizing. We will review our strategies and take the Summary Post Test (Major Grade) on Friday.

Science: Students will investigate how thermal energy is transferred to matter through conduction, convection, and radiation.  They will understand that the movement of particles of matter is caused by thermal energy which we feel as heat. Science Fair: We are in the homestretch!  It’s time to start recording your results and drawing conclusions. Projects are due next Tuesday February 1^st.  Don’t forget to create an attractive display board and print off a report to turn in to me. Just a reminder – please make sure that you do not include any names or pictures of faces anywhere on the display.  Thanks!

Social Studies:  Students will be studying the Texas Revolution. They will be completing a project of their choice that covers events, people, or causes and effects of the Revolution. Project possibilities will be chosen from a menu provided for them.

Writing: We will wrap up our paper on reaching a goal. The students will use what we have learned to revise their stories to make them the best they can. Then, we will share our papers. The students will be encouraged to complement their classmates on specific aspects of each other’s stories.

Math:  Students will read, write, and order decimals; compare decimals to fractional parts; and identify and name fractions and decimals on the number line.

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - 7

February 13th is “Be Humble Day.”  Use the dictionary to look up the definition of humble and write it in your own words.  Next, list 5-10 ways that you can personally be humble.

Spelling Test February 4th!

WEEK 22 (2/4)

somebody

fireplace

nearby

toothbrush

homesick

make-believe

anything

all right

goodbye

forehead

classmate

flashlight

haircut

twenty-two

driveway

alarm clock

baby-sit

airport

forever

mailbox

DISBELIEF

BIOLOGICAL

ENDEARED

HASTENED

ARRANGEMENT

The Mystery of the Autographed Copy

Last week we came upon a mystery, I ordered the The Celestial Globe (Part II after Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski) from Amazon and it came signed! So, I decided to do a little investigating!  The rest can be told from the email train below….

________________________________________________

Meg Pickert to Marie

show details Jan 16 (7 days ago)

Marie,
I’m a 4th grade teacher in Houston, TX and I was introduced to The Cabinet of Wonders by a student. Now, many of my students have read it. My kiddos and I were very excited to get The Celestial Globe. I ordered it from Amazon, and it came signed. I tried to find a copy of your signature on the internet (to see if it was real), but it just seemed strange that it came signed! Could you, would you, be able to help my students and I solve this mystery?
Thank You!

Meg Pickert

Marie Rutkoski Marie to me

show details Jan 19 (5 days ago)

Dear Meg,

I’m so glad to know your students enjoy my books! As for the signature, that’s a little strange that Amazon has a signed copy, but not impossible. I’ve signed a lot of books, and my publisher might have sent some signed copies to Amazon. I guess I could try to send you images of my signature to compare, but the way I sign my name can vary a great deal; I have my sloppy “I’ve got to sign a ton of these fast!” signature, and I have my careful “Even though my penmanship sucks, I’m trying hard for this to look nice,” one. If you send me an image of the signature you have, I can tell you whether it’s mine or not.

Does that help?

Best,

Marie

Meg Pickert to Marie

show details Jan 20 (3 days ago)

Marie,
I told my kids all about the new development in our mystery today. Now that they know an author may write back, they want to look up every book they’ve ever loved and email the author. It is highly entertaining. Thank you for writing back. We really do appreciate it!
Attached is a photo of the signature. Let me know!
Take care,

Meg

Marie Rutkoski to me

show details Jan 22 (1 day ago)

Dear Meg,

How wonderful that your kids are now eager to email authors! I loved writing to authors when I was a kid, and was so excited when Beverly Cleary sent me a postcard in response. I still remember every word she wrote (not hard, since it was just “Dear Marie, I’m glad to know you enjoy my books!”).

That signature is mine!

Best,

Marie

________________________________________________

Watching children get excited about reading is one of my favorite things about being a teacher. Corresponding with an author over a mystery involving a book brought a lot of excitement to my classroom (and to me). Thank you so much Marie Rutkoski for writing such an awesome series and for helping us solve the mystery of the autographed copy.

Objectives for the Week of January 24th - January 28th

This Week’s Objectives:

Reading: Students will discuss test taking strategies to prepare for the Reading TAKS Release. We will look at comparing two passages and how to implement their strategies. We will also discuss summarizing a poem. The students will use what we’ve learned from summarizing fiction and apply it to poetry.

Science: Students will continue to test matter (Thermal Energy) in order to draw conclusions about its physical properties.  Science Fair: We are in the homestretch!  It’s time to start recording your results and drawing conclusions. Projects are due next Tuesday February 1^st.  Don’t forget to create an attractive display board and print off a report to turn in to me. Just a reminder – please make sure that you do not include any names or pictures of faces anywhere on the display.  Thanks!

Social Studies:  Students will be studying the Texas Revolution. They will be completing a project of their choice that covers events, people, or causes and effects of the Revolution. Project possibilities will be chosen from a menu provided for them.

Writing: Writing: We will encourage students to try writing from another point of view or a creative writing topic. Ideas are an important part of the writing process, and we want to challenge our students to think out side the box

Math:  We will begin learning place value related to decimals and how to relate fractions to decimals.  We will continue playing the review game over 4th grade math objectives in order to prepare for the TAKS Released test on January 25.

Spelling Test January 28th!

WEEK 21 (1/28)

learn

dirty

worn

sore

thirst

burn

record

cure

board

course

worth

early

return

pure

world

search

worse

thirteen

sport

current

STUBBORN

MOURNFUL

TRIUMPH

DISCOURAGED

HAULING



Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 6

On February 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts organization was founded.  Clubs and organizations are a great way to learn important skills.  What types of clubs and/or organizations do you belong to?  What are some of the skills that you have learned?  If you don’t belong to one, which club would you like to join?

Objectives for the week of January 18th - 21st

Reading: Students will sequence the plot of a story. We will focus on how the order of a story influences the summary. We will introduce the fiction reading strategy: W (Who?) W (What?) B (But?) S (So?) T (Then?). This will help the students understand that a summary must include the beginning, middle, and end of the fiction text.   We will also review that a summary gives the reader insight into what the text is about, just like in non-fiction. It should not include specific details.

Science: Students will continue to test matter in order to draw conclusions about its physical properties. Science Fair: should be investigating and collecting data – Due January 21.

Social Studies:  Students will be studying the Texas Revolution. They will be completing a project of their choice that covers events, people, or causes and effects of the Revolution. Project possibilities will be chosen from a menu provided for them.

Writing: Students will share their special memory with the class on Tuesday. We will discuss areas of strength and ways to improve their writing. We will begin generating ideas for a time you reached a goal.  This week we will focus on writing from another point of view or a creative writing topic. Ideas are an important part of the writing process, and we want to challenge our students to think out side the box.

Math: Students will use pictorial models to generate equivalent fractions, model fraction quantities greater than one, and compare and order fractions.  We will also spend a day playing a game to review the 4 grade math objectives in order to prepare for the TAKS Released test on January 25.

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 5

In 1913, Rosa Parks was born.  In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for not giving up her seat on the bus to a white passenger.  Many people admired her for her confidence and bravery.  If you had been Rosa Parks in this situation, would have done the same thing?  Why or why not?

Spelling Test January 21st!

WEEK 20 (1/21)

spark

prepare

cheer

tear

scarf

scare

repair

earring

scarce

weird

sharp

rear

spare

gear

hairy

compare

alarm

harsh

upstairs

square

BORROW

REFERENCE

GENUINE

APOLOGIZE

INSISTED



The Lamp - An Explode the Moment by Abin

The lapis lazuli lamp liked children especially little ones. The blue lamp stood in the right side of the room. There it could see every body. The lamp had a bright bulb and the stem was half red and orange. The top narrowed near the bulb. One day the lamp saw a kid that had just passed out of babyhood. The kid came closer and closer until he touched the lamp. Suddenly, the lamp tipped and fell over.”CRACKK!” the sound was horrible. The boy started crying. Some adults rushed to the kid, but nobody rushed to lamp. ”Everyone hates me now.” The lamp thought sadly. From that day on the lamp hated children no matter their size (adults too).               

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 4

February 2 is “Ground Hog Day.”  If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, that means we are in for six more weeks of winter.  If Phil does not see his shadow, we will have an early spring.  Make your own prediction about what Phil will, or won’t, see.  Be sure to explain your prediction.


For this to count as a menu item, it must be detailed and thorough. Read over your response, is it grammatically correct? Have you gone as in depth as you possibly can?

Week of January 10 – January 14

This Week’s Objectives:

Reading: Students will continue to work on determining the three most important details from sub-sections of non-fiction text. We will use the three support details to create a main idea for each subsection. Students will combine each main idea in order to create summary. We will also review that a summary gives the reader insight into what the text is about. It should not include specific details. A quiz on non-fiction summary will be given on Friday for a daily grade.

Science: Students will continue learning about the properties of matter and explore density through an in class lab. We will continue practicing the scientific process with our in class science fair model. Remember to keep up with your science fair timeline!

Social Studies:  Students will be studying the Texas Revolution. They will be completing a project of their choice that covers events, people, or causes and effects of the Revolution. Project possibilities will be chosen from a menu provided for them.

Writing: Students will transform their pre-writing on a “Special Memory” into a full composition that includes a catchy introduction, or lead, and a well thought out conclusion. They will publish and present papers by Friday. The “Special Memory” papers will be recorded for a grade.

Math: There will be a fraction naming and recognizing quiz on Monday. Students will continue learning Fraction concepts such as, describing fraction parts of a set or whole object and generating equivalent fractions using pictorial models. We will also begin working on mixed numbers and comparing and ordering fractions.

Spelling Test January 14th!

WEEK 19 (1/14)

aloud

bald

hawk

south

faucet

proud

claw

tower

stalk

couple

howl

FALSE

dawn

allow

drown

pause

fault

cause

amount

cloudier

GLORIOUS

CONCERNED

SMEARED

RUINED

SCHEDULE



Stories by Alexis

The Poor Butterfly

Once upon a time there were three Butterfly named Colorful, rainbow, and Cutie a little girl named Hanna had found them on a tree and had taken them home to study on them for fun. The next day Hanna looked at Cuties wings and found that it was broken and the Cutie would not be able fly until it hilled when all the other butterfly’s found out it was broken they would make fun of her and laugh Cuties eyes would fill up with tears cutie did not like that at all so one hot summer day she flew away and was gone for at least an hour when Hanna went to look at them she found out Cutie was missing she was so upset she thought for a few minutes then asked herself if she sold let all of them go. She left the cage top open to see if ether Cutie would come back or the butterfly’s would fly away that night Hanna could not fall asleep she was hoping that the butterfly’s would stay and Cutie would come back. That morning Hanna ran outside and found out that Cutie came back and all the butterfly’s stayed in the cage. Hanna was so happy she felt like she would blow up in 5,4,3,2,1 then she found out she did not blow up instead she helped Cutie fly! Later that day she knew it was time to let them go Hanna did not want to still that day she let them go and from that day on Hanna would always go out to find them and every time she always did see them the week after that the Cutie found her true love and had kids but still lived happily  ever after!!!!

THE   END!!!

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 3

On January 15 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born. We honor his birth the following Monday. He delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Beginning with those same words, write your own speech about your hopes for our world and its people.



For this to count as a menu item, it must be detailed and thorough. Read over your response, is it grammatically correct? Have you gone as in depth as you possibly can?

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 2

January 12th is Work Harder Day.  Think of a way that you can work harder today.  This can either be at school or at home.  Write about your plan.



For this to count as a menu item, it must be detailed and thorough. Read over your response, is it grammatically correct? Have you gone as in depth as you possibly can?

SCHOLASTIC ORDERS

SCHOLASTIC INSTRUCTIONS

Now it’s easier than ever to find the perfect books for your child—shop the NEW online Book Clubs Web site. Choose from a much-wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card to pay.

Best of all, we earn a FREE Book for the classroom library every time you place an order online.

It’s so simple! Here’s how it works:

• SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the “Register” button in the “First Time Here?” section. Register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter our one-time Class Activation Code.

Our Class Activation Code is: DTZFC

This unique code ensures that your order is sent to me.

• SELECT the books you’d like to order. Choose from thousands of titles—many more than in our monthly flyers.

• SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child’s books will be delivered directly to my classroom.

Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure.

Thanks!

Ms. Pickert

Vera's Poem

V-     vivacious & very nice

E-   educated student

R-   radiant

A-   artistic

S- super singer

U- unusual person

H-  helpful

A Fabulous Girl

On May 14, 2001 something amazing happened. Amy and Scott had a little girl! She had soft, blonde hair and glimmering, blue eyes. They already had a son named Jacob. They decided to name her Emma Grace Elizabeth. Emma Grace was a wonderful, smart, humors, caring gal.

      She wished life were simple. Grow her hair out, get gorgeous braces. For some reason she wanted to break her leg. When she was nine years old her mother had another baby. She already had a six year old sister. Zoey (her baby sister) looked just like her. YES! A wish comes true.

      She was pretty when she wore makeup. Her lips were perfection in pink lipstick. But life made her feel lonely. Instead of pretty braces she got a stupid, medal spacer put in her mouth. Instead of a broken leg she got a broken heart. Long bangs were also included in her. One day she ran away. You must be thinking she’s going to be stolen by a stranger. Nope. She walked out the back door with a backpack and a water bottle. She ran on the trampoline. She ran away about 5 yards. There she ran away. About 3 minutes she walked back inside.

She also loves to paint. One day Emma Grace was painting for her mom. She painted a picture of her self with mountains behind her. WOW! It was amazing! Emma Grace Elizabeth has a fear of…………….

CHUKIE THE DOLL!

The devil to children and some adults.

       She is 9 years old now and still alive. She goes to Schiff Elementary in Missouri city. She is heathy and beautiful.

Jamar's Poem

J - Joyful

A - Active

M - Mysterious

A - Awesome

R - Remarkable

Gregory's Poem

G - Great
R - Really
E - Excellant
G - Good
O - Odd
R - Radiant
Y- Yo Yo

Guardians of Ga'Hoole

This book took me awhile to get into. I found it hard to remember that the owl was talking, feeling, and thinking. I suppose that makes me an old lady. Once I got into the mind of Soren (the main character), I was ready to go along for the ride. This is the first book in the series, so there is a lot of set up for the later books. Soren is snatched as a young owl and brought to an orphanage. But, Soren is not actually an orphan. At St. Aggies (the orphanage), they are brainwashing young owls and training them to do certain tasks, and most never learn to fly. Soren meets Gylfie and together they know they most escape, and they must learn to fly. They meet a few friends along the way and the adventure is hard to steer away from. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

Spelling test January 7th!

WEEK 18 (1/7)

bloom

cookbook

tool

shampoo

put

wool

stool

proof

prove

group

brook

foolish

bush

crooked

booth

raccoon

hook

groom

roof

soup

ENTERTAINING

PROMOTE

ADVERTISE

CRITICS

GENERATED

Writing Workshop - Menu Item - Option 1

On January 4th in 1809, Louis Braille was born. After suffering an accident and an eye infection, Louis went blind at three. He later went on to invent Braille raised dot system that is still used today by blind people for reading and writing. How do you think your life would be different if you were blind? If you are blind, how do you think your life would be different if you could see?


For this to count as a menu item, it must be detailed and thorough. Read over your response, is it grammatically correct? Have you gone as in depth as you possibly can?
 

Objectives for the week of January 3

Reading: Students will learn to adjust their UNRAAVEL reading strategy to better fit instructional texts. When they come to V (venture, or read, the passage), for each sub-section students will record the topic, the three main details from that section, and the main idea of that section. Later in the week, they will piece the main ideas from the sub-sections into summaries.

Science:  Science Fair packets went home before the break.  Please check with your child and make sure that they follow all guide lines and the time line.  Please remember that you are only to support your child with their projectJ  We will complete a model Science Fair Project in the classroom starting on Tuesday and then begin learning about the properties of matter.

Social Studies:  Students will begin to investigate the causes of the Texas Revolution.

Writing: In writing, students will be showing off their writing skills on the Writing Release TAKS on Wednesday. The rest of the week, our students will focus on refining their brainstorming and pre-writing skills by preparing to write a personal narrative on a “Special Memory.”

Math:  Students will begin learning Fraction concepts such as, describing fraction parts of a set or whole object and generating equivalent fractions using pictorial models.

Come back!

It is time to come back to school! I can't wait to see you guys on Tuesday!

Did you have an awesome break?

Did you have some mini adventures?

Did you read an exciting book?


Did you decide not to watch to much TV?