Homework and News 11/14

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Week of 11/14

(due Friday 11/18)

Reading Log  with comprehension activity

Math –           Multiplication Cards, only if you don’t have them (KEEP       AT HOME)

Practice with Multiplication Cards 1

Tickets for the Play

Factors and Products 1

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

Thank you to the many parents who came in for conferences last week. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to talk about your children and share their work with you. The time was also useful time for me, as I got great feedback from students and parents regarding a variety of things they are enjoying about fourth grade, and things that could be improved.

You may have noticed a big change this week, homework. Many parents AND students are asking for more homework. Some families are asking for projects, and those too, will come!  Homework has consistently been sent home on Mondays and is to be returned on Friday of the same week.

Thank you to several families for the generous donations towards our treasure box! We are working incredibly hard at being responsible, respectful, kind, and safe. Our hard work paid off and we earned a trip to the box last Thursday; the new items were a huge hit! The treasure box is always accepting donations.

We completed our unit on the Navajo and will be veering away from social studies for a bit and focusing on the immune system which is incredibly important during this time of the year!

We are also getting ready to delve into our service learning project, composting! We will be looking for volunteers to help us with some work in the classroom, so please watch this space for dates and times in the near future!

Reward Plan Pictures!

Several weeks ago, I emailed parents and posted about the new reward plan being implemented in fourth grade. I thought it would be nice to have some pictures to associate with what is taking place in our classroom. 

 This poster is hanging in the front of our room. It shows what each block represents. A student earns a block each time they are demonstrating one of these classroom expectations. The block stays on their desk, and during transitions, they may put them in the jar pictured below.

This is a picture of all of our blocks! There are so many to earn!

This is the jar where every block that is earned ends up. At the end of each day, we count the blocks and chart our total. We spend lots of time reflecting on what we have done well and what we can continue to work on.

Navajo Sandpaintings

During the last month, we have been learning about the Navajo people, a Native American tribe from the southwest region. The Navajo are known for their jewelry, weavings, pottery, and sandpaintings. The fourth grade listened to a story about the purpose of sandpaintings. They learned that each symbol in a  sandpainting has a meaning. Each child created their own sandpainting and wrote about what it meant using the Navajo symbolic meanings and their own ideas.

Homework and News 11/7

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

 Week of 11/7

(due Thursday, 11/10)

Reading Log

Math –  Things That Come in Groups

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

Our unit on the Navajo is wrapping up. We have learned about their history and culture. We have listened to their creation story, looked at art, and even had a guest teacher share about their unbreakable code that helped win WWII. We made beautiful sandpaintings that are hanging in our classroom and posted on our blog. Later in the year, we will be learning about another a Native American tribe from our region, the Abenaki.

We are also coming to an end in our math unit on data. We have had fun comparing fourth and first graders heights and creating our own survey questions and collecting data from around the school.. After conducting our surveys and collecting the data, created representations, and analyzed the information. We have continued to work on our multiplication combinations as well and are making great progress! Keep practicing them at home!

This week is shortened due to parent-teacher conferences. I have attached a conference sheet for parents and guardians to complete and bring in at their conference time. Please take a few minutes to write down what you believe to be your child’s strengths and goals in the following areas, social/emotional and academics. Please write down any thoughts or comments you would like to share at our meeting. If you have not scheduled a time, please be sure to call the office a sign up.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Early Release – 11/10

No School – 11/11, 11/23-25

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Homework and News 10/31

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Week of 10/31

 (due Friday, 11/4)

Reading Log

Math –  How Many Cubes Can Students Grab (both sides)

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

We had a great Harvest Festival on Thursday. We were very appreciative of the parent volunteers for coming in and helping us build some really awesome scarecrows. The pictures will be up on our blog, so check them out!

We continue to chug along with our reward system, but need some new rewards. Many of your children seem to like tangible rewards, which are just great, but we don’t have many for our treasure box. I am hoping that we could get some donations of rewards. Anything small and inexpensive would be wonderful; pencils, erasers, rocks, silly bands, etc. The students are randomly picking the reward each day from a cup; if there is another idea you have for a reward, please let me know.

Parent teacher conferences are on Thursday, 11/10 and Friday, 11/11. There is a sign up sheet in the office. Please call the office to sign up soon; the slots are filling quickly!

DATES TO REMEMBER

Early Release – 11/10

No School – 11/11, 11/23-25

Visit guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com for new and updated information.

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Homework 10/24

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Week of 10/24

(due Friday, 10/28)

 Reading Log

Math –          Related Multiplication Combinations

                  Continue to work on multiplication combinations

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

Our reward program is motivating and exciting! We are having great success; our enthusiasm and motivation to do well is contagious, we are seeing it spread all over school! Please talk with your child about what is happening in our classroom with the new plan, and feel free to  share any feedback with me. Our classroom is the first to use this specific reward program for the whole group and the school staff is curious to know what everyone thinks.

This Thursday, 10/27, as many of you know, we are having a Harvest Festival. The morning will be consumed with service work at the school organized by the staff. The afternoon will be filled with fun activities organized by parent volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Penny Lussier at plussier1999@gmail.com. Also, the lunch on this day is going to be put together by Barbara Labonte of Café Service and the middle school farm to school program. Please encourage your child to eat lunch at school on this day; it’s going to be delicious!

Parent teacher conferences are on Thursday, 11/10 and Friday, 11/11. There is a sign up sheet in the office. Please call the office to sign up soon; the slots are filling quickly!

Please remember, book orders are due this Friday, 10/28.

Visit guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com for new and updated information.

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Homework and News 10/17

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Week of 10/17

Due to the shortened week, there is no homework. Homework will resume next week.

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

We have started a classroom positive behavior program. The students are given a pattern block representing one of the classroom rules each time they are “caught” following that rule. We have a collection jar for the blocks, and twice a day we count them. If we have earned the goal amount, we are able to earn a reward. The students and I have created a short list of rewards. We are looking for more suggestions of rewards that we would enjoy. If you have any ideas, let us know.

NECAP testing is done, and what a relief! We did a fantastic job getting through the long and very tiring tests. We enjoyed some delicious snacks made with local produce and shared some yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on the last day to celebrate the completion of testing.

The fourth grade, as you probably know, is a very creative bunch of students, and in need of some craft supplies. Some things of particular interest and need include, construction paper, glue sticks, craft glue such as Elmer’s, and beads.  If you have any of these items not being used, we would very much appreciate them in the classroom.

NO SCHOOL –

Thursday, 10/20

Friday, 10/21

Email to Parents

This was sent this evening. It was bounced back from a couple of email addresses so I will do my best to get it out there. It's important!

• Hi Fourth Grade Families,
• 
  
• Hope you all have enjoyed such a beautiful weekend. It's nice to see that fall has finally arrived.
• 
  
• As we head back into another week of school, I want to talk this time to explain a classroom wide incentive program that I have developed with the help of Dr. Teri Brooks, school psychologist for WSESU.
• 
  
• Last week, Dr. Brooks and I spent a great deal of time discussing the fourth graders and the needs that are specific to them. We agreed that the fourth grade needs more positive experiences at school - with staff and each other. With the assistance of Dr. Brooks, I took the classroom rules and assigned a pattern block to each. During the day, the students earn a pattern block anytime they are demonstrating one of the classroom rules. The rules include, be safe, be kind, be responsible, and be respectful. 
• 
  
• On Thursday, 10/13, the class completed an anonymous survey about the classroom climate. I took the information gathered and presented it to the class on Friday morning before I rolled out the incentive program. The class was a bit surprised to see that as a whole, they don't believe that they are kind or respectful towards each other, teachers, or visiting adults (subs and parents). They also found out that they don't feel emotionally safe, but do feel mostly physically safe. Once this information was shared, I was able to share the classroom plan. From 9:30 until the end of the day, EVERY student seemed to do a complete turn around- the classroom was buzzing with excitement! We have two reward times built into our day (students must earn 160 blocks for each reward time) and as long as students have had no visits to the planning room, they are able to participate in the reward. 
• 
  
• The rewards are selected randomly and include suggestions from the students and me. On Friday, at the first reward time, the students chose "theme party" and voted to have a PJ day on Monday. Some students were a little disappointed that their theme was not chosen, so students were given the option to participate. They also earned a reward at the end of the day and were able to select a small treat, 1 Hershey Kiss or Reese PB Cup or 2 Mints. We have many more rewards to work towards, and if their are any suggestions for rewards that you may have, please let me know.
• 
  
• As the students become more confident and skilled with the classroom expectations, it will become more challenging to earn blocks. The rewards will become less frequent, but will increase in desirability. This will not happen for at least a month.
• 
  
• If you have any questions or thoughts you'd like to share, please email or call me at school.
• 
  
• Thanks for the support,
• Karyn Tyler

Homework and Notes 10/10

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Due to NECAP testing, there is not any homework this week!

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

Our mapping unit has carried us into the Southwest region of the United States. Last week we read a short introduction about the Navajo, a tribe native to the region. We will explore their history and culture during the next month. This unit of study will give us many opportunities to explore different forms of art, eat new foods, and learn words from a new language. If you ever are curious about what is taking in the place, please don’t hesitate to ask!

As you may have noticed, I am sending some completed work home in homework folders. The completed work is a combination of homework and classroom work. With homework, students are simply checked off that they have completed it. I may make a note or write a message commenting on the assignments or make a suggestion for the next week. With classroom work, I look for students understanding of a concept, make comments or notes, and make some sort of mark to let them know that I have seen it. For assessments, I will file them for the year and send them home in June, unless otherwise asked.

NECAP testing will continue this week on these days and at these times:

***Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 10/11-13 NECAP Mathematics Assessment

We will continue to not have homework this week. Please make sure your child is getting plenty of rest and having a good breakfast at home or school. Sleep and nutrition are key when asking a child to sit and focus for long periods of time!

The first week of NECAP testing went quite well. Students were focused and ready to work. We finished each session with a snack that incorporated a fresh fruit or vegetable. Be sure to ask your child what they tried!

NO SCHOOL –

Thursday, 10/20

Friday, 10/21

Check out our blog at guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com .

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Homework and Notes 10/3

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

Week of 10/3 

Due to NECAP testing, there is not any homework this week!

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

NECAP testing is upon us again. The schedule for the next two weeks is as follows:

***Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 10/4-6 NECAP Reading Assessment

***Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 10/11-13 NECAP Mathematics Assessment

During the weeks of testing, there will not be any homework. Please make sure your child is getting plenty of rest and having a good breakfast at home or school. Sleep and nutrition are key when asking a child to sit and focus for long periods of time!

If your child has homework from previous weeks that is at home and has not been checked off, please encourage them to bring it in. I always accept late assignments. As the year has progressed, there has been less homework being turned in on Fridays. Remember, homework is a way for your child to practice skills learned in school and for parents to see what is happening in school. If a child is finding homework to be too difficult, please e-mail or call me so we can discuss alternative plans.

We had our first Four Winds class on Friday 9/23. Thank you to Elisha DiMatteo and Lisa Barry for volunteering to bring such a great program to our classroom. There are several other parents who have mentioned that they are interested in volunteering or helping out in the classroom. I have not forgot! As we get more into theme and our service learning (ask your child about this), I will be looking for volunteers to help some afternoons and for whole day field trips. As those dates approach, I will let you know.

NO SCHOOL –

Thursday, 10/20

Friday, 10/21

Don’t forget, the blog is up and running! guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com Check it out!

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Classroom Rules

These were created over several days. The students first discussed hopes and dreams for the year. They shared ways they thought the classroom could be a place where they could each have success. From their they created rules for our room. The rules were signed by all the children and adults that come into the fourth grade space to show that they agree to them.

Homework and Notes from 9/26

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

  Week of 9/26

(due Friday, 9/30)

Reading Log

Math –     More Factors and Products

                  Factors of Multiples of 100

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

Wow, September has passed us by quickly! As we finish up the last week of the month, I am reflecting back on what we have accomplished as a class. Your students have made great efforts this month to do wonderful things, including, rule creation, multiplication (factor and multiple/product), writing a response to literature, learning mapping skills, and so much more! If you missed open house, please take, a moment to chat with your child about what is going on at school. THANK YOU to all of those who were able to make it to open house, what a great time!

Last week, the multiplication homework presented many challenges for the fourth grade. With that being said, I am not worried if your child did not complete it because it became too overwhelming. We will continue to work on facts (combinations) in school, but it would be incredibly helpful if this skill is reinforced at home.

PICTURE DAY was rescheduled for tomorrow due to the rain last Tuesday.

Wednesday, 9/28, there is NO SCHOOL due to an in-service.

Don’t forget, the blog is up and running! guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com Check it out!

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Homework and Notes from 9/19

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK

 Week of 9/19

(due Friday, 9/24)

Reading Log

Math –     What’s on the Other Side? (both sides)

                  Practicing with Multiplication Cards (both sides)

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

We did lots of work with multiplication last week. Your child has /fact practice as part of their homework this week. Encourage them to practice more often than suggested! Make it fun; have them quiz you, too! Along with the math homework, please remind your child to complete the reading log and bring it in with the rest of the work on Friday.

Last Thursday, we had a technology presentation put on by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont. It was an engaging and informative hour spent discussing tech safety at home and at school.

This Wednesday, 9/21, we have a K-5 open house from 6-7:30. All classrooms will be open for the first half hour and then close so we can enjoy the BBQ together! I hope to see you all there.

As mentioned last week, our rules have been created by the group and are hanging for all to see. Every child has signed the rules, along with the adults that spend time in our room. I encourage you to ask your child about our rules and have discussions about them! We discuss the rules often and talk about ways that we could improve and better ourselves, and the lives of others!

Don’t forget, the blog is up and running! guilfordfourthgrade.blogspot.com Check it out!

karyn_tyler@wsesu.org

Tecnicool!

Thursday, 9/15, students will attend an our long session about internet safety. There is also a session that evening for parents to attend from 6:30-8:00pm. Check out the website for a more information http://www.technicoolvt.org/.

Homework And Notes 9/12

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK
Week of 9/12

(due Friday, 9/16)

Reading Log

Math –          How Many Groups

                  More Things That Come in Groups

Spelling – Work With a Team

CLASSROOM NOTES & REMINDERS

We ended our second week on a great note! Your children are really coming together as a community. We have finalized our rules and they are hanging in the classroom. Everyone has signed the rules, agreeing that they will follow them.

We also began preparing for the NECAP last week. It’s tough stuff, but I can see, your students are motivated to do well; they even asked to see a low scoring essay so they could know what NOT to do! NECAPs will not take place until October, but we will be doing lots of practice until then. When the specific dates are announced, I will let you know.

Along with NECAP preparation, the kids have all been doing short assessments in math and reading so we can get a “benchmark”, a point or score to progress from. Each student will be “benchmarked” three times a year, so we can watch them grow. How exciting!

On Wednesday, September 20, we will have an open house for kindergarten through fifth grade. There will also be a potluck BBQ. As more information is available, I will post it on the blog.

About the blog, I now have every students’ blog release. The blog was empty last week, but FINALLY has info and some pictures from previous weeks.

Our Weekly Schedule

Fourth Grade Schedule

9/2/11

8:00 – 8:40	Morning Meeting	Morning Meeting	Morning Meeting	Morning Meeting	Morning Meeting
8:40 - 9:40	Math	Math	Math	Math	Math
9:45 – 10:30	Art	PE	Music	PE	9:40-10:00 Reading Buddies
					10:00-10:30 Chinese
10:30 – 10:50	10 Minute Math	10 Minute Math	10 Minute Math	10 Minute Math	10 Minute Math
10:50 – 11:10	Recess	Recess	Recess	Recess	Recess
11:15- 11:35	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
11:35 – 12:05	Spellography	Spellography	Spellography	Spellography	Spellography
12:05 – 12:35	Theme	12:05 -12:45 “T” Time	Theme	Theme	Theme
12:35 – 1:20	Writing	12:45 – 1:30 Library	Writing	Writing	Writing
1:20 – 1:50	Skills	1:30-2:15 Service Learning	Skills	Skills	Skills
1:50 – 2:15	Guided Reading		Guided Reading	Guided Reading	Guided Reading
2:20	Jandi/Pick Ups	Jandi/Pick Ups	Jandi/Pick Ups	Jandi/Pick Ups	Jandi/Pick Ups
2:25	Buses	Buses	Buses	Buses	Buses