Reading
    
      In reading this week we have been continuing our read aloud of Ida B. and we have also been reading articles in a new magazine from Scholastic called “Storyworks.” We also have been signing up for book talks after we read a book and continuing to write in our reader’s response journal.
    


Math, Number Corner and Science
     
       This week in math we have been building arrays with 1 inch square tiles and drawing them in our math journal. We have also been talking about different terms that we use for arrays like, dimensions, area, and factors. One other thing is that all of us kids have learned the new saying “ commutative property of multiplication”.  Another thing I would like to tell you is that this week we have started “Dynamath.” “Dynamath” is a Scholastic magazine that has articles that have math problems on every page to go with them. For example , this week, we all split up into groups and  read an article about koalas and the article made us write number sentences to show our work. We had to read the story the article gave us, then, we had to figure out if the article wanted us to solve multiplication or division. After that we had to write the number sentence (number sentences) to go with the problem the story was giving you.
    
            In Number Corner this week we have not done much because we got a new  calendar for October and it has not  given us many clues about what to predict, but as the month goes on we will start to make predictions about what we think will happen next or what we think the pattern is.
              
            In science this week, we have been studying the human body. We have been focusing on the digestive system. We have learned about the esophagus, the large intestine (which is really a long tube inside your body that that is 20-25 feet long inside your body), the small intestine, the liver and the pancreas. We have also learned that tissue makes cells, cells makes organs, organs makes systems and systems make THE HUMAN MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Other Important News and Events

         Last week on Thursday we started NECAPS. We have been doing the reading sessions first and we will soon be moving into the math sessions. Families have also been welcome to send in treats for the students to keep us awake (because we do the tests in the morning) to help us do our best work.

        Also on Friday Mrs. Crowther gave us a catalog of non-fiction books from Scholastic. If you are going to buy books from there the orders are due 10/15/12.

By: Maddy Krupp and Greta Powers

READING:
     In reading, we have have been reading our just right book and we have been reading a book in class called Ida B. We’ve also been using our book boxes to hold our book, reading log, light read, back up book(which is our book in case we finish the one we are reading), a pencil to write and our reading response journal. What is a reading response you ask? Well, it is where we write letters to Mrs. Crowther about our reading life and what books we are reading.   


WRITING:
             In writing we have been brainstorming different ideas to get ideas to write our personal narratives that we will publish. This is the second writing project we have done this year. The first project was the bio-poem. 



MATH

    In math this week Mr. Madden (the math teacher we have been working with) has been working with us with 1 inch square tiles and linear pieces. With these tools we have been building models representing multiplication and division. We have also been working in our student work books where we write observations and other math problems.
    In number corner we have been working with centimeters, meters and decimeters (which is 10 centimeters). We’ve also been observing the calendar and figuring out the Egyptian numeral patterns that people actually used!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Other Important News and Events

          This week our team went to Shelburne Farms to make pizza and work on team building.  Some groups went on the tractor and all groups got to cook and play awesome games. We learned how to work together and how much work goes into making a pizza! The trip was really fun but the best part was that Mrs. Crowther’s baby Poppy, came too!

          This week we will also be starting NECAPS. NECAPS are when we do a big test through 10/4 to 10/11 and if you’re sick on one of those days we are having a make up week! Get ready and put your thinking caps on students!

Written by: Greta Powers and Maddy Krupp

Dear Writers

Dear Students,

        Thank you for being so open and honest and writing to me about your “writing selves.”  I very much enjoyed getting to know you better as writers, and as individuals.  Before I share some of the things I learned about you, I thought I’d share a bit about “ my writing self”. 

        I am a writer who writes with a purpose – usually, to communicate something.  I often write non-fiction and usually keep things pretty procedural.  Currently at home, I’m writing a journal to Poppy and even that is pretty straight forward.  I also have to confess that I do not love writing.  It is not my strength and I don’t spend much of my free time doing it.  However, because of this, I have made “To Become a better writer and writing teacher” a goal for myself each of the last 3 school years.  And I think my efforts are slowly paying off – but each year, it’s a lot of focused, hard work.  I take classes and read books to help me become a better writing teacher for YOU! J  And finally, I like to learn a lot of my lessons about writing, from AUTHORS!  I study the art of writing in the reading I do – and in the read alouds we do in class.  We’ll be doing this together all year! 

        So now, I’d like to share with you some of the MANY things I learned about the writers in our classroom!   Some things that came up often were that you need a QUIET environment in order to do your best writing.  I also read that you need private think time, help with ideas, you like to be alone, and that you need to slow down and/or to reread your work often.  I also learned that many of our classmates want to improve their spelling, handwriting, and they like to SHARE their writing! 

        Many of our fellow writers like to write about: family, animals/fish/pets, friends, funny things, and yourselves!  I also learned that the majority of you like to write fiction and use your imaginations!!  On that note, I learned that you too use other books, your imagination, and inspiring stuff in nature to help you get inspired to write. 

And finally, I was so happy to read over and over again how many of you LOVE to write!  How exciting for our classroom. J  We have many future authors in here!  It was refreshing to read how much you enjoy writing – I heard that it allows you to express yourselves, calms you down and motivates you, and even helps bring you back up when you’re feeling down.  How wonderful to know that writing plays such an important role in so many of our lives!!

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness.  I look forward to writing with you this year – both teaching, learning and growing together!

Love,

Mrs. Crowther J

Dear Families,

  Hello and Happy Fall!  (I waited until the weekend to send this, just so I could say that..... :))

School is finally starting to feel like we're getting into the routine of things.  Just in time to have a 4 day week, a field trip, and NECAP testing...... Anyway, here are some of the things we've been doing:

Reading : 

Reading conferences, our first response, and 3 minute fluency assessments.

Writing:

Students wrote me letters about their "writing lives,", and continue to work in their notebooks.  This week however, they actually started a couple of narratives.  Soon, students will choose one of the narratives they've already started to work through the writing process!!  

Look for the letter that I wrote in response to the students' "writing lives" letter on our blog site!!

Math:

We've been working on understanding area this week in preparation for looking at multiplication using the area model.  In addition to using pattern blocks to  think about area, we used 1 in square tiles this week. Multiplication starts on Monday! Additionally, we shared our strategies for subtraction after looking at the HW together.  And finally, we talked about a new ADDITION to the goal sheet - CLINIC!!  

Students brought home a (computation) clinic book (you may have heard it referenced to as "the dinosaur"...:)), a salmon colored instruction sheet, and either a pink or yellow clinic cover sheet.  All students were placed in either addition or subtraction based on a few assessments they've completed.   They will complete 4 problems a night (Due Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), and one of those 4 problems should be solved using 2 different methods.  Students correct themselves, turn it in each day and keep the clinic book in their HW folder.  Please let me know if you have questions about this part of the weekly goal sheet.  

Spelling:

Spelling (word study) will also start this week.  There will be 2 groups in our classroom.  All groups will bring home a packet on Monday that is due on Friday.  We complete a pre-test on Monday and go over the spelling rule and word sort together.  The rest of the work is to be completed at home.  The quiz will always be on Friday.  

Other important stuff:

I know that there was a big meeting with 4th grade parents, administrators and school board members this week concerning the large class sizes we're faced with this year.  I wanted to say thank you for your support.  I hope that we can now move forward with what we've got and continue to feel supported and confident in all of the people and programs at SCS.  Moving forward, we are fortunate here in Shelburne to already have many supports in place.  And of course, I will always do my best to meet the needs of ALL of my students.  

- Remember, there is NO SCHOOL on Wednesday (9/26)

- Field trip to Shelburne Farms on Friday 9/28.  A permission slip came home last week.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  It's sure to be a great time!!

 - NECAP testing will start the first week of October (10/4) and continue through the following week.  4th graders complete testing in both math and reading.  Science NECAP will take place next spring.  

OK, That's enough for now.  Keep in touch!!

First Week!!

8/31/12

Hello Families and Happy Blue Moon!!

I am pleased to say that we have had a successful first week of school!  The students are working really hard and are enjoying getting to meet new friends and see old ones.  

Some things we've been working on this week:

• Building reading endurance
• Writing a story about our summer - independently
• Introduction to Habits of Mind - especially in math
• Learning about classroom jobs and "applying" for them (to be posted Tuesday!)
• Getting to know each other better
• Classroom/schoolwide procedures
•  Daily routines
•  Lining up quietly
•  Transitioning to and from circle - quickly, quietly, and calmly
•  "freezing" when we hear the signal
•   cleaning up the classroom
•   Using the classroom library
•   Showing good listening
•   and many more!
• How to create the BEST classroom community!

Of course, we're also taking assessments, enjoying Read-alouds and activities with our Endeavor team mates, and getting to know our classroom.

**Important for you to know that students will be bringing home their FIRST GOAL SHEET tonight!  Goal sheets basically outline our HW for the following week and are always due, along with the HW, on Thursdays.  Next week's HW is simply one math sheet (review), 2 entries in their writer's notebooks, and to read nightly.  You will also see a YELLOW reading log come home.  This is what students will be using to keep track of BOTH their in school and at home reading.  It should be brought back and forth with their reading book each day.  There is one place on the goal sheet where I ask for your signature.  This is for you to sign off on their at home reading.  (They should be keeping track of the book title, total number of pages, and nightly the number of minutes read and the number of pages read.)

Next week we'll continue practicing classroom procedures, start exploring shapes in math, begin September's Number Corner (part of Bridges Math), learn more about Habits of Mind, continue collecting entries in our writer's notebooks, work on building reading endurance, and of course, have fun and get to know each other better! :)

And finally, as always, please feel free to ask questions if you have them.  Email is probably the best way to get a hold of me but you may also try calling.  However, please know that there is usually just one time in the morning, and one time in the evening that I check my mail.  

I look forward to a great year with your children! :)

Hello and Welcome!

Everyone is gearing up to get back to school - such an exciting time of the year!!  Although it will be difficult to leave my two sweet children, and to be busy, busy, I know I'm excited for a new school year to begin.

I thought i'd start this year's blog with a post that shares a little bit about me - personally.  We spend so much time at the beginning of the year getting to know each other, I know that students also like to get to know me!

I grew up in central PA with my older sister Taya and my mom.  We were fortunate enough to grow up in a small town surrounded by close family!  Once HS ended, I quickly left PA to head out to Northern CA for college.  My dad lived in CA so it was nice to be closer to him.  I graduated from Humboldt State University with a BS in Botany and then moved back east.

I've been in VT since 2001.  When I first arrived, I worked for the state doing invasive plant control and after two seasons working in the field, decided I wanted to go back to school to get my teaching degree.  I got my first teaching job in 2004 in Northfield, VT where I taught 4th grade.  I've been at Shelburne since 2008.

My husband Noah and I are high school sweethearts and were married in Vilcabamba, Ecuador in 2004.  We have a dog named Hank, a 2 year old son named Sy and a 6 month old daughter named Poppy.  I feel very blessed to have such a delightful family! :)

Some things I like to do for fun are: walk, yoga, shop, travel, eat, bake, and read.  We live in a musical house - I play the violin and my husband is a bass player (and singer) in a band.  Sy currently prefers to play the drums.  We'll soon see what instrument Poppy enjoys the most! :)

I LOVE learning and teaching!  I love to spend my days inspiring curiosity in my students and watching them grow as learners.

I'll hope to keep the blog posted as the year continues.  Most often i'll post the classroom news, and eventually, I'd like to have students updating parents on what is going on in the classroom.  Stay tuned!!

Thanks for reading.
Cara:)

Weekly News - September 30th

Dear Families,

Hello and Happy Friday!

Hasn't it been a beautiful fall so far!

The Endeavor 4th graders have definitely found their groove and are growing every day! Some things we've been working on:

Reading -

• writing a good reading response
• NECAP prep
  
• building reading endurance

Math -

• using the area model of multiplication to understand factors, products, division, prime numbers and composite numbers!
• Sharing multiplication strategies that help us remember our facts
• mulltiples of 2 and 3
• reviewing expanded notation
• NECAP prep

Writing -

• collecting entries
• "Heart Mapping"
• writing from our "best" and "worst" lists

Science - Most of our larvae have become Chrysalises! We've been watching them closely in anticipation of the arrival of our beautiful monarch butterflies! When our monarchs emerge, we'll spend a few days observing them and then plan a release day.

Spelling - This was week 2 of spelling. Students and I spent some time going over last week's packet. I reminded them to read the directions and work carefully in their spelling packets. Beginning the week of 10/10, spelling HW will be DUE THURSDAY so that I can check students' work before the day of the test. Next week, we will not have spelling HW due to NECAP testing.

NECAP - Students will be taking the NECAP (reading and math) tests next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and again the following Monday.

Other Important news:
- Next week's HW will be slightly less than normal due to NECAP testing. Students will not have spelling or writing HW and only one math sheet.
- Many of you still need to sign up for November conferences.

OK. Keep in touch!

Cara :)

--
Cara Crowther
4th Grade Teacher
Endeavor Team
Shelburne Community School