Post #17

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! I hope you all enjoyed the Gift Service as much as I did. The girls were poised, graceful, articulate, and sounded like angels. I have to compliment this group of Fourthies for maintaining focus and staying engaged in all of our academics this week. They transitioned beautifully and went with the flow with schedule changes and rehearsals.

We wrapped up the decimal math unit. The girls did a great job on the cumulative assessment (test was sent home in work packets on Thursday) and even aced balancing a checkbook. We discussed the importance of absolute attention to detail when working with money and decimals. The girls completed several difficult EdPuzzles that involved multiple steps and large digit multiplication. Ask your daughter about Monty the Penguin, West Jet Christmas Miracle, Canadian Tire Company, and Coke's Random Act of Kindness campaign.

The girls wrote Christmas cards to eight-year-old Sa'fyre Terry of Schenectady, NY. Sa'fyre lost her family in a house fire and suffered severe burns. We talked about the struggles this little girls has and will have in her life. The girls' messages to Sa'fyre were so sweet. There was no formal Writing Lab this week but the girls managed to practice some editing skills with sound bites from The Grinch and "texted" Santa using Wordly Wise words. You can see their faux texts in this collaborative slideshow. Here's a sample:


We reviewed literary elements, particularly the difference between static and dynamic characters. After watching an animated A Christmas Carol, the girls reflected on the literary elements and even wrote an alternate ending to the famous story.

The holiday fun continued this week! The girls had a little green adventure and made candy Christmas trees with a following direction activity. Some did get a little carried away and ended up with mustaches:) But really, shouldn't green mustaches be allowed the week before Christmas??


The girls made mini nativity scenes and we all enjoyed watching the Abstract Noun Animotos. Be sure to check them out. They will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit! And finally here is the best rendition of Jingle Bells that you will ever hear. Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a fun filled relaxing vacation. See you in 2016!

Post #16

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

It's kind of hard to believe that there is just one more week of school in 2015! This week was packed with fun and focus. The girls received their blog credentials and have been exploring Weebly, creating their blogs. Weekly blogging will be a class activity next semester. You might wonder why a Fourthie would want to blog. Written expression is just one aspect of student blogging. The girls blog to establish positive digital footprints while expressing their individuality. They're creating their own personal brand while sharing their passions, concerns, interests and more. Several girls have published their websites. Our sites are password protected. Please ask your daughter to share the password. 

The focus of this week's writing lab was summarizing. We used this clip as inspiration:

The girls out did themselves with their abstract noun project. Most are finished and you can check them out here. 

We are still exploring key events in the 21st century. The girls incorporated their knowledge of the 21st century in a math writing activity using personification. They are so creative! 

Fact fluency/recall is strong with this group of Fourthies. I am impressed with their motivation and determination. As the pace and difficulty of the math curriculum increases, fact fluency will be critical. The girls are well aware of this:) Adding and subtracting decimals was reinforced in a variety of activities this week. The girls will take an assessment on decimal concepts on Thursday. 

Gift Service Information:

Tuesday, Dec 15:

12:30-1:00 (4^th grade recess): Mary, Joseph, Angel, Wise Men and Pages report to LS music room for costumes.

1:00-3:00 LS Choir rehearsal at River Road Church, Baptist. 

Wednesday, Dec 16: 

2:00-3:15  Grades 3 & 4 in LSAR (go through entire service)

Thursday, Dec 17:  

12:00-2:30 Grades 3 & 4 rehearse at River Road Church, Baptist. This is a dress rehearsal and students should come in costume and bring any necessary props with them to the church. String ensemble students bring instruments and music.

Friday, December 18:

8:15 Select students in Grades 3 & 4 (choir, string ensemble, scripture readers) and supervising faculty/parents load buses in McVey South lot. Depart for River Road Church, Baptist.

9:30 Gift Service

10:15 Conclusion of service; all students and faculty load buses to return to campus. Students return to classrooms where they will be picked up by parents.

Girls-

Your blog question is...... What is your homework next week?

Post #15

It's the most wonderful time of the year..... but have no fear... 

"The Lamp of Learning is Still Burning" in room M02!

The girls have been super busy keeping the spirit of the Christmas season in their hearts while engaging in academic tasks. The Fourthies have (1) they're very own site- Holiday Frolics with curated content just for them. 

Christmas lights were earned during fact practice in math. They used the lights to decorate  (2) there homes (the faster your fact recall, the more lights you earned). From there the girls wrote persuasive letters to the mayor, doing their best to get (3) there house on The Tacky Light Tour. Look for these letters in next week's work folder. We have several wreaths on our windows and they were looking quite drab. To remedy this, the girls are decorating the wreaths with "mathaments"- think ornaments with a math connection. Each time they complete a math challenge they earn a "mathament" to decorate.

The Holiday Frolic site includes the 12 Days of Edpuzzle. Ask your daughter about a vegan Christmas, the lonely snowman, a tiny dancer, etc. Papers with muted ornaments are where the girls solve (4) they're EdPuzzles. Be on the look out for these: 

We took a look at Christmas by the numbers and solved equations involving huge numbers. Did you know that the United States produces 1,760,000,000 candy canes each year?

This week's writing lab was all about collaboration- but not with another Fourthie. The girls worked collaboratively with Rudolph and wrote letters to the reindeers asking for kindness and for the bullying to stop. We used Google Story Builder. The girls were quite clever. Take a look at (5) they're creativity.

A language arts project was started this week. The girls are writing scripts, gathering images, and making recordings that incorporate abstract nouns that represent their feelings and memories about Christmas, family traditions, and celebrations. The final project promises to be a heart-warming treat.

We finally got around to our 50 Compliment Celebration. The girls voted and decided on some sweet treats and an hour of sharing. I loved this idea. They shared their movie creations, animations, stories, and journals with each other. It's amazing to me how they enthusiastically expand on what we are doing in class. I can't say enough about their creativity!

Assorted information to ask your daughter about:

* The SCAN Christmas Service Project (hand-out is in agenda). Our class has been asked to bring in small gifts that would appeal to a 15 year old girl. We brainstormed ideas such ask thick winter socks, lip gloss, scarf, a notepad for journaling, gift card, etc. 

* The Spelling Bee (handout in agenda, digital copy). This is an optional activity.

Girls- Your blog question.......Please correct my homonym errors! Write your answer on the little slip of paper in your agenda.

PS- Blog credentials will be given out on Monday!!!