Room 216 is Loving the Holiday Season!

None of us can believe that December is upon us. We are gearing up for some fun activities and mind boggling lessons. 

What is Coming Up? 

• December 5th: Library Check-out 
• December 12th-15: Classroom Spelling Bee
• December 15th: 4th Grade Music Program 6:30-7:30 
• December 19th: Library Check-out 
• December 20th: Winter Party
• December 21st - January 3rd: Winter Recess 

This week we were drawn to have the LEGO tub! Which means students got to build any LEGO creation they wanted and we put it in the trophy case next to the gym. For all of next week other students, teachers, and staff will get to see all the neat things they built. 

In math we started a new unit where students work with a partner to peel apart the layers to math problems that are realistic to what we do every day. They have done a great job collaborating, sharing, and presenting their ideas. Look at the twitter feed to see some examples of their work! 

In social studies we have now begun our deeper look into Missouri's geography. Students have been assigned on of the 5 regions of Missouri with a group. Their jobs are to become experts on this region and then teach the class about it.

For reading we are nearing the end of Jack's Run. We have created Interactive Language Notebooks and will be taking a closer look at mechanics and word structures. 

The next couple of weeks we will also be integrating a lot of Holiday cheer into our every day activities. So be looking for information to come about specifics. 

Have a Great Weekend! 

Mrs. Daugherty 

November 16th

Thank you all for making it to conferences, it was so amazing getting to talk about our great kiddos. 

What's Coming Up: 

• November 21st - Library Checkout 
• November 22nd - Classroom Thanksgiving Feast 
• November 23rd-25th - Thanksgiving Break 
• December 5th - Library Checkout

Grandparents Day was so amazing, the students had such a great time! 😃

We hope to be finishing our math unit on double digit by double digit multiplication this week. We will be working on manners and table etiquette leading up to our Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday next week. 

Students have now started our informational writing unit, which we will intermingle with our Missouri geography curriculum. 

How is it Almost November?

Our 4th Graders are continuing to work hard and enjoy doing it! 

Upcoming Events 

• October 28th, Fall Party 
• October 31st, No School: Teacher Workday 
• November 7th, Library Checkout 
• November 7th, Parent-Teacher Conferences in the Evening 
• November 8th, No School: Election Day
• November 10th, Parent-Teacher Conferences in the Evening
• November 11th, No School: Teacher Workday 

Math: 

   Students just took their assessment on multiplying 2 to 3 digit numbers by a 1 digit number. All of them made such tremendous growth from their pre-assessment. Next week we will start our double digit by double digit multiplication unit. We will use inquiry based problems to help students gain conceptual knowledge of what double digit by double digit multiplication is. 

Reading: 

   We are now starting our reading unit on story elements. Characters are what we worked on this week and next week will be cause and effect. Also, we are continuing to meet in our small groups, where students are receiving lessons to meet their needs.

Writing: 

   In the 4th grade we are working on creating a piece of writing that answers the question, "What the Word America Means to Me." Students will then get to share these pieces with grandparents on Grandparents Day. 

Science: 

    We are wrapping up our unit on weathering and erosion. We will be sending out a study guide for their test over this information. 

Also.... PAJAMA DAY TOMORROW! They have definitely earned it. :) 

Everything Thing is Awesome, in 4th Grade Daugherty!

Our class is continuing to do some amazing things and grow everyday into better scholars! 

Upcoming Dates:

• October 24th, Library Checkout 
• October 28th, Fall Party 
• October 31st, No School: Teacher Workday 
• November 7th, Library Checkout 
• November 7th, Parent-Teacher Conferences 
• November 8th, No School: Election Day
• November 10th, Parent-Teacher Conferences 
• November 11th, No School: Teacher Workday 

Reading: 

   We are just finishing up talking about inferences, predictions, and context clues. Students have done such a great job learning this material! 

Writing: 

    We are so excited we got to share our stories with our loved ones. We also got to do Author Share in the classroom as well. Students were happy to be able to share their stories with their classmates and get positive feedback on them. 

Math: 

    Students are finishing up Topic 5 for math. Next week we will be reviewing and taking the test. The link to the Jeopardy game will be sent Tuesday and posted on the blog. 

Science: 

    We are still discussing all the factors that goes into weathering, erosion, and disposition and the role it plays in our world. Students have been able to partner read our National Geographic science books and then discuss as a class what we are learning. 

What's Going on in 4th Grade!

What's Coming Up? 

       October 19th  - Early Release 

       October 28th - Fall Party 

       October 31st - No School, Teacher Workday 

Science: 

    We have been discussing erosion and got to go outside to make our own observations. From our observations we created questions about what erosion is and how it effects the world around us. 

Math: We are working on estimating multiplication, in order to solve larger problems. We are also learning strategies on how to find the answer to multi-digit multiplication problems. 

Writing: We just finished our final drafts of our personal narrative stories! We are excited to share them with you tomorrow at the Brown Bag Breakfast. 

Reading: We are continuing to work hard in our small groups. A main focus we have right now is non-fiction texts. We just started the sequel to Zach's Lie, Jack's Run as our read aloud. 

As a grade level, 4th grade has started to discuss Service Learning. We met as a grade level and discussed with students what it is. After that discussion we had students come up with some ideas. They did a great job and we are looking forward to the next steps. 

Coming Up this Week!

• Tomorrow is Picture Day! October 4th 
• Wednesday we are going to the Planetarium at Rock Bridge High School! October 5th
• Thursday we have a math test over unit 3. October 6th 
• Students will come home with a study guide and here is a jeopardy game for extra review: http://jeopardylabs.com/play/topic-3-jeopardy-game

In reading we will be finishing up Zach's Lie and reviewing what we have learned so far in reading. For example, the stories point of view, predictions, visualizing, sequence of events and theme. 

This week we will also be taking both the Math and Reading STAR test. 

Also check out the live twitter feed to the right for updates on what we are doing. 

Thank you! 

4th Graders Continuing to Do Great Things!

We had a great time in Counselor last week. Students got to work in partners or in a group to create friendship crests. 

In writing we are working on the last pieces of what makes a good personal narrative. Students are learning how to make a great conclusion, how to add dialogue, and how to edit. 

For math we are learning about the meanings of multiplication and how we use it. Students got to go around the school and take pictures of arrays they saw throughout the building. Then with the pictures they created arrays in the app notability. 

If you are looking for something for your student to do for extra math work there is a website and an app I have added the students on. 

The site/ app is Front Row. Students sign in with their first and last name and use the password: daughg 

September 16th

Our class is doing such a great job and they are constantly getting complimented by their specialists teachers, as well, about their great behavior. We won the golden broom again!! The kids were really excited about this and are looking forward to winning the golden cone now. 

Upcoming Dates: 

• September 26th, No School: Teacher Workday 
• October 4th, Picture Day 

What have we been learning about! 

Writing: 

   We have been working very hard learning about the different pieces of a great personal narrative writing. We have practiced writing different types of leads for our story. Creating more dynamic rising actions and showing our reader what is going on, not just telling them. 

Reading: 

    Zach's Lie continues to be a nail bitter and the kids never want me to stop reading it! We are learning about what a character's purpose is in the story, what the point of view is in the story, and keeping track of the sequence of events. We have fully started our rotations for Daily 5 and students are really enjoying their Meet the Teacher time where they got to pick a book with their group, which they are now reading. 

Math: 

   We are wrapping up our unit on addition and subtraction. We ended with working on subtraction, borrowing across zeros, to the thousands place. We will review today and Monday, and then take the test on Tuesday. 

Social Studies/Science: 

   We have now finished our first unit of social studies. We will now start our first science unit. In this unit we will learn about famous scientists, how to set up a science notebook, and learn about the parts of an experiment. 

Reminders

No School on Monday September 5th - Labor Day 
No School on Monday September 26th - Teacher workday
Picture Day on October 4th

Please check with your student to make sure they have headphones in the classroom. We use them on the computers and when we will be getting our iPad's as well. 

Thank you! 
Mrs. Daugherty

Another great week down! Here are some updates for what we have going on. 

Reading
   This week we really worked on routines.  We specifically worked on expectations and reading stamina during reading time.  I spent time reading individually with each child getting to know their reading levels and each of them as a reader.  I LOVED listening to your children read.  I was beyond impressed and can't wait to get book groups up and going.  We are continuing to read aloud, Zach's Lie.  Be sure to ask your child about it.  They LOVE it so far!
Math
   Math has been so fun!  We started math groups this week and the students always groan when I tell them math is over.  They love working together and in small groups.  This year, I am teaching math in small groups.  This is going to be perfect so I can challenge each student at their appropriate learning level.  Students have been learning/reviewing place value, standard, word and expanded forms, comparing large numbers, rounding and more.  Be sure to ask you child what their favorite part of math is. We will be testing over this tomorrow.
Writing
   The weekend journals were a HUGE success.  Your child's face lit up reading the notes you all wrote them.  Thanks for taking the time and helping me teach the importance of letter writing.  The students have also begun brainstorming ideas for their own Personal Narrative writing piece. We used people, places and our feelings to inspire us. We will begin drafting on one of these brainstorms next week. 

Social Studies
   Before we begin diving into Social Studies, we have taken time this week to look at geography, maps and vocabulary surrounding this.  Students should be able to tell you what planet we live on, hemisphere, continent, country, county and city we live in.  Students are studying the 50 states, seven continents, four major oceans and cities in Missouri.  Be watching next week for this to come home to study for a quiz! 

Word Study
   Students took the word study inventory last week.  This looks a lot like a spelling test, but helps me as a teacher understand what patterns within words students need to work on.  We will be starting some word study work very soon! 

Friday Folders
  This Friday, please be watching for Friday folders to come home.  Each week, there will be several sheets of in class work that students have completed.  Please know there might be a grade or comments on several, but MOST of the pages are ones your child has done within groups as practice and were more of a teaching point. Every other week, your child will be making comments and setting goals for themselves. 

Reading Log

   Starting tomorrow, students will be bringing home a reading log.  Students are to read 25 minutes Monday-Thursday and have it signed nightly.  This is the only "homework" I will expect of them.  There might be a random page that comes home they'd like to finish or a quiz they want to study for, but that will not happen often. 

August 22nd - 26th

This week we have and will continue to work on place value, ordering numbers, decimals and counting money to make change. 

We are also excited to start our first writing unit, which is Personal Narratives. We have started by reading Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and Fireflies! by Julie Brinckloe. 

Yesterday we began to read Zach's Lie as our class read aloud, which we will apply to our reading lessons. 

In social studies we are reviewing what geography is and looking at our place in the world. 


More updates to come! 

Classroom is starting to feel ready!

The classroom is starting to feel more ready everyday. Just need to get some more planning done and add the final, and the best touch to the classroom ... my students!!