Trips & Celebrations!

Time Is Running Short!

The end of the year and all of the fun that goes with it has snuck up very quickly on us!  In this post you will find a lot of the information you will need to make sure your fourth grader closes out his or her Farley experience with a bang!


Math MCAS

We begin the second round of MCAS testing this Friday and finish it up next Wednesday.  Please help your child by enabling them to get a good night's rest and a good breakfast.  Students brought home a list of strategies that they have been working with most of the year to discuss with families tonight.  With our Growth Mindset philosophy this year, students have learned that success comes when our effort is effective.  This includes using strategies we have learned.  Thank you for your support!

Ecotarium Field Trip

We are headed to the Ecotarium on May 22nd.  Please make sure that all permission slips and money are sent in to school this week.  On the day of the field trip, please have your child bring a bag lunch, dress in layers, wear sneakers, and sunscreen.  Students do not need to bring money or electronics.  We are still in need of chaperones, the more the merrier.  Chaperones may have to drive themselves and are responsible for the $12.00 admission fee.  Please let me know if you are able to join us!


Library Walk

We are planning a walking field trip to the Hudson Public Library and then on to Wood Park for a picnic on June 10th.  While at the library, students will be able to jump start their summer reading and get a library card if they do not already have one.  We will be looking for chaperones for this field trip as well.  Stay tuned for more information!

Success Day

Success Day is on June 17th from 1- 2 PM and is a day where we invite families and special people in each year to see the hard work we have been doing.  Our focus will be on the research projects students have been doing about the different regions in the United States.  This is a wonderful opportunity for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other special people in your child's life to join us!

Time Capsule Closing Ceremony

This is the final culmination of your child's Farley experience.  It will be the last day of school at 9:00 AM.  If you have not already, please find a smaller plastic or cardboard container for your child to begin putting items into.  Lists of ideas were sent home, if you need another list, please let me know.  The week leading up to the Closing Ceremony, we will ask that the capsules be sent to school where we will add to the items in it.  On the day of the Ceremony, we will close the capsules and students will put them someplace safe at home and will not open them until they graduate from High School.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Technology

We began using a cart of laptops in our class today to do some research.  The pictures show some very engaged students, don't you think?  We are so lucky to have so many wonderful resources at our school!

Clubs, iMovies & Science!

Book Clubs

RTI this year has been comprised of myself and Mrs. MacLeod meeting with small groups and providing individualized instruction that moves each student forward in reading.  This individualized instruction will continue but our set-up has changed slightly as we begin to apply our reading skills learned this year and prepare for the demands of middle school.  Last Friday, students were given a choice of seven different chapter books that were considered to be high interest and provided a lot of opportunity for deep thinking and discussion.  Students watched book trailers, looked through the books and excitedly chose books.  They were then placed into book clubs.  Mrs. MacLeod and I will meet with these clubs daily and will provide the support students need to continue to progress in reading.  We discussed that at times, students will need to bring these books home for RAH along with a notebook to record their reading in.  We know that this is new to many and hope that we can build some new good habits with this new book club model.  To say the least, students are extremely excited about their new clubs and couldn't wait to dig into the books!

iMovies

We have been learning a lot about the different regions of the United States and have integrated some wonderful reading, writing and technology by doing different research projects this year.  Our first research project focused on the Northeast and students made a poster to present their learning.  We just wrapped up our second region and research project on the Southeast.  Students learned further nonfiction reading and research strategies, refined their note-taking skills, and learned how to state main ideas and support them with details.  Students showcased their research by creating iMovies.  I was amazed at the creativity and technological savviness students displayed in these movies.  I am including the links to the movies below for your enjoyment!  The current region we are researching is the Southwest and we plan on learning how to make Prezi Presentations on the iPads.  A very fancy take on a slide show.

Mammoth Caves - https://vimeo.com/user22401079/review/124336238/03215427f3

Mississippi River - https://vimeo.com/user22401079/review/124334491/09981fa452

Slavery - https://vimeo.com/user22401079/review/124335526/4bfadfa889

The Everglades - https://vimeo.com/user22401079/review/124366770/4d83a15d87

The Climate - https://vimeo.com/user22401079/review/124369124/cb74d2c6b5

Science

As we tour through the regions of the United States we have also begun to learn more about the science associated with the different regions.  Right now we are learning about erosion and weathering and discussing the role it played in forming the Grand Canyon.  Last week I had asked for donations for supplies so we could do some hands-on science experiments.  Thank you so much for your generosity!  We were able to conduct two different experiments today and have two more planned for right after vacation.  We wouldn't have had our imaginary lab coats on today without your support!

Almost There!

MCAS

One more day of ELA MCAS to go and then we can say goodbye!  If you could only see how hard your children have worked, you would be so proud.  One student said to me today that she was proud of how hard she has worked and the potential she has realized in the process.  Other students agreed and said that they were proud of the strategies they used and how the test was easier because of their strategies.

Thank you so much for supporting all of us!


Conferences

Conferences are on Wednesday and Thursday this week with conferences Thursday evening as well.  If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please do so.  I look forward to speaking with all of you.  While you are waiting for your conference, please take a look at the "Helping Hand" poster that I will have hanging in the hallway.  There are a number of activities that I would like to do this spring and am in need of supplies for.  I have included a picture of the poster below.  If you see something that you could generously provide us with, feel free to let me know ahead of time and I can take it off of the poster.

Book Fair

The book fair is also this week!  Our class will be going on Wednesday and Friday. 

4th Grade Celebration

A notice went home today explaining some of the 4th grade celebrations that are in store this spring.  Please look for it in your child's homework folder.  More information will be coming about the Time Capsule Closing Ceremony soon, but please put aside time on the morning of the last day of school!

Spring?

The calendar tells me that Spring is arriving tomorrow but it certainly doesn't feel like it.  It does feel good to know that it is only a matter of time before all of the snow melts and we are able to get back outside on a regular basis!  Spring brings lots of exciting learning and events in our classroom and some challenges.  Let's begin with our upcoming challenge.

MCAS

The MCAS dates are listed below.  Please make sure that your child gets a good night's rest, eats a good breakfast, and comes to school ready to do his or her best.  We have been practicing as though it is an upcoming sporting event and have done a lot to instill confidence in our abilities and strategies.  I have taken on the role of coach and have been coaching students on strategies that will help them to be successful on the test.  Students know what it looks like and what is expected and we have talked a lot about how since we are so prepared, it will not be a big deal for them so there is no need to worry.  I hope that these discussions and keeping our MCAS reviews "sportingly" fun will help all children feel good about the test.

3/31 - ELA
4/2 - Long Composition
4/7 - ELA

Research

Students have been learning how to read nonfiction and determine which ideas are important and which ones are less so.  To practice these reading strategies we have begun researching different regions of the United States.  The first region we researched was the Northeast.  Students created posters to present the information they learned.  They read books and used the computer lab to do their research and it was quite a learning experience!  The second region we moved onto was the Southeast.  We are using what we learned from the first project and are refining our research skills by creating iMovies with iPads in the computer lab.  Stay tuned for a United States Region Fair coming up sometime in June.  We will share all of our research about the different regions during that time!

Fractions

We have been surrounded by everything fractions lately!  We have learned how to decompose (break up) fractions in many different ways, add, subtract, create mixed numbers, convert mixed numbers to improper fractions, multiply fractions, and find equivalent fractions.  Fractions are never easy and yet this class has impressed me with their unwillingness to give up.  We are making great progress and students should be proud of themselves. 

Conferences

Please don't forget to sign up for conferences.  I can't wait to meet with everyone!  Here are the dates below:

April 8th
April 9th (Evening conferences too)

You can begin signing up for conferences April 1st

Keep The Momentum Going!

Vacation Reading Contest

With all of the snow days we have had and with vacation upon us it has been very difficult to maintain the momentum needed to keep kids learning and meet our winter goals in fourth grade.  One solution to this is to have a vacation reading contest!  Be on the lookout for details which will be sent home tomorrow in the Thursday folder.  Here are the basics:

Challenge #1: Group Challenge – the girls against the boys. For this challenge, you’ll need to record how much time you spend reading each day. The team that averages more time reading each day will win!

Challenge #2: This will be an individual challenge – who can read the most books? This challenge is simple! Read a chapter book and record it below. Please record the title and author.

 

There will be a sheet where students can write down their minutes and books.  Please have your child bring it back to school after vacation.

 

Vocabulary

 

Students brought home new vocabulary words to study yesterday and will add a few more to this list by the end of the week.  They will have a quiz on Friday, February 27th.  This is what students should be studying for their MAH minutes right now.  Popular ways of studying include:

 

1. Using the flashcards made in class.

2. Having an adult give the student a word and the student writes down an example that proves they understand what the word means.

3. Studying in the car....they are a captive audience!

4. Having the student make their own test one night and take it the next night.

5. Having the student make their own memory game with the definition on one card and the word on another.

6. Have the student type the definitions on the computer each night.

 

 

Enjoy the week!



 

 

Skating Up A Storm!

Passion Projects In Action

Earlier this year I had posted an opportunity in my blog for students to research something that they are interested in and have a passion for and then to teach the class about their passion.  Several students and families took me up on the offer and we have had a couple of students present their projects recently. 

Kendall is a very passionate writer who loves animals and decided to hone her writing skills by writing a fictional story based in the animal world for her class to read.  It has been placed in our classroom library for all to enjoy.

Haley has a strong passion for roller skating and researched the history of roller skating and the different types of sports that involve roller skating.  She made a wonderful presentation today that included a poster and a power point.  In addition, her family brought in a pair of roller skates for each child so they could try out roller skating for themselves.  They learned some basic safety tips and had a blast gliding and sliding around the gym.

 

Thank you so much to the Gould family for such a wonderful treat for our class today!

 

If you are interested in having your child do a project, please let me know.  I know that after today, there were a number of students who were interested in researching their passion further and sharing it with the class!

 

 

Homework

 

With the transition to Quinn Middle School beginning to creep up on us, you may begin to notice more emphasis on homework and more discussions around responsibility.  I will be reminding students that RAH and MAH should be done even if they are absent.  This is considered make-up work.  Please let me know if your child ever needs the weekend to make up their RAH or MAH minutes.  Also, with all of the snow days and possibly more ahead of us, please have your child continue to work on the RAH and their MAH even if school is cancelled.

 

I have also been sending home math review sheets for students to work on.  Each student has been getting sheets that they, as an individual, need to work on.  Please take some time to sit with your child as they do these reviews.  They may need to check in with you on their thinking from time to time or may need someone to check their work once it is complete.

 

Thank you so much for your continued support!

 

 

 



A Little of This...A Little of That...

Thank You!

I cannot thank you enough for all of the supplies you sent in for our sugar cube houses and for the guest readers that came in just before vacation. The forts came out fantastic (although many fell apart before making it home) and students were able to apply a lot of their learning about area and perimeter.  It was fun to see their creativity and imaginations come to life.
 
The guest readers were wonderful and the students enjoyed each story immensely.  Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who took time out of your busy schedules to read to us.  We had so many volunteers that we almost didn't have enough time for everyone!

Peace Doves

Another activity students participated in before vacation was the creation of peace doves.  We had a discussion about how one thing we can all wish for around the holidays is peace and how everyone needs to work together to create peace.  It isn't something one person can do by themselves.  Each student had their own dove outlined on paper along with their own unique color of paint.  We went around the classroom, dipping our thumbs in our paint and putting numerous thumbprints on each other's doves until they were full of everyone's colors.  Students understood that we worked together to create these doves just as we have to work together for peace.  They are now hanging out in the hallway!

Water Bottles

The air has been really dry lately and students have been thirsty!  To help us stay in the classroom and keep learning, could you please try to send your child to school with a water bottle?  More and more students have been needing to leave the classroom for drinks and it can get disruptive at times.  Thank you for your help!

Supplies Needed

We are starting to run low on a few items.  If you are able to help out, it would be greatly appreciated!

• spoons
• pens
• pencils