Post #13

ERB week has come to an end. Our classroom is collaborative, interactive, and buzzing with non-stop creativity. The ERBs, on the other hand, are multiple choice, silent, and black and white. Not quite what these engaging Fourthies are used to. But... the girls rose to the challenge and approached the week of testing with positive attitudes and determination. And I reminded them to look on the bright side- it was a homework free week!

Our class was well represented in the recital this morning. AnnE, Aseye, Madigan, Piper, and Powell performed beautifully!

No worries-it wasn't all testing. The girls received their logins for Storybird. Some of the girls had accounts in third grade and those who didn't were given a quick tutorial by a friend. Storybird combines art and literature. The girls choose artwork to inspire their writing. Here's an example from Alex (written in her mother's language):

We are reading All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. The novel is set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century which will be a great segue into the study of the decades. More on this after Thanksgiving.

The girls are working on the Buncee Buddies (Be the Change You Wish to See in the World) and a few have finished. They will be shared with the global Buncee community. Take a look at Ibby's and Leslie's:

Order of operations was the focus in math this week. We will work on this skill for many weeks. I reminded the girls that many math concepts are ONLY mastered after lots of practice. Ask your daughter if she can explain this image:

A few notes:

* Homework- no homework next week. Homework resumes after Thanksgiving.

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Anne will represent our class next week.

* Tuesday, November 22- Math Expo at St. Christoper's- FIELD TRIP ATTIRE (We will be walking to St. Chris; bundle up it looks like chilly weather.

* Book Fair on Wednesday, November 30 from 3:10-3:30

* Winter Sports Fun Program- Details here

* Canned Food Drive! Flyer made by Catherine.

A special THANK YOU to Tina Sherrod for bringing treats this week. It was Drew's special week and we are so thankful that you included our class too!

Girls- Your mystery blog question...... Which Fourthie is wearing parallel lines in Mrs. Sherrod's thank-you video? Post your answer here.

Post #12

Having a little fun at Mt. Vernon

I love being away from St. Catherine's with the girls. A day off campus with our girls always reinforces what a blessing it is to be a teacher at this incredible school. You know when you are out in public and you hope your kids are their best selves and then that sense of pride you get when they are? Now multiply that feeling by eighteen and you can understand how I felt after our field trip to Mt. Vernon. One cafeteria worker pulled me aside and told me she had never seen a group of students like our yellow capped crew! 

On to our academic highlights, we spent a good deal of time exploring past presidential races and examining the electoral college. The girls used the site for addition and subtraction practice. We talked about the difference between the electoral vote and the popular vote. Your daughter can explain using this picture:

 

Using data from trick-or-treating, the girls created charts in Google spreadsheets and practiced labeling axes and adding clipart. The girls problem solved with Susan B. Anthony and are now working on an EdPuzzle about Veterans Day. We continued working with factor pairs and multiples. The girls get a reprieve from a fact contract next week due to ERB testing.

The finishing touches were put on last week's writing lab. The girls created beautiful magazine covers celebrating their partner. Their writing is outside the classroom for all to enjoy. We are compiling a collaborative slideshow of their covers:

Buncee Buddies were introduced and the girls have embraced this project with tremendous energy and creativity. The challenge is to create a Buncee that addresses this quote: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Our Buncees will be shared with classes all around the world. This is an ongoing project that the girls will work on for several weeks. Three Word Thursday was collaborative this week. The girls LOVE reading and commenting on each other's work. This is probably a good time for your daughter to give you a tour of her Google Classroom and Drive. You can see all that has been created during the first quarter. They've been busy!

ERB TESTING SCHEDULE:

Monday 11/14	Tuesday 11/15	Wednesday 11/16	Thursday 11/17	Friday 11/18
8:50	10:00	11:30	9:15	8:10
Writing Mechanics	Math Part 1	Math Part 2	Auditory Comprehension	Set up for Quantitative
				9:00
2:00	1:00	2:30		Quantitative
Reading Comprehension	Verbal Reasoning	Writing Concepts

A few notes:

* Special Week Sign-up Alice is the Special Week girl next week

* Homework NO HOMEWORK (ERB Testing)

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Piper will represent our class next week.

* Tuesday, November 22- Math Expo at St. Christoper's

* Book Fair on Wednesday, November 30 from 3:10-3:30

* Winter Sports Fun Program- Details here

* Canned Food Drive! Flyer made by Catherine.

* A message from the Elizabeth Blanton:

There continue to be cases of lice across all grades in the lower school. 1st grade and 2nd grade are seeing the most cases. Please be sure to check your child's head for signs of lice or nits. If you think your child may have nits or lice and are unsure, the nurse can check your child. Also, if you do find lice, please contact the nurse so that she can discuss the most effective treatment options. Here is a link to Health News for additional information on lice.

Girls- Your mystery blog question...... When should we do a mannequin challenge? Post your answer here.

Post #11

Wordly Wise Dress- Up Day..... A great way to get in the mood for Halloween!

 

Halloween is a great way to begin this post. The girls had a blast on Monday. They went to each of the Fourthie classrooms and enjoyed a Halloween themed activity. A special HUGE thank you to the parents who sent in treats and to Cari Shannon who manned the ship. 

                    

Ask your daughter to explain a "Product Party." Only certain factor pairs are invited. Sometimes these parties can be very exclusive. We are working with factors and multiples and even glimpsed into prime factorization this week. The girls understand the importance of having accurate fact recall. I know I sound like a broken record but please encourage your daughter to practice, practice, and practice. The pace and difficulty of the math curriculum is increasing, and no one wants to be slowed down by sluggish fact recall. The girls had some choices in problem solving this week. Some even attempted the challenge EdPuzzle which most certainly was a challenge! Factor trees were decorated with factor candy corn (naturally) and geometry specific jack-o-lanterns. The girls love when art and math come together. 

The St. Catherine's Day service was beautiful. The choir, dancers, and readers rehearsed a great deal this week and it paid off. The Fourthies' participation was flawless. Many girls were in and out of the classroom due to practice, so we have some loose ends to tie up and a few assignments that we didn't get to. No worries- this group of Fourthies is flexible and focused and we will back on track in no time.

The girls are doing a great job reading Newsela articles. Their comprehension is improving and their reading levels are rising. I love when the girls choose to read Newsela articles on their own. 

We are working with compound sentences and the ever popular FANBOYS. The girls interviewed a classmate and summarized their findings in a detail packed paragraph. Several girls opted to record their interview just to be sure they didn't miss any details. The girls carefully edited their work and spent time considering strong opening and closing sentences. Then they created a magazine cover to highlight their partner. I'll share all of these next week. To give you an idea, here's Piper's magazine cover celebrating Isabelle:

A few notes:

* Special Week Sign-up Alice is the next Special Week girl (Week of 11/14)

* Homework is posted for the week for family planning. (There is a tiny assignment on Halloween.)

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Emily will represent our class next week.

* Field Trip to Mount Vernon on 11/9. Click here for all details.

* Week of 11/14- ERB Testing

* No school on Monday! 

Girls- Your mystery blog question...... Why would a product party for number 17 be kind of boring? Post your answer here.