Post # 26

Dirty Monkeys Smell Bad... Daddy Mommy Sister Brother.... Everyone has their own acronym to help remember long division. Ask your daughter what acronym she uses to remember the steps.

This week was all about long division. The girls are getting better everyday. I added a step by step video in Google Classroom for the girls to use. Some paused the video after each step and reflected. I love that they are taking control of their learning. We had a heart to heart talk about the importance of knowing all facts (+, -, x, ÷) and the value of daily fact practice. We even added up the amount of assigned homework practice- A total of 19 hours! Our math instruction always exceeds 60 minutes so I don't feel that additional reinforcement (math journal pages) is necessary. That said..... daily fact practice is an expectation. 

"Walking a Mile in Their Shoes" (Newsela empathy initiative) has taken off. The girls are reading articles about different perspectives and experiences and discussing them with each other. The articles have been a real eye opener for many. Summarizing is practiced after each article by writing a summary statement on an "empathy card" for our bulletin board. They also created empathy themed billboards using values.com.

This week's creative writing was student choice. The girls chose Storybirds, Google Stories, Piclits and more. They wrote about popcorn, UVA basketball and well, take a look- here's the link to their creativity.

We wrapped up the immigration unit right in time for our field trip on Wednesday, March 15th. The girls will tour the Federal Court Building downtown and then watch a Naturalization Ceremony. After exploring their last name in Ancestry.com, the girls created a Buncee about their family's heritage. They will present these in class after Spring Break.

And now for the HUGE news of the week.....

Maybe you have heard that your daughter now has her own website and blog? The excitement was palpable. It is amazing what these girls have all ready created on their sites in just two days. You may be asking why does a fourth grader need a blog/website? The reality is that this group of Fourthies is pushing me to think outside the box (and believe me I was already out there:) every day. Their desire for creative expression and innovation is making me rethink and tweak every lesson I teach. The girls are always finding ways to extend and enrich what is taught in class. It's a new world. Their websites will be their opportunity to have a voice and share what they love (cooking, music, pets, sports, crafts, etc.) and most importantly to develop a positive digital footprint.  I'll write more about their blogs and websites in the next post. 

A few notes......

* Naturalization Ceremony Field Trip on March 15th- details here.

* Special Week Sign-up Alex will be our next Special Week on March 20th

* Carpool Helper Calendar- Grace will represent our class when we return from Spring Break.

* "Insider's View to Middle School" for parents 3/28 @ 8:30. Dorothy Suskind will send additional information as the time gets closer.

Girls- Your mystery blog question...... When is our next field trip?  Post your answer here and be specific.