Sliding in an Almost-Winter Wonderland

Hello to all!

Below is a show with some photos from Thursday. The students did a great job with their songs for the Winter Music Program. We also had a nice, relaxing time reading during our Read-In.

Enjoy the holidays! I'll see you all in 2009!

Mrs. Plato

Ice Day!

No school today due to the ice storm! Happy holidays from Mother Nature!

See everyone in 2008! Pictures from yesterday will be posted here soon. Check back!

Still not winter...

... and still acting like winter! How about today's snow? Stay safe and warm if you can.

Math: Worked on fractions with tangrams; mental math; checked homework sheet
Math homework: Homework sheet

Language arts: Six-Minute Solutions; played review game for homophones; daily language practice; Stories with Holes
Language arts homework: Study for homophones assessment tomorrow

Social studies: Took chapter 3 test; read Native American folktale

Science: no class today

Baby, it's FREEZING outside!

Can you believe it isn't even "technically" winter?! You could have fooled me.

Math: Discussion of Midyear Assessment; mental math
Math homework: HW sheet; get test rubric signed; corrections are due tomorrow (optional) on a separate sheet of paper showing all work

Language arts: Six-minute solutions; planner; checked Practice book pages
Language arts homework: homophones test on Wednesday

Social studies: Went over study guide for test; played review game
Social studies homework: study for Ch. 3 test tomorrow

Science: Chapter 6, Lesson 3 - air masses and fronts

So far for Thursday's party: cookies

Reminders:
Thursday - students should be in gym by 6:45 PM for the holiday music performance
Fourth grade read-in on Thursday (PJs, stuffed animals, and books!)
Irving sing on Friday at 2:15

Yeah, recess!

Students were able to go outside today for lunch recess. Hooray!

Math: Took test
Math homework: HW sheet

Reading: Practice p. 62 in groups

Science: Chapter 6 lessons 2 and 3

Social studies: Discussed contributions of African Americans
Social studies homework: Study notes for test on Tuesday

Cold, but sunny!

It was so good to see the sun today. Unfortunately, it was too cold for the students to have outdoor recess. :(

ALL CLASSES: Grade sheets have been sent home. Please sign them and students' completed planners tonight.

Math: Took and discussed practice assessment
Math homework: Study for tomorrow's assessment; rework problems you got wrong on Math Minutes, homework, and the practice assessment

Language Arts: Yesterday was not a successful day as far as doing homework was concerned; please see yesterday's homework for the Practice pages that were assigned

Science: Chapter 6, Lesson 2 was started
Science homework: Chapter 6, Lesson 2 continue reading and complete sheet

Social studies: Began to discuss contributions of African Americans

Popcorn money is due tomorrow for those who want popcorn on Friday.

Book orders are due Friday for those interested.

One more week

Hello to all!

We have one more week left of the second quarter. There are a few, very important assignments and assessments coming up that could be very helpful to student grades.

Math: Math Minute 35; checked computation packet; checked homework sheet
Math homework: homework sheet; study for Thursday's assessment (last of the quarter)

Reading: DIBELS benchmark assessment for reading fluency; ISAT practice
Reading homework: Practice book pages 63, 66, 67, 68, and 69

Social studies: Discussed the contributions of European Americans
Social studies homework: Study notes for next Tuesday's test (last of quarter)

Science: Discussed Chapter 6, Lesson 1

Grade sheets will be sent home tomorrow.

Slip sliding away

Hello on this rainy, slippery Monday!

Here is our work for today:

Math: Math Minute 34
Math homework: Homework sheet; start studying for Thursday's assessment by reviewing homework sheets

Reading: DLP #3-4; 6-minute Solutions; ISAT practice discussion

Social Studies: Discussed the settlement of European Americans in North America
Social Studies homework: Start reviewing for upcoming test (tentatively next Tuesday)

Science: Started reading lesson 1 in Ch. 6

Ah, Bloomington!

Happy weekend to all!

It's the typical freezing here in Bloomington. Between the indoor recess and the closeness of winter break, the students are little "tidings of joy!" I love their enthusiasm and their patience during this time of year.

This weekend, students had two assignments to consider. One was a math packet. I have been noticing that students needed a little bit of guided practice with some of their skills. Each sheet in the packet demonstrates a process for finding an answer and then follows with some exercises for students to try. The other assignment is to get their mark chart slips signed.

Those of you who get this blog posting by e-mail, please note that, if you would like the information more quickly that the e-mail comes, it is posted at http://allcansucceed.blogspot.com. The e-mails are sent after the day is done as an update for you. THANKS so much for checking!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Sounds like we are in for some snow this afternoon. However, the temperature finally dropped low enough for students to have recess outside. Yeah!

I will be gone tomorrow. The students will have a guest teacher. That means student grade sheets and planners will be checked for signatures on Friday. An extra day should be helpful.

Math: Discussed Math Minute 37
Math homework: Get grade sheet signed; Homework sheet

Language Arts: Six-Minute Solutions, daily language practice, vocabulary discussion
Language Arts homework: Get grade sheets (2) signed; spelling packet on homophones

Social Studies: Presented chapter 3 collage pieces and took notes
Social Studies homework: Get grade sheet signed

Science: Discussed effect-cause worksheet; read lesson 1 in Ch. 6
Science homework: Complete Lesson 1 sheet ; get grade sheet signed

Other: Completed planners need to be signed tonight; home communication sheet needs to be signed

Brrr...

Happy Tuesday!

Math: Discussed Math Minute 31 and last night's homework
Math homework: Homework sheet

Language Arts: Worked on noun-verb poems; spelling pre-test
Language Arts homework: Noun-verb poem final draft (double-check using checklist)

Science: Vocabulary preview for Ch. 6; Effect-cause worksheet; handed in test corrections (if completed)
Science homework: Effect-cause worksheet

Social Studies: Discussed contributions to America from different cultural groups

A snowy return!

Happy almost-winter to all!

Here is what our day entailed:

New seats! Hooray!

Math: Discussed radial symmetry; made snowflakes; got quizzes back and discussed them.
Math homework: Homework sheet

Language Arts: Discussed planner for December; made name tags for desks; worked on noun-verb poems; Six-Minute Solutions fluency practice

Science: Got science tests back; made corrections
Science homework: Finish corrections sheet and hand in tomorrow

Social studies: Last day for collage pieces (in groups)
Social studies homework: Finish collage pieces, if your group is not finished

Announcements: Our Winter Party will be Thursday, December 18 at 2:30. Our Holiday Program will be that same night at 7 PM (5:30 for younger students). More information will follow on both of these events.

Sorry for the absence!

Hello to all!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted to our site! I am going to try to make my posts on a daily basis in December. Thanks to all who have asked about it. It makes me realize that people were, indeed, reading it!

As part of my "Hello, again!" post, I would like to share a couple of slide shows with you. The first was from our field trip to Weldon Springs on October 9. We had gorgeous weather! Alas, our governor has since closed the state park, along with several others, in the midst of budget cuts. We feel very fortunate to have been a part of the outreach of Weldon Springs and the Illinois DNR. Carol Thompson is seen in many of these photos. She was our thoroughly knowledgeable guide on our day.

During our study of The Phantom of the Opera in October, students watched clips from the movie adaptation of the book. We ended the week with our fall party, a "Masquerade." Students made some wonderful, creative masks!

A crazy week!

Whew! I have not had a moment to spare to post items this week. It's Friday already, and I am finally able to update. Sorry for the delay!

Today, those who earned Friday free time got to take a walk to Miller Park. It was a gorgeous afternoon. I have included some photos.

Speaking of photos: PICTURE DAY IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22!

In Friday's Take Home folder, students are bringing home mark chart slips. These are a totaling of their marks for the week. They require a parent/guardian signature, and they should be returned to school on Monday. Thanks for your help with this!

Have a lovely weekend. If you have a chance, the McLean County Autism Society is having its Run/Walk this Sunday at Tipton Park. I am walking with a few of my teacher friends. My youngest son was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum this past January. I have benefitted greatly from the outreach of this organization. Feel free to come cheer us on!

We remember

We remember...
...the firefighters
...the police officers
...the veterans
...the civilians
...the innocent victims
...the sadness
...the horror
...the strength
...the American spirit to overcome
...September 11, 2001

Homework:

Math: Facts page for division by 4 is due tomorrow
Reading: Practice workbook pages 14-17 due tomorrow

PARENTS: I will start sending home a form in your child's Take-Home folder on Fridays that gives you a total for his/her marks from the mark chart that week. Please sign the sheet every weekend and have your child return it each Monday. This was a result of a question asked at Open House. I hope you find it helpful. Please also remember that on Wednesdays, student planners are to be signed. If the planner has any blanks in it, the student has not filled it out appropriately.

Rainy Days and Mondays

What a bummer! Rainy and Monday?! We had a great day despite the weather.

Math: Students need to complete the fourth page of the basic facts booklet.
Social Studies: We started to present artifact bags in class. Groups are determining which social scientist would be interested in artifacts chosen by other groups.
Science: We read about a cell and its structure today.
Reading: We took several SAT 10 tests today. Students were given their Lexile levels (they tested last week in the Learning Center), and were given a chance to choose a book in their ranges. Book check out from the Learning Center will begin on Thursday. Students can begin Reading Counts! tests as soon as tomorrow, if they are ready.
Spelling: Students completed a pre-test today.

SAT 10 tests tomorrow: Math

Thank you!

To all the parents that could make it to Open House tonight, thank you! It was nice to meet you. If you could not make it, your student will be bringing home some materials from the evening.

Homework

Math: third page of Basic Facts booklet - multiplication facts for 3

Social Studies: Four artifacts and handout due tomorrow

Happy little scientists

The students participated in their first science activity today. They looked at onion membranes under a microscope. It was challenging to get the right lighting and magnification, but each student was able to see enough to sketch what was there. Some photos are below. We also took a beginning of the year group photo today. They are such hams!

Homework:

Math: Worksheet 1.3; Math facts booklet p. 2

Reading: Practice booklet page 11

Social Studies: bring in artifacts in a bag for Friday; complete worksheet that goes with the activity

OPEN HOUSE is tomorrow night at 6:30 PM. Hope to see you there!

Open House is Thursday!

Students took home a reminder today about Open House. If you have a student in K, 1, or 2, the Open House is scheduled for 6 PM. Third, fourth, and fifth grade have their Open House from 6:30 - 7 PM.

Mathematics: Math Minute quiz tomorrow. Students have a packet to study. Also, the first page of their basic facts booklet is due tomorrow. I have asked students not to work ahead in this booklet.

Social Studies: Students need to find four artifacts that social scientists might want to see and bring them to school in a bag on or before Friday. There is a sheet describing what they need. The sheet also has questions for them to answer about each artifact.

Reading: We discussed story structure in preparation for our unit focus on story structure. We discussed story elements, including setting, characters, and plot.

Science: We classified an animal today. I have the link to what we did on the science site. Feel free to give it a try. We practiced using microscopes today. Tomorrow, we will complete a lab with them.

Have a great night!

Carnival!

What a great, hot, evening at the PTO Back to School Carnival. Thanks to our PTO for organizing this great way to welcome the year. Here are a few student pictures. The bouncy house was a big hit. I caught Dekhari in motion. When I saw Quentin pouring drinks, I was so proud, I gathered a few fourth graders and caught a quick shot of them.

Homework:

Math: p. 5, #1-7

Science: finish definitions from Chapter 1

Have a great night!

Odd Man Out... and more!

Today was a very busy day. We started the day with a presentation for the PTO fundraiser. Students should have brought home information in their take-home folders tonight. Also in their take-home folders should be a revised flyer for the Back to School Carnival.

Math: We worked on our third Math Minute today. We talked for a while about how to use the "odd man out" when trying to remember whether a number is even or odd. Ask your student about it. We also started the Problem of the Day. We used a good strategy for a Magic Square, but we do not have a solution (yet!).

Social Studies: We learned what an economist does today, as well as what the economy is. We started using a graphic organizer to take notes.

Science: We began a preview of the vocabulary used in Chapter 1. The students have a sheet that allows them to see the vocabulary used in a sentence and to try to come up with a definition for each. We will continue this tomorrow, comparing the student definitions to the book definitions.

Reading: After DEAR, we continued with our strategy workshop. What great questioners the students are! Our strategies focused on questioning and evaluating for the story, "The Pumpkin Runner."

I will have a guest teacher tomorrow afternoon so I can spend time testing students individually for reading fluency.

Happy Monday!

There is no assigned homework for this evening.

Reminders:
Irving Back to School Carnival is Thursday, August 28, from 5 - 7 PM. Students must be accompanied by a responsible adult to enter.
No school Monday, September 1 - Labor Day
Parent Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 4 at 6:30.

Here's what we did today:

Mathematics: We participated in our first Math Minute. We also discussed a problem of the day involving telephone numbers. We used our estimation skills to determine how many Duplos were in a container. Tomorrow, we will continue with estimation using Skittles.

Social Studies: We previewed our book. We inferred what we would learn this year (Regions of the United States). We then started brainstorming on why we study certain subjects.

Science: We previewed our book. We began reading about science process skills.

Reading: We participated in Strategy Workshop. We focused on Predicting, Inferring, Phonics, and Decoding. Mrs. Plato is reading a story called "The Pumpkin Runner" to us, and we are practicing strategies of good readers.

First Full Day

What a great full day! We had PE for the first time today. We had a FANTASTIC turnaround with homework. I have almost all parent letters signed and returned. Thanks!

We went through the planner a great deal today. We wrote down our class schedule in the back. We also wrote a list of what snacks would be OK to bring for snack time.

We read a book called First Day Jitters. Ask your student about the surprise ending.

We made butterflies for our bulletin board (pictured). I think they came out great! Ask your student for the steps.

There is no homework for the weekend, but the students should still have brought home their planners and Take Home folders, just to get in to the habit. There was a math challenge in their planners that they could finish for a possible prize on Monday.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Happy First Day of School!

We had a great, and short, first day today. We will continuegoing over classroom procedures tomorrow.

Tonight, students should have brought home a take home folder. In it, there is a parent letter from me. Students are asked to have parents sign the letter and return it tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our first full day of school. Students have PE tomorrow.

Have a great night!

Mrs. Plato's Summer

I cannot wait to hear about how you passed the time this summer (besides missing school, of course!). Below is a slide show about my summer. Enjoy!

Welcome to a great year!

Welcome to our class blog! I hope you find it helpful.

Just as fourth graders grow, so will this blog. Stay tuned!!