Hi there. Happy Sunday! It feels weird to be typing this on a Sunday, as we haven't had Monday school in awhile. :0) Full week this week however! Well, at least for the kids. I will be gone on Friday for MT History class. Pretty excited about that!
Testing is DONE! We got all makeups done as well. Everyone is accounted for, and I could not be more proud! We finished off with our language tests on Friday. The scores were out of this world! It really is a reflection on how much the kiddos have learned in one year, and in turn that is a reflection upon me. I honestly do put in a lot of work and planning into your child's education and it looks as if it payed off. Of course it also takes YOU! Your support, encouragement, and discipline at home plays a HUGE factor at school. I appreciate all that you do. Looks like we can all pat ourselves on the back and say JOB WELL DONE! Ask your child how they did on their language test. They needed a 6 point growth and to top out at 207 to be on level and ready for the 5th grade. Again, I am soooooo proud of every single one of my students!
Now that testing is behind us, we can do a little more hands on and different types of learning. We will stop using the regular spelling book and go into a program called Sitton Spelling. This program is designed for kids to spell and use every day words. It takes a bank of frequently used words and puts them into short passages. Many of these words are homophones and contractions. Students need to determine which form of a word to use depending on the context around it. They also need to know when to use a capital and a lower case letter depending on if the word is in the beginning of the sentence, middle, or end. I give the students the passage and it has blanks in it. I then read it aloud to them filling in the blanks as I go. Students need to be able to fill in the words, spell them correctly, and determine capitalization rules quickly. These words are all every day words, and should be known by a 4th grader by now. Many have been our spelling words in previous lessons. Each passage will have words that repeat over and over again. On Monday, I will give the first test. We will then grade it (going over it in HUGE detail) and have it to take home and study. On Tuesday, I will give the same test for a grade. Students that miss one or two words will earn an A. Three to four wrong gets a B. Five wrong will earn a C. More than five wrong and the student will not have passed the test. It is VERY important that they study the words every other night. They only get one chance to pass, and their grade earned is the grade earned. Again, these words are every day words, and should not need a lot of time to study. I have put the words for the first two units off to the right in case kids forget their paper at school. They won't have the context, but they can at least study the words. This is ONLY for my spelling class.
Hopefully my reading class started their ecosystem diorama project at home this weekend. I showed them mine at school the other day, and have posted a picture of it above. Mine was the desert ecosystem. We talked about my expectations. In order to earn full credit, kids need to include: living and nonliving things, producers and consumers (plants and animals), and label their ecosystem and living things. Their name also needs to be written clearly on the box somewhere. Students need to refrain from making things up, and stick to their text and ecosystem report worksheet. I met with each group and we went over each and every part of this sheet together. Students were told to bring home their book and their worksheet to use this weekend. They also HAVE to bring their sheets and books back tomorrow. Dioramas are due on Thursday. They must be at least the size of a shoebox. When I shared mine, I showed them that they can use anything and everything they have at home ALREADY. My supplies came for printed pictures off the internet, clay models, dirt and bushes from my backyard, and hand drawn objects on construction paper. Please don't feel like you have to buy anything for this project. They are ecosystems...that means the outdoor nature! Creativity goes a long way! If your child started or even finished their diorama, please write DIORAMA in the planner for $20 tomorrow. This is MY reading class only.
We started our Owls In the Family book in CC Meeting last week. It is FUNNY already. The class is really enjoying it. We have some fun activities planned to go with it here at school and at the zoo with Jeff on the 30th. Speaking of the 30th...we have good news on that! We are able to pay for the bus and the entrance fee for all kids. Yay!!! So, there will be no charge for the kiddos for this one. Our Pompey trip and the one to our ranch have been paid for by Indian Education for All. That is the organization that MT History was funded by and that Mrs. Hankins and I have been working with all year. They ROCK!!!! So, no charge for you there either! Wowzers!!!!! A HUGE thank you to them for that! All kids will need for all field trips is a sack lunch, $500 buy in, and permission from BOTH you and I. Remember, even if kids can buy in...I may not allow them to attend due to effort issues or classroom behavior choices. I will contact you well in advance if this is your child. Ask your child if they think that they deserve to go on zoo trip coming up. Have they been making positive choices and doing their best on every single assignment. Many, many, many of them can honestly say yes. Some however, need to pull it together. Spring has sprung and some think that school is out. Not quite yet!!!!
Well, that about sums it up. Other than above, it will be business as usual. I leave you with this question to ask your child, What would I find inside a worm's gizzard that helps it to grind up its food? Write the answer in the planner for $20 tomorrow. Have a super night!!!!
