Week 35

We are in full swing with our Shakespeare production! My thanks to all of you who swiftly offered to help and donated your time and materials when the letter for volunteers went out. Once I've received your letter, I will notify you with more details!

Please go through your child's homework folder with your child. There are many folders that are filled with homework and notices from many weeks ago. There was a new science packet from Mrs. David with practice for the upcoming science tests.

Here's what to expect next week:

• The Science Manipulatives test will take place next week. This test will include hands on experiments. Mrs. David will take small groups (not the whole class) to the science lab to work on this. Your child will be scheduled for a specific day. Once I receive the schedule, I will let the children know what day they will need to be at the science lab. 
• We are going to meet with our Shakespeare teaching artist two times a week instead of once. Rehearsals will begin in earnest. Children have to memorize their lines and practice their  physicality and stage entrances. 
• We will begin Shakespeare Book Clubs and your child's reading response next week will be based on that. It will not take them a full week of reading to go through the story, so it is important your child keeps reading chapter books at their level. 

Have a great weekend!

Week 34

This has been such a wonderful way to cap off the week! Thank you all for the lovely cards, treats and flowers on Teacher Appreciation Day. The kids have been very sweet and I really got a sense that they were making this the best day!

We have cast our Shakespeare play and the kids were really supportive of each other, whether they got the role they wanted or not. It showed a great deal of maturity and good sportsmanship on their part. It is an exciting project and every child will be actively involved in all our workshops and rehearsals.

Working on  a salt dough map of the Thirteen Colonies

Here's what to expect for next week:

• There will be a lot of meetings I have to attend during class time next week. All teachers are working on Exemplars training so that we can better help our students meet the challenges of this rigorous new curriculum. You may hear from your child that there is a substitute in the class but they will work on independent assignments and projects during that time.
• Jacqueline Woodson, an award winning author (The Other Side, Each Kindness) will be here on Thursday! We've been waiting  one time for this and our children have read many of her picture books with great excitement. 
• We have our last music class this week. The music concert will be on May 22 at 6:30pm. A notice went home today with final instructions from the music teacher regarding dress and where the children will meet as they get ready to perform. They sound great!

We want to wish all the amazing ladies and caretakers in our lives a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Have a marvelous weekend!

Week 33

Thanks to the many parents who came to Family Fridays today, we were able to make our recyclable craft. Our fourth graders did a great job of showing their buddies how to make a pom pom and a tube noise maker.

Here's what's happening next week:

• We are in our third week of our Shakespeare work. Students have received copies of our act of the play and we will begin assigning roles soon. Everyone will have a part in the play, whether they have a lot of lines or not. Some parts will not have a lot of lines but those parts will be heavier on physical comedy and movement. The focus of the program is to learn tools for presenting and focusing.  In class, we have been reading and rereading Twelfth Night in order to understand the play and the characters in it. We will eventually move into book clubs to study some of Shakespeare's other works.
• Tuesday is an Armory day! Please dress appropriately for physical activity. 

Please note that the Music Recital for fourth graders will be on May 22, at 6:30pm. It has been requested that students wear a white top and black bottom. 

The culminating performance for our Shakespeare unit will be on June 13 at 9:30 am. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 32

Now that the English and Math tests are over, we'll return to our normal routines. Test prep books will be sent home next week. Due to it's massive size, not all of it is complete. The books can be used during the summer to provide review for your child, or recycled. Our focus for this final marking period is to keep learning in preparation for the eventual move to the fifth grade.

We still have NYS Science exam later in the year. Mrs. David is sending home test packets for practice. This test is a part of your child's testing history but will not be counted towards promotional criteria. Science Fair project proposals were also given out this week. They are due to Mrs. David on May 6th.

We've got an exciting Shakespeare project in the works and families are invited to see the culminating show on June 13th, 9:25 am. Mark the date on your calendar!

There is a Barnes and Noble Book Fair that we have submitted a wish list for. The wish list contains books we would like to have in the classroom to support our Shakespeare work. Please consider donating one of these books to the class. Your child has a flier for the event at the Seventh Avenue Park Slope Barnes &Noble. If you would like to purchase online,  go to bn.com/bookfairs and enter Bookfair ID 11079340 at checkout. Thank you!

Here's what to expect next week:

• Your child will need a 9X14 piece of cardboard for our salt dough project this Monday. 
• We are going to work with the Katy, the Paper Lady, on Tuesday. She will teach us how to make paper. In preparation for this hands on activity, please send your child with a smock to protect his/her clothing. An oversized T-shirt will also serve this purpose.
• I will be at a Teacher's College workshop on Wednesday and there will be a substitute teacher for the class.
• We are headed to the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday. If you have not already done so, please send in the permission slip and the admission of $3. 
• Family Friday will focus on Earth Day. We are making a recycled craft (details forthcoming) with our Buddies in Ms. Witkowski and Ms. Sheehan's class. 

Finally, apologies for the mistake in last week's post. There was no Armory date on Tuesday. Our next Armory visit will be on May 7th.

Have a wonderful, test prep free weekend!

Week 31

Whew! The ELA test is over and we are ready to focus on the Math test!
The Math test will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We have been reviewing the concepts and math skills taught earlier in the year in preparation for this. To help your child with a low stress review, you can check the games on our blog in the Sheppard Math Link or the IXL games. Games that require multiplication and division will be most helpful.
Here's what's happening next week:

• We will start our Shakespeare Theater Arts program on Monday. The fourth grade will study the play Twelfth Night. There will be a performance for families on June 13 at 9:30 am.
• We are headed to the Armory on Tuesday.
• The NYS Math test will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Have a restful weekend!