Week 16

WOWWOWWOW! This Winter Recess started spectacularly. The class present was stunning and I will cherish the lovely necklace! I was really spoiled today with the many treats and thoughtful gifts. Thank you all so much for everything!

Students received an optional for homework this vacation. It can be turned in on Wednesday or used for extra review at any time. The intention of the assignment is to help students secure some basic knowledge needed for upcoming units.

Here's what to expect when we return:

• We will wrap up our work on the Native American unit with our final project. The plan is to research daily life through examining the longhouse. We are also planning to build a model of the long house. There are some materials we will need listed in a handout given to your child today. We appreciate any help we can get with these supplies.
• Our Realistic Fiction is on display outside our classroom. Our new writing unit will be a Research Based Essay that puts forth an argument. Studenst will read several texts on an issue and take a stance. We will review the five paragraph essay format. The challenge in this essay unit is to use transition phrases and specific relevant facts from our research to present the strongest argument for our position.

Please enjoy the best winter holiday! See you in 2013!

Week 15

We are entering the final week before the Winter Recess. We will be celebrating end of 2012 with a movie and refreshments on Friday. Please send your child with a low sugar drink. Soda is still discouraged for school celebrations. If you would like to send in a healthy treat for the class please feel free to do so.

Math tests went home today. Please check your child's folder and review the test for any areas in need of remediation. I also encourage students to continue practicing multiplication skills for Unit 5 in February.

Here's what is happening next week:

• We have begun Unit 4 in Math. This unit is a study on Decimals and the real life uses of these small numbers. Students have been learning about decimals as it applies to money in previous years. This year we will look at decimals as it applies to metric measurements. 
• We are wrapping up our Realistic Fiction writing. Students have been in the process of publishing this week and will have to turn in their final draft this Tuesday. Some children have written many pages and are taking their work home to revise and edit in time for the deadline. 

There will be an optional homework packet provided for the vacation. Many families have traveling plans and might not have time to devote to school work, whereas some families encourage additional practice to stay sharp. Please make a decision as to what is best for your child and family. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 14

We had a jam-packed Family Friday with many family members in attendance. Mrs. Ochoa taught us about the job of a graphic designer. Our students took some of her suggestions and used them to begin the covers of their realistic fiction stories. We want to thank Mrs. Ochoa for taking the time to share her expertise and we were glad to see many parents supporting us in our work.

We are coming to the end of Unit 3 in our math work. Many students have been able to do well with our multiplication/ division work but a few still need to be quicker when recalling multiplication facts. Additional practice at h
ome can easily help with that, whether you log on to the Sheppard Math Games Link for some math games ( scroll up to the top of the page for the multiplication games) or do a Three Second quiz. A Three Second quiz is just calling out a basic multiplication fact and having your child answer it in three seconds. It can be more challenging if you mix the facts up and call them out of order or  call out a math sentence with a missing factor (for example: 4x___= 20).

We have also been working on Expository Nonfiction, which are All About Books. These books tend to be short and have many pictures in them. Students are going through them very quickly and in some cases, not carefully reading it for content. In class, we are practicing using post its to help us retain the main ideas of each section. Your child should have a few post it sheets as a book mark and then stop at the end of each section  to jot about what the section was mostly about.

Here's what happening next week:

• We are headed to the Armory on Tuesday. Please have your child wear running shoes.
• We will have our unit 3 math test on Monday. Students are encouraged to bring home their math notebooks to go over topics that have been taught. We will have a study sheet to practice with on Monday. 

Have an awesome Winter Fair weekend! Happy Hanukkah!

Addendum:
Check out our new video on the class playlist. Emily and Justin explain how to use the lattice method of multiplication. This film was shot entirely by Tali. Enjoy!

Week 13

We had a good trip to the Museum of Natural History this Thursday thanks to the vigilant care of our parent chaperones. Our chaperones helped us moved through a crowded subway and museum smoothly and safely. Our students were able to spend a productive hour looking throughout the Hall of Eastern Woodland Indians at the many artifacts we've been reading about in our social studies unit. Thanks to Mr. Carmody, Mr. Claire, Mrs. Sanft, Mrs. Barrett, and Mr. Rodriguez for being awesome chaperones.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We will be visiting the Armory on Tuesday. Please make sure your child is wearing running shoes. 
• We will have a Family Friday with Mrs. Ochoa. She will show us how to make awesome covers for our upcoming realistic fiction publish!

Please look through your child' homework folder. Some folders are a bit worn and will need to be replaced. Some folders need to be emptied of old sheets. To help your child stay organized, please encourage your child to clean out folder on Friday. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 12

Thanks to all our families, who sent in more than enough food to make our Native American celebration fun! We had a nice soup and drink which many of us enjoyed but we also appreciate how hard it must have been for the Native folks to make a simple meal with the rudimentary cooking techniques we used.
We have more popcorn than we could eat in one sitting so we will save the unopened bags for our Winter holiday celebration.
Due to a very hectic day and a long meeting during the prep period, I was unable to paste in the weekly update in the homework folder. Please look out for that on Monday when we return from the holiday.

Here's what is happening next week:

• We will have a Buddy Meeting during our gym class on Monday!
• We are headed to The Natural History Museum this Thursday. Chaperone letters will be given out on Monday. We have six chaperones and would like for another adult to join us. Please consider coming if you are available. Please let me know if you can make it. 

Most students have finished their reading response (they were given time in class this morning to work on it)  and will only have to log in their reading this weekend.  Have a great weekend and enjoy your holiday!

Week 11

It was great seeing everyone for Parent Teacher Conferences this week. The support and feedback you have given is valuable and I thank you for your time and patience.

There were a few common questions and I will try to clarify them now:
The Words Their Way Program has started. We are done with our first sort and starting our second sort. Since this program requires a lot of independence on the parts of our students, we have taken a long time to establish clear routines. We are also adjusting the program to make it more helpful to our students. As the weeks go by we fall into a two week long cycle for each set of words. The next spelling test will be on Monday when we return from the Thanksgiving holiday. In the future, please expect the spelling tests to fall on every other Friday.

The best way to help our students become better test takers is to make sure our students are reading thoughtfully and carefully. The new exams remain shrouded in mystery but we can tell from the Core Curriculum outlines that our students are going to be challenged to read with interpretation, taking into account information from multiple sources and evaluating the information for its usefulness. Children will be asked to do so much more than to retell information; they will have to look at the author's purpose, think of themes taught through the texts, identify specific texts features and their purposes, etc., etc., etc.   This is a daunting task which is why we will work on it throughout the year. The best support you can give your child is to encourage him or her to listen attentively and take what they are learning and use those strategies. Each year there is a lot of anxiety about the tests and each year our students do fine.

Finally, due to the busy, busy weeks ahead, it is not possible to reschedule Character Dress Up Day this month or next. I appreciate the effort many families have made in thinking of a costume. We will try again in February, when we are in out fantasy unit.

Here's what is happening next week:

• The Unit 2 math test will go home on Monday. Please review and sign it before returning the test by the end of the week.
• We will take part in an Opera workshop with Mr. Delfausse on Tuesday. He sent out a form for families who are interested in seeing show at the Regina Opera. If you are interested in tickets for a show this weekend, you can email Mr. Delfausse at jd1@seijo.com. 
• We will have our Native American Thanksgiving on Wednesday. We have already had many parents contribute food and supplies for this event. Your child has a revised list of items we will need to have in on Wednesday. If you have volunteered. please check your child's homework folder for confirmation. 
• Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Week 10

We've had a busy week! Music classes started today with our instructor Tor Snyder. We will learn to play the keyboard this year. Luckily, we had Mrs. Carmody and Mrs. Au helping us with our keyboarding skills! Out thanks to these helpful ladies!

Ms. Annette Tacconelli, visited us today to help us make wampum. We are extremely lucky to have such an expert artist volunteer to work with us! It required a great deal of patience but many of our kids persevered and quite a few have almost completed their wampum beading. Everyone took theirs home to continue making. We are most grateful to Ms. Annette for teaching us this fun activity!

Please check out the Class Playlist for our very first student video!!! Tali and Graydon did a great job quickly explaining how to write an introduction paragraph for an essay. Keep an eye out for further videos by other members of the class.

Here's what's coming up this week:

• Schools are closed on Monday for Veteran's Day.
• Report cards will distributed on Tuesday.
• Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Wednesday. Children will be dismissed at 12 noon. 
• The class will visit the School Book Fair on Thursday at 11:15 am. The fair will be open starting Tuesday and families can visit anytime to purchase books.
• We are starting a new reading unit, Nonfiction. This unit will focus on the two types of non fiction, Narratives (biographies, historical accounts) and Expository (All About Books). We will learn to read nonfiction using text features in order to determine important information, and use multiple sources to build our expertise on a subject. As a challenge, we will read nonfiction with a critical eye, determing the author's point of view and noticing any bias in the information presented.
• We are also starting a new writing unit, Realistic Fiction. We will  revisit skills we used for our personal narrative unit and add on new strategies, so that we can contruct a short story based on a European Story structure (Exposition, character, problem, rising action, climax and resolution).
• In Math, we have started our work with Multiplication concepts and strategies. Please feel free to review multiplication facts up to the 12 times table with your child. There are several fun math games on our blog links that can help with that.

Finally, we should acknowledge the great volunteer work and contributions of  members of our community. Many people have stepped up to donate time, money and supplies to help those most affected by Hurricane Sandy. To witness the generosity and care is a great lesson to our children!
Please continue to contribute to our Penny Harvest.
Have a safe and happy weekend!

Week 9 (Once Again)

I hope everyone was able to endure these past few days safely.

As we return to the classroom this Monday, we will try our best to move forward and resume our previous goals. 

Here's the plan for this upcoming week:

• We return to Mock Elections! Grades 3, 4 and 5 will look into the candidates for presidents and vote for the candidate we feel best represents us. Our thanks to Ms. Fought for coordinating this event.
• We are off on Tuesday for Election Day! Please remember to vote.
• The Unit 2 Math test will take place on Wednesday. 

Due to school closures, we will reschedule some events, like Family Friday and Character Dress Up Day in upcoming weeks.

We are starting our Annual Penny Harvest. This event is always a highlight on our fall calendar and the spirit of charity is most needed these days. Please have your child begin bringing in spare change for collection. Many families have wondered about any outreach the school may be planning in response to Hurricane Sandy. Our parent coordinator, Ms. Wattenbarger, has put the call out for volunteers to assess needs and organizations we can work with. Please inquire with Ms. Wattenbarger if you are interested in volunteering at dwattenbarger@schools.nyc.gov . 
 

ADDENDUM: There will be a collection of specific supplies most needed for relief. In order to make it more efficient, our class has been asked to focus on bringing in paper towels and bottled water. If you would like to contribute, please bring these supplies to the MMR.

Have a safe and better weekend!

Week 9

We have met our Kindergarten Buddies and had so much fun with them this week! We've received many compliments for the way the class is helping their buddies. Students in class 4-303 are great role models!!!

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We will have Character Dress Up Day on Wednesday. You child received a letter explaining this last week and we've discuss what types of costumes are appropriate for this activity. Please try your very best to show your character's personality and trait through their dress.
• Mrs. Au has been gathering materials for our class contribution to the Winter Fair. The plan is to make a dream catcher to auction. We will make individual dream catchers this Family Friday. Please join us and invite grandparents as well!
• We will also have our Unit 2 Math test on Wednesday. This test will cover addition, subtraction, bar graphs and statistic terms, along with some review questions on polygons.

During this colder climate, please use your best judgement for sending your child in if he or she is under the weather. We have also discuss how to cover our faces when coughing and sneezing, along with not putting pencils or other objects into our mouths for sanitary reasons. Please reinforce these good habits.

Here are some pictures of our Community Code Assembly.

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Week 8

My thanks to all of you for checking your child's homework folder and keeping up with all the progress comments on the bottom of the page. The support you give your child has made a noticeable difference in behavior and work habits. I will continue to write weekly so please keep checking.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We are starting our second essay in our writing unit. This essay will be based on a topic we are learning in school. Students will form a thesis (opinion/ idea) about something we have studied in a content area and write an essay using facts from documents or books. This will tie our writing work with our reading work as this will involve reading for facts. The essay format will remain the same but our students will have the added advantage of drawing information from other texts.
• We will meet our buddies this week! We are paired with K-210, Ms. Witkowski and Mrs Sheehan's class. Our fourth graders have always gone the extra mile to be excellent role models for the younger children!
• Please check out the IXL Math Games link. Games A.1 and A.2 can supplement our work on place values and will provide additional practice for your child. The Unit two exam will take place the week of October 29.
• There has been a noticeable improvement in the weekly Reading Response entries. Students have been much more diligent about following the directions and answering the questions in the prompt. The next reading log will have a different third question. Please watch out for that. In class, we have discussed how supporting characters are often different than the main character so that the supporting character can help the main character grow. This new question asks your child to keep that in mind as he/she interpret while reading.

Have a safe and fun Boo Bash! Our thanks to the parents that volunteered and made an amazing transformation of the MMR!

Week 7

Thanks go out to Max's parents, Matias's mom, Lucas's mom, and Tali's mom, who came on our very first trip this year. Our visit to Old Stone house was educational and exciting as we got to learn about the way our environment sustained the early inhabitants of New York. It was a great launch to our Native American studies.

I also have to thank all the parents who came to the Curriculum Conference. There was a packet with slides from our power point presentation and I can send a copy home by request, to the families who were unable to attend.

As we move along our writing unit, parents can help students develop more informed persuasive essays by talking about the topic your child chose.  For instance, if your child is writing to convince others that dogs make the best pets, you might want to discuss the reasons why dogs are useful (helps to guard the home, provides companionship, easy to train, etc.).This will help students gather content to use in supporting their thesis statement. Try to push your child be asking them to tell why they think so, using facts or personal experience to elaborate.

Here's what is coming up next week:

• Due to my absence this Friday, I will add progress comments to your child's homework folder this Monday.
• We will make our first visit to the Armory on Tuesday. Please make sure your child wears clothing appropriate for exercise and sneakers.
• We will launch our Word Study program this week. The Words Their Way cards will travel with your child in his/her homework folder. Encourage your child to look over the words as needed and to name the spelling rule as they sort they words.

Have a cozy weekend!

Week 6

We had a fun Family Friday with Flavia's mom sharing her knowledge of gemstones and minerals! The kids were very excited and eager to explore the artifacts and tools. Thank you parents for coming in. We still need volunteers for upcoming Family Fridays. Please consider sharing a talent with us :)

Here's what's coming next week:

• Fourth grade curriculum conference will take place in our room (303) at 8:00am on Tuesday. Please join us if you can but if you cannot there will be a packet with slides from our Power Point presentation.
• We will go on our first trip this year. On Thursday, we will be at Old Stone House to participate in a workshop about the way early New York inhabitants used resources in New York State. Chaperone letters will go home on Tuesday. 
• The unit one Math test will be returned to students next week. Please keep an eye out for your child's test folder. Review and sign the attached sheet and return the test and folder by Friday. We are starting a new unit on Number sense. This will include explorations with larger numbers, up to the millions and some graphing work. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Math Help

To review for our upcoming geometry test, your child can use the math games on the IXL 4th Grade Math Games link. When you get to the menu page, scroll down to the Geometry section. Games P1, P2, P3, P5, P6, P27, P17 and P18 are particularly helpful.

Week Five

One month has already flown by! This week, we started a new reading log format where we are learning to write a longer response. We have discussed how to go about this week long assignment, bullet point by bullet point, and students are expected to turn in the assignment on Monday for review.

We are putting the finishing touches to our first publish piece and will take our first math test next week. Here are the details:

• We are leaving the Personal Narratives unit after a quick writing cycle. Students are taking home their published pieces this weekend for final touches and review.  Please ask your child to show you his/ her story.
• Our next unit is Personal Persuasive Essays. Students will learn the five paragraph essay format as we write about an idea we believe in. It is our goal to convince others to believe in the same ideas by presenting reasons and evidence for the validity of our claims.
• The first math unit is nearly complete and we will have the unit test on Wednesday. Students will receive a study sheet on Monday. Please review it with your child, going over any questions your child may have struggled with.
• We are finishing up our work with map skills. Please notice that there is a Social Studies web link for New York State Maps on our blog.  Soon we will begin studying Native Americans of New York, starting with our trip to Old Stone House in two weeks. We currently have four chaperones for this trip. Chaperones will receive a letter with further instructions this week.
• Family Friday will take place this Friday. Your child has a letter regarding this monthly event. We need volunteers to lead these sessions. In the past, we've had parents come share a craft or interest with the group which causes much excitement!
• Please note the previous blog about ordering Scholastic books online. Please note that our class code is HHRTL. The close date for ordering from the September catalogs is September 30, this Sunday.

Have a sunny weekend!

Scholastic Book Orders

For families who want to take advantage of the bonuses that come with placing a Scholastic order online, our class code is HHRTL. You can access the website to order by going to www.scholastic.com.

Week Four

As you may have noticed, we have been skipping around in our Everyday Math homework book. Due to the changes in our curriculum, we will need to move some lessons out of sequence in order to best prepare our students for the State tests. We have also needed to supplement the math work with worksheets from another program in order to cover all the standards of the fourth grade Core Curriculum.

• We are going to make a physical map of New York State  and we need your help. A letter went home today with instructions for making salt dough. This is a quick and easy recipe. I demonstrated how to do it to the kids and they are super excited! We would also like to thank Mrs. Au, who donated many 9x12" cardboard pieces for the backing of our maps. We currently have 18 pieces and will need at least six more. 
• On Monday, students will begin a new morning procedure. Similar to the routine from last year, students will be sent to the MMr through the Windsor Place entrance at the sound of a bell at 8:30. At 8:37, students will walk to their classroom by themselves. 
• Please continue to initial reading logs daily and sign your child's homework sheet at the end of the week. The reading logs are being collected on Mondays for review. 
• Schools will be closed on Wednesday for Yom Kippur. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Coming Week 3

Our first full week is over and we have made much progress in transitioning into fourth grade. We began cursive penmanship, Writing Workshop, Math Workshop and Social Studies. As we come to the third week, here are some things of note:

• Please review your child's homework sheet during the weekend. I've noted on the sheet any missing assignments. Encourage your child to check off assignments as they are completed so there aren't any forgotten assignments. Occasionally there will be comments to help keep you updated about your child's progress. 
• On the original supply list, there was a request for $5 dollars to purchase a New York Studies subscription. That subscription will now be for National Geographic (also $5.00), which will support our work later in the year when students write non fiction books about a science topic of their choosing.
• In preparation for an upcoming project, I am asking families to donate sturdy cardboard pieces that are pre-cut to 9x12 inches. Please send in the cardboard by September 24. This project will also require salt dough to be made at home. Salt dough is made from salt, flour and water. Please keep this in mind as you grocery shop :)
• Please note that all the Armory Dates for this year are entered into our class calendar.
• We began our Social Studies Unit on the Geography of New York. We have started by reviewing basic map skills and will look at various maps to learn about our state and how its landforms affect they way we live.

Finally, if you are interested in being class parent, please let Debby Wattenbarger know. We already have one volunteer, Mrs. Au (yay!). The class parents will assist with creating a classroom directory, helping to facilitate communication to families, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy New Year to our families celebrating Rosh Hashanah! Please note that school will be closed during Monday and Tuesday. 

Week 1/2

Thank you, 4-303 families!
The new year has just started and we are in the process of getting acquainted with each other and our new routines.  I appreciate the smiles, patience, and cooperation from our children and those who love them.

 We decided on some rules that will help us get along and have a fun time this year. These rules are general and we've discussed how it can be applied to a given situation. Naturally, this is a living document and will probably change throughout the year.

Here are some details about our class and the upcoming week:

• Our first read aloud this year is No Talking by Andrew Clements. This realistic fiction story follows a group of fifth graders as they undertake a unique social experiment. Themes of gender bias, social change and cooperation are explored through this story. This read aloud will also be the mentor text for our first reading unit, Creating a Reading Life. During the read aloud, students will practice turn & talk strategies, creating ideas through gathering details, and using a Readers Notebook to facilitate in depth thinking.
• Starting Monday, we will begin our reading log routine. Please keep an eye out for the sheet in your child's homework folder. Help your child get into a routine of reading with stamina. Fourth graders are expected to read at least 45 minutes at home. It is best to read for 45 minutes straight through but if you do not have that stretch of time, it would be prudent to separate the 45 minutes into chunks.
• We will begin working in our Writer's Notebook. Our first unit, Improving the Quality of our Writing: Personal Narratives, will have students reviewing strategies for creating short stories that have a beginning, middle and end. We will look at ways writers elaborate through details and dialogue. A challenge for our writers will be to write a narrative with a theme or  significance for the audience. To start this unit, please help your child gather pictures and decorations for the cover of the Writers Notebook.
• Our Math unit will be a quick study of Geometric Figures. We will define lines, rays and plane shapes by attributes such as sides and angles. There was a letter that went home this Friday with instructions for dealing with answer pages in the Study Links workbook. We are looking into getting a second copy of the Student Reference Book for each child to keep at home. In the meantime, please use the links to the Every Day Math site on the left side of this blog.
• Fourth grade social studies will center around New York. We will start with the geography of our state by studying maps of New York State.

Finally, our cluster schedule looks like this:

• Monday: Physical Education, period 7 with Ms. Ussery
• Tuesday: Computers, period 3 with Mrs. Pattison
• Wednesday: Science, period 2 with Mrs. David (formerly Ms. Hanson)
• Thursday: Art, period 1 with Ms. Kelly
• Friday: Science,  period with Mrs. David

Whew! Thanks for checking in!
Have a fabulous weekend!

Beginning the Year

Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone! Many families will use this time to shop for the new school year so here's a reminder of the supplies needed for this year and when it should be brought in to the classroom.

 

For Thursday, September 6th:

 

8    Black and white Mead Marble  notebooks,   

      100+ pages (including 1 for Science class)

 2    Sharpie Ultrafine markers, black

 8      plastic/vinyl two pocket folders

        w/fasteners

For Friday, Sept. 7th:

4      Dozen #2 pencils  

4      large Elmer’s Glue stick

1      Set of Eraser caps/ pencil toppers

 1     8ct conical tip Crayola Washable markers   

        classic  colors (thick)

 1      24ct or higher full- length color pencils

 4    3x3 yellow self-stick notes, lined

 6     boxes of Kleenex facial tissues

        (for class and cluster classes)

For Monday, September 10th:

1       5” blunt child safety scissors

4      rolls of Bounty paper towels

 2       Wet Ones Hand wipes

 1       10 ct 2 gallon size storage/freezer   

           Ziploc bags

 1       Ziploc Sandwich bags

 1        pack wide rule looseleaf paper

For Tuesday, Sept. 11th:

1       yellow legal pads

 1       Uniball fine line rolling writer

          (for Art class)

 1        roll Scotch tape

 1      pencil sharpener with receptacle

 $5.00 for National Geographic subscription

 1      bottle Fantastik surface cleaner

        (for Computers class)

Happy shopping!

Welcome Back!

Hard to believe but we'll be back on September 6th. I look forward to having a great year with everyone!
 By now, you should have received a letter from me included in the packet Mr. Havlik sent out earlier in August. Included in the packet were a supplies list and a newsletter describing some aspects of our class. If for some reason you haven't received the mailing, please contact the school at (718) 768 0057.
Please enjoy the lovely days left!

Class Videos

Happy first day of summer vacation! Thank you all for the fun gifts and flowers! Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to such a wonderful class.

Please notice that our blog has changed. The videos are now part of a play list. Please click on the word, Explainers, at the bottom left hand corner of the Class Playlist section.This will allow you to chose from the videos that were linked to our blog this year. Check out the latest video featuring Patrick, Grace and Julia.

Have a safe and happy summer recess!

Week 40: Farewell!

Time flies when you're having fun! This has been a very speedy year and sadly it is coming to an end. I have loved working with this group and their families this year. Today, we looked at the letters the children wrote to me at the end of third grade and it is remarkable how much they have grown in this past year. This is an extraordinarily kind and smart class and I will miss them.

Here's what's happening this final week:

• We have a modified field day on Monday. There were no permits available to make up the cancelled field day so all classes will go at different portions of the day. Third and Fourth graders will go to Prospect Park and enter through the 10th Ave entrance. We will stay near that area from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. Please prepare your child just as you would for a regular field day. There was a note with further detail given to each child today. 
• On Tuesday, we will have a end of the year celebration in the afternoon. Please provide your child with a beverage and a treat to be shared with the class. 
• Wednesday will be the last day of school. It is a half day and students will be dismissed at 12 noon. Report cards will also be given out at the end of the morning. If your child is not able to attend school, you may pick up the report card from the office at 12 noon. 

Have a wonderful, cool weekend!

Week 39

 Our Shakespeare show was a tremendous success! Everyone had a ball and left with only the fondest memories of the whole experience. Thank you all for your encouragement and enthusiasm throughout this. We want to thank families who also volunteered their time and artistic talents to make this Midsummer Night's Dream a most beautiful one! The Fuquas, Thompsons, Raos, Wattenbargers, Fogels, Pinciottis, Lowerys, Faloticos, Altman-Shulmans, Meehans, Loebs, Laras, Lius and Aronovs have been extremely supportive and were available to help at a moments notice. There were also some beautiful flowers presented to me. I am so grateful!

Here's what is happening next week:

• We are beginning to wind down the year. Please look through your homes and return any books that were borrowed from the class library. Students are beginning to bring home their supplies and notebooks. Please make sure your child takes out the materials from the bookbag before returning to school each day.
• On Wednesday, Sophie's mom will be here to make tie dye t-shirts with us! This is an extremely generous treat! Sophie will be leaving our community next year as her family makes a new home upstate. We want to wish them all the best!
• Alex's mom will also be here, during the week, to harvest the mint from the community garden. She will show us how to churn sorbet from this. Aren't we the luckiest class?!
• Thursday will be our school field day. Please make sure your child is dressed for an active day and brings his/ her own lunch. Apply sunscreen and bug repellent before coming to school. Bring sunscreen to reapply throughout the day. Encourage your child to wear a hat and athletic shoes.

Have an amazing weekend!

Week 38

It barely feel like we've spent anytime at school this week, yet we are charging full steam ahead towards a pretty big event. Our play is here! On Thursday, we will have a performance at 9:25 am for families and a 2:00 pm performance for upper grade students. The performance will be filmed and each child will get a DVD as a keepsake.

On the day of the play, please dress your child in a tank top or short sleeved shirt and shorts. This will allow your child to wear his/ her tunic comfortably. Please wear shoes that are secure. Flip flops can be a bit tricky on stage.

Here's what else is coming:

• Monday is a half day. Dismissal will be at 12 noon.
• The Staff will take on the Fifth grade in our annual Kickball game on Monday! Refreshments will be available for purchase. Please make sure your child wears sunscreen as the playground can be very hot and sunny.
• We will have our dress rehearsal on Tuesday. This will be the first time both classes will perform together.
• Our production for A Midsummer Night's Dream will finally take place this Thursday! We'll see you in the MMr!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 37

We had a busy week and  we couldn't have gotten through it without the help of all the parents who showed up on Thursday for costume making and Friday for the trip!
Our thanks go out to Mrs. Lewandowski, Mrs. Wattenbarger, Mrs. Meehan, the Lewis-Fuqua family, Ms. Altman, Ms. Carmona, Mrs. Tacconelli, Mrs. Treinen, Mrs. Loeb, Ms. Caputo, Dr. Aronov, and Mr. Pinciotti for the time and effort they put in to make this week special for us.

Here's what's happening next week:

• The NYS Science test is this Monday. It is not a test counted for promotional criteria though it will be a part of your child's testing history. This part of the exam contains multiple choice and short answer questions. 
• Tuesday is a clerical half day for staff. Students will be dismissed at 12 noon.
• Schools will be closed on Thursday for Brooklyn Queens Day. 
• On Friday, we have been invited to a musical concert at MS. 88 at 10 am. We will be back in time for lunch.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 36

We are down to our final state test after completing the manipulatives portion of the Science exam! The last part is the written portion and will be administered in class on June 4th. Ms. Hanson has been sending practice packets home throughout the year.

Progress reports were sent home today. Some children have not yet been letter level tested, so if your child's letter level is the same as last report card's, please expect that your child will be retested in the next two weeks.

Here's what to expect next busy week!

• Schools are closed on Monday due to Memorial Day! 
• We plan to decorate the Shakespeare costumes on either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday afternoon. We will narrow the date by Tuesday of next week.
• We are going to Wyckoff Farmhouse on Friday. The four parent chaperones will receive a letter with more details. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!
• If you haven't done so please check out the new student made math videos starring Anjie, Stella, Penelope and Sophie. Alex was a great help shooting both films!

Have a sunshine filled three day weekend!

Week 35

Fourth grade families rock! We had a very speedy and thorough sewing group prepare T-shirts for our students to decorate. Many parents have offered to help with sets and props. Our production is going to be great!
Here's what to expect next week:

• We will have Shakepeare on Monday and Thursday. Please note that our play is on June 14th. Families are invited to a showing at 9:25am. There will be a second show at 2:00pm for the 3rd and 4th grade.
• We are visiting the Armory on Tuesday.
• Please expect a progress report by the end off this week.

Have a beautiful weekend!


Addendum: 

• We are also starting the Science Manipulatives test this week. These are hands on science activities that children will conduct based on written directions. Students are expected to observe and report in writing about the results of their experiments. Our class has been split into two groups. One group will be tested at the Science lab on Wednesday and another group will be tested on Friday.
• Please check out our new math videos!

Week 34

Happy Mothers Day to all the amazing ladies who care for and inspire us! We hope you are pampered and given all the happiness due to you!

Here's what to expect next week:

• Science Fair projects are due on Monday. We will visit the fair at 10:00am.
• All students have been cast in their roles for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Please help your child practice lines. The goal is to be "off book" (lines memorized) as soon as possible and to concentrate on stage business. Students worked on posing and gestures this past session, in order to convey the character's motivation wordlessly.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for the cards, flowers and kind words on Teacher Appreciation. We were treated to a delicious luncheon provided by parents today. The support and care shown by the families really makes PS 154 a great place to be!

Have a marvelous weekend!

Week 33

We had a busy week! Our first Shakespeare class focused on archetypes and our students were challenged to improvise a character type as the character checks into a hotel. We also had our Earth Day activities, culminating in our parade around the block with our Buddy class.

Here's what to expect next week:

• In Writing Workshop, we will learn about literary essays. Students are familiar with the essay format. We will use that format as we write about stories that we will read analytically and discuss the universal themes found in the stories.
• In Math, we will return to geometry and focus on finding the volume of a prism. We will also return to multiplication, only this time we'll multiply decimals.

For our poll question, 1/4 of sixteen ounces is 4 oz. Thanks for voting. Check out our new question!

My thanks to the parents who came to our Shakespeare planning meeting and our First Friday class. It was fun for our buddies to meet our moms and dads! If you were unable to attend the Shakespeare meeting, and would like to volunteer to help with our show, please send a note to me.

Have a wonderful, warm weekend!

Week 32

Whew! The major tests are over and we can return to our normal routines. The Science Test will be on June 4 but by then we'll have recovered from the marathon testing of these past weeks. The math exam was also rigorous but the kids were real troupers.

I will be out of the school, scoring ELA exams on May 3,4,7,8 and 9. Christine Luo will be the substitute teacher for the five days.

Here's what's up for next week: 

• The fourth grade was invited to an extra session at the Armory this Wednesday. We will go there to meet members from the New Jersey Nets organization!
• We will have our first session with the Shakespeare teaching artist on Thursday. Scott Lilly is a professional actor and has been working with PS 154 for the past two years. If you haven't already done so please check out the video bar to watch the BBC Animated Shakespeare and Disney versions of the play.
• This First Friday will be the Earth Day parade! Our class will march with their buddies from Mrs. Capua's class.

By request, the poll question is back! Please check it out. Have a marvelous weekend!

Week 31

Bravo to all our children, who performed admirably and worked smartly throughout the most challenging ELA exam in my experience as a teacher (and I've been teaching for eighteen years)! I witnessed students reading carefully, looking back and working thoughtfully with great perseverance through out a long exam. Regardless of the results, our children are all rock stars and firmly among the best!!!

Here's what's coming next week:

• We are starting some Shakespeare work. Our teaching artist, Scott, will help us put on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of Shakespeare's most famous comedy. The acting program will begin May 3rd. In class we have begun familiarizing ourselves with the language of the Shakespeare's times and we are going to read the story in contemporary language before tackling the script, which is in Shakespeare's original text. Don't worry if your child struggles at first, it will get better :)                                                               ADDENDUM: Check out the video bar at the top left hand corner of this page. There are links to two version of A Midsummer Night's Dream:  BBC Animated Shakespeare and Disney's. Enjoy!

The NYS Math test will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The format will be as follows:

• Day 1: 31 multiple choice questions over 90 minutes maximum
• Day 2: 31 multiple choice questions over 90 minutes maximum
• Day 3: 5 short response and 4 extended response (written in test booklet) over 90 minutes maximum.

Just like this week, children should be well rested, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school before 8:40.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 30

Happy Spring Recess! We're all looking forward to some great weather and some relaxation time.

When we return, The NYS ELA test will be here. We've been working very diligently to prepare. We took a mock test session today and the class was able to keep up their stamina throughout the exam. Maybe the pajamas helped :)

Here are some tips for preparing your child on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday:

• Get a good night sleep.
• Eat a nutritious breakfast. Try to avoid sugary foods.
• Arrive to school before 8:40. This will allow time for students to play in the yard.
• Encourage your child to do his/ her very best but avoid naming a specific grade/ goal.
• Dress in comfortable clothes.

Have a great Spring Recess!

Week 29

The Spring Break packet went home today. It is rather large and contains practice for days 1 and 3 in the ELA test and days 1, 2 and 3 in the Math test. The packet is optional but it was suggested in class that everyone try to do some of it. We will go over the multiple choice part of the ELA practice in class when we return on April 16.

Day 1 of the ELA is on April 17. It will be 90 minutes long with about 40 questions.
Day 2 of the ELA is on April 18. It will also be 90 minutes long with about 20 multiple choice questions, 3 short responses (graphic organizers or paragraph length responses) and 1 extended response (bullet points). The short and extended response will be about a passage that is read out loud to the students.
Day 3 of the ELA is on April 19. It will also be 90 minutes long and include two passages. Students will answer four short responses and one extended response.

As you can tell from the above description, pacing will be an important factor. Students have practiced in class with time limits. Our students are all capable readers and mathematicians and are practicing to keep a sustained effort throughout the 90 minutes.We have been careful to not rush and to take breaks in order to check our work.

Here's what else is happening next week:

• We will be at the Armory on Tuesday.
• The Music Concert will also be on April 3 at 6 pm. If your child is attending, please dress your child in a white top and black bottom. 
• Spring Break begins Friday, April 6. 

Finally, the answer to our poll question (Which fraction is more than 1/2? ) is 5/6. Check out our new poll question!

Week 28

In the remaining two weeks before Spring Break, we are getting ready for the NYS Tests. In all of our test practice, we are learning to work carefully and to take our time with each task.

Here's what is happening next week:

• We are starting out work in inquiry groups in Social Studies. Students have picked partners with common interest and are learning about colonial homes, food, medical practices, etc.
• The unit 7 math test will take place on Wednesday.
• The answer to the poll question (Another name for 3/4 ...) is 6/8. Please check out our new question.

Have a great weekend!

Week 27

It was great seeing everyone at PTC. We had a good middle term and are now set to have a strong final term. Please remember to return your child's report card when you are done reviewing it.

Your child has a math game in his/ her folder that will be helpful with our fraction work. We've played it a few times in class. Please ask your child to teach the Equivalent Fractions game to you sometime.

Here's what to expect this upcoming week:

• We made a quick poetry anthology and are now focusing most of our literacy time on test prep. While there are ways to navigate the test, all of that won't help unless the student is a good reader, therefore it is important for your child to keep up their independent reading. At home, it may be helpful to read for longer periods of time (45-60 minutes) to help build stamina. The writing that is on the test is similar to the work the children have been doing all year in their weekly reading response. It is important to make sure your child is reading the directions and answering the questions with text examples. The ELA test is now in three sessions. Each session can be up to 90 minutes long. The days are April 17, 18 and 19.
• You'll notice that the math homework will contain a mixture of different topics. We are reviewing in preparation for the Math test, which takes place on April 25, 26, and 27. 
• Ms. Hanson is also sending out a science packet today. It has information, a website and practice questions for the State Science test. This is not a test that factors into promotional criteria, but is included in a student's testing history.

On a different note, we are running low on facial tissues and would appreciate any donations. Thank you!

Have a happy weekend!

Week 26

Our Green Team is hard at work, spreading the message of conservation throughout the school. If you've been in the school building recently, you'll notice that some of the lights have been turned off during the day. This will help our school save electricity as we try to win $25,000 during the month of March.

Here's what to expect next week:

• Report Cards will be given out on Monday.
• Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Tuesday. There will be an early dismissal at 12 noon. Conferences will take place from 1-3 pm and 5:30-8 pm. 
• We will attend the Book Fair on Monday at 11:30. 

The answer to the poll question is 3/6 which is another name for 1/2. 

Have a wonderful week!

Week 25

March is here! We are now ending the second marking period and Parent Teacher Conferences will be on March 15th. Next week, a notice and sign up slip will go home so that we can schedule appointments. Please keep an eye out for it. Report cards will be given out on next Monday.

We would like to thank Mrs. Lewandowski for leading the March First Friday activity. We also have to thank the great set of parents, Mr. Pinciotti, Mrs. Tacconelli, Mrs. Treinen, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Wattenbarger,  who showed up to help our class plant seeds.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We are beginning the math unit on Fractions and Their Uses. This can be a challenging unit if students do not understand that fractions are numbers that show the relationship between parts and the parts needed to complete a whole. If your child is struggling with the concept of fractions, please check out the Sheppard Math Games link for some fun fraction games that give visual examples to practice with.
• We are beginning the Explainers Video series. Please notice that there are two video on the left side. Click on them to watch our very own students explain some of the topics they are learning in class. The goal is that all children with video release forms will get to film a spot. The video release form was signed earlier at the beginning of the school year. 
• Finally, our poll question asked what a possible measurement could be for an obtuse angle, which is an angle measuring in the range of 91 to 179 degrees. The answer was 135 degrees. A 67 degree angle would have been acute, while a 180 degree angle is known as a straight angle. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 24

Mid Winter Break is here!
Students received an optional homework packet with some review and preview work. Each child is required to continue reading and to log their reading for the Readathon. The Readathon ends on February 24. Please bring any sponsor money when we return to school on the 27th.

Here's what will be coming after the break:

• I will be out on Tuesday for a Teacher's College meeting about Test Prep.
• The Unit six Math test will be on Thursday.
• March's First Friday will involve an activity with the Gardening Committee.
• Finally, the answer to the poll question , 38 divided by 4 will have a remainder of 2. Great job voter! Check out our new poll.

Have a wonderful recess!

Week 23

Please remember that there will be no Saturday school this upcoming weekend due to the Mid Winter Break. For families who have asked if they can still enroll their child in Saturday program, please speak with Mr. Ortiz. There are still six sessions left before the testing in April.

Here's what's coming up next week:

• We will be at the Armory this Tuesday.
• We are starting our interpretation unit. Children will continue book clubs but they may not all focus on the same genres. Children will read picture books, historical fiction, realistic fiction non fiction or fantasy. The goal of this unit is to improve interpretation skills and to read with the ability to find common themes and ideas.
• We will wrap up our unit on Explorers in Social Studies and begin learning about Colonial New York. Your child recieved a permission slip for a trip to the Wyckoff Farmhouse in June. Please send in the form and admission as we need to send in a deposit soon.

Thanks and have a cozy weekend!

Week 22

First Friday was so fun! We had a fantastic experience with Jeremy and Lily, two instructors from the Brooklyn Yoga School. Our thanks to Ms. Rao who made this session happen!

 If you are interested in taking classes, please check out the website, BrooklynYogaSchool.com.

Here's what to expect for next week: 

• Saturday School begins this weekend. We have Mrs. Freader, a teacher from our sister school, PS 107, as our test prep instructor. 
• This will be the last week of Fantasy book club. Our students are making progress not just reading for a literal recall of the story, but interpreting characters and lessons to be learned through these stories. 
• Our next reading unit will focus solely at Interpretation and we will look at a variety of texts, including poems and songs. This unit will challenge students to look at texts and see lessons and messages that apply to our own experience. We will also look at the universality of these themes as we examine how multiple texts convey similar messages. 
• We began unit 6 in math. This unit will center on long division strategies. It is important to keep working with multiplication facts including extended facts, which will be very helpful when we study the partial quotients method. The unit five math test was sent home on Thursday. Please review and sign the test so that it can be returned by Monday.
• The answer to our poll question, 83 * 28 is about... 2400. Good work to all the voters! Check out our new question!

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Week 21

We had a special music class today with many visitors. Thanks for stopping by! The kids were very proud to play for you!

Next week:

• We are finished with our predictives!It will give us something to think about as we get ready for the April exams. This week, we will start our performance assessment tasks. These are four on- demand writing assignments designed to assess our student along the standards of the Core Curriculum. This is an initiative from the Chancellor's office.
• The Unit 5 math test was moved back due to the predictive testing. It will now be given on Tuesday.
• I will be out on Wednesday in order to attend a workshop at Teachers College.
• We will have a First Friday focused on fitness. Ms. Rao has volunteered to lead a yoga workshop. We will meet in the Multi media room.
• Finally, the answer to the poll question is all of the above! Great job, voters. Check out the new poll!

Enjoy the lovely weather this weekend!

Week 20

The second progress report went out this week, a bit later than I had planned at the beginning of the year. Thank you for your patience and the feedback on the parent comment section.

We started book clubs this week. Students have met with their fellow club members and have made some short term goals for their reading work. We also worked on rules to help us have productive club meetings. Children are allowed to use the reading work they've done in clubs to help them write their weekly reading response.

Here's what's coming up this week:

• Grades 3, 4 and 5 will take the Math and ELA predictive this week. We will take the ELA predictive on Tuesday and the Math predictive on Wednesday.
• On Monday, we will have our publishing celebration for our picture books at 7th period. Each student may bring in  a drink (no sodas, please) as snacks will be provided. Parents are most welcomed to join us!
• We will wrap up Math Unit 5 and have the unit test on Friday.
• Finally, the answer to the poll question (true or false: 2.5 -1.25 > 1.3 -0.05) is false. The amounts on both side of the sentence are equal. Please check out our new poll question :)

Have a warm week!

Week 19

Our Non fiction picture books are finished! It was a long process and it was important for children to set individual goals throughout the process but the end results look very good!

Here's what to look forward to next week:

• Schools are closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
• We are beginning Fantasy Book Clubs. Children will read fantasy books and meet with a same ability level group in order to discuss their reading. This unit builds on the goal setting skills we started with the previous writing unit since groups will be asked to determine the reading pace and assignments for the members of the group. Children have to be responsible for staying on track so that they are ready to participate in their group's discussions.
• December-January progress reports will be given out on Wednesday. 

Have a great weekend!

Week 18

Our first week in the new year was great! We came back from the holiday, rested and ready to resume our work. We made some goals for our writing and are working with more independence. Many students have made plans to finish their NonFiction Picture Books in sections in order to meet the January 13 publishing deadline.

For First Friday, Mrs. Tacconelli led a workshop on weaving. Our students took to it and did quite well. Students took home their looms and can choose to finish their weaving. There is extra yarn in the class if your child wants more. Our thanks to Mrs. Tacconelli, Mrs. Treinen, Mrs. Martin, Ms. Burwell,  Mr. Pinciotti, Mrs. Loeb, Ms. Altman, Mrs. Lewis, . Mrs. Wattenbarger, Mrs. Lewandowski and Alex's grandmother for coming and teaching us how to weave!

Here's what's coming next week:

• We have a visit to the Armory on Tuesday. Students are encouraged to wear sneakers as we will run on the track.
• We are beginning our new Math unit on Multiplication Algorithms and Estimation of Large Numbers. This will involve learning different strategies like the partial quotients method and lattice multiplication. Please refer to the Everyday Math Algorithms link for help in learning the methods. It is important that your child becomes secure with the multiplication facts. Please practice daily with your child the multiplication facts that s/he seems to not remember. You can also check the Math links section of this blog for Multiplication games that help your child work quickly with facts.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy 2012!

Welcome to the new year! I hope everyone had a restful and memorable holiday. I would like to thank all the families for the excellent class gift. It was extremely generous and the sentiments expressed in the card were flattering and heartfelt. Your appreciation is a great motivator and together we will strive to make 2012 the best year yet!

We received some news about testing shortly before the holidays. Please note that the State tests, which were both two days long originally, will now be administered over three days. The ELA test will take place over April 17, 18 and 19, while the NYS Math test will be taken on April 25, 26 and 27.

We are beginning two exciting new units this week:

• In reading, we will begin exploring the fantasy genre. Fantasy is defined as a story containing elements that can only be explained by magic. This genre includes myths and fairy tales. The class was asked to shop for independent books before the break and many children have already begun to immerse themselves in the genres. We will spend two weeks on this before breaking off into book clubs around fantasy. During book clubs, students will be matched with readers on a similar ability level and given structures to help them set goals as readers. Students will work together in groups to talk about their reading, to develop and then nurture ideas about themes, symbols and characters.
• In Social Studies, we will look at the Age of Exploration and learn the reasons why exploration was so important. We will familiarize ourselves with some of famous explorers as well as the consequences of their discoveries.

Here's what else will be happening this week:

• School resumes on Tuesday. Extended Day students are expected to report at 8 am. Everyone else will report at the usual 8:40.
• We will have the Unit 4 test on Decimals and Metric measurements on Thursday.
• First Friday will take place this week. We currently do not have a parent presenter. Please let me know if you are interested in sharing a talent with the class. The months of March and April are also available if you would like to present.

Happy New Year!