Sunday, January 10, 2016

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog

Spring and more daylight are around the corner!!!

Report cards went home Friday! Rest assured...all students have improved :)
Last week was great! We hit the ground running and have ambitious goals for 2016! The kiddos were eager to share their stories from break and get back to learning. We returned to some routine procedures like DOL, Spelling, and TFK! We have also begun our unit on the Solar System, and the kids are highly engaged. Moon Journals will not be a nightly assignment, but rather a weekly record. I will send home more info about how we will proceed this week. They will continue through January and finish as the moon completes a full cycle (28.5 days). There was actually a new moon on Sunday so perfect timing!

I will speak to the students tomorrow about picking a current events topic/article. I would like them to pick an appropriate, relevant, and current event in the news (domestic or foreign) to read about and report on to the class for their next Google Slide Presentation. On that note, we will also be starting our Biography Book Report Presentations this week.

We finished last week with a well-deserved pancake breakfast and a class spelling bee. We will send four students and one alternate form our class to the school spelling bee, which is coming up in February.

I have been looking into some new computer programs to implement for differentiated instruction and will be trying Kahn Academy and Prodigy Game (Math). I will send home flyers with additional information and log-ins if you want to practice at home with your student. Thanks for your support with these!

This week
  • Reading Logs (con't) - more information down below
  • Literacy Groups
  • DOL
  • GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATIONS START THIS WEEK - please check your student's date
  • Universal Screening
  • Our Solar System
  • Kahn Academy
  • Prodigy Math
  • Moon Journaling
  • Current Events (pick topic/article) 
In January
  • Biography Google Slides Presentations
  • Current Events - Social Studies Class Topics
  • Tableaux
  • STEM LESSON: Force and Motion (Exploding Canisters)
Monday looks like:
9:00 - 9:10
Planners
Class Meeting
9:10 - 11:00
DOL
Spelling Lesson 11
Universal Screening
New Year Resolutions (con't)
11:00 - 11:40
Library
11:40 - 12:10
Lunch
12:10 - 12:40
Recess
12:40 - 2:00
Math Block 
2:00 - 3:30
Our Solar System - Venus
Current Events Discussion and Rubric
Read Aloud - Tale of Despereaux

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to call or email me anytime to discuss things further. I hope you find this information helpful and useful.

HOMEWORK DUE Friday, January 15, 2015
-- Spelling Lesson 11
-- Moon Journal Week One
-- Current Events Article Picked

MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK (only if you are in my math class)
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
-- Practice/Reteach 9-5
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
-- Practice/Reteach 9-6
Thursday, January 14, 2016
-- Topic 9 Review (test Friday)
Friday, January 15, 2016
-- Practice/Reteach 10-1

ONGOING INFORMATION

READING LOGS
I have decided to implement weekly reading logs as a regular part of our class for this next quarter. Students will receive "points" for for each day that they read a minimum of 20 minutes at home. The purpose: for students to read each day (not 100 minutes over the weekend or 40 minutes on Tuesday to catch up for Monday).
The logs will be due on a rolling basis and should have dates read on them. I will give credit as they are turned in and filled out correctly (please initial these). The points students receive will be added to their overall reading grade, counting towards their final grade.
It is simple, if students read and turn in their logs, they will see their grade improve significantly while naturally benefitting in fluency and accuracy. If they do not, they will not be given a "0" on the assignment, they simply will not receive any points.
Please look for these to come home this week. I have a yellow folder by the classroom front door filled with new reading logs. Email me with any questions or concerns please.

GOOGLE DRIVE
You can access all of your student's digital assignments online and work at home if you would like. Just go to www.gmail.com and type in their email address and password. Then find the Google Menu (where you will find the Drive, Docs, and Slides) icon in the top right corner (it is a nine square grid next to their s-number). This is where they will make their Google Slides Presentation for their Biography Book Reports. It is as follows:

Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)
Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, January 18, 2016
Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Holiday (no school)

It's a good life!

Mr. Sassman

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