Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
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| Two weeks left in the semester! |
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| Warmer temps this week! |
Last week...
The students completed their Winter MAP tests and we are well underway with Biography Book Report Presentations. We went to Herring Auditorium at Lathrop High School to see the North Star Ballet's annual performance of The Nutcracker and it was amazing as always. We have about two weeks until the end of the second quarter (first semester) and the students have been plugging away at their TDLs. We have progressed with our class novel My Side of the Mountain and our read-aloud book, Where the Red Fern Grows.
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| Great winter concert last week! |
This week...
As part of her University studies, Mrs. Young is tasked with taking over our ELA (English/Language Arts) instruction for the week. We have carefully prepared for this and she is excited to take the helm.
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| More presentations this week! |
This Friday, December 13th, we have yes, another field trip! We will be visiting the Alaska Room at Anne Wein Elementary School. There, the kids will immerse themselves in Alaskan Native Culture and Art. We plan to leave Weller at 11:15 and should be back around 2:30ish. This field trip is paid for already, so no need to send in money. However, next Friday is Ice Skating!
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This Tuesday, December 10th, Art Specialists will be in the house! Their lesson will feature grade-level artist: Hokusai, and is called, "Head in the Clouds."
Here is the description: Have you ever found yourself daydreaming? Students learn about a grade-level artist Hokusai’s “Ukiyo-e” themed art that translates to “pictures of the floating world.” With cut paper, markers and colored pencils, students learn to illustrate their daydreams with a variety of stick figures contained within their “head in the clouds.”
FYI...
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| Please make sure your kiddo has the proper gear. |
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| How about that pickup line! |
8:30 - 9:00
Arrive
Writing Prompt
Morning Announcements
New Jobs
9:00 - 9:30
Gym
9:30 - 10:00
Music
10:00 - 11:30
Snack/Read Aloud - Where the Red Fern Grows
ELA with Mrs. Young
11:30 - 12:00
Lunch
12:00 - 12:30
Recess
12:30 - 1:45
Math Block
1:45 - 2:00
Break/Movement Activity
2:00 - 2:45
Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain
Our Place in the Universe - Jupiter!
2:45 - 3:00
Clean Up
Pack Up
Stack Up
Mailboxes
*Please note that math, specials (PE, music, and library), lunch, and recess are part of a fixed schedule and stay in blocks. At times, curriculum instruction will be shuffled to accommodate different initiatives.
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.
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS - QUIZZES - TESTS
See Q2 TDL Above
HOMEWORK
ONGOING
--Reading Logs (ongoing)
MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK
DUE ON
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 8-4
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 8-5
Thursday, December 12, 2019
--Topic 8 Take-Home Test
Friday, December 13, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 9-1 (Here comes division!!!)
***A brief note about homework. It is my philosophy that homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills that they have learned in school that day/week. The benefits are proven and tremendous. I try to keep things simple: 20 minutes of reading practice (reading logs), 20 minutes of math practice (worksheet), and 5-10 minutes of spelling (1 page per night). If your student is working on homework for more than an hour each night (Monday - Thursday, none on the weekends), please contact me so we can discuss things further. It is not my intention to make life impossible for you at home.
DUE ON
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 8-4
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 8-5
Thursday, December 12, 2019
--Topic 8 Take-Home Test
Friday, December 13, 2019
--Reteach/Practice 9-1 (Here comes division!!!)
***A brief note about homework. It is my philosophy that homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills that they have learned in school that day/week. The benefits are proven and tremendous. I try to keep things simple: 20 minutes of reading practice (reading logs), 20 minutes of math practice (worksheet), and 5-10 minutes of spelling (1 page per night). If your student is working on homework for more than an hour each night (Monday - Thursday, none on the weekends), please contact me so we can discuss things further. It is not my intention to make life impossible for you at home.
***Please keep in mind, projects, or tests we have in class may have to be brought home to be finished or to study. Please ask your child if they have completed their work and check PowerSchool regularly.
ONGOING INFORMATION
READING LOGSReading logs are a regular part of our class. Students will receive "points" 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).
Reading 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 grades 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.
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. Simply 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. All passwords have been reset and synched to their individual defaults for the start of the school year. Please do not make any changes. It is as follows:
Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org
Password: s#g
User Name for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org
User Pswd for example: s123456g
User Name for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org
User Pswd for example: s123456g
DATES TO REMEMBER AND FIELD TRIPS
Friday, December 13, 2019
--Field Trip to the Alaska Room at Anne Wien Elementary School. We will depart at 11:15 AM and return at 2:30 PM.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - December 18-20, 2019
--Early Dismissal at 1:30 PM and the end of the second quarter.
Friday, December 20, 2019
--Marble Jar Field Trip to the Big Dipper. We will leave Weller at 9:15 and return around 11:30. It will be a total of $10 per student and that includes transportation and ice time (1 hr.). Skate rental is an additional $3 per kiddo and I will cover the cost of that, however, if your student has skates, please have them bring them to school that day. Thanks.
Friday, January 31, 2020
--Field Trip to UAF's Davis Concert Hall to see "Bach to the Future." More details to follow.
Friday, March 20, 2020
--Field Trip to Herring Auditorium at Lathrop HS to see "Eileen Ivers." More details to follow.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - Friday, May 15, 2020
--Angel Rocks Hike and Twin Bears Educational Excursion. We will have several meetings throughout the year about this as it is a 3-day overnight camping trip, and yes we will need volunteers!
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
