Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
This week...
Thank you for making it to the school for "Materials drop off and pick up day!" I was able to collect, assess, and update the grade book just in time to finish report cards. Those should be available through your PowerSchool accounts.
We finished Charlotte's Web and all of our packets just in time to start our next class novel, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. In fact, we read Chapter 1 today. We also finished the book Wonder by R.J Palacio, completing our second Read Aloud of the year. We are currently on chapter 6 of Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper and the kids seem to really like it so far.
We finished Topic 4 and most kids have taken the Topic 4 Online Test. I am really liking how quickly I can get data that tells me what the kids are learning and understanding. I think that this may be the norm for math tests. From here on out, we are going to be pretty heavy into multiplication, learning four different methods - Breaking Apart (Topic 5), Expanded Algorithm (Topic 6), Standard Algorithm (Topic 6 and 7), and the Box Method (Topic 8). Hold on...this is always a pivotal point in fourth-grade math. It will be especially important for the kids to get these topics because long division and fractions will be coming after!
The kids picked their state for state reports. We discussed this briefly a few times, but we will really start to get into things next week. I will be candid, I am kind of nervous about state reports...This is usually a major project that I can oversee each step in class so I am going to need some help from you (parents) on this one! I am swinging for the fences here!
I also introduced Persuasive Essays, again briefly, and hopefully, the kids have picked a topic. We will talk more about this next week, and several times thereafter (kind of like our Summer Reflections). This is our second, formal, major writing piece of the year. We will be brainstorming, researching, drafting, editing, revising, and final drafting...
Next week...
Is a short week. Parent-Teacher Conferences are all day Thursday and Friday. I sent out a little tutorial I made last year to help you with sign-ups. I hope it was helpful. Below is the link again, in case you missed it. We will be meeting over Zoom but I can do a teleconference if you prefer or need it!
The kids will be working on the following:
-Complete GeoNotes 5
-Complete Spelling Packet 4
-Start DOL 3 (Daily Oral Language - sentence editing)
-Continue with our Daily Writing Prompts
-Finished with Math Art yet? (Parabolic Curves and Repeating Patterns)
-Continue with Cursive Handbooks
-Continue with Mystery Science Lessons
-Shiloh
-Out of My Mind
-State Reports
-Persuasive Essays
The Second Quarter Plan:
New Additions
Monday looks like:
- Persuasive Essays
- State Reports and Posterboards
- Q2 Book Reports - Biography Book Reports and Google Slides Presentations
- Poetry - Winter Haikus, Diamantes, What I love about Winter, and more...
- Figurative Language - Similes, Metaphors, Personification, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, and such...
- Class Novel - Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Read Aloud - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
- Art - Warm and Clod Trees
- Instructables - STEM stuff
The Staples
- Spelling Packets
- Cursive Handbooks
- Reading Logs - SSR
- EnVision Math
- Daily Oral Language (DOL)
- Weekly Geography
8:30 - 9:15 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Class Meeting
Persuasive Essays - Conversation
State Reports - Instructions
Class Novel - Shiloh
9:15 - 10:15 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Complete Writing Prompt
Brainstorming Persuasive Essay Topics
Snack
Break from a screen
10:15 - 11:00 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Math Topic 5-3/5-4
11:00 - 12:00 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Math Topic 5-4 Reteach ***EVENS ONLY***
Lunch
Break from a screen
12:00 - 12:30 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
GeoNotes 5
Spelling Packet 4
DOL 3
Read Aloud/Art - Out of My Mind
12:30 - 1:30 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Finish up the day's tasks
Check the Google Classroom Stream to make sure kiddos are on track
1:30 - till' tomorrow
Go outside
Play
Be a kid
Read for 20 minutes and record it in your reading log
Finish up any work from the Google Classroom Stream for the day
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/PERSON ASSIGNMENTS - QUIZZES - TESTS
--None for now! But hopefully not for long :)HOMEWORK
-Reading Logs each night and record it online or on paper
-I have posted on our Google Classroom Stream our list of items that needed to be completed for the day and things we are working on over the week. Kids may have additional work to finish up from the day, and therefore would essentially become "Homework," for the evening.
MATH HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK
-I have sent home worksheets for the topics that we are working on. Please complete those and save them to turn in when we do pick up and drop off days.
*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 before you have signed their planner.
ONGOING INFORMATION
ZOOM
Here is our class' meeting ID and password:
Meeting ID: 624 084 6454
Passcode: ROOM23
HOMEWORK?
Our Google Classroom "Stream" is a thing! I will post on our Stream at the end of our last session (12:00 - 12:30), a list of tasks that the kids need to finish up with for the day, and the things we have been working on. It has proven to be helpful, so I will keep on doing it. Some work may spill over into the evening and becoming essentially, homework...I promise, no tears!
Please have your child reading for 20 minutes a night. Then, have them record it on their reading logs. When the log is complete, you may either send it in, take a picture and email it to me, or enter it digitally in our Google Classroom.
CLASS WEBSITE
If you have not yet, please browse our class' website: www.wellerwhales.org. It has a lot of great resources and we will use this from time to time. I am currently making adjustments and enhancements on some pages, but the site is full and live.
Reading logs are a regular part of our class and the students' overall reading grade. Students will receive 5 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). I have a yellow folder by the classroom front door filled with new reading logs or they can submit through our GC. If a student reads for 5 days or more, they will receive a ticket for the "Prize Box" drawing. We draw prizes weekly, on Fridays at the end of the day.
READING LOGS (Remote Learning)
Reading Logs are required and will count towards the students' overall reading grade. Kiddos will receive 5 points for each day that they read during the school week. They can be turned in either digitally in our GC or by paper during our drop off and pick up days.
ClassLink/GOOGLE CLASSROOM
ClassLink is the portal in which students can access their Google Classroom. Once they log into their Chromebook, kids can access the bookmarks folder on their Chrome browser and click on ClassLink. That will bring them to the apps page where they will find Google Classroom.
DATES TO REMEMBER
ClassLink/GOOGLE CLASSROOM
ClassLink is the portal in which students can access their Google Classroom. Once they log into their Chromebook, kids can access the bookmarks folder on their Chrome browser and click on ClassLink. That will bring them to the apps page where they will find Google Classroom.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Friday, October 30, 2020
-Both of these days are dedicated to Parent-Teacher Conferences. I sent out instructions and links to sign up for a time slot. We will be meeting over Zoom but I can do a teleconference if you prefer or need it!
Wednesday, November 4th, 2020
-Our next materials/assignments drop off/pick up day
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
