Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
Last week...
MAP tests were a success. Thank you so much for being committed to taking them seriously. I feel so proud of the kids. Almost every student grew from the last time they took the test (December 2019) a year ago. Your students have had a rough road since the spring, but they have persevered, and managed to learn, despite all of the changes and inequities. Now, what next? I have a baseline for this year, and I am hoping we can keep this same momentum for our round of spring 2021 growth assessments.
We have just about finished our unit on Figurative Language,
we completed Out of My Mind, and started working through Topic 8 in math, long division. We also concluded our unit in Space. I normally culminate the achievement with a great art project, but I will save that for, if and when the students return (hopefully).
This week...
I have mentioned it several times, this is the last week of the semster. I would be extremely grateful if you could sit down with your kiddo this week and go through their TDL 2020 Q2 to see where they are at in their journey, and what can be dropped off/turned in this week for grading and credit.We will focus on finishing up as many tasks as we can on our TDLs, I started reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain last week (the kid and school-friendly version), so I will try to finish one more book in before the break, and we will start (and hopefully finish) Winter Haikus to add to our Seasonal Haikus Google Doc. And of course, writing prompts and reading logs.
In case you missed it:
Here is a link to the "Master Copy" of our To-Do-List document: TDL 2020 Q2. The kids also have individual copies that are personalized and editable in their Google Classroom Classwork tab.
The Second Quarter Plan:
New Additions
- 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
Monday looks like:
8:30 - 9:15 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Class Meeting - Go over TDL and state Reports
Winter Haikus9:15 - 10:15 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Complete Writing Prompt
TDL
Snack
Break from a screen
10:15 - 11:00 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Math Topic 8
11:00 - 12:00 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
TDL
Lunch
Break from a screen
12:00 - 12:30 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Read Aloud - Tom SawyerDOL 3 sentences 1 and 2 (if we have time)
12:30 - 1:30 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Finish up the day's tasks
Check the Google Classroom Stream and TDL for tasks to complete
1:30 - till' tomorrow
Go outside
Play
Be a kid
Read for 20 minutes and record it in your reading log
20-30 minutes of TDL workIf
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
Friday, December 18, 2020
-Final day of the first semester (Q2)
-Winter break until January 6, 2021
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
