Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
This week...
PEAKS (Performance Evaluation for Alaskan Students = Standardized State Tests) are this week. On Tuesday, the kids will be taking the English/Language Arts section of the exams, specifically Reading and Vocabulary. On Wednesday, the kids will have the Writing section, and on Thursday, the final portion will be Math. This will take up most of the mornings, and I will keep it light in the afternoons: art, read aloud, lunch, recess, and TDL.
Last week we finished up our Space Art projects and they came out beautifully. I have them hanging in the school at the moment, and they will come home soon. I think that you'll love em. We also finished up Sign of the Beaver last week and will start The Indian in the Cupboard today. "I am" poems are coming along nicely, with just about half of the class finished with both their objects and then their self-reflective versions. Again, you're gonna love em'. Next up for our class novel, The Big Wave, as we are almost done with Island of the Blue Dolphins. Finally, Diamante poems will be next in our line-up for National Poetry Month.
Is spring finally here?
Monday looks like:
8:00 - 9:10
Arrival/Breakfast
Writing Prompt
Class Meeting
New Seats
New Jobs
9:10 - 9:40
TDL9:45 - 10:00
Snack
Read Aloud – The Indian in the Cupboard
Emotions Art or Horizon Art
10:00 - 11:00
TDL11:00 - 11:30
Math Block – Topic 15
11:30 - 12:05
Lunch12:05 - 12:35
Class Novel – Island of the Blue Dolphins
12:35 - 1:05
Recess
1:05 - 1:10
Clean up
Pack up
Dismissal
*******Please note now that we are back to in-person instruction***********
-Kids
should be reading for 20 minutes every night, and recording it in their
reading logs. I will have a folder filled with them by the door. They
may also continue with their digital reading logs too. Either one works
for me. If they fill 5 days a week, they will get a ticket for the
weekly prize box drawing on Fridays.
-Kids will receive
about 20-30 minutes of classwork to complete each night that we have
school. This can include math, spelling, Geo Notes...Please work with
them on this if they need help. I would like for students to have no
more than 40-50 minutes of work each night. Please let me know if this
expectation is beyond reach and we can talk about how your child can be
successful. Please again, I don't want tears along the way or any
surprises at the end of the quarter!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.
The Fourth Quarter Plan:
New Additions/Finishing Up
- State Reports and Posterboards (yes, still!)
- Poetry - April is National Poetry Month, so hold on! One of my favorite units to teach!
- Class Novel - Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
- Class Novel 2 - The Big Wave
- Read Aloud - Matilda by Roald Dahl
- Read Aloud 2 - Indian in the Cupboard
- Art - Space Art, Horizons, and Mt. Fuji
- Advice to a fourth-grader
- Long Division
- Fractions
- Units of measurement
- The Rock Cycle
- Cereal Box Book Reports (yes, still!)
- Superhero Stories
- Newton's Laws of Motion
- STEM Kits
- Current Events
- Spelling Packets
- Cursive Handbooks
- Reading Logs - SSR
- EnVision Math
- Daily Oral Language (DOL)
- Geography Notes
HOMEWORK
-Reading Logs each night and record it online or on paper
MATH HOMEWORK
None to take home this week...ONGOING INFORMATION
ZOOM
Here is our class' meeting ID and password:
Meeting ID: 624 084 6454
Passcode: ROOM23
ACCESS TO PowerSchool (GRADES AND REPORT CARDS)
To
view your child's current assignments and grades that have been
recorded, report cards, and other grade book information click the
following link and log in using your parent credentials: PowerSchool Log In
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.
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. You can find the landing page for ClassLink right here: ClassLink
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, May 21, 2021
-Last day of school. Can you believe it? We are 6 weeks from the end of the school year!
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
