Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
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Math lessons are now recorded and available
on our Google Classroom!
on our Google Classroom!
This week...
WOW! Four weeks in and we are rolling along. While we have definitely been slowed down by this pandemic and online learning platform, we have some real nice momentum going for us. Kudos to you and your student for attending our meetings every day and for completing the tasks they have been assigned. I feel so fortunate to have your kiddo in my class and for your support. Without you, this doesn't work.
Brown Bag autobiographies are almost done, only 2 kiddos left. We finished our first Social Studies worksheet (1a and 1b) together. Please keep that and send it in during our next drop off day. I have started uploading another round of grades to PowerSchool, so if you can, please go online and check things out there. If you need help doing so, just let me know.
The kids should have finished letters A-D in their Cursive Handbooks by now. Next week we will start E and F. Just the letter practice for now. When they finish with that, they will go back and do the poems. We had a great conversation about handwriting, presentation, and presenting skills this morning and I think it made sense. Feel free to ask them a little about that, see what they learned (hopefully)!
Our Google Classroom Stream has now become a thing! I have recently started posting on our Stream at the end of each day, a list of tasks that the kids need to finish up with for the day, and the things we have been working on. I believe it is helpful, so I will keep on doing it.
We started Charlotte's Web and have read through chapter 5. I think that the kids are enjoying the classic novel, as I do every year. I sent home (if you have picked up your envelope) some worksheets that we are going to do together that coincide with the book - reading comprehension and vocabulary stuff.
We should be done with the first two paragraphs to our Summer Reflections, and on our way with the third and final, concluding paragraph. I have loved hearing some of the kids' stories so far. I hope to have rough drafts finished up by the end of next week, and final copies ready for drop off to the school on or before September 23rd.
I also hope to have the final copies of, "I can't imagine a world without..." back by the 23rd, so I can put them up in the hallway. The kids have received several compliments from staff around the school about how beautiful and colorful it makes the hallway, and it seems just a little like kiddos are here.
If it wasn't clear yet, Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020 will be our next assignments/materials drop off and pick up day...I will put together a list (because you know how much I love lists) of things to be returned and things being sent home.
This week I sent home (again, if you picked up your child's envelope) a few things. I am trying to make your trips to school minimal, so I have aimed to have a new packet ready every other week. Let’s try to use the same folders to drop off and pick up. I have put your kiddos name on theirs and will have a second folder ready for you so we have two operating folders, a drop-off, and a pick-up. Does that make sense? Thanks so much.
This week's folder included:
-Topic 1 Math test (to work on Thursday and Friday this week)
-Topic 2 Math Worksheets (for next week)
-GeoNotes 1 (for next week)
-Charlotte's Web Packet 1 (for next week)
-DOL (for next week)
-Spelling Packet 1 (for next week)
We started our next Read Aloud, Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It is an uplifting book about an elementary student attending school for the first time in fifth grade. August Pullman (Auggie) has a facial deformity that has led him to be homeschooled, but now he is willing, ready, and able to give it a go with other children. It is a story about adversity, diversity, acceptance, perseverance, kindness, and triumph. So far, so good!
Next week...
-Continue Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (read together, worksheets together, and discourse)
-Paragraph three and finish with rough drafts of our Summer Reflections
-Start GeoNotes 1
-Start Spelling Packet 1
-Finish and turn in Math Topic 1 Test
-Start Math Topic 2
-Charlotte's Web Chapters 1-4 worksheets
-DOL 1 (Daily Oral Language - sentence editing)
-Continue with our Daily Writing Prompts
-Finish Art/Writing (I can't imagine a world without...)
-Continue with Cursive Handbooks (Letters E and F)
-Haikus (for sure this week, it's Autumn, big time)
Homework Already???
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. Some work may spill over into the evening and becoming essentially, homework...more to come on that, but I promise, no tears!
The chore of the week: This week, ask your parent/guardian which house plants you can help watering/taking care of.
One more time: you can check here, the class blog (weekly) www.wellerwhalesblog.org, and our Google Classroom Stream (daily) to see where we are in life...but really. Please do not worry if there is too much work, we can always allow for some more time if needed. Conversely, if your child is needing more, I have plenty of enrichment items, just let me know!
I mentioned last week that we have a student-teacher this year. Ms. Nuss has put together a little introduction.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
My name is Christina Nuss, and I will be student-teaching in Mr. Sassman’s fourth-grade class this year. I started at Nordale Elementary School in August, but due to staffing and curriculum changes, I have been reassigned to Weller Elementary School and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here. I am a senior at UAF’s School of Education, and I anticipate graduating in May 2021, with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.
I was born and raised right here in Fairbanks, Alaska. I always imagined that someday I would attend UAF. By the end of my freshman year, it became clear to me that I was meant to be an educator. I love the sense of community that I get from colleagues in school, but also from the teachers and schools that I have visited throughout my studies. Children bring great joy to my life and I love seeing them grow and learn, so working with your students this year will be both my pleasure and honor.
My philosophy of education is a direct reflection of my childhood and family history. Growing up Russian in Alaska has been unique and I have heard many tales about my ancestors. In particular, my mother and grandmother often shared their experiences as educators with me, and there is a stark contrast between teaching in Russia and teaching in Alaska today. In addition to discourse and anecdotal stories, I have read countless books and watched many movies that solidified my thoughts on becoming a teacher one day.
I believe that every child is capable of learning and with the right teacher in the room - a passionate teacher that loves what they do - anything is possible. As the year progresses, I will be integrating more into the classroom (online and in-person), delivering lessons and units, and eventually taking over the class in the spring for a few weeks. I look forward to helping in the classroom, teaching your child, and being a Weller Whale!
Sincerely,
Christina Nuss
UAF/Weller Elementary School
The First Quarter Plan:
Monday looks like:
- Non-fiction Narrative Writing - Summer Break Reflections
- Spelling
- The United States - Geography, Mapping, Economy, States Reports
- EnVision Math
- Daily Oral Language (DOL)
- Q1 Book Reports
- Reading Logs - SSR
- Cursive Handbooks
- Poetry
- Figurative Language
- Class Novel
- Art
- And much, much, more...
Monday looks like:
8:30 - 9:15 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Class Meeting
Check-ins and feedback about turned in assignments
Writing Lesson continued - The Writing Process and the 6 Traits of Writing
Summer Reflections - Paragraph three, our conclusion
Class Novel - Charlotte's Web
9:15 - 10:15 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Work on Writing Prompt
Work on Summer Reflections
Snack
Break from a screen
10:15 - 11:00 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Quick check-in
Math Topic 2-1
11:00 - 12:00 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Math Worksheet 2-1
Lunch
Break from a screen
12:00 - 12:30 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Social Studies - Atlas work
Brown Bag Autobiographies
Read Aloud/Art - Wonder
12:30 - 1:30 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Finish up the day's tasks
Catch up if kids are behind
Check the Google Classroom Stream to make sure all work has been completed
1:30 - till' tomorrow
Go outside
Play
Be a kid
Help around the house - help water any plants around the house on a daily basis or as needed
Read for 20 minutes and record it in reading log
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
-Weekly house chore (helping around the house). This week, ask your parent/guardian which house plants you can help watering/taking care of.
-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 now 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
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.
Reading 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).
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 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.
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/CLASSLINK
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. It is as follows:
Username: s#@student.k12northstar.org (for example: s123456@student.k12northstar.org)
Password: s#g (for example: s123456g)
DATES TO REMEMBER
-Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Assignments/Materials drop off and pick up day
-Thursday, September 24, 2020
No School - Teacher Professional Development Day
--Friday, September 25, 2020
No School - Teacher Professional Development Day
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
