Mr. Sassman's 4th Grade Class Blog
Weller Elementary School
Last Week...
Was a short one but we settled back into routine nicely. This is our last week of remote learning (so as the plan goes), and I am beyond excited to have the kids back on the 19th. I want to touch on that a bit.
I will have a conversation with the kids about what school will be like when they return. As of now, the school is requiring that all kids wear masks at all times except for lunch (which will be in our classroom). The point I will try to make is that: school will look and feel a different from what they know. For example, kids' desks will be spaced 6 feet apart, and they will not be allowed to work in groups or with partners. Lastly for now, students will not be permitted to heat up food or snacks in the classroom microwave. However, breakfast and hot lunch will be free to any/every student for the rest of the school year!
Last week we talked about New Year's Resolutions and what it means to set realistic, time-bound, motivating goals. I think we made some real progress and we will again explore goal setting this coming Monday. Ms. Nuss finished out our week, subbing for me Friday as I brought my littles in for their annual wellness checks and regular vaccinations (not COVID vaccines). We are almost done with The Adventures of Huck Finn and we will be starting Where the Red Fern Grows soon.
This week...
The Third Quarter Plan:
New Additions/Finishing Up
- State Reports and Posterboards
- Poetry - Winter Haikus, Diamantes, What I love about Winter, and more...
- Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
- Read Aloud - Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- Art - Warm and Clod Trees, Space Art
- New Year Resolutions and goal-setting
- Advice to a fourth-grader
- Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Long Division
- Fractions
- The Rock Cycle
- Cereal Box Book Reports
- Superhero Stories
- Newton's Laws of Motion
- STEM Kits
- Current Events
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
New Year's Resolutions PacketClass Novel - My Side of the Mountain
9:15 - 10:15 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Complete Writing Prompt
Snack
Break from a screen
10:15 - 11:00 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Topic 9
11:00 - 12:00 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
TBD
Lunch
Break from a screen
12:00 - 12:30 (Synchronous - With the teacher)
Read Aloud - Huck FinnSpelling 7
GeoNotes 7
12:30 - 1:30 (Asynchronous - Independent Work)
Finish up the day's tasks
1:30 - till' Tuesday
Go outside
Play
Be a kid
Read for 20 minutes and record it in your reading log
20-30 minutes of classwork (Spelling, GeoNotes, Math 9-1)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
-I will 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! On most days, 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 Google Classroom 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
Monday, January 18th, 2021
-Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No school)
Monday, February 15th, 2021 - Tuesday, February 16th, 2021
-Parent/Teacher Conferences (No school)
These are student-led so your kiddo will need to be present as well. More to come on this.
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
-Teacher Professional Development Day (No school)
Monday, March 8, 2021 - Friday, March 12, 2021
-Spring Break (No school)
It's a good life!
Mr. Sassman
