STAR Reading Test

Students recently took a STAR Reading test to determine their reading level and reading skills. This test also determines the skills students still need to accomplish to be on target at this point of their fourth grade year.  Please look for this test report next week in your child's folder.  This form must be signed and returned.  Once it is returned with a signature, we will send it back for you to keep with other important papers such as this. 

Field Trip to the Plaza for SGE's Play, "The Nutcracker"

A big thanks to South Green Elementary for inviting us to watch "The Nutcracker".  Fourth grade students will be going to see this performance at the Plaza on the square next Tuesday, December 11th.  Please check your child's Thursday folder for the permission slip.  Please fill this out and return it to homeroom teachers ASAP. 

*ELA Updates*

Students have finished their opinion writing pieces.  The due date was moved to yesterday, December 6th, due to some need in finishing up conferencing and writing final drafts.  This is only the beginning of their writing journey in 4th grade.  Please look for more writing pieces to come home for homework and revising rough drafts after Christmas break.

We have also started reading stories out of our Reading Street books and putting our knowledge of story elements (plot, theme, characters, setting, author's purpose, narrators' point of view, etc) to work.  If students bring home a Reading Street book for homework or reading purposes, please be sure they return to school with it the very next day.  We will be using these in class often. 

 

~FYI!!!!!!! Fourth graders will have a test over the theme and plot of a story on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH. Students have a study guide to fill in for homework tonight (Tuesday, November 27th).  If a parent/guardian signs the study guide proving their child has studied they will receive extra points on their test. The homework is due tomorrow so we can go over the questions.  Students will correct any errors and then bring it home to be signed and returned by FRIDAY to get the extra points!!~

Let the wRiTiNg begin!!!!!!

We have been doing an informational writing piece about the play, "Rock the Presidents", we went to see at S.K.Y.P.A.C. As we have been doing this piece, we have been really picking apart the writing process so students understand each step of the writing process more specifically.  For this writing piece, students chose a favorite part of the play and gave 3 reasons why it was their favorite part using specific details from the play for each reason.  They also could choose to be the stange manager and re-design the production using specific details and examples.  We have discussed how it is very important to use correct grammar, capital letters when needed, and correct punctuation in our writing.  We have also worked on using better word choice.  Instead of using the word "thing" students have been encouraged to use a more specific word such as, game for example.  While doing this piece we have also learned how to use transistion words in our writing when going from one sentence/paragraph to the next.

These writing pieces will be graded by the inclusion of the entire writing process.  I have been conferencing with each student about their piece and how they can make it better.  They have done a really good job with this task.  As we are approaching the end, hopefully students feel like they are better writers and have more knowledge about the writing process.  This is only the beginning of lots of writing for us this year.

This piece will be due on Wednesday, Novemeber 28th.  This is the Wednesday after our Thanksgiving break.  If students bring this home, please feel free to read their writing and give any feedback you can.  Look for the "grading guide and rubric" to come home with your student's overall grade on it along with their self-assessment score around the first of December.  If you wish to read your child's piece please send me an email or note so I can make a copy of it to send home.  The original copy will stay in their writing binders that travels with them from year to year.       

Pioneer Day 2012

On Monday, November 5th our students had the opportunity to participate in different activities throughout the day to replicate the days of pioneers.  This event called, Pioneer Day, was a great success.  Fourth graders were lucky enough to be able to take a trip to the Cultural Center in downtown Glasgow.  We learned many things about the days of pioneers.  We hope to be able to go back to the Cultural Center again soon when we have more time to spend learning about all the amazing information from the past.   

Drama Test Using Technology

Students took their drama unit pre and post-tests using technology.  We went to the computer lab to take their pre-test and we used our lap-top mobile lab in our classroom for their post-test.  They took the test on StudyIsland.  Overall, the students and I were pleased with their growth data from the pre to post-tests. 

Upcoming Events, Reminders, and Assignments

*Please remember to send your child's grade card envelope back to school Monday. Also, please send the Halloween party form back if you are able to bring anything for the party. You may arrive for the party at 1:15 if you are planning to come.

Monday, October 29th: We will be traveling to SKYPAC in Bowling Green to watch the play, "Rock the Presidents". We will be departing from HES around 8:15 A.M. and return around 1:00 P.M.

Tuesday, October 30th: We will be reviewing what we covered the end of last week.  We took a pre-test on Monday of last week over applying  knowledge of drama vocabulary to answer questions when reading a play.  We read several plays the end of last week and described characters, setting, and events (plot). We also acted a couple of them out in class. We will wrap that up and students will be bringing home the plays and questions that go along with them to study for the post-test which will be Friday, November 2nd. We also began a mini-lesson on pronouns last week.  Students will be bringing their journals home to study for the pronoun quiz on Wednesday, October 31st. Please make sure the journals are sent back to school because we use these in class almost every day. 

Wednesday, October 31st: HaPpY hALLoWeEn!!! *Students may dress up on Wednesday, but please do not allow them to wear masks or face paint.  Pronoun quiz will be at the beginning of class.  We will be doing Halloween grammar activities after the pronoun quiz. 

Thursday, November 1st: Students will be revising a paragraph that was written in their journals about the play we saw this past Monday.  They have a choice of whether to write about what their favorite part of "Rock the Presidents" was and why, or they can write about pretending to be the stage manager with endless money and space and how they would design the production of "Rock the Presidents" differently. Disscussions about and activities with a "super" paragraph will lead students into developing a well revised paragraph about their chosen topic. 

Friday, November 2nd: We will be using the mobile lab to take our post-test over drama.  Students took the pre-test using Study Island last Monday, and they will be taking the post-test on Study Island as well.  Study Island can be accessed from home using your child's login to see his or her score on the pre-test and the post-test.  There is a link to Study Island on the right side of this blog underneath the "about me" section. 

**Please notice there is also a link to Fun English Games and other website links to the right of this blog.  Students can play games to sharpen their skills on this website.  Also, there is a link to Accelerated Reader to the right as well.  Goals for AR and book-it will be sent home the end of this week.

                                       ~*Have a great week!!!*~

Acting

Students have really enjoyed learning about drama by acting out plays and creating a vocabulary flip book to learn the structural elements of drama. We are going to see a play on Monday, October 29th, so I hope my 4th graders will be familiar with the in's and out's of a play.  We have had a lot of fun learning about dramas. 

Officer Burton and Cain's visit for Red Ribbon Week

On Friday, October 26th, Officer Burton and K-9, Cain came to visit Highland Elementary for Red Ribbon Week.  Our students really enjoyed watching the intelligence of this 18 month old police dog. 

Drama and Prose

We wrapped up comparing drama (plays) and prose (stories) last week.  In class, we used a Venn diagram graphic organizer to create a visual when comparing structural elements of drama and prose.  I had the Venn diagram pocket chart hanging up for students to place sentence strips in the correct circle after writing the element on a sentence strip.  We did this as a class; each student had their own copy of a Venn diagram to fill out as the sentence strip was placed correctly. Students really enjoyed doing this activity.  Comparing drama and prose came full circle to them after being able to use a Venn diagram to organize their knowledge. 

October 22, 2012

This week in ELA we are using our knowledge of drama vocabulary to answer questions when reading plays.  We are also comparing the dramatic elements to poetic elements and prose.