Announcements:
We didn't have a ton of time this week to focus on learning, but we did do some! We did some reading and math in between kickball tournaments and field days and other things like that. So instead of going through subjects, I'll go over what we did this week. Monday: We had AM field day, after which we came back and did a little reading work, and then continued our kickball tournament, but our class skipped a round and practiced instead. Tuesday: We started this day with normal reading work, but after lunch we played the final game in our tournament, winning in extra innings against Mrs. Charlebois' class, 19-16. In the afternoon, we finished up field day outside. Wednesday: Field day involved a lot of events, and unfortunately some of the events were skipped entirely. We used this day to make up those events and have a popsicle party afterward that we also did not have time for on Tuesday. Thursday: As you know, this was awards day! I am always glad to see the kids dress up and be recognized for their hard work. Friday: Today our focus was my favorite end of the year game, classroom jeopardy! All year I've been keeping notes on the kids and I use those to make one Jeopardy question about each student and the class plays to see who knows this year the best. Who made the most paper airplanes this year?Who was the quickest to come back when I was teasing them? Who loves bee butts? Ask your students! Thank you for all of your support this year, it was a long and often confusing year for the kids, and your support has been invaluable to the students, my classroom, and to me personally. Richmond parents are always great, but I don't know that I've ever had a group of parents who were so involved and helpful in making a year happen. Whatever else happened along the way this year, this classroom was a safe and predicable place for students to be, and that is due in no small part to your help and support. Thank you. Announcements:
We started a 4th grade recess kickball tournament today, and we'll continue into next week. I am very confident that we're going to win! I was SO IMPRESSED with our class at both Greenfield Village and Beebe Street Park! Everyone had a great time and followed all the expectations we had. Thanks to both you and your students. Field Day is in the morning of Monday AND Tuesday next week. Reading: The kids really got into listening to songs and reading their lyrics the last time we did it, so these last two weeks we've been doing the same thing, but this time looking for what point of view the song is written from, first or third person. Writing: We're continuing on with some of the most important skills for 5th grade writing, which is making compound sentences using conjunction. Math: We've been continuing with Envisions math, working on things like rounding and place value comparions. Social Studies: The kids continued to work on Greenfield Village activities this week, and told me about all the things they saw that they had read about, it was fun! Science: The kids had some great PowerPoint presentations about their landforms... that are now locked up in the library on their computers. You can see them next year, but they were awesome! Announcements:
Forget a newsletter last week? Me? No, couldn't be. I'd remember. We had a great outdoor popsicle/recess party for everyone who completed the MSTEP math packet, great job! Next Tuesday we'll have an indoor board game party. Coming home in the Friday Folder today is a permission slip for the end of year Beebe Street Park day, so keep an eye out for that. We're finally done with MSTEP! Thank goodness, I am so happy to get back on track and get back to our normal routine. Reading: We listened to songs this week in order to practice two essential reading skills: summary and theme. It's harder than it seems, and some of the kids had some great song choices! Writing: For the end of the year, we're going back to basics. How can we write a good, complete sentence, and how can we use those to tell a story? Math: Next year, the entire district will be starting a brand new math series called Envisions. I am using this class as guinea pigs for how it runs, and so far it's going well. We're practicing some place value skills, which are easily the most important for deep understanding of math. Social Studies: We're going to Greenfield Village in just a little bit, so we're going to be taking social studies time to learn all about the different people, time periods, and inventions that the kids might run across during their trip. Science: We're wrapping up the year with a big science project, all about a famous landform. This week the kids chose their landforms and started researching. Announcements:
MSTEP packets are due on Monday! I talked to each student who has not turned theirs in yet, so everyone should be ready. We took NWEA all week this week, it was exhausting! I couldn't be more proud of the kids though, they did their best and showed some excellent growth. Reading: Writing a summary is a big 4th grade skill, and that's what we practiced this week. We read plays as a group and then wrote a summary, and I must say, the accents were on point this week. Writing: Our opinion pieces are done and printed! The kids are reading them this week, and so far I am very impressed! Math: We've been doing math games to practice some basic skills like fractions, graphing, and place value, but we didn't do any big learning this week because of NWEA. Social Studies: No social studies, it's on pause until we start a short unit on Greenfield Village after MSTEP is over. Science: Another casualty of NWEA/MSTEP! Announcements:
This is the LAST WEEK to do the M-STEP review packets! They are due on Monday, May 8th, the day we take our first M-STEP. Speaking of M-STEP, don't forget to send in headphones for the week of May 8th. We do have extras, but only a few! We will be taking NWEA next week, math and reading. The kids are prepared and they're doing to do great. Reading: This week we went back to one of the main components of reading comprehension: finding the main idea of a passage and supporting it with details. The kids did a great job. Writing: The kids have all finished their writing now, and we'll be presenting their opinion papers next week. Look for those to come home soon. Math: Multiplying and dividing are the two hardest skills in 4th grade, but this class showed that they can still do them both, no problem. We spent this week practicing. Social Studies: Resources are the base of our economy, and we spent this week learning about all the different types and how they are all used to run businesses. Science: The design process is a very important part of any engineering job. This week, the kids got to give and receive feedback on their wind turbine designs so that they could redesign their original idea. Announcements:
We have moved MSTEP back a little bit, so the packets will not be due until May 8th. If you did not get a field trip permission slip sent in, haven't sent in money, or can't send in the slip and money yet, please let me know! We did build in a little wiggle room. Reading: We had a great time practicing a new type of reading this week: a play! We read an adaptation of "The Whipping Boy," and I had a great time hearing all the fun accents that the kids came up with. Writing: Proofreading and revising are very important but often skipped steps in the writing process. We made sure that the kids' papers are in tip top shape this week, and we started typing our final draft. Math: This week was all about fraction review, and the kids did a great job. Social Studies: We are into our unit on economy now, and we've started investigating the basics that drive everything, needs and wants, good and services. Science: The kids got to be little engineers this week, taking some basic supplies and being tasked with designing and building a working wind turbine. They had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the design and engineering process! Announcements:
MSTEP packets will be due on May 1st, right before we take the test. In the Friday folder there is a form to fill out to go to Greenfield Village with us, make sure you get it! If it got lost on the way home, please let me know. Reading: We read a lot of novels, stories, and informational text in 4th grade, but there's more to reading than that! We spent this week looking at poems, thinking about how they are written and how they are different from what we're used to. Writing: We finished rough drafts of our opinion papers this week. Next week we'll proofread and revise, and then it will be time to type out the final drafts! Math: This was a great week of reviewing the most important skills for MSTEP. I was really impressed with the kids' ability to remember all that we learned about decimals, which was our focus this week. Social Studies: Michigan is a big and beautiful place, with a lot of very interesting things that drive the economy. We dove in to that this week, and will continue learning about what an economy is and how it works next week. Science: How do we get energy from energy sources, and how can we use it to our benefit? This is the question that drove us this week. Announcements:
Have a happy spring break! We will be going on a field trip to Greenfield Village this year, and the cost will be $22. Transportation is expensive this year! You'll get a note home about in on April 14th. Reading: Stories are made of story elements, specifically plot, characters, and setting. We went through all sorts of books looking for those this week. Writing: The kids put a lot of pencil lead onto paper this week, we are writing rough drafts of our opinion papers. Math: Believe it or not, WE DID IT! We got through all of 4th grade math before spring break, and we'll be ready to start reviewing when we get back. Social Studies: We spent this week focusing on two main things: Geography in the form of games online (the kids showed me that they needed practice with things like states and capitals after the Geography Bee) and the automotive industry and its impact on Michigan in Studies Weekly. We did not have a test this week and we will not have one next Friday either. Science: Mrs. Charlebois did a whole lot of measurement math this week, and the kids did a great job. Announcements:
Congratulations to the overall Geography Bee winner, Mitchell! Way to go! On Wednesday we had an OK2SAY presentation this week where the kids learned about the program, which is an app or phone number that they can use to report anything that seems unsafe. We will not have a social studies quiz next Friday because it's a half day and the day before Spring Break. Reading: Every story has a narrator, and there are different types of narrators. We looked at the difference between first and third person narrators. Writing: We've finished the planning of our five paragraph essay today, and we'll start doing the rough draft next week. Math: We broke out the protractors this week! The kids have done a great job working with angles and we did a little quiz today. Social Studies: The United States is a huge country, and there are many different regions that are all very unique. We spent this week looking at what they are and what they are like. Science: The kids had a great week with Mrs. Charlebois doing "Ketchup Math" (because we have to catch up, dad jokes.) They've been doing area and perimeter this week, and they've been doing well. Announcements:
Little Inventors is over now, so be sure to ask your student what his or her invention was, and cross your fingers that they'll be chosen to win the contest and have their invention come to life! Because of all the missed days this year, we are a little behind in math. In order to catch up, we're pausing science for a few week to make sure we cover all of math. To make this extra math time a little easier to swallow, Mrs. Charlebois and I are switching classes for an hour a day for math time. They'll still have regular math with me, but they'll do the catch-up math with Mrs. Charlebois. We plan everything together and do everything the same way every day, so it won't be too much of a shift. Reading: We continued working on theme this week, but the kids enjoyed it. We use picture books because they often have very clear and defined themes, although even then it can be quite tricky. If have have time this weekend, read a picture book or two with your student and see if he or she can find the theme. Have them look out for the actions, emotions, or lessons that appear again and again in the book. Writing: We're still working on the five paragraph essay, but we're still in the planning stage. It's the most important part, but the most often overlooked. Math: We're measuring angles now! The kids are doing a great job understanding degrees and angles, and next week we break out the protractors. Social Studies: What is culture? It's the things that are normal to a group of people. We learned about all the different parts of culture tonight and the kids got a chance to talk about all the things that are a part of their culture and the culture of Richmond, Michigan, and the United States. Science: Like I said above, science this week was finishing Little Inventors, and then we started switching to do some catch up math. The kids worked on line plots with Ms. Charlebois, which is a way to track information. |
Old Newsletters
June 2023
Non-Discrimination Statement
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education amendments of 1972, Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title II of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, and Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, it is the policy of the Richmond Community School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, military status, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual orientation), disability, age (except as authorized by law), height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or employment. Inquiries related to any nondiscrimination policies should be directed to the Superintendent, 35276 Division Road, Richmond, MI 48062, (586) 727-3565. |