Weekly Update 12/12/16

Reminders/Updates:

• This Friday, December 16th is our field trip to the Meymandi Orchestra Hall to watch the North Carolina Symphony perform.  We will be leaving Morrisville at 9:30 sharp, so please be sure to have your child at school on time.  It is recommended that your child dress in nice clothes for this event.  Your child can bring clothes to change back into when we return, if they wish.  
• Mid Year Benchmark Reading and Math testing will be on Monday, December 19th (Reading) and Tuesday, December 20th (Math).  Please let me know if your child will be absent either one of these days, as they will have to make it up this week.  
• Track Out Day is Wednesday, December 21st.  Report cards will be going home that day.  
• We will be staying in the trailer third quarter, therefore the students will be able to keep their school supplies at school over break.  
• Track in day for quarter three is Monday, January 23rd. 

What We Are Learning This Week:
Reading: 
This week in reading the students will finish our study on analyzing nonfiction text to determine and describe whether it is a firsthand or secondhand account of a topic, comparing the similarities and differences between the two accounts and integrating information between the two to respond to a question.  The students will take their final reading assessment on Wednesday and it will cover these topics.  The rest of the week, the students will work on strengthen their reading comprehension through reading both fiction and nonfiction texts. 
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home:
*Is this a firsthand or secondhand account of the topic?  Explain how you know.
*How are these articles similar?  How are they different? 
*Which account is more trustworthy? 

Writing: 
This week in writing, the students will work on writing an introduction and conclusion on their energy research reports.  They will also, work on editing/revising their work in writing conferences with the teacher and peer conferencing.  Finally, the students will work on publishing their report in Microsoft Word.  
Fab 5:
1. Clear topic sentence
2. 3-5 elaborated supporting details
3. Variety of transition words (try to use at least 3!)
4. Strong vocabulary
5. Clear concluding statement (that is different from your topic sentence)
Questions You Can Ask You Child At Home:
*How are you coming with your research? 
*Tell me about the Fab 5?
*Where are you in the writing process? 
*What are your strengths as a writer?  
*What do you need to work on? 

Math: 
This week in math the students will work on recognizing lines of symmetry in both regular and irregular shapes.  They will learn how shapes have vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines of symmetry and how some figures can have no lines of symmetry (asymmetrical), while other can have many lines of symmetry.  The students will also investigate 2-dimensional figures and categorize them based on their attributes.  There will be a strong focus on the classifying them based on their lines, sides, and angles.  The students will also learn about the two different ways that we can classify triangles.  The first way is by their sides: equilateral triangles (equal sides), isosceles triangles (2 equal sides), and scalene triangles (no equal sides) and angles: acute triangles (all angles are less than 90 degrees) right (one angle is 90 degrees) or obtuse (one angle is greater than 90 degrees).  The students will take their final math assessment on Friday.  
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 
*Show me how many lines of symmetry are in a square?  Rectangle?  Trapezoid? 
*What are some ways that we can classify shapes? 
*Show me an example of an obtuse scalene triangle?  Or an acute isosceles triangle. 

Science: 
The students will review magnetism and electricity on Monday and Tuesday.  Students should study their notes to prepare for the Magnetism and Electricity test.  Guiding study questions have been listed in the Science Notebook.  The test will be given on Wednesday, 12/14.  It is NOT an open note test.  
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 
*Show me your science notebook.
*Are there any areas that you need help understanding? 

Weekly Update 12/5/16

Reminders/Updates:

• If you have not yet had a chance to meet with me for your child's fall conference, please contact me via email and I would be happy to schedule one with you.  
• Tuesday, December 6th from 6:30-8:00 is Literacy Night!  There will be lots of fun literacy activities going on, along with the Book Fair.  It is sure to be a fun event!
• Dining for Dollars at Freddy's on Friday, December 9th from 5-8PM.
• Track Out Day is Wednesday, December 21st.  Report cards will be going home that day.  

What We Are Learning This Week:
Reading: 
This week in reading the students will continue to work on analyzing nonfiction text to determine and describe whether it is a firsthand or secondhand account of the topic.  The students will also work on comparing the similarities and differences between the two and determining which account was more trustworthy or reliable.  The students will also work on integrating information between two different texts to answer one question in a clear and cohesive manner.  This forms a strong connection to what the students are doing in writing this quarter with research.
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home:
*Is this a firsthand or secondhand account of the topic?  Explain how you know.
*How are these articles similar?  How are they different? 
*Which account is more trustworthy? 

Writing: 
This week in writing, the students will finish up conducting research on their energy source.  Then on Tuesday, they will start to compose their body paragraphs, ending the week with coming up with a clear introduction.  In class, we have been discussing how each body paragraph needs to include the Fab 5.  
Fab 5:
1. Clear topic sentence
2. 3-5 elaborated supporting details
3. Variety of transition words (try to use at least 3!)
4. Strong vocabulary
5. Clear concluding statement (that is different from your topic sentence)
Questions You Can Ask You Child At Home:
*How are you coming with your research? 
*Tell me about the Fab 5?
*Where are you in the writing process? 
*What are your strengths as a writer?  
*What do you need to work on? 

Math: 
This week in math the students will continue to work on measuring and drawing angles using a protractor.  In addition, they will learn how to solve for missing angles using their knowledge of complementary and supplementary angles.  They will also work on solving word problems that will use their knowledge of angles in the real world.  They will take an assessment on these skills on Thursday.  On Friday, the students will start their last geometry unit.  This unit will focus on the describing the attributes of different shapes and lines of symmetry. 
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 
*Show me how to draw a 85 degree angle using your protractor. 
*What are complementary angles?  How can you solve them? 
*What are supplementary angles? How can you solve them? 

Science: 
The students will continue to investigate electricity this week.  They will be developing their understanding of and vocabulary for electricity.  Students will learn about parallel vs. series circuits, and they will create these.  They, also, will learn about electromagnets, and they will create an electromagnet using wires, a steel rod, and a battery.  Students should start reviewing their notes to prepare for the Magnetism and Electricity test.  The test will be given on Wednesday, 12/14.
Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 
*What are parallel circuits? 
*How are parallel circuits different from series circuits? 
*What are electromagnets?
*Tell me about how you created these in class this week.

Weekly Update 11/28/16

Reminders/Updates:

• It has been great using our new Bloomz app to monitor classroom behavior.  The class has found it very motivating!  Please let me know if you are not able to access their behavior points and I will do my best to help.  
• Fall Conferences have begun!  If you haven't already, please sign up for a time that works for your schedule. Please visit this link to sign up. If you are not interested in one at this time, or unable to find a time that works with your schedule, please send me an email.
• Friday, December 2nd is an early release day.  School will be dismissed at 1:15PM.  A Google form will be sent out soon, so you can let me know how your child will be going home.
• Tuesday, December 6th from 6:30-8:00 is Literacy Night!  Mark your calendars!
• Dining for Dollars at Freddy's on Friday, December 9th from 5-8PM
• Track Out Day is Wednesday, December 21st.  Report cards will be going home that day.  

What We Are Learning This Week: 

Reading: 

This week in reading the students will continue to learn about firsthand and secondhand accounts in nonfiction texts. They will also learn how firsthand accounts can sometimes have bias, as well as discuss which account is more reliable or trustworthy.  Throughout this unit the students will work on strengthening their written responses through "Push Your Thinking".

Differences Between Firsthand & Secondhand Accounts:

*A Firsthand Account of an event or topic is based on an author’s personal experience.  The author uses pronouns such as I, me, and we to describe the event or topic.  Diaries, autobiographies, and letters are considered to be firsthand accounts.

        *A Secondhand account of an event or topic is based on an author’s research, rather than personal experience.  The author uses pronouns such as he, she, and they to describe the event or topic.  Encyclopedia entries, biographies, and textbooks are considered to be secondhand accounts. 

W     Questions You Can Ask Your Child at Home:

         *Is this a firsthand or secondhand account of _____________?

         *What details from the text support your answer?

         *How do you think the reader might benefit from reading both accounts?

         *Which type of text (firsthand or secondhand) is more reliable?

         *How does the author know these details?  Was he or she present at the event?

        Writing:

        This week the students will start their next research/informational writing project.  This project will focus on different types of energy.  This week, the students will choose their topic, as well as focus on the questions that will guide their research.  Then, they will start finding facts from a variety of different sources to answer their research questions.  The students will focus on taking strong notes in their own words, citing their sources, and making sure to include the Fab 5 in their planning.    
        Questions You Can Ask Your Child at Home:
        *Which type of energy did you choose to research and why?
        *What are your research questions? 
        *How are you coming with your research?  Can you explain to me how your type of energy works? 
        *Tell me more about the Fab 5 that you should include in your writing. 

Math: 
        This week in math the students will be finishing up their first geometry unit in preparation for their assessment on Wednesday.  The students will be expected to describe shapes based on their angles and whether they have parallel and perpendicular lines.  They will also need to know that a circle has 360 degrees and the size of a circle does not affect the number of degrees that it has.  On Thursday, the students will start to measure angles using a protractor. 
       Questions You Can Ask Your Child at Home:
       *What type of angles are a square? Trapezoid? Hexagon?
       *What type of lines (parallel or perpendicular or both) are in a square? Trapezoid? Hexagon?
       *How many one degree turns are in a 60 degree angle?  
       *How many degrees are in a circle? 
       *How many degrees are in a straight angle? 
       *How many degrees are in a right angle? 

Science:
       Last week the students started their science unit with Mrs. Wade.  The students will be investigating electricity this week.  The students will learn which components are needed to build a circuit.  Then, they will learn the difference between conductors and insulators.  The use of a switch will also be explored, and the students will learn the difference between open and closed circuits.
       Questions You Can Ask Your Child at Home:
       *What components are needed to build a circuit? 
       *What is the difference between conductors and insulators? 
       *What is the difference between open and closed circuits?


       
     

W

Weekly Update 11/14/16

I'm looking forward to another great week of school!  It has been great getting to know your child a little better with each day and I look forward to a great year!

Updates/Reminders:

• Congratulations to Kelly and Hrisha for winning our classroom spelling bee!  They will move on to the school-wide spelling bee on December 6th. 
• Hooray for Brody and Abigail M. for being voted as two students in our class who demonstrate courage in our classroom!  They will be recognized by our school counselor, Mrs. Bowman, later this week. 
• Tomorrow, November 15th is Dining for Dollars at Mellow Mushroom.  A portion of all sales (when you mention Morrisville Elementary) will go towards our fabulous PTA.
• Next week the student team leaders will be holding a shoe drive for the World Wear Project. (http://worldwearproject.com/) The shoes get donated to needy families throughout the world and our school gets some extra money for each pound of shoes donated.  If your child donates a pair of wearable shoes, they will get a pass to go ice skating.  You must bring in the shoes next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday (21st-23rd) to get the ice skating pass. If you turn in shoes after next Wednesday (boxes are in the lobby) you will need to email Alison Bowman at abowman@wcpss.net to get the ice skating pass. At Morrisville we have a lot to be thankful for so let’s help those that don’t have as much! Thanks!  
• Fall Conferences will start next week.  They will be scheduled through sign-up genius soon.  Please sign up for a time that works for your schedule.  If you are not interested in one at this time, or unable to find a time that works with your schedule, please send me an email.
• Thanksgiving Break will be Thursday, November 24th through Friday, November 25th.  If you child will be out any other day that week, please let me know, so your child can get the work they will miss. 
• Interims will go home on Wednesday, November 23rd.  
• Friday, December 2nd is an early release day.  School will be dismissed at 1:15PM.

Changes: 

Starting today, I have made some changes to our behavior management plan, that I hope your child has shared with you.  We will be using Bloomz for the rest of the year to manage students' behavior in our classroom. Bloomz will allow me to send quick updates from the classroom in real time, help motivate them to always show their best behavior in class and even work together towards class goals. 

Using Bloomz is really easy...after you have created your account (please follow the instructions provided), you'll be added to our class. You will be able to find your kids' behavior history by going to your left navigation in the app, under "Timelines".  Click on your child's name and you'll be in!

How it works:

I will provide feedback choosing between the "Good Job" or "Needs Work" category, and then choosing from among different awards available.  For every "Good Job" award, the student gets points; "Needs Work" awards will take points from the students.  While assigning an award, I may add comments or notes about the reasons behind this feedback.  These notes will be sent to you as a part of a report or real-time message to you. 

As students collect points, Bloomz shows a pot with a blooming flower that grows along with the students' positive behavior.  The flower will grow depending on the amount of points they get up to a certain point when a random type of flower will appear, adding to the student's expectation to learn what their new achievement looks like!  After a full bloom, the next time the student earns an award/point, their pot will reset to a new plant. 

When the students pot fully blooms (at 25 points) they will get to choose a motivator that they may use in the classroom.  Some examples of motivators that they will have the opportunity to choose from are: Switch Seats for a Day, No Math Homework for One Night, Write with a Pen for a Day, Bring a Stuffed Animal to School, etc. 

Please know that, Student Behavior Management from Bloomz avoids public visibility, securely keeping behavior feedback information between parents and teachers.

What We Are Learning This Week:

Reading: 

This week, the students will be ending their Unit 3 reading unit on Wednesday, by taking an assessment on analyzing text features and text structure in nonfiction text.  Starting on Thursday the students will continue reading nonfiction texts, but will focus on reading firsthand and secondhand accounts (primary and secondary resources) of an event or topic and recognizing the differences between the two. 

Differences Between Firsthand & Secondhand Accounts:

•A    Firsthand accounts of an event or topic is based on an author’s personal experience.  The author uses pronouns such as I, me, and we to describe the event or topic.  Diaries, autobiographies, and letters are considered to be firsthand accounts.

•A    Secondhand account of an event or topic is based on an author’s research, rather than personal experience.  The author uses pronouns such as he, she, and they to describe the event or topic.  Encyclopedia entries, biographies, and textbooks are considered to be secondhand accounts. 

Questions You Can Ask You Child at Home: 

-Is this article a firsthand or secondhand account of _______________?  

-What details from the text support your answer?

-How do you think the reader might benefit from reading this account? 

-How might a reader benefit from reading both accounts (firsthand & secondhand)?

-Which type of text (firsthand or secondhand) is more reliable?

-How does the author know these details?  Was he or she present at the event?  

Writing:

This week in writing, the students will finish their research on their North Carolina topic for the class alphabet book. The students will work on their paragraph(s), making sure to include the following:

•A topic sentence that states the main idea

•At least 3-4 supporting detail sentences

•Transitional words/phases

•Content specific vocabulary

•A concluding statement that restates the main idea in a new way

This will be published using Word, where the students will work on adding photographs, captions and other text features.

Questions You Can Ask You Child at Home: 

-How are you coming along in your writing process?

-What text features do you plan on adding to your writing to make it stronger? 

Math: 

This week in math, the students will be working on solving a variety of multi-step word problems.  They will review estimating strategies, write variables, and interpret remainders.  The students will use math talk engage in strong discourse as they work through the steps below:

Steps to Problems Solving:

1.Understand: Understand the question and locate important information.

2.Think & Plan: Choose your strategy and make your plan.

3.Solve: Use your strategy and check your plan

4.Communicate: Label and review your solution. 

The students will take their problem solving assessment on Thursday.  If I find that more time is needed, then it may get pushed back to Friday.  Our final units in math will focus on geometry concepts.  

Questions You Can Ask You Child at Home: 

-Can you take me through the problem solving process? 

-Is there another way that you could solve this problem?

Social Studies: 

This week in Social Studies the students will learn about the steps that a bill must go through in order to become a law.  They will also compare and contrast the similarities and differences between state and local government.  Finally, they will end the unit by learning about the rights and responsibilities of good citizens.  On Friday, the students will take their government social studies assessment.  They will be allowed to use their notes on this assessment. 

Questions You Can Ask You Child at Home: 

-How does a bill become a law?

-What are some ways that state and local government are similar?  Different? 

-What rights and responsibilities do you have as a citizen? 

That's all for this week!  Take care!

Weekly Update 11/7/2016

It's hard to believe that my maternity leave is now over and I will be rejoining my fourth grade classroom this morning.  While I will miss my little one, I know that she is receiving great care and I look forward to finishing the school year with your child.

Changes:

Classroom Website: 

There will be a few changes that I will be making for the remainder of this school year and one of them will be my website.  Starting this week (I am still currently working out some kinks and hope to have it up by tomorrow), I will be switching to a Blogger site and there you will find our Weekly Updates (formerly the Bracke Bugle), which will be posted by Monday each week.  You will continue to use this to read about what the students will be learning about, good questions that you can ask your child at home, as well as any important updates, so please check back weekly.  I am hoping that you will enjoy this format more and find it easier to access on all devices. 

Bloomz:

On Monday, a form will go home in your child's binder regarding a new classroom app that we will be using to keep you informed and updated on classroom happenings, calendar events, sign-ups, and etc.  This will work both on computers and smart phones/devices and it will be a great tool to keep you engaged in our classroom, as well as recieve quick updates and photos all in a private and secure environment.  While I will still send emails, Bloomz will be an important tool that I will use to send quick messages, so  I encourage all of you to sign up as soon as possible, that way you won't miss out on updates and reminders!  

Upcoming Events/Remiders:

Election Day: 

As a reminder this Tuesday is Election Day and our school is a polling site. Administration has asked that all students wear their yellow donated Morrisville T-shirt so that all students and staff be easily identified. Please have your child wear their yellow shirt (not just a Morrisville T-shirt).  On this day we will be eating lunch in the classroom. All students who wish to purchase lunch may still do so. Remember there will be a 2 hour delay which means students are tardy if they show up after 11:15. 

Spelling Bee:

We will have our classroom spelling bee on Thursday, November 10th.  We will start the spelling bee first thing in the morning, so please make sure that your child is at school and on time that morning.  Spelling lists were sent home about a week ago.  The top two spellers will go on to our school-wide spelling bee on Tuesday, December 6th.  

Veteran's Day:

This Friday is Veteran's Day and there will be no school.  Enjoy the long weekend!

Book Fair: 

The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to Morrisville on Monday, Novmeber 28th.  Students will have a chance to preview the books at some point during the school day to create their wish lists.  They may bring in money to purchase books after this point during the morning or with a parent after school.  You will also be able to purchase books at Literacy Night on Tuesday, December 6th.  

Symphony Field Trip:

Our class will be attending a field trip to the Meymandi Orchestra Hall in downtown Raleigh on Friday, December 16th.  We will be leaving school at 9:30 sharp, so please make sure that your child is at school and on time that morning.  Mr. Sharpe also requests that students dress nicely for this event.  If your child wants to bring a change of clothes for when we return, that is fine. 

What We Are Learning This Week: 

Reading:

This week in reading the students will continue to analyze the text structure of nonfiction texts.  The text structure refers to how the text is organized or the manner in which the author is presenting the information.  The students will also learn how each text structure has a thinking map that is paired with it to better help them understand the text and more concretely visualize how the text is organized, as well as help them with identifying the main idea.  The students will work on analyzing the following two questions using Push Your Thinking:

-What is the text structure and how do you know?

-Why do you think the author chose to organize the text that way?

The Text Structures We Will Focus on This Week:

-Description (bubble map)                              

-Sequential (flow map)

-Cause & Effect (multi-flow map)                   

-Problem & Solution (flow map)

-Compare & Contrast (double bubble map)

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 
-What are the five main text structures that we studied this week?

-What Thinking Map matches each text structure?

-What are some qualities that the description or sequence text structure has?

-What vocabulary is essential to know to deepen your understanding of the text?

Writing: 

This week in writing, the students will continue their research of their North Carolina topic for the class alphabet book. They will be using laptops, iPads, and the Media Center to search for resources that answer their research question(s).  The students will then start to write a rough draft paragraph, making sure to include the following:

Every Paragraph Should Have the FAB FIVE:

1. A topic sentence that states the main idea

2. At least 3-5 supporting detail sentences

3. Transitional words/phases

4. Content specific vocabulary

5. A concluding statement that restates the main idea in a new way

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 

-What question are you choosing to focus your research on your topic?

-What interesting facts are you learning about your topic?

-What are some possible text features that you could use in your articles?

Math: 

This week in math, the students will be working on writing multiplication and division comparison equations.  For example, they might complete a problem using these comparison statements:

Rashme picked 15 apples, while her little brother Eli picked 3 apples.  We can compare by saying Rashme picked 5 times as many apples as Eli picked because 15 is 5 times as many as 3.  A second way we can compare two quantities is to describe the smaller amount in terms of the larger amount.  This requires a unit fraction.  If we divided Rashme’s apples equally into groups of 3, we would get 5 equal parts.  Each of these equal parts is called 1/5 (one of the 5 equal parts).  We can compare by saying Eli picked 1/5 times as many apples as Rashme picked.  3 is 1/5 as many as 15.  

The students will then finish the week by taking an assessment on this skill Wednesday.  Starting on Thursday, the students will be working on problem solving. 

LearnZillion offers some helpful videos on Multiplicative Comparisons that you may visit for further practice with this standard.:

-https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/7986-see-multiplication-as-a-comparison-using-number-sentences

-https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/6944-solve-multiplicative-comparison-word-problems-using-multiplication-or-division

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 

-Can you share with me an example of a multiplicative comparison statement?

-What are the two ways we can use multiplication and division to compare the two quantities?

-What are some strong problem solving techniques that you have learned this week? 

Social Studies:

This week, the students will continue to learn about the three different branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial branches.  They will also be investigating how a bill becomes a law and how all three branches have to work together to make this happen.  They will end the week, by comparing the similarities and differences between state and local governments.  

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 

-What are the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government?

-Can you explain how a bill becomes a law?

-How are local and state governments similar?  Different?