Mystery Machine

Can't believe next week is October already.

Well, thus far today we've had a Spelling test, the kids have shared plenty of their own Two-Minute Mysteries, a fire drill, and a lot of talk and such regarding nouns. The kids have a bit of trouble distinguishing nouns from adjectives, so we will be looking more into that next week.

I am planning on having a Theme Test next Wednesday. Of course, a Spelling Test that Friday, and probably a Math quiz next week sometime. I'll keep you updated.

Self Control for the Speed of Life

Scratch what I said yesterday about the writing assignment tonight. I completely forgot to talk them through it this morning, so I'm going to give this piece of homework next Monday. Sorry about that. I figure I'm not going to have too many people upset, though. The only things they have tonight are in reading (20 minutes worth, plus bookmarks are due tomorrow), there is a Spelling Test tomorrow, and then lastly the kids have a study link regarding the U.S. Census, which we studied today in Math class.

The other thing they have for Math is their Whoops Sheet. If they didn't do perfectly on the quiz (they did better, just not perfectly), then they have Whoops Sheet stapled to their quiz, and this is due tomorrow.

We've had a really great week thus far. Let's just make sure to stick the landing.

And Wash the Rain Away

We had a really good day today. I'm really happy with how well the kids have stepped right into our Daily 5 routine. I've enjoyed the chance to get to meet with the reading groups and the reading conferences in the morning. In Math, we retook the test from last Friday. I'm expecting some better scores this time around--I saw many students wisely taking their time and checking their work for the little mistakes that can throw the whole problem off the rails.

Tomorrow night the kids will have a writing assignment based on a response to the reading book. They should have both home with them that night. Miss Lauren will be coming in tomorrow and I'm going to have her read the story with the kids and then they will complete the assignment at home.

Hope everyone stayed dry today--dry and awake. There is something tiring about days like this.

Uncertain Process

The make-up Math test is tomorrow. I think I've talked the kids into taking their time and doing this one up right. We did some review today and the kids seem primed and ready to go.

Today in reading we talked about the different kinds of ovens. Yes, I'm being serious, but it's also not quite as boring as it might sound. I've heard about some culinary experimentation in your own homes. Tomorrow we will be discussing photo essays.

We also listed many "abstract nouns" on the board, which weren't quite as hard as they thought at first. Instead of happy, which is an adjective, we came up with happiness for the noun form.

In class, we've been working on taking notes in Social Studies. This is an idea that I'm trying to weave into the kids' consciousness. It won't be perfect by the end of the school year, but it will happen, and I want to get the groundwork laid down while they're in fifth grade.

Have a great Tuesday evening, and I'll see the kids bright and early in the morning.

The Path of Most Resistance

It's going to be a busy week around here.

That having been said, we will not be having Theme 3 test on Friday--right now I have that scheduled for next Tuesday. The only test I have planned for Friday is in Spelling. Here is the list:

envelope
insect
kitchen
laundry
novel
orchard
pollution
raccoon
village
voyage
plateau
rhythm

My Math class will be having a re-test on Wednesday. The scores came back not so good on this last one. With only a few exceptions, everyone will have to retake it. The good news is that everyone, for the most part, didn't do well on only one section. The bad news is that everyone seemed to choose a different section not to do well on. I will break the class into focus groups today as we try to nail down what went wrong.

One more thing: I forgot to give the kids their bookmarks on Friday before they left. I am giving those to the kids today, so of course it is okay to sign those retroactively if they read over the weekend. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Don't You Know That You Are a Shooting Star?

Letters for the musical went home to some very antsy students at the end of the day today. Everyone was very nervous about this process, but it's all good. I talked them down and said that even if they don't get the part of their dreams, they will still be afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Veterans' Day Program on November 11 (a mere three days before the musical on November 14). My class is always in charge of that program, and I will need some big helpers for that one.

More information to come later in the weekend, but next week should be next to normal, so let's all rejoice on that one!

Hope everyone has an awesome Homecoming weekend.

A Well-Oiled Machine

A huge thanks goes out to Mrs. Masuoka, Mrs. Berman, and Mrs. Belcher for going with us today to the SPICE Challenge Course. What a great day it was. Beautiful weather helped everyone have a really positive outlook on the day, and I was so incredibly happy to watch my class work as a team with other students to be successful at everything they tried.

I was so proud!