Nearing the End

I can't believe this school year is almost over! It's gone by SO quickly!

We are still working in our leveled math groups. Some groups are still finishing up adding and subtracting with decimals while others have moved on to learn about angles. Students have also received their state assessment scores verbally from me, so they know how they did compared to third grade. It was very exciting to see the improvement these kids have made this year.

In reading, we began a novel study on the book "How to Steal a Dog". We've just read the first few chapters, so next week we will hopefully get through the book and have some good discussions about character traits and maybe even get a chance to e-mail the author!

In Social Studies, we are conducting research in groups on the Mid West states. Each group is becoming experts on 2-3 states and then we will teach our classmates about those states. This will ensure that everyone will learn information about each of the Mid West states. This is our last region in Social Studies, so full USA maps will start coming home for your child to label. They should know where each state in the USA is located by this time, so hopefully, it won't take them long to label it.

Miss Burns's last day with us is today and we will greatly miss her. She's done an amazing job with the kids and they have really enjoyed her teaching. We had a small celebration for her today and all the students got a chance to say "good-bye".

Miss Burns will return next Friday when we will be taking a walk to Cico Park to play our annual fourth grade kickball game with our stop at Dara's for a drink. Next Friday, May 17, fourth graders will be walking to Cico Park baseball fields. We will be leaving around 9:30am and will return by noon. On our way back from Cico, we will be stopping at Dara's Fastlane for a drink ONLY. Students may bring no more than $2.00 for their refreshment. We will then walk back to school in time for lunch.
There is information coming home about this today in students' backpacks.

Field Day will be the last week of school on Tuesday, May 21st from 9:00-11:00am. Feel free to come spend the morning with your child on this day. If it rains on Tuesday, field day will be rescheduled for Wednesday, May 22.

Our last day of school is on Thursday, May 23rd. Dismissal will be at 11:55am.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know. Have a wonderful weekend!

State Assessments are Done!!!

Students did a great job finishing up state assessments this week and we are happy to be done!

We finished up with our Kansas Science Assessment this week, which we took on Tuesday and Thursday. The students worked hard on this assessment and feel good about their success.

Miss Burns has been teaching full time the past few weeks, and I'm happy to say that she's been doing a great job. The students have responded well to her and her lessons are highly engaging and motivating.

In MATH, we have started our chapter on decimals. All three groups are working with decimals in some capacity, including writing decimals correctly, reading decimals correctly, comparing, adding, and subtracting decimals. This is a short chapter, so we will continue with decimals next week, and some groups may even finish the chapter next week. A great way to practice decimals is with money. Keep the newspaper ads or go on-line and find the price of different things and have students add up how much it would cost for them to purchase everything they want.

In READING, we finished our novel study on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. The students took their test on Wednesday, and these should have come home yesterday. Next week, we will learn about Fables and complete a poetry activity. We will begin a new novel study the following week.

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we started learning about the Northeast region of the United States. The students have gotten information on Maine and New York so far. We will continue this unit next week, learning about each of the 11 states in this region. There will not be a research project for this region.
We also took a field trip to the Isaac Goodnow House on Claflin Street. The students got to tour the house as well as the Hartford House that came over on the Hartford Steamboat back in the 1800's.

As one assessment closes, another one opens. Students will be taking their end of the year MAP tests for reading and math beginning next week. We will take our reading MAP test next Tuesday, April 30, and our math MAP test on Friday, May 3. We will also take our end of the year SRI (lexile level) the week of May 13 so all students will have their end of the year lexile level for their summer reading.

I hope all of you received the information about the field trip we will be taking on Tuesday, May 7 to Topeka. We will be visiting the state capital building as well as the Kansas History Museum. These are both very exciting places to visit in Topeka and students will learn a lot about Kansas history.

Don't forget that we will have Early Dismissal on Friday, May 17 and Field Day on Tuesday, May 21st from 9-11am. Feel free to come join us for field day! Our last day of school will be on Thursday, May 23 with a half day of classes. No lunch will be served on the last day of school.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please let me know! I can't believe we are closing in on our last few weeks together. This year has gone by so quickly! Have a wonderful weekend!


PICTURES OF OUR FIELD TRIP TO THE ISAAC GOODNOW HOUSE

State Assessment Week

Students have been working hard the past few weeks in preparation for the math state assessment. We will be taking this test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week from 9-10 am. This means that students need to make sure they are getting a good night's rest, breakfast in the morning, and getting to school on time in order to get their full hour to work on the test. Students will be taking these in their leveled math groups each morning.

In MATH, we have been reviewing skills needed for the state assessment. Students have been reviewing geometry/shapes, input/output boxes, mean/median/mode/range, and other problem solving skills. It seems that most students are feeling good about being ready for the test. Please give your child a word of encouragement as they leave the house the next three days to make sure they feel good about themselves taking this test and doing their best. It would also be beneficial if you talk to them about how important it is for them to take their time on each problem. We have found that many of them would rather guess the answer than take the time to solve the hard problems.

In READING, Miss Burns has started a novel study with the class. They are currently reading SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES. This is a very interesting book about a little girl who gets leukemia as the result of the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan. It ties in well with World War 2 history, while at the same time, addressing the reading skills. Ask your child about it when they get home each night to see what they have read about each day. This book has some wonderful life lessons in it!

In SOCIAL STUDIES, students just finished up their West research projects. Each student researched a state in the west region and completed a project of their choice on their state. You should have seen these project grades come home last week. This was a big part of their social studies grade, so be sure to ask your child how they did on their project.
We are now moving on to SCIENCE to review for the state science assessment we will be taking next Tuesday and Thursday, April 23rd and 25th. We will be reviewing electricity/magnetism, water cycle, nutrition, and solids/liquids/gasses. The science state assessment is given in fourth grade at the elementary level, so it's your child's lucky year!

The students and I are all looking forward to assessments being over at the end of next week. This is a high stress time for your child, so make sure they are getting the sleep they need each night in order to be prepared for the thinking they will be doing the next day. Their scores will reflect their effort, and we want nothing but their best effort on these tests. Thank you for your help at home to make your child feel comfortable about these tests at school.

Let's continue to cross our fingers that spring weather will continue so we can have outdoor time at recess! Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about what's happening in our classroom.

Busy At Work

We have been very busy here in the classroom lately. The students transitioned well back into school after Spring Break. The first of the week was a bit rough on all of us, but we're back into the routine again.

In MATH, we have continued to work on specific skills in preparation for the state assessments coming up in a few weeks. The students have been working on input/outbox boxes, also known as function boxes. This is very basic algebraic thinking for fourth grade. This is a difficult concept for several of the kids to do, so please check their papers and see what you can help them with at home. Next week, we will begin measurement skills as well as geometry. We only have two more weeks to prepare for the big test, so if there is anything your child is struggling with, please let me know so I can help them to better understand the concept.

In READING and LANGUAGE ARTS, we have taken a break from the textbook and are doing an exciting descriptive writing activity. Early in the week we talked about vivid verbs and adjectives and did several activities looking at author's writing. We read different parts of books and tried to create a movie in our head of what we were reading. I then asked them what author's do in order to make their reading fun and exciting for us to read. We underlined the adjectives and verbs the author's used and talked about how different the book would be without these words. Then, I introduced their assignment...to pretend they were an astronaut on a solo mission and have landed on an undiscovered planet. Their job is to describe this planet to me using words that would help me picture this planet in my mind. We are on step two of the writing process which is their rough draft. Tomorrow we will begin revising and peer editing. We will finish these up next week and illustrate our stories before sharing them with the class.

In SCIENCE, Miss Burns has finished up her unit on the Human Body. Students will be tested tomorrow, so they all have their study guides with them tonight. After finishing up the Human Body, Miss Burns will begin teaching social studies. The students will be learning about the states in the Western part of the United States.
Please make sure they continue to work on the names of all the states as we will be testing these as well.

I hope all of you had a wonderful spring break with your children. I can't believe we only have seven weeks of school left! Time flies when you're having fun!

Spring is (Almost) Here!

As I write this post, it's sunny and beautiful outside. If only this weather could continue through next week so the kids could enjoy a lot of outside time over Spring Break.

We have been working extremely hard in the classroom since the last post. We have completed the Kansas Reading State Assessment and the students did a wonderful job of taking the test. Hopefully, soon after we return from Spring Break, we can get some preliminary results and give the kids a better idea of how they did as a grade level. We cannot give out individual scores at that time, but I can let them know if they did well. I cannot tell you all how much they enjoyed the letters from you as parents. Many of them held on to that letter all three days of the test and pulled it out before each test and had it sitting on their desk while they took the assessment. It meant so much to them to have those letters from their parents and family members. Thank you for taking your time to do that for them.

In MATH, we have taken a break from the book this week to work on skills for the Math State Assessment. All three groups are working on skills such as coordinate graphing, variables, Function Boxes, Measurement, and Geometry. These are all tested skills that are not covered well in our textbook, so we have come up with some fun activities to get the kids excited for these skills. We've had a lot of fun this week creating pictures using coordinates to practice that skill. We will continue these skills until the state assessments on April 16, 17, and 18.

In READING, we read a story this week about Inventors. The students enjoyed the story and found out a lot about how much these inventors failed before they became successful. We discussed how it's ok to make mistakes and learn from them and how this makes us become more successful over time.
Next week, we will take a break from the textbook to do a fun descriptive writing activity. The students will have fun using their imagination to write a fun story.

In LANGUAGE ARTS, we reviewed synonyms and antonyms. The students did a great job distinguishing between the two and completing an activity to go along with that. Next week, we will discuss adjectives and verbs in order to help us make our writing activity more exciting to readers.

In SCIENCE, Miss Burns has done an excellent job on her unit of the Human Body. The students have learned the names of many different bones and joints. She will continue her unit after Spring Break when students will learn more about joints and muscles. They will have a test shortly after Spring Break, so be looking for a review sheet to come home the Monday or Tuesday we get back.

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday, March 15 is Early Dismissal. Students will be dismissed at 1:20pm, so please make arrangements for them after school and be sure they know what to do.

Have a great week next week and be sure to spend time reading with your child! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

March is Here!

This weeks blog posts were written by students in our classroom:

In MATH, we are doing fractions. In Mrs. Pfannenstiel's group, we are doing mixed numbers with fractions. In Mr. Spreer's math group, we are doing adding, subtracting, and simplifying fractions. In Mrs. Bowman's math group, we are doing a domino game with adding, subtracting, and simplifying fractions.

In READING, last week we were reading the story Adventurers. We did skits. This week we are doing State Assessments. Good Luck!

In SCIENCE, we finished learning about Sound. The last experiment was with a tuning fork and a stethoscope. We put the stethoscope in some water and snapped our fingers and it made sound waves through the water. The sound waves were louder in the water than in the air.
Later this week, Miss Burns will begin her unit on the Human Body. There is a note coming home today (Monday) telling you more about what we will be learning.

Please remember that Spring Break is coming up. Students will still be expected to complete their reading and multiplication calendars this week.

Have a great week! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Pfannenstiel.

Thanks to You All

I want to thank each and every one of you for attending your child's parent/teacher conference. Every single one of you came and learned about your child's progress in fourth grade. It means a lot to me that you took the time to come to their conference and learn about what they have been doing in class.

In MATH, we are working on fractions! The students are having a great time with this and seem to be enjoying it. We will continue with this chapter, while at the same time, begin using the formative tests to prepare for state assessments. These tests are just like the actual state test, but they are shorter and focus on one skill at a time. It helps us to know what skills we need to focus more on in order to better prepare them for the state test. We do several of these together as well as independently, so the students can get a feel for what the questions will be like on the test. I encourage them to ask all the questions they want to on these formative tests, because when they are taking the state assessment, we can't answer all of their questions, depending upon the question.

In READING, Miss Burns has been doing an excellent job of teaching the students about drawing conclusions as well as predicting outcomes in a story. The students have been meeting in leveled reading groups this week working on these skills as well. They will have their vocabulary test this Friday, February 22, so be sure to work on these words at home. They will also be tested on the skills mentioned above.
We have also been working on formative tests in reading. Our reading assessment will begin in 8 short school days, so we really need to brush up on our skills!

We have not had a lot of time for language arts or science the past week, but we will pick back up with our last investigation on sound next week. Students will learn how sound travels through solids and through air during this investigation. We have been using a lot of our afternoon science/language arts time to take our formative tests for reading and math and becoming more familiar with these skills.

Thanks again for attending conferences last week. I really enjoyed getting to share your child's progress with you.

It's That Time Again!

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up soon! I look forward to meeting with all of you next week to discuss your child's progress in fourth grade thus far. The students have all done a great job in their second term of fourth grade and I can't wait to show you their progress.

In MATH, we are finishing up chapter 5 on data and probability. We will begin chapter 6 after conferences. This chapter covers fractions and mixed numbers. Students will learn to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers as well as learn to work with improper fractions. This is a fun chapter that students usually enjoy. We will continue with our leveled math groups for this chapter as well, so students will be learning at a level where they will be comfortable.

In READING, Miss Burns has been working with the students on our Chris Van Allsberg story "The Stranger". Van Allsberg is the same author that wrote "Polar Express" that we are more familiar with around the holidays. We will have our comprehension text next Tuesday and the vocabulary test will be the following week on February 22. This gives the students some extra time to review the story and vocabulary at home. Please make sure they are working on their vocabulary words at home. These are difficult words that they need to understand that appear in the story each week. I have also challenged them to begin using these words in their conversations with parents, so if you hear them using any of these words, please write it in their planners. I told them I'd give them some extra credit if they are able to use them in their conversations and in the right context. I'd love to see them using these words!

In SCIENCE, we have finished up our second part of the Sound Unit. Students have learned about pitch and frequency as well as how tension affects the pitch. Some students are having trouble realizing that the pitch has nothing to do with the volume of the sound they are hearing. Many of them have the misconception that as the pitch gets lower, it also gets quieter. I have explained several times that this is not the case. I will continue to demonstrate this for them, but if you could explain this any further at home, I would appreciate it. Our next part of the Sound unit is how sound travels. We will look at how sound travels through different surfaces such as a desk and water. Students are always very surprised to see the results of the experiments.

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we have been working hard to learn our states and capitals of the Southeast and Southwest regions which we have already studied here in the classroom. I will be sending home maps of these regions for the students to label so they can begin memorizing the states first. If we are able to get the states, we will work on the capitals. They should already know these states, as these are the states they have completed projects on already this year. We will begin another region as soon as we finish our unit of Sound in science. In the meantime, be working on the southeast and southwest state names and where they are on the map.

In LANGUAGE ARTS, we have been working on different parts of speech. We have learned about plural nouns and how to spell them correctly when changing them from a singular noun to a plural noun. This is challenging for students to learn, but we will continue to practice here in the classroom. We have also been working on pronouns and antecedents. A pronoun is a word such as he, she, we, they, that replaces a noun in a sentence. An antecedent is the noun that the pronoun is referring to. For example, in the sentence "Diana told Rachel that she was going to the mall, " the pronoun would be she and the antecedent would be Diana.

I also want to let you know that our Valentine's party is scheduled for Tuesday, February 12 at 2:30 pm. Students may bring Valentine's to share with each student in the class if they want to. If they want to bring these, they must bring one for everyone in the class. This insures that no one feels left out.

Just a reminder that there will not be the after school SMILE program next week due to conferences.

Again, I look forward to seeing all of you next week at conferences. There will be childcare for younger siblings in the gym should you need it. Also be aware that students will not have school next Thursday, February 14 or Friday, February 15. There WILL be school next Wednesday, February 13.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the time off next weekend with your child! I have posted some pictures below of our recent science activities for sound. Enjoy!

Busy At Work

We have been very busy in fourth grade the past couple of weeks! I apologize for not posting for a while.

In MATH, we have been focusing on Chapter 5. This chapter covers Data and Probability. We are still working in our math leveled groups and will bring you up to date on your students progress in these groups at Parent/Teacher Conferences next month. Students have been learning about averages, mean, median, mode, range, stem and leaf plots, and probability. We will continue with this chapter next week.
In our math groups, we will also be MAP testing some of the students to get a new MAP score to share with you at conferences. Not all students are tested in the Spring for MAP tests, so if we have new data, we'll be sure to share it with you then.
We will also begin giving students some of the formative state assessment tests. These are practice tests for state assessments so the students can see how the computer program for state assessment works and to get used to taking it on-line. These are great practice tests for them and do not count towards their grades.

In READING, we have learned many new vocabulary words and are working to use these more at home. If your student uses one of the vocabulary words in the two weeks when they have that word, please note this in their planners and they can receive extra credit. It's super important that they give you their new vocabulary words every two weeks so you can be listening for them and perhaps using them in your conversations with your students so they can hear the words used correctly.
We have also continued leveled reading groups in our classroom. The students will be reading a short story on a natural disaster since the story we just finished this week was about a wildfire.
Just a reminder to be studying those vocabulary words with your student and reading the story with them each week when we have comprehension tests. We read the story at least twice in class, but they more they read it or hear it, the better they will do on the comprehension test.

In SCIENCE, we have started a new unit on Sound. Students have learned about sound discrimination, vibrations, volume, sound sources, and sound receivers. Next week, we will focus on pitch. The students are really enjoying this unit so far!

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we have started a pop up book on the regions of the USA. This is a great tool for the students to use to begin learning their states and capitals. They will begin having state and capital tests in the next couple of weeks, so I have told them that they need to start learning these. We have talked about a couple of the regions already, so they should know those states and capitals. Hopefully, by the end of the year, they will have a pop up book on the entire USA!

In LANGUAGE ARTS, we have been focusing on possessive nouns and plural nouns. These are both difficult due to having to know the rules in order to spell these words correctly and put the apostrophe in the correct place. We will continue to practice these next week as well.

I look forward to meeting with all of you at conferences in February. I will be sending home a note next week to see when we can get these scheduled. They will take place on February 13 from 4-7:00pm and February 14 from 8:30am - 5:30pm. I hope to have 100% turn out at spring conferences, so let's work together to find a time that is convenient for you.

I hope you all have a great weekend! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail or give me a call.

Back to Work...and Routine

Hello Parents! It's so nice to see the students back from Winter Break well rested and ready to get back into their learning routine.

I would like to introduce you to our new intern for the semester. Her name is Amy Burns. She is from Overland Park, Kansas. She has been a camp counselor and enjoys dancing and musical theater.

In MATH, we have started a new chapter. We are continuing our leveled math groups, as they seem to be working very well for the students. Chapter 5 covers data and probability, including average (mean), median, mode, range, stem and leaf plots, outcomes, probability as a fraction, and real world problems with data and probability. The students have all done a great job with this chapter so far and seem to really be enjoying it. It's quite a long chapter that we will be taking slowly, since a lot of this information is tested on the state tests. Students have homework assigned periodically from their respective math teachers, so please be checking their planners to make sure they are getting this done on time. We've had a lot of missing assignments and incomplete work lately.

In READING, we began a new nonfiction story this week about mountains. The students have been learning about how mountains are formed and seem to find it very interesting. We will continue with this theme next week as we do leveled reading groups.

In LANGUAGE ARTS, we will be covering plural nouns this week and next week. We will be talking about how plural nouns are spelled, discussing the rules of making plural nouns. These rules include dropping the 'y' at the end of a noun and changing the 'y' to an 'i' and adding 'es, etc. Hopefully, this will help students with spelling as well.

In SCIENCE, we will be starting a new unit on the Physics of Sound. The students will be conducting experiments on vibrations, pitch, amplification of sounds, how sound travels through air, solids, and liquids, as well as how the pitch is related to the length of an object. This is a very fun and exciting unit!

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we will also be starting a new unit on the West. This region includes the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. We will be learning about the different landforms in this region as well as the human characteristics, natural resources, states and capitals, climate, and industries. We will be making a pop-up book to go along with the regions, going back and catching up on the regions we've already learned.

Please be aware that state assessments will be quickly approaching. As we set the dates and times for these assessments, I will relay that information to you. Please make sure your students are keeping up with there homework, it would be appreciated.