Hello parents!
Just FYI, I will give students the names of students for Valentine's day on Monday. We had a busy Friday and forgot to give it them. We do, however, have 26 students.
Writing- we are continuing to develop our informational essays centered around the American Revolution. We have created our tree map to get our ideas down and a few students have started writing their rough drafts. This is classwork, so students will not come home with this as an assignment. We will also discuss subject predicates and compound sentences.
Reading- We are deep into understanding how a person's perspective can shape their opinions and why we need to respect the opinions of others. We are doing so through the American Revolution.
Social Studies- We will begin discussing slavery this week, but it is just a preview leading up to our second to last unit for the year.
Math- We will begin adding and subtracting mixed numbers. The kids did VERY well with adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.
Spelling- I gave the spelling words to you in the last post and the students have the words in their agendas.
Don't forget, we will have an author visit on Friday.
For Valentine's students should bring a box to collect their cards/candy. They are more than welcome to decorate their boxes. They should bring them on Thursday and not before them (we are limited on storage).
Supplies: If any of you would like to donate tissues, I would greatly appreciate it.
Progress reports will go out on Tuesday.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Bruner
Friday, February 8, 2019
Monday, February 4, 2019
Homework and Announcements for 2/4/19 (Updated 2/5/19)
Math- We are continuing to work through fractions. This week we will finish comparing fractions and begin adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. Students will have a quiz on simplifying fractions this Thursday.
Social Studies- The social studies test is on Friday. Students have what they need to study and an email was sent out with a preparation guide. We will also begin week's 12 and 13.
Reading- We have been discussing how a person's perspective can influence their opinion. We have specifically discussed how this is true for the leaders and people during the American Revolution and after.
Writing- Our writing goes along with Social Studies and Reading. The students will begin brainstorming for their historical writing this week. I will walk through the writing process as they look at the American Revolution and how to write a compelling essay.
Black History Month Poetry Cafe- The students have received information on the Poetry cafe we will have on February 27 that will highlight African-American poets. I need to adjust the time of the cafe. It states that the cafe will be from 8:00-9:00am, however, that is right during our specials. The cafe instead will be from 9am-10am on Feb. 27. Posters are due February 26.
Parents if you would like to attend the cafe and/or bring in snacks for us to share afterwards, you are more than welcome to come and enjoy the cafe.
Due to the Social Studies test and the math quiz, there will not be a spelling test this Friday. However, if you would like to get ahead, here are the words for the week of 2/11:
Federalist
Government
Among
Brought
Compare
Develop
Either
Simple
Together
State
Thursday Music Performance
This is just a friendly reminder about the music performance this Thursday at Life Church. Students are expected to be at the church by 6:15pm with their recorders. See you there!
Tissues
Thank you all for continuing to support the class and our needs. Unfortunately, we are out of tissues again. I have found that my girls like to use the tissues for making tie dye designs. I have explained to them that this causes us to use resources unnecessarily. If you would like to send in class tissues, I would appreciate it. However, if you just want to supply your child with tissues to keep in their book bag, I completely understand. Either is fine by me.
Valentine's Day
If your child would like to bring in Valentine's Day cards/candy, they are more than welcome to do so. The only thing that I ask is that you bring them in for all 26 of our students and not just a select group. I will send home our class list by Friday.
Author Visit
Read Across America
Okay, I think that is it for now.
:0)
Mrs. Bruner
Social Studies- The social studies test is on Friday. Students have what they need to study and an email was sent out with a preparation guide. We will also begin week's 12 and 13.
Reading- We have been discussing how a person's perspective can influence their opinion. We have specifically discussed how this is true for the leaders and people during the American Revolution and after.
Writing- Our writing goes along with Social Studies and Reading. The students will begin brainstorming for their historical writing this week. I will walk through the writing process as they look at the American Revolution and how to write a compelling essay.
Black History Month Poetry Cafe- The students have received information on the Poetry cafe we will have on February 27 that will highlight African-American poets. I need to adjust the time of the cafe. It states that the cafe will be from 8:00-9:00am, however, that is right during our specials. The cafe instead will be from 9am-10am on Feb. 27. Posters are due February 26.
Parents if you would like to attend the cafe and/or bring in snacks for us to share afterwards, you are more than welcome to come and enjoy the cafe.
Due to the Social Studies test and the math quiz, there will not be a spelling test this Friday. However, if you would like to get ahead, here are the words for the week of 2/11:
Federalist
Government
Among
Brought
Compare
Develop
Either
Simple
Together
State
Thursday Music Performance
This is just a friendly reminder about the music performance this Thursday at Life Church. Students are expected to be at the church by 6:15pm with their recorders. See you there!
Tissues
Thank you all for continuing to support the class and our needs. Unfortunately, we are out of tissues again. I have found that my girls like to use the tissues for making tie dye designs. I have explained to them that this causes us to use resources unnecessarily. If you would like to send in class tissues, I would appreciate it. However, if you just want to supply your child with tissues to keep in their book bag, I completely understand. Either is fine by me.
Valentine's Day
If your child would like to bring in Valentine's Day cards/candy, they are more than welcome to do so. The only thing that I ask is that you bring them in for all 26 of our students and not just a select group. I will send home our class list by Friday.
Author Visit
Lesa Cline-Ransome is coming to KSE, 2/15/19!
Lesa
Cline-Ransome will speak to all students on Friday, February 15th, at both
campuses. We are very grateful to our PTA for once again sponsoring our
Author’s Visit this year!
If
you are interested in more information about Mrs. Ransome or her books, please
visit lesaclineransome.com. (Due to a change in county policy, we are unable to
handle book orders.)
Feel
free to contact Nina Delk with questions-nina.delk@cobbk12.org.
Read Across America
Let’s
Celebrate Read Across America Week!
Each
year, schools across the country celebrate Read Across America week during the last
week in February, or the first week of March. This date was chosen because
beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss was born on March 2.
This year, our school is going to do something extra fun
to join this special celebration of reading! Each day will have a theme to
correspond to a Dr. Seuss book title. Students may dress according to each
day’s theme. Be creative and have fun!
|
Day
|
Dr. Seuss Book
|
What to Wear
|
|
Monday, February 25
|
My Many Colored Days
|
Wear as many different colors as possible!
|
|
Tuesday, February 26
|
Fox in Socks
|
Wear crazy socks!
|
|
Wednesday, February 27
|
Cat in the Hat
|
Wear a crazy hat!
|
|
Thursday, February 28
|
Oh the Places You’ll Go!
|
Dress as what you want to be when you grow up
|
|
Friday, March 1
|
Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book
|
Pajama day!
|
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday and
Read Across America week!
Okay, I think that is it for now.
:0)
Mrs. Bruner
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Homework and Updates for January 30, 2019
Happy Wednesday!
Just an fyi, I will be at another school doing observations tomorrow. Many of the students didn't seem happy about this (I guess that's a good thing), but they know my expectations are the same.
Homework
Tonight's homework wouldn't have made since if I sent it via Remind, which only gives me 120 characters.
All homework for me is due Friday.
ELA- study for spelling test for Friday.
Cobb County Writing Contest- this is OPTIONAL, however, for the first time this year, I have agreed to give an extra credit point to students who turn in a completed entry (I do not offer extra credit otherwise). Entries include a parent portion as well. The guidelines were sent home today. This is due Friday, Feb. 1. (An email will come home shortly with the same information)
Math-study multiplication facts. Having the students do flash cards will help build fluency. In order to simplify fractions, the students must know their multiplication facts.
Reading- main idea worksheet
Science-study for science test tomorrow.
High Touch, High Tech information was sent home today. There is also additional information coming via email.
Black History Month Poetry Cafe
Our annual Black History Month Poetry Cafe will focus on African-American poets. We will discuss different poets, such as Maya Angelou, during our reading time as poetry is one of our fourth grade standards. Students will receive more information about the cafe on Friday.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Class Updates for Week of January 28, 2019
January 28, 2019 Curriculum and Classroom Announcements
Reading/Social Studies- we are continuing to analyze and summarize the American Revolution and the formation of the Constitution. Students will continue to work on developing strategies to find locate information within a historical text. I am also pulling students individually to do cold read running records to continue working on comprehension and fluency. We will move back to reading groups and book clubs next week.
ELA- Students have brainstormed topics to write about for their informational, historical essays. They will choose one topic to write about this week and begin the brainstorming process. We will work together through each of the steps.
Math- Fractions are continuing to become our friends. We will review simplifying fractions in the beginning of the week and move on to comparing them as the week progresses. We will take a look at adding them on Friday.
Students received their spelling words on Friday, January 25. They are in their agendas.
Also, for support, please do not forget about the video sections under the math tab. I provide resources for the students to review that should help them at home along with their notes.
All quizzes and reading comprehension pages have been sent home. Please ask your student to see them.
High Touch, High Tech will be on Thursday during our class time.
Students should be using their schedule that I sent home on Friday to help pace themselves when doing assignments. We went over this extensively and they all said this will help them with work at night. Parents, I am preparing your students as much as possible through notes given in class, practice, and activities. I ask questions often in class to check for comprehension and ask students if they understand.
Homework for this week: Math is pasted into their math journals so they have no choice but to take their journals home and study. :0) They have the resources in their journals to complete their homework.
Parents, I need a favor. I need your help in building confidence in all children, which means they can't be compared to one another. When we compare children to other children, it can create a culture of performance anxiety and stress (and undo stress on us as parents...trust me, been there, done that). Please know that I treat all children as individuals. Each child in my class needs something different than the next in the same way siblings do. Because of this, I differentiate instruction. Not all children are on the same reading level. Not all children completely understand math concepts at the same time. Much like us, students learn at different paces and that is okay. There are a number of variables that go into how a child learns, so comparing isn't a good way to measure the success of a student or the class in general.
One piece of advice I can offer you is to discuss with your child whether or not they participate in class and how often. Even if your child feels like they don't know the answer, I still encourage them to participate. We are a safe zone classroom, meaning, students are not ridiculed for not knowing the answer. Those who participate let me know that they are paying attention and whether or not they understand the information. I walk around on a regular basis to see if children comprehend, but I also work with students individually and in small groups.
If a child needs support, they know that they can come back to the classroom to receive support during lunch (I technically do not have a duty free lunch which is something I don't mind if a child needs my help). Many students have come back multiple times while others I haven't seen at all. It is their choice, but my door is open.
Thank you for continuing to support your children at home.
Thank you,
Mrs. Bruner
ELA- Students have brainstormed topics to write about for their informational, historical essays. They will choose one topic to write about this week and begin the brainstorming process. We will work together through each of the steps.
Math- Fractions are continuing to become our friends. We will review simplifying fractions in the beginning of the week and move on to comparing them as the week progresses. We will take a look at adding them on Friday.
Students received their spelling words on Friday, January 25. They are in their agendas.
Also, for support, please do not forget about the video sections under the math tab. I provide resources for the students to review that should help them at home along with their notes.
All quizzes and reading comprehension pages have been sent home. Please ask your student to see them.
High Touch, High Tech will be on Thursday during our class time.
Students should be using their schedule that I sent home on Friday to help pace themselves when doing assignments. We went over this extensively and they all said this will help them with work at night. Parents, I am preparing your students as much as possible through notes given in class, practice, and activities. I ask questions often in class to check for comprehension and ask students if they understand.
Homework for this week: Math is pasted into their math journals so they have no choice but to take their journals home and study. :0) They have the resources in their journals to complete their homework.
Parents, I need a favor. I need your help in building confidence in all children, which means they can't be compared to one another. When we compare children to other children, it can create a culture of performance anxiety and stress (and undo stress on us as parents...trust me, been there, done that). Please know that I treat all children as individuals. Each child in my class needs something different than the next in the same way siblings do. Because of this, I differentiate instruction. Not all children are on the same reading level. Not all children completely understand math concepts at the same time. Much like us, students learn at different paces and that is okay. There are a number of variables that go into how a child learns, so comparing isn't a good way to measure the success of a student or the class in general.
One piece of advice I can offer you is to discuss with your child whether or not they participate in class and how often. Even if your child feels like they don't know the answer, I still encourage them to participate. We are a safe zone classroom, meaning, students are not ridiculed for not knowing the answer. Those who participate let me know that they are paying attention and whether or not they understand the information. I walk around on a regular basis to see if children comprehend, but I also work with students individually and in small groups.
If a child needs support, they know that they can come back to the classroom to receive support during lunch (I technically do not have a duty free lunch which is something I don't mind if a child needs my help). Many students have come back multiple times while others I haven't seen at all. It is their choice, but my door is open.
Thank you for continuing to support your children at home.
Thank you,
Mrs. Bruner
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Assessment Update
Happy Tuesday!
I wanted to send out an update on upcoming assessments, with one in particular update being spelling assessments. I am trying to have my friends copy words correctly and spell common 4th grade words correctly as well. This is to support your children in reading comprehension and writing. If the students do not know what the word looks like spelled correctly, they also have troubles reading it.
The first set of spelling words for the next couple of weeks will be from the 4th grade list that has been glued in the back of the students' ELA journal and social studies vocabulary. The list will be broken down into 10 words per week. The words for this week are in their agendas as well.
Also, here are the dates of upcoming assessments:
Jan. 25- Fractions quiz (equivalent and comparing fractions)
Jan. 25- Sentence structure quiz
Feb. 8th- Soc. St. Test
Spelling test every Friday.
Thank you,
Mrs. Bruner
Monday, January 21, 2019
Week of January 21, 2019
Greetings!
We have quite a few school and classroom announcements:
We have quite a few school and classroom announcements:
Parents! The 4th grade concert is Thursday, Feb. 7th at 6:30 pm at Life Church in Smryna. This will be a fabulous demonstration of your child's hard work this year on their recorder!
Here are the details:
What: 4th grade Concert
When: Thursday, Feb. 7th 6:30 pm *Students report by 6:15 pm
Where: Life Church (4100 King Springs Rd., Smyrna)
Students should wear nice dress clothes and bring their recorder!
*If you would like to volunteer your time to help set up, please follow the link below. Each volunteer will receive 2 reserved seats at the concert!
Musically yours,
Julie Bosworth
Music Specialist
King Springs Elementary 2-5 Campus
Curriculum updates:
Reading- In reading, we are really working on finding the main idea of a text (specifically historical text this nine weeks), explaining what a text says using specific details from the text, making inferences, effectively engaging in discussions with diverse partners about fourth grade texts, determining the meaning of content words or phrases in informational text, and summarizing informational and persuasive texts.
Writing- The students will begin writing historical texts this week. They will choose a topic around the American Revolution to write about.
Math- We have started studying simplifying fractions. The students need to understand how to find the greatest common factor. Please continue to have your child study their multiplication facts. If they know their facts fluently, they are more likely to find the greatest common factor
Social Studies- We are continuing to discuss the Constitutional Convention, the key leaders of the Convention, the branches of government, and democracy. We are combining our reading and social studies times on most of the days sense we are discussing historical texts. Our writing will come into play as well.
Study Support:
If your student struggles with reading comprehension (ex: finding the main ideas from text), there are a couple of suggestions that can help.
1. Have your student read a variety of texts/literature. My friends love the Dork Diaries, Captain Underpants, and many other fictional books. I don't mind that at all (at least they are reading), but studies have shown that students grow more in reading and understanding texts when they mix it up a bit. Reading nonfiction is just as important as reading fiction. I am going to begin having the students check out books that interests them in both fiction and nonfiction. We go to the media center once a week, so they are given at least one guaranteed opportunity to grab some books.
2. Ask your students questions after they read. I provided you with reading strategies/questions during our conferences in October, however, if you have misplaced them, please let me know and I will send them home with your child. The reading questions help the student draw information from their texts, which builds comprehension.
3. Read to your child. I know, they probably don't want you to, but it does help.
4. Pick a time when you all read books as a family. For my kiddos who have trouble focusing, this will help support them.
I will be sending home more reading comprehension passages for homework as well as increase the practicing in class. As you know, reading comprehension and fluency helps with all subjects.
Thank you,
Mrs. Bruner
Monday, January 14, 2019
Week of January 14 Classroom Updates
Reading- This week we are looking at how a person's perspective influences their opinion.
Writing- We have finished up our opinion writing and will be moving into informational writing.
Math- We are continuing to work on equivalent fractions. Please have your student use their strategies of fraction bars, multiplying, and
Social Studies- We are continuing our discussion and study of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
Science- Parents, students have a quiz on identifying the phases of the moon on Tuesday January 15, 2019. Students have a study sheet in their science journal to study. Have a wonderful day.
There may be some other updates later this week. I will send out a REMIND if I happen to update the blog.
Writing- We have finished up our opinion writing and will be moving into informational writing.
Math- We are continuing to work on equivalent fractions. Please have your student use their strategies of fraction bars, multiplying, and
Social Studies- We are continuing our discussion and study of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
Science- Parents, students have a quiz on identifying the phases of the moon on Tuesday January 15, 2019. Students have a study sheet in their science journal to study. Have a wonderful day.
Please note my previous post about upcoming assignments/assessments.
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