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Historical Fiction Book Talks

Posted by waples_s on March 9, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Our 3rd round of book talks start on Wednesday, March 11th. We made the notecards in class a couple of weeks ago so that students could get them started at home. The only change to this book talk is a small bit about the event or time period the book takes place in. You are welcome to come and listen to the book talks! Just keep in mind that other parents are also coming to listen so you might be here for the entire block of time. 

Here are the days, times, and students who are signed up so far:

3/11 from 11:45-12:30: Thomas, Penelope, Mohammad, Beau, and Jace

3/12 from 1:05-1:45: Andrea, Melody, Michael, Owen, Alex, and Mya(?)

3/16 from 1:05-2:05: Raylee, Shreyas, Ava, Liberty, Leighton, Mia, Angel, and Kenley(?)

3/18 at 2:05: Anthony, Jake, Sea, and Chase

3/20 at a time to be determined: Kenyon, Zoe, and Eduardo

 

Please take a look at the day and time and let me know if it does not work for you and I can see if a change can be made. We will go to the library again before spring break to pick out the biography books for the last book talk of the year!

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3/2 – 3/6

Posted by waples_s on March 2, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Happy March! February was a blur and I apologize for not sending out a blog update. I struggled with the cold that was going around and it took me a long time to finally start to feel better. We have 3 weeks until spring break and they are going to be very full!

First up is our 3rd book talk, historical fictions. We made our notecards last week and they follow the same format as the first two book talks. We did add an extra card though. I would like the kids to talk about the historical event or time period they read about. Just give a little overview to the class so that they understand how life was different, or how the time period or event changed peoples’ lives. They can even talk about how their life would have been different than the life they live today. I will send out a schedule for book talks again so that you can come and listen if you would like!

We have 2 field trips the week before spring break. The first one is to Dorris Ranch on Monday, March 16th. This field trip ties into our social studies unit about the Oregon Trail! Please make sure your kids are dressed appropriately as this is a completely outdoor field trip. We will go rain or shine πŸ™‚

Our second field trip is to the Hult Center. This field trip is with all the fourth graders and was arranged by Ms. Poppen’s. There is a permission slip going home in folders today and I need it signed and returned by Wendesday. I told students that they can have lunch in the classroom tomorrow if they return their permission slips tomorrow! Please let me know if you have any questions.

FInally, we are out of classroom snack. If you are able to contribute I would greatly appreciate it. We run out pretty quickly when so many students eat classroom snacks!

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02/03 – 02/07

Posted by waples_s on February 2, 2020 in Uncategorized |

I don’t know about you, but January seemed to be a vary long month considering how many no school days we had. I am looking forward to February and a more consistent school schedule! Although a 5-day week seems more daunting it actually goes by more quickly and more smoothly. We are in such a good routine that when one day is cut out of a week it seems very hard to pack in everything we need to get done. That being said, there is only 1 no school day in February!

In Mondays folder you will find a class list. Our school celebrates friendship and allows students to bring Valentine’s on February 14th! I think it is great to spend a little time over the next week and a half preparing Valentine’s for classmates. These do not need to be store bought or expensive at all. In fact, homemade little cards or crafts are great! If you are going to participate in the celebration please be sure to make a card or bring something for everyone. We are also bringing the same type of cards or little gifts for each person in the class – no special Valentine’s for just your closes friends. If your Valentine includes candy, that is ok with me. However, I will be sending all that candy home for families to decide what to do with it πŸ™‚ We will not be eating any candy at school. Please note that we cannot have any candy with peanuts due to allergies in our classroom. Valentine’s Day will be a day of learning as well as fun activities! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the day. 

Last week our student teacher took over math. Over the next couple of months leading up to spring break Ms. Mary will be teaching math and a couple of other lessons throughout the day. Her normal schedule will be 8:45-2:00 every day as she has classes in the evenings from 4-8pm. Here is a little information that she would like to share with everyone: 

Hello all! My name is Mary Recker, and I have the pleasure of student 
teaching in Miss Waples’ class this winter and spring. I am a teacher 
candidate in the UOTeach program, and am getting valuable teaching 
experience from Miss Waples as I work towards my teaching credential. 
Over the next two months, I will transition into planning and teaching
math, with the eventual goal of planning and teaching other subject 
areas. I look forward to serving you and your student!

Happy February! 

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01/13 – 01/17

Posted by waples_s on January 12, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Happy New Year! I had a really nice break just hanging around Eugene and being with family. I hope you did too! Last week we eased our way back into school and the kids did great! We are starting fractions in math and I would encourage you to check out the blog to see what our new unit is about. We also started a narrative writing performance task in writing. The performance task is something the kids will have to do on the Smarter Balanced test later this spring. We will hopefully get to practice at least 2 before the test. 

We have a few new changes in our classroom. The first is that I have a student teacher that will be with us until the end of the year. Her name is Ms. Mary and she will ease into teaching. I am very excited to have her in our class! She will send a little information about herself soon. Hopefully you will get a chance to meet her.

Another addition is that I have two Ed Foundations students who will help on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9-12. Their main purpose to assist students one-on-one while I am teaching whole group math and reading. They are both very nice and excited to be in our room. Miss MJ is here on Tuesdays and Miss Emma is here on Wednesdays. I love having so many adults in the room that are able to reinforce what we are learning throughout the day!

Book talks are happening this week and students signed up for the day they would like to give their book talks. They should have written it down on their homework paper last Tuesday to show to you. If you would like to come and listen, I would love to have you! You just need to be flexible in being at the school for at least 45 minutes in case there are multiple parents listening to book talks. Here is the schedule:

Monday (1/13): 11:00-12:00

Tuesday (1/14): 1:05-2:00

Wednesday (1/15): 10:00-10:45

Thursday (1/16): 11:00-11:45

Welcome back!

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12/9 – 12/13

Posted by waples_s on December 9, 2019 in Uncategorized |

Just 2 more weeks until winter break! I always enjoy this time of year, when I can look back over the year and reflect on the good, and look forward to a new year and goals I would like to make. It is such a unique time in the school year because we get an opportunity to reflect on what is going well and make adjustments for the rest of the year! We still have so much time to grow!

This week we will start our salt dough maps of Oregon. If you could provide 2 cups of All-Purpose flour and 1 cup of salt in a gallon ziplock bag I would really appreciate it. We will add 1 cup of warm water to the bags so that each child can make their own dough! It is tough work, a little messy, but very fun! If you could bring in the bags of flour and salt as soon as possible that would help me know if I need to provide any extra. Also, if you would like to come and help us make the maps on Thursday afternoon at 1:00 let me know. I would appreciate the help!

We will be very busy right up to winter break. I really hope that your holiday travel plans will wait until the break, however, if you do have plans to leave early please let the front office and myself know. 

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11/25-11/27

Posted by waples_s on November 25, 2019 in Uncategorized |

Our class has been working so hard the last couple weeks! Math has been so productive and many of the kids are really starting to get the hang of multi-digit multiplication. In writing, we have been learning some editing and revising skills and are working on publishing our first completed writing piece. 

Friday we got to go on our first field trip and I thought the class did very well. This week we will use all the information we have learned from our social studies reading, and what the kids got to see and learn at the museum to make tri-ramas about a native culture group. Hopefully we will get these finished by Wednesday! 

Just a reminder, kids should be reading their book talk books. The visuals will be due before winter break because I don’t want them to be working on their book talks over the break. When the kids come back in January they will have a week to practice before they will give their speeches. I will let you know the day and time slot that your child chooses so that you can come and watch!

I hope your Thanksgiving week goes well and you get an opportunity to stop and reflect on all the good things in your lives.

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11/4 – 11/7

Posted by waples_s on November 4, 2019 in Uncategorized |

This week is parent teacher conferences. I really enjoy conferences and the chance to sit down and talk to each of you. Conferences are only 20 minutes with no transition time included. This is such a short time and it is really important that families show up on time, or a little early, so that we can have the entire 20 minutes. If you need to reschedule your conference please contact me or the office. They will have a copy of my schedule and can find a replacement time if needed. 

This week the kids are also giving their first book talks! They have had at least 6 weeks to read their book. In class we worked on their introductions, and there were many opportunities for them to work on their cards. I also went and purchased poster boards for students who needed them. That being said, I expect all students to give their book talk speeches this week unless we have already worked out an extension plan. These book talks are a very important part of 4th grade and I know the first one always brings on the most anxiety, but they will feel much better after the first one is complete. 

We are also having some fun this week. We have been reading about movie making and then practiced making stop motion videos on Friday. This week, the class will come up with a short story idea, make a background, and then create a short stop motion video! I am excited to see what ideas they come up with.

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10/21 – 10/25

Posted by waples_s on October 21, 2019 in Uncategorized |

This week is safety week. We will be practicing all of our drills and talking about safety at school and at home. I would really encourage you to check in with your children about the drills we practiced at school and see if they have any questions or concerns. This can bring up some difficult questions or worries in children, and adults, and it is really important that they can express their concerns or worries at home. It is also impossible for me to answer all of the ‘what if’ questions that will be asked this week! If you have any questions about the drill please ask!

As we practice drills at school, it can also be a good time to practice drills at home and come up with emergency plans. Have you ever practiced a fire drill at home? An earthquake drill? Do you have a meeting place in case you are separated during an emergency? Do you have candles, batteries, and supplies in case of a power outage? These are just some examples of what you could be practicing at home.

Last week we labeled speech cards for the upcoming book talks. I have encouraged students to bring their books and cards so that they can work on them in class when they have some free time. This week I will teach a lesson on introductions and we will then work on writing hooks and the rest of their introductions in class. If you could help them remember to have their books and notecards in their backpacks I would appreciate it! The rest of their speeches and their visuals need to be completed at home. I hope to have all book talk speeches given before parent-teacher conferences.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for getting conference forms back to me last week. I have scheduled conferences and am sending home the date and time of your conference. Please make sure that day and time still work for you. It is very important that families are on time to conferences as they are usually back to back. If you need to change conference times you can contact the front office or myself. 

Have a great week!

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10/7 – 10/9

Posted by waples_s on October 7, 2019 in Uncategorized |

We have a very short week this week. Just 3 days at school! Just because it is short does not mean we won’t be busy. Last week we worked on the standard algorithm for addition with numbers up to 1 million. Please encourage your children to practice this skill by making up problems for them to work on at home. This week we are moving to subtraction with the standard algorithm. We will need to work on this for a while, but the concept does not take long to learn. Our biggest struggle right now is simple addition and subtraction facts within 20. These need to be memorized as kids are still using their fingers or miscounting. 

We received our mealworms in science and have been able to make some observations of them. Some of our mealworms have even turned into pupa! Our goal in science is to learn about the complete life cycle of the mealworm and what structures and behaviors it has, and how these structures and behaviors help it survive. Soon we will move into environments and be making our own little ecosystems in our classroom.

Last Friday we stared Second Steps, which is our social-emotional curriculum. We will be working on empathy for the next several weeks. In the first lesson students were asked to make observations of classmate’s facial expressions when they were really happy and disappointed. This curriculum is intended to help students identify their feelings, learn how to problem solve difficult situations, and be an advocate for themselves! Some of these skills really to need to be learned and practiced!

I will not send homework home for this short week. On Wednesday, I might send home some extra credit work for the long weekend. Have a great week!

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9/30-10/4

Posted by waples_s on October 1, 2019 in Uncategorized |

Well…we are into October and I am hoping the craziness that is the beginning of the year is starting to wind down. In the last two weekends I have co-hosted a baby shower, and attended two weddings! So I am apologizing for the very late post, but I have been pretty busy.

This week we were able to start science! We have mealworms right now and get to watch and learn about their life cycle. It was so fun to watch the excitement on Monday. Our normal science schedule will now be Mondays and Wednesdays after lunch from 1:05-2:05. Tuesday and Thursdays after lunch will now be social studies. We are really moving now!

Thursday is our Fun Run from 11:45-12:20. You are more than welcome to come and cheer your child on, walk/run with them, or help with marking laps. If you would like to help with laps, please contact the PTO or myself! Also, donations can be made online or in the packets that went home. Please have your child return the packet even if it is empty πŸ™‚

Thank you for helping your children finish their homework! I have had GREAT homework returns πŸ™‚

Happy fall!

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