Guided Reading / Independent Seat Work

Each day for approximately 40 minutes during Literacy students participate in Guided Reading. During this valuable time your child is doing one of two things: Guided Reading or Independent Seat Work. Please read a quick description for both terms.

Guided Reading  Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar levels of texts. The text is easy enough for students to read with a teacher's guidance and skillful support. The text offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving and rich understanding, but is easy enough for students to read with some fluency. The teacher chooses selections that help students expand their strategies.

Independent Seat Work - With the class, I often refer to this chunk of time as (O.Y.O) or On Your Own Time. Students who are not actively participating in Guided Reading use this time to work on different learning tasks independently. The strategies are always introduced to the class as a whole group and based on our monthly Literacy focus. It is an opportunity to practice vocabulary, grammar, word study, guided reading tasks, reading comprehension strategies, media literacy and oral communication among other things. Students are responsible for completing their tasks with in the given time frame independently.

*Students are responsible for their learning during this time as I am always working with a group of readers*

students know it is their job to :

1) work respectfully
2) produce high quality work independently

Cookie Dough Sales - Classroom Incentives

As you all know as a school we are selling "English Bay" cookie dough for our Fall Fundraiser. We are blessed to have a dedicated and supportive school community and look forward to your support. In class we decided on two special incentives to help boost and support sales.

#1 HALLOWEEN CLASS PARTY - 100% Participation - For this goal, each student needs to sell at least one order of cookie dough. I've encouraged students to 'think outside the box' to achieve this goal. If there are no family members in a position to purchase cookie dough then I know a few (STAFF MEMBERS and FAMILY FRIENDS) who may be willing to buy from your child. The class knows that this is an option and can speak to me if they would like to try this avenue.

#2 TRADE-IN TICKETS - Participating students will earn a 'trade - in' ticket for each unit of dough sold. They will have an opportunity to select from a pre-determined list of trade-in options. The trade - in options include but are not limited too:

- NO HOMEWORK PASS
- EXTRA INDEPENDENT READING TIME
- MYSTERY TREAT
-LUNCH WITH MR. MARENCHIN
-CHOICE OF  GYM WARM-UP GAME
-MYSTERY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

* please note that some 'options' may require more than one unit sold to be redeemed*

Happy Selling!

Lost and Found

The 'lost and found' for our classroom is located in a green laundry bin at the primary entry doors.  With 27 students and a small coat closet I have to be diligent in keeping it neat and organized. If your child leaves behind a coat, sweatshirt or other personal items they are placed in the lost and found each night. If you find that you are missing items please send me a note via agenda and I will remind your child to take a look in the lost and found. Also, if you know your child is forgetful it may be helpful to put a 'name label' on valuable items to avoid confusion.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Urgent - Numeracy PALS

A pink note went home today in regards to a special after school program.  "Numeracy PALS" is an excellent opportunity for students to master and refine their basic numeracy skills. If you refer to the advertised information re: Numeracy PALS 3 (on the back) these basic skills include Subtracting with Regrouping and Subtracting with Regrouping using 0. If you know that your child really struggles with this concept and other basic numeracy skills then I encourage you to please take advantage of this free program.  There are limited spots available. If you are interested please fill in the necessary information and return it to school soon.

WPL -deadline

Just a quick reminder that all Windsor Public Library bookmark contest entries are due to school by Friday. I will be submitting them after school. The entries collected so far look great! 

3 and 4-digit addition

For Math tonight, students have some options in regards to what they will be practicing.

Students who finished their Math worksheets during class time will be working on questions from page 47, and 50 (as per their agenda's).

Students who did not complete the Math worksheet in class will finish the worksheet first and then move on to the extra questions. 

*Students are only asked to practice for 20-30 minutes*

If they cannot complete all of the questions during that time it is okay as we will still be practicing 3 and 4-digit addition tomorrow. 

Estimating Sums

In Math we have been working on estimating.  Estimating is a valuable life skill that is used in the 'real world' all the time. It is important that students learn to estimate. In class we have learned two ways to create estimates. When a question asks...."ABOUT how much?", it is an estimation question. When a questions asks "Estimate for the SUM", it is an estimation question.

1. Front End Estimation
2. Estimate by Rounding

Examples and explanations of both strategies can be found on page 39/40 of the text. We worked on some questions today but many have a very difficult time using either of the strategies to estimate. When working on tonight's homework. I need to see 'evidence' of rounding. Below is an example of what that might look like.

Question: 456 + 723 = ? 

Front End Estimating

400 + 700 = 1100
My estimate is 1100.

or

Estimate by Rounding

500 + 700 = 1200
My estimate is 1200.

*both methods (front end and rounding) of estimating are acceptable.

Story Maps

We are learning about the 'characterisitics' (features) of Narratives. On Thursday we spent time realizing that a Narrative always has the following 3 characterisitcs:

Setting:
Characters:
Plot: (the problem and solution)

This weekend students are asked to read any Narrative (fictional story book) and list the following:

This is an example:

Title: The Very Cranky Bear

Setting: Bear's Cave

Characters: Bear, Lion, Sheep, Moose and Zebra.

Plot:
The problem is that bear wants to sleep and the other animals wake him up with their game.
The solution is that sheep uses his wool to make bear a comfy pillow so that he can fall back asleep.


*Students can even record the information they gather in the their agenda's. It's not intended to be overly detailed. We will be working on story maps this week.

September Scholastic Order

Thank you for supporting our Scholastic Book orders this month. I was able to purchase 2 book series  for the classroom. Take a look.

Helpful Links

Nelson Math Link

The newly added 'Nelson' Math Link provides you with a small but resourceful bank of quizzes for each of the topics we've covered so far in math. The quizzes are quick and useful if you'd like to check-in on how your child performs independently with specific key concepts.

When you visit the site click the "Try it Out" icon. There you will find a list of different Math Strands. Currently we are working with Numeration.  Each lesson has a small quiz. The quizzes are not overly in depth but do address key basics for the Grade 4 Curriculum. Proficiency in 'the basics' leads to more success when solving more challenging application related problems.

Also, the Nelson Math Link can be found on the Student Portal 'doors' for grades 2,3 and 4 which is a nice feature if your child needs additional exposure and practice.

St. Gabriel School Blog

Here's a link for our St. Gabriel School Blog. Take a few minutes to check it out. This latest post offers some helpful reading tips.

http://stgabeschool.blogspot.ca/

Email Subscription Fix!

My apologies if you've tried to subscribe to the Blog via email and it hasn't worked. I was just made aware of this issue this afternoon (thank you Mrs. M). I believe I have fixed the problem and I was able to successfully register. I hope you have the same luck. Thank you very much for your patience. When you enter your preferred email address and click on 'submit' a smaller window should appear (Feedburner). It will ask you to verify your email address and enter a security code. When you have completed this, you should be set to receive all blog updates. Please send me a message via your child's agenda if you experience any problems.

I will have our classroom computers set to the Blog on Meet the Teacher night. Please pop-in and register. I would be greatly appreciated.

Subscribe to our Classroom Blog

Subscribing to our Classroom Blog via email is a quick and convenient way to stay connected. Simply enter your preferred email address in the bar located below the Blog's title and click "Submit".  From that point on, you will receive an update of any new posts or Blog material every 24hrs. If there are no Blog updates or posts then no message will appear. If you have any questions please let me know.

Language Conventions - "Parts of Speech"

4Plante spent some time today in the Learning P.I.T. working with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Thankfully we were able to use the following link to help us out. Everyone loved it and we had a great time seeing what kinds of tales our words could create. I encourage you to visit the site with your children and create stories of your own. There is a wonderful 'helper icon' on the site that defines each part of speech (noun, verb, adverb...) and gives excellent examples. Also, if you do create a tale that is worthy of sharing please print it out and I will share it with the class when we need a laugh on a rainy day.

Enjoy!

Wacky Web Tales

Addition of multi-digit numbers

We are now working on adding multi-digit numbers. Today we learned 3 'helpful tips' for success in this area.  Multi-digit questions will range from double-digit numbers to five-digit numbers depending on individual abilities.

Students must always:
1. Be aware of your place value (lining up the numbers properly for horizontal questions)

2. Remember when you need to 'carry over' (when the sum in any column is greater than 9 you must 'carry over' to the next column on the left.

3. Be accurate with your single-digit addition (small mistakes in adding can lead to frustration)

Please visit the 'student portal' link attached to the blog.  Once you've logged in, you can search any of the doors for the Mathematics Icon. There will be a variety of addition games and activities for your children to explore. However, please remember to 'check-in' from time to time while they are playing. Not every game or activity monitors their success rate. Accuracy in quick single and multi-digit addition allows for increased success when more complex questions (word problems) are introduced.

Life Event - Main Ideas and Supporting Details

Next week in Literacy we will be partnering up to create interviews based on 'life events'. One student will assume the role of the 'interviewer' and the other will assume the roll of the 'interviewee'.  Students are learning how to use a Main Idea (Life Event) and supporting details to create an informative interview.  All of our written work and interview practice will be done at school during class time. However, your children may ask some clarification questions surrounding their chosen life event as we progress through the assignment. Students who are chosen as 'interviewers' will still be responsible for writing about their life event.

MATH - Number Sense and Numeration

Our first math strand is Number Sense and Numeration (Whole Numbers to 10 000)

The overall expectations for this strand are as follows:
by the end of grade 4 students will...

• solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of single and multi digit numbers.
• read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 10 000. 

Over the next few weeks we will be practicing and working towards achieving these expectations. Our primary resource will be our Math Makes Sense textbook. However, other resources and supplementary hands-on activities will be included regularly. Students can always practice ordering numbers, rounding to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand, or single and multi-digit addition and subtraction (with carrying over and borrowing) at home with or with out their books!

During our daily 60 minute math block, we discuss and practice solutions to key questions and re-inforce strategies that are the most important and effective. We also focus on individual strategies as there are often several ways to arrive at a solution.  We do not 'take-up' every homework question as a class. There simply isn't enough time.  Rather, students are quizzed frequently and complete math journals and independent questions to demonstrate understanding. I also make a point to 'check-in' with small groups of students daily to ensure they are meeting their goals.

Wednesday Masses at Corpus Christi

This year our class will be joining Mr. Cowan's 4/5 for Wednesday morning mass at Corpus Christi Parish. Mass begins promptly at 8:30. We will be leaving for mass (from the school) at approximately 8:20. Mr. Cowan will accompany any late or remaining bus students.  We are blessed to have a wonderful and welcoming parish community. Join us if you can!

Helpful Links

Please take some time to 'check out' some of the Helpful Links that are attached to our Blog. The MONTHLY FEATURE (purple door) on the WECDSB student portal has several great typing programs to motivate your children to begin learning appropriate keyboarding skills. Keyboarding and appropriate computer skills are important in the classroom. If your child can develop these skills early on it will only benefit them as they progress through junior and senior grades. Additional Links will be posted so please check back.

Welcome to 4 Plante

September has arrived!

Our classroom blog is up and running! My objective for this blog is to keep you informed and up to date with what's going on in our classroom.  My goal is to create posts based on what we are learning and post pictures of student work to give you an idea of what happens throughout the day in 4P.  I may also share educational and inspirational video clips from time to time. Although new posts may not occur daily, I will do my best to keep current with what we are covering and use the blog as an added means of communication between school and home.  As the blog moderator I am the only person able to post to this blog.  You as the viewer will have the ability to read and view all posts but can not post comments.  Our classroom blog does not replace your child's agenda. Homework and assignment due dates may not always be posted to the blog.  Please continue to check your child's agenda periodically throughout the week. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our classroom blog please notify me through the agenda.  We have discussed in class the importance of always asking a parent, or adult beforing logging on to the Internet.

Thanks,

Mrs. L Plante