Our Class Read Aloud

In preparation for our upcoming author visit, we have been reading Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka.

Summarizing

We worked on summarizing this week. Together we talked about what makes a good summary. I modeled writing a summary with a familiar picture book, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Then the kids wrote their own summary of Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. As we re-read the book, students shared their summary of each portion of the book. We will continue to work on summarization as a reading comprehension skill.

Spelling

Spelling will start Monday. The whole class will have the same words next week. This allows me to teach the students how to figure out the spelling patterns, how to do the different word sorts, how to do the spelling activities, and the homework expectations.

Spelling tests will be every two weeks. Ten words off the spelling list will be on the test. Students will be graded on the spelling of the word and their ability to place the work in the correct spelling pattern category.

After this first set of words, students will receive words based on their spelling level. Spelling levels are determined through a spelling assessment.

Developmental Reading Assessment
Over the next couple weeks, students will complete the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). This will assess each child's current reading level. It will also help identify reading strengths and weaknesses. I will use this information to place students in reading groups and to make decisions about what skills to focus on in the each group. The information gathered from the DRA helps make reading instruction more individualized to each child.

Writing
We are continuing to write stories from our lives. In Ralph Fletcher's How to Write Your Life Story, we read brainstorming a list of possible events, people and things we could write about. We have also learned what makes a good story.

Time for Kids
Students have been reading Time for Kids (TFK). We reviewed the text features of TFK, such as headlines and power words. We also learned about each section - News Now, Top 5, Cover Story, Kid Central, and You've Got Skills. Although the articles change, the structure of TFK is the same every issue. Students received a Get to Know Time for Kids handout, which is in the reading section of their binders.
Students are working to complete comprehension questions about TFK.

Texas Regions
We are continuing to learn about the regions in Texas. Students are learning the climate, landforms, products, resources, crops, cities, and sub-regions of each of the four Texas Regions.

Upcoming Events

April 27 - Math TAKS
April 28 - Reading TAKS
May 11 - 4th Grade Portfolio Day 8:15-8:45
May 25 - Oceanography Fair
May 26 - Austin Field Trip

Camp Write Along
Dear Mom and Dad,
We are having so much fun at Camp Write Along. We are reviewing the writing process - brainstorming, prewriting and planning, writing a rough draft, revising, editing, and writing a final draft. Practicing the writing process is helping us get ready for the TAKS test next Wednesday. We are trying to make sure that our writing has a narrowed and focused topic and that we are exploding the moment. Our writing also needs details, thoughts, and feelings to help the reader visualize what we are writing about. We love writing at Camp Write Along!
Love,
Ms. Howe's and Ms. White's classes

GREAT
Officer Miller began the fourth grade GREAT program this week. GREAT stands for Gang Resistance Education And Training. Some of the things students will learn include:
Making GREAT choices
Communicating messages clearly
Controlling anger
Respecting others
Being a GREAT citizen
For more information, click here to visit the GREAT website.

To help students prepare for the Writing TAKS, we will have writing homework due every Friday until the end of February. The writing assignments are all on one sheet of yellow paper that students will receive this week. Please stay organized and keep track of this assignment sheet. During this time, students will not have LA worksheets.

In social studies, we are learning about the early Texas settlers. Students wrote a letter to Stephen F. Austin hoping to persuade him to pick them to be one of the settlers for his colony. Students also identified problems between the Mexican government and the new Texas settlers, like language, religion, and slavery.

In reading, we are analyzing characters. Students are continuing to determine character traits based on evidence from the text. They are also analyzing character motivation.

In writing, we are continuing to prepare for the TAKS test by determining what makes a good composition. Students are working to put these good writing traits in their compositions. Homework this week is helping prepare students for the multiple choice section of the writing TAKS.