Monday, March 2, 2020

The Great Kapok Tree & AIR Practice

Greetings!

Reading 
This week we in fourth grade ELA, students will finish the passage from the Reading Street textbooks titled The Great Kapok Tree, which can be found on pages 364-377. We will be practicing theme (the message or lesson of the story) as well as reviewing cause and effect (what causes another event to happen) before we take our final assessment over the story on Tuesday. Students may use the following jeopardy link to study for the test: jeopardylabs.com/play/the-great-kapok-tree10.

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade ELA will be practicing for their AIR essay.

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. This is the last month for Book-It 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: Study for the The Great Kapok Tree test
Tuesday: The Great Kapok Tree Test TODAY!
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: N/A
Friday: N/A

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Because of Winn-Dixie, End of Novel and Test

Greetings!

Reading 
This week we in fourth grade ELA, students will finish a novel titled Because of Winn-Dixie. We will be reading this novel throughout the next several weeks, taking comprehension quizzes (every five chapters) and discussing the book as we go. Students will not be allowed to take their books home, as there are not enough novels for every student to have one. However, there are several options if you would like you child to reread with you at night - getting a copy from the local library (or ordered in), purchasing a copy, or listening to the book on various YouTube videos where someone reads the chapters aloud.

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade ELA will be practicing restating the question in their answers.

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: N/A
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: Study for the Because of Winn-Dixie test
Thursday: Because of Winn-Dixie Test TODAY!
Friday: N/A

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Starting Our Novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie"

Greetings!

See below for Homework Revision! 

Reading 
This week we in fourth grade ELA, students will begin a novel titled Because of Winn-Dixie. We will be reading this novel throughout the next several weeks, taking comprehension quizzes (every five chapters) and discussing the book as we go. Students will not be allowed to take their books home, as there are not enough novels for every student to have one. However, there are several options if you would like you child to reread with you at night - getting a copy from the local library (or ordered in), purchasing a copy, or listening to the book on various YouTube videos where someone reads the chapters aloud.

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade ELA will be practicing restating the question in their answers.

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Studentreasures Books
The students' copy change poem books from Studentreasures have arrived! You may order additional copies (or purchase copies for the first time) by going to Studentreasures.com/ordercopies and entering the pin from the back of the book (see below). There is a current offer going on as well  - Buy 2 copies, get the 3rd copy free using code BUY2G1.

The pin number on the back of students' books are arranged by core class, so you may use the list below to find the pin for your child's core class.

             Core 1     7110970
             Core 2     7110971
             Core 3     7110968
             Core 4     7110969

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: N/A
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: Finish draft of writing with ALL revisions completed - be ready to edit with a peer in class on Thursday!
Thursday: Complete all the edits for your draft - and begin the final draft of your essay. We will finish the draft in class on Friday!
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class and reading the story once or twice throughout the unit. Students should also read 15 minutes a night.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Finalizing Personal Essays

Greetings!

See below for Homework Revision! 

Reading 
This week we in fourth grade ELA, students will begin a novel titled Because of Winn-Dixie at the very end of the week. We will be reading this novel throughout the next several weeks, taking comprehension quizzes and discussing the book as we go. Students will not be allowed to take their books home, as there are not enough novels for every student to have one. However, there are several options if you would like you child to reread with you at night - getting a copy from the local library (or ordered in), purchasing a copy, or listening to the book on various YouTube videos where someone reads the chapters aloud.

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade will finish our Personal Opinion Writing Workshop journey! The main goal of this week will be to put everything together for our essay and to revise (improve the content) of our essays before editing them and turning them in!

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: N/A
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: Finish draft of writing with ALL revisions completed - be ready to edit with a peer in class on Thursday!
Thursday: Complete all the edits for your draft - and begin the final draft of your essay. We will finish the draft in class on Friday!
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class and reading the story once or twice throughout the unit. Students should also read 15 minutes a night.


Ways to START an Essay (Introductions Starters)
·       What people need to know is that…
·       Many people (don’t know, don’t think, don’t realize)…, but I’ve come to (know, think it’s important)…
·       Sometimes in life…
·       I have found…
·       Sometimes people ask… Well, I have found…

Ways to END an Essay (Conclusion Starters)
·       I realize that…
·       This makes me think…
·       I realize that when I…, I feel…
·       Other people should care about this because…
·       This is important because…
·       (My thesis statement) is true. Because this is true, isn’t it also true that…

Monday, December 16, 2019

Personal Essays & the Last Week Before Christmas

Greetings!

Please see updated homework section below! 

Reading 
This week we will have two Cold Reads, a fiction passage on Wednesday and a nonfiction passage on Thursday. On Friday, we will complete a Christmas-themed Reading & Writing activity centered on the historical figure Snowflake Bentley.

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade will continue on our Personal Opinion Writing Workshop journey! The main goal of this week will be to get all of our materials for our essay in order and ready to complete when we get back from break!

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: Set the timer for 20-30 minutes. Write a flash draft of your personal essay (the one we've been working on in class) where you make sure to include the essay format we learned in Essay Structure Boot Camp. (See below.) Get as much as you can done in 20-30 minutes.
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: N/A
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class and reading the story once or twice throughout the unit. Students should also read 15 minutes a night.

Essay Structure Boot Camp format:

Introduction
(Claim/Thesis statement) because (reason 1), (reason 2), and (reason 3).

Paragraph for Reason 1
(Claim/Thesis) because (reason 1). One time (evidence 1). Another time (evidence 2). Additionally, (evidence 3). (Restate thesis and reason 1.)

Paragraph for Reason 2
(Claim/Thesis) because (reason 2). One time (evidence 1). Another time (evidence 2). Additionally, (evidence 3). (Restate thesis and reason 2.)

Paragraph for Reason 3
(Claim/Thesis) because (reason 3). One time (evidence 1). Another time (evidence 2). Additionally, (evidence 3). (Restate thesis and reason 3.)

Conclusion
(Restate Introduction)

Monday, December 9, 2019

Writing Workshop - Opinion Essays (Santa Shop Week)

Greetings!

Please see updated homework section below! 

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade will continue on our Opinion Writing Workshop journey! The main goal of this week will be to shift from gathering ideas for writing essays to drafting quick drafts of essays so that we may begin revising.

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: Practice elaboration prompts (the activity from class) with parents/babysitter/etc (Students received a paper in class listing the elaboration prompts titled "Ways to Push Our Thinking"**)
Tuesday: Write a Flash Draft (This is a super quick draft of an opinion essay. They did this before in class with our class example - "I love ice cream." Set the timer and write!)
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: Finish writing draft, if not done in class.
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class and reading the story once or twice throughout the unit. Students should also read 15 minutes a night.

** Ways to Push Our Thinking
·          In other words…
·          That is…
·          The important thing about this is…
·          As I say this, I’m realizing…
·          This is giving me the idea that…
·          An example of this is…
·          This shows…
·          Another example of this is…
·          This connects to…
·          I see…
·          The thought I have about this is…
·          To add on…
·          I used to think that…, but now I think that…
·          What surprises me about this is…
·          Many people think…, but I think…

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Writing Workshop - Gathering Ideas for Opinion Essays

Greetings!

Please see updated homework section below! 

Writing 
This week, students in fourth grade will embark upon our Opinion Writing Workshop! The main goal of this week is to get students into the rhythm of writing nonfiction - instead of the stories we wrote for our narratives - and to gather ideas for writing essays. We will focus on the strategy of thinking about a person, place, or thing (object) that means a lot to us and gather big ideas about that person, place, or thing to write paragraphs about.

Book -It 
Students in fourth grade ELA are expected to read 1 hour a week in order to receive their Book-It awards. Students should read on multiple nights a week. Their assignment is broken down into 15-minute-per-night segments, 4 or 5 days a week; of course students may read more each night. Students wanting a reward MUST complete the entire form and return it on the day it is due. 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone  (330-435-6383 ext. 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: No School!
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: Continue brainstorming - Reread their previous entries to mine them for ideas for new paragraphs; tonight's work should merely be gathering ideas, not necessarily writing about these new ideas.
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class and reading the story once or twice throughout the unit. Students should also read 15 minutes a night.