Typing YA Drafts

Greetings!

Writing 
Students will continue Writer's Workshop with their Young Authors' stories they started several weeks ago in class by typing their drafts. You can see the Narrative Writing tab on my website for more information on Part 2 of our Writing Workshop (https://sites.google.com/norwayne.net/4th-grade-la-reading/writing/narrative). If your child wants to work on their typing at home, they are allowed. You may use the "Logging-In" to Google at Home section at the bottom of my Classroom Sites page to learn how if you're having difficulties (https://sites.google.com/s/0Bwj1H6YDyIAmRXlBeHptNFV2TWs/p/1XlfO6zDMyuypd2upmg5UHT065T-gzS9y/edit).

Young Authors' Projects & Conference 
Reminder: This year, the Young Authors’ Project is experiencing some changes! Instead of having the Young Authors’ Conference at the end of the school year, it will be held on November 1^st, 2019. For this reason, the fourth graders will be completing their Writing Workshop narrative piece for this year’s Young Authors’ Project. Since the conference is approaching so quickly, but I still want to see how students are improving the same story from draft to draft, students will be required to use the story they have already begun. Approximately three students from each core of Language Arts will be chosen to attend the Young Authors’ Conference on November 1^st. The conference will be held at the College of Wooster campus as it has been in the past. 

Reading 
This week, students will be introduced to our next class story, Adelina's Whales on Friday. 

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: Work on YA draft
Tuesday: Work on YA draft
Wednesday: Work on YA draft
Thursday: Work on YA draft
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.

Writer's Workshop, Parent-Teacher Conferences, & Poetry

Greetings!

Writing 
Students will continue Writer's Workshop with the stories they started several weeks ago in class. Students will break down their stories bit-by-bit, stretching out their summaries into scenes of fiction, much like a movie playing in the reader's mind. You can see the Narrative Writing tab on my website for more information on Part 2 of our Writing Workshop (https://sites.google.com/norwayne.net/4th-grade-la-reading/writing/narrative).

Young Authors' Projects & Conference 
This year, the Young Authors’ Project is experiencing some changes! Instead of having the Young Authors’ Conference at the end of the school year, it will be held on November 1^st, 2019. For this reason, the fourth graders will be completing their Writing Workshop narrative piece for this year’s Young Authors’ Project. Since the conference is approaching so quickly, but I still want to see how students are improving the same story from draft to draft, students will be required to use the story they have already begun. Approximately three students from each core of Language Arts will be chosen to attend the Young Authors’ Conference on November 1^st. The conference will be held at the College of Wooster campus as it has been in the past. 

Reading 
This week, students will participate in a mini-poem unit, and they will take a quiz Friday over the elements of poetry and the poems we've been discussing in class. 

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: Work on YA draft
Tuesday: Work on YA draft
Wednesday: Work on YA draft
Thursday: Study poetry; work on YA draft
Friday: Poetry Quiz TODAY

*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.

Writing Workshop - Young Authors' Stories

Greetings!

Writing 
Students will continue Writer's Workshop with the stories they started several weeks ago in class. Students will break down their stories bit-by-bit, stretching out their summaries into scenes of fiction, much like a movie playing in the reader's mind. You can see the Narrative Writing tab on my website for more information on Part 2 of our Writing Workshop (https://sites.google.com/norwayne.net/4th-grade-la-reading/writing/narrative).

Young Authors' Projects & Conference 
This year, the Young Authors’ Project is experiencing some changes! Instead of having the Young Authors’ Conference at the end of the school year, it will be held on November 1^st, 2019. For this reason, the fourth graders will be completing their Writing Workshop narrative piece for this year’s Young Authors’ Project. Since the conference is approaching so quickly, but I still want to see how students are improving the same story from draft to draft, students will be required to use the story they have already begun. Approximately three students from each core of Language Arts will be chosen to attend the Young Authors’ Conference on November 1^st. The conference will be held at the College of Wooster campus as it has been in the past. 

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: Finish typing Newspaper Articles
Tuesday: N/A
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: Notice setting - from a television show, movie, story, etc.
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.

Encyclopedia, Week 2

Greetings!

Reading
This week in fourth grade Language Arts, we will continue our Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander unit, which can be found on pages 492-500 of their Reading Street textbooks. Students will be learning about inferences and receiving new vocabulary words.  We will read and discuss the story in class, but students should bring their books home to review the stories and concepts at least once or twice during the unit, especially the material we go over in our Think Guides and the vocabulary; students are to be practicing with their vocabulary cards at home. Please feel free to check out the Vocabulary & context clues tab for more information on vocabulary in fourth grade. Under Reading units, there is an "Encyclopedia" tab with some resources that students may wish to use as well!

Cold Reads
Occasionally, we will be completing Cold Reads. Cold Read are simply readings that the students complete on their own, without any help or discussion in class. They are encouraged to use reading strategies to help them understand what they're reading. After they have read the short passage, they answer a few questions about the passage. Cold Reads are used because it shows a child's individual ability level for reading and comprehension.

Writing 
Students will have the opportunity to be reporters! Students will begin writing their own short newspaper article about the events of the story, to be typed in class.

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: Study for the Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander test
Wednesday: Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander Test TODAY!
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.

Encyclopedia Brown & Wilderness Center

Greetings!

Reading
This week in fourth grade Language Arts, we will begin our Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander unit, which can be found on pages 492-500 of their Reading Street textbooks. Students will be learning about inferences and receiving new vocabulary words.  We will read and discuss the story in class, but students should bring their books home to review the stories and concepts at least once or twice during the unit, especially the material we go over in our Think Guides and the vocabulary; students are to be practicing with their vocabulary cards at home. Please feel free to check out the Vocabulary & context clues tab for more information on vocabulary in fourth grade. Under Reading units, there is an "Encyclopedia" tab with some resources that students may wish to use as well!

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 (Field Trip to the Wilderness Center)
Wednesday: Inferences WS
Thursday: Vocab WB pg. 195
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.

Fair Week & "Eye of the Storm"

Greetings!

Fair
Students out due to the fair will need to make up work they missed after their return, unless they've already gathered the materials beforehand. Students out for fair can ask questions about materials missed after their return. Thanks!

Reading
This week in fourth grade Language Arts, we will continue our Eye of the Storm unit, which can be found on pages 342-354 of their Reading Street textbooks. Students will be learning about graphic sources and reviewing vocabulary.  We will read and discuss the story in class, but students should bring their books home to review the stories and concepts at least once or twice during the unit, especially the material we go over in our Think Guides and the vocabulary, which they have cards they can use to help them practice. Please feel free to check out the Vocabulary & context clues tab for more information on vocabulary in fourth grade. Under Reading units, there is an "Eye of the Storm" tab with some resources that students may wish to use as well!

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 (No School - Fair Day!)
Tuesday: N/A (No School - Fair Day!)
Wednesday: WB pg. 135 (Vocabulary - must be answered in complete sentences)
Thursday: N/A
Friday: N/A

*Ongoing - students should be practicing their vocabulary with the cards we cut out in class.

Greetings!

Return to School
As we transition back to school from summer - and to fourth grade - there are a lot of changes to ponder. In this blog, you will find information about the week, about the units we are studying, and about various other topics that pertain to your child's Language Arts (Reading and Writing) class. 

Language Arts
Language Arts is a fancy way of saying "a study of language and how we use it to read, write, listen, and speak effectively." that being said, this year in Language Arts class, students will engage in various writing units and projects, read a variety of stories and types of stories, listen to their classmates in group discussions and presentations, and engage other students in group discussions and their own presentations.

Fourth grade is a big jump, for several reasons: First, there is no 3rd grade guarantee hanging over their heads, no NWEA or MAP testing, no Fall AIR test. While this is great for the students, as it is less stressful for them, it also doesn't show you a lot of information about their progress that you may be used to receiving. Secondly, this means that their Language Arts time is drastically cut from previous years. In previous years, students had double-blocks for their Reading & Writing class, and this year, I have just over an hour with students, unless I have them for Expansion, which is a 25 minute period. This is a huge leap for some students, especially those that need a bit more time!

As there is only an hour period, I must alternate between Reading & Writing projects. Therefore, there will not be a set schedule for tests or quizzes. I will alert students of when a quiz will be (though I will not write them in the agendas), and tests will be written in their agendas. Most quizzes will be for the Bell Work students complete on Grammar and Parts of Speech; these worksheets are daily activities to practice and/or review skills with identifying Parts of Speech and using proper sentence structures and grammar. Students should review these at home as necessary! Before tests, there will often be a Jeopardy review, which will be posted the evening before the test, if one is used for that Reading Unit.

Books for Silent Reading
If you're looking for a new book or book series for your child (or you) to read, below are two lists of popular 4th grade books.  Your school librarian or community children's librarian are also great resources for finding new books!  Some of my favorite 4th grade level authors are Andrew Clements, Kate DiCamillo, Brian Selznick, and Donald J. Sobol, though there are so many to choose from! I alos have some of my favorite children's authors and/or books marked on my Scholastic Book Clubs site.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/4th-grade

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/book-lists/favorite-books-for-fourth-graders/ 

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!

Homework 
I typically put a schedule of homework at the end of the post. This is only the Language Arts homework.

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 (No School - Labor Day!)
Tuesday: Work on Secondary Characters for the story students chose in class on Friday
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: Complete Draft of Story if not done in class, Due Fri
Friday: N/A