Pioneer Fun

Winter Sing

Hello!  I can't wait to hear all of the little darlings sing their hearts out tonight!  The concert begins at 6pm.  Please have your child to my classroom at 5:45.  I won't be able to be here much earlier than that, so no need to come any earlier.  This is one of my favorite events of the year and I know it is for many of the students, too.  Our class worked really to get the coveted center stage position this year.  I am very proud!

Pioneer Day Celebration

Pioneer Project

During our ELA time, we have been learning and reading about the Pioneer Days primarily using Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods. Students have been learning how different it was to be a child in the days of the pioneers. It’s time to have some fun and get the creative juices flowing with a project!

Please reference the website below for project options and ideas.  All projects will be presented at our Pioneer Day Celebration and should be done as neatly as possible.  Encourage your son/daughter to take some pride in their work.  This is their time to shine!  If you don’t have internet access, there are a couple of projects with directions attached to this letter that are also acceptable.  

Access project ideas here:  

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2011/09/pioneer-crafts-for-kids.html

All crafts must be completed and at school and ready to present by Friday, December 19.   Students will be graded on their presentation skills, so please have your son/daughter practice at home.  The presentations should include how their project was made (including materials needed), how it was used in the pioneer times, and any other interesting facts they want to add.

Students are also welcome (*not required) to dress up as a pioneer for our special Pioneer Day Celebration on Tuesday, December 23.  They can also bring a pioneer-style lunch (not required).  Please see the backside of this sheet for ideas on dress and lunch.  

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher. We are so excited to see the students’ work!  

Thank you,

The Fourth Grade Team

Missing Assignments in Skyward

Hello!  It seems that there is a weird blip happening on Skyward right now concerning my assignments.  Some parents are reporting that Skyward is showing missing assignments, but it is not true.  I have the tech department working on it.  If your son/daughter has something missing, I would have written it in their assignment notebooks. 

Thanks and have a fantastic Thanksgiving break!  So much to be thankful for!

iRead iRock and Thanksgiving

Throughout the second quarter, students are participating in a new Accelerated Reader program to encourage students to pick up a book and read, read, read!  The program is called iRead, iRock.  Each student has been assigned a goal.  Every one of my students have been given both a bookmark and a thermometer chart with their goals written on them.  Each child should have shown you one or both of these by now, but if they haven't, please email me and I can share their personal goal with you.   As students get closer to earning 100% of their goal, they have opportunities to earn different statuses and prizes.  Once students achieve 100% of their goal, they will earn some "glow wear."  This might be a glow in the dark bracelet or necklace, etc.  If they reach 100% of their goal AND maintain an 85% or higher average on their AR tests, students will earn the privilege of attending the "Get Low and Glow" dance party!  Students will be updated weekly on their standings and filling in the thermometer goal sheet each week, so please be watching for it.  I have instructed kids to keep their thermometer goal sheet in their take home folders so that parents/guardians will be able to keep a close eye on their progress as well.  Quarter 2 ends on January 23. 

I have some fun things planned and in mind for Friday, but there is business that needs to be buttoned up first (math test and retakes, etc.), so I will not be planning a formal Thanksgiving party this year.   However, it is my hope that we have a more casual type of Thanksgiving party in our room.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

Our 5 Seconds of Fame!

In case you didn't get the chance to catch the news last night or if you don't receive news out of Duluth, here is a link to watch the news story last night.  I still can't believe all of things that happened yesterday.  It was a day none of us will soon forget.  Click on the link below.

Our 5 Seconds of Fame

Fox 21 News Paid Us a Surprise Visit!

What a crazy day!!  I am sure your son/daughter will tell you about the snake incident, but I wanted to get the word out to tune into Fox 21 News out of Duluth tonight if you can because imagine my complete and utter surprise when I got a knock on my classroom door and was greeted by a film crew.  I am not even kidding!  It really happened!  We were in the middle of a math lesson and the news showed up at our door.  To be honest, I have no idea what the story is about or any other details other than they filmed our class for about ten minutes or so.  Please tune in if you can!  I hoping their will be a clip on their website tonight that I can link to the blog for those of you who don't have cable like myself.  :)

Have a great day!!  I am so lucky to work with such awesome kids!!

Pics from Cranberry Marsh

Is it really October??

Happy Fall, Y'all! 

It was so great meeting with all of you this past week to discuss your child.  Thank you for taking the time to come in and chat a little bit about their progress.  I know you are all very busy with your families and I appreciate that you value your child's education enough to come in.  Awesome!

A couple of quick things... 

1.) Wednesday, October 8 is early release.

2.) We are most likely headed to the Cranberry Marsh on Thursday for our field trip.  Our class will be there in the mornings and be back at school before lunch, so they will have lunch as usual.  We will follow our regular schedule for the afternoon.  This is always a fun field trip for the kids, but, depending on the weather, there could be a LOT of walking, so please make sure your son/daughter wears the appropriate shoes.  It is also recommended that the students dress in layers as they will be outside all  morning.  We are unable to take parent volunteers with us to this field trip, but hopefully there will be an opportunity this spring. 

Make it a great week!

Vocabulary Chart

I had a parent ask about the vocabulary words, so I thought I would post a picture.  :-)

Homecoming and more!

Hello!  This week is homecoming week.  Please encourage your son and daughter to come to school on Friday wearing Black and Gold like a CANE!!  Tomorrow the Canes Pro Shop will be selling tattoos for $1 and necklaces for $2 to really rev up the school spirit.  :)

On Friday, the students will gather at 9:00am in the gymnasium for a pep assembly.  On Friday afternoon, all students will gather outside on 5th street to watch the homecoming parade go by around 2:30.  It should be a lot of fun for everyone!

In ELA, we are still reading Judy Blume's Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing.  The students really seem to enjoy this light-hearted and fun book.  It is completely relatable (as is most of Judy Blume's work) and has plenty of humor.  There will be a vocabulary test on Friday for the following words: apartment, elevator, cushioned, advertising, commercial, mumbling, advantages, insulted, discussing, and reptiles.  The students should have copied each definition down on their flashcards.  If they haven't, the definitions are posted on board for students to copy before Friday. 

We have started Writer's Workshop and most of the kids are loving it!  We are working on a realistic fiction piece.   Today we discussed how writers can get ideas from ordinary moments or from stories they wish existed.   Please ask your son/daughter about what they have been writing in class. 

As always, please email  with any questions.

GO CANES!

Introducing Mrs. Marienfeld's Rock Stars!!!

Over the past week, the students brainstormed, planned, and worked as a team to create this music video featuring Morgan Fraizer's song "Hey Bully".  Please enjoy!  They worked hard!  Also, I sent home a letter tonight for parents interested in receiving reminder texts.  Let me know if you have questions.  What a fabulous bunch of kids we have in our class!!

First Day of School!

Greetings!  I am happy to report all of the children and staff survived the first day of school.  In fact, I think we all had FUN!!  I sent home an assignment for parents tonight, so please be sure to check your son/daughter's take home folders for the letter and also please make sure you sign their assignment notebooks.  I will be sending home more information about the app Remind 101 later this week, so stay tuned. 

We had a WONDERFUL first day and I am so EXCITED to be able to work with all of you.  We are going to make it a rockin' year.  :)

Welcome Back to School!

Greetings!!

Welcome to the 2014-15 school year.  I am so excited to start this journey with you.  We have a lot of excited things planned.  If you are reading this, you have found our 4th grade blog.  In this blog, you will find updates, pictures, occasional videos, resources and other fun things.  Please be sure to stop back often and regularly.   I don't send home newsletters, so this will be my main form of communication.  Of course, you can always contact me directly if you have questions. 

If you are my student and you are reading this, mention the word "persevere" along with the definition to me in private for a Marienfeld Moola.  Trust me, you will want to get some Marienfeld Moola!  Don't forget to tell me what it means, too.  We are going to be using that word a lot this year. 

Welcome aboard!  It's going to be awesome!

Looking for Volunteers

Hello!

Mr.Vesel is writing a letter with more details to be sent home tonight, but just in case you check the blog today, I am looking for up to four volunteers to come with us on our field trip to the school forest to plant trees this Friday, May 2. 

From what I understand, it won't be all day.  It will likely take place from mid-morning through mid-afternoon.  Like I said, there will be a letter with details sent home tonight.

If you are interested in helping with this, please contact me via email at bmarienfeld@hayward.k12.wi.us.  It should be a great day even if we get sprinkled on here and there.  :)

Thanks and have a great day!

Picture with Trophy

March Madness Victors!!

Hello!  I hope everyone had a nice, long weekend. 

I am happy to report that our class won the fourth grade March Madness competition by reading well over 3,000,000 words in the month of March!!  That's OUTSTANDING!!!  I am so proud of all their hard work.  I will post a picture of the trophy later because it's beautiful.

We are learning a lot about the Revolutionary War in our ELA unit.  The students were able to debate as Loyalists and Patriots and then they had to switch sides and pretend to be the opposite side.  It was really fun to see them using their higher levels of thinking, questioning, and processing.   I love a good debate and they really thought of some great points!

We are continuing to work on fractions in math.  I am behind on tutorials, but I am hoping to start getting some additional tutorials online this week. 

Until next time, ENJOY THE WEATHER!!!  Who knows how long it will last?!  :)

Peace!

Baby and Dolly

Today the Northwoods Humane Society put on a presentation for our fourth graders.  The students learned about the purpose of animal shelters and also got to meet a couple of very special dogs.  They were also told the story of how Dolly and Baby came to the shelter and how they are doing today.

You will find notes on Math Expressions Unit 6 if you click on the tab across the top.  I am working to create more videos, but unfortunately, I am out of space with my free screencast account.  I am looking into some other options.  For now, I am hoping that my notes will help to explain some things.  Parents often wonder why our current math curriculum teaches math the way it does.  Sometimes the math book's way seems longer and more confusing and at first, it is!  However, the reason why the math is presented that way is for children to deepen their understanding of why things work mathematically.  You will see in my notes that I included a couple of "Short-cut Alerts," so we are still teaching things the "old-fashioned" way most of the time.  It is okay to show your son or daughter a different way of coming to the right answer, so never feel like you are equipped to help him or her!  Teach them how you know the answer to be true.  :)

Have a great weekend!  HAPPY SPRING!!

Long Overdue Update...

Hello,

I would like to give you a brief update on many things going on in our room!

ELA: All students have been working hard on their Because of Winn-Dixie projects and they are looking great!  All projects are due on Monday, so please be sure to ask your child about them.  Chances are good that they have already told you about their plans! 

Students have also been working on Power Point Presentations about an animal of their choice.  Some of the students presented theirs to the class today and students will continue to share them throughout the week next week.  I was impressed by the enthusiasm of the students.  From what I can tell, they have all loved learning about their animals and sharing about what they have learned.  It's been fun to watch!

We will start a new unit in ELA on Tuesday about the Revolutionary War period. 


MATH: We wrapped up Unit 5: Units of Measure earlier this week.  We just started Unit 6: Fraction Concepts and Operations.  As always, the first 3 to 4 lessons will be the hardest, so it may take us a day or two to get through each of them.  We will get through it one day at a time!


MARCH MADNESS: As I shared in a previous blog post, our class read the most words out of any class in the Intermediate School last week.  The kids are pumped and excited about this contest.  Thanks for all of the support at home.  We are hoping to defeat Mr. V's class today.  I am not sure who were are challenging next week, but I will keep you posted. 


SBA: Mrs. Lee sent a letter home yesterday about the Smarter Balanced Assessments.  The fourth grade is a part of a math pilot program this year.  We will have three 1-hour time slots in the computer lab starting on Wednesday next week.  The students are not graded on this assessment, but they should still do their best.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me.  


I will end with an inspirational quote.  :)

"What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson


Peace!

1,542,757 words!!

Our newest AR competition is in full swing and our class started with a bang!  March Madness sets classes up against each other to see who can read the most words in one week.  Last week, we beat Mr. Click's class and actually had the highest word count in the ENTIRE SCHOOL!! Our class read an astonishing 1,542,757 words!!  That's amazing!!  I am so proud of the kids.  This week we are competing with Mr. V's class.  I am hoping that we can keep the ball rolling.  We start each week with zero words, so it is really anyone's game.  Please continue to encourage your son/daughter to read their AR books at home and be sure to give them a high-five and a hug tonight to congratulate their hard work!  AWESOME!  :)

Because of Winn-Dixie Projects

Students in my ELA are working independently or in partners to create a final project for the book Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. We have been having a blast getting creative! All projects are due Friday, March 15. 

Skype

Today we got to Skype with Kade while he was on vacation in Mexico! So fun!!

Rock and Roll!!!

Is there a party going on??

As your student may have told you, the class has earned their second reward party and they are JAZZED.  After a class discussion and vote, a Pajama/Movie/Ice Cream Sundae Bar was the winning reward.  Each student has volunteered to either bring ice cream, bowls, spoons, napkins, or toppings to share with the class.  If your son/daughter has volunteered to bring something, but you can't make it work, let me know and we will work something out.  :)

The party will be Monday.  I hate to put it off that long, but the Read Like a Rock Star Celebration is tomorrow and I will be at a conference both Thursday and Friday this week.  We haven't selected a movie yet.

Have a great day and I will see you all next week for conferences! 

Report Cars and PTC

Hello!

Quarter 2 report cards and conference times were sent home yesterday.  Let me know if you have a question about a grade or if you need to reschedule your conference.  :)

In other news, there will be a final test on "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" on Monday.  We played a review game today in class that included all the questions on the test.  I told the students that if they knew all or most of the answers, they would be in good shape for the test.  I also told them that if they didn't know the answers that they should take a book home over the weekend and study.  It seemed the most of the kids knew most questions.

We have a Quick Quiz and Fluency Check in math today.  To be honest, I have been too busy to update our math tutorials, but I hope to play a little catch up this weekend.

After "The Mouse and the Motorcycle", we will be studying and learning about Aesop's Fables.  As part of our learning, the students will be making paper bag puppets.  They aren't sure what their puppets characters are supposed to be yet, but I have asked them to bring in a variety of crafty supplies.

Have a great weekend!

Gracie's Dream

Congratulations to Gracie!  She was our other speech winner.  You can watch Gracie's Dream speech below.  I'm so impressed by her beautiful ideas!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

I'm proud of you, Gracie!

**Updated w/ Working Link** Eric's Dream Speech

Please click on the below for Eric's award-winning speech.  What a speech and what a delivery!  Congrats, Eric!  I am so proud of you!!  :)

Eric's Dream Speech

 

I have a dream....

To celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, students wrote their own "I Have a Dream" speeches.  We had a contest in our classroom to find out who could write the best speech.  The winners received $5 in Marienfeld Moola and a chance to be featured on the blog.  All of the students had fantastic ideas and they all did a great job!  It was very hard to choose the winners!  Please watch the blog for video updates of the winners reading their speeches. 

Also, remember that Thursday is Early Release.  It is also the end of the second quarter.  You can expect report cards to be sent home on Monday, January 27.

Have a wonderful day!

Update

Hello!  Happy New Year!! 

I apologize for taking a while to update the blog.  It has been busy!

We finished our pioneer unit before Christmas break and we have started our new unit in ELA called Animals with Character.  This unit will focus on how authors can use animals as characters using writing devices like personification.  We will read two books this unit, The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. 

STAR reading and STAR math tests will take place over the next two weeks along with our second round of DIBELS testing.

Students took their Unit 3 math test today.  Any make ups or retakes will be administered this week.  All students must have their test signed by you and turned back into me.  You can expect them to be sent home Wednesday or Thursday this week.  We will begin Unit 4 later this week or early next week. 

The end of Quarter 2 is on January 23.  It is also another early release day for HCSD.

Have a fabulous day!