Viewing: December, 2010
December 22, 2010
Season’s Greetings!
My thanks go out to so many of you this evening! Thank you to all the parents to volunteered to send in supplies for today’s successful party, and to those parents who found time in their busy schedules to come in and help us out! Thank you, also, for the very kind and generous holiday gift that you all got me! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!
In class today, we went back to the 1500’s and 1600’s and learned a bit about Elizabethan customs. We made our own pot of wassail – a kid-friendly adaptation of the ubiquitous Christmas grog during the days of Queen Elizabeth I. We also enjoyed a few madrigal songs. After our afternoon cookie swap, the kids had fun decorating their very own gingerbread houses.
Because we were cooking for much of the morning, our normal schedule was modified, and we had the flexibility to work through material at a slower, more relaxed pace. I really enjoyed our day today, and I hope the kids did too!
Many of the kids asked for the recipe for the wassail, so here it is:
- Ingredients
- Apple Cider (1.5 gallons)
- Naval Oranges (2 large)
- Cloves
- Cinnamon Sticks (4)
- Directions
- Cook the apple cider until steaming. Cut two naval oranges into eights (or so you have enough slices to serve to each guest). Push one or two cloves into the rind of each orange slice. Place the studded oranges into the cider and continue cooking. Do NOT boil! Add approximately four cinnamon sticks (more or less, to taste), broken in half, to the wassail. Cook until the oranges are plump and until the citrus cells begin to burst. Do not over cook, as the wassail will get a bitter, tart flavor. Allow the wassail to cool a bit before serving; it should be warm, but not piping hot. Enjoy!
- Makes about 15 full cup servings (more or less!)
I also hope you enjoy the cookies that the kids brought home today. We are ALMOST ready to send home copies of our class cookie cookbook, so thank you for your patience.
Finally, in the absence of any respectable, seasonable snowfall, enjoy the blizzard on our class website for a few days!
From all of us in Room 209, particularly Mrs. Linkovich and myself, have a wonderful break and a joyful holiday season!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 20, 2010
Geno’s Reading Team
Last year, our school participated in Geno Auriemma’s reading challenge for Connecticut schools. I really enjoyed it, and it seemed to do a great job of motivating our students to read, read, read! We’re starting up again this year, and while I’ll distribute the information to students tomorrow, I wanted to put up the information here since I know that there are families leaving for vacation tomorrow.
Downloads
Geno’s Reading Team Calendar – Our reading log (feel free to download and use this if your child loses the one he or she gets in class)
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 20, 2010
Reminders for Wednesday
Remember, our holiday party will be held Wednesday afternoon. A few points to remember:
- Please send in cookies for our cookie swap on WEDNESDAY, not Thursday (see earlier post).
- Please send in 30 cookies, not just 24 (if possible) so that we can share with some of the wonderful people who help us in our school. (see assignment sheet)
- Remember, the cookies you bring in do NOT have to be homemade. I know this is a busy time of year, so if you send in store-bought cookies, it’s no problem! Your cookies don’t have to match the recipe you sent in, and I’m not looking to add any more stress for anyone! 🙂
- We’re doing some fun activities on Wednesday, so if the parents who have signed up to volunteer would like to bring cameras, feel free!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 20, 2010
Nutmeg Discussion Schedule
Here is the discussion schedule for the next few weeks, brought to you by Mrs. McCabe!
Dec. 15th: ELEPHANT RUN; ELEVEN
Dec. 22nd: FIRST LIGHT; IRON THUNDER
Jan. 5th: THE LEMONADE WAR; NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS
Jan. 12th: NO TALKING; ONE-HANDED CATCH
Jan. 19th: SWINDLE; THE THING ABOUT GEORGIE
Nutmeg discussions will be held Wednesdays at recess and are optional for all fourth grade students.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 16, 2010
Possessive Noun Reteaching Homework
I’m really excited about this assignment! Tonight, you need to show how much you’ve learned about possessive nouns. This assignment is unique because it reteaches you the four rules for possessive nouns, and you need to apply the skill by typing in the right form of the noun.
BONUS: What rule does this assignment leave out? (What kind of noun? Singular? Plural? Ends with an s? Doesn’t end with an s?)
http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/possessives.html
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 15, 2010
Crazy Hat/Hair Day on Friday
Just a reminder that FRIDAY is “Crazy Hat/Hair Day” at PGS. Kids are invited to have fun and to be creative with their hats and/or hair. Students are asked (though not required) to bring in a $1 contribution that will be donated to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 14, 2010
Reminder: Book Orders Due
Oops! I never issued a due date for the December book orders. If you would like to order books, please return the orders by Friday. Please pay by check (payable to Scholastic), not by cash. You can also order online. Information follows:
Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and log in using your user name and password.
If it’s your first time ordering online, use the Class Activation Code GZD87
- SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the “Register” button in the “First Time Here?” section. Register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.
- SELECT the books you’d like to order—choose from thousands of titles—many more than in our monthly flyers.
- SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child’s books will be delivered directly to my classroom.
Ordering online is fast and easy!
Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online.
Thank you!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 14, 2010
Cookie Swap and Holiday Party
Our holiday party and cookie swap will happen on Wednesday, December 22nd. Please note that this is a change from the original date (of the 23rd) that was on the original letter about the cookie swap. We’re working on typing the recipes in the lab (which is a great way to practice typing skills, use of Microsoft Word, and mathematical arrays when choosing a table for the ingredients). I’m asking eaach student to bring in 30 cookies on the 22nd. That will give us enough cookies for each student in the class to get one of each, and for us to make some special trays to give to the very special people in the building who help our school so very much! You will receive an email in the next day or two from the parents coordinating this party with information about how you can help out if you’d like. Thank you, in advance, for being so generous with your time, supplies, and COOKIES! 🙂
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 14, 2010
Nutmeg Discussion Group 1
From Mrs. McCabe
REMINDER: Wed. Dec. 15th
Titles: ELEVEN and ELEPHANT RUN will be discussed during 4th grade recess(12:50-1:15)in the library. Any 4th grade attending will get a sweet treat for participating! What better way to spend a cold inside recess day…come to a lively Nutmeg book discussion group!!!!!!!!!!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
December 13, 2010
Mastering: Drawing Conclusions (Homework)
We’ve worked a lot in class with the skill of drawing conclusions from a piece of text. Remember the formula for drawing a FAIR conclusion:
Information from the text + Your own background knowledge = Fair Conclusion
When drawing a conclusion, remember to DISTINGUISH (tell the difference between) what is possible and what is probable! Focus on the probable conclusion.
For homework this evening, I have an activity very similar to the one you completed two weeks ago. It looks like an activity you did for homework once before, but trust me, it’s a new assignment.
There are a few things to look for. (1) One problem already has an answer selected because the person who made the assignment made a mistake by clicking a choice. But it may or may not be correct! You decide for yourself! (2) There is one question in the assignment that I think is very poor. It asks you to draw a conclusion, but I don’t think you’re given enough information to make a FAIR conclusion. Come into class ready to tell me which item was the bad question. (Consider writing it in your planner so you don’t forget.) No need to email me or print anything!
Here is the link:
http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/h/inferencesp.cfm
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss