Viewing: Class Updates
January 12, 2011
Something to enjoy on this snowy day!
What could be better than a heinous amount of snowfall? Watching paint fall, of course! I just stumbled on this video on Gizmodo. It shows what impressive high-speed camera work can accomplish. Enjoy watching the paint!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
January 7, 2011
Season of Intensity!
Happy early-release day! This week marks the start of the season of particularly intense work. To be clear, I don’t necessarily mean that there is more WORK for the kids to do, rather that our schedule is more packed and that there’s more for me to get through with the kids. Only part of that can be attributed to preparation for CMTs. The increased “to-do” list is also the result of more advanced instruction that takes more time, us working on new projects, the required administration of mid-year universal screenings, and so forth. What this means for the kids is that we’ll have less flexibility in timing, and I will be pushing them that much more to be on-task and focused during lessons and activities.
This was a particularly busy week, but I do want to take a moment to compliment the kids for their fine work yesterday More on this in a moment. This week, we focused on three kinds of short-answer responses:
- Journal writing: “Write an entry that could have appeared in (character)’s journal.”
- Comparing and Contrasting: “How are ___ and ___ similar to and different from each other? Give evidence to support your answer.”
- Humor: “How did the author use humor in this passage? Explain your answer.”
We started working on journal writing on Tuesday by developing a list of the characteristics of a quality journal entry, as demonstrated by a (content-appropriate) passage from Anne Frank’s diary. We’ll continue to work on this in the coming week as we develop a journal entry for a character from our recent story about a person’s trip to Vietnam.
Yesterday, the busiest day of the week, we worked on two skills: examining humor and comparing and contrasting. You should be familiar with our C&C work after looking at last night’s homework assignment. In our humor lesson, we discussed how authors use humor in ways beyond telling jokes to make the readers laugh. The kids learned about irony, satire, hyperbole, changes from the norm, and more. (This gave a foundation of an activity the kids will start in about two minutes. 🙂 ) In both lessons, however, the kids demonstrated a superior amount of attention and focus, and while these lessons took quite a bit longer than I’d planned, it was due to the great discussions we had – a great reason for lessons running past schedule!
So often we talk to kids about problems: “You didn’t get your homework done.” or “Why did you lose recess?” or “How come you did so poorly on your spelling test?” So please consider taking a moment to compliment your son or daughter for a job well done in school yesterday!
Today, because of early closing, we had to work very hard to complete a few tasks that HAD to be done today. As a result, the spelling test has been pushed back and will be given next week.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
January 6, 2011
Comparing and Contrasting SAR Homework
For homework last night, you compared and contrasted four sets of “things” to practice using different graphic organizers. Today, we learned how to turn a list of similarities and differences into a SPECTACULAR short-answer response.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to explain the similarities and differences between two of your things in paragraph form. You may use two of the things from last night, or you can come up with a new set of things to compare and contrast. In class today, we developed a set of guidelines for how to write a successful SAR for comparing and contrasting.
I’ve typed up our list, and you can download it here: TRAITS OF A WELL-WRITTEN COMPARE AND CONTRAST SHORT ANSWER RESPONSE. It would be a VERY good idea for you to use this resource to help you!
You can write your response on paper, or, if you’re daring, you can type it and print it. (I do want a hard copy, however. No email submissions, please.)
Ok, are you ready?! Here’s your prompt. Replace “Thing 1” and “Thing 2” with the things you are comparing.
Explain how thing 1 and thing 2 are similar and different.
Use examples to support your answer.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
January 3, 2011
Bringing In Electronics
With the holidays now behind us, many students may have some new electronics that they may want to bring into school. Please consider the following guidelines:
- PSP, Nintendo DS, etc: Not permitted in class.
- iPods and other MP3 players: Not permitted in class.
- Cell phones: Must be turned off and left in lockers.
- Cameras: Students should discuss this with the classroom teacher. Usually not permitted.
- Kindles, Nooks, and other e-readers: These are the responsibility of the student, not the school. Before sending them in, understand that they may be lost and/or damaged and that the school cannot provide special storage or technical support. Students do not have WiFi access.
- iPads: Like the e-readers, these are the responsibility of the student. Student use must be limited to academic activities, not gaming or web browsing. There is no WiFi access for students.
- Math fact practice quiz games: Permitted for use in class, but again, the school is not responsible for loss or theft. The sound should be muted.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
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