Room 17

This past Friday students worked with other 4th graders from Mrs. Holling & Mr. Wright's classes to play math review games related to geometry and basic facts. They were also given and had time to begin work on their Unit 1 Study Guide. We discussed the expectation to bring this home to finish over the weekend and then bring it back on Monday. We will go over each question and students will have time to share strategies and ask questions before we take the test on Tuesday morning. Another tool for reviewing Unit 1 is the online version of the study guide on VoiceThread. It would be nice if each student could record their strategies and solutions for at least 3 questions (try to do questions that haven't been solved yet). Links and instructions for logging on are here and every student should have a log-in cheat sheet inside their Planner with all our user names and passwords.

Math grades are taken generally from 3 sources: homework, tests, and in-class assignments. A big chunk of "in-class" work that is scored are the students' daily Math Boxes which contain an assortment of review work which can be done using any resources available in the classroom. Remember that the first place students should look to for help in math (including HW) is their Student Reference Book, or SRB. I generally will collect 2-3 Math Boxes per unit equaling 20-30 points. 

I enjoyed seeing those who I was able to catch at Harvest Hoopla- what a great event! Thank you to everyone who volunteered or donated raffle items. 

A few things to note from this week:

Silly Bandz have officially become a problem for our learning in the classroom, and therefore students are now expected to leave them in their locker. Families should also be aware that Mrs. Boyle's policy is "no trading". Since "toys" are not allowed at school, I would have to discourage students from bringing in large quantities to play with at recess. Remember, the Walking Program is a great healthy choice on M-W-F and AR will be starting soon, too!

On Monday students will be given back their 3 branches  of government "Trees" with their scored rubric.

We started our writing portfolios on Friday by adding our "Dreams" and "Goals" writing. 

I will be scoring the students' "All About Me" Glogster in the next few days. If they have not completed it yet, they will need to find a time on their own to that. Included on these Glogs should be their Dreams for the future, at least one 4th grade Goal and some interesting things that would help us get to know them. Spelling and Grammar will be a big part of this writing score.

We have embarked on our first science themed unit and will be researching animal's basic needs. Each student will be working with a partner and were assigned (based on their stated interests) an animal today. The goal of the project is to gather relevant information through various sources and to present that information to others through VoiceThread. The project will span another few weeks. 


Today students received a research worksheet to organize their information along with a page to record their sources. These two items are a significant portion of the project grade. The research page won't be due until a later date and we will have opportunities in the classroom and the computer lab to do research. Please note that I am stressing that all sources must be cited. There are several great animal resources linked from our website so doing a "Google search" might not be necessary. If it is, students need to record the website(not 'Google') that they got the information from.


The focus of the presentation needs to be the 5 basic needs of their animal along with adaptations and location. A scoring rubric will be given to students next week so that it is clear what will be graded.  See the example below for an idea of the finished product, which is again a few weeks away.

Students have several tools to help them stay organized with their assignments, events and reminders. Their planner is the #1 tool for school/home connections. Each day we fill it out together and discuss each item for each subject and what is expected. They are also expected to utilize our student mailboxes, take-home folders and the "Responsibility Board" (a check-off for each turned-in assignment). It is the student's job to communicate what is expected of the them with their families each night.


Should an assignment be missing when it is due or need to be revised, I may opt to send home a yellow 1/4 sheet "Responsibility Note" which details the missing assignments. If you see this slip on an assignment, please discuss with your child how it can be prevented in the future. Late assignments are -10% for each day late. Thanks for your support!

Our learning has begun and while we continue to review major Math & Reading concepts from 3rd grade we will start to move forward with the following content:

Math- Unit 1 Geometry
Reading- Realistic Fiction
Science- Animals
Social Studies- Michigan (geography, state symbols & government)
Writing- Future Dreams and 4th Grade Goals

Wow, what a great way to start the new school year. We have 24 excited learners on our Room 17 Team and I am very impressed with how they Filled Buckets (especially mine) as we got to know each other and learned about how 4th grade will work.  

Thank You to all the family members who were able to make it to Meet N Greet and/or Back to School Night, it was great to meet you and I look forward to working with you this year.  

What a great Quote of the Day from Values.com