Where did January GO???

We have been so busy these last 4 weeks! We are really diving into some literacy skills that will, in the end, help us to increase our comprehension. We are learning about vocabulary and fluency strategies that will help us comprehend the stories we are reading.
We are also working on writing to a prompt. 4th graders will take the FCAT Writes February 28.

In Math we are really working on decimals. Remind your students to show you their place value charts.

At the beginning of March we will take a field trip to Marine Science! That is a great day of fun!!

Make sure your student is accessing Compass as much as they can from home. This is a great resource to assist in promotion.

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Spelling Bee-

Congrats to Warren and Keyerra for participating in our school Spelling Bee today! Both did a great job, because we all know how nerve wracking it can be to stand in front of a large group and spell! Congratulations again.

Words like: twig, scoop, shamrock, sparkle, mixer, fashion, wallet, hula, mimic, broadcast and shuffle knocked a few out of the running.

We are practicing our writing daily now in hopes of helping our writing scores. Please ask your student what they have been writing about!

The cold weather is here- please make sure your student has a jacket and gloves!!!

Happy New Year!

A Great Holiday :)

Hello! I hope you have all enjoyed your holiday break spending time with your family and friends! I know that I have really enjoyed my time off. It is the first year that I have actually stayed right here in town and just literally "Hung OUT!!!"
Last night Wolfson won the Baker County CHRISTMAS Tournament! That was 12 games of basketball in 3 days with 8 teams! I was so proud of Wolfson!!! They have such an awesome basketball team this year!!
With all the fun that has been had, it is time to start thinking about the new year and all the promise that it holds. We will be getting to work Day 1 because we have many days off in January and February.
For 4th graders- you will start really working on your writing. Your FCAT writes test will be February 28th this year- what a sweet birthday gift for your teacher HA!
Then, we have the BIG FCAT test in April. We still have SOOOOOO very much to cover to get you ready for that. So- day 1 we are starting with the motto "Get to work!"
We have a few changes in classroom management, but I think you will see how much more productive you are going to be!
See you in a few (4) short days!!!

Happy Holidays~

Well, we will finish with day 78 of school on 12/16/2011. It doesn't seem possible!

We are working hard in the classroom, and we need to make sure students are working just as hard at home. This year is billed as a "year of remediation" for students. That remediation will only be successful if students are working at home as well. The District has designed Compass Odyssey to assist struggling students at home. Each student has been assigned a learning path, and should be working on this nightly. If there is no computer access available, students should be working in their Math or Reading books. The "catch-up" that we are all looking for will NOT occur if students are only exposed to academics in class.

The holiday break is a great time to reinforce basic math and reading skills. I hope you will take advantage of this wonderful learning opportunity!

Happy Holidays!

14 Days - Make them COUNT!!!

It is hard to believe that the Holiday Season is upon us! There is a lot going on around the school and the community. It is EVER so important that we don't lose focus- Attendance is crucial, as well as, completing homework and READING nightly to an adult.
This week we will take county benchmark exams that will measure our progress from the beginning of the year. These tests are crucial for determining how students are progressing.

12/8 - Students will need to bring in a bag lunch and can drink. We will be traveling to the Cummer Museum for a showing on Florida History. After viewing we will have lunch in Memorial Park.

It's all about FLUENCY and COMPREHENSION in reading! I know that many of you were concerned about grade that came home right before the Thanksgiving break. Students have to spend time in text to understand text. Many students are only working in school, and this is creating a lot of hardships when tests roll around. They should be reading out of their reading book 2 - 4 times a week reviewing the story of the week. In addition, they should be reading texts at their level nightly!!!

In Math, it's all about KNOWING FACTS- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division!! These should be known in a "snap"- Please work with your students on these skills. Flash cards are a great way to practice, as well as, simply calling out problems for them to respond to immediately.

We have a long way to go and a lot of curriculum to cover before the end of the year. Please -- Please help your students succeed by working with them at home daily!!

Enjoy your holiday season!!

Seven Habits of a Good Reader: Strategies for What Good Readers Do

We are working on these strategies in class. I will be going over 1 a day for the next several days. Students should be demonstrating how they do this during their 30 minutes of nightly oral reading.

* Visualizing - Forming mental images or pictures about what they are reading such as characters, settings, or events in a text help students connect new information to previous experiences. Visualizing aids in comprehension.