*First 2 Weeks of School*

Instead of the usual, introducing ourselves & sharing something we did over the summer, we did things a bit differently this year. Students picked a partner to interview. They had to ask one another a series of questions, and added on some of their own. Listening carefully and jotting down notes helped prepare for introducing one another's partners to the entire class.



Another activity we did involved me sticking a colored dot on each student's head! They had to figure out what color their dot was, find other classmates with the same colored dot, and find the table that matched their dot, all WITHOUT TALKING! We have very impressive problem solvers.

In math, we've been working on different ways to arrange cubes into groups to efficiently show 100. This helps build strong number sense. It also involves using Snap Cubes to show your thinking, which is way cool!



After planning, recording, and sharing our work, students worked with a partner to create something using 100 Snap Cubes. Their creations were so amazing, we decided to create a museum. Here is a sneak peek, but you'll have to come to Curriculum Night for the limited-run exhibit!



We've been working hard on getting back into the swing of writing. In 4th grade, it's no big deal to write a whole page in 1 sitting! We timed ourselves and realized we can write even more than that. Right now, we're working on Personal Narratives -- true stories about tiny moments in our lives. 4th graders write with focus and detail. We "SHOW, not tell." Showing means stretching your story out with details, including setting, dialogue, action, feelings, internal thinking, etc... Telling is more of a distanced commentary, listing what happened first, next, next, etc... For more information on writing, check out the Homework Tips section!



Once some new technology equipment arrives from a grant I received, the students will be taking over much more of the blog. We will be a technologically decked-out classroom! I think the blog will be a really powerful tool for teaching kids to take responsibility for their work, and for providing us with a broader audience to share our work with. Hopefully, we'll get lots of feedback so the kids can see how much their work matters and can impact others. In other words, please give us lots of feedback and spread the word on our class blog once it gets going! Thanks. For now, I leave you with these happy campers and look forward to seeing you tomorrow for Curriculum Night, from 6:00 - 8:00pm!

**Allisyn