*children OR adults?*

*To continue a great discussion we had after reading a chapter in Charlotte's Web today, please respond to this quote:

"Children pay more attention than adults do."

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Please don't forget to proofread & sign your name**


**Allisyn

*Homework, Waterloo, + Curtains*

*Hello, everyone! I will be trying a new approach to homework this week. Basically, the idea is less homework, which should yield higher quality work. I know many of our kids aren't getting home until late, and people are questioning whether to pull kids out of after school programs. My feeling is, the kids are in school all day, and I hope for them to have at least a small break from school! Homework is an important element in building strong study habits, learning how to manage time, and reinforcing school work, however, when it is rushed, I don't believe it's really helping much at all. Let's see how this week goes! Please remind your child that because they are not getting homework in every subject each night this week, I expect to see BEST EFFORT put into every assignment. Thanks!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has been so incredibly generous in helping us achieve our goal of raising enough money to go to Waterloo. We did it! The kids are really excited. I want to especially thank Maureen and the parent volunteers who have been meeting and organizing our fund raising events. Thank you Scott! We are organizing a meeting about our field trip to Waterloo for all 4th graders & parents this THURSDAY, October 26, at 8:30 am. Please mark your calendars and keep an eye out for more info. Check out Waterloo Village to learn more!

Finally, I bought some fun fabric to make curtains with. Anyone interested in helping us turn a sheet into curtains? Please let me know. Thanks a bunch**


**Allisyn

*Thoughts on Columbus*

We started a conversation in class that Allie brought up: Why do we celebrate Columbus Day? We have been learning about many different points of view on Christopher Columbus, which made us think more deeply about this question.

Thoughts? Please share! Be sure to sign your name and carefully proofread before you post. Thanks!

**Allisyn + class 424

*Question of the Week*

If thoughts are invisible, how can we make them visible?

Please remember to carefully proofread your thoughts and take responsibility for your words by signing your name!


**Allisyn

*Weekend Plans?*

*Jenny and Mo sent in a great recommendation for this weekend! There are some great tours, including in our neighbourhoods, a canoeing ecotour on the Gowanus Canal, and some sort of new green energy house on Pacific St.


Check it out at:
Open House NY Tours

*Words of the Week*

Hello families! I wanted to clarify how this week's Words of the Week (WOW) should be working. After giving a math assessment last week, I saw that many students had trouble spelling the names of shapes. As fascinating as "ploygons" and "circels" sound, I figured that would be a good place for us to start!

Here are this week's 10 words:

triangle
quadrangle
pentagon
hexagon
heptagon *note: heptagon - a seven-sided polygon (not a "septagon!")
octagon
polygon
square
circle
rectangle
(diamond and rhombus are bonus words).

I expect all students to copy the words down CORRECTLY, and after checking last night's homework, I see that I will need your help to make sure students are not rushing through and learning the words incorrectly, as many kids did on their first attempts at this weeks' homework. PLEASE look over your child's WOW homework each night and check in to be sure they know how to spell the word and what it means.

I did a Dictionary lesson so kids are highly encouraged to use dictionaries at home regularly! They may borrow one from the class if needed.

TIPS FOR WOW:

*Encourage your child to look for the ROOT word, and examine how SUFFIXES and PREFIXES change the meaning of the root word.

*Turn WOW homework into a game. Family spelling bees, Hangman, Boggle, etc... are fun ways to practice.

*Your child has a two-sided sheet entitled "Examples of Word Study Homework" in their Take Home Folders. Please read through this, as this paper serves as a guide for their WOW homework each week. It gives very specific examples of the activity choices they have for each night, and exactly how I expect it to be organized and labeled. Please use this guide when checking homework! The words on the sheet are only examples (cat and now are not 4th grade spelling words!!!).

*Online dictionaries: www.dictionary.com, www.wordcentral.com, www.factmonster.com

Please contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!

**Allisyn

*Question of the Week*

Why should we learn about Native Americans and the Hudson River?


Painting of the Hudson River Valley in New York in the Early 19th Century


Painting of Native Americans Fishing with Nets

*Kakuro*

For those of you who haven't heard, our very own Mojique taught us a new math game on Friday during Parents as Learning Partners. It's called Kakuro, and it's kind of like a number crossword puzzle, similar to the very popular Sudoku. Mo's family passed along a few recommended websites if you are interested in learning how to play.

Indigo Puzzles

Kakuro-San