Welcome!

More Than ABC is a informative, fun, creative blog dedicated to share what is going in in our classroom. Using technology, creativity, and quality materials keeps us busy! If your in my class or just a visitor, I'm glad you stopped in!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Book Orders



Ordering a book for your child can help motivate them to read and help foster a love of reading. Scholastic book clubs offers popular titles at a highly discounted cost to students.

See the flyer sent home today. Orders are due by Tuesday SEPTEMBER 7th.

Online Ordering Information

Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs

Class Activation Code: GNTJN



Now it's easier than ever to find the right books for your child — and help us earn FREE books for our classroom library at the same time! With new online ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs, you can choose from a much wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card.



Best of all, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent places their order online. It's so simple! Here's how it works:


SIGN UP at www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs.

On the parent page, click the "Don't have a User Name and Password?" link, then register for your own user name and password.

When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.




SELECT the books you'd like to order from over 500 titles available online...and take advantage of online-only specials and discounts.


SEND your order to me online by the due date. This time it is September 3rd.
Books will be delivered directly to our classroom, as always.


Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer.



Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure. Plus our whole class benefits thanks to the FREE books we'll earn with every parent online order.



Go to www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs now to get started.



Thank you,

Mrs. Rose



DISCLAIMER: If you are not a part of Mrs. Roses' class and order books we will not send them to you. Please only order a book if you are in my class this year!

Vote Tonight!

Parents, tonight is Open House!





We would love to see parents tonight to meet you and explain about 4th grade. We are also planning on using some of our new technology that will let you vote on some fun questions.



Come see what students are doing at school.

Tuesday

6-8 pm

Monday, August 30, 2010

Board Demo

Here is a video from the Promethean company. I'll be showing students the first minute or so to help explain who Prometheus was, and why the company choose that name.

Check it out!


Open House

See you tomorrow at Open House.

6-8 pm

The fourth grade team will be presenting about our instruction for the year. We are looking forward to meeting (or seeing you again) at open house!

Students were sent home with a reminder about open house, a class newsletter, and papers they have completed in the last week. Most items are there for you to review but do not need to be returned.

See Fox, Sit!


Check out our neighborhood critter that visited after school!
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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Baseline Writing Assessment


This week students took the district baseline writing assessment. Using the district writing rubric which grades on Mechanics, Spelling, Organization, and Style students are assessed to help determine areas of need in their writing.

Help with writing at home!

Have students keep a journal, write the grocery list, write and mail a letter to a family member, or write a narrative story about something that happened to them!
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Monday, August 23, 2010

Bountiful Beauty


A Big thank you to everyone who brought in so many supplies this week. Our Kleenex and storage bag supply is well stocked! Thanks!


Students have also begun to organize their school supplies placing less frequently used materials into storage cubby boxes in the back of the room to keep desks clean!



Saturday, August 21, 2010

Story Mountains




One reading goal this week was to practice finding the beginning, middle, and end of a story using story sequence. Students each read a copy of, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and then worked together in teams to find the events of the story as they progressed. We then discussed their events to reinforce story structure and story sequence.






I love the post-it notes for their versatility and the symbolism of the mountain for the progression of a fictional text.

We Want To Be

Everyone turned in their "All About Me" homework!
I have a page my mom kept from second grade that said I wanted to be a teacher. Not everyone knows what they might want to do when they are only 10 years old, but anything is possible with the right attitude and hard work!


Someone in our class wants to be a

  • dentist
  • builder
  • magician
  • musician
  • restaurant worker
  • soldier
  • scientist
  • shark scientist
  • baseball player
  • movie producer
  • Olympian
  • veterinarian
  • actress
  • policeman
  • author
  • football player
  • chef
  • adventurer
  • professional gymnast
  • criminal lawyer
What an amazing and exciting list!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to 4th grade! I'm excited for our first day of school and for all the exciting lessons, activities, and learning we will accomplish this year.

The first few days of school involves a LOT of paperwork so please take the time tonight or in the next few days to review the documents sent home. Please fill out and return appropriate documents as soon as possible.

Thanks for coming to our blog to check it out. Expect to see 1-2 posts per week.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Seen this bug?

Have you seen this bug?

I sent home postcards with this beautiful Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) this week.

Included on the postcard are classroom and teacher contact information. If it works for you, place the postcard on the refrigerator or other location in case you need to contact me throughout the year.

If your family would greatly benefit from a 2nd copy please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate!
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Friday, August 13, 2010

Reading and Math Groups

We will be sharing all the wonderful fourth graders among the fourth grade teachers for reading and math. This means students will almost certainly see a different teacher for reading or math that is not necessarily their "homeroom" teacher.

Students will also need to transport supplies between classes as follows:

Pencil pouch with:
  • pencils 2-5
  • pencil sharpener
  • pink eraser
  • red pen
  • highlighter

Student Resource notebook (with tabs for subjects)

Planner & Blue homework folder

Thursday, August 12, 2010

10-11 Supply List

Ahh, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the glow of boxes of brand new crayons! Here's our supply list with a brief explanation if you are interested!

FOURTH GRADE
  • 1 yellow highlighter
  • 4 pkgs. of 12 #2 pencils, sharpen 2
  • 1 pencil pouch with zipper, (fabric preferred) - To tote supplies to reading and math groups
  • 1 pkg. of wide ruled notebook paper
  • 2 composition notebooks, any color, 9 3/4" x 7 1/2" - a science notebook and writers journal
  • 1 adult-size pointed scissors, - 4th grade, it's time to cut quickly and carefully
  • 1 ruler with inches & metric, no metal parts (please)
  • 4 large glue sticks - most students will need more, buy now while they are on sale!
  • 1 bottle of white glue
  • 1 box of 24 colored pencils
  • 1 box of 24 crayons
  • 1 box of washable markers (optional) - many students prefer markers for posters, projects, etc. but they are not necessary
  • 1 large pink eraser
  • 1 red ball point pen - used for correcting their papers. Red only please!
  • 2 spiral notebooks - Notes for social studies and reading work.
  • 1 clipboard, letter size 8 1/2" x 11" not legal size - working on the floor, outside, or in a different room is much easier with clipboards.
  • 1 box of gallon or quart size zipper storage baggies - used to store all kinds of pieces and papers
  • 1 3-ring binder (1 inch) - Student Resource notebook (vocabulary, data, etc.)
  • 1 set of 5-tab dividers for 3 ring binders - Data, Reading, Math, Writing, Other.
  • 2 boxes of facial tissues
  • 4 pocket folders - 2 for projects, 1 handwriting, 1 poetry
  • Hand held pencil sharpener
  • $7.00 for Planner and Time for Kids.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Publishing Kid's Work

While not every piece of writing can be published, it is important to let students publish some of their work, especially ones that are important to them. I always seem to decide when it is a good time for the class to publish, and how to publish.

I was reading The Write Tools - Greiner and she suggested allowing students to choose how they would like to publish. Here are some of her and my ideas for what that might look like in my classroom.

Read piece aloud to class (or another class if possible)
Post in classroom
Post on board in hall
Add to a published collection of student work on bookshelf
Post on blog
Include snippets in newsletter


With the right guidelines I think some of these publishing options would be very alluring to young writers. We'll see!