Extra! Extra! Read All About it!

Planning a Trip this Summer?

Have you thought about staying in Indiana?

This past month our writing goal was to create high interest list articles.  Our class has been working hard to create list articles about famous Indiana Landmarks.  In this project our main goal was to work on writing...but along the way we have learned so much more.  We looked carefully at magazines and their page layouts.  We learned how to create page layouts of our own using the program Pages.  We also had to do a little research about our Indiana landmarks before we could start writing.  We learned a little more about collecting research in Google Docs and organizing the information we found.  This project helped us learn more about Indiana...which is part of our 4th grade social studies standards.  It took a lot of hard work...but the end products were amazing.  I am really proud of my class and all of their hard work!

We wanted to share what we learned with our community.  We found a spot outside the office that we could hang up our articles for the whole school to read.  Even visitors to the school can read our articles while waiting in the office.  We have even placed copies of our articles in the magazine file so that people are able to take copies home to help them plan their vacations this summer.  So...the next time you walk into the school feel free to take one of our articles.  We hope they help you plan a great summer vacation.

Big Universe

We have access to a new program for reading called Big Universe.  This is a great resource that provides lots of books for the kids to access to read.  They can search for books by their reading level, genre, interest, and more.  Each student has their own log in.  Once they log in they can add books to their personal bookshelves.  They can add or delete books from their shelves at their leisure.  I can also assign books to their shelves that I would like for them to read.  We have been using it during our independent reading time this past week and all of the kids have really enjoyed reading from it.

Here is the best part...they can access their bookshelf from any computer.  They have access 24/7 to great books!  They will even have access over the summer.  The following link will take you directly to the website so that you can check it out.  Just log in and enjoy some great books!

Big Universe

The students usernames and passwords are the same as they use to log into their computers.
Our group username is tcsc-in

Have you read at home today?

Reading Calendar Data...

Every month the kids are supposed to record how much they are reading at home.  Our goal is that we will each read at least 420 minutes a month.  This is really important.  Research shows us that students who read more outside of school do better on achievement tests.  

So How Are We Doing...

If you take a look at the graph, each number across the bottom represents a student.  Along the left had side we have the number of minutes read.  The yellow line in the middle represents the goal line (420 minutes).  We have been collecting this data for 5 months now.  Each student should have 5 dots above their number.  The numbers are kept private so the kids only know their number.  Have them tell you what their number is.

So...if we take a look at January (purple dots), only 56% of our class turned in their reading logs.  44% of our class meet the goal of 420 minutes in January.  

Let's see if we can increase the amount of reading we are doing at home.  Don't forget that the February Reading Log is due on February 28th.  

If you have misplaced yours please click on this link to print a new one.   
February Reading Log

Student Treasure Books

Calling 

All Writers...
As you know, we are working on completing our Student Treasure Books.  I am sure that you have seen some of these papers come home...if not be on the look out for them.  This is an exciting program that allows our students to publish their writing into a hard bound book.  The kids have been working hard on them and I am excited to see the finished products.  

Here are just a few reminders:

• Edited and Revised Draft is due 2-12-14
• Final Draft Written in the Book is due 2-14-14
• Illustrations and Book Cover is due 2-19-14
• Completed Book is due 2-20-14

Order forms are coming home today.  Remember...everyone gets ONE FREE COPY!  The order form is only if you want more than one copy.  IMPORTANT...even if you don't want an extra copy you need to return the order form.  Just simply put a check mark in the box that says "No" and sign the bottom of the form.  You don't need to fill in any of the other information unless you are ordering another copy.  

Thank you for all of your support with this at home.  With all of the snow days and delays we would never have completed this project on time.  

What's Important?

"Reading is all about thinking"...is one of my favorite sayings.  I am sure my class does not love it as much as I do.  It's true though, as we read we are thinking about the information in a story or text.  We may not realize that we are doing it, but that's what reading is all about.

We have been working on paying attention to our thinking as we read all year.  This past week though we have added a new twist.  Readers also need to determine what information is important to remember and what information is just interesting.  We did the following demonstration to help us understand...

Before Reading...

A Book

This represents a book.
We talked about how a book has a lot of information inside it. (aka..the water and the noodles)

Our Brain 

This strainer represents our brain.
As we read, all of the information in the book goes
through our brain.

As we read, the information from the story or text (the water and noodles) passes through our brain (the strainer).  This is what it looks like after we are done reading the story or text. 

After Reading... 

The book

After we read the story or text, only the interesting information from the book is left.

Our Brain

All of the important information from the story or text sticks to our brain.  That is the information that is going to help us understand what we have read.

This is the anchor chart that we created to help us remember.

So...as you read together at home, ask your child to tell you what is the interesting information and what is the important information.  Happy Reading!

Quick Write

As we start to prepare for the ISTEP test in the spring, we are starting to investigate a new genre...the genre of Test Prompt Writing.

We have been working all year on our writing and working toward making sure it is proficient in many different genres.  Yet this one is really though...for one reason...THE TOPIC!

When we write on a daily basis, many times, we get to choose what we want to write about.  In a testing situation however we don't have that luxury.  We have to write about a topic that is given to us by the test.  This can be tricky when you only have 60 minutes to write.  Many times students get stumped on the topic, don't know what to say, and spend a lot of time thinking.

So...what can we do to prepare for this.  The answer is simple...a daily quick write.  A quick write is just what it sounds like, a quick write.  In a quick write you are given a topic that you may or may not know a lot about and are asked to write for 2 minutes.  There is only one rule in a quick write...YOUR PENCIL CAN NEVER STOP MOVING.  You need to write down everything that is on your mind.

How will this help us once that test rolls around?  Well...the hope is that by practicing to write about a surprise topic quickly we will be able to do the same on ISTEP.  Hopefully, we will get better at thinking of things to write much quicker.  We have been doing this type of writing all year but...the next couple weeks we are going to be focussing on it a little bit more.  Everyday the students will be given a surprise topic to write about for 2 minutes.

This is something you can also do at home!  Try giving your child a topic to write about and time them for 2 minutes to see what they can come up with.  Here are some prompts you might want to try...

• What is your favorite day of the week?  Why?
• What is something that really makes you angry?
• What is your favorite movie?  Why?
• What if you could participate in the Olympics.  What event would you compete in?  Why?
• What if you were the principal of this school, what would you do?
• What do you think of 3D movies?
• What do you think makes a happy family?

Native American Project

At the beginning of December we started working on a project where we were integrating Social Studies, Language Arts, and Technology.  In this project the students were asked to complete two tasks.  One was to write a compare and contrast essay and the other was to research two different Native American groups and take that information to create a iphoto slideshow presentation.  We have been working hard to complete these two tasks.  The students have been researching different Native American groups who once lived in Indiana.  They found their research in books, online, and even interviewed an expert.  We Skyped with Dr. Ben Kracht, a professor at Northeastern State University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He was very helpful in answering all of the questions that we had.

This week we will be finishing up our projects.  They have worked really hard on them.  Check out a few pictures of all of our hard work.  Not only did we learn a lot about the different Native American groups who once lived in Indiana but...we have also learned a lot about researching, using technology, working in a group, and presenting information.  Many of the 21st Century skills they will be using in the future!

 The students were working on their research any chance they got!  Even while the rest of the class was taking restroom breaks.  

We learned how to use the research tool in google docs to find information about the different Native American groups we were researching.  We then recorded our findings in a google docs document.  

Here is a picture of Dr. Ben Kracht and a member of the Kiowa Nation.  He has studied different Native American groups for over 20 years.  We were thankful that he was able to Skype with our class to answer all our questions.

Ask your child about their project...I am so proud of all of their hard work!