Reading, Reading, Reading!

Well, boys and girls, now it is my time for homework! I started my class today and already have a great deal of reading and papers ahead of me! I bet you thought I would be laying at the beach all summer, huh? Nope. Not me! A teacher never stops learning, so here I am back in school for two weeks this summer!

I have a lot of work to get done in one week! I have lots of readings I must do, too. So, I don't think you want to hear about the teacher-stuff I have to read about, but I DO want to hear about what you are reading!

I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day weekend! I hope you all remembered all that great information about the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence!

Please, blog away! I want to hear about your books and what great adventures you are having!

Summer is Here!

Boys and girls, summer has finally come! I am so happy that the sun has also decided to come out and join us! Today I went for a walk for the Little Louie Foundation on the boardwalk in Long Beach. I got a little too much sun! I have quite a bit of sunburn on my arms and neck! What a change from all that rain and clouds, right?

Well, I hope that you all went over the report cards with your parents along with the reports on your ELA and Math test scores. Remember to also give them all the important papers! Supply lists are very important! Look for sales beginning in August at Staples, Walmart or Target for great deals to get your fifth grade goodies!!!!!

I am positive that you all will be very happy in your fifth grade classes. Remember, fifth grade is going to be a lot of work. It is important that you continue to read every day so that you continue to build up your vocabulary and comprehension skills.

I am very proud of all of you! This year was a lot of work, and a lot of testing! But we made it through! I hope that all of you come back in September and show me that you completed all those fifth grade Social Studies vocabulary packets. Remember, you do that work, I will give you a special prize!

I will keep you posted from time to time on any exciting things I am doing. Tomorrow I am going to a zoo in New Jersey. It should be a lot of fun! I will let you know what animals I see!

Summer is Almost Here!!!

Can you believe that it was only nine months ago that you all entered my classroom as new fourth graders? Now, we are preparing to send you up to the fifth grade! I cannot believe how fast the time went! I am very proud of how you have grown over this school year.

We are talking about memoirs in writing and reading many different memoir stories. I would like to have you share some of your happy school memories on the blog. It can be of fourth grade or any grade. It can be a project, a teacher, or a book.

I think my favorite memory has got to be the picture book writing celebrations. I really enjoyed seeing you all read the books you worked so hard on to your reading buddies in the lower grades. I was so proud of all that hard work you did to accomplish those amazing books.

So, post your comments, share your memories.

Spring Has Sprung!

Well, we have been off for a few days now already. I am already thinking about when we get back next Monday and all the work that we must complete before the year is up. It seems like only yesterday you came to school as little fourth graders. Now you are almost fifth graders! How fast the time goes by! When we get back to school there are only ten weeks left! It is really important that you are reading every day towards the 25 book campain! This is important for you to finish in order to be promoted to 5th grade. The more you read, the more you will build your comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and even your writing! It all is tied together!

As we are enjoying these days off, I am sure that there is also a lot of reading going on! I am reading your picture book drafts and excited about you all becoming little authors yourselves!

Here is the question for the week.... In preparing to write our own picture books, we did a lot of work on character development, creating an interest for the audience, and using powerful words as an author. In all of the books you have been reading this year, tell me which author (and the name of the book) you think was your favorite this year! Tell me about why you liked this author.

Here is my favorite author... (Well, one out of many that I love!)

One of my favorite authors ever is Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have talked about her books in class. She wrote the Little House on the Prairie series which was long after turned into a television series when I was a child. I have read these books over and over again. When I was younger, I wanted to be Laura in the stories. Ms. Wilder used powerful and vivid language in her books that as I read, I felt like I was really there, experiencing all the things that Laura experienced. I could feel the wind blowing as I walked to school with my lunch pail, I could feel the sadness of when there was tragedy. This author made you feel like you are part of the book. They were so good I couldn't put them down. I still think the books are way better than the show was. Remember boys and girls, the movies you see are based on the books being written first, not the books written after the movies! The books are always better. I always read the book before I go see the movie. Trust me, the book is always better!!!!!!!! Now, tell me about your favorite!

It's All About Character!

We have been reading books in class for our new writing program, Writing Fundamentals. Some of the books we have read are The Old Woman Who Named Things, Shrek!, "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate, and Charlie Anderson. We have been discussing how it is important that the author creates characters that keep the audience interested in reading the book. I would love to hear which one of these books were your favorite AND which character interested you the most in the book. Tell me what made that character so interesting to you. What or who do you think inspired the author to create that character? I will share my opinions at the end of this week! : )

Snow Day! Snow Day!

Hello boys and girls! Well, can you believe it? We got a snow day today! I hope that you are making use of this extra day off! Be sure to do some reading and practice your math. I just heard on the news that the NYS Math test will now be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So we will still have tomorrow to practice and prepare! Be sure to drill your multiplication facts. If you can, maybe try to get some Acuity Math assignments done too! I am going to update the class website with the same information then it is off to try and shovel my house our of the 12 inches of snow!!!!!

I will see you all tomorrow! Please be careful getting to school tomorrow!

Vacation Reading

Well, boys and girls, it is now Thursday! I can't believe how fast this vacation is going! Unfortunately, I have had a bad case of the flu so I apologize for not updating your posts sooner. I would love to hear about what you are reading over the break. Tell me the title, author and characters you are reading about! I will be checking reading logs when we get back so make sure you are up to date on all your responses!!! Work towards the 25 book campaign!!!!

Also, don't forget the NYS Math test is coming!!!!! Be sure to be working on your math facts! Put those study sheets to work!

Enjoy the rest of the vacation! See you on Monday!

So, now what.....

Now that we finished the book, analyzed the characters, and discussed the different points of view, let's ponder another idea. What do you think will happen next in the story. I would like you to think about writing your own continuation to the story. What do they do? Does anything change? Where would you like to see Jacob, Sarah, Anna and Caleb go? Think about it and comment some of your ideas for how you think the story would continue if you were the author. Try and remember to think outside the box!!!!!! Enjoy your weekend!

Point of View

Today we discussed the point of view the book was written in. We know that the story is being told by Anna. Something to think about... How do you think the story would be different if the story was told from Caleb's point of view? I would like to you write how you think the story might be told differently if Caleb was telling it. Share your thoughts with everyone by clicking on the comment link below this post. I can't wait to read your comments!

What If?....

Don't forget your creative writing homework tonight! You were given three different situations where you were asked "What if...." Think outside the box for your responses. Try to imagine you are either Anna, Caleb or Sarah. What would you think or feel if the situations were different? I am looking forward to you sharing out your writing!

Our First Blog

I am very excited to get the students up and running on using our class blog spot! We will be able to share thoughts and ideas about books being read at home and in class. We have just read the book Sarah, Plain and Tall as a whole class. The students really enjoyed reading the book together and discussing the literary elements of the book. Students were able to be actively engaged in conversation and engaged in creative writing extensions based on the book.