Juicy Nibble

It was a short week given the two snow days due to the blizzard.  We added and subtracted fractions with like denominators and will do mixed numbers and improper fractions next week. In word study, we are learning about adverbs and will be tracking adverbs in our independent reading.  Snow Treasure will be finished next week and we are all excited to find out how it ends.  We are writing essays in writer's workshop and snow poems in poetry workshop.  Click here to make a virtual snowflake.  Mrs. Silvia will be here next week for another presentation from the Haffenreffer museum.  We are excited to welcome her back to JFK.
There is a survey for students to complete, click here to take the survey. Have a great weekend!

Bookworm Buzz

Here are some reviews from my Blizzard reading, enjoy!
Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan by Jeanette Winter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great addition to a text set on bravery and children who are heroes.


Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra  Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great "don't be afraid to be yourself," book and message.  Hockey fans will love and appreciate Henry's story, as well as moms and dads.


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Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never be afraid to be yourself.  Frances Dean learns this important message by Birgitta Sif. :)

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A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this story about how things sometimes get "messed up," in life and how it is helpful if we just learn to let it go. :) The art is pretty cool, too!

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A Bean, a Stalk and a Boy Named Jack by William Joyce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting twist on a familiar story.  Great for point of view and author's voice/craft.  Masterful pictures. 

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Lucky by David Mackintosh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Incredible art and illustrations.  Students will enjoy taking time to examine each page and discovery all of the different elements presented.  A great lesson on how sometimes a story can get out of hand quickly, especially if you don't set the facts straight from the beginning.  The ending will leave some students wondering about what happens at school the next day.

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Rudy and Claude Splash Into Art by Adam McHeffey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Everyone is an artist and this book proves just that.  Students who are reluctant to experience art because they aren't "good at it," will enjoy the message of this story.

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Loula and the Sister Recipe by Anne Villeneuve
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Just for fun. Cool art. :)


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Juicy Nibble

The first snow photos from the blizzard, can you guess who this is?  Have your guesses ready for Thursday.

Juicy Nibble

I was able to make it to the library before the blizzard really sets in!  I am looking forward to spending some extra time with my friends, books, over the next two days.  Send me your blizzard pictures and I'll post some from my house too!  Keep in touch and remember to read, read, read!

A Big Bite

Students really had fun creating a flying monkey at home to celebrate our movie reward.  There were many creative snacks, and even some baskets with Toto. :)  We hope that you enjoy the photos, don't worry, the monkeys didn't say "cheese,".
The first fraction math test went very well and we have started to add fractions with like denominators.  We will be subtracting fractions and working with improper fractions and mixed numbers next.  We watched a brief National Geographic DVD about the Northeast and began to learn about all of the wonderful things that make the Northeast so special.  We have finished working on the water cycle and will begin to talk about humidity and precipitation in science.  Our weather poems are almost done and we are choosing topics to write an essay about in writer's workshop.  In tech workshop, students are creating book presentations in Google Drive and will finish next week.

We should finish Snow Treasure this week and it has been wonderful to see everyone so excited about a book!  Weekly journal entries are improving and students are really expanding their reading diets.  We were able to add several new books to the classroom library as a result of your kind generous donations to the wishing well and classroom donations.  There are more on the way!

As always, Dance Party Friday is a hit and a highlight at the end of our week. We will be learning the Cupid shuffle in the next three weeks,  so get ready movers and groovers!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Williams 

Author Alert!

Kate Messner, the author of Capture the Flag and other books for 4th graders, will be at the Wellesley Bookstore, on Friday February 6th at 7:00 p.m.  I have attended several author events at the bookstore and it has always been a great experience.  Click here for more details.  I am hoping to make it myself. :)

Bookworm Buzz

Saturday, February 7, 2015, is "Take your Child to the Library Day."    I hope you have an opportunity to make a visit to the Franklin library on "Take your child to the library day," or sometime soon.  There is so much to learn and do at the library. :) Here are some of my latest finds at my local library.
Give and Take by Chris Raschka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! The message is so powerful that it will be a great addition to upper elementary classrooms and MS/HS classrooms.  I can see how this book will also find a place in my yoga classes.  Readers of all ages will be able to connect to this book and will leave you with some talk worthy discussions.  Mrs. Richards is going to have to get this one too!


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Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great addition to a text set on friendship and character education.  There are many messages in this book and topics that all readers can connect with on some level.  Mrs. Richards is going to have to get this one for us!


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Flo & Wendell Explore by William Wegman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun story about camping and teamwork.  Students will love the use of dogs as main characters and the art is amazing!


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Pirate, Viking & Scientist by Jared Chapman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great mentor text that is cross curricular; science and character education.  The art is very appealing to elementary students and fun!


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Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical by Noémie  Révah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun way to teach the words horizontal and vertical.  Great text to world connections and the art is fantastic!


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A Big Bite

As you can see, we had a busy week in room 23! We have been using pattern blocks and fraction bars to learn about fractions and have been playing a dice game to compare fractions.  We are "pushing out thinking," in writing and next week we will craft thesis statements in order to write essays on topics that are important to us.  The big question in Social Studies this past weeks was, "what is a region?"  We learned about the many elements that make up a region and we will begin our tour of the US in the Northeast next week.  On Friday, we spent time with all of the other 4th grade classes learning about Martin luther King, Jr. and completed an in class comprehension activity about his life.In reader's workshop we are continuing to examine character's feelings, cause/effect relationships and author's craft in the book Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan.  We are focusing on writing like readers and reading like writers.  We are reviewing the water cycle and talking about humidity and precipitation in science.  Even though many of us like snow, we are happy not to have had any snow days yet this year.  

As a class, we have earned over 30 gingerbread men for great cooperation and attitude in class and in specials, like Art, Music, Health, PE and Library.  We will celebrate our success next week with a special class activity. Great work everyone!

  

A Big Bite

Happy New Year!! Despite the cold and the need to be indoors this week, our first week back from vacation has been productive and quick!  We are starting new units of study in math (fractions), word study (adjectives) and poetry (weather poems).  We finished learning about weather maps and took an open book/notes quiz on Friday.  In reader's workshop we started a new interactive read aloud called Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan. We are focusing on new reading skills and strategies in this historical fiction/adventure novel.  Next week, we will learn about regions in a country as we start our study of the United States and will begin to learn about water in the atmosphere.  As always, Dance Party Friday was a hit!  
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Williams