Week of 12/17/07

This week will be a fun week! We will be doing a lot of Christmas related work and art, as well as watching a few Christmas movies, and meeting with our kindergarten buddies twice! Polar Pajama Day is Tuesday. Because of a lack of parent volunteers, we will not get to do our polar learning stations, which is disappointing. I had 2 parents that could help, but I really needed at least 4. I do understand that this is a busy month and parents work. I too am a working mom. I told the children that they could still of course wear their pj's and we would watch the Polar Express, eat s'mores and drink hot cocoa! Please don't forget to send gingerbread house items if you would like your child to make a gingerbread house. This activity will be on Wednesday at 1:00. I sent a note home last week requesting: 6 graham crackers, 1 bag of candy, and 1 tub of frosting. Hopefully our owl pellets will come in this week and we will finally get to disect them! Have a great week and a Merry Christmas! May your family be blessed and I will see you next year!

Rhonda, I think it would be better if Chadd made the graham cracker one at school, but those kits are so much fun. Save it for you and him to do together at home. Baylee and I had so much fun doing one of those kits last Christmas!

Week of 12/12/07

As I write this, I am hoping that we will have school on Wednesday! Surely! We don't want to have to make up too many days!

I meant to send a study guide home on Friday for the Northeast locations and states and capitals tests coming up. The study guide is still on my desk! I will move the testing days because of this! Friday we will have the test on locations and next Monday, the test on capitals. The states in the Northeast region are: Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Maryland. I am also changing the due date of our Northeast region poster to Tuesday, December 18th.

These 3 days, we will focus on 4 main things: 1) Finishing up our owl unit- which includes finishing the book, Owls in the Family, and completing the comprehension work that goes with it, using their research notes to write a report on the owl they chose, disecting owl pellets (COOL!), and doing an owl craft!, 2) Practicing double digit by 1 digit multiplication, 3) Completing our Christmas Tree project, and 4) Working on the Northeast region posters.

I hope you are staying warm, safe, and dry. Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Spelling Enrichment

This week we will work on "B" words from the Spelling Bee Guide.

bagel ballet ballistic banquet barometer bazaar belated biologist blatant boastful bouquet bravely bribery brilliant brochure

Week of 12/03/07

This week we will continue our literature unit of Owls in the Family. There will be reading homework this week and next week. Then the children will have a 3 week break from homework! We will also continue to practice our math facts and take speed tests. Most of the children are doing great with this! Spelling words are focused on the "o" sounds. English includes possessives and contractions. Today in social studies, the children took notes on American history in the Northeast Colonies. They will have a test on Wednesday. I told them to look over their notes tonight and tomorrow night. We will also begin a poster project on the Northeast states. I will give the kids directions tomorrow. These posters are due next Friday. I will give them some class time, but some children may need to take theirs home as well. Next week, I will test the children on the Northeast state's locations and capitals. I will send home a study guide for both tests later this week. You might put the practice sheet on your refrigerator and look over daily. For science, we will do some research on various types of owls. We will do our research in computer lab, and then put our research into a report.

I am in desperate need of parent volunteers for our December 18th Polar Pajama Day. I can't pull this day off without your help. If you can help that morning from 8:15-10:15 with a craft or learning station, please let me know. I know it is still early, but I wanted to give you plenty of notice. Thank you!

SPELLING ENRICHMENT

We will be having a class spelling bee coming up in the future. Winners will compete against other classes. The winners of Glenwood will then compete against other schools in Enid. Enrichment words from now on will mostly consist of words that come from the Spelling Bee Study Guide. This will help provide some good practice if your child is interested in competing! This week we will have "a" words.

abdicate abhor accentuate acclamation accumulate acknowledge adjacent advocate aggravate algae amnesia anchovy apathy arctic audience

Week of 11/26/07

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! My family sure did! Here is what's ahead for this week:

Math: Multiplication- station rotations and timed tests
English: Pronouns, prepositions, daily language review
Reading: Owls in the Family Literature Unit
Spelling: Owls in the Family Vocabulary words
Social Studies: Coastal Indians, George Washington, American Revolution- Boston Tea Party
Spanish: Test on Wednesday - I sent home a review page for this unit today.

Don't forget to do your 100 minutes of reading homework and fluency book this week. We will have reading homework for 2 more weeks after this week. Then we will take a break until after Christmas.

Polar Pajama Day is coming up on Tuesday, December 18th. I will need parent volunteers for polar stations. Our stations will be from 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. If you can help with running a station, please comment or send me a note. Thanks a lot!!

The 2 days of this week!!! 11/19 & 11/20

Thanks to all who sent food/drink donations for our Cowboy/girl day! It was a fun day.

These 2 days will be fun too! We will do some Thanksgiving work, such as a simulation activity of the first Thanksgiving, as well as learn some other historical information about that time period. We will have a bedlam day on Tuesday!! So kids, wear your crimson, .......................okay, you can wear orange too. On bedlam day, we will graph whether we are more OU or OSU! We will also learn about the history of football and make a "turkey gobbler touchdown noise maker"!! It will also be payday on Tuesday! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Practice your times tables and be ready for speed tests when we get back from break!!


GO SOONERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Centennial Day Donations!

So far we have marshmellows, pretzels, M&M's, peanut butter chips, Cheerios, gingerale, and green punch! Thanks so much to all who have donated. We could probably use one more punch, and one more gingerale, if anyone else wants to send something. Thanks again!!

Week of 11/12/07

Thanks Rhonda and Lori for donating food/drink items for our Centennial Celebration!! If anyone else can help out, please post a message or send me a note to school telling what you can donate, so that we can figure out what we have and don't have. Centennial Day should be lots of fun!

This week:

Math: We are starting multiplication! We will first start out practicing the basic facts and taking timed tests, then we will move on to big multiplication problems. Please practice, practice, practice at home with your child. I can't tell you enough how important knowing the times tables are. It is the foundation of so many math concepts ahead, both in 4th grade and beyond!

Spelling: Thanksgiving vocabulary words

Reading: We will begin our owl unit this week. Remember: NO 100 minutes/Fluency Book Reading homework this week. I am giving the children this week off because they have a book project due next Monday, Nov. 19. They should have a list of 12 options to choose from.

Science/Art: Leaves are due Tuesday. We will learn some information about leaves and why they change colors, as well as do a leaf art project.

Social Studies: We will begin our study of the United States. We will begin with the northeast region. This week, we will mostly talk about the geography of the USA, what states make up the northeast, the 13 colonies, and William Bradford.

English: Pronouns

***Remember*** The last day I will accept money for the Christmas Present project is Tuesday.

Oklahoma Centennial!

Next Friday, November 16th, is Oklahoma's 100th Birthday! I thought it would be a lot of fun if we had a cowboy day that day! We will do many activities centered around cowboys and the Wild West! I encourage the kids to wear western wear that day. Please also help me out if you can with a donation of a food/drink item. I thought we could have cactus juice and trail mix! If you could donate a trail mix item of M&M's, peanuts, mini marshmellows, pretzels, peanut butter chips, cheerios, etc., or green Hawaiian punch or ginger ale, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!

SPELLING ENRICHMENT

saunter subtle perish valiantly variegated obliged assortment menacing
ascent scholarly flourish disregard mussed obsequious gnawed

These are vocabulary words that came from the children's independent books. They can look up the words and write the definitions of them for bonus money.

Week of 11/5/07

This week we will finish up our geology unit with a test on Wednesday. I will send home a study guide on Monday. In math, we will take a test on graphs on Monday, and then we will study mean, median, mode, and range the rest of the week. This is fun math! Spelling will cover sounds of "i" words. In English, we will look at adverbs. This week the children need to finish their independent books and work. They have been doing very well with this and moving at a steady pace. A couple have already finished their books and work! They will get to start on their book project early. I am cutting reading homework this week to 50 minutes. I am doing this because I am assigning a science homework assignment. I hope you will spend some time with your child on this assignment. It involves a leaf hunt! Have you noticed the beautiful changing leaves on the trees lately? There are various shades of greens, yellows, reds, oranges, and browns. Each year, one of mine and my students favorite art projects involves leaves! Please go on a fun leaf hunt on a pretty afternoon and find some neat leaves. Look for various colors, shapes, and sizes. The more variety, the better! After you have gathered around 15 to 20 leaves, follow the directions below on how to press them. The leaves are due on November 13th.

Directions: Clean the leaves you've collected by soaking them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Blot them dry between 2 paper towels. Then place the leaves on 2 pieces of newspaper. Take care that the leaves do not touch each other, because the parts that overlap will not dry properly. You may also want to trim any stems that are particularly thick. Cover the leaves with another two pieces of newspaper and put something heavy on top. Dictionaries work well. It will take about 5 or 6 days for the leaves to be ready to work with. By then they should be flat, stiff, and dry.

Don't waste time, and get going on your leaf hunt as soon as possible so that your leaves will be ready by next Tuesday.

Remember that the Christmas present money is due this Tuesday, November 6th. ($6.50)

PUMPKIN DAY!

Thinking Christmas!

Families - I know this seems a bit early, but I have to think early on the project I am about to take on! The project involves a very special Christmas present that your child will make. Trust me - it is really neat and will last a lifetime! My mom still has the one I made for her 27 years ago! I do need to request money for this project, because it is pricey. If you would like your child to make one, please send $6.50 to school by next Tuesday, November 6th. Thank you in advance. You will enjoy this gift for years to come. You might make your child work for the money, since it is a gift for you. Ha! Ha!

Spelling Enrichment

stalactite stalagmite perambulator martyr pandemonium aghast sensible threadbare quaint perplex despair croquet chromium antimacassar considerate

Week of 10-29-07

Wow! You should be so proud of your kids! They did awesome on their student-led conferences! I hope you enjoyed them and got a little taste of our classroom atmosphere. Your children are very lucky to have you in their lives supporting them. Good job kids!.....and thanks parents for being good listeners! Rachael's mom won the jar guess! Congratulations! The amount was 141 and she guessed 140. Several others were close!

Here is what is on the agenda this week:
Math: Line graphs, venn diagrams, coordinates, and circle graphs, daily math review
Reading: Individual book study - your child has been assigned a book around his/her lexile level, along with comprehension work to go along with it. They will have 2 weeks to finish the book and complete the work. On the 3rd week, instead of 100 minutes of reading homework and fluency book, they will have a book project to do. There will be 12 options to choose from. In the next 2 weeks, I will give them reading time twice a day to work on their story and work, but they may choose to take it home as well.
Spelling: Sounds of "e", there will be enrichment words this week
English: Adjectives(we did not get to this part of speech last week), daily English review, journaling
Science: caves, volcanos, they have a homework assignment tonight- to find 5 signs of weathering and erosion in their neighborhood, they also need to bring a rock to school by Friday

If your child had 5 or 6 freebie tickets left at the end of the 1st 9 weeks, then as a reward, I gave him/her a week off of reading homework! The children may choose what week they want off. We will do reading homework this week and next week. The week after that will be the book project week, and then Thanksgiving(meaning no reading homework). They may choose to take this or next week off, or wait until December to do so. If you question whether your child has the week off or not, let me know, and I will write you a note. Not all the children earned this privilege. Remember, freebie tickets are used up by late work.

This is an exciting week! Halloween is in 2 days! Stay safe!

Week of 10-22-07

Hope you had a good fall break! We sure enjoyed ours! This will be another short week for the children because of conferences. Remember they are out on Friday. The kids will be bringing home a reminder of your time for conferences tomorrow or Wednesday. We will be very busy as usual this week. Here is what is on the agenda:
Math- double bar graphs, line plots, line graphs, daily math review
Reading- literature circles -they finished their books, now they are making book posters
Science- geology- we made crystals today, we will explore the 3 types of rocks, and look at weathering and erosion
English- friendly letters, adjectives, daily language review
Spelling- souds of "a"

Remember that Wednesday is Pumpkin Day! Your child will need to bring a pumpkin to school (as little as an apple, or as big as she or he can hold). We will be doing math, reading, science, and art related to pumpkins on Pumpkin Day. It would be nice if your child could bring an orange colored snack to share with the class that day too!

Payday went well with the kids last Wednesday. After paying rent and any fines they may have had, they got to visit the store and the bank. They had to decide how much they wanted to spend and how much they wanted to save. I have learned a lot about your children through this process. Hopefully, they are learning a lot about themselves, and maybe the real world too! They were very cute! It is fun to watch. The next payday will be November 20th........talk about delayed gratification.

This is Red Ribbon Week. Tomorrow is crazy hat day, Wednesday is backwards day, and Thursday is crazy sock day! This would be a good time to talk to your children about the dangers of drugs. I am a firm believer about keeping an open dialogue going between you and your child on tough choices he or she may face in his or her future. Research tells us that the communication we have with our children plays a key role in the choices they make.

Pumpkin Day!

Next week we will have Pumpkin Day on Wednesday, October 24th. We will have a lot of learning activities centered around pumpkins. Please allow your child to bring a pumpkin to school by that day. It can be any size, from as small as an apple to as big as your child can carry!

Week of 10-15-07

This week we will review reading skills, and read in our literature circles in reading. In math, we will work on problem solving. We started our geology unit today in science. We will be working on friendly letters and business letters in English.

Don't forget that the 4th grade program is tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 6:30. Please have your child meet me in our classroom at 6:15. They need to be wearing their blue shirt and red bandana. Immediately following the program, meet your child back in the classroom.

Fundraiser card orders need to be turned in tomorrow. If you did not sell any, remember to either send the card back or $10 to purchase the card yourself.

There is no reading homework or spelling this week.

I sent a note about conferences home today. Please return tomorrow. I also sent home a note requesting a hammer and rag for a special activity on Wednesday.

The kids are doing great!

Student-Led Conferences

Dear Families,
Tomorrow(Monday), I will send home a conference form for you to fill out. Please make sure you get the form and return it to me as soon as possible. I have held student-led conferences for the past several years and have received much positive feed back from parents and students alike about this way of conferencing. The following is information/research about it:

The Student-led Conference

THIS CONFERENCE FORMAT IS BECOMING an accepted alternative to the traditional parent/teacher conference, in which the student is left out.The goals of this conference format is to increase positive communication between students and their parents and teachers in the following ways :
to encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performance;
to teach students the process of self-evaluation;
to facilitate the development of students' organizational and oral communication skills and to increase their self-confidence;
to encourage students, parents, and teachers to engage in open and honest dialogue;
and to increase parent attendance at conferences


Why are faculties exploring this new conference technique?

Teachers, parents, and students report exceptional success and satisfaction with this format. Parents attend this student-led format to a higher degree than the traditional parent/teacher conference. Students feel comfortable in this supportive environment and parents appreciate hearing specifically from their children on their academic progress.
Although student-led conferences vary from school to school even within districts, one characteristic remains constant: the student leads the discussion. Students gain self-confidence in oral communication.

What exactly is a student-led conference?
According to Donald G. Hackmann it is important "to see the conference as a process and not an event." It should be seen as part of a student's ongoing educational progress.


SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARTICLE
Student-Led Conferences: A Growing Trend

For years parent-teacher conferences have been the primary means of parent-teacher communication. But now, many schools are trying something new -- student-led conferences that communicate not only how a student's doing but also why.

-->Parent-teacher conferences -- we all know how they go. Parents troop into classrooms to talk with teachers about their children's progress in school. Often, the process feels rushed, and parents leave feeling vaguely dissatisfied, as if they didn't really get what they came for.
For years that process has been the norm, but now it is changing. In more and more schools, students are leading conferences, and, overall, the word is that they're doing a fine job.

Many teachers themselves speak enthusiastically of the advantages of student-led conferences over teacher-led ones. "We found the [student-led] conferences most beneficial," said Keith Eddinger of the Marcus Whitman Middle School in Rushville, New York. "From a teacher's perspective, we were able to get a better picture of each child. It forced us to sit down with each student and review strengths and weaknesses. This conversation often told us the students learned more than perhaps we had measured through conventional assessments."
Eddinger added, "Our post-conference reviews with parents and students were overwhelmingly positive."
John Osgood, of C. L. Jones Middle School in Minden, Nebraska, found that "comments [about student-led conferences] from parents and board members were very positive."
Another staff member, Dick Philips, said, "Most parents listened to their child. It was interesting listening to [children] explain low grades to their parents. It did open the lines of communication."

Spelling Enrichment & Reminders

Families- Please make sure your child is getting his/her reading homework in each week. This is very important. I know that it is hard sometimes, with life being so busy, but please try to make it a priority. It will help them in the harder years ahead, if they are already use to having a little homework now. Also, the more they read, the better readers they become!!

Don't forget that book pages are due tomorrow. You just need to add your recipe on to your child's fact page.

Your child has 2 tests tomorrow - OK History & Spanish - I sent home a Spanish review page today and a OK history study guide on Monday. Hopefully, the children are retaining all the information and review from the Spanish TV program, and won't have to study it too much.

Spelling Enrichment Words - trustworthy morals empathy fairness gratitude values positive conflict resolution character respectful tolerance responsible compassion behavior

Week of 10-08

This week in reading, we will begin Literature Circles. The children will be in small groups reading books on their levels and doing various activities and journaling. I think they will enjoy it! In math, we will study pictographs and bar graphs. First thing every day we do morning math as well. During this math time, the children review old math concepts and are introduced to new math concepts. We go over their daily work together, and then they are tested on the concepts on Friday. This week we will finish our unit on Oklahoma. On Monday, I will give the children a study guide for their Oklahoma Test. Their test will be on Wednesday. They need to manage their time wisely and study for this test some on Monday evening, and some on Tuesday evening. In addition to daily English, we will look at action verbs and adjectives this week. In spelling, we will work with words having consonant diagraphs.

We will be very busy practicing for our 4th grade program all this week as well. It will be a program to remember!!

Another thing we are working on is having some self-control. The children are so bright, creative, hard working, and kind. We just seem to have some difficulty handling freedom at times. (lining up to go somewhere, center time, group projects, etc.) We will be working hard at this very important life skill! Hopefully we will master this skill so that we can do more hands on learning and fun projects in the future.

Please remember to turn in your book page by Wednesday. We will need to begin illustrations.

Show and Tell!

Don't forget that even numbers bring show and tell tomorrow (October 4th).

Auction Information!

Thank you Mrs. Lohse for asking me about the auction! I am trying to collect anything kids would like, such as games, toys, stationery, books, coupons for food places or entertainment, cute blankets, stuffed animals, or anything that seems interesting. We have all year to collect, but I thought it would be a good idea if I started the collection now. I have a few items already, but I want it to be a great auction for the kids. They will work hard for their money all year doing their class job, keeping up with their assignments, and doing extra bonus work! Thanks to all of you who will help out with this worthwhile learning project!!

Oklahoma Fact

Don't forget your Oklahoma Fact is due tomorrow!!

Enrichment Spelling Words!

isolation humidity alligator laughing pyramid fingerprint boastful homophone prism triangular aggravate delicious frivolous economics loquacious

Week of 10-01

This week is an exciting week in Mrs. Corderman's 4th grade! Today the children applied for salaried positions in the classroom! Paydays will be around the 20th of each month. At that time the children will make deposits with the banker, pay rent for their home(desk/chair), pay any fines they may have received regarding incomplete work, messy work area, or not turning in reading homework. They can also visit the store and purchase monthly privileges with any left over money they may have. Some of the children may be really good at saving their money. If this is the case, they may end up saving enough money to buy their home (desk/chair) and not have to pay monthly rent anymore. At the end of the year, we will have an auction. The more money the children save, the better chance they have of getting a much wanted item. I hope to teach the children a little about money management, budgeting, saving, delayed gratification, as well as work ethic, and when you work for things-maybe you appreciate things more. The children will also learn to fill out ledgers and get visited by the taxman! Tomorrow the children will find out what position they got! Be sure to talk to them about these things at home. These are life lessons!

This week:
Math- calendars and elapsed calendar time.
English- verbs
Reading- following directions, comprehension
Spelling- consonant blends
Social Studies- Oklahoma symbols, Dust Bowl
Science - What is a scientist?, Science tools

Other News!
Don't forget to find an Oklahoma fact for our book! These facts are due on Wednesday. You don't need to turn in the recipe yet. So far, however, several kids have turned in an Oklahoma fact. I have seen some awesome ones!!

Tomorrow, we are having a real artist visit our classroom!

Thursday and Friday, we will have Show and Tell. Thursday is for children that have an even class number and Friday is for children who have odd class numbers.

All year, I will be collecting items for our end of the year auction. If you know of anyone that can donate an item, please let me know or help me out with that. I would greatly appreciate it!

Enrichment Spelling/OK fact due date

Sorry I didn't get the enrichment words on the blog yesterday. The children did have access to them in the classroom yesterday though. Here they are:

binocular challenging flaunted brilliant kinsfolk languages indulge disinfectant justice hastiness genuine neighbor cafeteria appreciation embellish

I have extended the due date for the OK fact to Wednesday, October 3rd. Please don't forget. We will be copying them onto our actual book pages on Thursday. That afternoon, I will send home the book page with your child so that you can write the recipe on the bottom.

Can't wait to try all the recipes!!

Week of 9-24

This week in reading, the children will read The Cricket in Times Square and take a comprehension test over it. We will also work on the skill of making judgments while reading. The children checked out nonfiction books as well, and we will do a reading response activity with them. Nonfiction books are great for increasing vocabulary! In spelling we will cover long and short u's. We learned what idioms are today and did an activity with "Who let the cat out of the bag?" We will also talk more about idioms on Thursday, and do another activity with some common idioms. Ask your child what an idiom is. In math this week, we will work on telling time, time terminology, and elapsed time. In social studies today, we talked about the Native Americans being displaced and the Homestead Act. The children also made tipis. Also this week in social studies, we will talk in more detail about the land run, and Oklahoma's statehood.

The new long term project is an easy one. I know you are thinking yeah! We are going to publish a class book celebrating Oklahoma's centennial! I want each child to find one important piece of Oklahoma trivia or fact. This fact is due on Monday of next week. Parents or grandparents, you have homework too! Please submit one favorite recipe from your family to add to our Oklahoma book. What I am going to do is: Have each child write his/her fact on a book page and have his/her parent/grandparent write the recipe on the bottom of that same page. I will do a page and send a copy of it home this week to show you. The book will be entitled Fun Facts and Food from Oklahoma. It will also have your child's illustrations in the book. It should hopefully turn out to be pretty special. Our class will receive one book to share, but books will be available for purchase. I will send home more information on that later.

I will be gone tomorrow, September 25, to a workshop in Edmond. I will explain the book project to the kids on Wednesday. If you have any questions, let me know! Happy trivia and recipe hunting!

Long term reading project due!

Don't forget that the reading assignments that go with the fiction book are due on Monday! Look in earlier posts if you forgot what to do. We went over it a lot in class, I showed you examples, and I gave you the venn diagram and pyramid cutouts, so you should know what is expected.

Friday Center Time!

KIDS!

On our desks for Arizona Quiet Ball at the end of the day!! We took a picture break. There will be more pictures in the future!

Go Sooners!

Isn't this car cool!

Spelling Enrichment Words

cinnamon descent generous batteries judgment overwhelm
featured nominated immediate pentagon emotional languages
majority hesitantly average

These words are also displayed in the classroom every Wednesday morning through Friday for the kids to write down and practice.

Week of 9-17

Can you believe it's time for midterm grades this week?! Boy time flies!! Look for midterms to go out on Wednesday or Thursday. This week in reading, we will read Addie in Charge, and work on vocabulary, comprehension, character, and theme. Today in math, we worked on addition properties. Also this week we will study equations and input/output. Thursday will be a special math day! I need everybody to bring a bag of 20 pennies by that day. In social studies we will be making an Oklahoma biographical dictionary. It can be used as a study guide for our test on Oklahoma People. The test will be on Friday. The children also learned about the Trail of Tears today. We do English everyday through daily English as well as through journals. Specific concepts taught this week in English though, will be changing nouns ending in "y" to plural form and recognizing action verbs. The children will be tested on homophones this week in spelling. After we finish up our Oklahoma unit in 2 to 3 weeks, we will do a geology unit for science.

Don't forget to send 20 pennies in a bag by Thursday. Thanks!

**Remember** The long term reading project is due next Monday!

Long Term Rdg. Project/Spelling Enrichment

I explained to the children today the long term reading project. I gave them the paperwork and went over the directions for it. 1. Character comparison - compare yourself to a main character in your story. Tell 3 ways you are different and 3 ways you are like the main character. Fill in the venn diagram and then turn that information into 1 or 2 paragraphs on a separate sheet of paper. 2. Make a 3 sided pyramid that includes the following information from your book - (a) Setting - describe a scene in the story....tell about it and illustrate it (b) Characters - draw the main characters and write who they are (c) Conflict - describe a conflict that occured in the story and illustrate it. Remember, this project is due on September 24th. There will be some time to work on this in class, but not a lot.

The spelling enrichment words for this week are: 1. legislature
2. facade 3. kaleidoscope
4. technique 5. particular 6. identical 7. graduation 8. sediment
9. mathematical
10. quarrel 11. hilarious 12. naive 13. jealousness 14. opponent
15. recuperate

Good luck on both the project and the enrichment (if you choose to do the enrichment).

What's Up!

This week we will study the early people of Oklahoma and the many famous people that came later! We will web the different Indian groups and make a book of the Oklahoma People. In math we will practice subtracting across zeros, problem solve, and work on algebraic expressions. Our reading story for the week is Family Pictures. We will talk about author's purpose and fact and opinion. I also had the children check out a fictional chapter book. They will do 2 assignments after completing their book. This is our new long term project. The story and assignments need to be completed by September 24. I will give more information later in the week on the 2 assignments.

The children did a wonderful job on their Oklahoma dough maps. This week they will paint them and take them home. Their animal reports were terrific as well!

Animal Reports Due!

4th Grade is a big year for learning responsibility and accountability! Friday several children had to sit out of free centers because their reptile packet was not finished. The children had 2 weeks to complete the packet and some waited until the last minute to work on it and didn't get it done. They hopefully learned a lesson on responsibility. We will have more long term projects in the future to practice this important skill. Tomorrow, Monday, the animal reports are due. Several children have already turned their report in early! Good Job!! Hopefully, we will have everyone turn in their report on time. We went over what a report is and how to turn facts into sentences. I told the children that each topic needed to have 3 sentences covering it, except for the topic "How the animal protects itself". That topic could be one sentence. Many of the students found enough information from the book they checked out, but some kids found more information over the internet. Remember, mom, dad, or grandma can type the report, but please include the rough draft when turning it in.

Tomorrow, I will post an update of what is going on this week!

My email address

My email address is rollover1@suddenlink.net. If you need to contact me for any reason, email me or call me at school between 10:15 and 10:45, or after school at 3:05.

Book Orders Due

Book orders are due Tuesday, September 11.

Week of September 4th

Hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend! The kids are doing great and working hard. This week in math we are finishing up the concept of rounding! The kids are "wowing" me with their understanding of it! Today we read a story called Yingtau's New Friend and took a comprehension test on it. We will also finish up our reports on an animal. I will give class time for this on Thursday, but if it is not finished in class, it will need to be done at home by Monday. Remember that it can be rewritten neatly or typed. In science, the children have been working on a reptile/amphibian work packet. These are due on Friday. This week begins our unit on Oklahoma! We started out today by finding Oklahoma on the globe using latitude and longitude as well as learning who Oklahoma shares its borders with. Tomorrow we will look at all the landforms in Oklahoma and then make a dough map carving out all those landforms. Don't forget to send 1 cup of flour mixed with 1/2 cup of salt in a ziplock bag to school tomorrow! This week begins enriched spelling. See the list of words at the bottom of this post. This is an optional activity in addition to regular spelling. I will give the words every Wednesday and the test every Friday. I count points for this spelling and reward every 10 points! Let me know if you have any questions about anything!

Enriched Spelling: 1. wreckage 2. distinction 3. commotion
4. alphabetical
5. breathing 6. umbrella 7. mythical 8. inconsistent 9. separately
10. quiver 11. longevity
12. exaggerated 13. heirloom 14. fuchsia 15. vengeance

What's Up!

Your children are wonderful! I have a room full of sweet spirits. This week will find us finishing up our study of the different types of maps. The children will have a map homework assignment assigned on Wednesday that will be due next Wednesday. It will involve creating their own island! I will be anxious to see what they come up with. Look for the assignment in their backpack on Wednesday. In math, we will compare and order numbers and round. The kids for the most part, have been doing great on place value. We are looking at subjects and predicates in English. Most of them struggled with this concept today, so it's back to the board tomorrow! In science we are looking at reptiles and amphibians after looking at mammals last week. The children have a fact file and a work packet on various reptiles/amphibians. In reading this week, the kids will read "A Train to Somewhere." It is a wonderful story that gives the children a glimpse into the past and teaches them about the orphan trains. Also in reading we will begin a longterm project. This project is a report and illustration of an animal. Tomorrow we will visit the library and the kids will check out a nonfiction book on an animal to fill out a report form on. Once they have filled out their report form, they will take the information and turn it into a written or typed report. Next they will draw a picture of their animal. Last, we will mount the report and illustration on construction paper. Encourage your child to do his/her best. I will take several grades on this project. I haven't set a due date on it yet. I will see how we progress in class first. You may type the finished report for your child, as long as the rough draft is turned in as well.

Remember T-shirt orders are due this Friday.

Some of you have not turned in all of the reports required by the district. Ask your child if he/ she is missing any. I told the children today who were missing reports, such as the pink Home Language Survey and the gold half sheet Vance Airforce Base form. The office will send home new reports this week if your child is missing any. If you are not sure, check your child's backpack each day (hopefully, you are already doing this).

Remember to check this site daily or every other day to be sure you have all the latest news. Sometimes there won't be any new info, but at least once a week I will update you on what is happening in your child's school world.

Reading Homework Due Monday

Don't forget that the fluency book in the bag and the 100 minutes of reading are due Monday. The kids are doing great! I am really enjoying getting to know each of them!

Remember no parent meeting tonight.

I wrote in my welcome letter that I would not be having a parent meeting, but since that was last week and you have slept since then(and the letter was 4 1/2 pages long!!), you might not remember. The school calendar should have stated specific teachers, not the grade level. Sorry if there has been any confusion!

Party moms!

Julie Adams and Carolyn Nicholas - Halloween
Carrie Reynolds, Terri Durheim, and Pam Huston - Christmas
Rhonda Lohse and Melissa Roberts - Valentine's Day

Thank you!

All the Parties are covered now!

Thanks to the homeroom mom volunteers! I will post a list tomorrow of who is doing what party. Thanks again! It's going to be a terrific year!

Homeroom Parents needed

August 16th

I didn’t get the homeroom parent form placed in a very visible location during open house. We are still in need of another parent for the Christmas party and 2 parents for the Valentine’s Day party. If you can be a homeroom parent for either of these parties, please either return this note or post a comment on the blog stating your name and phone number. Thanks so much! Mrs. Corderman

Welcome to the 4th grade!

4th grade is an exciting time! We will have lots of fun this year! I hope you and your parents find this blog helpful. I will write more later!

Mrs. Corderman's Great Expectations

Mrs. Corderman’s
GREAT EXPECTATIONS

1. We will value one another as unique and special individuals.

2. We will not laugh at or make fun of a person’s mistakes, nor use sarcasm’s or putdowns.

3. We will use good manners saying please, thank you, and excuse me and allow others to go first.

4. We will cheer each other to success.

5. We will help one another whenever possible.

6. We will recognize every effort and applaud it.

7. We will encourage each other to do our best.

8. We will practice virtuous living using the Life Principles.

Policies and Procedures

WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN THE MORNING
1. Turn in your homework (if you have any)
2. Hang your backpack and coat up
3. Put your lunch card in the hot or cold basket
4. Sharpen your pencils (2 at the most)
5. Begin your morning work

DISMISSAL
1. When you hear the music, begin gathering your homework (if needed) to put in your backpack, check the board to make sure you have everything completed
2. Clean up your area
3. Clean your desk top
4. Put your chair on your desk
5. Check your mailbag for notes and graded work
6. Put your backpack and coat on your desk
7. Help others

HOMEWORK
I assign 100 minutes of reading homework per week. I will also send a small book written on grade level home each week. I request that you read that book to an adult. This practices fluency. This book can count towards your 100 minutes. I will send home 2 forms to be filled out and signed by an adult, and the small book in a large ziplock bag every Monday. The bag and contents need to be returned the following Monday. I will keep track of homework turned in with a sticker chart. For every 5 stickers, you will earn a prize. The reading homework will count as 25 points the 1st semester, and 50 points the 2nd semester. This will greatly affect your reading grade, so please keep up with it.

As far as other homework is concerned, I generally will not assign too much homework. I will assign a long term, fun project every now and then. Other than that and the reading, the only homework you will have is the daily work you did not complete in class.

TURN IN
Turn-in Trays are located on the TV cabinet. Turn in your work in the tray marked with the subject you completed. Highlight your name right before turning it in. Reading Homework Bags should be turned in, in the basket on the TV cabinet. Any late or absent work should be turned in directly to me.

ABSENT WORK
You will receive 1 night for every day you are absent to make up absent work.

LATE WORK POLICY
You will receive 6 freebie tickets each 9 weeks. If you are late with an assignment, you may give me one of your tickets to buy you an extra day to turn it in. When you run out of freebie tickets, I will no longer accept late work. You will receive a zero. I understand sometimes unforeseen circumstances occur at home. In that case, if your parent writes you an excuse stating why you didn’t have time to complete your homework, I will not require a freebie ticket. You will need to turn in that assignment the next day. If you have a consistent problem with late work, I will contact your parent.

LINING UP/HALLWAY BEHAVIOR
I expect you to walk nicely to get in line. Walk quietly and nicely on the right side of the hall. When going to lunch, remember single file, second tile.



LUNCH ROOM BEHAVIOR
Do not talk while in line. Once everyone is seated, you may talk using inside voices. If you get in trouble in the lunchroom, you will have to walk the track twice before playing.

BATHROOM
You will receive 2 bathroom passes to use each day. You may go to the bathroom when you need to without asking me as long as I am not teaching or you are not taking a test. I have a plastic box on my file cabinet by my desk. When you need to go to the bathroom, simply take your bathroom pass and put it on top of the box. When you return, put the pass inside the box. It will be used up then. One boy and one girl are allowed out at the same time, so if you see another girl’s pass on top of the box and you are a girl, you will need to wait until she gets back. You may also go to the bathroom during lunch without a pass. I understand emergencies, but if you consistently need to go more often than that, I will need a letter from your parent.

DIRT/READ BEADS/READING COUNTS
DIRT(Daily Independent Reading Time) will be set aside every day. It is very important!! You are to stay on task and READ during this time. You need to have a book already picked out when it is DIRT. On Fridays you can read “everybody books”. Read Beads are beads you earn for pages read. When you have read a book, sign up in the small notebook on my file cabinet to report your book to me. If you pass the report, I will keep track of the book you read and how many pages it was. For every 100 pages you read you get a bead on your cord. Every 500 pages earns you a certificate and a prize from the treasure chest! Our reading goal this year is 2,008 pages! Good luck! I know you can do it! Reading Counts - I request that you earn 100 points this year. We will have a pizza party at the end of the year for those that do!



WHEN YOU ARE DONE
Sit quietly and wait patiently for the next subject. You may read a book, or finish other work you have not completed. You shouldn’t have much time between subjects.

UNFINISHED WORK FOLDERS
Your yellow folders will be your Unfinished Work Folders. They are strictly for uncompleted work. If you do not get something done, and we need to move on, put the unfinished work in this folder. If you have any free time, you can get it out and work on it. If at the end of the day, you still have unfinished work in the folder, take the folder home. Finish your work and bring the yellow folder with your completed work in it back to school the next day. Always keep the folder on or in your desk, except to take it home. Please do not use it to store other things.

MORNING WORK FOLDERS
Your red folders will be your Morning Work Folders. Each morning you will have a short math and English assignment to do. It is very important that you keep track of this work because we will work on it and go over it every day. Make sure that you keep your morning work in your red folder.

SUPPLIES
All of your supplies will be kept in a plastic shoebox with your number on it. Write your name on all supplies. When we need them for art or another project/activity, you can go get your box. Please take good care of your supplies. Keep them neatly in their original boxes and put lids on tightly.




CLASSROOM RULES/DISCIPLINE
We will follow the 8 Expectations for our classroom rules. (See the post, The 8 Expectations) You have a small magnet on your desk to refer to when needed. Remember, we are a family this year and we need to value one another and be kind and helpful. As far as consequences goes, Free Choice Time and Fun Friday will be taken away if needed to remind you how to act.

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR
I expect you to use the 8 Expectations. As a class, we will work towards 25 Good and Productive Days. When this happens, the class will earn a privilege such as Show and Tell, or a special Themed Day, etc.

AWAY FROM CLASS BEHAVIOR
When you are in music, P.E., computer, the playground, an assembly, the library, etc., you need to follow the 8 Expectations as well as the established rules in those places.