MrHowd.com

Spelling: Students completed the second achievement test today. The achievement spelling tests measure class spelling growth over time. Results will be reported here as soon as they are available.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due Fridays. This week’s assignment is due Monday due to today’s spelling test.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles. Students also completed an informational reading test.

Writing: Students were given an overview and checklist to use for their persuasive letter to the editor project (see links below). They also started planning their letter, focusing on these parts of a persuasive letter:

• Decide what you think about the issue
• Include Core Democratic Value(s) that match your position
• Define the Core Democratic Value(s)
• Explain how your Core Democratic Value(s) match your position
• Include data to match your position
• Explain how your data matches your position
• Restate how you feel about the issue

Here’s an overview of this persuasive letter project, and here’s a checklist to help with writing the letter. This piece will be due March 6.

Novel Writing Project

Our piece due March 27 will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,500-3,000 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500). The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

• We will start this project in class on March 9 and it will be due on March 27; however, students can begin early.
• This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
• We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
• Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
• If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
• A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: We reviewed decimal addition and subtraction today. First, students used these websites to practice:

• Add 2 Decimals
• Subtract 2 Decimals
• Add 3 Decimals
• Addition of Money
• Subtraction of Money

Later, students reviewed their decimals addition and subtraction MiniQuiz with a math coach (a student who achieved a top grade on the quiz). Results showed that the class still needed to practice this skill. You might want to write a few decimal addition and subtraction problems for your student to solve and see how they are doing with this skill.

Science: Students completed an experiment today to identify electrical conductors and insulators. Homework is to finish the experiment worksheet, if not done in class.

Social Studies: We reviewed Michigan’s role in helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad and watched a Dear America movie about the Underground Railroad.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 1
• Orange magnets: 1
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 4
• Hours with no yellow magnets (record: 58): 0
• Days with no orange magnets (record: 39; previous score: 10): 0

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: Tyler and Avry
• Sign up for Spring Conferences here.

Our last MiniQuiz showed that the class would benefit from some extra practice in decimal addition and subtraction. Here are a couple of resources:

• Add 2 Decimals
• Subtract 2 Decimals
• Add 3 Decimals
• Addition of Money
• Subtraction of Money

If you’ve been reading on our blog lately about our Novel Writing Project, you’ve seen that students will be publishing their novel as a paperback book. We will be publishing at Lulu.com, not Hulu.com, as our website has been stating for the last week or so. I’ve made the corrections. I think those Hulu commercials about turning brains to mush are working!

Check out Lulu.com to see how students will be publishing their own novel.

Spelling: None today due to discussing our persuasive letter project for Writer’s Workshop.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due Fridays.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles. Some groups worked on making connections as a reading strategy.

Writing: Students shared their question for our persuasive letter to the editor project. Here are some sample questions students came up with:

• Should there be more sidewalks in Grand Blanc?
• Should Grand Blanc have a dog park?
• Should students have to walk from the buses at Anderson to McGrath?
• Should students be allowed to choose inside or outside recess?

Students also surveyed other students in class to see how others felt about their question.

Homework tonight is to finish collecting survey data.

Here’s an overview of this persuasive letter project, and here’s a checklist to help with writing the letter. This piece will be due March 6.

The piece after that will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,500-3,000 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500). The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

• We will start this project in class on March 9 and it will be due on March 27; however, students can begin early.
• This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
• We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
• Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
• If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
• A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: We reviewed the metric system and students measured several class objects to the nearest centimeter. Homework is to complete Journal pp. 98-99.

Science: None today due to discussing our persuasive letter project for Writer’s Workshop.

Social Studies: We read about Michigan’s role in helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad. Homework is to complete review worksheet p. 19.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 2
• Hours with no yellow magnets (record: 58): 6
• Days with no orange magnets (record: 39; previous score: 25): 10

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: Abigail and Kayla L.
• Sign up for Spring Conferences here.

Spelling: We reviewed the Unit 7 spelling worksheet today.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due Fridays.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: The persuasive letter to the editor project was introduced by discussing types of changes students would like to see in their class, school, city or country. Here are some sample questions students came up with:

• Should there be more sidewalks in Grand Blanc?
• Should students get to choose what they work on in art?
• Should Grand Blanc have a dog park?
• Should students have to walk from the buses at Anderson to McGrath?
• Should students be allowed to choose inside or outside recess?

Homework tonight is to write a question to write a letter about, similar to those above. The question should be fair and realistic.

Here’s an overview of the project, and here’s a checklist to help with writing the letter. This piece will be due March 6.

The piece after that will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,500-3,000 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500). The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Complete details will follow soon. Students were asked today to start thinking about their novel topic, characters, plot and setting. With the average fourth grader needing to write about 133 words each school day, students will need to start this project by “hitting the ground running.”

Math: We reviewed decimal addition and subtraction with money today and students completed a MiniQuiz over this topic. Homework is to complete Math Boxes 4.5, started during the warm up this morning.

Science: None today due to completing the Student Satisfaction Survey.

Social Studies: None today due to library.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 1
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 2
• Hours with no yellow magnets (record: 58): 0
• Days with no orange magnets (record: 39; previous score: 25): 9

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: Abigail and Kayla L.
• Sign up for Spring Conferences here.