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Spelling: None today. We’ll have a spelling test tomorrow, and the skill tested will be about common /j/ spelling patterns.

Cursive: Cursive workbook pp. 81-84 are due Friday.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: We talked about using fresh language. That means:

• write new and different sounding sentences, not just ones that sound the same
• write and interesting talking, action, or visual lead, not just start with “One day…” or “One time…”
• use new and different words, not just the same ones over and over

Today was also a drafting day for the novel project. Each student has a daily writing goal of 100-300 words, and your student should be between 25-30% complete so far. Ask your student or check StudentVue to see how much your student has done so far. The novel project is due Friday, March 28. Your student should be drafting at this point. Look below for more details.

Novel Writing Project 2014

The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 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:

• Here are some novels written by former students:
  • One Demi-God’s Story
  • The Secret
  • Space Invaders
  • Lonely with Some Spark
• We will start this project in class on March 4 and it will be due on March 28; 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 on this in school 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 after school 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.
• Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: We practiced looking for extra or missing information in number stories. Students also worked practiced math skills using Khan Academy. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more if there’s time.

Science: Students practiced making food chains and webs, and completed a MiniQuiz about that idea.

Social Studies: We learned about a fictional government and compared it to a republic and a constitution government. Students also completed a MiniQuiz about republics and constitutional governments.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 0
• Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 11

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

Multiplication Madness

Practicing our multiplication facts has helped, but we need to keep practicing! To make the tournament, we can’t finish in last place.

Notes:

• Spring Conferences are March 11-13. See or edit your conference time here.
• Feb Factor Valentine’s Party pics.
• View the second marking period report card and third marking period progress report here.
• Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: We reviewed common /j/ spelling patterns: j, gy, gi, ge, dge

Cursive: Cursive workbook pp. 81-84 are due Friday.

Reading: None today due to a Red Wings assembly about education and dedication.

Writing: We talked about using visual details to describe the settings of a story. Visual details about a setting is also a good way to start a story. Today was also a drafting day for the novel project. Each student has a daily writing goal of 100-300 words. The novel project is due Friday, March 28. Your student should be drafting at this point. Look below for more details.

Novel Writing Project 2014

The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 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:

• Here are some novels written by former students:
  • One Demi-God’s Story
  • The Secret
  • Space Invaders
  • Lonely with Some Spark
• We will start this project in class on March 4 and it will be due on March 28; 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 on this in school 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 after school 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.
• Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: We practiced standard multiplication today. Students also worked on MobyMax Math. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more if there’s time.

Science: We watched some videos about the sun.

Social Studies: We learned that our federal government is a republic, leaders are elected, they must follow the law, they listen to ideas of the people, and people can vote for new representatives if they want to.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 1
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 10
• Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 4

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

Multiplication Madness

Practicing our multiplication facts has helped, but we need to keep practicing! To make the tournament, we can’t finish in last place.

Notes:

• Spring Conferences are March 11-13. See or edit your conference time here.
• Feb Factor Valentine’s Party pics.
• View the second marking period report card and third marking period progress report here.
• Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: We reviewed the idea that prefixes are parts added onto base words that changes the meaning of the word. Prefixes don’t change the spelling of base words.

Cursive: Cursive workbook pp. 78-80 are due Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles; some groups worked on visualizing and questioning as reading strategies.

Writing: Today was a drafting day. We reviewed good leads for a story. Lead with:

• dialogue: some characters talking to each other
• visual: describe what the setting or a character looks like
• action: start with the characters doing some action as part of the story

Novel Writing Project 2014

The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 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:

• Here are some novels written by former students:
  • One Demi-God’s Story
  • The Secret
  • Space Invaders
  • Lonely with Some Spark
• We will start this project in class on March 4 and it will be due on March 28; 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 on this in school 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 after school 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.
• Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

The novel project is due Friday, March 28. Your student should be drafting at this point.

Math: None today due to art. Homework is to finish the multiplying with carrying skill here and then to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more if there’s time.

Science: We reviewed food chains and webs and learned that energy moves from the sun, to plants, to animals.

Social Studies: We learned that our federal government is constitutional, it is organized by the constitution, the government power is limited, and all Americans should follow the law.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 5
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 9
• Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 2

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

Multiplication Madness

We got our first win today! Practicing our multiplication facts has helped, and we need to keep practicing!

Notes:

• Spring Conferences are March 11-13. See or edit your conference time here.
• Feb Factor Valentine’s Party pics.
• View the second marking period report card and third marking period progress report here.
• Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: None today.

Cursive: Cursive workbook pp. 78-80 are due Friday.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: Today was a prewriting day. Students worked on prewriting conferences with partners and continued to add to their prewrting list. Homework is to finish prewriting if it’s still not finished, and to make a list of at least three events that happen in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of the story.

Novel Writing Project 2014

The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 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:

• Here are some novels written by former students:
  • One Demi-God’s Story
  • The Secret
  • Space Invaders
  • Lonely with Some Spark
• We will start this project in class on March 4 and it will be due on March 28; 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 on this in school 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 after school 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.
• Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

The novel project is due Friday, March 28. Your student should be prewriting at this point.

Math: Students finished STAR Math testing today. Homework is to finish the multiplying with carrying skill here and then to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more if there’s time.

Science: We learned about the size and distance of the sun. It’s 100 times bigger than earth, and a soccer field away if the sun was a beach ball and the earth a Skittle. Homework is to finish reading about the sun on pp. 28-30 and to complete Investigation Review p. 43.

Social Studies: We started to learn about our federal government and how our leaders are elected and we follow a constitution.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 2
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 4
• Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 2

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

Multiplication Madness

We got our first win today! Practicing our multiplication facts has helped, and we need to keep practicing!

Notes:

• Spring Conferences are March 11-13. See or edit your conference time here.
• Feb Factor Valentine’s Party pics.
• View the second marking period report card and third marking period progress report here.
• Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: None today.

Cursive: Cursive workbook pp. 78-80 are due Friday.

Reading: None today due to art.

Writing: We started our novel project today by prewriting a list of characters, places, and the beginning, middle and end of the story. Homework is to finish prewriting a list of story ideas.

Novel Writing Project 2014

The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 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:

• Here are some novels written by former students:
  • One Demi-God’s Story
  • The Secret
  • Space Invaders
  • Lonely with Some Spark
• We will start this project in class on March 4 and it will be due on March 28; 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 on this in school 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 after school 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.
• Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

The novel project is due Friday, March 28. Your student should be prewriting at this point.

Math: Students finished STAR Math testing today. Homework is to work on MobyMax Math or Khan Academy for 15 minutes or more.

Science: We watched some video clips about the moon landing, how astronauts move on the moon, what the moon is like, and what gravity is like on the moon. Watch some videos here and below:

Social Studies: None today due to art.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 2
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 9): 2
• Hours with no magnets (best: 73): 1

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

Multiplication Madness

We got our first win today! Practicing our multiplication facts has helped, and we need to keep practicing!

Notes:

• Spring Conferences are March 11-13. See or edit your conference time here.
• Feb Factor Valentine’s Party pics.
• View the second marking period report card and third marking period progress report here.
• Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.