We made it a full week!

We began our day with some technical difficulties so students had to try and remember their morning procedures...how did your kiddo do? We completed our M4T assessment and then tried to practice some math and whatnot for i-Time, however, without technology, they seemed a little lost! In our meeting, we greeted each other with an "H" and shared what their superhero power is. Mine is that I'm super loving. We ended our meeting playing Popl. We then, had our first Number Talk and watched a Jo Boaler video about Math not being a race and to finish first means that you're really not learning anything. I said that it's not a sprint but a marathon. So, we challenged our math brains with some paper folding. I always give options for more challenging work and I was pleased to see that quite a few of them gave the more challenging problems a try and succeeded! Kudos! We ended with doing some work in our new mini math journals. I showed them a dot picture, for just a second, and they needed to say how many dots there were and how they saw the dots. Wow~I was surprised at how many different ways we all saw the same dots! We had Art, lunch and recess and when we returned, we continued with Fish in a Tree. Ally is working on her friendship with Keisha and Albert and gaining the confidence she's never had. I just hope she gets enough confidence to share with someone that she can't read! In Reader's Workshop, I introduced the ___ "Book" Challenge. It used to be the 30 Book Challenge but I thought I'd give them a chance to pick their own goal for this year and it's "Book" because there are so many other things to read besides books! They seem pretty excited! We also read, conferenced with me about their independent book choices and some met with me. We focused on writing a good paragraph today by first reading, The Important Book. We then compared a paragraph to a sandwich and began writing an Important Paragraph about me. They then brainstormed adjectives about themselves so they can write their own important paragraphs next week. Finally, we completed our bridge build teamwork challenge. Did your kiddo succeed?

Better seating choices

So far, the seating choices kiddos made today, are the best choices for their learning. There is less chatter and in return more active listening and less confusion and more following directions, etc. Our day began with completing our M4T and morning meeting. We greeted each other with an "H" and then shared something we are afraid of, like that storm last night! Then, we read, The Dark by Lemony Snicket. Next, we set up our Kidblog accounts and then took the STAR Math Assessment. We had our first fire drill which was great and earned us our 7th potato head piece! Today was gym-using the new scooters!-lunch and a very muggy and humid recess. In Fish in a Tree, Ally finally made friends! Keisha and Alex and Ally ate lunch together, talked and enjoyed their time together. Ally is letting her guard down and Mr. Daniels is part of the reason for that! Our mini-lesson in Reading was about what to do when we don't understand what we've read. In our independent reading today, we practiced what we learned and then some of us were brave enough to share. Then, in writing about our reading, some of us chose to write a summary using, "Somebody, wanted, but, so..." Writer's Workshop was productive today discussing why we write, writing with and without boundaries and K-4th grade sentences. Since we completed our STAR assessment in the morning, we were finally able to get to our teamwork challenge at the end of the day! We got into our groups and planned out our bridge build for tomorrow's construction.

Small class...

Today was our first day of Focus so we had a small group~only 20 kiddos, for most of the day. :( We started our day finding different seats from yesterday and different people to sit with! I am challenging them to try different seating options! After completing our M4T and morning procedures, we practiced a skill from our i-time list...most ended up playing ST Math...hmmm...In meeting, we shared our breakfast and then read, An Awesome Book of Love, because the title had two of my favorite words in it! It was all mushy and lovey! Next, we moved into math by creating the norms for Math Workshop and discussing our roles as student, teacher and partner. Then, we watched another video by Jo Boaler about crossing our brain by connecting numbers and pictures. We practiced finding patterns in number visuals and on the hundred chart. Today, we had music, lunch and a beautiful, yet pretty toasty, recess. After taking a quick break, we learned more about Mr. Daniels and Ally, in Fish in a Tree. It also seems that Ally is making a friend! Then, in Reader's Workshop, we discussed why we read-to understand. Then, I modeled how I use post-it notes to mark my thinking when I read. They then got a chance to practice. We discussed, afterwards, that we can use post-its for important information, when we have questions, when we make connections to other texts or to ourselves, etc. In Writer's Workshop, we wrote "Message in a bottle" notes/letters to ourselves about our goals, hopes and dreams for the year. (They turned out really cute!)

Terrific!

What a great day! I began by challenging them to sit in a different seat today. In order to know how/where they learn best, they need to try different seating options out. One thing I noticed is that they mostly stayed with the same people. After completing their morning procedures and M4T, they worked on a plan for the items they put on their i-Time brainstorm list. Then, Mrs. Vidic came in as a little introduction to Guidance. Afterwards, in our meeting, we greeted our friends, shared what we had for dinner last night and read, The Most Magnificent Thing. Before leaving meeting, we said the Pledge of Allegiance. In Math Workshop today, we completed 1, 2 or 3 problem solving activities. The math content was from 3rd grade so it shouldn't have been too challenging as we are trying to find words to describe our roles as learner, partner, teacher, etc. We also set up Clock Partners so that we have an option for partnering up that's not always the same person... For special, we had Art and then enjoyed lunch and recess. Once we returned to the classroom, we "sealed" our class mission statement/promise by using our finger/thumbprint to create sea life, added examples to our class rule chart and read more from, Fish in a Tree. Ally's teacher is on maternity leave and her new teacher, Mr. Daniels, seems to like that kids are different...we finally sensed some positivity from her today! Next, we read and discussed ways that we can find "Just Right" books. We ended our day taking our first of two STAR assessments to begin the year. Today, we took the STAR Reading test. This assessment will just give me a piece of the puzzle of your kiddo as a learner. It was on the computer and don't think it was too bad.

In the swing of things

I've tried to stay pretty true to our schedule today so that we can get into a routine. We began with Math 4 Today as our morning work. Then, I introduced i-Time. This will be a time that all students work on bettering their INDIVIDUAL self. So, we brainstormed a list of things we'd like to get better at but also a list of things they'd like to learn. Next, we greeted our friends and shared about our weekend in meeting. Then, we read, Salt in His Shoes and Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle. After discussing these books, I asked them about boo-boo's they've had and gave them each a bandaid. Some bandaids fixed the problems but others didn't. This led us to understand that "Fair isn't everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need in order to be successful!" We took a mini field trip to the other end of the building to retrieve the computers and then got new passwords and logged in to: Google Apps, My Library, Canvas and ST Math. Phew! Their homework is to practice getting on from home. **They'll need to go to hilliardschools.org and then STUDENTS tab to find Elementary eSchool before they can get to the other stuff...we'll see how many listened! Today we had gym, lunch and a beautiful recess! Once we took a quick restroom break and got a drink, we met for Read Aloud. Ally was still getting in trouble with Mrs. Silver for giving her teacher a sympathy card at her baby shower...she can't read but she also doesn't want anyone to know... We went to the Media Center today so that we can begin to check out books! I have a ton of books in the room but there is nothing like taking the time to go to the library! We reviewed procedures and had time to read too. We even were able to write about our reading today, after sustaining our reading for 10 minutes. We are still trying to build our stamina! Next, we read the books, Someday and Going Places and then began the discussion on setting SMART goals. They wrote a goal and placed it on our chart. I think we're going to need to work on making them a little more Specific and Measurable tomorrow though... The end of our day was a little wonky with going outside for the dedication of the picnic tables because once we returned, we didn't have enough time to begin something else but had too much time to just pack up. Let's just say we had a little free time. :)

TGIF~Thank Goodness I'm Fabulous! (and it's Friday!!)

What a glorious first week of school! We began our day reading, Only One You. We then picked our own rocks and decorated/personalized them. There's only one you... Next, we watched a video by Jo Boaler about math and growth mindset. Unfortunately, a lot of people say they are or are not "math people." While in reality, everyone can do math! This video helped us to see that the struggles we have in math is actually helping us to learn it! Next, we flexed our brains by playing Four 4's. I loved the enthusiasm I saw!! We had music today and Mrs. Root said they were amazing and got the first Super Blue of the school year (by any class!) This deserves a potato head piece! After a thankfully, uneventful lunch and recess, we began our read aloud of Fish in a Tree. We were introduced to Ally, the main character. We switched gears a little and took time to make cards for Evan and then found a book and read for 10 minutes. Some of us were able to read long enough to then write a short summary of what we read. Next, we wrote our mission statement but before we wrote it, we researched some other businesses mission statements. This gave us insight into what we needed to do. We brainstormed and then edited to make our mission statement exactly what we plan/promise to do this year. (There'll be a copy of this in the back of your child's red folder on Monday.) Finally, we Saved Sam in a team building activity!

They came back! :)

Yay! I'm so happy that all 26 kiddos decided to come back! :)

We began our day with our morning procedures: checking in for lunch, finding a seat that will help us to be successful, turning in any important papers and beginning our work. Next, in meeting, we discussed our flexible seating (where did your child sit today and did they sit in a chair or use a ball...?) and students signed their student contract (you can read this in their binder.) Then, we read, Odd Boy Out, a story about young Albert Einstein and talked a little bit about our differences and embracing them and enjoying them. We then played, "Just Like Me!" and discussed that even though we are all different, we have things in common that can help us to make new friends and enjoy discussion. To brainstorm for our discussion later about what makes a good classmate, we wrote down things that we do that might "BUG" other people. For instance, I can be loud and I sing and dance around the classroom a lot. These aren't bad things but if someone needs it to be quiet, or are getting distracted by this, I need to be aware. After our meeting time, we moved on to Math with an interest survey to help me better understand them as learners and then reviewed/practiced with the Dot Game. How did your kiddo do? Who was their partner? We had Art today and then lunch and outdoor recess. **One of our kiddos choked while at recess. The kiddos were amazing and did exactly as needed-got help from an adult. We decompressed a bit afterward and I shared that he was in good care and talking and joking with me. They seemed to be ok but if they seem a little frazzled, this is why. After we calmed our nerves, we read The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone. I loved this book! We also wrote in our Reader's Notebooks to practice writing about our reading. Next, we filled our our Reading Inventory to give me some more information about them as learners, and then read. Our goal was to read for 10 minutes solid. Some of us made it while others didn't. Our goal right now is to get to a point where we all can sustain our reading for 10 minutes. Once we reach this goal, we'll add some time. Our final goal is for every student to sustain their reading for 20 minutes. After we read, we discussed what reading is and is not. Then, we took out our "BUG"s and made a chart of what a Great Classmate: is, does, says and is not. Finally, I frustrated them all by putting them in groups and giving them dice while telling them to play the game. Ask them about it and why I did that! Also, ask them about our one and only class rule.

(Today was busy and stressful. If your kiddo is tired, I completely understand and agree! If you need anything at all, please let me know!)

First day of school!

Today was awesome! I love the energy of the class already! We began by working on our name tents (favorites, words to describe us, 3 facts and a fib), organized some of our supplies and added to our "What if?" poster. Once we got settled, we came together for our class meeting. I read, Black Dog and then we shared about ourselves. *Ask your kiddo about this story! Next, we read, My Teacher is a Monster! No, I am Not and shared more about ourselves. What did your child share as their "fib?" We answered some pretty important questions like, "What do you hope to learn in 4th grade?" and "What does Mrs. Lambright need to do to help you have a successful year?" and "School is important because ______." We discussed our answers and then played, "I have...who has?" Alton Darby edition! Then, it was time for Gym, lunch and recess~thankfully, the sky cleared up a bit and we were able to be outside!! After we took a restroom break, we completed organizing our supplies. Phew! That made most everyone (especially me!) feel a lot less chaotic! Next, kiddos did a little classroom hunt/map activity and found their way around our room. We also read, Beautiful Oops! and discussed E + R = O. Can your kiddo tell you what this means? This group mostly-if not all-seem to be mathy, like me, so we did a fun Math themed Get-to-know-you activity. Finally, we began working on our Summer Selfies. All in all, it was a busy, fun, exciting, tiring day!! I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!

Nuts and Bolts

Good afternoon! Here is a digital copy of the brochure with all of the nuts and bolts of our 4th grade year together. (I hope it comes across where you are able to read it...it is too large to send through email...)