Poetry Outloud

The students did a good job memorizing and presenting their poems to our class last week. Two of our students were chosen to participate in the School Poetry Outloud Assembly. We were proud of the job that they each did!

Here is another student who presented while waiting for the judges to add up all their scoring!  We are proud of her, too!

My Brother Martin

This next week we will be reading “My Brother Martin” by Christine King Farris.  We will focus on the following vocabulary words in this story.  It would be helpful if you will reinforce the meaning of these words at home with your child.

Vocabulary Word	Meaning
generations	periods of about thirty years, or the time from the birth of one generation to the birth of the next generation
pulpit	platform or raised structure in a church from which the minister preaches
minister	member of the clergy;  spiritual guide; pastor
shielding	protecting; defending
avoided	kept away from; kept pit of the way of
numerous	very many
ancestors	People from whom you are descended, such as your great grandparents

Spelling Words: stomach, memory, Canada, element, mystery, science, remember, forget, suppose, iron,  gravel, difficult, fortune, giant, architect, normal, notify, privilege, cement, yesterday,  ridiculous, syllable, magnificent, asparagus, cinnamon

Reading Fluency Homework Begins

For the next five weeks, we are going to push towards improving our fluency.  Many of our students will have the opportunity to work on improving their speed and fluency by using the Read Naturally program out in our computer lab.  This opportunity will extend for the next 3 – 4 weeks Monday through Thursday mornings.

Each Monday until May, I will send home a Homework Fluency Passage home with all students.  Each student is to read as much of this passage as he/she can in one minute.  Write down the number of words read correctly in that minute.  Repeat this two more times each evening.  Do this the evenings of Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  All three can be done in five minutes.  Return the paper each Thursday morning.  We will be tracking our progress on a poster in the classroom.

A fluent reader is one who reads in a manner pleasing to the 'ears.' Here is an acronym that may clarify what fluency is.

E: Reads with expression
A: Reads with accuracy
R: Reads at an appropriate rate (a speed that is easily understood)
S: Reads smoothly

Please encourage your child to become a more fluent reader. Remember that fluency is NOT just about SPEED. Thank you so much.

At the end of 4th grade, it hoped that a student will be able to fluently read at a rate of 120 words per minute.

Final Book Report Due: April 27th

Genre: Fable, Fairy/Folk Tale, and Tall Tale

Book Project: Make Puppets and Tell the Story with Your Puppets

For this project you will read three fables, fairy/folk tales and tall tales. You will then choose your favorite fable, fairy/folk tale or tall tale to use for this project.

FABLES: In a fable, characters are animals that talk and act like people. They are usually short stories. They contain a lesson or moral about life.

FOLK TALES: Stories told by people and that are passed down from generation to generation are folk tales.  People explain how things came to be the way they are and explain history through folk tales.  They come from all over the world. (Fairy tales can be included here, too!)

TALL TALES: In tall tales, the characters contain superhuman traits (Paul Bunyan).  Tall tales explain how something in nature came to be (Grand Canyon). They often contain hyperbole (gross exaggerations) and similes (comparisons which use the words “like” or “as” to compare things).

PROJECT:

1. Puppets: Make puppets and be ready to tell the story to the class. You can make the puppets out of tongue depressors, socks, or whatever you can think of. Make whatever props you think you might need.

2. Perform: Use your puppets to act out the story you have picked out.  This may be done live or you may record your story.  If you record the story, you may use others to help you with the character voices, etc.

PRESENTATIONS: Your book project will be presented to our class in May.  We will sign up for the presentation dates at a later time.

Spring Break

Spring break is next week.  We have the 19th through the 23rd off!

Poetry Outloud

We just found out that the district is having a poetry outloud event again this year. Each student needs to pick out a published poem this week, have it approved by me, and memorize it by March 26th.  We will present in class as we return from Spring Break.  Two classroom winners will be chosen to perform for the school.  Two grade level winners will be sent to perform at the district poetry fair!  This all takes place the last week of March so we can’t slack off!

More Award Winning Books

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordin

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Nashoga by Rebecca Weinstein

Holes by Louis Sacher

Dark Life by Kat Falls

Diary of a Whimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

 Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

 Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

Holes by Louis Sacher

Award Winning Books

Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The Ugly Truth: Diary of a Whimpy Kid  by Jeff Kinney

 Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Holes by Louis Sachar

 Jake by Audrey Couloumbus

 Jack's Run by Roland Smith

Patch by Kristin Earhart

 Ella Enchanted By Gail Carson Levine

The Truth Cookie by Fiona Dunbar

Moonwalk

This week we are reading “Moonwalk” by Ben Bova.  We will focus on the following vocabulary words in this story.  It would be helpful if you will reinforce the meaning of these words at home with your child.

Vocabulary Word	Meaning
loomed	appeared dimly or vaguely as a large, threatening shape
rille	a long, narrow valley on the surface of the moon
runt	animal, person, or plant that is smaller than the usual size.  If used about a person, runt is sometimes considered offensive.
staggered	became unsteady; wavered
summoning	stirring to action; rousing
taunted	jeered at; mocked; reproached
trench	any ditch; deep furrow
trudged	walked wearily or with effort

Here are this week’s spelling list!

Spelling Words: please, pleasant, breath, breathe, image, imagine, product, production, heal, health, triple, triplet, relate, relative, meter, metric, compose, composition, crumb, crumble, origin, original, academy, academic, inspire, inspiration

Rachel's Challenge

This afternoon we went to the High School auditorium for a presentation called "Rachel's Challenge."

The above were the challenges that we received, but this bottom slide has her picture on it so I am including it, too!

Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine shooting.  After reading Rachel's journals, as well as a school essay, her family found out that she was trying to end bullying by being an example to those around her.  She wanted to start a chain reaction of good.



I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.  (Rachel Scott)

This assembly brings her message to the students and challenges us each to take Rachel's Challenge!  More information can be found at http://www.rachelschallenge.org/ .

Repertory Dance Theater

The Repertory Dance Theater out of Salt Lake City came and gave an assembly for us this morning.  The following pictures are snapshots from this fun and exciting show!  Look at their faces and you will see many emotions.

The young lady in the photo here is one of our special class members! 

 Look how much fun she is having!

Upcoming Spring Break

Spring Break will be upon us soon.  There will be no school March 19^th – 23^rd!  I hope that this will be a relaxing, enjoyable week for you.

Antarctic Journal

This week, first, we will be finishing up with the story “Amelia and Eleanor.” 

Then we will be reading “Antarctic Journal” by Jennifer Owings Dewey. The vocabulary words we will focus on from this story follow.   It would be helpful if you will reinforce the meaning of these words at home with your child.

Vocabulary Word	Meaning
anticipation	act of anticipating; looking forward to; expectation
continent	one of the seven great masses of land on Earth.  The continents are North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica
convergence	act or process of meeting at a point
depart	to go away; leave
forbidding	causing fear or dislike; looking dangerous or unpleasant
heaves	rises and falls alternatively
icebergs	large masses of ice detached from glaciers and floating in the sea.  About 90 percent of an iceberg’s mass is below the surface of the water

Here you will find our spelling words for the week.  Please practice these words at home.  The words in italics are our challenge spelling words. 

Spelling Words: dictionary, abrupt, predict, import, locally, verdict, locate, portable, transport, bankrupt, dictate, location, erupt, passport, export, contradict, rupture, interrupt, disrupt, dislocate, vindictive, portfolio, jurisdiction, corruption, interruption