November 9th through November 13th, 2009 

   IMPORTANT INFORMATION: 

Tuesday, 11/10: ch 4 math test

Thursday, 11/12: ch 5 religion test

Friday, 11/13: NO all school mass; spelling test pgs 49-50

Saturday, 11/14: Sock Hop in the gym from 6:30-9:00PM

Parents - please send a water bottle (or two) labeled with your child's name so they can stay hydrated.  Also, please send a healthy snack (popcorn, crackers, fruit, vegetables, breakfast bar, granola bar, pretzels, cheese, etc) for morning snack time. 

Please see the attached file for links and instructions on how to view our textbooks and their resources online.  The beginning of the year information packet is also available as an attached file. 

I typically update this class page every Friday or Saturday in preparation for the upcoming week.  I do not send home weekly newsletters.  You can elect to be notified by the company servicing this classpage whenever I make changes - just click on the "be notified" button at the top of the page.

  HOMEWORK: 

Monday, 11/2: READING - skills packet by Friday; SPELLING - pgs 41-42 by Thursday and pgs 43-44 test on Friday; MATH - Quia by Sunday; SOCIAL STUDIES - map scale sheets; MORNING WORK - analogies

Tuesday, 11/3: MORNING WORK - penmanship pgs 33-34

Wednesday, 11/4: MATH - reteach 1.7 pick 10 and homework 4.6 pick 13; MORNING WORK - journal prompt

Thursday, 11/5: READING - graphic organizer and word ladder; MATH - reteach 4.8 pick 17 and homework 4.7 2-4 pick 2, 5-10 pick 4, do 11; SOCIAL STUDIES - timeline sheet and false face mask; MORNING WORK - story comprehension questions

Friday, 11/6: MATH - reteach 4.9 all and homework 4.8 pick 14; MORNING WORK - penmanship pgs 35-36

Students are instructed to write all their homework in their assignment notebooks daily, EVEN if they have finished it in school.  I do not check assignment notebooks on a daily or even weekly basis nor do I make sure students are taking home everything they need to.  As fourth graders, they are capable of being, and are expected to be, responsible for themselves and their work.  They need to make sure they take home all necessary items and finish their work by the due dates.

HOT LUNCH CHOICES: 

Monday, 11/9:  chicken rings OR turkey and gravy, whole wheat roll, whipped potatoes, seasoned green beans, cranberry cup - students can also try a sample of brussels sprouts

Tuesday, 11/10: pepperoni pizza OR oriental chicken salad, french bread slice, mixed vegetable blend, peaches 

Wednesday, 11/11: mini corn dogs OR baked potato with toppings, whole wheat roll, tri-tater, broccoli with cheese sauce, orange wedges 

Thursday, 11/12: french toast sticks with eggs OR ham and cheese on a roll, hashbrowns, carrot coins, applesauce

Friday, 11/13: pizza dippers OR ocean fish treats, whole wheat roll, potato rounds, corn nibblets, pears   

 NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS:

We don't have any birthdays during the month of November.

  ART:

This week we're still working on our embossed glue pictures that will be covered with aluminum foil.  We'll also do the artwork for a writing piece from a turkey's point of view about why we shouldn't eat turkey for Thanksgiving.  We may begin our Thanksgiving prayer placemats.

  COMPUTERS:

Students transfer their turkey stories from their quickpads to their lab computers then edit their stories.  They will also have an extra computer lab during social studies on Tuesday to work on native american web quests. 

   K-4 BUDDIES:

We will visit with our Buddies Monday morning.  This year K4 has 13 boys and 4 girls while fourth grade has 6 boys and 10 girls.  This year's pairings are: Kelly Aspinwall and August Borino; Katelin Bauer and Robert Fuller; Jesse Bopp and Joe Stewart; Margaret Butler and Sophia Tendick; Kevin Eberle and Benjamin Schneider; Megan Goldammer and William Kileen; Donny Parey and Nicholas Kroog; Aidan Parks and John Joseph Stollenwerk III; Calvin Pearson and Garrett Mueller; Mari Propp and Brendan Larson; George Schumacher and Jonathan Harmeyer; Isabelle Shavlik and Meka Lund; Miranda Singson and Ima Willoughby; Sarah Stoiber and Felicity Giampietro; Brenna Verheyen and Henry Tasker; Kate Wroblewski and Connor Mihm; Aidan Parks and Donny Parey and Henry Sosnay.

  MATH:

The ch 4 math test is Tuesday, 11/10.  Monday, we'll review (pgs 106-107).  Tuesday, we'll take the ch 4 test and the ch 5 pretest.  Wednesday, we'll correct our ch 4 tests and use order of operations to solve puzzles (5.1: pgs 110-111).  Thursday, we'll use variables to write expressions (5.2: pgs 112-115).  Friday, we'll use variables to compare expressions (5.3: pgs 116-117).

Monday, 11/9 I will assign activities on the Quia site.  All activities must be done by Sunday, 11/15.

The link for my class is http://www.quia.com/pages/kdaemmrich10/page1. 

The link for Miss G's class is http://www.quia.com/pages/kdaemmrich10/page2. 

The above class specific links are for weekly assigned homework.  Students can practice any of 45 math and social studies activities, assigned or not, anytime at http://www.quia.com/profiles/kdaemmrich10.

  MORNING WORK:

Monday, they'll choose a journal prompt to respond to.   Tuesday, they'll make words from a given list of letters.  Wednesday, they'll do penmanship pgs 37-38.  Thursday, they'll choose a journal prompt to respond to.  Friday, they'll solve two magic number squares.   

READING:

There is NO reading test this week.  We'll have two reading skills packets going this week - both are due Friday.  The topic for one group is King Arthur and the topic for the other group is Egypt.  Students will receive a mystery book for lit circle reading.  They will be assigned lit circle tasks.  I'm doing another lit circle book right away so they don't forget the tasks they just learned. 

Students are recommended to read twenty minutes each day.  They are required to read 300 minutes per month.     

Our class reading wikispace is http://2009smv421.pbworks.com.

Ms Benson has asked for Battle of the Books teams again this year.  I've split the class into four groups.  They will pick their team name and read/participate together in the Battle of the Books later this year.  The groups are: Kevin, Miranda, Megan and George  -  Margaret, Donny, Mari and Sarah  -  Kate, Aiden, Calvin and Brenna  -  Jesse, Kelly, Isabelle and Katelin.  The book list can be accessed on the files tab of this page.

 RELIGION:

The ch 5 religion test is on Thursday, 11/12.  Monday, we'll explain God's plan for salvation then we'll explain how Isaiah described the savior (pgs 49-53).  Tuesday, we'll describe who Christians believe the Messiah is and identify the theme of God's promised messiah to our daily lives (pgs 54-57).  Thursday, we'll have the ch 5 test.

Each day as part of our morning prayers, we will either read from a book of children's devotions or we will say part of the rosary.  When reading from the book of devotions, we will also recite the prayer students need to memorize for that month.  When saying the rosary, we will be reciting one decade per day.  Before recess we'll say the Guardian Angel prayer.  Grace Before Meals will be said before lunch recess.  For dismissal, we'll recite the Come Holy Spirit prayer.

Fifteen prayers will be memorized by each student this year.  Unlike last year, instead of having them due during one quarter, I've spread them over the entire school year.  In November: Hail Holy Queen; in December: the Spiritual Works of Mercy; in January: the Corporal Works of Mercy; in February: the Prayer of St Francis; in March: the Apostle's Creed; in April: Come Holy Spirit; in May: the Ten Commandments; and in June we'll work with, but they won't have to memorize, the Beatitudes.

 SOCIAL STUDIES:

There is NO social studies test this week.  Monday, we'll split into small groups to learn about food, clothing, shelter, family life, etc of native americans in Wisconsin.  The students will then present what they learned to the whole group.  Tuesday we're going to the computer lab to work on web quests about native americans and their way of life.  Wednesday, we're going to be classroom archeologists and visit two classrooms when those students are at another class.  Using clues they left behind, we'll try to determine how many people spend time in the room, the breakdown of boys to girls, and what they are studying.  We will also complete a teepee to wigwam venn diagram.  Thursday, we'll read some native american legends or creation type stories (i.e.: how the moon got placed in the night sky, how the turtle got his shell) then we'll write one of our own.  Friday, we'll use a political map of North America.   

The students will have to learn the states and capitals for 4 tests: the Middle West states on October 29th, the Northeast states on December 17th, the Southeast states on February 11th, and the Mountain states on April 15th.  We will have a Wisconsin geography test on May 27th.  A matching activity for each of the four regions can be found at http://www.quia.com/profiles/kdaemmrich10. 

This year's State Fair will be in the senior center on Thursday, March 25th.  Required elements for this year's project are the ABC book, the tri-fold poster, and the state biography poem.  We will begin working on our state fair projects in school in October.  Different parts of the project will have due dates spaced three to four weeks apart to allow plenty of time for completion.  This year's states are: Kelly-Tennessee; Katelin-Massachusetts; Jesse-Florida; Margaret-California; Kevin-Colorado; Megan-Alaska; Donny-Georgia; Aidan-Texas; Calvin-Nevada; Mari-Kansas; George-Michigan; Isabelle-Illinois; Miranda-Indiana; Sarah-Maine; Brenna-Arizona; Kate-Washington; Nora-Alabama; Ian-Utah; Ellie-New York; George Carlo-Minnesota; Stephen-Pennsylvania; Maddie-Maryland; Greta-Hawaii; Emma-Louisiana; Katie-Connecticut; Allie-North Carolina; Adam-Mississippi; Dominic-Ohio; Nicky-Rhode Island; Lauren-South Carolina; Maria-Kentucky; Will-Vermont; Siobhan-Guam. 

We visit the state capitol building and historical museum in Madison on Wednesday, June 9th.  

   SPELLING:

The spelling test for pgs 49-50 is on Friday, 11/13.   This week's word list in made up of words with consonant clusters: thrill, spruce, stand, speed, stretch, sprint, spare, threw, stranger, springtime, stern, spectacle, strap, thrifty, street, stung, sparkle, stress, special, steak, clustered, county, glistened, overflowing, sturdy.  Pgs 47-48 will be assigned Monday, 11/9 and will be corrected in class on Thursday, 11/12.  Pgs 49-50 will be completed in class on Friday, 11/13.

Students can visit http://www.aaaspell.com/2009-2010_Mrs_Daemmrich.htm to use the weekly spelling words in several online games.  We will also have opportunities to play these games in class on the Smart Board.

  CHARACTER EDUCATION:

Each month we focus on a topic for discussion and to do activities.  November's topic is Cooperation.  We'll define what cooperation is and determine what it looks, sounds and feels like when we cooperate with others.  We'll be on the lookout for fellow classmates cooperating with someone anywhere in the school.

JOKE PICKED BY THE STUDENT OF THE WEEK:

My teacher's helper for the week of 11/2 was Calvin.  His joke was: What is red, white, blue and flies through the air?  Answer: a frozen Santa Claus!  No one came up with the correct answer so Calvin gets the candy!

My teacher's helper for the week of 11/9 is Mari.  Her joke is: How did the boy get the Egyptian flu?