Parents,

I hope you all had a nice weekend and Mother’s Day. I apologize for the late blog. I’ve been battled a sinus headache for most of the weekend, but am feeling a bit better today.  See below for class activities we will be doing this week:

What is my child learning this week? 

3rd grade will be reviewing the suffixes -ous (“full of”), -ive (“relating to”), -ly  (“in a __ ___ way”), -ful (“full of”), -less (“lacking”) and will also review quotation marks/punctuation placement,  and capitalization. Spelling words can be found on 11.2 of the workbooks (some of these words are repeats). We will be practicing spelling words with the sounds /ae/, /k/, /s/, /j/, and /n/ which I will also post them below.  The spelling test will be on Friday. We will sort words according to their sounds (letters in black) and make meaningful sentences with the words.  We will begin learning about singular and plural possessive nouns, as well as reviewing proper/common nouns.

3rd grade homework:
Monday – Complete 9.2/9.3
Tuesday – No homework
Wednesday – 12.2 in workbooks
Thursday – No homework/spelling test on Friday

 

4th grade has no spelling words this week as we are a few days ahead. We will continue practicing subject-action verb agreement. Students will be working on their second and third body paragraphs of their cause/effect essay this week. We will be performing two vignettes this week to help with writing our essays about the cause/effects leading up to the American Revolution.  We will introduce pronoun-action verb agreements and review the prefixes im– and in-. 4th grade has PE this week so they should bring swimming clothes to go swimming on Friday.

4th grade homework:
Monday – Finish cause/effect essay (introduction and body paragraph essay)
Tuesday – Complete 7.3 in workbooks
Wednesday – Complete 9.3 in workbooks
Thursday – Complete 9.1 in workbooks
Friday – No spelling test

Enrichment – Since Thursday and Friday is our rescheduled International Days, enrichment will spend a good part of the week working on their specific country projects.

Reminders/Important Dates: 
5/26 – Last day of 3:30 dismissal (return to normal 3:00 dismissal)
5/29 – Memorial Day Holiday/No school
6/7 – 6/8 – EOG (may have a 1 pm dismissal on these days)

 

Parents,

Hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend we had here in Eastern North Carolina. We only have a few more weeks before the EOG and the end of the school year. I also wanted to thank all the parents/students who showed appreciation this week to the teachers. Ignite has the sweetest, most thoughtful students. Thank you so much for making my week!

What is my child learning this week?

3rd grade has started on their Astronomy unit (Unit 7). We will review spelling words with the spelling pattern /n/. We have two class periods carved out for either review of conjunctions or lapbook writing (so we can wrap this project up).  We will be identifying cause/effect in sentences and practicing using different conjunctions to join simple cause/effect sentences. We will review previously studied suffixes as well as add double suffixes (-ous or -ful and -ly) to words. On Friday we will take our spelling test for words with the pattern /n/.

4th grade had a task hunt last week in preparation for their unit test. Each group was required to complete each station (correctly) in order to move on to the next station. I loved watching each student participate, and they seemed to love the competition! Pictures are posted below. 4th grade will have a spelling test on Friday for content words related to the American Revolution. Like 3rd grade, 4th grade is also practicing identifying cause/effect in a sentence. We will do several activities in regards to cause/effect this week. Additionally, 4th grade will be writing a cause/effect essay based on events that lead to the American Revolution. We will take this step-by-step beginning by writing an introduction paragraph, moving on to body paragraphs, and finally a conclusion paragraph.  4th grade will also learn about transitional words (words used to smoothly lead into a sentence or paragraph). We will practice the root word “port” (meaning “to carry”). Last week, we read a vignette about the American Revolution where students were able to volunteer for different speaking parts. We will read another this week. 4th grade will begin identifying subjects/predicates in a sentence and adding the prefixes im- and in- (meaning “not) to our prefix wall (while also reviewing other prefixes meaning “not” including un-, non-, dis-, il-, ir-).  It will be a busy (but fun) week in 4th grade this week! Below you will find some charts I will be using in class that may help you at home with your child.

Enrichment was privileged to have Cadence’s parents join us (with donuts!) for Cadence’s Genius Hour presentation. Cadence completed her Genius Hour project on the weather, engaged the class with questions, and answered her peers’ questions confidently. Awesome job, Cadence! Last week we also constructed our own marble mazes, constructed buildings (or other creative makings) with craft sticks, and planted catgrass eggheads (pictures below) which we will continue to monitor. Students also played Oregon Trail for the first time. It was special to share this with them because I first played it in 4th grade. I really wanted to introduce this to them because it requires critical thinking and cause/effect. I was a little scared that the outdated graphics would disinterest them, but they loved it! This week, students will make memory books of their year at Ignite. We’ll do small enrichment activities between this, but that will be the focus of this week. We are still waiting for our second round of penpal letters from Spain. I’m told that they are putting together some information about their area for us.

Reminders:
1. Spelling test on Friday for both 3rd and 4th grades. More students have been bringing water bottles to school. Thank you!

3rd grade spelling words

4th grade spelling words

4th grade homework

3rd grade homework

It’s hard for me to imagine we are already beginning the month of May. We have about a month and a half of school left! I saw some of the kiddos at the Spring Carnival yesterday, and it looked like they were having a lot of fun! We had a busy week of MAP testing last week, but will get back into the grind of things this week. A big THANK YOU to all the 4th grade families who donated to our “Family Night” basket!

What is my child learning this week?
3rd Grade is beginning Unit 7 (The Solar System) this week. We will introduce spelling words and test on those words on Friday. We will discuss what homophones are (words that sound like, but have different meanings and may be spelled differently) and begin sorting words based on spelling patterns. We will add the conjunctions “so” and “or” to our list of studied conjunctions. Students will learn to identify the cause and effect in a sentence using the conjunctions “or” and “so.” We will add the suffixes -ful and -less to our suffix wall and practice making more complex/compound sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs. Group one should be finishing their lapbooks/typing up essays this week using Google Docs.

4th grade will be reviewing Unit 6 (Geology) for the first half of the week (see study guide below) and will take their Unit 6 assessment on Wednesday. We will begin Unit 7 (The American Revolution) on Thursday by reading a play based during the American Revolution. We will review comma rules (see picture below), introduce the root word port (Latin meaning “to carry”), and learn about cause/effect (see chart below). Later in the unit we will begin writing a cause/effect essay. There will be no vocabulary for 4th grade this week since we are ending a unit and beginning a new one.

Enrichment will participate in some hands-on activities this week. We will have an engineering activity where students will replicate famous architecture of their choice using different crafting materials. Students will make their own marble maze and also (if we have time) make eggheads with eggshells. We will have Genius Hour this week on Tuesday and Friday.

Reminders:
The weather is getting warmer. Students should bring drinks with them to school or a water bottle (highly recommended) to refill throughout the day.
Scholastic flyers went home with 4th graders last week. Please let me know if you would like to order anything.

3rd grade spelling words

4th grade study guide

Enjoy some pictures below from last week.

 

Parents,

This will be the last weekend blog before Spring Break!  Many of the kids have been excitedly sharing their plans with me. At the very minimum, they have been sharing their excitement for not having school for 10 whole days. Just a reminder this is a four-day week. Spring Break begins with Good Friday on Friday, April 14th.

What is my child learning this week?

4th Grade – In 4th grade, we are nearing the end of Unit 6 (Geology). We will be working on adjectives this week, especially learning the sequence order of multiple adjectives in a single sentence. We will discuss articles (A, An, The – which provide additional details about the noun and tell us whether it is a specific noun or a general noun). We will also review suffixes -y and –ly and the root words graph and rupt. 4th graders will learn to write descriptive paragraphs as well as learn the specific parts of descriptive paragraphs (topic sentence, details, concluding sentence). We will also review some figurative language when writing our descriptive paragraphs (personification, alliteration, simile, etc.) as well as practice using strong verbs (bolted vs. ran, etc.). Because of the short week and the fact we are nearing the end of a unit, there will be no vocabulary this week. Below you will find the adjective sequence chart we will be using in class.

3rd Grade – 3rd graders will be spending Monday and Tuesday reviewing for their Unit 5 (Light and Sound) Assessment on Wednesday. My intention was to have it on Thursday. However, because we have Career Day and other obligations throughout the week, there will be no time for them to take it Thursday, and I don’t want it hanging over their heads over Spring Break. We will introduce the conjunction and and how it joins two simple sentences and turns them into a  compound sentence. I have attached a study guide for the Unit 5 Assessment for parents that want to review with their children.  We will begin Unit 6 (Norse Mythology) after Spring Break. No vocabulary this week, as we are ending a unit.

Enrichment – On Monday and Tuesday in Enrichment, we will be discussing The Boy in the Clouds as Mr. Dupree, author of this children’s book, will be visiting us for Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day. We will draft questions to ask Mr. Dupree during his visit. Last Friday I received an e-mail from Mr. Janney and Ms. Lema, the two teachers in Spain who are facilitating our penpal program. That e-mail included letters addressed to each one of the enrichment students. They have been asking each day when the letters would arrive, so I know they will be excited to receive those and learn more about their penpal. My plan is to have them receive them on Wednesday and begin writing those letters. However, there is a lot already going on this week, so if push comes to shove, they will be given them when we return from Spring Break. Last Friday, Kezia gave her Genius Hour presentation on rainbows. She did a fantastic job engaging the class with questions throughout her presentation and even shared some rainbow candy with us. We were glad to have her mom join us during her presentation. There will be no Genius Hour presentations this week due to the short (and busy) week. Genius Hour presentations will resume after Spring Break.

    

Some reminders for this week:

4/12 – DEAR Day – Students will have a chance to bring a book to school and, as a school, we will drop everything and read. We will also have our visit from Mr. Dupree. If you would like to purchase his book for $9.00, please send the money to me by Tuesday. You child will have the opportunity to have it signed by the author himself.
4/14 – NO SCHOOL/Spring Break begins
4/24 – Students and staff return. 3:30 pm dismissal begins
5/26 – Last day of 3:30 dismissal
5/29 – Memorial Day holiday

Jump Rope for the Heart is postponed until after Spring Break.
There is no swimming this week for students.
Items for Spring Carnival class baskets are due to homeroom teachers by Thursday.

3rd grade study guide for Unit 5 test on Wednesday

 

Parents,

I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend. Below you’ll find this week’s schedule/class plan as well as some fun things we did last week.

What is my child learning this week?

4th Grade – 4th graders will begin spelling words that have the roots graph, arch, and rupt. Spelling test will be on Friday. We will continue studying commas, but this week we will be focusing on commas within dialogue/quotation marks. We will discuss wiki writing. A wiki is an online resource that provides information on a topic or subject and can be written or updated by more than one person (ex: Wikipedia). We will go over wiki rubrics and begin drafting our own on different types of volcanoes. Once students have drafted their own wikis, they will begin editing them for a final draft.

IPAC has asked each classroom to assemble a themed basket to raffle/bid at our Spring Festival. 4th Grade has chosen to assemble a “Family Fun Night” basket. We will be reaching out to 4th Grade parents asking them to consider donating to the basket to raise money for the school. Students are currently brainstorming different items we might ask to be donated.

3rd Grade – Third grade will receive new spelling words with the spelling pattern /ae/ with their test being on Friday. They will begin writing more complex sentences, adding adverbs and adjectives. We will add the suffix -ous (meaning “full of” or “having”) to our suffix wall and review the suffix -ly (“in a ____ way”). Lapbook group one will have writing time this week and will also have conferences with me at the end of the week. Lapbook group two will be finishing filling out their lapbooks with their research. I will check in with them to make sure they are on the right track. Hopefully at the end of the week, we will be able to get another group started on lapbooks.

Enrichment – Enrichment has finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and we will wrap up discussion this week. We will have some independent reading time as well as Genius Hour time. I’m very excited that Mr. Lococo has connected us with a teacher he knows (Mr. Janney) who currently teaches in Spain.  Mr. Janney is currently having his students write to each one of the Enrichment students so that we can begin penpaling! The students are really excited to receive letters and have already started thinking of questions they would like to ask. On Friday, we had two Genius Hour presentations. Max presented on careers in video games and explained how video games are made. Students had plenty of questions to ask him! Anessa and Dakota presented on Paris, France. They made a small replica of the Eiffel Tour, a really cool poster, and even provided the class with croissants. Way to go, Max, Anessa, and Dakota! You guys did awesome and your hard work was evident!

Reminders:
1. Spring pictures are on Wednesday, 4/5/17. Packages for prepay will go home on Monday.
2. Spring Break is right around the corner! Correction: we will be out 4/13 – 4/23. I forgot to add in Good Friday/April 13th to the reminders on the homework sheets. So we will be out Good Friday and then the following week.
3. Ignite’s new website has launched: www.ignitepitt.org

Below you will find the homework schedule and spelling lists for 3rd and 4th grades.

3rd Grade Spelling List:

3rd Grade Homework:

4th Grade Spelling List:

4th Grade Homework:

 

Some pictures from last week:

 

Parents,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend. I was able to get a lot of stuff done yesterday on the rainy Saturday we had. I love a rainy day because I’m less inclined to go out and tend to be more productive in terms of work and chores. At the end of this blog you will find the homework schedule for this week, some pictures from St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ll also re-post the study guides for 3rd and 4th grade unit assessments for those of you who haven’t seen them yet so that you will not have to scroll through the blog. Have a great week!

What is my child learning?

3rd Grade – 3rd Grade will be working on reviewing grammar lessons we learned in Unit 4 (Roman Empires). On Friday, we introduced appropriate use of quotation marks for dialogue. We will continue working on quotations this week. I have a punctuation lab scheduled for them this week where they will use macaroni and some other food items and glue them onto sentences. Students will also practice verb tenses and quotation marks on NoRedInk (an online site I use for grammar). On Wednesday, we will have our final review for Unit 4 and take our Unit 4 assessment on Thursday. I posted the study guide to Thursday’s blog post as well as handed out copies to students on Friday (it’s printed on pink paper). Group I is well on their way with their lapbooks. This week, they will begin drafting paragraphs for their essay and having 1:1 writing conferences with me. Group II will receive and put together their lapbooks early in the week and then begin compiling research. In addition to having a lapbook, they each have a writing folder (which is kept in a hanging organizer on the inside of our classroom door)  in which they will keep writing drafts/pre-writing. They will bring their writing folders to their 1:1 conference with me and I will make notes on their conference sheets (what they are working on, what we discussed, what is to be worked on next, etc.). We will be watching some Flocabulary videos on essay-writing and crafting theses and then putting these lessons to the test in our lapbooks. There is no vocabulary for this week since we are closing out a unit.

4th Grade – 4th Grade has worked incredibly hard on their Qatar research projects. I know I’ve said that a few times now, but they really have. They’ve completed their graphic organizers with their research and have started working on ways to show their research (they have been really crafty with using cardboard). On Friday, they compiled a list of items they need to complete their projects, and I will be picking up those items this weekend. We will be reviewing run-on sentences and the four sentence types this week as we prepare for our Unit 4 assessment on Thursday. We will also be discussing and working on evaluating sources (which ties directly into their Qatar research projects). Mr. Lococo will be teaching a class from every grade. On Friday, he is planning on teaching my 4th graders. Students will also be working on and discussing a close reading of a text in class.  There are no vocabulary words this week since we are closing out a unit.

Enrichment – Enrichment continues to work on Genius Hour projects. Some students have begun finishing The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I will be following up with each of the reading groups to see exactly where they are. Many of them have planned to have the book finished by this upcoming Thursday. After we have completed the book, we will have a movie showing of the film and discuss how the film/movie are different. I want to again thank those who helped fund this project. It has been a great experience to share such a special novel with them, and I have loved seeing them work through the book together.

Reminders/Important Dates:
Report cards go home on Friday, 3/31