4th Grade Enrichment

I had so many great guest blogger submissions this week, that I couldn't just choose one!  So this week's blog post comes from Lexi, Ashton, and Lauryn.  Nice work!

In the past few weeks we have been doing lots of exciting things! This week we did our teacher
interviews. Each of us picked a teacher and then asked then 5-6 interview questions. During that time
we also talked about body language, eye contact, and speaking clearly and slowly. After that we watched
our interview questions and graded each other. Then we wrote thank-you letters to the teacher that we
interviewed and delivered them. After our teacher interviews we continued our novel and added
Bixbyisms and added to our character portraits. We also did discussion questions for the chapters we
read and a plot summary of the characters adventures. We had so much fun! See you next week.

                          Lauren Punke

  This week in Mrs. Burbridge’s group we did so many fun things. We finished our teacher interviews and
continued our novel. In the teacher interviews we came up with questions to ask different teachers. I interviewed
Mrs. Hayen. In the interview I asked questions like, "How long have you been a teacher?" In our book we had a lot
of new and exciting things, such as how the characters had to get some wine for their teacher and then a man stole
all of their money. After the man stole their money the boys started to chase him down the street, but they didn’t
catch him because one of the boys couldn’t keep going, one of them tried to jump over a tipped garbage can and
tripped, and the last one came back for the two of them. When we worked on the teacher interviews we worked on
body language such as eye contact, speaking clearly, slowly, generated questions, and then we did self-assessment
and peer-assessment. We did write thank-you letters to the teachers we interviewed. We did(as always) student led
discussions.

Ashton

Hi, the past weeks in Mrs. Burbridge’s class we mostly focused on teacher

interviews. We all had to come up with discussion questions and then

pick a teacher we wanted to interview. I picked Mrs Wisdom as my

teacher to interview. I learned about her things I didn’t know like that she

got in a skydiving accident and hurt her back. She was ok after that

though.  We really were also focusing on our body language, eye

contact, speaking clearly, and slowly. That was actually a challenge to

keep all that together perfectly. We also had to make our discussion

questions and stay on topic. After everybody did their interviews we

rated or scored each other. We had a key that went from zero to a check

plus mark. We had to watch the video while doing that to remember

what happened. We also rated ourselves. We discovered that our

classmates thought we did better than we thought we did. When we

finished we wrote them thank you letters. We also continued reading our

book. Our story took a wild turn. They wanted to by a bottle of  wine

for their teacher. They couldn’t get in without an adult. So they asked a

random person to go in their with them and then he took their money.

Then one of the boys looked his name up and he was a famous robber

and murderer. So our class is wondering IS THAT TRUE? Well that was

our week. I hope you had as good of a week as we did.  Visit back

next week.

Sincerely,

Lexi

4th Grade Enrichment

This week's guest blogger is Taylor Robshaw.

This week we started a new novel; Ms. Bixby’s Last Day. It is about a teacher that has cancer
and means a lot to three students; Topher, Brand, and Steve. These three boys will make a
remarkable plan to skip school, go to a bakery, buy a cake, break Ms. Bixby out of the hospital,
then have a picnic at a park. We also found some Bixbyisms, or sayings that Ms. Bixby says.
An example is; Things are never as bad as they seem. That means that if something seems bad,
then it’s not as bad as you think. Oh, and we learned a new signpost; Aha Moments. That is
when a character figures something out. Oh gee, I forgot to tell you that we have, and will
continue, open mind portraits about characters; Topher, Brand, and Steve. We will be doing those
like so; we draw out characters then fill them in with information.

                              

                                                      Sincerely,

                                                             Taylor

4th Grade Enrichment

This week's guest blogger is Sarah Carlson.  Congrats Sarah!

Hello and thank you for coming. This week in Mrs. Burbridge’s class we discussed a new signpost called

Tough Questions. We also talked about critical thinking sentence starters and why they all had because

in them. We discussed the end of the book as we finished it. At the end of the week we did a worksheet

on one character's best of times and worst of times. This concludes the end of the guest blog post.

I hope you will stay until the big event at the end of the year.

The guest blogger,

Sarah Carlson

4th Grade Enrichment

This week's guest blogger is Taylor Robshaw.  Congrats Taylor!

This week in Mrs. Burbridge’s class we have been discussing higher order thinking. That is when we stretch our brains a little further. Also, if we end up picking this book as our final book, we have been brainstorming our final activity ideas. The other day, we analyzed character quotes and the next day we shared them. We used text evidence and examined character traits during this activity. Next week’s goals are to be finishing our book. That’s all for now.

Sincerely,

Taylor

                                           

                                                              

Reading Tips

Need some tips for increasing reading at home?  Learn about phonics, motivating your child to read, creating a literacy friendly home, and what makes a good classroom from PBS.

4th Grade Enrichment

This week, I'm introducing a guest blogger.  The students submitted summaries of our weekly activities, and will be responsible for updating our progress on my blog.  Our guest blogger this week is Lauren Punke.

This week with Mrs. Burbridge, we have been doing lots of exciting things! We have been making blueberry festival brochures with text evidence. We also talked about how some picture books can be harder than chapter books. Another thing we did was we did quick writes using text evidence to build writing endurance.

Sincerely,
                                                            
Lauren

Hello Literacy!

Over the Columbus Day weekend, Mrs. VanOosten and I had the opportunity to attend the Hello Literacy conference in the St. Louis area.  We left with so many fresh and easy to implement ideas, and can't wait to bring them back to share with our coworkers.  We are also going to push for a renewed commitment to guided reading and writing workshops to help improve our students' literacy skills.  We were both thankful that we work for a district that provides us with professional development opportunities, and values the training of teachers for the benefit of students!

Skip Counting Songs

Our 3rd grade classes are just starting to practice skip counting in preparation to learn multiplication.  This is a much more effective strategy than rote memorization of facts.  If you can't remember 8x7, you need some kind of strategy to solve it.  Skip counting also ties in with the Touch Math strategies that I use with my math groups.  Visit this website to find some fun skip counting songs:  Skip Counting Songs

4th Grade Enrichment

Last week we continued with our novel, A Handful of Stars.  We practiced using visualization strategies while drawing the mason bee houses that Salma and Lily create in the book.  Students had to draw the 2 different bee houses, then use text evidence to explain their drawings.  We also learned a new signpost, Again and Again.  We learned that when the author repeats a phrase, situation, or object over and over again, we need to stop and think.  In this case, we would ask ourselves why the author is repeating it, and how is it important to the story?  This gives the reader a clue about the theme or conflict, or can foreshadow future events in the story.

4th Grade Enrichment

This year I am working with a 4th grade reading enrichment group.  If your child is working with me for this group, he/she wrote a letter to you explaining our plan for the year.  This group will be working on a One Book, One Community project all year.  This project will have us reading 4-5 Bluestem nominated novels together, and at least one novel independently.  We will explore these books in-depth, using above grade level literacy standards.  Students will be choosing a winning novel, and will be responsible for planning and executing a culminating activity that involves the entire community. 

Our first novel is A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord.  We are using Notice & Note close reading strategies by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst to help us read more deeply.  These strategies help students identify "signposts" that alert readers to slow down and look closely at the text.  Often times strong readers race through the text without reflection to see how the story ends.  My goal is to create attentive readers that consider character development, theme, conflict, and point of view in a text, and can use text evidence to support their thoughts and reflections in these areas. 

This week we learned about our first two signposts:  Memory Moments, and Words of the Wiser.  Ask your child about these signposts, how to identify them in a story, and why they are important.  We discussed character development this week, and the relationships between the main characters, using text evidence to support our thoughts.  We explored the setting more deeply, and watched a video on blueberry farming in Maine.  Next week we will work on some visualization strategies and learn another new signpost.  I'm also hoping to introduce a guest blogger, where the students will be responsible for summarizing our weekly activities on my blog.

Imagination Library

Research shows that reading to children as young as 6 months old has a huge impact on language development, working memory, processing speed, and early literacy skills.  Even though they aren't speaking yet, babies are still learning through these experiences.  Plus, doesn't it just feel great to cuddle with your little ones and share a story?

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a program that recognizes the importance of these early literacy experiences.  Imagination Library mails high quality children's books to children from birth to age 5 at no cost to families.  This program is partnered with United Way, and available in Whiteside County, regardless of income.  Visit the following link to sign up for your free books:  Imagination Library

Enrichment and Acceleration Classes

If you are reading this blog post, you are probably already familiar with the recent board policy passed on acceleration programs in Erie School District.  Enrichment and acceleration programs actually fall under the RTI department.  The interventions we provide are for all students that are not working at grade level.  This could mean for students close to achieving grade level skills that need an extra boost, or those students working above grade level that need an extra challenge.  As a parent, my own kids fall under both categories.  I have one child that struggles, and one that needs to be challenged.  It's a great personal experience that has allowed me to view both sides of the spectrum, and thoroughly understand the importance of both programs.

Mrs. Jacobs has typically taught all of our enrichment classes at the elementary school.  With a masters in gifted education, and years of experience, she is a great resource for our RTI team.  My experience consists of a masters in reading, 3rd/4th grade classroom teaching, student teaching 7th/8th grade literature, and as of last week, 6 hours of training in gifted education.  This year, I am excited to have a daily 4th grade enrichment group.  Our focus is on literacy activities including reading, writing, and speaking standards.  My group is in the process of writing letters to explain our plan for the year, so if you child comes to me, expect to see it soon!  I will also update our activities on this blog.

If you have any questions about our enrichment or acceleration programs, please feel free to contact the school.  Questions about assessment can be directed to Mrs. Jacobs, and questions about challenging your child can be directed to homeroom teachers.  Policy questions can be directed to Mrs. Livengood.

RTI Updates

Whew, my blog was in some serious need of updating!  The 2018-2019 school year has ushered in a lot of big changes to our RTI department.  Lauryn Wiebenga was moved to a 3rd grade teaching position in order to accommodate for that growing class size, and Lindsay Schryver has joined the RTI team part time in the afternoons to help.  She spends her mornings teaching preschool, and I'm thrilled to have her early childhood expertise!

In addition to personnel changes, we also have some curriculum and assessment changes.  We have eliminated the STAR reading and STAR math tests, and replaced them with MAP testing for reading and math.  We are thrilled with the amount and quality of data these new assessments will provide, and I believe that parents will also be pleased with the easy to read reports and specific information provided.  In order to prepare for the assessment changes, the RTI department had to complete several hours of training, as well as several hours of work setting up the new system and training teachers.  Now that students have completed their testing, our department will have our next round of training later this week.

This year we are also implementing the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention curriculum for our 1st-3rd grade reading groups.  We piloted this program last year, and loved the high quality materials, the focus on writing and responding to text, and the inclusion of phonics and word work.  In order to ensure that students are working at the appropriate instructional reading level, the RTI teachers must use the Benchmark Assessment System to have students individually read books of increasing difficulty until we find a child's instructional and frustration reading levels.  This is a time consuming progress, but they payoff is worth it!  Our RTI department attended 3 hours of face to face training on the new program this year, as well as a few hours of online training to prepare for this new curriculum. 

These changes got our groups off to a slow start this year, but rest assured the data we have been gathering will be crucial to individualizing our instruction to your child's needs.  We will be starting our first round of progress monitoring this week, so if you have been waiting patiently for those reports we promised, you will see them soon!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year.  I'm excited to be starting my 8th year at Erie Elementary.  This year brings big changes to the RTI department.  We will be using new curriculum, new assessments, and even have new staff members in our department.  Be sure to check in on my blog frequently for updates on these changes.

I hope all of you had an amazing summer.  My family and I continued our quest to visit a new National Park each summer.  We went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visiting both the North Carolina and Tennessee sides.  While we were there, we hiked the Chimney Tops trail (which is only 4 miles, but 1,375 ft. elevation gain), white water rafted, and did some zip lining in a cave!  I'm looking forward to hearing all about your summer adventures when you return.

Summer Reading

Be sure to check out the Erie Public Library's summer reading program in June!

Library Cards

Does your child have his or her own library card?  Read this article about the importance of kids having a library card, as well as the benefits it can provide.  You can also visit the Erie Library's website at the following link: http://eriepubliclibrary.com/

POP Pronoun Practice

A pronoun is a word or phrase that replaces a noun in a sentence.  Can you identify the pronoun in the sentence below?

Addie went to the store, she bought some candy. 

If you guessed "she" pat yourself on the back!  Without pronouns, our writing and reading would be repetitive and boring.  Practice identifying pronouns with this fun balloon pop game.

Title 1 Parent Night

Don't miss out on your chance to win this amazing reading gift basket tonight at the Title 1 Parent Information Night.  It contains several of the 2019 Monarch Award nominated books, word games, alphabet letters, a whisper read phone, any many other fun surprises to practice literacy activities at home. We will be in the Elementary cafeteria from 6-7 with summer practice activities for incoming K-4th graders.  We hope to see you there!

Illinois Reading Council

The Illinois Reading Council (IRC) is a literacy organization that promotes a lifelong love of literacy, and provides resources for teachers and families.  I know the teachers in Erie School District love to attend their yearly conference, where we all come back with new and exciting ideas for our students.

Check out their family literacy activities HERE.  Although the monthly calendar isn't always updated, there are some great ideas for promoting daily reading at home.

Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms

Having a clear understanding of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms can help children communicate more effectively in speaking and in writing.  Nobody wants to read or hear a story that repeats the same word over and over.  In case you need a quick review, synonyms are words that mean the same thing (pretty/beautiful), antonyms are words that are opposites (sit/stand), and homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings (pen/pen - one you write with, one you hold an animal in). 

Click HERE to play a fun frog themed matching game to review each of these concepts.

Parent Night Sneak Peak

Here is your sneak peak of some of the activities that will be available at our upcoming Title 1 Parent Information Night.  These activities will provide you with easy and engaging ideas for summer practice in both language arts and math, all in a reusable tote to carry library books!  Be sure to stop by the elementary cafeteria on April 23rd at 6:00!

Title 1 Parent Night