We made it through the first week as 4^th graders with flying colors!  Our week was fabulous and I am just as excited to get started with the curriculum as the kids are.  We spent last week learning about Great Expectations and classroom procedures.  Our group is very eager to participate, therefore we did not get as far as I had anticipated.  We had the first of many “Great Conversations” in 4^th grade by talking about what a “Great Conversation” is.  To begin this concept we discussed that a conversation takes more than one person sharing thoughts and ideas about a subject.  The interchange cannot be one sided, or it is not a conversation it is a monologue.  The students agreed that input from everyone in the class is valuable to the discussions we have.  Some of our conversations this week included discussions of several picture books and how the characters in these books modeled or did not model the Eight Expectations for Living.  Take just a minute and extend the conversation in your home.  Ask your 4^th grader what expectations Molly Lou Melon demonstrated and what expectations her new classmates practiced.  They can also show you their Eight Expectations for Living Book that we will be working on throughout the year.

I have a very full week planned for our class!  We will finish up our conversations of last week with discussions on being a good citizen and proper use of school supplies in order to make them last through the year.   Following is a brief overview of our week:

·         Math – whole numbers

·         Grammar – nouns and articles

·         Excellence in Writing – keyword outlines

·         Literature – Pollyanna

·         History/Geography- maps and globes

·         Greek & Latin – 3 new roots

·         Dictation – first list - See Dictation/Spelling page on the blog

·         Book Reports – see the blog under Student Book Review

The students will bring home their first homework packet Monday.  Make sure you look on the Homework page on the blog to read about homework expectations for 4^th grade.  I look forward to a busy week with your wonderfully motivated students!