Monday, December 2, 2019

December News


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In Reader's Workshop, we’ll continue our non-fiction study: Reading the Weather, Reading the World. We’ll learn how to utilize text features, analyze challenging vocabulary, and summarize and synthesize texts. At the end of this month, students will form collaborative teams to research an extreme weather form!



Let the debates begin with persuasive opinion writing in Writer's Workshop! Students will craft five-paragraph essays that include a strong thesis statement (claim), powerful reasons that support that claim, and a conclusion. We’ll begin by writing opinion essays about topics that we relate to very well -- favorite types of ice cream, genres of music, etc. We’ll expand to topics to include our Parker community and beyond.


After building a strong conceptual and practical base in multiplication strategies, we are ready to divide one-digit numbers in Math Workshop. We'll focus on how multiplication and division function as inverse operations, and we'll review fact-families. From there, we’ll study remainders and the strategy of using partial quotients to solve division problems.


December marks the start of  a much-anticipated social studies unit on Financial Literacy and Economics. Supply and demand, making wise financial choices and decisions, banking, writing a deposit slip/check, completing a job application, and how to interview will be some of the many topics we’ll discuss. On January 31, students will visit Young AmeriTowne. An e-mail with more information and volunteer opportunities will soon follow!

Thursday, October 31, 2019

November News!


Reading Workshop

As we begin the month of November, so too will we embark on a new unit in Reading.  This is a non-fiction unit in which the kids will learn how to effectively read non-fiction.  The reading content will center around extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes, to name just a few.  However, we are not explicitly teaching about extreme weather. We are teaching the kids how to become strong non-fiction readers by previewing a text before reading it, using text features to enhance their understanding of the text, using context clues to help with tricky words related to the content, how to read hybrid texts (texts that blend fiction and non-fiction), and how to summarize and synthesize the non-fiction information they are reading.  These are only a few of the techniques the kids will learn as we embark on this journey into the world of non-fiction. This unit will be our focus for the next couple of months.  

You can support your child at home by continuing to encourage and support reading as much as possible and by providing your child with rich text in both the fiction and non-fiction genre. 


Writing Workshop

The first week of November we will be concluding our unit on the writing genre of realistic fiction.  The kids have worked diligently to apply a variety of crafting techniques to raise the quality of their writing, to make it more descriptive, to truly show how their character deals with his/her problem throughout the story, and to show how the character reflects on the experience which the kids  ultimately demonstrated by writing a reflective ending.  

We are now about to begin a unit on the genre of opinion writing. The kids will learn how to create a strong thesis statement (claim), support that statement with powerful reasons and a multitude of examples, and provide a strong concluding paragraph. They will be writing five paragraph essays in order to best state and strongly support their opinions.  We will begin by writing opinion essays about important topics related to us that we know well; for example, favorite types of ice cream, favorite genres of music, favorite restaurants, favorite types of animals, etc. 

The kids will learn to be persuasive in their writing and convince others to believe in their thesis statement. As we further develop our skills in opinion writing, we will broaden our topics and begin to craft thesis statements based on bigger ideas that impact larger groups such as our community, country, and our world.  


Math Workshop

Throughout this month, we will continue to focus on the content in Topic 3 entitled, “Use Strategies and Properties to Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers”.  This unit began by focusing on how basic facts and place value patterns can be used to find products when working with multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000.  As we build on this concept, the kids will learn how rounding can be used to estimate products and how it can be used to check to see if an answer is reasonable.  Additionally, the multiplication strategies of finding partial products and applying standard algorithm will be taught throughout this unit.

Basic facts for addition, subtraction, and multiplication are essential for math success as the kids progress.  You can support your child at home by taking some time each night, even 5 minutes, to practice basic facts. Multiplication flashcards would help greatly with this unit and with all future math.  


Social Studies

Now that we have come to the end of our unit on ecosystems, we will switch gears from Science to Social Studies.  Colorado History is a huge fourth grade standard as is Financial Literacy. In order to best prepare the kids for their spring trip and culminating activity at Young Ameritowne (details to follow several months from now), we have decided to change our plan for the year and split Colorado History into two parts.  

We will begin now by studying the geography of Colorado (We will resume our study of Colorado History after our unit on financial literacy.)  Once this small geography unit concludes, we will begin our study of financial literacy. In this unit, the kids will learn about free enterprise and economics.  Over the next few months the kids will learn how to make wise financial choices and decisions, they will study the relationship of supply and demand, they will learn about banking, checking accounts, how government works, how to write a deposit slip/check, how to fill out a job application, and how to interview.  These are just some of the concepts we will explore, as this is a large and exciting unit!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, November 11th: There is no school for the kids as this is a teacher learning day.

Wednesday, November 20th: Thanksgiving Feast during lunch and Celebration of Learning in your child’s classroom thirty minutes prior to lunch.  (Details will be sent home from the front office about this day.) 

Monday, November 25th to Friday, November 29th: No School - Thanksgiving Break 

Our annual canned food drive has begun, and will run from now until November 22nd.  All donations will benefit the Parker Task Force as they work to help and support those in need within our own community. 

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

October Happenings



Reading

This month in Reading Workshop we will continue to think deeply about our reading, determine if we are truly reading “just right books” at our level that will help us grow as readers, and we will analyze our characters’ traits while providing evidence from the text as support. These are reading strategies we began to cover in September, and we will continue to deepen our use of these strategies throughout October. Students record all of their thinking while they read on post-it notes or directly in their reading response notebooks. This encourages them to hold onto their ideas, look for patterns of behavior, and grow ideas by gathering evidence from the text. We will move into studying the theme of our class read aloud and independent books. Additionally, we will study how our characters change throughout the story, as well as provide specific evidence from the text that explains the reasons behind this change. Furthermore, the kids are working hard on writing reading responses that provide a detailed description of their character (traits, behaviors, motivations, obstacles, struggles, and so on). 






Writing About Reading!
     
Being able to write about what you read helps to solidify your own understanding of the text. Additionally, students need to be able to respond to specific questions, cite examples from the text to support their ideas, and explain why their evidence supports their theory. Your child will use a student rubric to self-assess, get feedback on their work, and set meaningful goals in order to continue to deepen their own thinking.  

As always, I could really use your support at home. Please encourage your child to read. Volume matters!! As you discuss your child’s book with him or her, ask what kind of person the main character is and how he/she can prove that. This will support what we are doing in class and give your kiddo a chance to show off his/her skills!




Math

We completed Topic 1 of our math learning (Generalizing Place Value Understanding). In this topic we worked with numbers through one million in order to explore place value relationships, compare whole numbers, round whole numbers, and construct arguments. 

Throughout September and into early October our math focus has shifted into Topic 2 (Fluently Adding and Subtracting Multi-Digit Whole Numbers). We have been working hard to choose accurate strategies when finding sums and differences. (Strategies such as: Partial Sums, Standard Algorithm, and Expanded Notation). We have rounded whole numbers and have used estimation as a strategy to check whether or not our actual answer is reasonable. Adding and subtracting accurately using a strategy that showcased our understanding of place value was our ultimate goal. 



When we transition into Topic 3 we will dive into multiplication of whole numbers. We will multiply multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000 using mental math and place-value strategies. In addition, we will once again use rounding, but this time to estimate products to check is answers are reasonable. We will use arrays and partial products to multiply 2- and 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers. We will later transition into 3- and 4-digit numbers multiplied by 1-digit numbers. Throughout this topic, we will circle back to our understanding of place value in order to develop efficient and precise multiplication strategies. 

As a reminder, your child will have weekly homework. This will be given on Monday and is due back Friday.

                                                                              
Writing                                                                    

During Writer's Workshop students will continue drafting and will eventually revise and publish a narrative piece. As they work towards completion, they will have various goals in mind (further developing their characters through the use of dialog, character action, internal thinking, and desires/motives of characters). The lessons modeled will include how to write a reflective ending, editing with an audience in mind, incorporating transitional phrases to mark the passage of time, and utilizing figurative language and sensory imagery. As always, I meet and conference with the kids to help them incorporate modeled techniques into their own piece. Students will self-asses, set goals, and revise using their writing rubric in order to finalize a narrative that showcases their best.   

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Science

Students are currently researching their chosen endangered animal, how human behavior impacts their animal’s ecosystems, their animal’s place in the food chain, and the impact on the ecosystem if the animal were to go extinct. Students are expected to include a call to action in their final product in order to encourage others to save their species. The end product will be a brochure/flipbook that the kids create and share with one another (including their kindergarten buddies!) 




Buddy Time
We have been meeting every week with our second grade buddies in Mrs. Graham's class. The kids are forming a great bond as they enjoy working with one another on reading, writing, and math.

Technology Co-Teaching with Mrs. Fleet
Fourth graders have been asked to construct math arguments in our current Envision unit often. We wanted to see if students could transfer what they had learned about constructing math arguments when responding to a specific 2020 state standard inquiry question regarding comparing numbers with missing digits. Students used Google Slides to visually see each step of constructing a math argument. Screencastify was then used for students to describe the thinking they used to solve the differentiated inquiry questions. This gave our mathematicians the opportunity to truly defend their thinking using clear models, precise academic vocabulary, and strong counterexamples. 


Upcoming Dates

October 11 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Field Trip
October 14-18: Fall Break


Thursday, August 29, 2019

August - September Update

Math

We have started our new math program, enVision, with Topic 1 (Generalize Place Value Understanding). In this topic students will work with numbers through one million, explore place value relationships, compare whole numbers, round whole numbers, and construct arguments.  We will continue with Topic 2   (Fluently Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Whole Numbers).  This topic addresses finding sums and differences, estimating sums and differences, adding whole numbers, adding greater numbers, subtracting whole numbers, subtracting greater numbers, subtracting across zeros and reasoning.  As a reminder, your child will have weekly homework.  This will be given on Monday and is due back Friday.


Reading

During Reading Workshop in the month of August, students began to learn and practice how to think deeply about their reading, determine if they are truly reading “just right books” at their level that will help them grow as readers, and analyze characters’ traits while providing evidence from the text as support. During reading workshop, the students were reading books at their independent level.  I was and will continue conferring independently with readers as well as working with kiddos in a small group format as I focus on the aforementioned skills. They will use sticky notes, graphic organizers, and record their thinking in their Reader's Journal as they annotate their text. 

Our reading focus in September will be on interpreting characters.  Students will focus on several strategies including finding a book they want to read, reading as if they are in the book, figuring out confusing parts, noting important things to talk about, doing the work the book is requesting, finding the flow of the book, and making movies in their mind.  All of these are strategies used to read intensely.  Throughout this unit the kids will learn how to make inferences about character traits, how to discuss the importance of story elements, evaluate characters’ responses and change, analyze parts of a story in relation to the whole story, and determining themes and cohesion.  I could really use your support at home….please encourage your child to read.  Volume matters!!


Science

We are now fully into our exploration of ecosystems. Thus far the kids have studied biotic and abiotic factors that exist in ecosystems.  As September begins, we will dive deeper into the unit by studying the five characteristics of all living things, how biotic and abiotic factors impact each other, how plants and animals adapt to their environment, and explore a variety of physical and behavioral adaptations. As we do so, we will study the different ecosystems that exist in our world and how human behavior impacts those ecosystems and the animals and plants that live there. Toward the very end of the month, the kids will each choose an endangered species to study.  They will research its habitat, diet, adaptations, its place in the food chain, the reasons it is endangered, and then they will craft a call to action with ideas on how to save the species. This information will turn into a brochure that the kids will create and share with one another.


Writing

During Writing Workshop in September, the kids will mine through the seed stories they have written in their Writer's Notebook as they select a story idea for their first realistic fiction piece. I will model how to take a story idea for realistic fiction and create a main character who has fully developed internal and external characteristics and one or more conflicts to solve. By doing this, they will see how we use techniques such as figurative language, dialogue, apt word choice, details and description, and paragraphing to create a detailed realistic fiction piece that shows vs tells about the character, his or her struggles and how he/she works to solve those problems. Once the kids have selected their own story idea, they will learn how to create a story arc to develop the plot of the story. They will create scenes for the story arc (all modeled by me first) and then ultimately begin their rough draft using their story arc and planned scenes as a guide. 


Buddy Time

Our class has already met with Mrs. Graham’s second grade class. The kids learned a bit about their buddy during their first meet.  They are all very excited!

Monday, July 15, 2019

Welcome to the 2019-2020 School Year!

Dear Families,

            Welcome to fourth grade at Gold Rush Elementary.  My name is Jennifer Poli, and I will be your child’s teacher.  I am excited for the journey of a new year to begin and to experience it with all of the children and you!  I look forward to getting to know you and your child as we embark on this journey together. I truly look at my role as your child’s teacher not only as an educator with regard to the fourth grade curriculum, but as someone who will be a part of his/her growth as an individual (academically, socially, emotionally).  I teach with both my “educator hat” and my “mom hat” at all times, and I will do all I can to challenge and support your child as we grow together throughout the year. 

            Allow me to tell you a little about myself as I will be spending a great deal of time with you and your child.  I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology from William Paterson University in northern New Jersey. My teaching degree is from Rutgers University, and I earned my Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Temple University in Pennsylvania. I have been teaching for fifteen years, and I have had the privilege of teaching here at Gold Rush for the past six years. My own children attend Gold Rush, and to us, it is home.  

         Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family.  I have two children; Brayden is ten and will be entering fifth grade at Gold Rush.  My youngest is eight. Her name is Brynn, and she will be in third grade this year.   In my spare time I enjoy cooking/baking, reading, hiking, physical fitness, and cheering on my children at their many sporting events.  You can often find me on the football, soccer, baseball,vsoftball field or basketball court when I am not in the classroom. Kids sure do keep you busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

            I look forward to working with you and your child in the upcoming school year!  If you have any questions over the summer, please feel free to email me at jennifer.poli@dcsdk12.org.  I have an open door policy, and I feel that communication is an essential part of a successful school year so please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me with regard to anything you or your kiddo needs.  I hope you enjoy every last moment with your child before the school year starts.

Lastly, here are a few important date you will need to know. 


- Families are welcome to come visit our classroom, meet me, and drop off your labeled  school supplies on Tuesday, August 6th.  Our First day of school is Wednesday, August 7th.
.   Wednesday, August 21st is Back to School Night for Parents only. We will offer 2 sessions 6:05-6:35 and 6:40-7:10.
.   We will not have regular school on Tuesday, August 27th. Each student will come to school for one hour to complete reading and math assessments.  Because we value the information we are obtaining on these days, it is mandatory that all children complete the assessments on this day.  Please bring your child to the gym and teachers will bring students to their testing locations. Students will conclude their assessment day by having you accompany them to take their school picture.  Our Before and After School Enrichment program (B.A.S.E.) will be available on the 27th. Please contact B.A.S.E. as soon as possible as spaces are limited.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Ms. Jennifer Poli

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

May Happenings

As we round out our last month of the year, we have two important dates coming up to put on your calendar.

*May 22nd is Field Day.  This is planned by the specials teachers.  Information will be sent home soon from them.

*May 24th will be the 4th Grade Picnic during regular lunch time.  If you would like to come and eat lunch with us, please meet us on the grass by the bus loop.  The kids may bring their lunch that day or buy from the cafeteria and then head outside.  We will enjoy lunch together from 12:40-1:00, and then the kids are off to their regular recess after that.  Feel free to bring siblings, other family member, blankets, etc. 

Reading Workshop
For our final unit of the year we will be reading mysteries.  The kids are so excited!  Thus far they have all selected mysteries at their reading level, and we have just begun to dig in.  AS we read we will focus on important components of narrative reading such as inferring about character and story elements with text support, analyzing character's perspective, and determining a cohesive theme(s) using support from the text.  I will be modeling this with a high level mystery entitled, Chasing Vermeer.

Writing Workshop
We have started the genre of informational writing.  The students are learning how to craft an informational piece.  The reading comprehension strategies of inferring and determining importance will be applied as the kids res arch their topic and read carefully to determine which information is most essential.

During the minilesson portion of writing workshop I will model the note taking process for the kids using texts on the disappearance of The Mary Celeste.  Mini lessons will focus on note taking (paragraphing and quoting information), citing research, and using text features to elevate the complexity of writing.  The kids will become experts on their topic as they research and write their book.

Math
During our last math unit of the year, the kids will be solving two-digit by two-digit multiplication story problems and division problems.  We are using different strategies such as standard algorithm, cluster problems, and the array method as we do so.  We will also dive into long division.  As always, the kids may choose the strategy they like best to help them solve their problems.

Science
We are currently learning about the sun, moon, and stars.  We will study the path of the sun and its various positions in the sky as well as how and why shadows are formed.  Additionally, we will gather and analyze shadow data to develop logical conclusions about the sun's position.
Finally, we will study the various phases of the moon as well as constellations.  AS we complete our unit on the sun, moon, and stars we will begin our final science unit of the year on electricity and magnetism. In this unit, the kids will study the properties of magnets and the forms of electrical energy.  They will build circuits and study how electric current is changed into useful energy.  This is a very hands-on unit that the kids always love!  It is an educational and fun way to end the year!






Wednesday, March 27, 2019

April Update

Reading Workshop
Throughout April students will continue to use their historical fiction text to complete character analysis, determine theme/themes, infer, compare and contrast, synthesize, and write deeply about their reading while using textual evidence. As mentioned previously, these are strong reading skills that our 4th grade readers will be able to apply across any fiction text that they pick up and read regardless of whether or not it is historical.
Students are also working through the complexity of group work. Groups are building problem solving and self-reflection skills through their daily communications with one another. Students are refining their ability to exchange information about their reading in a way where they can dive more deeply into the big ideas being presented by the author of their text.
  
Writing Workshop

During the month of April students will extend their skills as writers of literary essays.  They are invested in the process of growing big ideas about the short stories that they are analyzing each day.  Students are being challenged to lift the level of their essays through their thesis statements, writing about ideas that are more complex and interpretive, and supporting those ideas with textual evidence. They will also learn to analyze author’s craft and use this to support their ideas. Finally, students will move from writing about one text to crafting essays that compare and contrast two pieces of literature.  Following this unit students will begin informational writing.

Science
As Young AmeriTowne lessons come to a close, we will switch gears and focus on Science for the remainder of the year.  Our next unit of study will be Sun, Moon, and Stars.  Key questions we would like students to be able to answer include:  What are the patterns of movement for the Sun and Moon across the sky?  How does Earth compare to other objects orbiting the Sun? How do we study the solar system?  

As we embark on this unit, students will study the path of the sun and its various positions in the sky as well as how and why shadows are formed.  We will also gather and analyze shadow data to develop logical conclusions about the sun's position. Finally, we will study the various phases of the moon as well as constellations.

Math
During the month April we will be learning about fractions and decimals. In this unit students will learn how to determine parts of rectangles (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/3, 1/6), how to find equivalent fractions, how to identify and represent decimals on grids, how to compare fractions and decimals, and how to represent fractions and decimals on a number line. They will also be adding/subtracting fractions and decimals and computing with rational numbers. Learning will be differentiated through small group instruction as well as extension activities that will challenge all students.

**As always, you and your kiddo can log on to the Pearson Realize website for access to teaching videos, math games, and the HW pages connected to this unit.

Unit 6:  Useful Links for Fractions and Decimals




Gold Rush CMAS Schedule 2019
April
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
3rd  Grade
8:45-10:30
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 1
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 2
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 3
Math Unit 1
Math Unit 2
5th Grade
10:45-12:30
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 1
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 2
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 3
Math Unit 1
Math Unit 2
4th Grade
1:15-3:00
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 1
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 2
English Language Arts (ELA) Unit 3
Math Unit 1
Math Unit 2

April
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
3rd Grade
9:00-10:30
Math Unit 3


5th Grade
10:45 - 12:15
Math Unit 3
Science Unit 1
Science Unit 2
Science Unit 3

4th Grade
1:30-3:15
Math Unit 3




ELA  3 Units @ 90 min
Math 3 Units @ 65 min