The Red Wheelbarrow

Students have been working with the wonderful William Carlos Williams poem "The Red Wheelbarrow."  We have been reading and analyzing the poem, and writing our own poems inspired by the original.

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  Practice test.
              Miss W:  no homework.
              Mrs. Thompson:  357-358.
              Mrs. Leone:  worksheet.
2.  Write a poem describing your room.
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

A Story Told In Poems

Fourth graders are working with a book called Love That Dog.  It is an unusual book.  The story is told entirely through poems.

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 469-470.
              Miss W:  Chapter Test.
              Mrs. Thompson:  345-346.
              Mrs. Leone:  p. 363-364.
2.  Erosion and Deposition
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

What is Poetry?

As part of our third trimester Language Arts, fourth graders are learning about poetry.  What do you think makes something a poem?  Do poems have to rhyme?

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 463-464.
              Miss W:  Practice Test.
              Mrs. Thompson:  no homework.
              Mrs. Leone:  p. 345.
2.  Erosion and Deposition
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

By the Great Horn Spoon!

We have started our last novel of the year, By the Great Horn Spoon!, a story about the California Gold Rush written by Sid Fleischman. As the blurb on the back of one edition of the book puts it:

"The year is 1849 and the California Gold Rush is on. Together with his butler Praiseworthy, young Jack Flagg sets out to save his pretty Aunt Arabella's fortune. On a ship bound from Boston to the California gold fields, they stow away in potato barrels . . . and their wild, swashbuckling adventures begin."

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 455-456.
              Miss W:  p. 469-470.
              Mrs. Thompson:  two problems/flash cards.
              Mrs. Leone:  p. 317-318.
2.  What is poetry?  What does it mean to you?
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

Rescued!

Phillip finally gets rescued off the Cay.

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 447-448
              Miss W:  p. 457.
              Mrs. Thompson: three problems.
              Mrs. Leone:  p. 339-340.
2.  National Parks.
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

Subordinating Conjunctions

You can improve your writing by appropriately using coordinating conjunctions to join up clauses in a sentence.

Today's homework:
1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 449-450.
              Miss W:  p. 437-438.
              Mrs. Thompson: no homework.
              Mrs. Leone:  p. 337-338.
2.  Carnivorous Plants.
3.  Read for half an hour.
4.  Get parent initials.

Sentence Combining

Sentence combining is making one smoother, more detailed sentence out of two or more shorter sentences.  It is an important fourth grade skill to know how to do this.

Here is a simple example:

Sentence 1:  Kelly’s necklace sparkles.
Sentence 2:  It is beaded.

Combined sentence:  Kelly’s beaded necklace sparkles.

Today's homework:

1.  Math Mr. Spaulding:  p. 435-436.

              Miss W:  Finish work.

              Mrs. Thompson:  Four problems.

              Mrs. Leone:  p. 331-332.

2.  The Cay questions.

3.  Read for half an hour.

4.  Get parent initials.