Lots of Excitement in Fourth Grade...

     This week the kids worked really hard in writing.  They spent a lot of time storytelling seed stories to their writing partners.  With partners, they worked on zooming in on a specific moment.  Then they worked on telling the story focusing on what they were THINKING, any DIALOGUE that was going on, and the ACTION in the story.  This is tricky to do, but I could also see a difference in their storytelling by the end of the week!  
     In reading we talked about what to do if we feel like we can't focus on one book.  We made a list of strategies we could use.  Some of the ideas that the class came up with were...

• Go to a genre, topic, series, author that you know you like.
• Ask a teacher, parent, librarian to help to point you in the right direction.
• Ask a friend or classmate for a suggestion or recommendation

     Our book orders came in today.  It is always very exciting to get the book orders.  Not only is it exciting for the kids that ordered, but the whole class gets excited because we are able to get so many new books for the class!  We "raffled" off books that were popular.  Some of the lucky winners were able to get the first chance at these new books before passing it off to a classmate.  As a group the kids seem to be very interested in the "I Survive" series.  These are historical fiction books and focus on events such as Hurricane Katrina, the Shark Attack of 1916, and Pearl Harbor.

     In social studies we are starting our tour of the Northeast.  We started to learn the states and capitals of the 9 northeastern states.  

     Blogging has taken on a life of its own in our class!!!  :)  We went into the computer lab to comment on other blog posts.  We were finding all of the things that we have in common with classmates.  We also got to ask questions of our classmates to expand on.  They were so excited that I heard a bunch of kids say they wanted to go on the blogging site this weekend.  We set it up so that they could share about their Weekend News.  I hadn't planned on starting blogging at home, but I couldn't pass up this great opportunity with all of the excitement swirling around the classroom.

Have a great weekend!

Our Class Blogging Rules...

1. I will not give out any information other than my first name and I will not post pictures of myself or my classmates.

2. I will not plagiarize another person’s writing.

3. I will use language appropriate for school.

4. I will always respect my classmates and their writing.

5. I will only post pieces that I am comfortable with everyone seeing.

6. I will not be afraid to express my ideas, while not hurting others’ feelings.

7. I will disagree in a respectful way.

8. I will take blogging seriously, posting only comments and ideas that are meaningful.

9. I will take my time when I write, using formal language (not text lingo), and I will try to spell everything correctly.

10. I will not use my blog posts or comments as a chat room. (No IM or texting lingo.)

11. I will not bully others in my blog posts or in my comments.

12. I will never access another student's account or make any changes to their site.

Why Blog?

          As the students and I continue to learn the ins and outs of blogging, I have been reading a lot of literature written by “professional” educational bloggers about the benefits of blogging.  I have already witnessed first-hand how much fun blogging is for the students and how excited they are to start posting and commenting on our class blog.  Here are some of the reasons why I am so excited about blogging this year:

§  Blogging is fun.

§  Students can learn to communicate effectively.

§  Students can learn to share thoughts, ideas, and opinions, and support them with details that make understanding easy.

§  Students can become better writers, both in content and mechanics.

§  Students can become better readers, improving comprehension and the ability to read critically.

§  Students can learn to use Web/technology as a tool to publish their work to share with their peers, family, and friends.

§  Students can improve writing in an exciting and engaging manner.

§  Students can comment on other’s work, sharing thoughts and ideas.

§  Students can learn about using computers and web-based tools.

§  Students can show off their work to their parents, grandparents, and other family members.

          I’m a bit nervous to assign the first blogging activities next week, but I am also really excited to see the kids’ work and to see the quality of their writing improve as the year goes on.  Please make sure that you review the blogging rules that will be coming home with your child and return the bottom part to school as soon as possible.  Please e-mail me if anyone has any questions or has a hard time accessing our blog.   

Blogging Excitement!

     We started to create our first blog post this week.  We worked with Mrs. Gasek in the computer lab to type up our first "real" post!  We had the chance to share a little bit more about ourselves.  The kids were able to write about a place they would like to travel to, tell what they want to be when they grow up, and/or share their favorite book.  This is a fun way to get to know our classmates.  Can you believe we have future baseball players, video game designers, pet shop owners, and even an Olympian among us (just to name a few!)?
     Our next step will be to comment and (hopefully) get some conversations going on our blogs!  
    Some of the kids are so excited they want to go home and comment on the blog posts of their classmates!  I can't argue with that!  :)  
     Be on the lookout for "Blogging Homework" which will be introduced early next week!