Weeks 3 & 4

I am in awe of the amazingly kind children you have raised. They are just terrific.

We have covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks, particularly with technology. We have also had two drills - fire and lock-down - our regularly scheduled visit from the school counselor, a couple of days with substitutes, and the first round of tests.

Regarding the technology, I am really excited to get started with things so quickly. Many of you have emailed me with responses or questions. Thank you! One thing worth noting is that Round Rock ISD is really growing more involved with Google based programs. If you are willing to use Chrome, it can be helpful. It appears that most programs are compatible with the iOS based Safari, but Internet Explorer is likely to be incompatible.

On STEMScopes, anything with "vocabulary" in the assignment title is posted for reference/review only. This is the same with "STEMScopedia" - it is a virtual supplement to the textbook. The "Interactive Investigation" is an overview of the unit, and is an excellent study guide. The assignment due Monday is the "Progress Monitoring Assessment" and this is the ONLY required task.

In social studies, the class has focused on Celebrate Freedom Week curriculum, which is required by Texas state law. For fourth grade, we emphasize the Declaration of Independence. This is a little confusing, since this week was chosen because of Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17.

Writing lessons have examined figurative language, including similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia and hyperbole. The class has increased endurance in writing journal entries, and bit by bit they are becoming more relaxed. I am still getting a lot of, "Is this right, Mrs. Kirby?" and, "Like this, Mrs. Kirby?" during writing time. I want them worrying less about spelling (in their journals), and more about ideas.

Don't forget: early release next Wednesday! Enjoy Kona Ice!

Weeks 1 & 2

We had a great start to this year! Thank you to all of the parents who were able to make it to Back to School night. We will be posting the PowerPoint presentation if you couldn't make it or would like to review it.

In the first couple of weeks of school, we have spent time getting to know each other, and we met our first grade "buddies" from Mrs. Heinzen's class. We (re)visited classroom and school-wide expectations and the students are adjusting to the greater responsibilities of a fourth grader. Now that our agendas are finally here, hopefully that will become a little easier.

In writing, we have discussed and used our writer's notebooks. The class wrote a couple entries about everyday life and being a mentor to a first grader. They also wrote their opinions on whether or not kids should go to P.E. everyday, and if they should have assigned seats (and if so, where they "should" sit).

For social studies, we have discussed an overview of what they might expect this year, and we reviewed map skills. They really seemed to enjoy looking at the "old-fashioned" folded paper street and road maps. Back in my day, there was no GPS! We didn't have cell phones! And we had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways!

During science lessons, we reviewed safety expectations and covered a big vocabulary list of tools. Only a few were new, and they had fun playing with exploring the use of triple-beam balances. As soon as I know everyone's FERPA permissions, I will post some photos.

Have a great three-day weekend!