Monday, December 16, 2013

Homework

  • Write a letter to Angie thanking her for The Bears Go to School, the stuffed bears, and treat bags. Remember to include:
    • the date in word form
    • greeting (Dear Angie,)
    • body (5+ sentences)
    • closing (Sincerely,  From,  Merry Christmas,  etc.)
    • signature
Reminders
  • The Strings concert is tonight at the high school.  4th grade performs at 6:00 pm. 
  • Please bring a new Writer's Notebook by the end of this week.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

STUDENTS - If you choose to participate in the Hour of Code, please leave a comment below and tell us how it went!  
Hour of Code Challenge
     Happy Computer Science Education Week, everyone! What's that you say? You didn't realize it was this week? Well, I didn't either until a dear friend of mine called on Monday to encourage me to share this news with my students.
     In class today, we spent some time exploring the website below and got a small glimpse into the importance of learning how to program computers or "code" as it's commonly called.  I challenged students to visit the site at home this week and take part in the Hour of Code Challenge.  I happily (okay, maybe fearfully) accepted this challenge Monday evening and am proud to say I wrote 81 lines of code!
     This is an optional assignment that can be completed today, this weekend, or any time in the future.  Good luck!

Try the Hour of Code Challenge here!

Homework

  • Complete Essay paragraphs 3 and 4 using Google docs.
Reminders
  • Pancakes with Santa is tomorrow from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. 
  • Please bring a new Writer's Notebook by Friday, December 20th (composition, no spirals please).


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Homework

  • Spelling Homework (Spelling City or write words two times)
Reminders
  • Math Test tomorrow
  • School lets out at 1:40 pm tomorrow. 


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 10.2, #1-12 and 25-28

Reminders 
  • Bring $1.00 to participate in Wacky Hair Day tomorrow to support Crestwood's Support a Family initiative.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 10.1

Reminders

  • Homeside Activity is due this Friday.
  • New Spelling Words come home today. 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Homework

  • Correct & return Chapter 9 Math Test (optional).

Reminders
  • Bring personal care items for Crestwood's Support a Family event (diapers, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.)
  • Friday is Wacky Hair Day!  Bring $1.00 to support Crestwood's Support a Family project and come to school with the wackiest hair you can.  

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Homework

  • Read 20+ minutes every night!
Reminders
  • We have Library tomorrow.
  • The school store opens at 8:20 am every Friday morning.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Homework

Reminders
  • Donate personal care items to support a family this holiday season.  
  • Book orders are due next Tuesday, November 26th.  

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 9.2, #1-14 only
  • Explore the links below to get an idea about some famous Missourians (optional).
Reminders
  • Please sign and return Midterm Reports. 
  • Correction: our focus for Support a family this week is personal care items (shampoo, soap, etc.)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Homework

Reminders
  • Midterm Reports are coming home today; please sign and return them on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Thank you! 
  • Crestwood is supporting families during the holiday season.  This week we can bring in cleaning and paper products.  

Friday, November 15, 2013

Here's What's Coming Up Next Week...

  • Monday, November 18th, is Academic All-Star Night.  Students who have been notified will attend this event at the Lindbergh High School Auditorium at 6:00 pm.  
  • On Monday, November 18th, midterm reports will come home.  Please review, sign, and return on Monday.  

Writer's Workshop
     During Writing, we finished publishing our Realistic Fiction stories and created book jackets and "elf shoes" to display our work.  Students loved sharing their pieces with parents, teachers, and Mrs. Branding's class.  

Tungsten Tests
     We took the Tungsten Tests for both Reading and Math this week.  We reviewed commonly missed questions on last month's tests and made corrections together. In Reading, we spent some time charting the meaning and some examples of different prefixes.  We also made a Venn Diagram to review similes and metaphors.  In Math, we reviewed reading line plots, which show how many times a number of a set of data occurs.  
     After reviewing our previous tests, students took some time to set a goal for their next tests.  We discussed that a goal must be attainable, and shooting for a 4-8% improvement is a wise goal.  Students loved seeing their progress as we completed November's tests.
     Remember the Tungsten helps teachers to identify students' strengths and areas of improvement.  


Monday, November 11, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 8.5
Reminders
  • We will have our Realistic Fiction Writing Celebration on Friday, from 9:00-9:45 am!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Here's what's coming up next week:

  • The Veteran's Day Assembly is Monday, November 11th, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
  • Service Team for participating students is on Monday, November 11th, until 4:15 pm. 
  • We will have an early release day on Wednesday, November 13th.  Students will be dismissed at 1:40 pm.  
  • We will have our Realistic Fiction Writing Celebration on Friday, November 15th, from 9:00 - 9:45 am.  Look for an invitation to come home on Monday!
Math
     During Math this week, we focused on the different strategies of multiplication, including using repeated addition, drawing equal groups, thinking of a special saying, and more.  Students also practiced solving for variables in both multiplication and division problems.  Use learned and used several new terms: factor, product, prime, composite, multiple, quotient, and fact family.  Later in the week, we worked on a challenging story problem as a team.  Students worked cooperatively to solve the problem and present their findings to the group.  


Eliza explaining how her group used skip counting to solve the problem.  


Molly, Colton, & Isabella explaining the entire problem from start to finish.  

Reader's Workshop
     During Reader's Workshop this week, students created a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast All About books and Narrative Nonfiction.  We learned that all about books give us facts using features that make it easy for us to find the most important features. Narrative Nonfiction is written like a story with characters that includes true information. We have to be careful when reading Narrative Nonfiction because the author might infuse his or her own opinions about the topic. 
    We also learned about schema. Schema is the background knowledge and life experience we have.  Our brain likes to organize information into groups, kind of like file folders, as it stores new learning.  Everyone has different schema because we have all have had different experiences in our lives. Activating our schema about a topic before we read can help get our brains ready to read actively and acquire more knowledge. 

Social Studies 
     In Social Studies we completed our Informational Text posters to show our growing schema for the first residents of Missouri. Come down our hallway to check them out!  Each student used special features to make the most important information stand out. 

Writer's Workshop
    We completed our final edits on our Realistic Fiction pieces by punctuating dialogue correctly and using Google and Dictionary.com to make spelling adjustments. Students learned about several ways writers title their work: a place, a feeling, the problem, a character, etc. Then they tried a few titles and thought about which would best motivate a reader to pick up their story. 



Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Homework

  • Spelling Homework
  • Math Practice 8.1
    • fold page vertically
    • do the first half (#1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27)
Reminders
  • Share the details of our great day: hot chocolate, sunshine box from Angie, and more! 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Homework

  • Multiplication Homework (correct in class work, complete homework side)
  • Optional: print and bring images for 1st Missourians poster.
Reminders
  • Wear PJs tomorrow! Students may also bring a manageable stuffed animal or blanket.  Miss Dausmann will serve hot chocolate and marshmallows. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Homework

  • Optional: print and bring images/photographs for 1st Missourians project.  Think mounds, teepees, Native American sculptures or art, timeline, archaeologists, etc.  Make sure any images you bring are not only interesting to look at, but directly related to your informational poster.  
Reminders
  • New spelling words come home today. Our next test is Friday, November 15th. 
  • See below for pictures of our Halloween costumes! 




























Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Homework

  • Study for Spelling test tomorrow.
Reminders
  • Wall of Heroes picture and blue information due Monday, November 4th (optional).
  • Our Halloween party is tomorrow - bring a costume!
  • We will have library tomorrow morning.
  • No school on Friday, November 1st.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Homework

  • Study Math Review for tomorrow's test (see key below).  
  • Read 20+ minutes.
Reminders




Monday, October 28, 2013

Homework

  • Spelling City homework (or write each word two times).  Remember, spelling words are recorded in each student's planner.
  • Read for 20+ minutes.
Reminders
  • If you would like to submit a photograph for the Wall of Heroes project, please bring a photograph (copied, not original) and explanation of how you are related to the veteran by Monday, November 4th.  

Friday, October 25, 2013

Here's what's coming up next week:

  • Parent Teacher Conferences are Monday and Wednesday after school.
  • On Thursday, October 31st, we have our Halloween Parade & Party!
  • On Friday, November 1st, there is NO SCHOOL.  


Social Studies
     This week in Social Studies, students spent some time researching the first Missourians.  We learned that our state was named after a Native American tribe, the Missouri people.  We don't know for sure, but many believe the first Missourians came to our current place via a land bridge that connected Asia and North America.  Early Native Americans created shelter using animal hides and branches.  Archaeologists call this time prehistory, the time before people kept written records.
     We kept a table of the new terms and facts we acquired, as well as a list of special Informational Text Features.  These features help readers to determine the most important information.  By studying the headings and subheadings, maps, captions, text boxes, and other features, we can be sure to learn all the author wanted to communicate to us.

Math
     During Math this week, we practiced collecting and showing data using a variety of graphs.  Students participated in math stations where they compiled line graphs about snowfall in the St. Louis area.  They also created a double bar graph comparing boys' and girls' favorite fall activities.  We also spent some time playing Multiplication War, a game that allows us to practice our basic facts using a deck of cards.  Ask your kiddo to teach this to you over the weekend!

Writer's Workshop
     We are over halfway through our Realistic Fiction Study.  This week, we discussed making decisions about paragraphing and appropriately punctuating dialogue. We learned that dialogue should be peppered throughout the story, and RF writers should have a balance of storytelling and dialogue.  Writing partnerships worked together to help each other communicate ideas effectively.  We helped each other tie up any loose ends and show how our main characters evolved throughout the story.  Look for an invitation to our next Writing Celebration soon!

Reader's Workshop
     Students reviewed the many features of Informational Texts, then practiced using these features to make predictions about what the book would teach. We also discussed that sometimes informational text can seem challenging or even dull.  As readers, we have all sorts of strategies we use to help us understand and stay engaged with the text including asking questions, exploring features, visualizing, making connections, and more.


Molly teaching the class about how visualizing can help a reader to become more interested in the text. 

Paris teaching students about how making text-to-self connections can help a reader to become engaged.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Homework

  • Practice 7.2
  • Continue reading 20 minutes each evening: silently and aloud, discuss your reading with a family member or friend.  
Reminders
  • "Put drugs to bed" and wear PJs tomorrow! 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 7.1
  • Homeside Activity due Wednesday
  • Finish Scene 3 of Realistic Fiction story
Reminders
  • Put a cap on drugs, and wear caps/hats tomorrow!
  • New spelling words are coming home today.  Our next test is Friday, November 1st.  

Friday, October 18, 2013

Homework

  • Continue reading and studying multiplication facts every day!
Reminders
  • Next week is Red Ribbon Week! On Monday, let's strike out drugs and wear Cardinals gear! 
  • The school store will now be open every Friday at 8:20 am.  Items range from $0.50-$2.00.
Math
     In Math this past week, we studied data.  Students practiced finding the mean, median, mode, and range of different sets of data.  We also learned about scales and intervals.  A graph's scale is the numbers set at fixed places along the axis.  The interval is the amount between each number on the scale.  Common intervals are 2, 5, 10, and 100.  

Social Studies
     In Social Studies, we responded to letters from Laura Ingalls Wilder, an author from Missouri.  Students spent time discussing and making a Venn Diagram about how their lives are different from Laura's.

Writer's Workshop
     During Writer's Workshop this week, we continued our work with Realistic Fiction.  Students created story arcs, a graphic organizer that helps to plan the introduction, groundwork, climax, resolution, and final lesson or thought.  We completed drafts of our first two scenes, focusing on using dialogue and making appropriate paragraphing choices.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Homework
 - Math Practice 6.5
 - Some students need to finish writing Scene 1 of their Realistic Fiction pieces.

Reminders
 - Tonight is Fudrucker's Night until 8:00 pm.
 - Tomorrow is the First Read, Write, and Run event.  Permission slips were attached to the digital backpack.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Homework

  • Math Practice 6.3
  • Homeside Activity (due October 23rd)
  • Study multiplication facts
  • Read for 20 minutes or more each day.
Reminders
  • Wear Cardinals gear tomorrow!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Homework

  • Continue reading and practicing multiplication facts every day.
Reminders
Cultural Day & Sappington House
     We had a full day today!  Cultural Day was a huge success, and students loved visiting the different countries' booths and learning.  
    Our visit to Sappington House was fun as well.  We toured the home and library, then visited several craft stations.   

Sarah and Gavin practicing with chopsticks. 

Ida in her finest Chinese dress. 

Devon, Rishi, Nathan, Mace, Sophia, and Sarah at Sappington House. 

Nathan and Sophia inspecting sheep wool before it was spun into yarn,  

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Homework
  • Letter for Ali
  • Math Practice 6.1
Reminders
  • Tonight is Cultural Night from 6:00-7:30 pm.
  • We go to Sappington House tomorrow for our field trip. Students must have a sack lunch.
Writer's Workshop
     We are jumping right into our new Unit of Study in writing: Realistic Fiction.  Students are learning about the special features of Realistic Fiction and the importance of developing main and secondary characters.  Writers should know their characters so well that they know how much change is in their pockets.  A strong RF story should also include a problem or struggle that people can relate to.  "Thank You, Mr. Falker" and "Oliver Button is a Sissy" are great mentor texts for RF, so we'll refer to them to help us make our pieces excellent.  


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Homework

  • Spelling homework:  www.spellingcity.com assignment OR write each word two times
  • Finish & check Practice 5.4 (today we mistakenly wrote 5.2 on our planners, the assignment is 5.4)
Reminders
  • Consider donating a 6.4 oz. tube of toothpaste for students in Haiti.

Reader's Workshop
     This week in Reader's Workshop, students are participating in reading assessments.  Students read a leveled passage to Miss Dausmann to demonstrate reading fluency (rate, expression, smoothness, etc.) and have a conversation about the passage to show comprehension (how much they understand about what they read).  

Friday, October 4, 2013

Homework

  • None for the weekend; continue to read and practice multiplication facts every day!


Reminders

  • Next week is Service Team's drive to collect personal care items for students in Haiti.  4th Grade has been assigned toothpaste.  Please considering donating a 6.4 oz. tube any day of next week. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
  • On Tuesday, October 8th, Scholastic Book Orders are due.  Our classroom code for online orders is MD9C8.
  • Thursday, October 10th, is Cultural Night at Crestwood from 6:00-8:00 pm.
  • Friday, October 11th, is Cultural Day at Crestwood.
  • Friday, October 11th, is our field trip to Sappington House.  Students will need a sack lunch.  
  • If you're interested in donating to our class Halloween party, check out our Sign Up Genius page at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DA8A62FA2F49-msdausmanns
Reader's Workshop
     This week in Reader's Workshop, we focused on a an article from Storyworks magazine called "Attack from Outer Space." This article gave us true information about meteors and different events when meteorites have damaged the earth, buildings, and homes.  We used the article to practice finding supporting details for the main idea, and we also learned several new terms including asteroid, fireball, B612, and more!  

Vesuvius

Science
    In Science, Mrs. Branding taught students about fossils and rocks and how they are created.  Students also made fossils using a clay material.  

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Homework
 - Read a book of your choice for 20 minutes or more.

Reminders
 - Spelling Test tomorrow
 - Math Test tomorrow 
*Return Parent Teacher Conference form if you did not sign up on Curriculum Night.



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Homework
 - Spelling homework (due tomorrow, test Friday)
 - Practice 4.4

Reminders
 - Wear Blueswear tomorrow for the Blues' first game! 

Poetry Celebration
    We hosted our Poetry Celebration today, and it was wonderful!  Students displayed their published pieces along with a comments page, and we moved around the room reading each other's work.  We left positive comments about the specific features of features of poetry in each student's poem.  We celebrated with apple juice and white grape juice.  Several parents and other Crestwood adults stopped in to join in on the fun were really impressed with our demonstration of our understanding of poetry.  

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Tuesday

Homework
 - Practice 4.4, even problems only (#6, 8, 10, 12, 14)

Reminders
 - Scholastic Book Orders can be ordered via the blog under the "Scholastic Orders" tab.  The order will be due on Ocotber 8th.  
 - Our poetry celebration is tomorrow from 10:45 - 11:30 am.  Please drop by for any length of time.  We are so excited to show what we know as poets!  

Social Studies
     We have been studying many of Missouri's features including it's most important rivers (Missouri & Mississippi), it's 5 regions, it's important cities, and more.  Students have created a very elaborate map of Missouri in their Social Studies journal complete with a key, compass rose, and many annotations.  

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thursday

Homework
 - None

Reminders
 - There is no school Friday, September 27th.  
 - Monday, September 30th, is Picture Day.
 - We will have a class picnic outside on Monday as a reward for earning compliments from other adults in the building!

Crestwood raised more than $350 today for Hats for Haiti!  Our class even had five students who either donated an extra dollar or donated even though they chose not to wear a hat.  What generous, generous kids! 

Christopher, Elizabeth, & Case drafting their poems. 

Jordan, Ida, & Gabe experimenting with line breaks in poetry.  

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Wednesday

Homework
 - Spelling Trace, Copy, Recall
 - Math Practice 4.2

Reminders
 - Tomorrow is Hats for Haiti.  Bring $1.00 to participate.  The money helps Service Team pay for the shipping on care packages they'll send to students in Haiti during the holiday season.  

Math
     This week in Math, we are learning so many new terms:  
expression - #s, operation signs, no =, no answer
variable - a letter used to represent an unknown number
commutative property - changing the order of the addends doesn't change the sum
associative property - changing the way addends are grouped doesn't change the sum
identity property - any addend + 0 = 0
equation - #s, operation signs, =, both sides are balanced  

Intruder Drill
    We had our first Intruder Drill today.  When we practice this drill, students and teachers have very important jobs.  Students line up against the cubbies, out of sight of the door's window.  They remain still and quiet until we receive the "all clear" from Mrs. Meese.  Miss Dausmann locks the door, turns off the lights, closes the blinds, and sits with the students. We practice these drills to be prepared.  We would lockdown the school if someone dangerous entered the building, if there is a crime committed close to school, or if other buildings in the district are locked down.  Drills like this always get students wheels turning, so check in with your child to see if they have any questions for you.  

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Homework
 - Read 20 minutes
 - Practice 4.1

Reminders
 - Yo My Goodness night, 6:00-8:00 pm, Watson Road location
 - Picture Day is Monday, September 30th


Monday, September 23, 2013

Homework
 - Teach Subtraction War to someone (optional).  Remember A=1, J=11, Q=12, K=0.

Reminders
 - Bring signed midterm slip back
 - Spelling words are coming home today; put them in a safe place.

Library
     Today, we had a special visit to Library for a lesson on Hispanic Heritage month.  We learned that our country celebrates the Hispanic culture September 15- October 15.  We practiced a few new Spanish words including "perdon" (excuse me), "gracias" (thank you), "de nada" (you're welcome), and "Como estas?" (how are you).

Friday, September 20, 2013

Reminders
 - Midterm Reports are coming home today.  Please sign and return on Monday.
 - To sign up for Remind101 texts, text "@missdaus" to 816-256-3239.    


Miss Dausmann's 4th grade class at Cahokia Mounds 

Devon, Rishi, Jordan, Ida, & Varsha enjoying lunch

Eliza, Sarah, Ali, & Molly having lunch

Christopher, Mace, Isabella, Sophia, & Ashley relaxing at the picnic table

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Thursday

Homework
 - Be prepared for tomorrow's spelling test.

Reminders
 - Field Trip tomorrow!  Bring a sack lunch and dress      for the weather.  Feel free to bring an umbrella; we      will go, rain or shine! 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wednesday

Homework
 - Spelling word search
 - Social Studies study guide, test tomorrow (Thursday)

Reminders
 - Special Class tomorrow: PE

Colton & Jordan with their 1st grade buddies at last Friday's kickball game

Molly, Rishi, & Case with their 1st grade buddies

Gavin with his 1st grade buddy 

Ali, Sophia, & Nathan with their 1st grade buddies 

Paris with her 1st grade buddy

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tuesday

Homework
 - Finish Math Review (test tomorrow, Wednesday)
 - Complete and study Social Studies Study Guide (due Thursday, test Thursday)

Reminders
 - School let's out at 1:40 tomorrow afternoon.
 - Tonight is Hardee's Night (all evening)!
 - Muffins 'n' Mom is tomorrow (Wednesday) morning
   at 8:00 am.  Come have breakfast and browse the      Book Fair!

Class Meeting
    During Class Meeting today, we discussed cheerfulness.  Being cheerful means having a positive attitude, searching for the bright side, and being friendly to others.  We also shared compliments.  Students can choose to give a compliment to a classmate, get a compliment, or pass.  Some of our compliments included, "You are a hard worker," "You use self-control during stamina reading," and "You play fair during kickball at recess."  It's great to hear students are aware of each other's behavior each day!  


  

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Homework
 - Math review
 - Rounding worksheet

Reminders
 - Bus Drivers' Day

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September 4, 2013

Homework
   - Math: Story problem

Reminders
   - Study (x) facts

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

September 3, 2013

Homework
   - Math: Practice 2.2
   - Science: word search

Reminders
   -