IXL

Hello 4th Grade Families, The creators of IXL have finally developed an IXL Language Arts section. We are really excited about this and think it will really benefit our kids. We have decided to alter our homework so that students have a variety of interesting and worthwhile exercises. All of the kids should know how to access the new Language Arts IXL. They use their same logins and passwords as they do for math. This week-they should be working on Identifying Nouns, section C.2. New Weekly Literacy Homework: 1. Reading Log 2. 3 activities on www.spellingcity.com 3. 1 section on IXL (completed to at least 75% mastery) 4. Spelling Test Fridays. Please let us know if you have any questions. Happy Learning, Mrs. Culver and Mr. Rabinowitz

First day of school

Hello 4th grade students and parents and welcome back!  I am so excited to meet all of my new students and begin our fantastic year.  For those of you who do not know me, let me tell you a bit about myself.

This is my 4th year teaching 4th grade at Westerly Creek Elementary.  Before that, I taught 4th grade at Slavens, second grade at Denver Jewish Day, and second grade at Vail Mountain School.  Since I think that Westerly Creek is such a wonderful school, I recently moved to the neighborhood.  I'm sure I see will many of you around town.

In my spare time, I like to mountain bike, ski, swim and entertain my two daughters, Willa and Piper.  I also like reading novels by Carl Hiassen and John Grisham.  My favorite "kid" authors are Christopher Paul Curtis, and Mo Willems.

I'd like every student to bring in at least three pictures of themselves with their family or friends to decorate our classroom with (you may not get them back until the end of the year. )  Also, please bring a water bottle and any other school supplies that you may have forgotten.  

For tomorrow, please look for our class on the east end of the playground; I will have a blue flag.  

If you need to reach me, I am at school at 8:00 a.m. or available from 3:45 to 4:15.  Please feel free to stop in or email me anytime.  

Happy trails,

Mr. Rabinowitz

Welcome Back to School

Aloha,

Thanks for the reading this blog. This is the first entry for the 2013-2014 school year. Follow and check this blog for classroom updates, homework assignments, classroom extensions, links, and classroom photos.

If you are reading this before the fist day of school, please remember the following for the first day of school:

• Bring a labeled water bottle. 
• Eat a healthy breakfast.
• Pack a snack.
• Say hello to someone new.

At 8:55 you are expected to be lined up south of the school on the black top with a blue flag.


Happy Trails,
Mr. Rabinowitz

Thank You

Dear 4th grade families and students,
Thank you for a wonderful year. Our success could not have happend without all the support from in and out of the classroom (including you if you are reading this.) Again thanks so much for making this year so special.

Happy Trails,
Mr. Rabinowitz

One more day

Today was great. Tomorrow we will reflect upon our letters that we wrote the first day of school. Please check the lost and found. 

Mr. Rabinowitz 

Last week of school

Monday we will travel by foot to Central Park to play games, shoot off rockets, and eat. Please remember to bring some sort of sun protection; whether a hat, sunscreen, extra water, or sunglasses. 4th graders are welcome to carry any sports equipment. We will also watch a short slideshow from photos collected over the year. If you want yours included please email it to me. 

Tuesday will also be a special day of closure to a great year of great fourth graders. 

Happy Trails,

 Mr. Rabinowitz 

P.S. did you use your solar oven? 

This week

Wednesday- students must score 100% on energy open notes final exam to begin construction on their solar oven. We need extra pizza boxes!

Thursday - bike trip to bluff lake. We will leave after lunch and return at the end of the day. Is your bike ready? Do you have a helmet. Contact a teacher if you need to make special arrangements. 

Friday- last book buddies 

Open house for parents to stop by after school next week and ask question and go over summer goals.

Tuesday

Hello!

 

Please remind your child to bring a sack lunch! We are headed to Adams Mystery Playhouse tomorrow for the entire day.

 

Tomorrow there is also a one day only- buy one get one free book fair. Do not forget to stock up before the summer, Book it to the Creek here we come!

 

If you're interested in being a chaperone please be at school no later than 10 AM and email us to let us know you're coming. Bring a sack lunch for yourself as well.

 

Homework:

What makes yours spin? How can you change the speeds?

Energized!

Tuesday's brain pop video is about fossil fuels. After you present information about fossil fuels, you will learn about other non renewable and renewable energy forms. Which energy form(s) is the best for your community?

What else do you want want to know energy?

Don't forget our last book club! When was your favorite session? I cannot wait to share our reading extension!

This week is the spelling bee. 4th graders will compete against 5th graders this Thursday at 2:00. Grades 1-3 will compete earlier in the day in a class vs class competition. 

Mr. Rabinowitz 

http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/fossilfuels/activity/

Energized Experiment

http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/lang_literacy_cultural/literacy/elem_lit/curric_instruc_assess/interdisc_units/4/4_Project1_Rolling_Can.pdf

Energized

New unit on energy: Literacy and science combined

"We rely on energy daily to make things in our lives work. This


unit help us understand how energy works and how we can use

energy efficiently. We will read about a boy, Walter, who learns

the importance of caring for the enrvironment."   We read JUST A DREAM by Chris Van Allsburg

Energized Links

Research Environmental Websites


http://www.need.org

http://www.coned.com/kids

http://www.eia/gov/kids/index.cfm

http://www.recycleguys.org

http://greenplant4kids.com
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/

If you come across anymore ENERGY related links please post them below!
Thanks,
Mr.Rabinowitz

Wednesday

On Wednesday there will be Interim testing and a CREEK KID assembly. This means book club will be at 9:15-10:00 for am class and 11:55-12:40 for pm class.

Thanks,
Mr. Rabinowitz

Snow Day School

Good morning, anyang, buenos Dias, class:
Hopefully you are enjoying your day. This is a good day for reading inside. Today you should try to read for at least 30 minutes without stopping. What did you read? 

Right now,looking out the window,  the falling snow looks like out of control popcorn. How would you describe the snow?

This video link shows a way to measure snow:
http://www.skiloveland.com/s/SnowCam/timelapses.htm

http://www.skiloveland.com/s/SnowCam/timelapses.htm

How would you measure snow? How much snow fell where you are?

Relax and enjoy your day,

Mr. Rabinowitz

 PS Feel free to leave positive comments/questions in complete sentences for your classmates.

No school on Tuesday

No school. Check blog on Tuesday for school work and adjustments

Video Homework: Due Wednesday

Today we watched some videos in class. Tonight for homework students are to choose a video and write why their chosen video should be watched by others. Writing can be turned in electronically on the blog, via email, or on paper. This assignment is to prepare them for writing a book review. Video recommendation should include the following:
Title of video
Strong lead
Reason why they think others should watch this video
Specific examples from their notes that support their opinions

Below are the links

Top secret drums
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/44630460657/top-secret-drum-corps-is-a-precision-drum-corps

Bottle Movie
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/45928062682/bottle-by-kirsten-lepore-a-2010-stop-motion

Ode to Joy in Spain
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/46907718739/the-2012-viral-video-out-of-sabadell-spain-a

Lego
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/46437858789/watch-these-lego-bionicle-toy-robots-make-music

Happy Trails,
Mr. Rabinowitz

New Unit

Welcome back. I hope you all had an enjoyable break. Today we began our new instructional unit. Over the next few weeks, 4th graders will complete an author study and write a book review. In addition, we will resume book club, start a new read aloud, and go on several field trips.

Students: What did you enjoy over break? Do you have any other questions? Please post a response

Welcome back,
Mr. Rabinowitz

Gt

Parents of Gifted/Talented Students
On Monday, April 1st from 4 to 8 pm, Traci Whipple will be available in the WCE library to meet with you regarding your child’s Advanced Learning Plan. She will review the ALP, as well as your child’s specific strength areas and learning goals. If your child has an ALP, you will be receiving an email shortly, inviting you to sign-up for a 10 minute time slot. If you are interested in this optional review conference, please sign-up through this email. You can also email her directly to set up a time at traci_whipple@dpsk12.org.

Harlem Shake Video Link

The link to the viral video of the Westerly Creek Elementary School Harlem Shake Video

http://youtu.be/vXbxbwtknmk

Spelling and reading log due on Thursday

Country reports due on Monday

Please ask for help or support if necessary

Happy trails,

Mr. Rabinowitz

Country Reports

Students took home a final project organizer to better allocate their time before the due date of next Monday. Please support them in this life skill in any way you can. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Trails
Mr. Rabinowitz

This letter went home today

A CHECK LIST IS ON THE BACK OF THIS LETTER THAT WAS SENT HOME
Country Report-Final Copy

Dear 4th Grade Families,

Today your child is bringing home their Country Report Research Folder. The folder contains information about our writing, reading and research process. Your child took two column notes and used the notes to write their rough draft paragraphs. They will write their final copy MOSTLY at home. The report will be due on Monday, March 11th. Below I have outlined the steps the students will take with their final copy process. Please assist them with this process. Also, please help your child with the time-management piece of this project. Ideally, they should be working on this every day between now and the due date. There is too much required to try to do it all in a night or two. BOOK CLUB WILL RESUME AFTER TCAP. Please use this extra time to work on your country report.

This week, each student met with a group of peers to work on the revision process. They were asked to answer these questions about their reports:

Does my report make sense?

Is it organized in a clear way?

Does it have a good introductory paragraph?

Does all the information belong?

Does my report have a good concluding paragraph?

Did I use interesting, vivid vocabulary?

After getting feedback, they made changes to their reports. This is a good step to revisit at home before they begin their final copies.

Most students had a chance to edit their rough drafts in class, but it is a good idea to re-edit at home before they start their final copies, as well.

After their revising and editing are complete, they can begin to write (on lined paper) or type their reports. Make sure they are continuing to edit during the final writing process to check for careless errors.

There are several other requirements for the reports as well. Each student must have a cover sheet, a table of contents and a bibliography. They must also have at least one picture with a caption, a map with a compass rose and major cities, and a picture or drawing of the country flag. Each student has a copy of the grading rubric, please make sure they refer to it for help.

After the entire report is completed, your child is required to complete the self-evaluation and turn it in as the last page in their final report.

Thank you for your support with this project. If you have any questions, please contact me Noah_Rabinowitz@dpsk12.org

Valentines Tea

The tea was a huge success. A big thanks to all the parents that helped and donated items, food, and time.

100th day photos

As part of our 100th day celebration, students drew what the would look like when they turn 100 years old. Tea is Thursday.

100th day

Tuesday is the 100 th day of school. We will doing a few literacy and math related activities. After school we will begin our conferences. We look forward to seeing you. Please remember to contact either Ms. Miller or myself if you know you can't attend either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Thursday will be our Valentine's Day tea.

Mr. Rabinowitz

This week

This week we will finish our two column notes on our country reports. This week we will begin our word study of Greek and Latin roots. This week we will practice some tcap prompt writing. In addition, we will learn to learn by asking questions, working together and reflecting on what we know. Our read aloud is called "Maniac Magee" Should be a great week.
Mr. Rabinowitz

2013 State of the Class

Hi. Happy New Year.
This post will try to update what going on in room 141 and in 4th grade.  Please email or leave replies on the blog if you need additional information.

Country Reports:
Each student is researching a different nation around the world and has developed questions that will guide their research. Students will write down in two-columns of they find in their research. Their notes will turn into non-fiction paragraphs. The writing will be revised, edited, and reviewed before being published. Text features will be added as well. Plagarism, bibliographies, note-taking, maps, and computer skills will also be covered. Our celebration of the writing will be sometime in Early March. Please support your child's learning.

Fluency:
In the spring every student will take the DRA2 which is a standardized reading test that measures fluency and written comprehension. To help with students' oral fluency, students will practice using the six-min-solution for ten weeks. Each week, pairs of students read for one minute of a non-fiction passage and record their correct word per minute scores. These scores are then graphed. Ask you child about "What is Fluency".

Spelling and Word Study:
To complement the spelling program, we will begin to study Greek and Latin roots. Every several days students will write down roots and derivatives on index cards which they will collect. A variety of activities will be integrated to help master these roots and how they connect to other words. This will come in handy when solving word problems from crosswords to standardized tests.

Student Led conferences:
This will happen in February before President's Day. Information has been sent home. We plan on 100% attendance by fourth graders and their families. Individual conferences will also be scheduled for students greatly below grade level before or after student led conferences.

Handwriting:
Prepare for handwriting homework being sent home. Although I strongly believe in the use of technology, students that are able to write in cursive will save time when writing or note-taking.

Valentine's Day:
In 4th grade, student have a high formal tea. Students dress up and learn basic table manners. Moreover, student read aloud pre-assigned compliments to each other. Parents are encouraged to attend or volunteer. Contact any room parent for ways to be involved.

This year:
I am lucky have two great classes with wonderful students. Thank you for all that you do. Continue to get them to school on time, check their backpacks, set aside time to read DAILY, and ask about their day.


Happy Trails,
Mr. Rabinowitz