Great News!

The Great News is that we finished the 2nd week of school and we are still loving it! "Fourth Grade is sooo much fun!!" Those words are music to my ears. Who knew giving kids a white board for math and letting them erase with it with an old sock was the trick!?! That's right, I got the white boards out this week and the kids were thrilled. (It does make it a little trickier for me to check their mistakes. You might see a note on their papers that asks them to make corrections using paper this time.) Another bonus is that when they finish work early, they are asking if they can get their white boards out and practice math! If you have a reluctant math person when it comes to homework, you might consider picking up a "magic" white board. :)

We finished our first story, The Pumpkin Runner. We've been working hard learning the difference between a summary and a retelling. They are creating a poster advertising the story and are allowed to work with a partner (they have to do their own project but can sit with a buddy or two). Again, I have been so excited by their enthusiasm. Every time there is a break in the day, they are begging to go back to writing. I, of course, have to give a huge sigh and say, "Oh, alright...I guess you can write!" We added more critters to the classroom. (I love critters!) Lauren from Ms. Munyon's room shared her Walking Sticks with us. I will try to get some pictures of those. My daughter, Shannon, brought crickets in one afternoon to feed the Fire Bellied Toads....that certainly caused a lot of excitement! Kids like to watch the strangest things......

Probably the biggest event of the week was Grandparents Lunch on Friday! My goodness, we had a great turnout! We had grandparents and parents. Thanks so much to those of you who invited kids whose grandparents couldn't make to eat with you. I know they really appreciated it!

We have continued to have a great start. Maybe starting with a three day week and then a four day week and then a five day week has something to it!