Crumb Chronicles, Issue 9

Crumb Chronicles

***A Family Newsletter***

February 7, 2013 – Issue 9

Dear Families:

We will hold a couple of celebrations in class next week.  The first one, on Thursday the 14th, will celebrate Valentine's Day the last hour of the day.  This will be very low-key -- a game and some time to pass out Valentines and/or treats.  Students are not required to bring Valentines or goodies . . . it will be up to you.  I only ask that if your child is bringing anything to pass out, that he/she bring one for everyone in the class.

The next day, February 15, the entire 4th grade will celebrate the conclusion of our N.W. Coast People unit with a potlatch.  Students will rotate through four activities in their assigned clans that connect to what they've learned about the first nations of this region.  We would love help from families to gather the following supplies:

• Plastic forks (30)
• Paper plates (30)
• Bags of raffia (several)
• Jerkey
• Smoked Salmon
• Berries (I guess blueberries and strawberries are in season somewhere in the world-- I've been told they're available at Costco)

Just shoot me an e-mail if you are planning to send any of these items in.

Next week I will be passing out details of our 4th grade science project.  Every 4th grader in our school will plan and conduct a science investigation which will be graded and then displayed at the S.E.S. Art & Science show on March 22.

In math, we've been working to build our understanding of fractions and, starting this week, decimals.  We just finished up the district writing assessment and have been working to improve sentence fluency in our writing.  Very soon, we will have our 50th Latin & Greek root word card to study . . . a "happy" opportunity is just around the corner.  I'm planning on completing the 2nd progress report for this trimester, and having it ready to send home before mid-winter break (Feb. 18-22).

Have a great weekend . . . it's almost here!

                                                                                             Sincerely,
                                                                                             Michael Crumb

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 8

Crumb Chronicles

***A Family Newsletter***

December 17, 2012 – Issue 8

Dear Families:

I am writing to let you know that many of the students in our class arrived this morning with the school tragedy in Connecticut on their minds.  It was apparently a hot topic of conversation on the buses and before school.  Most were discussing it as they walked through my door.  So, after the bell rang, I felt I needed to briefly address it (it the most general terms) and reassure the kids as best I could.  I told them that it was quite natural to want to talk about it and attempt to sift through all of their feelings about such a heart-breaking event. 

I strongly encouraged them to discuss it with their parents if they had any lingering questions or related anxiousness.  If they were having worries or questions that just couldn't wait until they got home today, I told them that they could talk to Mrs. Kramer, Mr. Cuddihy (our school counselor), or myself.  To my knowledge, nobody in our class felt the need to do this.

I strongly discouraged them from discussing the event with other children on the playground, lunchroom, bus, etc.  I told them that it could cause some kids to become anxious, particularly our younger students.  I also let them know that it was best left to an adult, preferably a parent, to share the news with any students who had no knowledge of the event.  I myself wasn't planning to specifically address this issue with the class as a whole, but with the "genie out of the bottle" before the day even started, I felt that we needed to briefly discuss it and then move on.

We proceeded with the day and our normal routines, and the topic never came up again in class.

As a parent and an elementary school teacher, I myself am experiencing a whirlwind of emotions in attempting to process this senseless act of violence.  I haven't come up with many answers, but I do know that life is precious, and that I am extremely grateful to have such a wonderful classroom of talented, unique young people.  I will do my best to never take them for granted.

                                                                                                               Sincerely,
                                                                                                               Michael Crumb

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 7

Crumb Chronicles

***A Family Newsletter***

November 10, 2012 – Issue 7

Dear Families:

On Tuesday (after students get back from the 3-day weekend), you will receive the third, and final, progress report for the 1st trimester.  If your child is missing any major assignments, the morning of November 15 would be the last possible day to turn them in.

I look forward to seeing you at conferences, which will occur on Friday, November 16; Monday, November 19; and Tuesday, November 20 after early release at 11:55.  Wednesday, November 21 will also be an early release day, giving everyone a head start for Thanksgiving break.  On these early release days, students will present to the class what they've learned in their 1st trimester independent projects.  I will not assign any formal homework over Thanksgiving break, but November's reading project ("Story Map") will be due soon after we get back.  Your conference day and time were sent home on November 2, and the schedule is now posted on the blog (I've made some adjustments since the times originally went out so that everyone is able to attend).

I am asking that your child attend the conference with you.  The 4th grade is an important transitional year -- and a time when students really need to take increased responsibility for their own education.  I believe we need your child's input so that we (parents and teacher) can support his/her learning as best we can.  I understand that you may have matters to discuss without your child present.  We can make time at the beginning or the end of the conference for this purpose if you wish.  We will, of course, take a look at your child's report card as a starting point, as well as some pieces from his/her portfolio.  You will take the portfolio with you so that you can spend more time looking at its contents -- please return it following the Thanksgiving break.

By now, most of you are familiar with the "standards-based" report cards.  There is a great deal more information compared to the traditional report cards of the past, and academic "descriptors" are used instead of letter grades.  It's important to emphasize that a "4" does not correspond to an "A," a "3" to a "B," and so on.  You can read the descriptors for yourselves, but unlike traditional grades (in which effort and percentage of assignments turned in play a significant role), standards-based scores only reflect students' demonstrated knowledge of each particular skill.  To put it bluntly, it may be easier to get an "A" on the old report card than a "4" on this one.  Although missing assignments and projects would have a greater (negative) impact on the traditional, letter-grade report cards, missing assignments do make it more difficult to assess whether a student is "meeting the standard."  In other words, the more information I have, the easier it is to figure out where a student is at in relation to the standards.  I will err on the side of caution and mark that a student is "working towards" the standard at this time.

Please also note that we haven't yet devoted much time to certain areas on the report card (social studies or probability in math, for examples).  In addition, we've had many special events fall into the first few months of school (field trips, assemblies, walk-a-thon, extra class time preparing for the 4th grade concert, and so on).  For all of these reasons, an "X" (Introduced) or an "N/A" (Not yet addressed) will appear in some sections for this first trimester.

I look forward to talking with you in the next week or so.

                                                                                            Sincerely,
                                                                                            Michael Crumb

P.S.  If your child collected donations for "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF," please send that in on Tuesday.  Also, the P.T.S.A. has asked teachers to remind families that our Lost & Found is overflowing.  It will be out during conferences, and all unclaimed items will be donated on November 27th.

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 6

Crumb Chronicles

***A Family Newsletter***

October 29, 2012 – Issue 6

Dear Families:
Tomorrow afternoon, teachers will be meeting to schedule fall student-parent conferences.  If you haven't sent in your request for certain days/times, please get them to me by tomorrow morning.  Your scheduled day and time will be sent home this Friday.

Thank you to everyone who is sending in supplies for Wednesday's 4th grade Harvest Party.  Kids will not be assigned written homework that night (Halloween) and the following evening (4th grade concert at 7 p.m.).  Students should still read for 20+ minutes and practice math facts each of those two nights.

In writing this fall, we've been working on how to write different types of paragraphs.  Currently, students are learning to write persuasive paragraphs.  We are also continuing to learn about all of the different ways to use commas correctly.  Of course, our weekly spelling program continues -- if you have questions about how it works, check out the link "Spelling Program" on the class web site, which explains everything in detail.

Please remember that the first monthly book project for this school year ("Wanted Poster") is officially due on October 31.  The directions for the next project will be reviewed soon in class, but you can always take an early peek on the class web site.

The second progress report for this trimester went home on Friday.  If you'd like more frequent updates, just e-mail me.

                                                                                                      Sincerely,
                                                                                                      Michael Crumb

P.S.  All S.E.S. 4th grade classrooms are participating in "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" this year.  This friendly class competition raises money to help other kids in less fortunate situations around the world.  This is voluntary, but the 4th grade room that raises the most will receive a "fabulous reward."

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 5

Crumb Chronicles
 

***A Family Newsletter***

October 25, 2012 – Issue 5

Dear Families:

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who helped make this year's S.E.S. Walk-a-Thon such a success.  We really lucked out on the weather!  This is the one and only major fundraiser for the P.T.S.A. this year, so please help your child gather those pledges, if you haven't done so already.  I have promised that if the class averages $80 in pledges per student (0ur school goal), I will dye my hair a striking shade of pink.

A couple of important dates are coming up.  On October 31, the entire 4th grade will celebrate with a Harvest Party in the afternoon (more details will be coming soon).  The following evening, our 4th graders will perform their annual concert at 7 p.m. in the gym.

The main focus of this edition of the Crumb Chronicles is on what your child is working on in reading.

Every day, students have 20 minutes in class to read independently (called D.E.A.R. – Drop Everything And Read). As you know, students are supposed to read at least 20 minutes every night as part of their homework. After each session of independent reading, students should record the title, date, and minutes read in their Reading Logs. They are also expected to respond from the menu of the prompts in the log once a week – they then turn in this entry every week to be graded. I starting collecting Reading Log entries on the second week of school. Sometimes a reading log entry will be assigned as homework, and occasionally there will be at least one 20 minute class period per week for your child to complete an entry. Please take a look at your child’s log once a week and sign it (directions and student responsibilities should be in the front of the reading log and are also posted on the class web site: http://ses.svsd410.org/crumb/index.htm ). My expectation is that every student in class read at least two chapter books each month.

One of the books a student reads will be the basis for our monthly reading project. The directions for the first reading project of this school year (“Wanted Poster”) were handed out and reviewed at the beginning of October.  We went over my expectations, how it will be scored, and took a look at past student samples.  It will due on October 31. On several nights in October, the written portion of the nightly homework has been for students to work on this project for at least 20 minutes at a time. The directions for all of this year’s reading projects are also posted on the web site.

Sometimes during the school week, we will run a set of Literacy Centers. Each center runs 15-20 minutes, and students practice a variety of reading & writing skills. In September, some of these centers included: games and activities to practice identifying parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and end punctuation; a time for students to complete their Reading Log entry for the week; practice using the table of contents and index to locate information in a book; and discovering how to better use the reference tools in our room (dictionary, thesaurus, atlas). We also may read short stories and novels with related small group activities and/or discussion.

Another way we build vocabulary and comprehension skills is through our study of Latin & Greek root words. Three times a week, we examine one of these root words and come of with as many possible English derivatives as we can to help us figure out the meaning of the word. On a 3 x 5 card, students record the meaning of each word, at least two derivatives, and what each derivative means. These cards will be used for study and practice, both in class and for homework. Students will be responsible for 25 words every trimester, 75 words for the whole school year. The words that students will be responsible for this 1st trimester are posted on the class web site.

This week, you will receive your child’s second progress report. If your child has missing assignments, he or she may see me at one of their recesses to find out about make-up work or extra credit (and they might also want to check the “no-name pile.”). I will be sending home one more progress report before the end of the trimester. If you want more frequent “check ups,” please e-mail me (crumbm@svsd410.org) on Fridays, and I can let you know if any assignments are missing for that week.

By the way, fall conferences are just around the corner, so the letter with the schedule date/time request will be sent home with students tomorrow.  Please be as flexible as you can -- with 29 students and 30 conference slots, I obviously can't see everyone at the end of the day.  Return these forms by next week, as teachers will be meeting on the afternoon of the 3oth to schedule together (putting sibling conferences back-to-back).

Remember, be on the look-out for Harvest Party information (and a progress report) later this week.
                                                                                                               Sincerely,
                                                                                                               Michael Crumb

P.S.  Student math fact practice is starting to pay off.  Our class average on the last multiplication facts "opportunity" was 21 out of 28 (compared to the class average of 11 out of 28 at the beginning of the school year).  Our last division facts class average stood at 19/28, which is also a big improvement of 10/28 at the start of September.  Keep practicing!

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 4

Crumb Chronicles

***A Family Newsletter***

September 28, 2012 – Issue 4

Dear Families:

There's been some confusion about the online math resources available to the class this year.  I thought I'd post this for clarification (and for future reference on the blog if needed).  I'll talk about how to access IXL Math, the enVision textbook, and Xtra Math fact practice online.  Hopefully this will answer some of the questions I've been receiving.

IXL Math:  The link on my webite goes directly to the school district's rosters.  If you do a general internet search and pull up the IXL web site, you have to add "@svsd" next to the user name (this is done automatically on my direct link).  For all user names, it's last name and first initial, all in lower case.  For example, my user name is "crumbm".  There are two exceptions:  Jacob and Alex both need to add a "1" right after their first initial.  The password is your child's six-digit student number.  You do have the ability to change the password, but our computer lab teachers would like all students to use their student numbers as their passwords.  Any passwords that have been changed, I've been changing back to the student number. 

Under "Other Assignments" on my blog, I've been trying to list the 4th grade IXL objectives that correspond to what we're working on in class with the enVision curriculum.  Currently, students should be practicing skills B1 through B9 (Adding Whole Numbers) and skills C1 through C7 (Subtracting Whole Numbers).  Our end-of-the-unit "opportunity" will take place this Tuesday.  You might have heard, but students will earn 10 Chucky Bucks for each medal earned in the 4th grade IXL objectives.

enVision Math textbook:  To the right of the IXL link, you'll find the one for our online textbook.  Once again, user names are last name and first initial all in lower case.  This time, nobody needs to add a "1".  The difference is that enVision requires at least one letter in the password, so your child's password will be their six-digit student number followed by the lowercase letter "c".  For example, "123456c" might be a password for our class.

Xtra Math:  To the right of the enVision link, you'll find the link to Xtra Math.  This is the sight for kids to sequentially master their math facts (for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- in that order).  To set up your home account, I sent a letter with instructions and the passcode to get started.  A four-digit password was automatically (and randomly) assigned to every student.  All students can assess Xtra Math on our computers at school, but if they want to practice at home, you will need to set it up at home on your computer (it's not difficult).  Please let me know if you need another copy on the letter, and I will send one home.  My students can earn big-time Chucky Bucks for passing each level.

I hope this answers most of your questions.  Please remember that all three of these online math sites are absolutely free to our S.E.S. families.

                                                                                                       Sincerely,
                                                                                                       Michael Crumb

Crumb Chronicles, Issue 3

Crumb Chronicles
 

***A Family Newsletter***

September 24, 2012 – Issue 3
 

Dear Families:

It was great to see some of you at Curriculum Night.  Thanks again for letting me "borrow" your wonderful children for the year -- it really is a great group of kids!  If you were not able to attend, there will soon be an audio-only recording of my presentation of the web site, as well as quite a bit of other information about our class ( http://ses.svsd410.org/crumb/index.htm ).  There's also many links to excellent educational websites throughout my home page.  When students want to practice their facts, look up a math term they've forgotten, or play a game to reinforce skills learned in class, these sites are the places to go.

Remember, homework includes practicing at least 5 minutes to improve the recall of basic number facts and reading for at least 20 minutes (Monday through Friday). Written homework is also assigned Monday through Thursday; these assignments should take around 15-20 minutes or so to complete (if your child is having trouble completing it well past 20 minutes, just write me a note explaining the situation). On Fridays (or anytime over the weekend), students should also work on their independent projects. Your child’s project is based upon something new that he/she wants to learn about OR how to do. They will present what they’ve learned to their classmates beginning on November 16.

Today, you will receive your child’s first progress report. If your child has missing assignments, he or she may see me at one of their recesses to find out about make-up work or extra credit (and they might also want to check the “no-name pile.”). I will be sending home two more progress reports home before the end of the trimester. If you want more frequent “check-ups,” please e-mail me (crumbm@svsd410.org) on Fridays, and I can let you know if any assignments are missing for that week.

Missing homework and small in-class assignments will impact the "effort" grades on the report card, and often times I will simply indicate in the grade book whether or not these assignments are completed or not.  Many of the specific academic grades will primarily be based upon "opportunities" (also known as "tests" or "assessments") and upon larger projects or assignments (reading log entries, monthly reading projects, major writing tasks, etc.).  Of course, when students fail to complete the smaller assignments, they are not getting all of the practice that will help them perform well on the things that do receive a specific score or grade.  Students usually correct their own homework the following day in class before turning it in.

About Portfolios . . .
A portfolio is a collection of a student’s work that enables the student, teacher, and parents to see the efforts, progress, and given achievements over time. When a student, teacher, and/or parent look at, talk about, and reflect on the contents of the portfolio, they have a way to identify strengths and to set realistic goals for the future.

I will put representative pieces of work into each child’s portfolio. Attached to most pieces is an “entry slip,” a written rationale for why an item is included. Students also select work for their portfolio which is an example of their best work, which demonstrates an area of improvement, or which showcases an area that they need to improve upon.

From time to time (such as today), a selection of work will be sent home to you. At these times, you will have an opportunity to make your own selection for your child’s portfolio using the “Parent Entry Slip”. If you wish to do this, please send back the piece you selected along with the completed entry slip.

Please remember that you may consult your child’s portfolio at any time. They will also serve as a starting point for discussion during student-parent-teacher conferences.

                                                                                                  Sincerely,
                                                                                                  Michael Crumb

P.S. If you haven’t sent one in yet, I need your child’s white t-shirt by the beginning of next week! Remember, we will be wearing these on special occasions throughout the year, so please send in shirts with room for your child to grow.