Tuesday

It is September 11th, so we took the students outside and had a flag ceremony today. Then 4B watched a short video called Brain Pop 911. It, in a child's way, teaches about the tragedy on 9-11. We talked about some stories, and then stressed the heroes, that we can all be heroes by helping others. In math we practiced subtraction and multiplication. In reading we practiced cursive writing of our spelling words, then the students did a couple of worksheets on how to spell the words. We are studying the sound long e. Please make sure you are studying your spelling words at home and do the rest of your homework. Mrs. Aston is coming on Friday to teach us a little bit of Spanish. That will be fun for all of us. Picture day is Thursday.

Thursday

Tomorrow is our spelling test. Students took a pretest today and we studied the words again. In math we are working on our 10, 11, and 12 multiplication tables and tomorrow we will review subtraction. In reading we are continuing to talk about risks and consequences. We watched a video on Idaho geography today. The students are cutting and putting together a map of Idaho.

Wednesday

Today students received a green paper for those who would like to be in the After School Program. It will be held Monday - Thursday from 3-5 p.m. Make sure we get the papers back signed. Also, we need the rest of the student information sheets back. Today is the last day I will send in book orders. If you want to send one from home, you need the code L8J7V. We talked more today about settings, character, plot, conflict and resolution. We just read a story about Toto an elephant and we discussed how we would fit the story into those literary devices. We studied spelling and did more with rounding numbers. The students are starting to get that. Picture day is the 13th of September. There will be no spring pictures this year, so this is it.

Tuesday

I hope you all had a good Labor Day. Our little grand-daughter was born early Friday morning and all is well. Today we read a new story about an elephant and a little boy. Students got their new spelling words, all use the long "a" sound. In math we talked about when to use calculators, mental math, or use a pen and pencil Most finished their assignment in class. In Idaho History we learned about primary and secondary sources to tell us about a specific time period. Picture day is coming up on the 13th of September. Also, because I was gone for Friday, I have extended the book orders until tomorrow. The class code is L8J7V.

Thursday

Hi, sorry this is so late in coming but when school got out, I received a phone call from our very pregnant daughter saying, "Hurry to Logan!" So I am writing this from the hospital where we are awaiting the birth of our grand-daughter. For Friday, students will be going on a field trip in the morning to the Preston library. Also, homework packets need to be turned in tomorrow. Also the bookclub orders are due tomorrow. Students will have a spelling test first thing in the morning. Today we worked on spelling and continued practicing rounding numbers. Mrs. Lindsey's class invited us to watch an experiment about mentos and pop. That was fun. The students went to music and we learned about the state seal of Idaho. I will very likely have a substitute tomorrow. Remember, it is Labor Day week-end, no school on Monday.

Wednesday

You may have noticed that the links that came home yesterday didn't work. There is a glitch in the system and we will get new information out to you as soon as possible. Today we took our spelling test. Lettuce and principle were two words that were missed a lot. Study and be ready for 100% on Friday. We learned about rounding numbers today. The basic rule is if you are rounding to the 100s place, look to the number in the tens place. If the number in the tens place is less than five then the number in the hundreds place doesn't change and all the numbers following the hundreds place change to zero. However, if the number in the tens place is five or more, the number in the 100s place increases by one and all the numbers following it still change to zero. I know, if you don't do it often it can make you crazy trying to remember. Students had PE today and will have music tomorrow. Make sure you are reading twenty minutes a night and finishing all the other requirements on your homework sheet. Have a good day! Remember, no school on Monday, it is Labor Day.

Tuesday

Hello! Two things should have gone home today. First, a book club order went home. It needs to be back on Friday. Second, the school sent home information on how to access power school and a student information sheet which we, as teachers, need so we can contact you at home or work. In class today we studied adding suffixes to words ending in a short vowel followed by a consonant. In math we worked on place value up to one hundred million. In Social Studies students learned about the symbols of Idaho. They were supposed to write down the information. Some chose not to do that and their grade on that page will reflect it. I spelled the words and kept urging them to follow the instructions. But, they will learn. Students had P.E. today and we also had some time to practice typing on the computers. Our spelling pre-test is tomorrow! Have a good day!

Monday

Welcome back! Students had a homework page sent home. They should read for twenty minutes each night, five nights a week. The pre-test in spelling will be Wednesday so practice the words. We read in class today and worked on place value in math. We also learned some fingerspelling to help us practice our spelling words. Students went to the library today.

Friday

We had a busy day today. We let our praying mantis go and then someone else found another. We will keep him for a little while and observe his habits. We did Language Arts and Math pre-assessments today. We also did a science experiment, what would happen to a plant if you poured boiling water on it. The students wrote a hypothesis and we will write our conclusion on Monday when we check the plant. Finally we did computers, made book-marks and did show and tell.

Thursday Wear Maroon and White on Friday!

Today we read our stories about what makes us unique. The students did a good job on them. Some were a little afraid to stand up and read, but all did a great job. In math we reviewed division. Right now I am trying to find where they all are and what they need to work on. We watched an interesting video on the Aurora Borealis, a couple on measuring with metrics, and a silly one on the elements. Then the students went to music. We ended the day cleaning the room and then I read to the students until the end of the day. Homework: There is none today except for students who want to be in Honor Choir. They should have a bright pink paper for parents to sign. Honor choir practice is held on Thursday during lunch recess.

Wednesday

Hi! Today in school students wrote two paragraphs telling what is unique about them. Then, they had 150 math problems! Really, but these are just to find out what they know. They are not timed and will not be due for a few more days. We also did a fluency test for all of the children. These assignments will allow me to know where everyone is at the start of the year so I have a benchmark of what to expect in reading, writing and math. We also created our own name tags for the hallway wall and are learning a couple of songs, America (My Country Tis of Thee, and our month's theme song, the first verse of We are different. We are tired and warm, but the day has gone well. Homework: Students have a homework folder that has three papers for parents to sign. Please help your student remember to get them back tomorrow.

Welcome to 4th Grade

Hi, I am so glad to have you as part of the 4th grade class at Harold B. Lee Elementary school. This is the place you can come to see what is going on. Feel free to get in touch with me either through this blog or at the school. Have a great day!

Thursday and Class Trips

6th and 7th grades: These last few days we will learn about rocks and the geologic timeline. Incentive/Reward End of year trip. 6th grade trip: Downata - We will be leaving the middle school at 8 a.m. (good day to show up on time. $6.50 needs to be paid to Mrs. Winward, preferably by Tuesday morning. Students can bring their own food or bring additional money to buy snacks or lunch at Downata. We will be back to school by the time buses leave in the afternoon. 7th grade trip: Lava Hot Springs - leaving at 8:00 a.m. cost $5.50 for admission $3.00 for grilled hamburgers paid to Mrs. Braun by May 29th. Students will be back in time to take the bus home. Students can bring snacks or bring money for the snack bar as they will likely be pretty hungry before lunch at 1:30.

Wednesday

6th and 7th graders took their tests Wednesday. I got them corrected and most students did quite well. The grades are posted.

Tuesday

6th & 7th grade: We finished our review for the final. Students were allowed to write down any information that they needed to study for the test. The test will be worth 100 points. Students have been given the test concepts as notes for the entire year. These should be concepts that they know and understand.

Monday

6th grade students: We reviewed for Wednesday's test. 7th grade students: We reviewed for Wednesday's test.

Thursday

6th grade: We started looking at the rocks today. Students learned about the properties of rocks. Wednesday is the final exam. We will prepare for it Monday and Tuesday. 7th grade: Students learned about vertebrates today by doing ten minute reports. Each team read about a different vertebrate, created a report and gave it during class.

Wednesday

6th grade: We are learning about different types of rock, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. After the students reviewed yesterday's information, and did a short review for the final. We watched a video on how each type of rock is created. Tomorrow we will discuss the Mohs scale of hardness and determine which type of rock we are working with. 7th grade; Students learned about echinoderms today. We talked about sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sea stars (star fish) and sand dollars. After determining their characteristics, type of body, movement and how they eat, we watched two short clips showing how they eat and move. Late work must be in tomorrow or it will revert to a zero. All students have been reminded regularly for two weeks about any missing assignments.

Tuesday

6th grade: We have been studying about the land and soil. Today we learned about glaciers and the different land-forms they cause. We learned about the words till, moraine and drumlin. We made our own little glacier and were able to easily see how glaciers affect the landscape. 7th grade; Reports were turned in today by nearly every student. We saw some very interesting arthropods today. Students saw four videos of bees and ants. Most of the videos showed how they live. But one showed a group of researchers that were able to see a real ant colony. They found a deserted colony and poured cement down in the hole. It took a lot of cement. Then, they let it dry for one month. Finally, when all the cement was dry, they dug around the cement and found a huge system of tunnels and rooms that the ants had lived in. It was 8 meters deep and about 50 x 50 meters square. It was something. Please remember, all late papers must by in by the 17th or there will be no credit given.

Wednesday

6th grade: We took the test today, most students did quite well, at least better than the last one. We began studying about the different layers of soil. 7th grade; We corrected an in-class worksheet and watched a couple of videos with the animals we were studying.