Can't Wait to See the Room?

Excited about coming in next week? Not able to make it but you're dying to check out the new digs? Here are some photos of a nearly finished classroom:

And just to clarify my last post regarding supplies...the list that went home at the end of last year for general classroom requests (mentioned in the comments of the last post)...just go by that one. I don't need anything additional. Use that list as your guide. Thanks.

Two Weeks and Counting

Inevitably, you are all turning your attention to the upcoming school year. I've been back at work for a week now, getting the room ready, planning lessons, attending meetings, and more. The biggest development so far is that I've moved classrooms. We'll be in Room 302 this year, Mrs. Hatt's old room in the northeast corner of the building. It was a lot of work to move but well worth it. The small space of room 31o, after four years, had grown a bit confining. The new room is huge in comparison! And though I've given up my beloved downtown view, I now get to look out on the Fisher building, which is pretty cool.

The worst part about moving out is leaving Ms. Barnes (now Mrs. Tiggs) behind. She and I were a fabulous team for four years. Our class will be paired with a new group this year, taught by Mrs. Susan Wagner.

Those aren't the only changes students will have to get used to, however! Fifth grade is filled with higher expectations and more work. We'll be hitting the ground running, with all homework assignments (Slice of Life, Problem of the Week, Everyday Math) starting up right away. (Book in a Bag will begin Week 2).

In addition, we have a new, exciting science curriculum with more hands-on activities. Reading and writing poetry will play a more prominent role in our Langauge Arts program. Exhibitions will involve more projects, especially their third presentation in June. More details on all of these things will follow. Check for notes home just about every day for the first week.

I mailed an invitation, but in case you haven't gotten it yet, I'd like to invite you and your child to stop in and say "hello" and see the new room. I'll be available September 1 from 9 to 12 and again from 1 to 3. Stop by anytime during those hours.

A common back to school question is: "What do I need to buy?" The answer, like last year, is not much. I would ask that students buy one notebook for Slice of Life writing. Other than that, I'll give them everything they need. I'll send a note home requesting some classroom donations (kleenex, sanitizer, etc.) during the first week.

I hope the summer has been enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the start of the year, your child's last year of elementary school!

Last Post for Awhile

Hopefully you've received everything that was sent home last week. I'm here at school attending a few final meetings and getting the room cleaned up. Wanted to share a few last things with you before I call it a year...

• The Summer Learning Page on the class wiki is up and running. Students can begin using it as soon as they'd like.
• Here is a link to some good book recommendations:

Summer Reading List

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Homework School Work reading

• And if you'd like to see how famous my students are, check out this link from 826 Michigan, which details the project they completed last week!

Have a safe and happy summer. I'll be sending a note to you somewhere around the middle of August with info about the 09-10 school year.

826 Michigan

The end of the year tends to be so busy that sometimes I forget to publicize events from the classroom. Wanted to let you know about the big project that was launched Tuesday in conjunction with a non-profit writing center in Ann Arbor, 826 Michigan. 

826 is an organization dedicated to providing free writing instruction to kids ages 6-18. They have offices in many cities across the country. Last year, 826 volunteers came to my classroom to help my students write mysteries. This led to some of the best writing I'd ever seen produced by students in an elementary school. Two of their stories were even published by 826 Michigan in their "Best Of 826" anthology!

This time around, they've turned the classroom into a product development office. Students will be "working" for an as-yet unnamed department store, designing new products and writing about them in a way that would make people want to buy them.

Tuesday, they brainstormed ideas. Today, they'll be building models and making detailed sketches. Next week, they'll start their writing and the last week of school, we'll have a publication party where we unveil our work!

Sounds pretty awesome, I know. The folks from 826 are some of my favorite people in the entire world. They've helped me, and the rest of our 4th/5th grade staff, become better teachers of writing. If you'd like to learn more about their Ann Arbor center, click here: http://826michigan.org or if you'd like to learn more about their national organization as well as their centers around the country, try this one: http://826national.org .

And stay tuned for more updates from our product development team!

Detroit's Finest

What an exciting day we had today. We were scheduled to be visited by the Special Response Team of the Detroit Police Department (a.k.a. the SWAT team). Well, at 9:30 I got a call saying that the team was dealing with a "barricaded gunman" and wouldn't be able to come. Our hearts sank.

You see, the SWAT team was visiting because of the hard work of Lemuel Spratt. Lemuel wrote a letter this winter to the Detroit police chief explaining why he thought being on the SWAT team was a great job to have. Apparently, the chief liked it enough to forward it to someone on the team, and that person liked it enough to promise to visit our school. Lemuel and all of us had been looking forward to this for a long time. As you can see, we had good reason to be disappointed.

BUT about 45 minutes later, the phone rang again. The gunman had been apprehended and the team was on its way! Hooray! They visited with 5 officers as well as their armored vehicle and their "tank." Officer Brown and his crew taught us all about what the SWAT team does and even let students inside the vehicles. In all, they stayed for over 2 hours and every student in the school got to meet them. 

Writing letters can make a difference...what a powerful lesson. Thanks, Lemuel. Great work!

Third Trimester Exhibition Organizer

Students are using this to keep track of their work. We've been making progress in class, especially with the writing portion. Need something to work on at home? Focus on the INTEREST PROJECT.

Third Trimester Exhibition Organizer

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Third Trimester Exhibitions

Here is the checklist for the upcoming Exhibition:

3rd Trimester Exhibition Checklist 0809 Grade4

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

I sent one home with students last week. Today I sent home sign up sheets for Exhibition times. I'll assign those on a first come, first served basis. Please choose at least three times in case there are any conflicts. Thanks!