June WLE TV

June 4th:  https://youtu.be/MhJ8qYxFZdo
June 5th:  https://youtu.be/SNv_hG1ndh4
June 6th:  https://youtu.be/6Usrf6EnG1c

And that's a WRAP for the 2018-2019 School Year!  

Thanks for watching!!!

Fall 2019 News Crew Application

Calling all 4th Graders (Future 5th Graders)!!!
If you would like to be on the news crew next year, now is the time to apply!  This is your best chance to get the job you have been waiting for.  The 5th graders (current 4th graders) are the only students that will be on the Fall News Crew!

The applications are due by Friday, June 8th!

You will receive your job assignment when you return in the Fall.  Jobs will not begin until the week of September 16th!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKZq5vET6Ib_aSXG0OnfcbmNkCXIfizoC2qsOXyJJM3Zd00g/viewform?usp=sf_link

May WLE TV

May 1st:  https://youtu.be/fSQ7-V4B_co
May 2nd:  https://youtu.be/MRR9EEgv9us

May 7th:  https://youtu.be/44cUi98O4Mg
May 8th:  https://youtu.be/05PacJneV8w
May 9th:  https://youtu.be/MKehN6l7RLU

May 14th:  https://youtu.be/nvLm8L1HVMo
May 15th:  https://youtu.be/AmLDh0efZP4
May 16th:  https://youtu.be/APesCLlwwT8

May 21st: https://youtu.be/ynoOIl3LZ1o
May 22nd: NO NEWS TODAY
May 23rd: https://youtu.be/WTn1l_bPRPA

May 28th:  https://youtu.be/z3LjgNp6lFA
May 29th:  https://youtu.be/M41s9bOlWPo
May 30th:  https://youtu.be/NKFta8BbYhI

April 26th - Week in Review

Field Trip on Wednesday:

We will be going on our Field Trip to Indian Springs on Wednesday.  There are a couple of reminders.
1.  Chaperones should be to WLE NO LATER THAN 9:10am.  (Chaperones will be driving their own cars - you may car pool if you wish!
2.  Send your child to school with a sack lunch.
3.  We will be going rain or shine.  Please dress for the weather (and muddy trails).  We will be going on a 1.5 mile hike and conducting a pond dipping experiment.  So your children WILL BE outside.

Science: Earth Science 

We have been working hard to study earth materials in room 17.  We have been conducting investigations with soil.  We have learned what components make up our soil.  We are now learning about erosion and landforms.  This is a very high interest unit!  Lots of excitement in room 17!

MSTEP is Coming

Our days for MSTEP testing are as follows.  Please avoid appointments or absences on these TWO dates if at all possible.
May 8th
May 20th

5th Grade Graduation Fundraiser 

Air Time

There is a fundraiser at AirTime in Novi tomorrow - Tuesday, April 30th.  Part of the admission costs will go toward 5th Grade Graduation.  Please consider attending.

4th Grade Recorder Show

May 23rd at 6:30pm

Your children have been working hard to learn some fabulous recorder songs.  It is always a treat, so keep the date in mind!

Last Bonaventure Date is Wednesday, May 22nd from 6-8:30pm.  Please consider joining us.

April WLE TV

April 16:  https://youtu.be/x00spkkJwIU
April 17: https://youtu.be/5AFCeiRuTS4
April 18:  https://youtu.be/QswsCLh1MY0

April 23:  https://youtu.be/DOumyJE57rw
April 24:  NO NEW TODAY
April 25:  https://youtu.be/dwBnZvVBvRc

March 29th - A Week In Review

Report Cards
Report Cards are now available in Family Access.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the report card.  I talked with your children about how a report card shows growth toward 4th grade standards.  We talked about what that means.  I explained how proud I am of them.  Each one of the children have taken ownership of their learning and are working toward better understanding.  Just today, we were working on a new piece of writing.  Two students thought to open an old piece of writing that they felt good about, so that they could use it as a guide for the new piece.  We had a nice conversation about how that shows self regulation and a strong understanding of wanting to be better!

Science Day
On Tuesday, the Walled Lake Outdoor Education Center came to WLE with many different science activities for your child to participate in.  I think the pictures show it all:)  They had such a great time.





Read In - Literacy Updates
Today was our read-in to wrap up our March is Reading Month festivities.  I think your children had a great time.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
This was my first time reading this book with students!  It was amazing.  We laughed, we cried, and The Chronicles of Narnia.  Every local library will have them!  If you like to read with your children, this might be a good series to read with them.  Lots of opportunities to stop and talk - great life lessons.
we cheered.  I am hoping it ignited a spark in them to try to read more and more.  The best part about this book is that there are many books in the series.

Kindergarten Buddies
This week we had the opportunity to create a project based on Dr. Seuss' book I Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street with Ms. Flowers kindergarten class.  I wonder if your students shared a 'minnow' or 'whale' story with you.  All round it was a great time.  The 4th graders really took the role of being a role model very seriously!

Week in Review: March 3, 2018

Hello Families,

Spring is just around the corner.  I can hardly wait.  March is Reading Month is kicking off this week.  Please encourage your child to join in on the fun.  We have a calendar of events planned for the month during the school day!  If you catch your son or daughter reading in a cozy spot around the house, snap a picture and email it to me.  I am going to start a "caught reading"  board.  A fun way to bring home into the classroom.   I also wanted to take a moment to tell you how awesome your children are.  They work hard, they are kind, and they make our classroom a fun place to be.  Nine and ten year olds are at such a critical time in their lives.  They are learning about how the world works around them, they make mistakes, and they learn how those mistakes affect other people.  However, I am so proud of how they work together and try to help lift each other up.

Reading and Writing

Right now in reading an writing, we are starting new units.  Your children are learning how to read a text closely to think more deeply about a text.  I have had such great conversations with your children this week.  We have been rereading a book called Fox.  Today we used the phrase "This makes me realize".  As we were reading our thoughts about the character Magpie, the children agreed that the story helped them realize that good friends are hard to find.  So that means we need to treat them with respect.  I have included the questions that we are using below.  Consider asking your children some of these questions about the books that they are reading at home. 

I hope that your child's writing about history writing made it home.  I am so proud of their hard work.  We worked together to set goals on next steps for writing. 

Math

We are in the middle of our fraction unit.  We have been working a lot with self reflection lately.  This week your child has been thinking about the learning targets and showing evidence of their learning.  We have had some really great conversations about what they understand and what they need help with.  Additionally, I have been having the kids write a problem similar to what we have been doing in class in their planners.  I suggested that they solve the problem at home and tell you what they learned in class that day.  We will finish up the unit next week and the BA will be on Monday, March 18th.  A study guide will go home next week.

Social Studies

We are continuing our United States Government this week.  We learned about the purpose of government and the Constitution last week.  This week we learned about the 3 branches of government and the powers of federal and state governments.  Next week we will be discussing the rights and responsibilities of citizens and the Bill of Rights.  The kids are super interested in these ideas. 

March WLE TV

March 5th:  https://youtu.be/nOXmmtJn-SU
March 6th:  https://youtu.be/eIZQPd8uCSY
March 7th:  https://youtu.be/sb88lJs-PAM

March 12th:  https://youtu.be/3S0NgyVHQGs
March 13th:  https://youtu.be/B7nRthruCZ8
March 14th:  https://youtu.be/3h1AbS0XwXw

March 19th:  No news
March 20th:  https://youtu.be/-gRiObdOKhQ  (Last Day for Wed Crew)
March 21st:

March 26th: https://youtu.be/bnTVlzXvznw
March 27th:  NO NEWS TODAY
March 28th:  https://youtu.be/bKu-SOWjwBo

February WLE TV

February 7: https://youtu.be/m9Kq5jKAZTs

February 14th:  https://youtu.be/11fFoPBAmCY

February 26th: https://youtu.be/5AncyuPOkRs
February 27th:  https://youtu.be/eA18mepkK88
February 28th:

January 18th - A Week in Review

Tomorrow is the Walled Lake Schools' Annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Walled Lake Northern High School.  All schools in the district have created displays to show honor to Women Heroes in our community.  The event begins at 5pm and there is NO COST.  Please consider supporting this event.  Below is a video with more information:

Science

We have been continuing to learn about environments.  This week we spent a lot of time learning how organisms interact in an ecosystems.  We have learned about how food chains can be combined into a food web.  On Friday, we planted 4 common crops to study the effects of water and salt tolerance on early plant growth.  Be sure to ask your child about our "crops".

Language Arts

We are continuing to work on our "Writing About History" writing projects.  Your child is beginning to work on their 2nd subheading and will complete two more.  Your child can access their work from home in goggle classroom.  They can share with you what has been completed so far, if you are interested.  In Reading, we are continuing to think deeply about the characters in their stories.  Comprehension is the key to reading.  We will continue to think about character traits and develop "theories" that we have about the characters.  Your child will then be learning how to support the theory with evidence from the text.

Math

We are going to finish up unit 4 this week - Multi-digit Multiplication.  The children have done a really nice job using the partitioned rectangle to make sense of this idea.  A review will go home with your child at the end of the week.  The BA will be on Tuesday, January 29th.

January WLE TV

January 15th:  https://youtu.be/f0th8zAx8gU
January 16th:  https://youtu.be/bYTLpSdDtO8
January 17th:  https://youtu.be/sncC6LmvOt8
                  MLK Promotional Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRTWRLhAN38&feature=youtu.be


January 22nd:  https://youtu.be/wOvnhSIr-mc
January 23rd:  No SCHOOL
January 24th:  https://youtu.be/ptLuLRvJ3Ng

January 29th:
January 30th:
January 31st:

December 7th - Week in Review

Literacy-

In Reader's Workshop, we are continuing to study characters.  We have been looking for evidence to support thinking about they type of person that the character's in our books are.  These ideas will help us understand the life lessons that can be learned from reading a book.

In writer's workshop, we have just begun our new unit - Writing About History.  Your child was able to choose from one of three topics that are included in our social studies unit (Westward Expansion, The Underground Railroad, and Orphan Trains).  This week was all about getting organized.  We picked subtopics to write about and got our drafting papers organized.  Next week, we will begin researching our subtopics and organizing the information that we learned into paragraphs.

Math - 

In math we are continuing to learn about fractions.  This is our introductory unit.  Your child will learn about equal shares, equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and decimal fractions.  In a few months we will learn about how to add and subtract fractions.  We will wrap up the unit at the end of next week and the BA will be right before the holiday break.

Social Studies - 

This current unit is centered around immigration and migration.  They will learn about how the US culture has been influenced by immigration.  We will discuss reasons why people move from place to place.  They were surprised to find out that many of the reasons for movement hundreds of years ago, still ring true today! Please take some time to talk with your child about your family culture and how your family members immigrated to the United States.  We will finish this unit next week and the BA will be before the holiday break.

Science - 

We will begin our new science unit next week - Environments.  Many parents have asked me how to support their child with the science concepts.  We have an amazing resource available to us from Foss (our science curriculum materials).  https://www.fossweb.com/

The Foss website has access to all of the readings that we do in class.  Students can also re-watch videos that we have seen in class.  Additionally, there are online activities and tutorials that go along with the curriculum.  Your child has the username and password for this website on the label in their planners.  It is placed in their planner on your child's birthday!

Holiday Celebration-

In room 17, your children have decided that they would like to have a POPCORN bar and watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas on our last day before vacation (December 21st).  A sign-up genius is included below for item donations!  We thank you in advance for your support!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080c4aa4aa229-popcorn1

SPIRIT WEEK - DECEMBER 17-21

• Monday - WLE Spirit Wear
• Tuesday - PJ/Slipper Day - We will be having a read in during Readers' Workshop, your child can bring a blanket to sit on if they wish.
• Wednesday - Holiday Best
• Thursday - Holiday Sing Along (featuring our Glee Club)
• Friday - Holiday Fun

December WLE TV

December 4th:  https://youtu.be/KdTA9AWDY-I
December 5th:  https://youtu.be/POX5xgiAFWM
December 6th:  https://youtu.be/hl69hSQJRf4

December 11th:  https://youtu.be/enAUTbbvVTw
December 12th:  https://youtu.be/Oj48YoCvx8Q
December 13th:  https://youtu.be/RUwaHv5fcI0

December 18th:  https://youtu.be/_m6GZ1gpzP0
December 19th:  https://youtu.be/h9iGqFMln90
December 20th:  https://youtu.be/LO_Tq9OQAAI

THE NEW NEWS CREW WILL BEGIN ON JANUARY 8th!

New Crew Application

Calling all 4th and 5th Graders!!!
If you would like to be on the news crew for the school year, now is the time to apply!  The applications are due by Friday, December 7th!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNo6qX71dGeW0GxKca7dfp76vh_xs35cGY4mH241Kj9N_eZg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Please keep these things in mind before applying:
There will be 2 more News Crews this year. 
                  -January 7, 2019 - March 29, 2019
                  -April 8, 2019 - June 7, 2019
Requirements:
• Must be able to arrive to school early on assigned days.
• WLE TV will be on Tuesday, Wednesday, and  Thursday.
• WLE MORNING RADIO will be on Monday and Friday.
• Must be a good team player.
Reporters WRITE and PRACTICE their reports at home and bring them to school on their assigned news day ready to report.


Arrival times:
-Director and Anchors arrive to WLE at 8:20am.
-Reporters, computer operators and camera person arrive to WLE at 8:30am.
-WLE MORNING RADIO ANCHOR - Comes to school at normal arrival time (not early).

November 8th - A Week in Review

WLE Free Little Library

The WLE library is now open for business.  If your child would like to borrow a book from the Little Library, they can.  This was a gift from our 5th graders last year and it is now available for your child!

Science - Transfer of Energy

In Science we have been doing some really sophisticated thinking about how waves transfer energy.  Please have your child explain the vocabulary that we learned this week.  I have included pictures to help your child with their explanation.

Wave Length
Amplitude
Peak
Trough
Also consider asking your child why there is no sound in space:)

This whole unit has been about energy transfer.  We will be completing the unit in the coming weeks and the BA is scheduled for November 30th.

Math BA - 

The Math BA will be on Wednesday (11/14) next week.  Today, your child identified areas that they would like to practice from now until Wednesday.  We specifically worked on how to write problems for ourselves to complete.  This is probably one of the best ways to practice.  They can ask for help from you, but writing problems is a skill that requires understanding and can help cement learning concepts for your child.

Halloween Pictures:

Please enjoy Halloween pictures from our Halloween celebration last week.

November WLE TV

November 7th:  https://youtu.be/p2N_M292M4I
November 8th: https://youtu.be/dcT--6u4p3Y

November 13th:  https://youtu.be/HtfXh1C4D-A
November 14th:  NO NEWS TODAY
November 15th: https://youtu.be/RkfxWmIQ_nM

November 20th: https://youtu.be/KyhN-QCPECU
November 21st:  https://youtu.be/yYJuqkwrby0
November 22nd: No School:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING

November 27th:  https://youtu.be/TFz-jCgI60E
November 28th:  NO NEWS TODAY
November 29th: https://youtu.be/SE2OuAit15w

A Week in Review - October 19th

Literacy - 
In Writers' Workshop, your children have been hard at work learning how to write realistic fiction stories.  So far they have learned how to add details by telling a character's thoughts and using dialogue.  They have also been working on transitions, strong openings and closings, and showing and not telling what is happening.

Next week we will be learning about conventions.  Specifically, types of sentences - complete, incomplete, and run on.  Students will work to identify these sentence types and how to correct their own writing.

In Readers' Workshop, we will continue to learn strategies for comprehension.  We have been learning about signposts to help us figure out what the main message of the story is.

Math Workshop-

This week we will continue Unit 2 - Multiplication and Geometry.  Last week we developed an area

formula by thinking about how "Ricky" could plan a party for 23 of his friends and himself.  We will continue looking at factors and multiples this week.  Your children have been working very hard to make sense of these familiar- yet new ideas.  They have been learning new vocabulary like - factor, factor pair, multiple, prime, composite.  Any chance you have to incorporate these words at home would be greatly appreciated.







Science and Social Studies
In Social Studies, we are continuing to learn about US Geography.  We have learned about physical and human characteristics that can be found in the US.  They created land form maps with clay. We are adding into this understanding by looking at how the regions of the US have common human and physical characteristics.

In Science, we are continuing to learn about Energy.  This past week we began learning about Electromagnetism.  This week we will continue to learning about how an electromagnet can be strengthened and used to create a telegraph.



Upcoming Events-
10/31 - Halloween Parade and Trick or Treating (4th Grade) at the ESC
11/6 - No School Election Day
11/7 - Picture Retake Day
11/8 - Bonaventure Family Skate Night

Homework Connection

Hello Families,

Today the first Homework Connection is coming home with your child.  This homework note will ALWAYS come home on Fridays.  It will be due the following Friday.  Additionally, they will be bringing the homework -  home in a two pocket folder along with a spiral notebook.  This is what they will record their learning in and how they will bring their homework to school on FRIDAY.

We worked together in class today to set learning goals for homework.  Your child will pick a minimum of TWO activities to complete during the week.  On Friday, they will need to bring evidence of their work to school so that we can discuss it.  When I meet with them next week, they will tell me about how they worked on their learning goal and how close they are to achieving the goal that they set.  The tasks are open ended by design.  It allows children to work on the task where they are in their understanding.  For example, two children may want to work on subtraction.  One may work on two digit subtraction, while others can work on 5 digit subtraction. 

In Google Classroom (your child has their login/password in their planners), I will post videos about topics that they are working toward.  I will do this as much as I can.  

Additionally, I have assigned subtraction and addition practice lessons in iReady that can be used for extra practice.  I have also sent home the iReady parent reports.  They show how your child is doing in regards to the 4th grade standards.  

This first week will be tricky.  This homework requires them to think about their own learning and where they need to go next.  Part of becoming a learner and mastering a task or job is struggling.  When we struggle our brains grow and learning happens.  Making mistakes helps us grow as learners, and as humans.  

Thank you for your help and cooperation.  As always, if you have concerns or questions please feel free to contact me.

Ellen McDonald

October WLE TV News

October 2nd:  https://youtu.be/uj_WHu5yBXo
October 3rd:  https://youtu.be/0vB1fZkXFVs
October 4th:  https://youtu.be/_jrQ0YlnoqU

October 9th: https://youtu.be/dn2MOZxuOJI
October 10th - NO NEWS TODAY
October 11th:  https://youtu.be/MeOjr5biGUg

October 16th:  https://youtu.be/mhk5KJd__Qk
October 17th:   https://youtu.be/uSOYfjsveog
October 18th:  https://youtu.be/92BAIT9LN-c

WEAR YOUR MSU/UofM gear to show your team spirit for Saturday's Game:)  Go WHITE...

October 23rd:  https://youtu.be/W7cTfIqPBqE
October 24th:  https://youtu.be/iF_x9UpoGZU
October 25th:  https://youtu.be/qxLEx6vzMVY

October 30th:  https://youtu.be/jg7UqDaYRWg
October 31st:  https://youtu.be/Oex0gClZ55o
November 1st:  NO NEWS TODAY

A Week in Review - September 28th

Hello Families,

We are getting settled into room 17.  We have found a great routine, gotten

to know each other and are ready to dig into learning.  This group of children work so well together! 

Homework Connection - Goes Home Friday

This week we will begin our homework routine.  On Friday, I will meet with your child, help them set a goal for learning, and they will choose their homework activities.  Next Friday, they will bring their evidence of learning back to school.  We will talk about their learning, set new goals, and the process will begin again.  For this year, homework will go home on FRIDAY and will be due the following Friday.  A homework note will ALWAYS go home on Friday.  So be sure to look for it in your child's backpack.  I will also make the homework note available in Google Classroom, just in case it gets lost.


Science - Transfer of Energy
We Have been working with electrical systems in science.  Your children have learned about how to open and close a circuit.  They have learned about the differences between series and parallel circuits.  It has been quite fun to learn how energy is transferred within a system.  This week we will be working on a new force - magnetism.

Math - Making Sense of Subtraction

In Math we have been working really hard to make sense of subtraction.  Your children have been

 learning about how the "traditional algorithm" works.  We have also learned how to use other strategies, like the number line to show the DIFFERENCE between two numbers!

Often the children will work in small groups to make sense of a mathematical idea and then post their groups thinking in the room.  We will have a "gallery walk" to see how others thought about the same idea.  As a class, we will discuss similarities and differences and then make conclusions about the big idea.  Your children work so hard to make sense of mathematics.  It is really a joy to work with them.

Literacy - 

In writers' workshop we are beginning to write realistic fiction stories. Last week we learned to think about the story bit by bit and the characters feelings in each part.  This week we will transfer those ideas into a story mountain and add even more details to the stories.

      In readers' workshop we are learning to think about the clues that the author leaves us to help us understand the stories better.  These clues are called SIGNPOSTS, and can be found in ANY book - even the ones you read..   So far we have learned about 2 signposts - Aha Moments and Memory Moments.  Aha moments are when a character realizes something important about themselves.  When we notice this - we ask ourselves "How might this change things for the character?"  Memory Moments are flashbacks to an early time.  When we notice a memory moment, we ask ourselves "How might this memory be important to the story?"  Both of these signposts will really help your child think deeply about the books that they are reading and the life lessons that the book has to offer.

Family Skate Night - Thursday is our first Family Skate Night of the year at Bonaventure from 6-8:30pm.  I look forward to seeing some of you there.  My girls love family skate night.