Week 16 - May 18, 2010

This week...

This week we are covering past tense verbs, "ED" endings, the term "ago" and count and non-count nouns. We will have our test on Thursday for the words from last week (seeing as the water fight and open day made last week short). Today we will focus on Count and Non-count nouns.

Count nouns - A count noun is a noun that can physically be counted.

5 apples
6 pencils
3 cars

Non-count nouns - are nouns that cannot be counted.

Grass

Milk

Water

Week 14 - May 5, 2010

Today...

Today we learned about past tense structure. The idea that verbs change when you are talking about something that has already happened. We learned and reviewed irregular and regular verbs within sentences. We also worked on reading comprehension and vocabulary. Tomorrow we will have a vocabulary test on the 10 words that were sent home with the students on Sunday. We also need the students to bring in as much water as they can for the water fight. (The water fight is scheduled for next week if all of the classes have enough water, so BRING THE WATER!!)

Week 13 - April 26, 2010

This week...

This week we will be learning about the formation of sentences and paragraphs. Within this we will learn about Subject and predicate, adjective and noun agreement and subject/verb agreement. We will also have 10 vocabulary words taken from our readings. The students will be responsible for knowing how to spell them and use them in a sentence.

Subject and predicate...

The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about:
Mr. Tim likes to run everyday. --> the subject of this sentence is Mr. Tim.
He likes ice cream. --> He is the subject.
The horses run fast. --> The horses are the subject.

The predicate of a sentence is what the subject does or is:
The cows eat grass all day. --> "eat grass" is the predicate because it is what the cows do.
Mr. Tim acts like a monkey in class. --> "acts like a monkey" is the predicate.
Mr. Sean is tall. --> "tall" is the predicate because that is what Mr. Sean is.

Vocabulary...

riddle - That question is a riddle.
beautiful - The flower is beautiful.
definitely - I definitely know the answer.
forget - I forget the answer.
idea - I have an idea sir!
chase - Don't chase the cats.
fancy - That is a fancy coat you are wearing.
prowl - The cat was on the prowl.
howl - Mr. Tim likes to howl when he laughs.
remember - when you suddenly know something you forgot.

Week 12 April 19, 2010

This week...

This week we are going to learn about how to identify the main idea of a story. The main idea of a story is what the story is trying to tell us.

For example:

Mr. Tim is 23 years old. Mr. Tim is tall, but not as tall as Mr.
Sean. Mr. Tim has blue eyes and brown hair. He has a beard and very
short hair.

The main idea of this paragraph is "Mr. Tim's appearance (what he looks like). Being able to identify what the main idea is of a story will help understand the story and what the author (the person who wrote the story) is trying to say.

We will have a vocabulary test this week. We have 10 new words and the test will consist of spelling and being able to use the words in a sentence.

Vocabulary:

• among - Mr. Tim is among one of the best teachers in our school.
• grow - If we water the plant it will grow.
• enormous - That tree is enormous.
• stretch - The roots of a tree stretch very far underground.
• important - Doing your homework is very important.
• travel - I like to travel all over the world.
• mountain - That mountain is very tall.
• possible - Is it possible to get our homework Mr. Tim?
• distance - It is a very long distance from America to Palestine.
• deep - The ocean is very deep.

Week 11 April 13, 2010

This week...

This week we are going to be learning about sequencing and directions within reading. We will have ten new vocabulary words and we will review sing consonant and consonant digraph sounds.

Sequencing - When we read stories there is an order to which events occur within the text. Learning how to sequence events within context improves reading comprehension.

Example: One day Mr. Tim did not feel well, so he told his mother that his stomach hurt. His mother took his temperature and he was very hot! His parents called the doctor and the doctor said take him to the hospital. The doctors at the hospital gave him some medicine. Mr. Tim felt better the next day.

1) Mr. Tim did not feel good.
2) His mother took his temperature.
3) His parents called the doctor.
4) The doctor said go to the hospital.
5) The doctors at the hospital gave him medicine.
6) He felt better.

Being able to break a story down into sequential parts helps with understanding and analyzing a story.

Vocabulary:

1. before
2. after
3. first
4. last
5. second
6. third
7. begin
8. finish
9. explain
10. understand

The students will be quizzed on this on Thursday.

Monday April 5, 2010

Today...

Today we learned about crime scenes and how police officers investigate them. We learned what a: Witness, Suspect, Crime, Criminal, Detective, and Crime scene are.
We read a story about a "crime" happening in our classroom, and it was the students job to figure out who they thought it was.

For homework they need to re-read the story to be able to answer questions tomorrow.

Week 10 - April 4th - April 9th 2010

This week...
This week our theme is going to be Police and Criminals. We will be looking into how police work and find the criminals, how they investigate crime scenes and how they question suspects. We will also look at laws and the ideas of obeying the laws and disobeying them.

Along with our theme we will be doing phonics work to reinforce some consonant sounds.

We have 10 new vocabulary words for this week. There will be a test on Thursday that will focus on spelling and comprehension (being able to use them in a sentence).

Our song for this week is going to be Beat it by Michael Jackson.

Vocabulary list:

• choice
• free
• police
• criminal
• law
• illegal
• jail
• arrest
• judge
• guilty
• legal

Week 8 + March 21, 2010

This week...

This week begins our themed weeks. We are starting with dinosaurs for out first theme! We are going to learn about several different kinds of dinosaurs and how to describe them! We will learn about what they eat, what they looked like, where they lived and How big they were. Our 10 vocabulary words will be geared towards learning about dinosaurs. We will also be working on Phonetics (how to pronounce tough words and sounds) and how to use descriptive adjectives!

Vocabulary...

• huge
• tiny
• skin
• fang
• claw
• egg
• tail
• extinct
• herd
• scales

The students were given a packet to help practice these words. They will be tested on them Thursday.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Today...
Today was a good way to end the week. The students and I went over some warm up questions to review the lessons from our week, we had our spelling test and then we went over some more in depth review of tenses and possessive adjectives. Starting next week we are going to have different themes for each week, the spelling words will be oriented towards the theme for that week and so will the lessons. Feel free to e-mail ideas for different themes!

Week 7 - March 14, 2010

The 4th grade enjoyed their time at the Park in Jericho quite a bit! There was lots of swimming and football; an all around good time! There will be video posted soon! The spelling test went well, everyone did a very good job! They were passed out today and the students were told to bring them back home for their parents to see!

This week we are going to focus on understanding past and future tense, being able to answer verbal questions in relation to stories and comprehending the plot of a story. There are also 10 new vocabulary words that the students will be quizzed on, on Thursday

Past and Future Tense

The students will be learning how to use the past tense of the verb To Be. We will be going over the use of was and were in sentences. We will also be going over how to use the future tense of Going To and Will.

Example --> I was ___________ -- He/she was __________
Example --> You were ________ -- They were __________ --
We were ______

Example --> I will go ________ -- We are going ___________

Answering Verbal Questions

As we read stories together, I will be asking them questions related to the content of the story. The questions will focus on describing the plot or the action of each page. The students will have to listen and answer without out the use of visual aid.

Comprehending Plot

The plot of a story is what the story is about. We will be reading many stories together and we will discuss, through verbal and written questions, what is happeneing in the story. The idea is to get the students prepared for their own story creation. Discussing the elements that make up a story and the writing procedure.

Example -->

Once there was a boy named Timmy and he loved to eat lots of candy!
Candy was his favorite food; chocolate, gummy worms, and cola to name his
favorite ones. He ate candy with every meal and never brushed his teeth
because he liked to have the taste of candy in his mouth in bed. One day,
Timmy woke up with a bad pain in his mouth. He could not eat anything
because it hurt so badly! His mother took him to the dentist and the
dentist said, "You have a cavity from eating too much candy!". Timmy was
in so much pain the dentist had to pull the tooth right out of his mouth.
From that day on, Timmy never ate candy again and ALWAYS brushed his teeth.

The plot(what it is about) of this story is --> A boy ate lots of candy and never brushed his teeth. He got a cavity and had to get it removed by a dentist. The boy never ate candy again and always brushed his teeth.

The song for this week is Kryptonite ~ 3 Doors Down make sure to watch and practice with the video!

10 Vocabulary words

The vocabulary words this week are taken from the stories we will be reading. They are words that appear frequently through out the text. There will be a test on Thursday.

• Taste --> I can taste the sugar in my coffee.
• Wobbly --> After I spun around in a circle I was very wobbly.
• Empty --> The can of Cola is empty, it has nothing in it.
• Share --> Will you share your pencil with me?
• Lean --> Do not lean back in your chair!
• Member --> Are you a member of our class?
• Careful --> Be careful when riding your bike.
• Signal --> Listen when Mr. Tim gives the signal.
• Rush --> Do not rush to buy food, walk slowly.
• Trip --> Last Thursday we went on a trip to Jericho.

Week 6

Week 6 is under way and the 4th grade has been up to their usual playful selves! This week we are focusing on Creative Writing, Reading comprehension, and our Vocabulary words. Of course we also have many games and songs that help teach and have fun. This week will be cut short due to the field trip to Jericho.

Creative Writing

The students have been learning to identify the characters and the main idea of a story. Seeing who and what the story is about. After identifying those aspects of the story we have been writing our own short stories. First, picking the main characters and the main idea of our story and then writing five(5) sentences including the characters and the main idea.

Creative Writing Homework: The students were given a short story homework assignment in which they had to pick words from a chart and then put them into the story on the back.

Reading Comprehension

The students and I have been reading several short stories after which, I have been asking questions that require the students to think about what they have just read and analyze it for meaning. I have then been asking the students to apply the story to their own lives and see what they would have done in the same situation.

Vocabulary

The students have 10 words for their weekly vocab. The words were picked from the stories we are reading this week. They were picked on the basis of difficulty in context and the need to create a common understanding of often used words.

• Truly
• Wonder
• Draw
• Find
• Lost
• Spots
• Spring
• Spy
• Me
• My

The students were going to have the vocabulary quiz this Thursday, but due to the field trip it is rescheduled to Monday of next week. It will be graded and returned to them by Tuesday. These words should not present too much difficulty for the students. They were given a vocabulary packet to study with, flash cards were included.

We are also learning a song over the next two(2) weeks. The song is Kryptonite by the band 3 Doors Down. Below is a video that has the song and the lyrics!

4B's New Teacher!

Hello,
My name is Mr. Tim and I am 4B's new English teacher. I came from The United States and have recently finished my first degree at university. Over the past 3 weeks I have been getting to know each of the students and look forward to having a great time with them as we study English!

The first week was spent getting to know the class and how advanced they are. The second week we went over how to create a letter and the use of Antonyms and the future tense.

This week I hope to start introducing synonyms in conjunction with some new vocabulary. There will be a spelling bee at the end of the week, so study the new words!