Tuesday, June 23rd - 180 days after meeting your children, I can honestly say... I have enjoyed every day. I will miss working with them, but I know that they are ready to move on to 5th grade and do wonderful things. Have a great summer and thank you for all the kinds words.
Monday, June 22nd - Reports cards went home and we only have one day left. We spent the class today looking at some wild uses of the English language and calculator "tricks". The calculator info is under the ELA tab above. See if you can figure out these two different pieces we read today...
What famous fairy tale is this.... Center Alley worse jester pore ladle gull hoe lift wetter stop-murder an toe heft-cisterns. Daze worming war furry wicket an shellfish parsons, spatially dole stop-murder, hoe dint lack Center Alley an, infect, word orphan traitor pore gull mar lichen ammonol dinner hormone bang.
What is this story missing... If Youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it;
to show a doubting world that a child can think; and, possibly, do it practically; you wouldn't con-
stantly run across folks today who claim that "a child don't know anything." A child's brain starts
functioning at birth ; and has, amongst its many infant convolutions, thousands of dormant atoms, into which God has put a mystic possibility for noticing an adult's act, and figuring out its purport.
What famous fairy tale is this.... Center Alley worse jester pore ladle gull hoe lift wetter stop-murder an toe heft-cisterns. Daze worming war furry wicket an shellfish parsons, spatially dole stop-murder, hoe dint lack Center Alley an, infect, word orphan traitor pore gull mar lichen ammonol dinner hormone bang.
What is this story missing... If Youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it;
to show a doubting world that a child can think; and, possibly, do it practically; you wouldn't con-
stantly run across folks today who claim that "a child don't know anything." A child's brain starts
functioning at birth ; and has, amongst its many infant convolutions, thousands of dormant atoms, into which God has put a mystic possibility for noticing an adult's act, and figuring out its purport.
Friday, June 19th - The students broke up into small groups and read their sci-fi stories to each other. They had fun writing these, but really loved sharing them. If you had looked in the window, you would never have guessed that this was the last full day of the year.
What else??? We had an wonderful afternoon at the park. Thanks to all the parents that pitched in to make it a success. Thanks also for all the kinds words.
What else??? We had an wonderful afternoon at the park. Thanks to all the parents that pitched in to make it a success. Thanks also for all the kinds words.
|
Thursday, June 18th - We learned about a few of the World's Fairs (Paris, Chicago and New York - 39 and 65). I know what you are thinking... why? Good question. One of the sci-fi covers that the students liked has something to do with the 1939 World's Fair... look at the cover and than read the story on page 86... https://archive.org/stream/Science_Fiction_v01n02_1939-06.Blue_Ribbon_c2c_Ufikus-DPP/Science%20Fiction%20v01n02%201939-06.Blue%20Ribbon%20c2c%20%28Ufikus-DPP%29#page/n0/mode/2up
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 17th - A few students still had some work on their stories. Others worked on a grammar lesson and later gathered to hear a sci-fi story.
Last week, the students liked the covers that I showed them from the 50's sci-fi magazines. One that stood out was the robot farmer, so I tried to find the story from that magazine. Everything is on the internet somewhere and I found it! Someone had scanned all the pages from that magazine. Turned out just to be art with no story. The cover was made by Anton Kurka and called The Ultimate Re-Sowing of the Human Race. We read one of the other stories from the magazine about space pirates/peacemakers. It was high level writing and referenced the Cold War. We took breaks and discussed as we read. The students interest was captured. They asked interesting questions, had some great answers and couldn't wait to hear the ending. Here is the link to the whole magazine and the picture by Anton Kurka... https://archive.org/stream/If_Worlds_Of_Science_Fiction_v01n06_Quinn_Jan_1953_Gorgon776#page/n0/mode/2up |
|
Friday, June 19th - The students broke up into small groups and read their sci-fi stories to each other. If you looked in the window, you would have thought we still had months of school left and not the last full day (the kids were sharing and listening).
Tuesday, June 16th - Prof redding... We discussed the importance of proof reading and tried our hand at it and using the proof reading symbols. The sci-fi stories are starting to come in and we should be finished by tomorrow or Thursday.
Monday, June 15th - The last full week of school! The students came to school today to work. We started class with a brief lesson on contractions and plurals (when to add "s" or "es"). I heard 72 kids groan and say they wanted to work on their sci-fi stories. I took that as a good sign (the interest in the writing).
Friday (6/19) will be the 4th grades end of year celebration. It will end at 2:45 and the kids will be back at school for regular dismissal.
Friday (6/19) will be the 4th grades end of year celebration. It will end at 2:45 and the kids will be back at school for regular dismissal.
Friday, June 12th - The Montclair Public Library sent a representative to talk about the Summer Reading Program. It is a great way to get your kids reading over the summer and they have fun and interesting events almost every day. Here is the link... http://www.montclairlibrary.org/summer-reading-2015/
|
Julia S. created a poster for the Montclair Ambulance EMT's and won the 4th grade a visit from an ambulance and several of the professional EMT's, who gave the students a tour of their equipment and small talks about what they do. The most surprising part for me... they got 25 students and an EMT in the back of the ambulance at the same time!
|
Thursday, June 11th - Hot, humid and the year is winding down, but the students are still working hard.
Wednesday, June 10th - The students are making good progress on their stories. They all had to have a story outlined before they started, but I am seeing some interesting changes and additions as they write. I feel like I say this 100 times each day in each class, but I think they are starting to get it... what is it... "Why?". They are starting to ask themselves "why" for their writing and it is helping them to be more descriptive or explain to the reader what is happening.
We also watched a couple of short science fiction films. The kids truly enjoyed these and I am sure that some parents will be watching them tonight... so here they are...
http://kidsloveshortfilms.com/portfolio/stray/
http://kidsloveshortfilms.com/portfolio/worlds-apart-short-animation/
We also watched a couple of short science fiction films. The kids truly enjoyed these and I am sure that some parents will be watching them tonight... so here they are...
http://kidsloveshortfilms.com/portfolio/stray/
http://kidsloveshortfilms.com/portfolio/worlds-apart-short-animation/
Tuesday, June 9th - Just about all the students began working on their draft today. Thanks again to PARCC for the MacBook Air laptops!
Monday, June 8th - Today was the beginning of the end... or at least that is what the last assignment for writing said at the top of the paper. The students, with the use of a worksheet/template/guide, began their sci-fi short stories. This paper will be the culmination on 5 years of school and I am expecting them to write the best story of their lives. They have some rules by Kurt Vonnegut to follow, but I think the most important...
* Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
I heard some fantastic ideas today, so I have a good feeling about this!!!
* Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
I heard some fantastic ideas today, so I have a good feeling about this!!!
Friday, June 5th - It's Friday!!! The students discussed the sci-fi stories from yesterday and really got into them. What's the next step... of course it is to look at magazine covers from the 30's, 40's and 50's. The students gathered around and took turns making stories based on the cover art. It was interesting to say the least. Here are some examples...
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, June 4th - What is wring with society being perfectly equal in all ways? That was the topic of the sci-fi short stories we read today. The students read from three different giants of sci-fi (Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut) and really began to appreciate the works once we discussed them.
Don't forget that tomorrow we having a spelling quiz and there will be Art Around the World from 5:00-6:00 in the multi-purpose room (gym).
Don't forget that tomorrow we having a spelling quiz and there will be Art Around the World from 5:00-6:00 in the multi-purpose room (gym).
Wednesday, June 3rd - Today we had a "show and tell" of sorts. The students shared their sci-fi stories about Darma and we spent some time working on a few grammar worksheets... just to make sure we are still using grammar properly.
Tuesday, June 2nd - Good day for voting, but the kids were stuck in the rooms for the lunch and recess (rain). Luckily, we had science fiction to keep us going! The students finished their sci-fi stories and began to share them... everyone gathers on the mat and the author sat in the front to read.
Sentences are due tomorrow... if you don't have your words, they are available under the "Homework" tab above.
Sentences are due tomorrow... if you don't have your words, they are available under the "Homework" tab above.
Monday, June 1st - The kids seemed tired or a little off today, maybe the cause was the gloomy weather or big weekend plans. Wither way, we started writing our science-fiction story about Darma and should be done in a couple of days. The students will share their stories at the end and hopefully they will see that even though they started with the same information... they have 25 different stories.
Friday, May 29th - Beautiful day for the Run-a-Thon! An even better day to start writing a sci-fi short story!!! The students where given a short passage to use as a starter for their story. The passage allowed the students to come up with their own problems/solutions, characters and settings. It was time to get creative. Here is the passage... ask your child who Darma is and what happened...
Darma strained her eyes to see the spaceship as it grew smaller, became just a speck against the yellow sky, and disappeared. She looked around warily at her new home. Then she straightened her shoulders and began to whistle. “Everything will be OK if I just keep my head,” she decided.
Darma strained her eyes to see the spaceship as it grew smaller, became just a speck against the yellow sky, and disappeared. She looked around warily at her new home. Then she straightened her shoulders and began to whistle. “Everything will be OK if I just keep my head,” she decided.
Thursday, May 28th - Lunch at Cuban Pete's was a success. The kids used their Spanish with the waiters, behaved well and most importantly... no food fights. Here is what I found surprising... The kids loved the food (that is not surprising, because Cuban Pete's is great). What I mean is they tried everything and every tray of food was cleaned off. They ate everything or should I say... the whole enchilada!
In class, we discussed science fiction books. Where they came from, what they are and lots of examples. Many of the students had read books that are sci-fi, but didn't know that is the name of the category. The students seemed very interested in the books we discussed (mostly books other students have read), so I am including two links for other sci-fi books.
Links to popular science fiction books...
Best Science Fiction Books for Children (name of the list, not mine):
http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/best-science-fiction-books-for-children.php
The 80 Greatest Science Fiction Books for Kids(broken down elementary/middle/high school):
http://www.onlinecollegesanduniversities.net/blog/2011/the-80-greatest-science-fiction-books-for-kids/
In class, we discussed science fiction books. Where they came from, what they are and lots of examples. Many of the students had read books that are sci-fi, but didn't know that is the name of the category. The students seemed very interested in the books we discussed (mostly books other students have read), so I am including two links for other sci-fi books.
Links to popular science fiction books...
Best Science Fiction Books for Children (name of the list, not mine):
http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/best-science-fiction-books-for-children.php
The 80 Greatest Science Fiction Books for Kids(broken down elementary/middle/high school):
http://www.onlinecollegesanduniversities.net/blog/2011/the-80-greatest-science-fiction-books-for-kids/
Wednesday, May 27th - NJASK Science is done and it seemed like the kids took it in stride. In class, we discussed our writings and began to talk about science fiction. Tomorrow we have lunch at Cuban Pete's.
Tuesday, May 26th - Back to work after a nice long weekend. This week we have a lot going on... NJASK Science on Wednesday, lunch at Cuban Pete's on Thursday, Run-a-Thon on Friday and finishing up with the Bradford Night of Stars Friday night.
Thursday, May 21st - Spring concert and the day before Memorial Day break... what a combination! The students did a great job singing and we were able to fit in some school work! Next week, we will be ready to get back to work, because the year is not over! We still work to do and we will be working right up to the end. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!
Wednesday, May 20th - Many of fractured fairy tales have been finished and the students are finishing with their illustrations. Tomorrow we will take a break from this project, but we will finish up next Tuesday.
Don't forget that tomorrow (Thursday) is the spring concert and there is no school on Friday or Monday.
Don't forget that tomorrow (Thursday) is the spring concert and there is no school on Friday or Monday.
Tuesday, May 19th - Today was the last time these kids will have Book Chat as 4th graders. Just because Book Chat is over, everyone should still be reading everyday (that includes the summer).
Monday, May 18th - We have a short week, because of Memorial Day weekend (no school on Friday). Don't forget that the 4th grade will be singing on Thursday, 5/21... grades 3 to 5 will begin at 10:30.
We still have spelling this week and sentences are due on Wednesday. If you child says that don't have their words or lost them... check out the homework tab. I posted all the different groups words on that page.
Tomorrow is the last book chat of the year, so make sure the books make it to class tomorrow.
Students are getting to the end of their fractured fairy tale and we should be all wrapped up by the end of the week.
We still have spelling this week and sentences are due on Wednesday. If you child says that don't have their words or lost them... check out the homework tab. I posted all the different groups words on that page.
Tomorrow is the last book chat of the year, so make sure the books make it to class tomorrow.
Students are getting to the end of their fractured fairy tale and we should be all wrapped up by the end of the week.
Friday, May 15th - Today we said good bye to Ms. Barina (student teacher). The students had a lot of nice things to say and she will be missed. Good luck in Texas!!!
The students are starting to work on their final drafts. We are using the laptops for the finished work. To help the students understand Word a little better, they have to figure out where they would like to draw a picture(s) in their stories by creating empty spaces in the document.
The students are starting to work on their final drafts. We are using the laptops for the finished work. To help the students understand Word a little better, they have to figure out where they would like to draw a picture(s) in their stories by creating empty spaces in the document.
Thursday, May 14th - PARCC is all done! The students and teachers made it and we are moving on. The students continued working on their stories in class.
Wednesday, May 13th - The students continued working on their fractured fairy tales. The ones that were able to explain their story began working on their rough drafts. The kids were encouraged to use the Mac Air Books, because it will make editing much easier and the final draft will not need to be written again.
Tomorrow is the last day of Math PARCC and PARCC in general. We still have the NJASK Science Assessment which will take place in the morning on May 27th.
Tuesday, May 12th - Our second to last Book Chat. The Book Chat used all the class time today, because the classes were shortened because of PARCC. Tomorrow, we will continue working on the rough drafts of the fractured fairy tales.
Since I mentioned PARCC... Today was the last day of the Language Arts section. The overall student opinion was the assessment was somewhere between easy and not too bad. Just the math to go!
Tomorrow is the last day of Math PARCC and PARCC in general. We still have the NJASK Science Assessment which will take place in the morning on May 27th.
Tuesday, May 12th - Our second to last Book Chat. The Book Chat used all the class time today, because the classes were shortened because of PARCC. Tomorrow, we will continue working on the rough drafts of the fractured fairy tales.
Since I mentioned PARCC... Today was the last day of the Language Arts section. The overall student opinion was the assessment was somewhere between easy and not too bad. Just the math to go!
Monday, May 11th - Today we embarked on our journey to create a fractured fairy tale. Before we started, we had a discussion about dialogue... and some practice. We should be using dialogue in our writing assignment, so hopefully this will help the students get it right. They each received a list of rules, but I also told them that if they are at home writing and are uncertain what to do... look in a book.
Friday, May 8th - We began the preparation for our next writing assignment... fractured fairy tales. We talked about what it takes to create a fractured fairy tale. We heard a few stories to get a feel for the this and watched a couple of classic samples... Rocky and Bullwinkle. If it has been a while, here is a link for a refresher... (PS the kids loved these)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF4UPof4Elc&list=PL075EC6098646FEB6
Thursday, May 7th - We looked at the other classes idiom drawings and guessed there meanings. The kids wrote stories that had to use at least two idioms. The stories could be about anything, but they had to make sense. The students wrote some interesting pieces and shared them with the class. I kept track on the board of the number of idioms used. The record was 11.
Yesterday, the students had to come up with an idiom (some needed help) and fill out a worksheet. Below are the literal drawings... see if you can guess the idiom.
Yesterday, the students had to come up with an idiom (some needed help) and fill out a worksheet. Below are the literal drawings... see if you can guess the idiom.
|
4H
|
4L
|
4B
|
Wednesday, May 6th - When it comes to how the students felt about class today, there were no gray areas or need to read between the lines... they had a great time learning about and working with idioms. Just in case it has been a while since you used that word...
idiom: a phrase or a fixed expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. An idiom's figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning (the first sentence has two).
idiom: a phrase or a fixed expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. An idiom's figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning (the first sentence has two).
Tuesday, May 5th - Book Chat was another success. The students are loving their books and some groups even had the opportunity to have their chat outside. I overheard one student say, "I would have bought and read this book on my own... it is that good!"
And we are done!!! With the second half of the class, the students finished their final copies and covers for their Cinderella Compare and Contrast Essay. Well almost all of them... We have to move on, so a couple of students who are not finished will be spending their time with me to finish their pieces. Below are the covers the students made for their essays. Not all the students had time to finish a cover, but that was not required. See if you can pick out your child's cover (below) and ask them to tell you about their essay.
And we are done!!! With the second half of the class, the students finished their final copies and covers for their Cinderella Compare and Contrast Essay. Well almost all of them... We have to move on, so a couple of students who are not finished will be spending their time with me to finish their pieces. Below are the covers the students made for their essays. Not all the students had time to finish a cover, but that was not required. See if you can pick out your child's cover (below) and ask them to tell you about their essay.
4F/L |
4B |
4H |
Monday, May 4th - The Compare and Contrast Essay is moving along nicely. Every student was finished with their rough draft and looking forward to Book Chat tomorrow.
Friday, May 1st - Today was the Celebration of Learning. There was a great turn out of parents and the kids were so excited to show their work.
Thursday, April 30th - Work continued on the compare and contrast essay. Tomorrow is the Celebration of Learning. If you have time after viewing all the completed material, ask your child to show you the process of writing their essay or look at their "Cinderella" story. The students have put in a lot of effort to create these works being presented tomorrow in Language Arts and Math, so I hope that you can make tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, April 29th - The compare and contrast essay project got underway. The students randomly received a "Cinderella" book to read. They needed to answer a few questions about the book and create a Venn Diagram to help find the similarities and differences. The Venn Diagram will be used with the Compare and Contrast Rubric to help the students create their essays. The final copies will probably not be ready for Friday's Celebration of Learning, but while you are in my class... ask your child to show you their work in process and see how they produce an essay.
Tuesday, April 28th - Book Chat!!! The students are loving their books and were excited that they can now read more pages. If you haven't already, ask your child about their book. They were ready to explode in class to talk about them.
We spent the rest of class preparing for our next writing assignment. We will be comparing Walt Disney's Cinderella to another version. There are literally hundreds of version of this story and Ms. Freeh has enough that everyone will have their own version.
We spent the rest of class preparing for our next writing assignment. We will be comparing Walt Disney's Cinderella to another version. There are literally hundreds of version of this story and Ms. Freeh has enough that everyone will have their own version.
Monday, April 27th - The kids were so excited about being back to school!!! Well maybe not that excited, but they were happy to see their friends. In class, we discussed our new spelling words. I challenged the students to write their sentences this week by writing sentences that are related to fairy tales. We spent time discussing the plot and how it is used in story writing.
PARCC will be May 12, 13 and 14, so we spent a few minutes looking over the online tools, especially how to use a protractor. The students were familiar with the process, because Mrs. Bangs has the kids use a similar one on her Smart Board. Anyone that opted out was given the opportunity to read at that time.
PARCC will be May 12, 13 and 14, so we spent a few minutes looking over the online tools, especially how to use a protractor. The students were familiar with the process, because Mrs. Bangs has the kids use a similar one on her Smart Board. Anyone that opted out was given the opportunity to read at that time.
Thursday, April 16th - In the tradition of folklore, the groups retold their stories to the class and had the audience pick out parts of the Grimm story that was the same and different from the Disney version. There are some great story tellers in the 4th grade!
Tomorrow is our spelling test.
Tomorrow is our spelling test.
Wednesday. April 15th - 4B and 4H went to the Book Fair today, but not to worry if they didn't have money (or enough) for a specific book. The Book Fair will be open during the Science Fair on Thursday night.
The students created Venn diagrams to compare similarities and differences in the Grimm/Disney fairy tales. The second part of the work was to write about which version they "liked" better and why. Spoiler alert... the overwhelming majority went with the darker Grimm versions.
The students created Venn diagrams to compare similarities and differences in the Grimm/Disney fairy tales. The second part of the work was to write about which version they "liked" better and why. Spoiler alert... the overwhelming majority went with the darker Grimm versions.
Tuesday, April 14th - Today was a busy day! 4L went to the Book Fair (4B and 4H will go on Wednesday - 4/15), all the classes started the final cycle of Book Chat, 4H finally had the last group perform their play Rikki-Tikki-Tavi which included their additional original scene and we all got to talk about fairy tales. The students were interested in hearing about the origins of the stories they knew, so we will be reading the Brothers Grimm versions and the Disney version. Each group will get a different story and they will read, compare and present to the class their findings and thoughts about the changes. Not sure what the difference is... check out Little Red-Cap...
Friday, April 10th - The students finished their Book Chat poems and my homeroom had a good time at the dance show at MSU. Next week we will start the Fantasy, Folktale and Fairy Tales Unit.
Thursday, April 9th - In honor of the wonderful book chat books that just finished, the class created poems the related to the books they read. Tomorrow, we will finish these poems and that will put an end to our poetry unit.
Don't forget the Mr. Liddy's homeroom is walking to MSU tomorrow... rain or shine.
Don't forget the Mr. Liddy's homeroom is walking to MSU tomorrow... rain or shine.
Wednesday, April 8th - The students create poems that reflected their feelings about what Bradford CARES means to them. I handed them off to Principal Kirkman at the end of the day, because she was looking for some original poems to read during morning announcements. We will be keeping our fingers crossed.
This Friday, April 10th, Ms. Chisholm has arranged for Mr. Liddy’s homeroom to see a performance at Montclair State University. There is no permission slip to sign (a blanket permission for MSU was signed by you at the beginning of the year) and there is no cost. We will be walking over in the afternoon and will be back in time for dismissal. The entire 4th Grade Team has worked together to adjust the schedule, so that only 20 minutes of instructional time for each class will be missed. We will be walking even it is raining, so have your kids prepared for rain.
This Friday, April 10th, Ms. Chisholm has arranged for Mr. Liddy’s homeroom to see a performance at Montclair State University. There is no permission slip to sign (a blanket permission for MSU was signed by you at the beginning of the year) and there is no cost. We will be walking over in the afternoon and will be back in time for dismissal. The entire 4th Grade Team has worked together to adjust the schedule, so that only 20 minutes of instructional time for each class will be missed. We will be walking even it is raining, so have your kids prepared for rain.
Tuesday, April 7th - Book Chat ended today. The kids liked their books and were sad to hear that we only have one more Book Chat left this year... is it the end of the year already?
Monday, April 6th - You will notice that there is a new type of homework for Language Arts... The students will need to write sentences for their spelling words. This week, it will be only the even numbered words and they will be due on Wednesday.
Thursday, April 2nd - We went outside to perform out plays and the temperature was great, but the wind was less cooperative at times. The students did a great job with their parts and the audience was followed along nicely and remained interested. I knew things were going well when the audience laughed together at certain lines. The additional scenes were interesting and showed tremendous imagination by the students.
Wednesday, April 1st - The groups worked on creating a scene that would take place at the end of their play. It was interesting to see the different ideas the students came up with and how they could get their ideas across by using just dialogue. The curtain go up tomorrow... the groups will perform their plays (original play and their scene) for the other students. If the weather cooperates, we perform outdoors.
Tuesday, March 31st - Book chat went well and the kids are really enjoying their books. We will finish up next week, so everyone should be finished with their book by next Tuesday (4/7).
Don't forget... no school this Friday (4/3), so we will have our spelling quiz on Thursday (4/2).
Don't forget... no school this Friday (4/3), so we will have our spelling quiz on Thursday (4/2).
Monday, March 30th - We started the day with spelling words... I know we don't have school on Friday, but we are getting crazy and having a spelling test on Thursday!!! This week, we will be looking at plays. Each group randomly received a play that they needed divide up the parts, read through and answer questions. We are looking to see if the students are making connections with the text and structural elements. Here are the plays...
* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
* The Nose
* Rikki Tiki Tavi
* The Open Window
* The Necklace
* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
* The Nose
* Rikki Tiki Tavi
* The Open Window
* The Necklace
Friday, March 27th - Report cards went home today, so check your child's backpack. The report card is yours to keep, but we need the envelope signed and returned.
Have you ever heard of a Portmanteau? You have and your child can tell you what they are... here are some examples... paratroops, o’clock, spork, smog, squiggle, telecast, motel, moped, Medicare, heliport, brunch, guesstimate, hospice, emoticons, blog, bash, sitcom, frenemy.
We examined Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carol, and found that he used portmanteaus in his poem (and a bunch of made up words).
JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Have you ever heard of a Portmanteau? You have and your child can tell you what they are... here are some examples... paratroops, o’clock, spork, smog, squiggle, telecast, motel, moped, Medicare, heliport, brunch, guesstimate, hospice, emoticons, blog, bash, sitcom, frenemy.
We examined Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carol, and found that he used portmanteaus in his poem (and a bunch of made up words).
JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Thursday, March 19th - Tomorrow is our last day of PARCC until the end of the year. Class time was shorter today, because of the testing, but still had plenty of time to finish analyzing our packet of poems.
Wednesday, March 18th - Besides Book Chat, the students wrote sentences yesterday that used the different figurative language techniques that we learned. Today, they took turns reading and critiquing the work. We are working towards writing poems and these will be the building blocks.
We also read poetry that we analyzed for meaning and searched for figurative technique language. Here are the ones we discussed today... ask your child if they can explain...
We also read poetry that we analyzed for meaning and searched for figurative technique language. Here are the ones we discussed today... ask your child if they can explain...
Tuesday, March 17th - Book Chat Day!!!
Monday, March 16th - This week we will be analyzing poetry that uses figurative language. In class, we discussed the difference between literal and figurative language. Next we learned about the many types of figurative language... onomatopoeia, alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification, oxymoron and hyperbole. If you can not remember what each one is... ask your child to give you a lesson.
Friday, March 13th - We read Langston's Train Ride and several of his poems. We also spent some time creating cinquain poems. This an American version of the Japanese haiku.
Thursday, March 12th - What has three lines with 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables... haiku! Ms. Barina taught the students all about haiku. After her lesson, the students created their own haiku that had to follow the traditional format and subject (nature). At the end of the lesson, the students used write on/off paddles to try and guess the subject of each haiku after Ms. Barina read it to the class. It was interesting for the students to see that the same words could mean different things, because not everyone guessed what the author intended with their poem.
Wednesday, March 11th - Final day of ELA PARCC.
The students had their first opportunities to create poetry in class. We started with impromptu work created individually and later as a class. Students volunteered to recite a free verse poem to the class. This was something they made up on the spot. Some were funny, some where thoughtful and some made no sense... but they were all great! As a class we produced a color poem and different students came up with different lines. After returning to our desks, the students produced an acrostic poem by using their name, emotion, place, thing... One at a time, the students stood up and recited their poem. It was entertaining.
The students had their first opportunities to create poetry in class. We started with impromptu work created individually and later as a class. Students volunteered to recite a free verse poem to the class. This was something they made up on the spot. Some were funny, some where thoughtful and some made no sense... but they were all great! As a class we produced a color poem and different students came up with different lines. After returning to our desks, the students produced an acrostic poem by using their name, emotion, place, thing... One at a time, the students stood up and recited their poem. It was entertaining.
|
|
Tuesday, March 10th - Day two of PARCC is done and it went well. The students seemed to be ok with the questions and we were all done in less than half the time given. Tomorrow is the last section ELA. Next Thursday (3/19) and Friday (3/20) we will take the math portion. Check out the calendar for extra info.
Don't worry, we did more than just PARCC... The students had their first book chat session. This cycle we will be reading The 18th Emergency, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Coraline and The Girl That Could Fly. Everyone has reading to do for next Tuesday's chat (students received a slip with all the info).
Don't worry, we did more than just PARCC... The students had their first book chat session. This cycle we will be reading The 18th Emergency, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Coraline and The Girl That Could Fly. Everyone has reading to do for next Tuesday's chat (students received a slip with all the info).
Monday, March 9th - Poetry, PARCC and a baby...
Poetry. We spent the class time talking about what we thought about poetry and looked at some of the vocabulary. Don't worry, it wasn't too deep. We learned about verse, stanza, rhyme, rhythm, meter, free verse, Haiku and concrete poems and examples that they may have read or heard. Here are a few... Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Horton Hears a Who, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, My Teacher Wasn't Half as Nice, Humpty Dumpty and Jabberwocky. It is a pretty
PARCC assessment - Literary Analysis - Day one is done! Turns out that the reality was not as bad as what a lot of people expected. Most of the students finished in about 25 minutes, but they had 75 minutes if needed. No one seemed rushed or anxious, but I am sure they are glad to finial be started. Tomorrow will be simulated research.
No news on the baby front.
Poetry. We spent the class time talking about what we thought about poetry and looked at some of the vocabulary. Don't worry, it wasn't too deep. We learned about verse, stanza, rhyme, rhythm, meter, free verse, Haiku and concrete poems and examples that they may have read or heard. Here are a few... Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Horton Hears a Who, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, My Teacher Wasn't Half as Nice, Humpty Dumpty and Jabberwocky. It is a pretty
PARCC assessment - Literary Analysis - Day one is done! Turns out that the reality was not as bad as what a lot of people expected. Most of the students finished in about 25 minutes, but they had 75 minutes if needed. No one seemed rushed or anxious, but I am sure they are glad to finial be started. Tomorrow will be simulated research.
No news on the baby front.
Friday, March 6th - The work for the week is done. Next week we will be taking PARCC on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I know it sounds like a lot, but from what the majority of 5th graders I spoke to said (they took the PARCC this week), the assessment was not overly difficult or time consuming. I will let you know how it goes each day, but please remind your kids that they have no reason to be concerned. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email or cell phone.
Bradford Family Skate Outing will take place this Saturday (March 7th) at Clary Anderson Arena from 1:00 - 2:15. Hope to see everyone there...
Bradford Family Skate Outing will take place this Saturday (March 7th) at Clary Anderson Arena from 1:00 - 2:15. Hope to see everyone there...
Thursday, March 5th
Wednesday, March 4th - Not to sound like a broken record... but we worked on our essays today. It looks like we will all be done tomorrow with the final drafts and covers. If time permits, we will spend the rest of the class talking about poetry, which is our next unit.
Friday will be the first day of the 4th Grade PARCC assessment (if the weather holds out tonight). It will be in the morning and we have 75 minutes scheduled for the students, which is considered time and a half. Everyone is getting more time since this is a new method for taking an assessment. The 5th grade had the same allotment and just about everyone was finished in 25 minutes (there were only 7 questions). "What are you getting at Mr. Liddy?" I just want to let everyone know that there is nothing to be worried or anxious about.
My Teacher Wasn't Half as Nice as Yours Seems to Be
"My teacher wasn't half as nice as yours seems to be.
His name was Mister Unsworth and he taught us history.
And when you didn't know a date he'd get you by the ear
And start to twist while you sat there quite paralyzed with fear.
He'd twist and twist and twist your ear and twist it more and more.
Until at last the ear came off and landed on the floor.
Our class was full of one-eared boys. I'm certain there were eight.
Who'd had them twisted off because they didn't know a date.
So let us now praise teachers who today are all so fine
And yours in particular is totally divine."
Roald Dahl
Friday will be the first day of the 4th Grade PARCC assessment (if the weather holds out tonight). It will be in the morning and we have 75 minutes scheduled for the students, which is considered time and a half. Everyone is getting more time since this is a new method for taking an assessment. The 5th grade had the same allotment and just about everyone was finished in 25 minutes (there were only 7 questions). "What are you getting at Mr. Liddy?" I just want to let everyone know that there is nothing to be worried or anxious about.
My Teacher Wasn't Half as Nice as Yours Seems to Be
"My teacher wasn't half as nice as yours seems to be.
His name was Mister Unsworth and he taught us history.
And when you didn't know a date he'd get you by the ear
And start to twist while you sat there quite paralyzed with fear.
He'd twist and twist and twist your ear and twist it more and more.
Until at last the ear came off and landed on the floor.
Our class was full of one-eared boys. I'm certain there were eight.
Who'd had them twisted off because they didn't know a date.
So let us now praise teachers who today are all so fine
And yours in particular is totally divine."
Roald Dahl
Tuesday, March 3rd - More essay writing. The students started the process with a "Box and Bullets" approach. What does that mean... the student writes their thesis statement inside a box. Next, they write at least three supporting points (bullet format). From there the students expand the bullets into paragraphs. Today, most students worked on writing an introduction and conclusion. Once that looks good, they will start their rough draft.
Side note... today was the first day of the 5th grade PARCC ELA. I asked a few kids in the hallway what they thought of the test. Now this was only a handful, but they thought it was much easier than expected and finished with time to spare. We (4th grade) will find out for ourselves on Friday.
Side note... today was the first day of the 5th grade PARCC ELA. I asked a few kids in the hallway what they thought of the test. Now this was only a handful, but they thought it was much easier than expected and finished with time to spare. We (4th grade) will find out for ourselves on Friday.
Monday, March 2nd - We all made it through my first day back! It was nice to be back at Bradford (I had been on a long term 5th grade ELA assignment at Edgemont) and working with your kids. The students worked on the essays that they started last week with Ms. Freeh. We spent a few minutes talking about Dr. Seuss and his books/writing style. We even watched "Oh, the Places You Will Go" which was narrated by John Lithgow. The actor has had a very nice career, but the students knew him as the voice of Lord Farquaad from Shrek.
