Morning Work

On Monday, students will begin our basic curriculum. The elementary will be collecting data (testing) students to determine what they retained over the summer before we start flex groups (planned for the end of September).

From 8:05 to 8:30, every morning, students have "Morning Work" time. This is a busy time of day with students checking their lockers, turning in work, using the restroom, watching announcements, Ms. Leom taking attendance, and the basic start to the day. In fourth grade, students will have Daily Language and Math work to do during this time. By setting a routine, having expectations, and using every minute of our learning, our students make better choices. Students who are late to school will be expected to complete this learning independently.

Daily Language is an opportunity to develop our editing skills, practice and review grammar, and apply our learning. Ms. Leom modeled the expectations for both classes today:

Students use proofreading marks to edit sentences. The proofreading marks are on page 108 of student planners. Each student was offered a sticky note to flag the page. Students receive a Daily Language packet for the week. They will complete the section for that day. The Daily Language will be kept in students' Communications Folder. We will go over the lessons in class at some point during the week. The Daily Language is due on Fridays. Since we go over all the answers IN class, students will have the opportunity to make corrections and LEARN from their mistakes. This will be a graded Grammar assignment that all students who participate and use their class time, should experience success.

Mr. Greninger will also have a math practice sheet in the morning. We usually start this the second week of school. We like to build into our routine. He often starts Math class by reviewing the morning review. Most of the morning work for Mr. Greninger is not graded. It is important practice for our students.

On Mondays, students will also pick up the Spelling assignments for the week. This is a sheet of paper that has two sides of Spelling practice for the week. We usually go over the directions of the Spelling page IN class on Monday mornings. Then students place the paper in their Communications Home Folder. It is HOMEWORK. Students are encouraged to develop a plan that works for them. One idea, students complete one side on Monday and the second side on Tuesday. They can return it on Wednesdays. Another idea, students complete one half on Monday night, one half on Tuesday night, one half on Wednesday night, and the last half on Thursday night. They return it to school on Friday morning. By the middle of the year, many students are able to complete the weekly Spelling assignment IN school, by being organized and using their extra work time during the day. The weekly Spelling assignment is due on Fridays. Students who struggle to read the cursive word list on the one side of the assignment are encouraged to use the Spelling list in their Homework Folder as a tool. This is a graded assignment. You will be able to view it on School-View. Our Spelling assignment for next week will look like:

Copies of the Spelling assignments and Daily Language can also be found by downloading a copy of the Spelling Book and Daily Language Book on the Milaca Schools Website, by visiting the fourth grade page (visit the "StoryTown Communications" on the left side menu) or the Leom Planner (visit the "communications resources" under "filter by tag" on the right side).

These assignments should be written in pencil, in student's writing, and spelling counts. The words need to be written clearly (messy writing will be marked as an error).   

We have already starting developing these expectations in class. We will use the planners to record the assignments and give daily reminders. We have a responsibility to prepare students to be organized, keep track of their learning, and budget their time. Our students will be ready for fifth grade and beyond. For many of our students, they are familiar with the Daily Language, the weekly Spelling Assignments and the morning math assignment. This is not the first year they have used these learning tools.

Rocking and Rolling in Fourth Grade!