Opinion / Argument

Today, we are writing opinion / argument paragraphs. This was a skill that Ms. Leom didn't learn how to do until she was in junior high or high school.

Using the personal narratives we read last week, "The Cave", "Monster Truck Rally", and "Spacers or How I Learned Not to Fear the Orthodontist", students needed to pick the narrative that they felt expressed the writer's feelings the best (opinion). Then they had to use details in the texts to support their opinions (argument).

First, we reread the stories.

Next, we organized our work space. This means all our papers, folders, notebooks, iPads, pencil boxes, and more are placed in a neat pile on the name tag. We have the book open, our notebook in position, and a sharpened pencil.

Ms. Leom walked us through the steps, explaining as we went.

Then we had writing time. We are not finished. Rereading and using evidence from the text takes time. We will finish tomorrow in class.

Ms. Leom continues to work with students who find this assignment overwhelming. She has us write one sentence at a time, and walks us through the detail sentences.

When Ms. Leom started the lesson with her class this morning, the first time, it was an epic fail. She started the steps. The class followed. As we worked, she realized, we weren't getting details from all three texts, like our goal stated. We had to go back, and rework. She said that is part of learning. Sometimes you have to start. You have to be willing to make mistakes, admit you are wrong, then take the time to fix it. In the end, the class that experienced the epic fail, has a deeper understanding of the process.

It is Ms. Leom's opinion that some of our learning is a challenge. It takes time, patience, and the willingness to stick with it. We are all "in progress" and trying to be one step smarter today than we were yesterday - even Ms. Leom. "Mistakes are proof that you are trying." No argument there!

Sort Ambiguously

Our Spelling learning goal this week is, "I will spelling ambiguous vowels oi/oy, ou/ow words correctly."

We started our learning by reviewing our goal and the standard with help from students in our class.

Then, students read a stack of words sorting them by their word parts.

We make an effort to have students work in different peers from their classrooms and have opportunities to move around the room and actively learn beyond the paper and pencil strategy.

Band-tastic

One of the reasons Milaca is a great school community to be a part of, is the strength in our offerings for students. In the case of last night, our music programs.

Ms. Leom had the opportunity to attend the seventh and eighth grade band and choir concert last night and see her "alums" (former students) shine.

Mr. Garber conducts the seventh grade band

Ms. Odden conducts the seventh and eighth grade choir

a percussion moment

Band is an important topic in fourth grade, because at the end of the school year, Eckroth Music comes into our schools and offers the chance for fourth grade students to try out instruments. There is a parent meeting near the end of May, and parents can learn more about the program and ask questions. Stay "tuned"! It is an exciting opportunity!!

SO PROUD of these former fourth graders!!

Out of My Mind

Ms. Leom is reading, "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper to her homeroom. It is a book about Melody, an eleven year old girl with Cerebal Palsy, who has no control over her muscles, including her ability to speak. Melody has a photographic memory. Everything she sees, hears, smells, experiences is on a video loop inside her head, with no way to be shared. It offers great opportunities to learn more about our families, friends, and community members who may navigate the world in their own way. Ask your fourth graders to tell you more about Melody and her experiences.  

At one point, Ms. Leom invited her students to "turn and talk" about the book.

Mr. Greninger is finishing, "Sarah, Plain and Tall" to his class. Soon he will start, "Where the Red Fern Grows".

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day has evolved to be near and dear to Ms. Leom's heart in recent years. It start when she realized she didn't know much about it, and she was expected to teach about it! So when she missed Veteran's Day last week, she was excited to make time for it on her return.

Students worked on their Veteran's Day learning for more than one day.

One of the struggles our students have on the state testing includes, our students (like students everywhere), do not like to go back through the text and reread. They do not use the titles, headings, pictures, and captions to help them locate information. The Veteran's Day packet, gives students practice and experience in reading questions, identifying key words and phrases, and looking for information. In the process, students learn about an American holiday, the history, what it means to be a veteran, and some common American symbols. It is fun to watch students make connections as they learn.

So ... ?!

The phone call with my own mom on Monday night started with her question, "So ... ?!" She had heard from her two favorite fourth graders all about the iPads over the weekend, and she wanted to know what I thought. How did it go?!

It went amazing!! First of all, time. We can look up words and information about words using the Meriam-Webster app in half the time it takes to use a dictionary. Often, when we use a bound dictionary, we need to use a thesaurus to look up the synonyms. Often, our children's dictionaries and thesauruses do not have many words listed, so we have to wait to share Ms. Leom's iPad with the entire class. The individual iPads makes our learning more efficient, so we have time to learn more words or work on something else.

iPads are engaging. The students enter the room and they are twitching with anticipation to use them. They are focused. They WANT to use the iPads, so when something doesn't work, they are motivated to problem solve and jump over the hurdle to keep working. This means, if you can't log in, you ask a friend. You double-check, you try again. You ask for help. In the past, students might "need a drink of water" or think it is a good idea to "see what a friend is doing". With the iPads, the students are focused on the process embedded in the tools we are using, and they show self-initiative.

Students are motivated to use the iPad. When worded in a thoughtful way, students focus on the learning at hand, knowing an iPad activity is next. Students complete their learning quickly. It is even at a new level of effort and neatness, because they know they will need to erase and rework - taking away from their iPad learning - if they don't do their best. It is amazing how many more papers include names, capital letters, punctuation marks, correct spelling, and neat work, just to move to the next skill. Our school day starts with the iPads. Students will use the Odyssey program each morning when they arrive. It is fascinating to see how quickly students get organized in the morning and start their day, quietly engaged in learning! This week is reading. Next week, will be math. We will alternate each week between the Language Arts and Math learning, based on student individual MAP scores.

Tools. The students are so interested in the iPads, there is so much excitement, we are working on the distraction detail. Our iPads are a tool, like a pencil, eraser, or a resource book. We are using the iPads as a tool. Our entire learning day is still centered on our learning goals, based on the standards. When the iPads can facilitate and aid in our learning, they will be used. They are not THE learning and the focus. There will be many opportunities in the near future to enhance our learning with technology. At this time, the iPads are used as a tool to meet our learning goals.

So ... that is what I think. The possibilities ... too exciting to consider and write about ... need time to organize my many thoughts! Already, on day three, I can't imagine teaching without individual iPads.