Writing Unit - Fractured Fairytales

Our latest writing unit on Fractured Fairytales is tons of fun! Students are already familiar with the fairytales (Snow White and Cinderella), however, they are quite unfamiliar with many of the vocabulary words. We got right to work! Students are working on rewriting the Cinderella story, and while going over the original, they act out the sciences to show understanding. I will continue to add clips to the progress right here.

Reading Club

Reading Club is a time for students to read with a partner and answer three to four comprehension questions collaboratively. At the end of the Reading Club, one group shares their responses with the whole class and the others ask a couple of meaningful questions. This is a way for students to get a glimpse of what other books are about.

Science and Newsletter

In the past few weeks, our 4th graders had been introduced to typing and researching in Mandarin. They worked hard on their first research project on the ecosystem. Students utilize dictionaries (thank you parents for ordering them), science journals, and Mandarin journals to finish their writing. We will continue to build vocabulary through Shared Reading, literacy centers, as well as math and science lessons. Every day we work a little harder on crafting not only language proficiency but also competency in content knowledge. That is why we are at the GLOBE. 

Please continue to remind your child to only speak the target language on Mandarin days. It is vital that we try our best in everything we do even when it is hard. As teachers and parents we model every single day. 

Our fundraising links are below. Thank you so much to those who have shown their support! 

Ms. Eckmann

Ms. Marsh

Add Mandarin to your Keyboard

To type in Mandarin on your home computer, I screenshot two ways; one for Mac and one for PC. Students will begin to research in Mandarin to begin the informational writing unit on animals. But for now, we have just begun to practice typing Mandarin. This is especially helpful since the students have been reading pinyin and focusing on emphasizing in tones while reading. Students can practice typing in Google Docs by copying words from their Mandarin journal for now. Some students did begin to write narratives on their own, and they are welcome to share with us anytime. (veckmann@theglobeacademy.net or mhuang@theglobeacademy.net) We will be happy to provide feedback directly on their writing.

Mac

PC

Week of August 28-September 1, 2017

Morning Meeting - Students describing good/ bad news after drawing a picture with details. It is still difficult for students to form complete sentences using unfamiliar vocabulary words. The more we practice our sentence stem through read, writing, and speaking, the more skilled we will become. 

 

Naming and writing numbers - fluency and fluency!

Sentence Structure Game 

Week of August 21-25, 2017

We won't be going into details starting this week, please see weekly newsletter for more details on what the students will be working on. Thank you for showing up for Meet and Greet. Make sure to always have your student take out his/her homework each Thursday, complete it during the week, and return it on Wednesday (unless absent, then it'd be due the next day).  I will continue to add pictures here weekly.

Students comparing sizes between Sun and Earth 

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

During Morning Meeting, we discussed about our summer. The students were able to share and write down a few sentences including who, where, why, and what. 

Week of August 14-18, 2017

Students continue to make gains in building confidence in speak Mandarin. They are more than encouraged to make mistakes. We have been assessing students in number recognition and math facts proficiency as well as MAP in reading, language arts, and math. The students have been such troopers during this very busy week.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to group students during Math by each skill trend. Students will first have to learn to transition and showing responsibility. We will get there slowly but surely. Building the foundation in the beginning of any school year is vital to a successful one.  There will continue to be team building activities and we are constantly discussing the importance of showing CREST. While academics is important, life skills such as showing empathy, being encouraging, staying positive, and coming up with solutions are all critical for any given stage in life.

Keep in mine that we are adding reading passages in the Mandarin Journal starting next week. Mandarin Journals will go home daily but students MUST bring it back each day. Reading their Mandarin Journal is part of their homework assignment. The passages will have already been taught and practiced in class. Words other than sight words will also contain pinyin. Ms. Huang and I will post video or audio clips to go with each passage as well.

First Week of 4th Grade!

Welcome back and to a complete new/different campus!

This first two weeks, we will focus heavily on routines and transitions as well as expectations. I read some of the "I am Malala" book and we discussed what makes us "brave". We noted that speaking Mandarin is an act of bravery because we are taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zones.

There are many ways of figuring out what the other person wants to say if he or she can try some of the strategies. Students can (1) draw (2) act it out (3) use other descriptive words in Mandarin (4) point at the object. Encourage your child to only use Mandarin on Mandarin days will boost confidence for him/her.

We are very fortunate to have flexible seatings this year. The students were able to try out all of the flexible seats in my classroom to get a feel of likes/dislikes. We have wobble chairs, stadium seats, stand-up desks, and cushions. Although we do also have regular chairs and an ottoman by the window. The goal is for students to find a comfortable spot and still be productive. The seats are not used for rewards or punishments, but if a student cannot complete a task or is being disruptive due to the position of the seat, he/she will be asked to choose something else.

Thanks for those who send in socks, we are still in need of hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and hand soap for both classes.

Students will take their MAP test next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at noon.

First Lunch at the Fellowship Hall

Trying out Stadium Seats

First day of school DONE

First day of Mandarin 4th Grade!

Trying out Stand-up Desks

Superhero Ceremony

Choosing our own flexible seating during writing

Strategies to apply when I don't know the word

Team Building