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

Welcome to 4th Grade!

你好 Fourth Grade Mandarin Parents!

My name is Vivian Eckmann and I am your child’s fourth grade Mandarin teacher. I received my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University in 2006. I hold an ESOL endorsement and will be obtaining my gifted endorsement starting this fall. This is my fifth year at The GLOBE Academy and eleventh year as a public school teacher. During my years teaching Kindergarten, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the tremendous growth the students make in just ten months. Although I love my kindergarten babies, I was thrilled when I realized I could be ready for something new and exciting.

I started running two years ago and ran my first Marathon in Philly last fall. It was during one of my runs in April that I realized my pace has improved even though it wasn’t comfortable or easy. Trying to translate running to work has helped me gain perspectives. Every new chapter or new distance will be tough at first, there will be doubts and struggles, but trusting the plan always gets me through. The biggest gift I have been given at GLOBE has always been the support from teachers and the community. My hopes and dreams this year is to continue to hold high expectations both academically and social emotionally. By building a strong community, we are sending the message to our children that we care and we are in it together.

So, welcome to not just a new campus, but also a new grade level, and many new teachers. Trust the plan.


Warm regards,
Vivian Eckmann
veckmann@theglobeacademy.net
globemandarin.blogspot.com 

Narrative Writing Culminating Event

Our kindergarteners had been working hard on their narrative writing piece. This week, they were confident to read to second and third graders. Many kinder babies received the confidence boost they needed because they were able to read and converse fully in Mandarin.

The narrative writing goes like this. "Hi, my name is ____. I am ___ years old. My birthday is ______. My best friend is _______. I love playing ____ and _____. "

Hobbies

Thanks for parents who have sent in photos of their children enjoying their hobbies outside of school. We will be creating a class book using the pictures. Here is a video of students using picture cues and reading by memorization. You would be surprised by how many words students in kindergarten can recognize and write by this time of the year.

Please continue to work on fact fluency with your child at home. Being fluent in Addition and Subtraction 0-10 will be very helpful in first grade.

Week of March 13-17, 2017

In the past week, we shared what we ate at the Chinese restaurant, the friendliness of the staff who are willing to speak Mandarin, and the overall experience. The students brought in artifacts and we used our resources to make a booklet. I encourage you to give another restaurant a try if the staff weren't especially friendly. Pyng Ho and Lucky Key were popular among the kids.

We have begun to introduce subtraction strategies in Math. Students are learning ways to subtract; counting with fingers, number lines, snapped cubes, drawing dots, and thinking of a picture.

Understand addition

We have introduced the concepts of adding through strategies and manipulatives; drawing, connective cubes, number lines, ten frames, tally marks, dominos, etc. This may not be a new concept for some, but building operations and algebraic thinking is a critical foundation for all. Your child may be going home to express boredom, but we are constantly exploring new ways to add and improve upon critical thinking skills through a variety of tasks.

I have included two exemplars for you to review at home. Since addition isn't just about math facts, I encourage all to apply math into real life experiences. It's much more challenging and a great way to assess understanding.

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