Miss+Karl

=== Welcome to Miss Karl's Wiki! :) As the 4th Grade Intervention Specialist, I hope to use this space to provide parents and __students__ with tips and websites that may be helpful in further understanding different 4th grade curriculum concepts, as well as further prepare for the 4th grade OAA. There is a lot of information to sift through on this page. A good place to __start__ is by having a conversation with your child as to what they are currently discussing or __working__ on in each subject area. Then you can focus on the websites that are listed under the individual curriculum concept in which your child is currently immersed. :) As always, feel __free__ to email me with questions or concerns at sara.karl@ghcsd.org. Please continually check back for updates. Thank you!

UPDATE (5/15/12)
Hi everyone! We have a big day tomorrow with our 4th Grade Field Trip to the Ohio Caverns! Please be sure that your child packs a lunch that can be thrown away, as well as dresses appropriately for the 50 degree weather that we will experience while exploring the caverns. It should be a fun and exciting time! :)

**Graves/Karl Writing:** Our Persuasive Writing Presentations have been simply amazing!! We put a minimum of time that the presentation needed to last, but I am thinking we should have put a MAXIMUM limit because we are only halfway through the presentations. haha The students really took off with this project and it is exciting to see their hard work, interests, and passions come to life as they present in front of their peers. I encourage you to ask your child to show you their organizer on googledocs, and/or their final presentation! We will definitely need a few more days to finish the presentations (probably Thursday/Monday/Tuesday), due to Field Trip tomorrow, All Arts Day on Friday, and Big Games Day on Monday.....wheew I am tired just naming all of our upcoming events! :)

**Karl Reading Groups:** I apologize if there have been a few days where I did not sign the students' reading logs or they did not have their reading homework written in their planners. As previously mentioned, we have a lot going on here at school as our final weeks are winding down. Therefore, our typical schedules have not been as consistent as usual. Anyways, the students' reading logs are filled out up until Monday (May 21), so if you or your child is unsure of the reading assignment for a particular night or it didn't get jotted in their planner, always refer to their reading log list in their bag.

Our final meeting time as reading groups will be on **Monday May 21st,** where we will celebrate a year of HARD work and learning with a small Reading Group Party in the afternoon (after Big Games Day is over in the morning). I am so proud of all of the students I had the opportunity to work with in groups this year and can't thank you, the parents, enough for all of your hard work and support!!!! Thank You!!! :)

UPDATE (5/4/12)
We survived testing and the kids worked soooo hard!!! Thanks again to Graves/Runyon parents for sending in donations of fruit, water, sugarfree gum, and many other items to keep the kids going. We (and the kids) really appreciate your support this year!

**Graves Writing:** Very exciting things are happening in writing! Please ask your child to open their googledocs and show you their Persuasive Project Organizer. The students are showing so much passion for the topics they chose and we are excited to see the final presentations soon!

**Graves/Runyon:** We will be back on track with Word __Study__ next week (WW/SJ). There will be two more weeks of Word Study then that will be it for the year (hard to believe!).

Thanks so much and have a beautiful weekend! :)

UPDATE (4/27/12)
Not to worry...I am not sending any googledocs your way this time. :)

**Graves/Runyon:** No Word Study List during the week of the tests. We will be back on track with our lists the following week. **Miss Karl Reading Groups:** No HWK and Free Choice for Reading Log homework during the week of testing. We will be back on track with our Reading Groups the following week.

* If he/she wears glasses, please make sure they have them. * Students should wear comfortable clothes. * Students should get plenty of sleep the night before. * Students should eat a __healthy breakfast__ (however, if the morning is rushed, Graves/Runyon will have fresh fruit and granola bars on hand...just in case). * Please be ON TIME to __school__. :)
 * Just wanted to provide a few helpful reminders as your children prepare to take the OAA on Monday and Wednesday. **

The kids have all worked so hard this year and we can't thank you enough for your support and encouragement at home! Have a fun and relaxing weekend! :)

UPDATE (4/23/12)
For Runyon/Graves Homerooms: __**FYI:**__ **So sorry for the googledoc confusion, regarding OAA snack bags to maintain students' alertness during the test. I had the "bright idea" and best of intentions to share the googledoc with all parents so that we could easily sign up for items without needing to email back and forth. However that is exactly what we all had to do! Apparently, when trying to share a googledoc from our GHCSD email account, only people with a gmail account are able to access the document (not hotmail, yahoo, etc). Duh, Miss Karl! Well it is a lesson learned and I am just overwhelmed with the immediate responses/donations we received from parents. You all were able to just roll with it, despite the googledoc hiccup. Thank you so much for your understanding and for your continued support this school year...you ROCK!!! :)**

UPDATE (4/20/12)
I was thinking about the upcoming test and taking on our kids' points of view. It has to be pretty stressful to keep hearing about this test, preparing for it, knowing it is just ahead, etc. It is a high-stakes test for the students, teachers, district, state, etc....(bummer that so much rides on one test, but I guess that is the way it is for now).

Anyways, we have worked hard all year long to cover all of the content standards, as well as focus on the testing genre for the past 3 to 4 weeks, so students have no surprises and feel comfortable and prepared when taking the test in a few weeks. They have been working so hard all year and I am really proud of their focus and how serious they take their academics. However, I am sure many of them are experiencing some "testing anxiety" from time to time. Here are a few links to some tips of how to ease students' testing anxiety so they are relaxed and confident when the big day comes ** (Disclaimer: These tips may not be research-based and your child may not be having high levels of anxiety, I just thought there were a few helpful tips in case you were thinking about this). ** Thanks so much for all you do to support their learning and growth, both academically and emotionally, at home! Have a beautiful weekend! :)

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Helping_Cope_Test/ http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/test_anxiety_E.pdf

UPDATE (4/16/12):
Welcome back! I hope you all had a fun-filled Spring Break! It is hard to believe, but we only have about 7 weeks of school left and only 2 weeks until the 4th Grade OAA...ahhh...time flies! Anyways, I hope you have been able to check out some of the links that I have provided; which take you to the ODE page that houses the released 4th Grade OAA test questions from the past. Though we can never truly know what specific content they will focus on each year, these tests are great tools for preparing students for the testing language and different types of questions they will encounter.

This week, I wanted to share some tips for writing quality extended responses (responses to short answer type of questions). These questions are typically worth the most points, on both the Math and Reading OAA, (2 to 4 points), so it is important that students are thorough and focus on the idea "Did I answer the question?" Anyways, here are some hot tips/guidelines that can be helpful for students to follow when answering these written response questions:


 * 1. THINK about what the questions is asking you (repeat it to yourself). **
 * 2. Use the selection to help you PLAN your answer. **
 * 3. WRITE your answer neatly. **
 * 4. CHECK your answer by reading it back to yourself. **


 * HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK! :)**

UPDATE (3/30/12):
First and foremost, I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing Spring Break! In this Wiki update, I am including a link to ODE where you can find all of the released OAA test questions for both 4th Grade Reading and Math assessments, over the past 4 to 5 years. When you open the page, scroll down to grade 4 and you will see the links in red, as well as links to the answer keys on the right. I am including this in the update in case you have some free time over the break and are looking for some ways to keep your child engaged in their academics while preparing for the upcoming OAA. No pressure to do this, as you may just want to RELAX (imagine that?!). This link could be very useful in the future though, as we gear up for the tests. Maybe if you just chose one math assessment and one reading assessment, so not to burn students out...you know what will __work best__ for your child. :) Again, have a fantastic break!  [|Click here for the released OAA test questions from the past, for both Math and Reading]   UPDATE (3/23/12): **Reading (Runyon/Graves/Karl Reading Groups):** We are wrapping up our study of how to determine the difference between facts and opinions, with a quick formative assessment on Tuesday, to check for understanding. Students did a fantastic job as we played Fact and Opinion Jeopardy during Reading Workshop today (Friday)...be sure to ask them about it! Next week we will introduce cause and effect, using engaging Powerpoint Presentations, as well as different graphic organizers. I am including a couple links that you, or your child, can check out to provide further practice with the __topic__ of cause and effect. This is especially important when engaging in nonfiction texts and everyday news/events.

[|Click on this link to find a plethora of different graphic organizers that focus on cause and effect. You could use these before, during, and after your child has read a nonfiction text!] [|This site has many different links to activities and printables for your child to use, to further develop their skill of identifying the cause and effect in what they are reading.] **HOT TIP:** Although our 4th graders are reading texts from Levels P and beyond (//Fountas and Pinnell Text Gradient//), children's picture books lend themselves beautifully to introducing new concepts to kids. I have used these in the classroom, including this school year, to encourage rich discussions among students when first exploring a new literacy concept. Also, research shows that reading easier level books can build children's oral reading fluency, as well as enrich the teacher think-alouds when he/she is introducing a __topic__ for the first time. I have included some titles of books that PERFECTLY encourage conversation regarding cause and effect (maybe your child could read aloud one of these books and you could pair it with a cause and effect graphic organizer from the link I've listed above?). Enjoy and have fun! :) (I have a few of these titles in my classroom library and there are many available at the Grandview Public Library as well). __Just So Stories__ by Rudyard Kipling __Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse__ by Kevin Henkes __June 29, 1999__ by David Wiesner __If You Give.__...series by Laura Numeroff  __The Emperor's New Clothes__ by Marcus Sedgwick


 * Writing (Graves/Karl)**: We are midway through the writing of our biographies. From Michael Phelps to Rosa Parks to Steve __Jobs__, we have an awesome range of people that the students have self-selected to explore more about. We have done this writing, from organization of research to paragraph organization, solely on our googledocs!!! We encourage you to ask your child to log in to their school email, pull up their googledocs, and then show you all of the work and different organizers they have completed so far, in writing these biographies. Great things are happening and it is very exciting!!

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND AND GO OU!!!!! [[image:4thgradeeims/OU_BOBCATS.jpeg width="108" height="90"]]
** UPDATE (3/15/12): ** __**Reading (Runyon/Graves/Karl Reading Groups)**__: For the next few weeks we will be discussing how to determine the author's purpose for writing (Persuade, Inform, or Entertain= PIE), as well as distinguishing between facts and opinions. Here are some interactive and fun websites that can provide your child with additional practice at home in becoming fluent in this vocabulary and improving their understanding of these concepts. Enjoy!! @http://www.woodland.k12.mo.us/faculty/rgarner/Reading/Authors%20puropse.htm This website is full of different links to Powerpoints and matching games for identifying the Author's Purpose.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/fact_opinion_cause_effect_language_arts_fourth_4th_grade.htm This site has tons of links to different Fact/Opinion interactive games, book suggestions, and free worksheets. :)

**UPDATE (3/9/12): ** Here is a link that another I.S. here at Edison shared with me. If you click on it, you can access TONS of free (and low-cost) apps for your __Ipad__! What is great about the site is that the apps are already organized under specific academic areas (ex: Number Sense and Operations, Literary Texts, etc). Hopefully you or your child will have time to check out this site and find apps that most relate to their academic needs and interests! Enjoy!!

http://www.protopage.com/etechohiomkmb#Untitled/Home

Also, my Reading Groups just finished presenting culminating projects on books that we have recently read. We had such a wide range of presentations from homemade IMovies, to Keynote presentations, to student-written rap battles! All students did a fantastic __job__ in showing what they loved most about our recent Reading Group books. Look for many of these presentations to be displayed in the 4th grade hallway, across from the library. :)



**MATH:** Below are some websites that are organized by curriculum concepts. The sites provide both interactive games, as well as printables, to further prepare students for our 4th grade content and for the Math OAA at the end of April. **Number, Number Sense, and Operations**

@http://math247.pbworks.com/w/page/20517273/4th%20Grade%20Number%20Sense

@http://tulyn.com/4th-grade-math/number-sense

@http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/place-value-games.html

@http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/elementary/number_sense_module/grade4.pdf

@http://www.adaptedmind.com/Fourth-Grade-Math-Worksheets-And-Exercises.html

@http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/skills_fourth_4th_math_number_and_operations.htm

**Measuremen**t

@http://www.softschools.com/measurement/

@http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/skills_fourth_4th_math_measurement.htm

**Geometry and Spatial Sense**

@http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4

@http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/skills_fourth_4th_math_geometry.htm

@http://elcerritowire.com/4/geometry.htm

**Patterns, Function, and Algebra**

@http://elcerritowire.com/4/algebra.htm

@http://ed-u-smart.com/4thGrAlP.aspx

@http://math247.pbworks.com/w/page/20517269/4th%20Grade%20Algebra%20and%20Functions

@http://www.softschools.com/math/games/algebra_practice.jsp

@http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4/function-tables

**Data Analysis and Probability**

@http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4/calculate-probability

@http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/probability-games.html

**4th grade math sites**

http://www.mrsrenz.net/mathsites.htm#4

@http://www.aaamath.com/grade4.html

@http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listonlinemta.html

@http://www.willoughby-eastlake.k12.oh.us/classroom/technology/4th_grade_math.htm (loads of resources)

@http://edhelper.com/math_grade4.htm

@http://star.spsk12.net/math/math_04.htm

**Test Prep Resources**

@http://mail.clevelandcountyschools.org/~ccselem/029E8B7A-00870B98?Plugin=Loft



**SCIENCE:** These websites are specific to the content of physical and chemical changes in substances.

@http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/propertychanges/preview.weml **This seems pretty cool for kids and interactive! :)**

http://portal.acs.org:80/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=1945&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=b89402a8-b08b-47a1-ac95-0d74e5d4ac3c **This is a list of activities to try with kids, to further understand chemical changes. **

@http://schoolwaxtv.com/learn-lab-files-physical-chemical-changes
 * This link below shows a man performing different science experiments. It is 8 minutes long and shows some pretty cool experiments.**

**READING:** As with the math websites, these sites are also organized by reading curriculum concepts. The sites are useful to parents, teachers, and students. These sites review the skills that we are __learning__ in 4th grade, as well as provide practice for the Reading OAA at the end of April.

**Acquisition of Vocabulary:**

@http://elcerritowire.com/4/vocab.htm

@http://www.vocabulary.co.il/fourth-grade-vocabulary-games/

@http://www.playkidsgames.com/vocabularyGames.htm

@http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/florida/families/resources/grade4/spelling-and-vocabulary-activities

**Reading Process:**

@http://cardenoftucson.org/2011/08/4th-grade-reading-process/

@http://www.newton.k12.ks.us/tech/fourth_grade_internet_activities1.htm

@http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills-4th-langbuilders.htm

**Informational Text:**

@http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/informational_text_language_arts_fourth_4th_grade.htm

@http://www.ciera.org/library/presos/2002/2002csi/2002csinduke/02csindk.pdf

@http://www.cherylsigmon.com/handouts.asp (mini-book)

**Literary Text:**


 * Standardized Test Practices:**

@http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/south/shared_pages/standardized_test_practice.htm

@http://publish.learningfocused.com/402185

@http://www.austinschools.org/curriculum/la/resources/documents/instResources/LA_res_TxtStruc_ORS_Module.pdf

@http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/taylorse/Academic%20Learning%20Content/Fourth%20Grade%20Standards%20for%2008%2009.pdf

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= TECHNOLOGY The following is a link to free technology that may enhance your child's learning and accessibility to resources. This was passed along to me by another Edison teacher and I have found it extremely valuable. :)

Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in All Classrooms - Spread the Word!
Below is a link to TONS of free and low-cost educational Ipad __apps__! They are organized by specific academic areas and the site is extremely user-friendly. :) http://www.protopage.com/etechohiomkmb#Untitled/Home

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