CotiSweets

Physical Training with a US Marine

2012-03-08T16:02:00.001-08:00

This morning we had the rigorous pleasure of a modified Marine Corps physical training with my son, Niall, who is home on leave until Saturday. He worked with both fourth grades at different times putting them through some warm-up exercises on the Eaton playground.

We also did a KIM exercise (Keep in Memory) where the students viewed 8 objects for 60 seconds and then had to recall the number of objects, the name of the objects and any details they remembered. They accomplished the recall part of the exercise four hours later. This exercise was devised by no other than Rudyard Kipling! We used Ms. Clark's class as our control group. They viewed the objects before they exercised and our class viewed the objects after exercise. My hypothesis was that the CotiSweets would have greater recall after exercise due to the oxygenation of our brains. Well, this did prove to be true since we had a much greater recall than the other class. I am not going to claim victory, though, since this was a one-time experiment with only two classes. Still! I do believe that exercise is a dominant factor in how well our brains perform.

Enjoy the photos and please keep Niall in your thoughts and prayers as he deploys to Afghanistan for his first tour of duty in a couple of weeks. THANK YOU!!!

Homework:

Vocabulary Workshop
Ms. Houston's Math
Ms. Coti's Reading: Finish "Callo's Necklace."

Homework -- Wednesday, March 7, 2012

2012-03-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Vocabulary WS: Page 105
Coti Math: Two-sided handout

Homework and More

2012-03-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Homework:

Monday, March 5, 2012
Vocabulary Workshop, pages 100-101
Coti Math: Finish graph of class sit-ups
Election 2012 essay due.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Write a sentence for each vocabulary word
Coti Math: ten problems in packet - mark with a star or ?

We spent part of the morning at Beauvoir School to plant some lettuce, spinach and Spring onions.
The students were partnered with a class of second graders and were split into two groups. One
group went to the science lab, learned about the project and viewed a powerpoint on growing seeds.
The science teacher was very impressed with our students who knew how to tell the difference between tap roots and fibrous roots from our Veggie U studies. They then went into the garden to set about planting the seeds.

While half the class planted seeds, the other half did a tour of the school to view their "museum" of North America. The students visited the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, Hawaii and Mexico among other regions.
After the tour, they traded places with the first group and went to the lab and the garden while the first group went on a tour. At the end, the students ran around the playground and had a lot of fun trying out the equipment, including a great big tunnel slide with lots of twists and turns. I even had a ride, and it was BIG fun!

I've enclosed some photos for your pleasure. Enjoy!

We're preparing for the PIA this week and also getting in our Veggie U studies with the other fourth grade. We will plant our sets this Friday and place them under a grow light to help facilitate their growth for transplanting into our garden this spring. Once we harvest our lettuce, we will make a huge salad to enjoy together with Chipotle food from the Tenleytown branch. I'll let you know the date as soon as the lettuce starts to grow. I'm thinking probably about a month after planting.

A citywide STEM fair is in our future along with a John Eaton science fair. Information on both will be sent out before spring break.

Enjoy this beautiful spring,

Susan

Homework--Feb. 28, 2012

2012-02-28T16:16:00.001-08:00

Math handouts for Ms. Coti and Ms. Houston on probability
Vocabulary Workshop
Ms. Adem's reading

Field trip next Tuesday to Beauvoir for spring planting!
Neighborhood walk -- no permission slip necessary.

Have a great evening!

More Photos! Today's Science Lesson and artwork from a Black History Month exercise we completed last week.

2012-02-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

Homework and News

2012-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

We started the ReSET Program today. ReSET stands for Retired Scientists, Engineers and Technicians. Mr. Bill Lake, a retired mechanical engineer came to our classroom for the first of six lessons on electricity and magnetism. He said he would also like to get into solar energy which is right up our alley, so I'm pleased we
were placed with Mr. Lake! He introduced early scientists including Galileo and had the students make paper helicopters. He also reviewed the scientific method. I've attached a few photos for your enjoyment.

Tomorrow is the ski trip, and almost half the class will be absent. I plan to teach a lesson on renewable and nonrenewable energy sources and get a team together to do an energy audit of the school. Ms. Adem and I will also teach a lesson on probability that the students on the field trip will have to make up.

It's hard to believe that spring is right around the corner if not sitting on our laps already! Later this month, before spring break, we will create beautiful eggs using the ancient method of Pysanka. If any parents would like to come in to help out and make an egg, please feel welcome. I'll let you know the exact date in the next couple of weeks.

Lots of great poetry projects entered the classroom recently and social studies projects are in progress. The students are also working on stories loosely based on "Snow White" called "Mahogany Melissa." What an interesting mix of endings the students are creating!

I'd like to introduce a program on teamwork and communication called "Talking with T.J." We've had a few instances of behaviors that beg for instruction on how to express feelings in a positive way. Stay tuned for more information.

Homework -- Monday, February 27, 2012

Vocabulary Workshop: Pages 90 and 91. Write each word in a sentence.
Coti Math: Two handouts.
Houston Math: Study Links 8.6 and 8.7

Ms. Adem's reading: Finish point of view worksheet.

Homework Plus a Great Website

2012-02-23T14:17:00.002-08:00

Coti Math: CMJ 2, pages 240 and 241

Houston Math: Individual problems plus Study Link 8.5 for all.

Vocabulary: Test tomorrow on Unit 8, pages 80-85

Ms. Adem's Reading: Complete "Egyptian Pyramids" plus comprehension worksheet

www.khanacademy.org/video is a great site for practicing math skills. Check it out!

Have a Great Weekend!

Homework--February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Pages 247 and 249 in CMJ 2
Houston Math: Do individually assigned problems

Adem Reading: Finish "Standing is Stupid" worksheet.
Poster projects due tomorrow.

Vocabulary: Pages 84 -85. Prepare for Unit 3 review.

Writing: Finish writing the plan to get rid of Mahogany Melissa,
how the plan was administered and what happened to her. Feel
free to advance the plot if you have some more ideas. We'll share
tomorrow!

Homework and More--February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Homework:

Coti Math: Pages 238 and 239 in CMJ 2
Houston Math: Two handouts

Adem Reading: Poetry projects due Thursday

Black History Month Activity: Finish drawings and either include words on your
drawing or write a separate statement. If you didn't [participate in the activity,
complete reading handout.

Vocabulary: Pages 80, 81, 83. No one scored below an 83% on last Friday's quiz. Way to go!

Parents,
A few of our students have lost their vocabulary workbooks. Please ask your child if he/she is one of
those students. The workbooks cost $7.50. We're getting weary copying pages for those whose
books are missing and would appreciate their having a replacement. Thanks!

We have a field trip scheduled on March 6 to Beauvoir to plant some vegetables. We'll celebrate with a gigantic salad in May after harvesting. Since Beauvoir is in walking distance from the school, a field trip
form won't be sent home. Anyone who would like to accompany us is welcome! We'll leave Eaton at 10 am and return around noon.

We're also gearing up to set some seedlings in the classroom for a transplant to our own garden next month. Our $1,000.00 grant was approved, and we'll buy a couple of rain barrels to water it and lots of compost to create ideal soil conditions. Can't wait to get the Eaton garden going!

Please mark your calendars for Family Math Night on March 15. We hope to see you and your children there!

Have a good night.

Susan

Homework -- Wednesday, February 12, 2012

2012-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the omission of a post yesterday. I was home sick with flu-like symptoms that a lot of rest took care of.

Coti Math: Finish measuring angles packet.

Houston Math: Study Link 1.7 plus handout

Coti Reading: Lit. Circles find two vocabulary words, a passage to read and two discussion questions.
Jr. Great Books: define chosen vocabulary word and illustrate plus essay on "Elephant Child."

Adem Reading: Finish "Determine Point of View" worksheet or "Look Who's Talking worksheet.

Vocabulary Workshop: Pages 76 and 77.

HAVE A GREAT EVENING!

Homework -- Monday, February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Unit Test Tomrrow. Study pages 4,6,8,10 and 18 in CMJ 1.
Handout on quadrilaterals.

Houston Math: no homework

Vocabulary Workshop, pages 70 and 71
Some of the students have misplaced their books. Please have them check at home for it. Replacement copy is $7.50.

Coti Reading: Jr. Great Books. Paragraph on viewpoint of either Wang Li, Precious Jade or Wang Li's mother.
Book Groups: Read and respond.

Adem Reading: Public Education worksheet.

Happy Valentine's Day! We will exchange cards in class tomorrow, and I have a sweet (and healthy) treat to share.

Students in Action! Veggie U Organic Vegetable Tasting and images of our Geometry Unit

2012-02-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents!

I'm resuming the blog because the site is now usable again and it just looks better than an email!

Please enjoy these photos of your children in action as they learn about organic gardening and healthy eating.

I've also included images of our geometry unit.

Homework -- Thursday, February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T14:25:00.001-08:00

Coti Math: CMJ, pages 18 and 19
Houston Math: Handout

Reading: Lit. Circles -- read to agreed upon page/chapter, write two discussion questions, choose a passage to read and find at least two vocabulary words to define.

Jr. Great Books Group: handout.
Ms. Adem: handout.

Bring in Veggie U media release.
Bring in a small binder by Monday for Veggie U materials.

Have a Great Evening!

Homework and News

2012-01-19T16:34:00.001-08:00

Thursday's HomeworkCoti Math: Pages 274 and 275 in CMJ 2Houston Math: 30 min. on review sheetReading: Read to agreed-upon page/chapter in novels.Write a short text-to-self, text-to-world or another readingresponse that highlights a passage of the book that had meaning for you. Remember to come prepared to discuss the book tomorrow.Half-Day. 12:15 Dismissal. We are postponing our vitamin play for next Tuesday after testing. Students should wear a white shirt that day (all the vitamins, that is). Isabella, John and Maggie did a fantastic job on their book project for Tuck Everlasting. Besides a media show, they performed three scenes from the book. John and Isabella switched genders for their roles. Bravi! I look forward toseeing the other projects as groups finish their novels. Photos will follow tomorrow as I left my camera on my desk, and I cannot access this blog from school.Happy Friday!

Homework -- Wednesday, January 18, 2011

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Study Links 9.1

Bring a white t-shirt for vitamin play and make sure you know your lines.

Photos of our school survey coming soon (measuring outside areas).

January News

2012-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents!

The new semester is about to start next week after the PIA (Paced Interim Assessment) on Monday and Tuesday, January 23 and 24. We worked on fractions/decimals/percents, rates and algebra in math along with summarizing, author viewpoint, cause and effect and genres in preparation for the test. I think the students will do well.

I'd like to introduce Andres Lomeli, our new student teacher from GW. Mr. Lomeli started today and will be a great asset to our fourth grade classroom. I plan to have him work with small groups and help with administrative tasks to ensure a smooth-running program. Mr. Lomeli is from California and has been in the master's program at GW since last May. He will be with us until May 4. Welcome Mr. Lomeli!

We are gearing up for a five-week nutrition and farming program on Feb. 6. The students will learn farming and gardening methods, start seeds in the classroom for planting in the spring, start a worm farm and continue to learn about nutrition. The students are currently rehearsing a nutrition play that willl be performed for the lower grades on Friday. We are also continuing with the Be Water Wise DC program. The students counted faucets in the school and measured flow rates, counted toilets and urinals and looked for leaks. They have also measured the impervious areas on school grounds, counted the gutters and drain spouts, observed where storm water pools in areas around the school and calculated how much water Eaton used in the past 12 months. We also calculated how much water each person at Eaton used: nearly 2,000 gallons each! As we continue our studies, we will be thinking about how to save these resources (water and money) and make recommendations this Spring to the DC Council along with the other schools in the city who are participating in the study.

We will start a unit on the Revolutionary War in social studies next week and start a Geometry unit in Math. In language arts, we will focus on non-fiction in both our reading and writing. The students completed their fiction stories last week, and they are posted on the bulletin board outside the classroom. Have a peek!

We also celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with a trip to Cleveland Park Library last Friday. The students sketched a picture with a freedom theme on paper that they transferred to fabric at the library. The fabric squares will be sewn into two quilts, one for each 4th grade. The drawings are beautiful and meaningful. The students certainly demonstrated the theme with aplomb. We also took a MLK quiz in the classroom from a Scholastic website and learned even more about this important American.

This is all for now. I've attached some photos of our students at work: writing stories, saying goodbye to Emily who moved back to Australia, working at Cleveland Park and acting as detectives to help solve the mystery of a cholera epidemic in London in the 1800s. Their job was to find the source of the outbreak which they successfully accomplished in partnerships after being given lists of victims, a map of London and some clues. Scroll down a bit at the end to view the photos.

Keep warm!

Susan K. Coti

Homework -- Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Coti Math: Study Links 8.2
Vocab. workshop: next two pages

Homework -- Tuesday, January 9, 2012

2012-01-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Page 159, CM Study Links
Social Studies: Finish chapter and questions started in class.
Study lines for Vitamin play!

Field Trip to Cleveland Park Library on Friday. No permission slip needed. You already signed a "Neighborhood Walk" field trip form at the beginning of the school year. If you haven't, please email me at s_coti@hotmail.com and I'll send one home. I do believe I have all on file though.

I'm having a bit of trouble posting photos from today, including a few pics of Emily and the class as we gave her an exuberant send off! I'll try again tomorrow!

HAVE A GREAT EVENING!

Monday's Homework -- January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: CMJ 2, pages 214 and 215

Reading/Writing: Rewrite paragraph on handout to include the strategies we learned today for strengthening sentences.

Make a card for Caleb if you haven't already!

Field Trip on Friday to Cleveland Park Library. Permission slip coming tomorrow.

Homework -- Wednesday, February 4, 2012

2012-01-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Study Links, page 157

Lit. Circles: Six sentences with vocabulary words

Finish card for Caleb

Study lines for nutrition play

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a great break and are well rested for the work ahead.

Tonight's Homework:

Coti Math: CMJ 2, pages 206 and 207
Houston Math: Project due 1/13 plus complete 12 problems in decimal packet

Writing: Write two ideas to advance the plot of your story. Remember to consider the characters and what motivates them to do what they do and think what they think. Write a brief outline that includes:
a. plot
b. characters
c. setting
d. point of view
e. theme or meaning of the story
f. problem (and resolution if you have one)

Reading: Finish King Canute story with story element handout if you did not finish in class.

Please click on "Older Post" at the bottom of the page if you did not read the December Newsletter.

Have a great evening!

December Newsletter

2011-12-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Happy holiday wishes to one and all!

We've accomplished a lot in the last few months, and I'm looking forward to reporting more extraordinary accomplishments in the months to come.

Let's review the year so far:

August: Classroom procedures and regulations posted and practiced (and practiced and practiced....). Tests administered to collect information on our students and how they learn.

September: Learning to write well, speaking with confidence, learning ways to be a better friend, reviewing math concepts, engaging in energy science in hands-on ways that make sense, learning about Argentina.

October: Our poetry studies culminating with the Cider House, studying the history of our country, learning long division and multiple-digit multiplication, algebraic equations, how to write with more detail, how to have fun while learning, remembering that effort is crucial for the class to progress.

November: Thanksgiving memories, history and projects that showed how our Native Americans lived in the 1600s. Making pesto with basil from our garden. Reading Walk Two Moons, a novel written by Sharon Creech, a famous children's book author and grandmother of student, Pearl.

December: Lessons in history, mostly with our teacher assistant, Ms. Houston, who brings the birth of the United States to the students with her wonderful delivery. She entices the students to discover the myriad influences of European countries in the making of our great country and how it was complicated and messy.
We also finished Walk Two Moons, and when it was done some students said it made them want to cry. I was actually about to cry! We'll spend some time digesting the themes and vocabulary in the weeks to come.

We also did an amazing job with our fundraiser and will receive a Veggie U kit in the next few weeks. The children will grow vegetables in the classroom, get into worm culture and eat a lot of great food! This is a nutrition and farming curriculum that ties into our schoolyard garden in a big way!

We had a party today in the afternoon. Thank you parents for bringing and sending in all the treats. I'm glad I scheduled the party for the end of the day because with the dancing, hooting and hollering, I don't know if we would have been able to do anything else otherwise! Your kids were jamming to the music, singing the lyrics and having a great time. I got a lot pleasure watching (and sometimes dancing) them!

Also, thank you for the gift card to Acacia Bistro and the $50 in cash. You shouldn't have! My job is to teach, guide and love. Simple. The love I get back from you and your children is priceless!

Ok, now we'll set our sights on the New Year. We'll continue with fractions and decimals in January in preparation for the next paced assessment on January 22nd (I think). We'll start literature circles where students will read various novels in small groups. We'll get more active with our energy studies and continue our study of the human body. We'll continue social studies with the making of the US with the American Revolution looming before too long.

I'd like to take a moment to say a hearty goodbye and godspeed to Emily and her family who were with us at John Eaton for only five weeks. They hail from Australia and were in the US for four months teaching and learning at universities and elementary schools in the region. Thanks so much for your presence and contribution to our global community. We'll miss you. Please stay in touch!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS FOR 2012 COME TRUE.

Thursday's Information

2011-12-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

No Homework (Houston Math does have an assignment) tonight except signed Thursday report cover sheets and an item for the classroom auction if contributing.

Goodbye Isabella. Have fun in Miami!

Chipotle and Homework Post

2011-12-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Parents!

I know I sent an email, but I'm posting here too: WE DID IT! WE RAISED THE FUNDS FOR OUR VEGGIE U CURRICULUM KIT WITH EXTRA CASH TO BOOT! THANKS SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS EFFORT!

We raised $1,242.76, and Chipotle donated $621.31 for our curriculum kit with $171.36 left over to spend on a gardening initiative with the entire school.

Hooray!

It's so heartening to see what we can accomplish together. I'll take lots of photos when we use the kit so you can see what you paid for!

Homework

Walk Two Moons packet

Coti Math: Journal 2, page 195

Field Trip tomorrow to see The Nutcracker. We have room on the bus for parents who would like to join us.

Homework, Fundraiser and a Field Trip!

2011-12-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

Homework -- Monday, December 5, 2011

Unit 5 in Vocabulary Workshop. Read article on chemistry and complete word study on the next two pages.

Coti Math: Study Link 7.1

Houston Math: handout.

REMINDER:

TOMORROW IS THE CHIPOTLE FUNDRAISER FOR OUR SCIENCE KIT. I PLAN TO BE THERE AT 5 TO MEET THE MANAGER. THE FUNDRAISER WILL BE HELD FROM 5-8. TRY TO GET OUT THERE IF YOU CAN AND BRING THE FLYER WITH YOU!

THURSDAY IS THE FIELD TRIP TO SEE THE NUTCRACKER. WE'RE ASKING FOR $10 FOR THE BUS FEE PLUS A SIGNED FIELD TRIP FORM.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Homework-- Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

Vocab. Workshop, page 43
Finish book reviews
Math handout on fractions. Do four problems on page in math notebook.

The time frame for the Chipotle outing is 5-8, not 6-8 as previously stated. Hope you can get over there (Tenleytown location) on December 6!

No school on Friday. Teacher Professional Development

Homework and Fundraising for our Class!

2011-11-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I'd like to welcome Emily McEvoy to our class. Emily is from Australia and will return to her country in about five weeks. We have her for a very short while, but it's great to have her with us!

Tonight's homework:

Math: handout

Vocab. Workshop: pages 41 and 42

Glyphs: Those who didn't complete their glyphs today in school need to bring them in tomorrow. Half the class did not participate in this activity since they were with the American Ballet Theatre.

NOTICE

OUR CLASS HAS PARTNERED WITH CHIPOTLE FOR A FUNDRAISER ON DECEMBER 6 FROM 6-8 PM. FIFTY PERCENT OF PROCEEDS GO TO A GARDENING/NUTRITION INITIATIVE THAT MEETS OUR SCIENCE, MATH AND READING STANDARDS. EVERYTHING OVER AND BEYOND $450 WILL BENEFIT THE ENTIRE SCHOOL!

PLEASE COME OUT TO CHIPOTLE IN TENLEYTOWN ON DECEMBER 6 AND SUPPORT OUR CLASS! FLYERS WILL BE DELIVERED TO BACKPACKS TOMORROW. THANKS!

American Indian Presentations

2011-11-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hello!

These photos show a few groups who shared their American Indian projects this afternoon. The students worked hard to get these projects finished before the break. A couple of groups will have to present after the break, though, since they haven't quite finished.

The students were broken into groups that researched Indians in different regions of the U.S.: Eastern, Southwest, Plains and Arctic.

Look for more photos next week after the remaining groups present!

NO HOMEWORK

2011-11-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

No homework this week due to testing and Thanksgiving holiday.

Get lots of rest and eat a good breakfast in preparation for the math exam and have a wonderful time with family and friends during the Thanksgiving break!

Tonight's Homework: Thursday, November 16, 2011

2011-11-17T15:24:00.001-08:00

Study for tomorrow's grammar quiz.

Houston Math: handout

Homework, Wednesday, November 16, 2011

2011-11-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Grammar: Review and practice Unit 5. Quiz on Friday. Choose 3 items from each section on the last four pages.

Coti Math: handout

Houston Math: handout plus practice fact triangles

Sawyer: handout

Homework, November 15, 2011

2011-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

Language Arts: Handout on main and helping verbs. Complete the even numbers from 10-20 on the Independent Practice section on page 2. Quiz on main, helping and past, present, future verb forms on Friday.

Coti Math: Choose 5 division problems and complete. Please show your work.

Houston Math: Handout.

Sawyer: Handout.

Tonight's Homework: Monday, November 14, 2011

2011-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Reading/Writing: Handout on Walk Two Moons. Answer the three comprehension questions in full sentences from chapters 17 and 18. Choose a discussion question for tomorrow from the "discussion section."

Coti Math: Assignment on tenmarks.com. Log in and go to your messages. Click to find your assignment on divisibility. Click on assignment.

Houston Math: Studylinks, page 259.

Sawyer Math: Handout

Some students need to finish their "trash" books. We're reading them to the kindergarten and first grade on Wednesday.

Today's Field Trip and Homework

2011-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day in so many ways: beautiful weather, an interesting, educational and fun field trip to the Natural History Museum and a picnic on the Mall! Oh, and it was Kaan's birthday! His father came on the trip and when we returned to school, he brought in homemade cupcakes to celebrate. Yum!

Our students got their hands onto bones and teeth from a person who lived during colonial times and determined the gender, age and general health of the person by examining them. We determined that the person was a female slave who most probably worked on a tobacco plantation. She was between 25 and 29 years old and lived a hard life.

After our studies in the forensic lab, we toured the "Written in Bone" exhibit and filled in a study guide created by Michelle and Eileen (our enrichment coordinators) to try to find the answers to mystery people who died long, long ago. Thank you Michelle and Eileen for all the background preparation you did to make this trip such a big success and thanks to all the parents who came on the trip to facilitate the learning/

Our homework this evening is to write a narrative essay about today's trip with a minimum of three paragraphs. The students learned a lot. I know I did!

There will not be a blog entry tomorrow due to the holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Homework and More!

2011-11-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Hello Parents,

This is a short week, but it is filled with exciting activities.

Our field trip to the Natural History Museum is this Wednesday. We are going to become forensic anthropologists and learn how to identify key characteristics from human bones such as age, any diseases and maybe cause of death. The students will be in small groups of four with an adult facilitator as they explore the display area after they experience the lab portion of the trip.

On Thursday, award-winning author Sharon Creech will visit our classroom and talk about her book Walk Two Moons which we are currently reading. We hope to also have the students participate in a Readers Theater.

Today we had our American Indian Celebration. The students were wowed by the dances and stories, and the presentation ties in with our projects on Native Americans. The students are working in groups or partnerships to show what they learn about different tribes in various regions of the country. The projects have written, oral and construction components. Please check with your students to see the rubric so you know what is expected.

Friday is a holiday, so I hope you all enjoy a long weekend that is relaxing and fun!

Tonight's Homework:

Finish paragraphs from 4-Square template.
If you have a computer, research your American Indian region and bring some information to share with your group.
Coti Math: handout on long division
Houston Math: page 154 in CM journal plus one story problem on long division.

Homework, Thursday, November 4th

2011-11-03T14:13:00.001-07:00

Social Studies: Finish questions 1-4 on page 87.
Finish typing any text for "trash" books.
Coti Math: handout
Houston Math: handout

Homework, Monday, October 31, 2011

2011-10-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Bring in 10 pieces of candy for an activity tomorrow morning if you go trick-or-treating or attend a party.
Houston Math: worksheet
Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Cider House Photos

2011-10-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents!

I'm so glad so many of you made it out to our Cider House for the poetry reading. Didn't our students do an excellent job? I am so proud of each and every student. Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Cider House and Homework

2011-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents!

I've changed the name of our poetry reading from coffee house to cider house since cider is what we'll drink!
I hope many of you will come out and listen to our children read their original works. I took three of their poems to my book club last Friday night (poetry was the subject of the evening), and the members were amazed at the depth and wisdom in the students' poems.

We visited Politics and Prose today, braving light rain to walk there. We listened to Linda Urban speak about her life as a writer starting from first grade when she wrote her first poem. She inspired us! We all pledged to take up her assignment to write down something we are burning to do with our lives and pretend it has already happened. The idea is to put this paper behind a magic mirror or alarm clock or some object we see first thing in the morning and last before bedtime and grow into becoming that thing we most burn to be.
My hand was raised in the pledge as well!

Homework

Study for tomorrow morning's grammar quiz.
Work on recycling books or write a discussion question from The Kid Who Ran For President depending on which group you're in.

Homework--Monday and Tuesday, October 24 and 24, 2011 and Field Trips

2011-10-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Reminder: Field Trips on Wednesday and Thursday to Shakespeare Theater and Politics and Prose
Poetry Reading in the CotiSweets Classroom on Friday at 11:15 am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MS. HOUSTON AND MAXIM!

Monday: Vocabulary Workshop, pages 26-28
Coti Math: Journal, page 66
Houston Math: Study Links, page 103 plus one word problem
Sawyer Math: Handout on long division

Tuesday: Grammar Review Packet for Friday's Test
Coti Math: Study Links 3.3 plus handout on division facts
Houston Math: Handout
Sawyer Math: Handout

Be Water Wise DC plus today's Homework

2011-10-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents!

Today NPR's Morning Edition came to Eaton and followed a small group of students around the school as they conducted water flow audits of our sinks. We were interviewed and will appear on tomorrow morning's broadcast of Morning Edition on 88.5 FM during the morning rush hour. Since this is a large window of time, it might be difficult to hear the segment. If so, just listen online!

I've posted a few more photos of yesterday's field trip. I was so busy with the students today that I completing forgot to take photos of today's water activities. We'll continue to conduct our water audit throughout the school, so there is plenty of opportunity to take more photos of our young scientists in action. Please check backpacks for the letter of introduction to the Be Water Wise program. There is also a media release form and a water worksheet #1 for the students to complete tonight for homework.

Homework -- Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Vocab. Workshop, Page 23
Water Worksheet #1
Coti Math: Graph DC annual rainfall on a line graph. See the graphing activity we completed today on Argentina.
Houston Math: Journal, page 131
Practice math triangles
Study for Friday's quiz

Hope some of you can join us for tomorrow's Recycling Assembly at 1:30!

Today's Field Trip and Homework

2011-10-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary Workshop, page 22

Complete post-survey on Plants/Farming and write two paragraphs
on our field trip to Arcadia Farms. The first paragraph should give
an overview of the trip and the second paragraph should describe
an activity you especially enjoyed.

Houston Math: cut out your multiplication triangles and bring to class tomorrow.

Homework-- Wednesday, October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Coti Math: Study Links, 5.5

Vocabulary Workshop, page 21

Writing: We're reading Walk Two Moons as a class. Each student has a copy to borrow for the duration of our book study. In the beginning of the novel, Sal is about to leave on a cross-country trip with her grandparents.
Writing assignment: write a short personal narrative (one page) about a grandparent or an older adult you have spent some time with. Have you ever gone on a trip with grandparents or another older adult? Write about that trip. Do you have a fond memory (or not so fond) about a time you spent with a grandparent or other older adult? Your memory can be funny, sad, happy or just plain weird. Write about it! Remember your four-square method for setting up your paragraphs. Have fun!

Remember to submit the permission slip and $10 bus fee tomorrow or Monday at the latest. We need to book the bus on Monday. Thanks!

News! Homework Posting

2011-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents!

I'd like to let you know that I have a parent/teacher conference sheet posted on the classroom door. If you can't make it on Monday, I can meet with you at another time after school.

The students have written some excellent poetry and would like to share it with you. We are going to hold a poetry reading in our "Coffee House" on Friday, October 28 at 11:00. This is a half-day, so you can take your child with you when you leave if that works for you. We plan to serve hot apple cider and cookies while you listen to the wonderful words your children have woven together. We've studied several literacy devices that they have used in their poetry including: metaphor, simile, personification, rhythm and sensory details. We hope you can join us on the 28th!

Homework: Tuesday, October 11

Reading: Read the article on bones. Find three main ideas and write three supporting details for each. Be ready to talk the similarities and differences between the animals you read about and our own bones.

No math homework tonight.

Looking forward to hearing about our students' White House experience!

Hello Parents! Let's get this blog running!

2011-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's about time to get this thing going since the Eaton site isn't ready yet. I'm chomping at the bit to get news of what's happening in our classroom out to you and also posting homework so we're all on the same page (homework, however, will have to be posted tomorrow!).

So...what's happening in the CotiSweets classroom? Lots of stuff! Our Literacy Block of time in the morning has us reading about Alaska and reading folktales depending on the flexible groups. We're studying setting, plot, characters and getting into the meat and bones of what makes a story interesting. We're also sharing lots of questions and ideas that come from your children. We're going to switch up in the next week or so to study the book Walk Two Moons as a class endeavor and then get organized into literature circles to read and study other great books in small groups. We'll also get into informational text through our science studies of the human body and plugging into a site created by a DC teacher who has many articles about what's happening in our world for our students to explore and digest.

We've welcomed Cara Houston to our school as a classroom assistant for both fourth grades. Cara comes from Vermont where she obtained her degree in Elementary Education, She supports both classrooms in reading and math and is a godsend to our classroom community. She already has a handle on how to manage a classroom with firmness and kindness, and the students love her. Go Cara! We've also welcomed Ms. Adam, a student intern from Howard University who will be with us until December. She arrived today and got into the mix immediately with a math group who were exploring place value. I know she'll love her stay at Eaton. My motto is: "throw 'em into the mix and let them learn by experience." I think she gets it! Welcome Semina!

In math, we're reviewing a lot of concepts that will be tested in early October. At least the test is aligned now, and the students should absolutely Ace It! We also bring more sophisticated topics into the mix where your children can expand their knowledge. For example, I've introduced the game, Rodringo, where algebraic equations are picked out of a bag, and the students have to discern their meanings and place rods onto rod mats. We also use the laptops to practice concepts. Feedback is immediate which helps the students to rethink problems and try again. www.ixlmath.com is a wonderful website. Check it out at home! I am going to write a small grant in order to get a classroom account. Wish me luck! The students need work on word problems. They need to know what question the problem poses and work out a plan to solve it. We've been working on a four-step plan for problem solving that includes: read the problem, work out a plan, solve the problem and then look back to see if the solution makes sense. The last step is critical because many times, a student rushes through a problem and doesn't check to make sure the answer is correct. Please work with your child to go back to the problem to make sure they've covered every step when homework includes word problems and actually any problem! I've seen children shake their heads over thoughtless mistakes. They NEED TO CHECK BACK!

In social studies, we're connecting the early people of North America with South America since Argentina is our country of study in 4th grade. Thanks to Benji's mother, Laura, we were fortunate to have a guest speaker from Argentina come to our school to give a presentation on the country. Marina is Under-Secretary for Intervention and Risk Control in the Ministry of Health of Argentina. She gave us a beautiful montage of images of Argentina with her savvy commentary, left us with many beautiful photos with captions that the students can fit together, flags, chocolates, mate, and wonderful brochures that provide us with a pile of information about the country. Thank you Laura and Marina for taking the time to provide us with a rich introduction to Argentina!

Science has us studying the human body through nutrition and exercise. We've used a great internet site that gets kids excited about healthy foods and exercise, the nutrients that good foods contain and the steps to greater health. We've also just recently started our bone studies. We've jumped rope to observe which parts of the body moving, counted our bones and then looked at pictures of bones in order to determine how many bones are in the human skeleton. We worked in groups on a certain area of the body and then came back together to share our results. I have to tell you that your very observant and careful students counted 206! This is exact number of bones in the typical human skeleton after infancy. Today, we dissected owl pellets in order to find the similarities and differences between our bones and the bones of a vole. I have uploaded some pictures from our math and science classes today.

Tomorrow we are going to harvest all the remaining basil in our school garden and make pesto to celebrate School Gardens Week. We plan to share our dish with the other fourth grade.

Be on the lookout next month for exciting news about the DC School Recycling Initiative!

All is well in the CotiSweets classroom. Please check on homework and PLEASE get those Thursday report cover sheets returned to school on Friday. I take a lot of time to get them out to you with classwork, homework return rates and behaviour feedback. I want to know you've seen this report, and the only way I can is the signed copy that comes back on Friday. This way, I know the home/school connection is complete for the week. Also, if you haven't sent in the $15 for the cursive and vocabulary books, I'd be happy to receive it. If it's a hardship, send what you can. Thanks!

Thank you, parents, for being such supportive champions of your child's progress through fourth grade. Let's give a cheer for a GREAT BEGINNING!

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 4/25-4/29

2011-05-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Homework

Hi!

So sorry it took me a while to upload this. As many of you know, last Friday was my last day and I am so overwhelmed by all of the nice things said and done for me. I truly have loved being part of this class and already miss everybody SO much! It felt so unnatural to not be at John Eaton today.

I want to thank all of those parents who have supported me and referred to me throughout this semester—I have truly appreciated it. You all have such amazing children and I have loved being part of their lives for just a few months and I wish them all the best in the rest of the year! However, it is not goodbye—you will see me around! I am planning on chaperoning a few of the upcoming field trips and will be attending the end of the year party.

Last week was FILLED with fun things in (and out of) the CotiSweets classroom and I have A LOT of pictures to prove it! (Since it’s my last week I thought that I would not hold back on the amount of pictures, so you’re getting a ton!)

We just started a new Literature Circle unit! This unit’s theme is historical fiction. Each group is reading and discussing a fiction book based on a different historical period. As they read, there is a “historian” who will check some of the facts in the book and research other facts about the time period in order to guide the group’s reading and help them with their final projects.

In math (in our homeroom) we learned about tessellations! The kids came up with some great works of art as they tessellated a variety of polygons and shapes:

This week was filled with Argentine culture (above)! Upon Ms. Coti’s arrival back from Argentina, she brought us all kinds of treats, presents, letters from our pen-pals, and stories about our friends at the Argentine schools, and Argentine culture in general. Then on Wednesday, I taught the kids about soccer in Argentina and we designed our own jerseys!

Then came the field trips! On Thursday we visited Kenilworth Aquatic Center (pictures above), and despite the storms, we were able to visit the water and listen for frog calls as well as learn about various gadgets (notice the yellow one that Max is holding) that help them predict the weather! Then on Friday, we visited Glen Echo park (pictures below) where we went on beautiful nature hikes, learned about the local watershed, played a game, tested stream water, and even petted a frog!

On Friday there was a mini going away party for me, and I really appreciate the card and nice things that all of the students said (and the wonderful flowers/card from the parents!! Thanks so much!).

That’s it for now—thank you so much for reading the blog all of these weeks! Please keep in touch—I gave the kids my email address, but here it is again: rg7939a@american.edu OR rcagoldy12@hotmail.com. -Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 4/11-4/15

2011-04-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

(Above: Pysanka egg dying!)

(Above: Poetry cafe!)

(Above: Social Studies Presentations and the park ranger tells us how to recognize frog calls)

Hello Parents!

This has been a fun week in the CotiSweets classroom! First of all, pat your students on the back, for they did a wonderful job with the DC-CAS! It takes a lot of stamina to take any standardized test, but they made it through two weeks of it! Ms. Coti and I recognize and are so proud of all of their hard work and we’re sure that they did us proud.

This week in Social Studies we wrapped up the Famous Colonial Figures presentations, and everyone did a wonderful job! We’re almost finished with this unit, and then we will begin learning about the Revolutionary War.

Thank you so much for celebrating the end of our poetry unit with us! The publishing party was great and we were so happy to see so many families join us.

This week we had a park ranger from our first environmental field trips come and teach us how to recognize different frog calls! The entire fourth grade joined our class in listening to recorded calls and learning how to be great listeners so that we can help this NASA-sponsored program count how many frogs (and what types) live in specific areas of DC.

As I’m sure many of you have heard about, Ms. Coti introduced us to Pysanka egg decorating this week—a Ukranian tradition that is similar to Batiking. The kids LOVED it, and got very creative when making their eggs! Some students also worked on the butterfly mosaic table top that is our class auction project, and it is looking great!

As I just (sadly) announced to your students, my last week student teaching is the week after Spring Break ☹ So unfortunately next week’s blog update will be my last!
Have a wonderful Spring Break and enjoy the pictures—I have A LOT this week!
Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 4/4-4/8

2011-04-08T14:27:00.001-07:00

(Top: Social Studies presentations and working on our butterfly projects!)
(Bottom: more butterfly oragami, our pizza party, and working on making our poetry books!!)

Hello families!

We survived the first week of the DC-CAS! Pat your child on the back, they all did a fantastic job and Ms. Coti and I are VERY proud of them!! As promised, because there were no pictures last week, this week there are plenty!!

As you may have heard, we have a fairly new system in our classroom in which we help students realize that we are a team and need to be responsible for our actions as a whole group. In order to keep track of how we’re doing, we have a Marvelous Marble jar to which we add marbles each time our class is doing a great job (and from which a scoop can be taken out if we are not doing our personal best as a whole)—and this week we reached the top!! Because of this, our class voted on the prize: a pizza party! What a great way to end a long testing week.

In Social Studies we are presenting our famous Colonial figure projects. Everyone has such a great job and we are learning a lot of interesting facts! Enjoy the pictures!

Our theme for the school-wide auction is B for Butterflies. This week Linn Meyers (Sheppy’s mom) and Sheri Carline (James’ mothers) came to our class to work on the table top that we are mosaic tiling and helped us make origami butterflies. Thanks so much!! Our basket and project are going to be great!

We are wrapping up our poetry unit in writing workshop and as a culmination to the unit, we are compiling our poems into individual books! We will be having a publishing party on Wednesday, April 13^th, at 1:20pm—please join us!! On this day we will be showcasing our books and sharing some of our favorite poems—hope to see you there! Please contact me with any questions.

Another announcement: on Tuesday afternoon we will be doing a Pysanka egg dying project. Today a flier was sent home with your student. Please send your child to school with 1-2 eggs on Tuesday, preferably “blown” out. Please contact Ms. Coti with any questions.

That’s it for now—please continue to help your student get a lot of rest and have a good breakfast because testing resumes on MONDAY (today DCPS called and changed testing to Monday and Tuesday rather than Tuesday and Wednesday).

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Goldy

What's Going On In Our Classroom? Weekly Update From Ms. Goldy Week of 3/28-4/1

2011-03-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello again!
This has been a busy week in the Coti Sweets classroom!
In Social Studies, each student is researching one famous figure from the Colonial era. Next week they will present their findings to the class! They were given a packet with all of the guidelines, a rubric, helpful resources, and due dates, so if you have any questions take a look at that or contact me. From what I've seen and heard they have already found interesting information and are coming up with very creative projects!

In Writing Workshop we are continuing our poetry unit, this week focusing on sensory details--details about the five senses. On Tuesday, we visited our garden and wrote down observations based on our five senses (what we heard, what we saw, what we smelled, etc.). On Wednesday, we tried our hand at writing poetry with sensory details as well as other poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, and rhyming.

Despite the cold spell, this week we planted some seeds indoors to go into our garden!

Next week is the DC-CAS and in preparation we have been reviewing strategies for test taking and reviewing some math, reading, and writing skills. Please remind your child to do their best, remember their strategies, and don't stress! They can do it if they just focus! Also, please make sure that your child is at school on time (there are very strict procedures we have to follow in relation to the CAS), gets a good breakfast, and has had enough sleep the night before.

That's it for now--sorry for no pictures this week, I'll make sure that there are extra pictures next week!!
Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 3/21-3/25

2011-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

(Top: Guest speaker in math, and students explore geometry and angles with mirrors)

(Above) Exploring geometry/angles with mirrors, some student "dictionaries" for geometric transformation terms, and students conduct the "cube drop" as they explore probability.

Hi again!
This week was the first of a two-week “takeover” in which I take a try at being the full-time lead teacher in the classroom, and boy, did we learn a lot this week!

In preparation for the (dreaded) DC-CAS, this week we have been doing some extra math practice in our homeroom. On Monday we explored the geometric transformations called “slide” (translation), “flip” (reflection), and “turn” (rotation). In pairs, we mimicked the transformations using our bodies and then traced pattern blocks to make “dictionaries” of these terms. Later in the week we also explored similar vs. congruent shapes and practiced various math skills using “probes” created by Mrs. Cahir.

In Social Studies we are still learning about the 13 Colonies. This week we finished up our enlarged maps, learned about the Puritans and the Quakers, reenacted the Triangular Trade Route, and wrote diary entries from the point of view of a slave on the Middle Passage.

In Writing Workshop we are still working on our poetry unit—this week focusing on rhythm and rhyme. It’s a tricky concept, but we were able to identify the rhythm and rhyme schemes in limericks and then write our own!

In Coti Math, we are finishing a unit on fractions, and we most recently applied our knowledge to probability, conducting a “cube-drop” experiment in which pairs of students dropped a small cube 50 times onto a piece of graph paper that was colored with a particular ratio of colors. Students then recorded their results and compared them to their predictions (the probability based on the color ratio) from the day before.

On Friday, Coti Math had a guest speaker who taught us how to measure angles and about geometry using mirrors! Check out some of the pictures--the students loved it!

That’s all for now!
Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 3/14-3/17

2011-03-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

(Left: creating our own fraction games)

(Students explore circuits!)

Hello again from the Coti Sweets classroom! Although this week was only four days, it was packed with fun activities and we sure learned a lot!

First of all, we want to thank those of you who showed up to and/or helped out with the Politics and Prose fundraiser last weekend—we had a great turnout! More specifically, Ms. Coti and I really appreciate those of you who donated books to our classroom. We really appreciate it!

In Social Studies we continued learning about the 13 colonies—researching and presenting on one specific colony. Each pair did a great job with the research, presentation, and file folder that they used to present their material. Take a look in our classroom—they are hanging on a bulletin board along with our colony postcards from last week!

In Science with Ms. Coti, we learned about electric circuits this week, exploring how to make one using only 2 wires, a D-cell battery, and a small light bulb. Everyone had a lot of fun experimenting with these materials, and it was so exciting when the light bulbs turned on!

Last week into this week, Coti Math has been applying their knowledge about fractions to games! Using any materials they could find, students were instructed to create a game that used fractions. This week students finalized their games and we all played them—the students were very creative!

On a different note, we are excited to announce that all of our 4^th grade classes got approved to go on a series of four environmental science field trips this Spring!! More information and permissions slips will be coming soon!!

That’s all for now—we have a lot of pictures this week, so enjoy them and have a great long weekend!

Ms. Goldy

What's Going On In Our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy: Week of 3/7-3/11

2011-03-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hello!
This week has been great!
In Social Studies, we wrote postcards from the perspective of colonists from either Spanish colonies, Jamestown, or Plymouth. The kids showed their knowledge well and drew some creative pictures on the front of their postcards! We are now beginning our unit on the 13 Colonies, and so far we've been learning a lot of interesting things!

In Writing Workshop we are still working on our poetry unit. This week, we learned about similes and metaphors and came up with creative examples to describe our friends in the classroom! We also learned about personification and drew great (and often hilarious!) pictures of what a sentence using personification would look like if it was taken literally. Like our previous poems, each of these will eventually be compiled into individual book that the students will make and bring home in a few weeks.

On Tuesday, our class visited Beauvoir Elementary School to pair up with second graders and plant spinach and lettuce seeds. In the Spring we will return and make a salad with our own vegetables! The kids had a great time and the 2nd graders did too!!

That's all for now,
Have a great weekend!
Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 3/1-3/4

2011-03-04T13:34:00.001-08:00

Hello! It was so great to meet so many of you parents at parent-teacher conferences on Monday and I’m so happy to hear that so many of you look at this blog ☺

This has been quite a week! Despite the long weekend, your kids were hard at work from the day they returned to school. All of Tuesday and Wednesday mornings were taken up by our final DC-BAS test before the CAS in April. Although such testing is never fun, the kids worked through it and did very well.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, on Wednesday we began our poetry unit in writing workshop. So far we have learned about (and written our own!) acrostics, poems using alliteration, learned about palindromes, and we are in the process of working on poems using onomatopoeias! At the end of the unit, each student is going to “publish” their own book of poetry, which will highlight what we have learned throughout the unit. After celebrating our books in the classroom they will be sent home for you to enjoy with your child!

In Social Studies we learned about the Mayflower Compact and how its purpose was essentially to solve a problem for the Pilgrims (there was no government in their new colony). We then applied these problem-solving skills to a problem in our own classroom: talking while others are talking. After getting into groups to brainstorm solutions to this problem, each group presented their ideas to the class. We then voted on a solution and signed our own CotiSweets Compact! If you’re in our classroom, take a look at it—it’s hanging on the wall with all of our signatures at the bottom.

That’s it for now,
Have a great weekend,
Ms. Goldy

What’s Going On In our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 2/22-2/25

2011-02-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

(Left: exploring magnets with balances! How many washers does it take to break the magnetic force holding the balance down?)

(Middle row L-R: Water Cycles in a jar!, Black History Month Assembly's step team!, Sheppy's grandfather shows us the plans for a scale model.)
(Bottom Row: The science fair! Everyone did so well!!)

Hello again! I am going to try to keep this blog entry short because so much happened this week that I want to leave room for lots of pictures!

After the long weekend, we got started right away with a guest speaker—Sheppy’s grandfather, Alan, visited our classroom to share his knowledge about architecture and scaled models in order to help us begin building or scale model of an Incan city! He even brought in models of houses that he has designed to show us!

This has been a science-filled week!! With Ms. Coti, we continued to explore electromagnetism—extending our knowledge of magnets to how magnets react with iron shavings and balancing scales. Later in the week, our class split in half—one group going outside to our class garden to learn about watersheds, while the other group stayed inside and made water cycles in a jar! Ask your child how it works and if you get a chance, stop by our classroom and see them on the windowsill! Then on Friday, we had the 4^th grade science fair!! All of our students did an amazing job presenting their findings to the judges, and they were all very patient while waiting for their turn (despite the heat and the sometimes long wait).

Last but not least, on Friday afternoon we had our Black History Month assembly! We were so proud to see so many of our students participate—and they all did a GREAT job!! Way to go!

Have a great weekend and I hope to see many of you at conferences on Monday!!

Ms. Goldy

What's Going On In Our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 2/14-2/18

2011-02-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

(Top Row) The Chinese New Year Celebration!; (Bottom): the students explore magnets!

Ni Hao from the CotiSweets classroom! I hope that you are all able to access this blog by now so that you can hear about (and see) what's going on in our classroom! I want to especially thank Sheri Carline (James' mom) for emailing everyone about the blog--I really appreciate it!
This week has been very eventful for our fourth graders. Over the weekend some of our classmates competed (and came in FIRST place!) in an important cheerleading competition. Way to go-we're so proud! In other athletic news, our basketball players got to meet the famous Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this week! Many got his autograph and they all got a sneak peak of his upcoming movie.
On Monday we were all very excited to celebrate Valentine's Day as well as Charlotte's birthday--we all sure had a lot of sugar! Appropriately, that day we also began reading our new Reading Workshop book, "The Valentine That Ate My Teacher."
On Tuesday, we (belatedly) celebrated the Chinese New Year! Ms. Coti and I were so proud to see so many of our students participate. Everyone did a great job with the 4th grade song, Cheyenne and Shalom danced the fan dance, and Jerus and Emry played the drums for many of the performances!
In Science with Ms. Coti, we've started a new unit on electromagnetism and did a fun activity where we explored what types of objects stick to magnets and how magnets behave in various situations. Everyone came up with great hypotheses, observations, and conclusions!
In Social Studies, we have started a unit on colonies and have so far explored the Spanish colonists and will continue on (in the next week) to explore the British colonies in Jamestown and Plymouth.
Pat your child on the back!! On Thursday our class participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress-a standardized test given to fourth graders across the country to see how they compare with one another. Our class did an excellent job following directions and not getting too antsy after sitting still for an hour and a half straight!!
Well that's it for now, have a great long weekend!!
Ms. Goldy

Homework

2011-02-14T13:29:00.001-08:00

Monday: Coti Math -- CMJ, pages 144, 145, 146

Wordly Wise, 18 A

Science Project due on Wednesday. Be ready to present. First round
of judging takes place that day. Mr. Bergfalk and I will judge. Practice
your oral report!

Tuesday: Coti Math: long division handout

Wordly Wise, 18B

Science Project due tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

What’s Going On In Our Classroom? Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 2/7-2/11

2011-02-10T16:25:00.001-08:00

Lit Circle Presentations! (Top L-R) "The Kid Who Ran For President" has a debate, "Tuck Everlasting" shows off their immortality spring, "Al Capone Does My Shirts" takes a bow after a skit. (Bottom) Cyrus and Max arrest the bad guys (left) who knocked out the jail keeper, Kayla (right), before escaping!

Hello again! I hope that you have all been able to access this blog—Ms. Coti and I saw some problems, but hopefully they are all worked out. This week has been pretty great in our classroom!
This has been a book-filled week! On Tuesday we had RIF (Reading is Fundamental) in the library, where each student chooses one book to take home! Then on Friday we will be visiting the Cleveland Park Library.
In writing workshop we practiced using the “4-square method” of organizing and planning a cohesive essay with an introduction, three paragraphs, and a conclusion. Looking at their drafts Ms. Coti and I have seen a HUGE improvement! Ask your child to see his/her essay!
Almost all of the Lit Circle groups have presented their book to the class now, and the presentations were really good! As an audience we were treated to a play about Al Capone (Al Capone Does My Shirts), a presidential debate (The Kid Who Ran For President), a discussion of whether eternal life is a blessing or a curse (Tuck Everlasting), and much more!
Have a great weekend!
Ms. Goldy

Homework and Message

2011-02-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

Homework -- Monday, February 7, 2011

W.W. 17A
Coti Math: CMJ, pages 135 and 136
Work on science project

Dear Parents,

Our new student intern, Rachel Goldy, will post a weekly update on the blog. I hope you received her letter last week introducing herself. She's a wonderful addition to our classroom community and has jumped in with lots of great ideas. She has been working with small groups and will teach the next social studies unit on the colonies.

Please let us know if you've read the first blog. It was posted last Friday. I had trouble finding it and wondered if anyone else has.

Thanks,

Susan

What’s Going On In Our Classroom?: Weekly Update from Ms. Goldy 1/31-2/4

2011-02-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello from the Coti Sweets classroom! This is the first of many weekly updates from our classroom. This has been an exciting week! We had two birthdays (Shalom and Jerus), no snow days (that sure hasn't happened in a while!), and learned a lot of interesting things.
In Writing Workshop we're finishing our Powerpoint presentations on the Incas, and they are great! We've been learning all about Incan religion, art, music, and most recently, how their cities were designed. In Language Arts, we have been discussing "point of view" in narratives. As a writing prompt, we chose one person whose shoes we'd like to "walk in" for a day and why. We got some great responses---ask your child who they chose! To reinforce this concept, Ms. Coti and I wanted to create an experience that gave students different perspectives on the same event. On Thursday morning, we gave a special treat to only a few students (something that caused quite a stir among those who did not get the treat!). Afterward, the students responded to the prompt "How did you feel when about what happened today? How do you think your classmates felt? What was their point of view?" and discussed how each person had a different point of view that depended on their experience. And don't worry, everyone got the same treat in the end :-)
As we wrap up our literature circles, each group is creating a project to share with the class. We look forward to see the skits, dioramas, and activities that they have prepared! Keep an eye out for pictures of the presentations on our blog.That's all for now! Enjoy some pictures from this week and have a great weekend!
-Ms. Goldy

(top) Fa Sade, Daysa, and Charles rehearse their Lit Circle skit

(left) The class celebrates Jerus' birthday with some yummy cake!

(right) "Tuck Everlasting"'s Lit Circle brainstorms/begins their project

(bottom) Indoor recess makes some of us pretty goofy!

Homework -- Week of January 31, 2011

2011-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Monday

Coti Math: Journal, Page 127
Wordly Wise: 16A
Lit. Circle Assignments

Tuesday

Coti Math: Journal, Pages 128 and 129 plus handout
Wordly Wise 16B
Lit. Circle Assignments
Point of View essay

Wednesday

Coti Math: Journal Pages 130 and 131
Wordly Wise 16 C and D
Lit. Circle Assignments
Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 3 -- finish the four reading checks.

Thursday

Coti Math: Journal, pages 132 and 133
Wordly Wise: 16E plus study for test
Lit. Circle Assignments
Point of View Essay

Friday

No homework (unless you need to do makeups)

Homework--Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Wordly Wise 15 C and D

Finish writing first drafts of vocabulary word stories.

Math: Handout

Lit. Circle readings plus jobs

Put PJs on backwards!

Homework -- Monday, January 24, 2011

2011-01-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Wordly Wise: 15A
Write a story using at least 10 vocabulary words.

Coti Math: Pages 116 and 117, CMJ

Lit. Circles: Reading plus jobs

Field Trip on Wednesday. Bring permission slip if you haven't turned it in yet.

Homework -- Tuesday, January 18, 2011

2011-01-18T13:05:00.001-08:00

Wordly Wise -- 14 A and B
Math -- Handout
Writing -- Choose one:

1. Write about the similarities and differences between the performances
by Eaton's students and the New York City Ballet of Balanchine's "Themes
and Variations."

2. What story did the first dance tell in today's performance at the Kennedy Center?

Homework -- Monday, January 10, 2011

2011-01-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Finish grading packets we started in class. Write your name in the upper right corner.

Reading: Five pages in reading handout plus two similies and two metaphors.

Read for 30 minutes.

DC-BAS tomorrow. We will take the reading portion of the test. Get a lot of rest and eat a good breakfast!

No Wordly Wise this week due to testing.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I wish you all a new year full of happy surprises and a lot of productivity. As usual, I am unable to connect to this site at school, and that presents some problems in getting homework up on the site in a timely manner. I apologize for this snafu and will make every attempt to get the homework, newsletter and pertinent messages online as soon as possible.

It was great to be back in the classroom and get back into a routine again. The holidays were wonderful with my son back from Japan, our other children home from college and my husband's birthday all rolled into the season, but I felt ready to return. Thank you so much for the class gift of a $150 gift card (Red Door) and the beautiful gifts from individual students and family. I will send personal thank-you notes soon!

We've started the new year where we left off. It's been a seamless reunion of our studies. The students are working on powerpoints of the Incans as they relate to Argentina, studying the early explorers of the Americas and learning how to research and site sources. A substitute teacher told me yesterday that he thought my students were sixth-graders because of their focused work on laptops and how invested they are in their studies. The students beamed with pride when I told them.

We will have a test on Unit 4 in math on Friday. We'll conclude (for now) our study of decimals and metric measurement and move into multiplication and long division.

The New York City Ballet is here this week with a program that brings the students into the wonderful world of dance and set construction. More than half the class is involved with a culminating performance at 10:30 on Friday. Please try to come!

Mr. Bergfalk is back in the saddle as school-wide science teacher. I'm planning a unit on Planet Earth to supplement the science program.

DC-BAS will be administered next week. I know our students are ready.

Here's to a great new year of teaching and learning!

Susan

Homework: Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Coti Math: Page 101, CMJ

Wordly Wise: 13B plus midterm test

Homework -- Monday, December 13, 2010

2010-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Coti Math: Pages 90 and 93 CMJ
Find examples of decimals. Choose one and be ready to explain its meaning.

Wordly Wise: 12A

Read for 30 minutes.

Homework -- Tuesday, December 7, 2010

2010-12-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

Wordly Wise B

Coti Math: Two-sided math handout plus finish menu if not completed in class.

Read for 30 minutes. Fill in reading log!

Return Impact Aid form. Pizza lunch if we have a 100% return!

December Newsletter plus Homework

2010-12-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Homework -- Monday, December 6, 2010

Wordly Wise 11A

Coti Math: CMJ pages 77 and 79

Read for 30 minutes

Origin stories must be turned in tomorrow or
they will be finished during recess.

December 6, 2010

Hello Parents,

A new season is here! It's hard to believe that winter break is only two weeks away.

The Argetina math projects have arrived, and we began presentations today. They are most impressive, and I think our students have learned a lot about the country. Our next project guidelines will go home after the break.

Penpal letters from Argentina arrived last week and we are in the process of writing back to our pals in Buenas Aires. If your child would like to add a trinket to the letter, that's fine. Coins, silly bandz, photos or pictures from magazines are some ideas. We plan to mail the letters next Monday.

Thanks to the set of computers we received this summer and our wireless configuration in the building, the students regularly use the laptops. They've made powerpoint presentations of
their social studies research on Native Americans, have written stories and will soon do some research on the Argentine Native Americans during the 17 and 1800's. They already studied symbols and painted some beautiful ones on tiles that are displayed outside the library. Come have a look! We'll move on to Unit 3 in social studies, The Age of Exploration, when we return from the break.

In math, we're studying decimals, fractions and percents. We start Unit 5 (Big Numbers, Estimation and Computation) in January.

The students have finished their second literature circle novels and will read stories in the Jr. Great Books series as well as Houghton Mifflin until the break. They made some beautiful projects to represent the books they've read and will soon complete written assessments. Please continue to encourage their nightly reading. They should still fill in their reading logs and bring them to school when completed so I can give them credit.

The New York City Ballet School is coming to Eaton in Janaury! They plan to work with fourth and fifth graders with the idea of presenting a dance at the end of one week. Stay tuned for more news!

Mr. Bergfalk is back, and the students will start regular science classes with him starting next week. We have done some science this year, but not much with this new world cultures curriculum to fit in. I'm so glad Mr. Bergfalk will teach the bulk of science. I will supplement with the environmental program I implement each early spring. The energy program will begin in January. I will choose 5 students who will gauge the school's energy use using special equipment (light meters, heat detectors, etc.) and then report the usage along with recommendations on how to conserve more energy. The groups serve for two weeks and then a new one is formed. This is happen until all the students get to serve on the energy team and learn all about the use and misuse of energy that will apply to their own lives in school and at home as well.

Ms. Roubin's last day was Friday, December 3. We will truly miss her. She promises to visit, so we look forward to seeing her again. Wish her luck as she pursues a teaching career. I know she'll be great!

That's all for now. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Ms. Coti

Homework and Messages

2010-11-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight's homework, Nov. 30

Coti Math: Pages 86 and 87 in CM journal

Wordly Wise: 10B

Work on Native American origin stories

Lit. circle presentations Wednesday!

Some students are not getting homework in. Please check in with your children about their homework. Thanks!

Homework -- Monday, November 22, 2010

2010-11-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

No Wordly Wise this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Reading: Complete WebQuest handout on Thanksgiving.

Coti Math: Handout

Social Studies: Complete symbol statement if not already turned in.

Have a great evening!

Homework--Thursday, November 18, 2010

2010-11-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Wordly Wise E plus study for tomorrow's test

Coti Math: Unit 3 Test.

Reading: Lit. Circle novels

Writing: Write a 3-4 sentence statement about the symbol you painted today.
What does your symbol represent? Why did you choose this symbol?

Homework, Wednesday, November 17, 2010

2010-11-17T16:17:00.001-08:00

WW 9 C and D

Coti Math: Handout

Reading: Summary of Literature Circle Book. Did you enjoy the book? Were there any characters you felt you'd like to be friends with? Why or why not?

Social Studies: Finish the handout we've been working on in class for the past two days. Due tomorrow!

Parents,

The results of the latest DC-Bas are in. We closed the gap in Informational Text in Reading!
We've slipped a bit in Measurement, but closed the gap in Patterns. We're targeting the areas we need to work on and will continue to study the data so that we reach each and every child. Thanks for all your support!

The reading projects from the last literature circle groups were outstanding! From dioramas to dictionaries, from websites to 3-D posters, clay figurines and oral reports, the students did an outstanding job!

Homework, Tuesday, November 16, 2010

2010-11-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

Wordly Wise 9B
Coti Math: finish practice packet started in class
Read lit. novels as directed by group leader
Social Studies: Finish study packet

Thursday and Friday, November 4 and 5

2010-11-05T15:02:00.001-07:00

Thursday, Nov. 4:

Wordly Wise E plus study for spelling and vocab. tests

Coti Math: CMJ, pages 52-54.

Any literature circle work must be completed in time for presentations tomorrow.

Field Trip to Textile Museum.

Friday, Nov. 5:

Our field trip to the Textile Museum went without a hitch. Taking the bus was a novel experience, and the students were very calm and collected both on the way down and on the way back. It was a straight shot down Connecticut Avenue. What a great way to travel! Thanks Michelle Koerner for suggesting the bus and getting the tokens. The museum itself has a very interesting exhibit on 19th century robes from Central Asia. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Our last field trip of 2010 takes place on Wednesday, November 10 to Discovery Theatre and the International Center. This promises to be a fantastic experience. Not only will the students view Argentine Dance, but they will have the opportunity to explore more Argentine culture at the International Center after the show. We have three hands-on activities planned. Please complete the permission slip and send in with $6 (show, metro). On the day of the show, please send your child to school with a bag lunch. Thanks!

Tawid had his tonsils removed and will not be in school for most of next week. I've assigned the class to make get-well cards for him this weekend. I'll give them to his mother on Monday so we can help cheer him!

Have a great weekend!

Susan K. Coti

Monday's Homework and Field Trip Reminder

2010-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Wordly Wise 7A

Coti Math: Handout

Finish constructed response if you didn't finish in class. Make it a "4!"

Bring in signed permission slip for Friday's trip to the Textile Museum plus $2 for metro bus fare (unless you already have a card). We could use one more parent for the trip!

We're walking to Politics and Prose this Thursday, the 4th. Parents welcome!

DC-BAS testing Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hope to see you Wednesday evening at the International Dinner!

Thursday and Friday, October 28th and 29th

2010-10-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Homework

Wordly Wise E plus study for Monday's test.

Complete two reading handouts: cause/effect and plot elements

Coti Math: Handout on square numbers plus problem-solving handout.
Test on Unit 2 on Monday: data collection, number boxes, subtraction
with trade-first and partial differences algorithms.

Read every day for at least 30 minutes. New literature circle books on Monday!
Your projects on the current novels are outstanding! Great work, Coti Sweets!

Happy Halloween!! Stay safe and have a lot of FUN!

Homework -- Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010

2010-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wordly Wise C and D

Coti Math: CMJ, pages 50 and 51

Read for 30 min.

Homework, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 plus a Message

2010-10-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Parents,

I apologize for the delay in getting the homework up on this site. Suddenly and without warning, I can no longer utilize the site at school. It must be on an "Access Denied" status. When I have meetings after school as I did today, I can't get the homework posted until I get home. Sometimes all I think about is getting dinner ready, feeding the pets, etc., and then I remember! Let's see how it goes. I've looked at teacher sites, and although they look good, they're mired in ads including lots of pop-ups. These sites are just plain annoying. So...I'll try my best to post as early as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Math: complete today's handout

Reading: 30 min.

Wordly Wise 6B

Incan writing: those who did not complete the assignment yesterday must turn in tomorrow.

Next week we have TWO FIELD TRIPS! First, we walk to Politics and Prose; next we take the bus to The Textile Museum to experience a display on patterns with a hands-on activity. Can't wait! We'll need two dollars for the bus! Thanks.

Homework -- Monday, October 25, 2010

2010-10-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Wordly Wise 6A

Math: M4T one row
CMJ page 46

Writing/Social Studies: Write what you know about the Incas. We will post your writings with your beautiful drawings.

Scholastic book club on-line ordering information coming soon!

Homework, Tuesday, October 19 and Wednesday, Oct. 20

2010-10-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Oct. 19

WW, Lesson 5B

Coti Math: Finish graph on page 43 and complete pages 44 and 45 in CMJ

Field Trip tomorrow to Discovery Theatre. We will be back in time for recess/lunch.

Wednesday, Oct. 20

WW, Lesson 5 C and D

Math: Measure 10 people's armspan from elbow joint to middle finger. Find the following landmarks: minimum, maximum, range, median, mode, mean (add each number together and then divide by 10. This number will be your mean, or average. You may use a calculator. Graph your data for extra credit!

Bring Argentine puppet essay home and revise/edit for final score tomorrow! Remember to being the rubric!

Parents, this site will be down from 5pm-7pm tomorrow.

Homework and a Message

2010-10-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Parents!

It was great to meet with many of you today to discuss your child's progress, and I look forward to upcoming appointments. If you haven't made one, please do contact me. We can meet any time before or after school.

We have a field trip this Wednesday to Discovery Creek to see an Argentine puppet show. We'd like to have four parent volunteers on this trip since we will travel by metro. The trip starts at 9:30, and we should return by noon at the latest. Hope you can join us!

Tonight's homework:

Wordly Wise 5A

Homework for Thursday and a Message

2010-10-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

Wordly Wise E plus study for vocabulary and spelling tests.

Math: handout

Essay Topic: What does a good audience look and sound like?
How will you improve your behavior on our next field trip (include
the correct way to ride the metro while representing John Eaton)?

Parents, we will need more volunteers on the trips where we ride the metro, especially during rush hour. The children were quite rowdy and didn't represent our school in the way that was expected of them even though we laid the groundrules before leaving the classroom. Please have a talk with your children about orderly, polite behavior while riding the metro and the finer points of audience participation. Thanks!

Homework for Tuesday, October 12, 2010

2010-10-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Math: Page 38 in CMJ plus handout
Reading: 30 minutes. Parent should sign the reading log each evening.
Wordly Wise: A and B.

I'm having trouble posting from school and home. It's taken me hours to get this post going! I'll look into the problem; sorry for the delay in posting.

I'd be remiss if I didn't credit Ms. Ramsey with her idea for the TAS assessment. She came up with the wonderful idea to integrate math with our study of Argentina. Ms. Roubin assisted us with writing up the outline into a wonderful lesson plan.

Have a great evening!

Susan

Tonight's Homework and a Couple of Messages

2010-10-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday's Homework

Wordly Wise E plus study for spelling and vocabulary tests
Coti Math: handout on collecting, organizing and interpreting data
Writing: work on final drafts of essays (Wisdom and Luck).

Parent/Teacher Conferences take place on Monday, October 18 from 9 - 4. I'll have a sign-up sheet on the classroom door. You can also leave a message here or email me at s_coti@hotmail.com. If you can't make it on that date, we can arrange an alternative time.
Look forward to seeing you!

Several field trips are coming up starting next week. Please send permission slips with any associated fees ASAP. Thanks.

Please welcome Cyrus Macdowell to John Eaton. He arrived on Monday, and we're so pleased to have him with us. Wecome Cyrus and family to the John Eaton family!

Homework and Upcoming Field Trips

2010-10-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 5

Coti Math: Pages 34 and 36 in CMJ

Wordly Wise: 3B

Wednesday, October 6

Coti Math: Finish writing reflection on page 25 in CMJ
Finish any math boxes you need to catch up with

Wordly Wise: 3C and D

Reading: read what your lit. group decides and do complete your jobs.

Field trip to Lincoln Center next week!

Monday's Homework and Other Words

2010-10-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Coti Math: Page 30 in CMJ, finish "Name Boxes" handout, complete four problems from Math 4 Today handout.

Science: Finish the Steps of the Scientific Method for our root hair experiment.

Wordly Wise: Lesson 3A

Reading: Read the pages your literature circle agreed on and do the job you chose so that you'll be ready to contribute to tomorrow's discussion.

PARENTS: Our students need a lot of work on keyboarding skills. If you can, have them practice these skills. If you google keyboarding skills for kids, you'll find sites where they can practice. We don't have enough hours in the day to do this in school, so please help! Thanks.

Homework: Wednesday and Thursday

2010-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 29

Wordly Wise C and D

Coti Math: pages 26 and 28 in CM journal

Writing: continue butterfly essays

Thursday, September 30

Wordly Wise E plus study for spelling and vocab tests.

Coti Math: handout plus page 29 in CM journal

Writing: finish personal narrative template. Introduction optional.

Today's Field Trip and Tonight's Homework

2010-09-28T12:51:00.001-07:00

Today's field trip to the zoo was fantastic! We toured the invertebrate house and then met with our zoologist friend who tagged our Monarch butterflies with a numbered sticker. We then set them free, hoping they'll survive the trip to Mexico. We will be able to track them via computer through monarchtracker.com. If and when they arrrive in Mexico, a "reader" will let us know that our butterflies are there. We set free two females and a male.

Tonight's homework:

Wordly Wise 2B (those who did not write sentences for 2A need to complete that work as well)

Pages 19 and 24 in CMJ (Coti Math)

Monday's Homework and Tomorrow's Field Trip

2010-09-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary: Wordly Wise 2A
Reading: 30 minutes
Math: Review pages 75-86 in reference book for Unit 1 checkup tomorrow (Coti math)
Finish writing summaries of important information from butterfly readings.

Field trip to the Zoo tomorrow! Bring a lunch. Hopefully we'll get to tag our Mlonarchs!

Hispanic Heritage Month at the Smithsonian

2010-09-24T13:11:00.001-07:00

Hello Parents!

If you're looking for something to do with the family this weekend, check out "Passport to Argentina," the kick-off of the Smithsonian's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The celebration includes craft and art activites, music, dance performances and storytelling.

The festival begins at 11:30 and goes until 3:00. It takes place in the Kogod Courtyard.

No homework on Fridays.

Have a great weekend!

Susan

Homework and Field Trips

2010-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

September 23, 2010

Hello Parents,

We've had a very busy week! Wordly Wise was introduced on Monday, and we've been completing some of the work in class. The first test is tomorrow. There are four field trip forms to be signed and returned as well along with any related costs. Please remember that field trips were not included in the $50 (or whatever you can give) class fund. The Wordly Wise books have already been purchased from the fund and a Time for Kids subscription is on order.

Thursday's Homework:

1. Sign and return field trip forms with a SIGNED Thursday report.
2. Coti math: construct a symetrical design with a compass. Keep practicing until you make perfect circles!
3. Wordly Wise 1E plus study for test
4. Finish the six compare/contrast questions in Lesson 2, Unit 1 in social studies book if you did not finish last night's homework.
5. Pen pal letter drafts should be returned ready for final copies.

Back to School

2010-09-08T19:52:00.001-07:00

September 16, 2010

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the Coti Sweets, a moniker the students came up with! I love it. We had plenty of nominations, many names of sports teams. I was happy to see the majority voting for the 'Sweets," because I have to tell you: this class is SWEET!

We've started out with a bang and the momentum is going strong. Already we've accomplished classroom norms that are becoming habits. These norms keep us on the steady, and I'm happy to report that your children are cultivating these habits of mind in a consistent way. For example, they know the bell system down pat and respond with the expected outcome. The big bell means everyone needs to stop what they're doing and listen to a direction. The chime means we need to quiet the volume of voices. The train whistle means it's snack and read-aloud time. I must give credit to the third grade teachers for instilling a desire to reach expectations. This class is stellar!

Right now, we're busy with creating a butterfly museum, an effort that was student created just by their enthusiam for the Monarch butterfly. We're raising them in the classroom, and they're busy preparing for the Grand Opening. It happened today! Murch School paid a visit and so did several Eaton classes. The students who were not involved in the museum worked on building topography maps in preparation for our social studies on migration in conjunction with our World Cultures study of Argentina. They're working on landform identification and will soon discover the similarities between our country and Argentina. All the students, though, participated in the Museum opening, populating stations (scavenger hunts, art activities and games) and keeping the flow going. It was a great day.

We started math groups on Monday. The groups are flexible. We want to meet the students where their abilities are planted in the moment so that we can address their needs. I will address the needs of the students whose math skills are above grade level. Ms. Clark will meet the needs of students who are on grade level, and Ms. Ramsey will work with students who need some review. Mrs. Cahir will address the needs of the students who need some intensive reteaching so they will become proficient on grade level. All is well. We have your precious children on the right paths, and as I've said, these paths are flexible, so you can expect your children to flow from one to another.

I'd like to introduce our student teacher, Candice Roubin. She comes to us from Catholic University and is a wonderful addition to our classroom community. She is bonding with our students and has lots of great ideas to share with us. Welcome, Ms. Roubin! We're so glad to have you with us. She'll be at Eaton until December, and then I'll probably cry when she leaves!

I'm glad to be your child's teacher this year, and I know Ms. Roubin is too. So many new and exciting programs are in place to make this the best year ever!

Again, welcome to Eaton's 2010/11 school year. Together, we'll make great things happen!