Revised Mantel Picture

I don't think I have a square inch of room left!

Jared's Elf Dance

Click here to watch it!

Make a Flake

Click here to make a snowflake!

Wonderful Holiday Cards

Here you can see some of the artistic creations my students made for me. I proudly display the handmade crafts on my fireplace mantle.

This Week

Ch. 12 math quiz (four questions) on Friday. No big math test!

No spelling list/test this week.

We are starting Ch. 6 in S.S. and completing our Santa C.S.I. investigation in science, learning about chromatography.

We will have a pizza party this Thursday. Students are asked to bring $3.00 -- I will supply root beer.

A new Elf Yourself!

Click here to watch Preston's Elf movie!

Art Teacher as Elves

Click here to watch Mrs. Ahmed and Mrs. Goedde as elves!

Would you rather be a Zhu Zhu Pet or Elmo Live?

Click "comment" and write your preference with at least three reasons for your preference.

This Week!

Here's the lowdown:

Math Chapter 12 Test on Wednesday -- this is a continuation of Chapter 11. Students are practicing multiplying double-digit numbers.

Spelling Unit 13 test on Friday.

S.S. quiz over Chapter 5, lesson 2 on Friday.

We are working on a country research report in class. Students are learning to find and paraphrase information in a three-paragraph format.

In health, we are studying the nervous system, the eye, and the skeleton. Students are making models in class to learn more.

In reading, we are focused on author point of view (persuade, inform, entertain) as well as using Venn Diagrams as graphic organzers of nonfiction material.

Prairie Chickens Making a Comeback!

Remember the lesson in Nature Unleashed about the prairie chickens? Here's a current story in the Post-Dispatch. Click HERE.

This Week

We are studying double-digit multiplication. For example, practice problems like 23 X 81.

Spelling Chapter 12 Test on Friday -- there is a weekly challenge list, if you would like to use that.

For Health, students chose our topics of The Eye, The Skeleton, and The Brain units. We'll study one per week until holiday break.

In S.S., we're learning about Missouri statehood, the Missouri Compromise, and connecting ot pioneer life.

In science, we're finishing our Nature Unleashed unit, and we'll have a Santa C.S.I. detective unit the week before break.

Our in-class writing assignment is focused on learning how to write a research paper. Students are choosing countries to study and report on.

For reading, we're learning about story point of view (first person, third person) and author's purpose.

*** I did not send mid-quarters home unless a student is below a C level. If you'd like an update on your student's progress, please contact me via email, and I'll email your student's current grades. ***

Nobody wants a Charlie-in-the-box!

Please leave a comment -- tell whether you would want a Charlie-in-the-box!

Holiday Craft Ideas

If anyone has a great idea for a holiday craft, please submit a comment!

This Week (and next)

We have our Chapter 4 S.S. Test on Friday.

We are finishing our Chapter 10 in math (larger mult.) and will test next Tuesday.

Spelling test on Chapter 11 will be next Monday and Tuesday.

Students have completed a choose-your-genre writing piece in class; their work was top-notch. Look for a copy of this to come home soon.

In science, we are completing our Nature Unleashed unit. We are using our science notebooks for grades. After November, we'll start a unit in physics and electricity. We'll also start creating our PRISM projects (science fair-like) in class.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Westward Expansion

Click here to watch a Brainpop movie about westward expansion.

S.S. Chapter 4, Lesson 2 outline

S.S. Chapter 4, Lesson 2 Outline

I. Louisiana Purchase – bought from France in 1803

A. Western Expansion
a. Many Americans were eager to make U.S. bigger
B. Lewis and Clark
a. 1804-1806 went from Missouri to Pacific Ocean
b. Jefferson named their group the “Corps of Discovery” since they would learn about Louisiana Territory
C. Back to St. Louis – 1806
a. Lewis and Clark Trail named in honor of their expedition

Betsy Byars Links

We have been reading the book "The Moon and I" by Betsy Byars. It is a collection of memoirs, teaching us about her writing.

Click here to link to an on-line, comic-style biography timeline of Betsy Byars.

Find a Betsy Byars book. Read it. Then write to her:

Betsy Byars
401 Rudder Ridge
Seneca, SC 29678

This Week!

CLICK HERE for a great link to many multiplication games!


We are stepping back from S.S. to further research our MO ecosystems (forest, prairie, and pond). Students are studying the endangered prairie chickens of NW Missouri. We will be doing some autumn birdwatching using our binoculars and taking digital pictures.

For math, we're delving into Chapter 9, and it's going to be a quick one, since it's all review. We are spiraling knowledge of variables, balanced equations, expressions, and order of operations. We'll pretest Thursday, and then test next Tuesday. Chapter 10 is also very short. Please practice times facts, and make sure their "locked in" your head!

Our reading journal is focused on connecting Andrew Clement's books to Roald Dahl's style.

In language, we're studying the difference between simile and metaphor, and how to connect two sentences with a comma and conjunction.

Our latest writing assignment is writing directions.

We'll test Spelling ch. 9 this Thursday.

Halloween Link

CLICK H E R E !!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

PIONEER-DAY

via videosift.com

Pumpkin Run POSTPONED

PUMPKIN RUN IS POSTPONED!
Due to the non-stop rain and sopping wet fields, we will be postponing the Pumpkin Run to Tuesday, November 24 (the day before Thanksgiving Break).

Everything is still on including Radio Disney, but without the pumpkin run.

Weekly Update

We will NOT have a spelling test this week. My students will start Unit 9, and may opt to study the challenge word list instead of the regular one. We'll test next Week on Unit 9.

For math, we're completing Chapter 8. Some students tested out of this chapter, and received either an A-, A, or 100% test score for Ch. 8. They will work on higher-level mathematics. We are focused on times facts and fact families, as well as multiplication rules, such as the commutative and associative and zero properties.
We will test over Chapter 8 on Thursday.

In S.S., we're starting Chapter 4.

For science, we are going to delve deeper into Nature Unleashed, using our binoculars to do some bird study.

Students chose Andrew Clements books for our next author study. Books are leveled to our reading levels, and I'm meeting in small groups to discuss author's purpose, plot, and setting. Also, we'll be using figurative language to complete more poetry for our poetry anthologies.

Logan's Link!

Weekly Update!

Big Testing Week -- students may take the Ch. 8 Spelling Test any day when using classroom laptops - make sure to print out a copy with your name.

Math Chapter 7 Test on Wednesday: be able to use a line graph, double-bar graph, and make conclusions from the data on the graph. Refer to your daily work and harcourtschool.com to review. We'll have a pretest tomorrow.

S.S. Chapter 3 Test on Friday: Use your study guide and textbook to review connections between the first Missourians, Mound Builders, etc. We will review on Thursday in-class, and right before the test. Elevation maps are featured on this one!

We are starting our author study of Andrew Clements. Students have chosen books. These may of course come home.

Scary Story Ideas

What are your fantastic, weird, incredible scary story ideas? Please refrain from gory scenes, blood, weapons, etc. Tell the basic plot of your story idea in a comment!

The Jacket by Andrew Clements

Students, please post a comment about the current literature set we are reading in class. The book is "The Jacket" by Andrew Clements. Your comment should be a connection to the book's plot. Think about the story and what has happened so far. What do you think will happen near the end of the book? Post your comment and I will moderate (moderate means I will check to make sure your comments are appropriate before posting them).

Have fun!

Roald Dahl Day pics

Roald Dahl Day!

Click here to access the official Roald Dahl website!

Farming statistics in Missouri and Illinois by county

Farming statistics in Missouri and Illinois by county

Posted using ShareThis

Conference Times

Scheduled Conferences – A majority of these conferences times are “locked in.” If there is a conflict, I will make time before or after school on a different day. Please call me right away so we can reschedule as soon as possible. – M.K.

(Also, I can work in a 3:45 time each day, and I have a 7:00 slot available on Monday, 10/26)

Monday, October 26

4:00 Lockos
4:15 Painter
4:30 Kajo
4:45 Wolf
(dinner break)
5:30 Bilyeu
5:45 Harrell
6:00 Bunch
6:15 Wagner
6:30 Grable
6:45 Richeson


Wednesday, October 28

4:00 Besch
4:15 Sun
4:30 Thomas
4:45 Mandina
(dinner break)
5:30 Anderson
5:45 Yenzer
6:00 Givens
6:15 Pham
6:30 Clements
6:45 Cato
7:00 Wells

Roald Dahl Day - Friday

Students will be given a lunch bag. Inside, each student should have their assignment:

1. Bring a snack that fits in the bag. The snack should be a connection to a favorite R.Dahl book. For example, a peach for James and the Giant Peach, or chocolate for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

2. An artifact that connects to R. Dahl. This is an item you construct out of paper or found materials. For example, you could make paper BFG ears or a golden ticket.

3. Both items should fit in the lunch bag and should be brought to school on Friday.

This Week!

We have our Chapter 2 Social Studies test on Thursday-- your student has a study guide in his/her pendaflex. Textbooks may go home any day you'd like.

Our Chapter 6 Math Test is on Friday --- we are reviewing data collection and making frequency tables to show running totals. The BIG concept of Ch. 6 is understanding mean, median, and mode. Please review the vocabulary and samples at harcourtschool.com. (Link is on the right------>)

In class, students are completing their personal narratives. We will grade these in-class on Friday. The writing samples are not homework, although some students have asked to bring a copy of their work home on a flash drive.

Buddy Video

Buddy Classes!

Chapter 1 S.S. Test Review

Chapter 1 things to know:

- Landforms NOT in MO
- 2 largest regions are:
- Summary of chap. 1
- K.C. is warmer than Springfield – why?
- Wettest region
- # of continents
- Hemi- means ?
- Plateau?
- NOT natural resource
- Renewable?
- Conservation?
- Farmer MO most valuable resource is?
- Lat. / long.

Making our MO Maps!

This Week

We have a Chapter 4 math test scheduled for Friday -- please review your student's Ch. 4 math sheets, and use the online math book at harcourtschools (see link on sidebar to right) for extra help.

Also, we are testing Chapter 1 in S.S. - your student has a review sheet in his/her S.S. notebook. We are focused on the regions of Missouri.

Your child was asked to bring a shoebox to school so we can create dioramas of Missouri in class. This is not a homework assignment.

ALL spelling lists are located at www.spellingcity.com. Please use the link to the right to access this site. Currently, we are on Chapter 5.

Population Line Graph for St. Louis County

Click here to see the change in population in St. Louis County.

Great Game

Practice your basic facts with this game:

SNAKE GAME

What's Happening This Week:

Early Release on Wednesday!

Math Test - Chapter 3 on Wednesday

We will be creating Missouri Landform Maps on Friday.

S.S. Regions Test Study Guide Pt. 2

S.S. Regions Things to Know, Part 2


Continental Divide
Mountain
Tourism
Ranching
Landform
Earthquake
Tributary


Connections:

The Savannah River forms a boundary between which two states?
Mt. Mitchell is a mountain that is part of the ___________________ Mountains.
Which state is to the east of the Mississippi River?
What state has the highest peak in the region?
What river forms the western boundary of Arizona?

S.S. Review part 1

Review Unit 1 Regions of the U.S.

Words to Know:

Plain
Harbor
Megalopolis
Service industry
Growing season
Delta
Elevation
Valley
Gesyers
Mesa
Livestock

State connections

The major type of jobs in the U.S. are service jobs: teaching, health, safety, software, restaurants, tourism
What do Hawaii and Nevada have in common? Both are located in the West and they both have hot climates.
What do Hawaii and Oregon have in common? Both have wet climates.
Why are aquifers important to desert regions? It’s important in the desert so they can get some water from the aquifers and get water to plants and stuff.

Much of the land in the Midwest is flat and grassy.
Why did farms grow bigger in the 1800s? The invention of farming machinery made it possible.
Why does the steel industry employ fewer people today than in the past?
Much of the industry has moved to Asia where mining is cheaper.

This Week in Our Class

Just a heads-up for everyone: We have finished our Regions of the U.S. unit and we'll be testing this Friday. I will be working with students to practice good study skills and test-taking techniques.

Also, spelling tests will be given in an on-line format. Students may retake a test if they like.

Our class really did a fantastic job on the first two math tests; our class average was 88%. Chapter 3 deals with mental math, and I will be adding in some times facts and pre-algebra.

To practice states and capitals, click here.

Multiplication practice

Click HERE to test your multiplication skills. After you fill in the blanks, then check answers. Put your name in the box and print the page.

* This page is for your records only, you do not need to return it to Mr. Kuhn.

MATH TEST UPDATE

Our class decided to test Friday, Sept. 4 (for Math Chapter 2). We are taking our pretest today. Look for this pretest tonight to use as a study guide.

Go to harcourtschool.com for help. Make sure to use Chapter 2, lesson 2.4 as the focus.

SPELLING CITY

Hi Students and Parents,

I have set up an online account at spellingcity.com so my students can practice their spelling words and also take the weekly Friday spelling test.

You may access this site as often as you wish-- find Truman Elementary, my name, and the correct Unit list to begin.

Here is a link to Spelling City:

CLICK HERE

Week Preview

This week we'll be focusing on:

Reading: Fact and Opinion

Math: Chapter 2 (Rouding, ordering numbers) - We will have a pretest on Friday.

S.S.: Midwest, Mountain States, and Southwest Regions of the U.S.

Science (Friday): Part 1 of our CSI adventure

Spelling: Unit 2

Writing: Our first assignment will start this week. We will begin writing letters to the principal(s), requesting a change at Truman, starting with an opinion and using facts to support our opinions. Formal letter format will be reinforced.

Unit 2 Spelling List

Unit 2 Words – We are studying there, their, and they’re – our focus will be homophones for the next several units.

there
several
people
example
letter
use
through
wind
its
among
also
which
front
behind
something
yet
few
even
cannot
point

The Monty Hall Problem

Monty Hall Problem Click Here

Pass the Pigs

Click here to play Pass the Pigs!

CURRICULUM NIGHT

I look forward to seeing my students' parents this Thursday at Curriculum Night. I will give a synopsis of the units taught in fourth grade. I'll discuss Weekly Summary sheets, as well as Story of the Week and other classroom rituals.

6:00-6:30 - Room 212

After that, you can attend a "town hall" meeting with Mrs. Stryjewski and Mr. Hamby.

Unit 1 Spelling Words - We test every Friday!

Unit 1 Spelling Words Focus: the long /o/ sound




write
family
been
would
draw
yet
become
grow
try
really
ago
almost
always
course
less
than
words
study
then
learned

MATH TEST

Our first math test is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26. To review place value skills, please visit harcourtschool.com -- you may also use your five worksheets and textbook as review tools, as well.

Practice the place value game (see link from two days earlier) to help sharpen your skills.

Math Survivor Round 1

We'll be using a place value game to start our first round of Math Survivor tomorrow. You may practice tonight!

CLICK HERE

Story of the Week!

Every week, on Monday (or Tuesday, if Monday's gone missing), students will bring home a Story of the Week. Students have until Friday morning to turn this assignment in. Choose the evening that works best for you.

I would very much like for parents to interact with their students with this assignment, reading aloud and working through the questions after.

Students will receive a complete (check-plus), somewhat complete (check), or incomplete (check-minus) for their assignment.

Class Norms for our Classroom

Work together
Be calm, be relaxed
Have fun
Try your best
Be friendly
Be kind
Be helpful

Now we have to find ways to make those norms happen every day.

MATH LINK

Please click here to go to our math web site. You can search by lesson and play games.

Click on "eProducts"


Your User Name is "tfourth" and your password is "pass" -- try some of the ELab activities!

Bunny Question

So the science question is: What do I do if I find a small burrow of bunnies in my yard? Please comment with your suggestions. Provide websites, if possible.

Welcome to all the new fourth grade students! I am so happy that we will be learning together this year! You will soon notice that I blog regularly.

Please feel free to introduce yourself below in a comment. For those who are new to blogging, here a few thoughts:



Always ask your parents first. That's right students, go get your parents right now and share this blog with them! Parents, we love comments from you as well!


Use FIRST NAMES ONLY if you choose to put your name in your comment .


Everything that goes on this blog is "moderated." This means, I will receive an email to let me know there is a comment that someone wants to post, and I must approve it before it is posted. This is a school setting, and all comments must be school-appropriate. Please avoid comments like "Hi!" or "Hey dude!"


If you are new to blogging: To comment, click on the words "comment" and you will see other people's comments. On the right, you will see a box where you can type in your comment. You can put your first name in the box as well, if you like. You can then click the circle for "annonymous".


When your comment looks the way you want it, click on the "publish" tab at the bottom.

Blogging is such a great way for us to share and work together. You can scroll down these blog posts to see all the great things that have already been shared on this blog. As always, if you have any questions or would like to contact me personally, you can use my email: mkuhn@lindberghschools.ws.



Love,

Mr. Kuhn

Communication is key!

Welcome to the new school year!

Here is a list of my students for the 2009-2010 school year:

Jared
Rayel
Joel
Jordan
Preston
Joseph
Jadzia
Benjamin
Olivia
Emily
Gino
Ayu
Chas
Carson
Tony
Brooke
Jeremy
Ariana
Logan
Kamryn
Caroline

Summer Work!

To my outgoing fourth (now fifth) graders, have a spectacular summer: swing from trees, ride your bicycles, swim, camp, enjoy backyard barbecues and family vacations. Watch some TV. Stay up late. Sleep in. Enjoy being a kid, and take mental pictures of these moments, because you'll savor them when you're an adult.

You have been an enormously enjoyable class to coach, teach, listen to, joke with, and of course to play Knock Out with. Be your wonderful selve in fifth grade, and make sure you stop in to say hello!

For your summer project, work on this site, from MIT: CLICK HERE

It allows you a place to be very creative and share your work. Please get your parents' permission to use this site, and make sure to share your work them.

Please email me with questions, thoughts, cool vacation pictures, or story ideas. I'll be playing with my son and barbecuing in the backyard. I'll be writing my next novel. I'll be planning for next year's fourth graders.

And don't forget: I say Hillshire, and you say, "_____!"
Go Meat!

Rocket Day

50 States

Click here for a link to a states game!

Rockwood Reservation