The Prudent Student 9/30/2008

 

You'll remember that our class started with only seven students; Joel Odeneal was the only boy.   He had a great attitude, but we continued to pray for some male buddies.   Great news!  We have been blessed with two boys, Garrett and Jean-Pierre.  Joel is so relieved.  Now, including our new student Hannah, we have ten students!

 We are moving right along in Math.  They all need practice on subtraction and multiplication facts.  You know how essential they are at this point!!  If you have the opportunity to allow them to work with money, that would be very beneficial.  I think counting back change is one of the best ways to make numbers real.

 We had a blast reading The Tale of Despereaux.  We'll start our first class novel next week; you'll get more information then about our reading goals for the year.

 We are also working hard on Geography and World History.   I think these are VERY important subjects that are often neglected.  Our 4th and 5th graders WILL know how to read a map; they'll also know many of the major events in World History.  We have a fantastic textbook called A Child's History of the World.

 If you have any special skills or talents you'd like to share, we'd love to have you!  I guarantee you I can find a place where it fits in with what we're studying.   

 Feel free to send me a message through the website, call or email me if you have any questions.  

 

 

 

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Hi there!  The students and I have named our blog.  Be sure to ask them what it means.

I found an even better website for math skills practice:

http://oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/mathmagician/cathymath.html

Please have your student log on as often as possible to practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Once your student has completed ALL levels for each skill,  let me know so they can receive a really nice prize.  This will take some time; they need to log on often, if possible.  If you do not have web access, I have some take home sheets, and I can give them some time in class.  If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat, you will have to do the free download.

Also, we have  a project due Wednesday, Sept 24.  They students need to take pencil and paper and  accompany you on a shopping trip.  As you shop, tell them the price of each item you buy.   They should record the ROUNDED price in their notebook.  For example, a$1.79 item would be rounded to $2.00.  They should add up their prices while you're checking out and test to see if their estimate is close to your true total.  They only need to turn in the receipt and the computations.  I'll return the receipt if you need it!

 Thanks for your help!  I think this project will really  reinforce what we're working on and make Math real to them.

 I will send a progress report soon!

Regards,

Teri Spence

 

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Welcome to the 4th and 5th grade blog.  I thought perhaps we could use this forum to stay in touch about what is going on in our classroom.  First of all, we are happy to report that we now have 9 students!  We have a lovely classroom equipped with brand new computers. 

In the next few weeks we will be hitting our math facts hard!  In order for the students to excel and get to the math skills we want to get to, they need to sharpen up their basic fact recall.  We will be using timed sheets, online math games, and online timed tests for mastery.  Two good sites you can use at home for practice are www.mrmyers.org and www.sonlight.com.  Just follow the links for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

  I am excited about our year!  I think we will be achieving great things.  Your children are enthusiastic about learning and like to give their all.  

  Keep praying for our new school, and feel free to contact me anytime either through the website, email (fishcamp3@gulftel.com), or at home (251-978-2231). 

  **IMPORTANT**

For Tuesday's homework, have students go to the following website www.mrmyers.org/Math_Mania/math.html and complete two of the tests listed under "Math Facts Practice Online" .  They do not have to time themselves but do need to complete two.  They know how to operate these; we practiced in class.

 Our memory verses this week are Ps. 23:1-3.  Ask you students who wrote it and what he meant by "lie down in green pastures".

 

 

Thanks!

Teri

 

 

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I thought I would share the Max Lucado devotional I received in my email today.  It's very good.

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TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE
by Max Lucado

Today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions.
Today's jealousy is tomorrow's temper tantrum.
Today's bigotry is tomorrow's hate crime.
Today's anger is tomorrow's abuse.
Today's lust is tomorrow's adultery.
Today's greed is tomorrow's embezzlement.
Today's guilt is tomorrow's fear.

Could that be why Paul writes, "Love ... keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Cor. 13:5 NIV)?

Some folks don't know we have an option.

Paul says we do: "We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

Do you hear some battlefield jargon in that passage-"capture every thought," "make it give up" and "obey Christ"? You get the impression that we are the soldiers and the thoughts are the enemies.

It was for Jesus. Remember the thoughts that came his way courtesy of the mouth of Peter? Jesus had just prophesied his death, burial, and resurrection, but Peter couldn't bear the thought of it. "Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that.... Jesus said to Peter, ‘Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don't care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important'" (Matt. 16:22-23).
See the decisiveness of Jesus?

What if you did that? What if you took every thought captive? What if you took the counsel of Solomon: "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life" (Prov. 4:23).

You are not a victim of your thoughts. You have a vote. You have a voice. You can exercise thought prevention. You can also exercise thought permission.

Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God's love? Will standing beneath the downpour of his grace change the way we feel about others?

Paul says absolutely! It's not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We've got to let the good stuff in. It's not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings. The same verb Paul uses for keeps in the phrase "keeps no list of wrongs" is used for think in Philippians 4:8: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (RSV). Thinking conveys the idea of pondering-studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.

Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.

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>From A Love Worth Giving : Living in the Overflow of God's Love
Copyright (W Pub. Group, 2002) Max Lucado
http://www.maxlucado.net/shopping6.00/shopexd.asp?id=25771

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