Hi All,
This week will be a busy and fun one!  As Halloween is next Saturday, a portion of Friday will be dedicated to festivities. We will have our usual Spelling Test, Vocabulary and Math Quizzes in the morning before recess at 10:00. At 10:30 the Rio del Mar Halloween Parade will begin. Traditionally, we walk with our Reading Buddies. (Ours are Mrs. Werner's PM Kindergartners.) After that, our Room Parents have planned an awesome party!

In addition, this week our class will be wrapping up the science unit on" Energy For Life and Growth" with a short quiz. We are eagerly moving back to our social studies text, reading about California Indians during RTI, and researching using other sources to write an "All About..." report focusing on one Indian group. Students selected California Indian tribes from a list organized by regions, and then began searching for articles in the computer lab last Friday. The research and report will be written in class, although some students may need to finish up typing as homework. I will let you know when the report becomes homework!

Students also responded to a technology survey in the lab last Friday. Parents, please find the link to the survey on the Rio del Mar home page, and respond as well. I filled mine out last week. If we want any improvements/changes to our implementation of technology, we have to voice our ideas!

Finally, a reminder that there are links to YouTube videos that support the math lessons. I realize that the kids are being taught multiplication in ways that may seem strange or cumbersome. The purpose is to give kids a repertoire of strategies from which to pick. A lot of the drawing is to improve understanding of the underlying concepts that are the foundation of the algorithms we generally use. Rest assured, we will teach the standard algorithm for multiplication as well as the partial product, area model, etc.

Regards,
Carroll Mayer

Some students' "delicious" fruit portraits in the style of Giuseppe Arcimboldo. 

Good morning All,
I hope you had a great autumn weekend. I saw many of you at the Harvest Festival, which is certainly a fun way to kick it off!

This week Fourth Grade will begin a unit on Informational Text in RTI. The big focus is identifying various text structures, such as cause and effect, problem/ solution, chronology, and comparison. We will be using Social Studies text about the Native American groups in California. It's challenging work!

In math, we'll continue with Module 3, increasing our focus on multiplication. We will learn some ways to model multiplication visually, so encourage your child to watch the videos on this week's lessons for added support.

In addition, we'll be wrapping up our science unit on Energy for Life and Growth, and next week will begin an in-class research report on a Native  American group from one of the 4 California regions.

Last week I sent home Scholastic flyers. If you wish to order, please make one on-line by this Friday, October 23. You may also send in paper orders with checks to Scholastic, by Friday.

Our Halloween party and school parade are scheduled for Friday, October 30. The school parade is at 10:30 and our party will follow. Our awesome Room Parents are working hard on planning some fun!

As always, please be in touch with any questions,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you are enjoying our very fine weather!

This week our class will be reading a story called Marven of the Great North Woods during RTI.
As we read the story we will use various strategies to identify the theme of the story.

In homeroom, our class will begin Module 3 in math. While it starts with area and perimeter, the real focus of this module is multiplication! This module is very long, and will take us well into December.
Throughout Module 3, I will be posting YouTube links that can be accessed through the blog. I highly recommend that you and your child utilize them, as some of the strategies will be new to all. Many of them are pretty cool!

In Science, we will continue our unit on "Energy for Life and Growth", studying decomposers and the food chain.

Finally, conferences are still about a month away, but if you haven't scheduled yours, or need to reschedule, please get in touch ASAP.  I'll be filling in the schedule during the next 1-2 weeks, and with such a large group the days will be very full!

Take care,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you enjoyed the "bonus" 3-day weekend. Fourth Grade Teachers met with Mrs. Dorney and Mrs. Marsh at Rio del Mar on Friday morning, and then attended a district training in the afternoon. We are all excited to continue growing our teaching practices and our understanding of the Common Core Standards. This week's meetings were focused especially on reading and writing.

On Thursday, your child brought home a small slip with their current RTI assignment. We will begin meeting in our RTI groups on Monday at 9:00, and will be reading a lovely story called A Very Important Day. We are very excited to get started!

The postponed science test on the scientific method has been rescheduled to Tuesday. Our next science unit, entitled "Energy For Life and Growth" will begin this week as well. In math we will wrap up Module 2, and will have the assessment on Friday.  In addition, ask your child about "Grand Conversations." We will be having one on Tuesday afternoon using the folktale, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears.

Finally, thanks to all who have been helping in so many different ways. There are many who have been selling Drive For Schools tickets!  The money goes directly to our school and helps fund terrific Parent Alliance initiatives.  Thanks, as well, to those of you who have sent in prize box prizes, and donations to our class. Finally, thanks to the parents who have been coming into the class and giving extra academic support through one-on-one tutoring, or copying, correcting, and filing.  All these things put together really enrich our school and classroom programs.

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you've had a fun and productive weekend! As a Cotsen fellow,  I was able to attend several inspirational presentations in Long Beach, as well as visit a school in the area. I'll be testing their ideas in the classroom over the next few months.

In math, our class has finished the first Module and will be moving on to a teeny tiny Module 2. I've posted links to YouTube videos of all 5 lessons, and encourage you to have your kids review them if they have any confusions about the math. There are also links on the Rio del Mar home page that take you to a different video lesson, as well as copies of the homework.

Our grade level is beginning RTI next week, so we will send home notifications regarding placement by the week's end. RTI will take place from 9-10 Monday through Thursday.

A big thank you to those of you who have been able to donate to the classroom fund. Throughout the year, I purchase odds and ends, particularly for art and science. Your donations make it possible! In addition, thanks to those of you who have sent Prize Box items, which the kids "purchase" with their Mayer Moola.  They can also purchase lunch time parties, and free homework coupons (extremely expensive.) The kids are having a great time with the moola.

Finally, just a reminder that Friday is an SBC Day, which means I am working but there is no school. Enjoy the three day weekend!


Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,
This week we'll be wrapping up Module 1 in math with a test on Thursday. The math homework for Wednesday night will be a "practice" test, and will give the kids a chance to get more comfortable with the format, and clarify any questions that remain. (On every day that homework is due, we spend 15-20 minutes discussing any unclear questions. Students are expected to come prepared so they can compare results and benefit from the discussion that follows.)

We began a science unit last week that will give the kids an opportunity to review the scientific method, and also to engineer a small structure. This unit should continue for another 2 weeks, so we will be pausing in social studies.

Finally, a big thank you to the three parents who have banded together to room parent our class. Michelle Lesar, Lori Mersman, and Mary McGowan, we all very much appreciate your willingness to take on this job!

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

It was terrific seeing so many of you this Thursday. I hope I was able to answer any questions you have had, but please feel free to email me with additional questions as they arise throughout the year.
For those of you able to volunteer, I'll look forward to seeing you this week, unless you are still waiting for TB tests or fingerprint clearance. ( If you have done this during a previous year, it's still valid.) We are still looking for a Room Parent, and this is a job that can easily be shared by 2-3 people. There is a "techie" part ( making a roster and relaying school communications) and there is the party part ( organizing 3 class parties and 1 grade-level year-end party.) I'm a fan of low key parties, so this job does not need to be overwhelming!

One thing I forgot to mention on Thursday is my "code" regarding completed papers your child brings home.  If the paper is stamped, that means I've received it and your child has been given credit for submitting the work. Those papers are ones we look at together, and I expect the kids to ask questions if they're unsure of the answers, and then note the appropriate corrections. Papers that fall into this category are homework, and workbook pages that we complete in class. When I look at individual pages and correct them, you will find hand-written comments and scores. These are usually tests, quizzes, and projects, and are used to calculate your child's report card "grades" (along with my observations of informal in-class work.)

This week we will be completing Island of the Blue Dolphins. The kids have really enjoyed it, and it serves as a terrific warm up for our Social Studies chapter on California 's Native Americans.  They may take AR tests on the book. We are beginning a science unit on the Scientific Method, and continuing to work on personal narratives in writing,  The first math module will last about 2 more weeks, and for those who were asking, Miss Grable has posted a link to the homework answers. (It's located about 2-3 posts down on her blog.)

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer