Geise’s Gazette
Where 4th graders learn and grow!
September 6th, 2019
Happy Friday! We had a very productive week at school. We are still learning routines and getting familiar with the Geise expectations in the classroom. We are settling in for the best year ever. I hung this poster in the room today because it is true. All we have to do is apply ourselves and the sky is the limit. This is good growth mindset language to use at home when your kiddo is dragging his/her heels over a difficult task. They might even be surprised to hear the same language you are using as I am using here. :-)
If you received a notecard asking for a word of the year for your child, please return it on Monday. I sent those home with students who were unable to attend open house. This is located in their red homework folders.
Be sure to review the papers in your child's yellow Friday folder, sign the inside cover and return it to school on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
Lisa Geise
Friday Folder
Please be sure to review the contents of the folder, empty it, sign the inside cover and return it on Monday.
Reading Log starts Monday!!!!
Reading Log
On Monday, I will be sending home a letter about your child's current reading level as well as this attached reading log. It is a nonnegotiable homework requirement in 4th grade that your child read for 100 minutes. If your child does not return this on the following Monday or is short the required minutes, he/she will catch up on the reading during the first morning break at school. Let me know if your child struggles to find books to read. I will help!
Peek into Our Week!
Science Class
Venus Flytrap
In science, students will discover what plants need to survive. We watched a few short video clips of a Venus flytrap. Students are creating a model of a plant to describe how it catches the fly.
Poster of Venus Fly Trap
Gallery Walk
Students went around and reviewed other posters and discussed them together.
Reading Workshop
In reading workshop, students are learning strategies to read more intensely. One of those strategies is to stop and jot when they have ideas they might want to think more about or discuss more with a partner. These students are finding the flow of their books by reading intensely and doing some jotting as they go.
Math
Students worked through lessons 1 and 2 in math this week. The concepts were place value and rounding. We started rounding in lesson 3 also.
The Fantastic Elastic Brain
Students are learning about the brain and how it works. Students need to learn that they have within them to learn new things and to actually grow their brains. Our brains grow when we learn and try difficult things. They are considered to be in the "golden decade" of optimal growth. We will continue to discuss growth mindsets, failure, forming stronger connections when we practice hard things etc. next week.
This week's lesson in our read aloud was self discipline. Self discipline equals freedom! Students are warriors in training this year. They will be encouraged to try new things. To push through challenges. To learn from failures. Students will work harder than ever before because I believe in their abilities. This starts with their ability to learn self-regulation. These learning behaviors, such as being able to have stamina to work for longer periods, sit quietly on carpet during lessons and listen actively are keys to success. I tell the kids to be their best selves. This read aloud reinforces all of these things, and it is easy to translate the lessons into student life.
Contact Mrs. Geise
Email: geisel@brightonk12.com
Website: https://lgeise.weebly.com/
Location: 4680 Bauer Road, Brighton, MI, USA
Phone: 8102994450