Update 5/18 I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. We have made it to the week of the school year! Below is the last set of lesson plans for the year. Normally this week we would be cleaning out desks and finishing up some in-class projects. Reading: Continue to practice your May poem and make sure that you recite it this week if you have not already. Math: Continue to practice your math facts. Use the math facts practice sheets to continue to time yourself in completing all four operations. Finish entering vocabulary words in your math journal this week. Lastly, continue to play math games to practice different math skills. Social Studies: Explore the provided lesson about resource maps. Project: You will pick a famous historical figure that inspires you, or that you would like to learn more about. You will work all week on a project that you will present on Friday to your family. This project will be a presentation of your choice. Choose some creative visual way to display the information that you have learned. Follow the lesson plans and answer the questions about the person you chose. Zoom: I will have one final Zoom session on Wednesday from 9:15 to 10:00. This will be a final chance to share anything and talk with each other before the end of the school year. I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful and safe summer. This has been such a crazy year, but a great first year at Valley Academy. Thank you for your support in the learning journey this year. I have had an amazing time, and it was my honor to be your child’s 4th grade teacher this year. I will miss each and every student. I hope to see everyone around campus and look forward to hearing great things from the next grade. Best wishes!
Mr. Beckham
Update 5/5 Zoom Conferences Please see email for link to Zoom meeting with Mrs. Lewandowsky (5th Grade) Thursday, May 7th at 10:30 a.m.
Fourth Grade will be holding a meeting with all 4 classes to celebrate the end of the year and wish each other a happy summer. Please see the email sent out today (5/5) for information and the link. Thursday, May 14th at 11:00 a.m.
Update 5/4 Dear parents,
I hope that everyone had a great weekend. Below is the weekly guide for the lessons with a breakdown by subject. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Spelling/Spalding: Students should continue to practice phonograms to keep it fresh in their minds. This should be both identifying the phonogram sounds and being able to write any given phonogram when the sound(s). Please still concentrate focus on commonly confused phonograms (gn, n, kn, or ei, ey, ie). Students will be working on Review List 2 words this week. Remember that there are different ways to practice the spelling words including writing each word twice, spelling test/quiz, writing a story with the spelling words, using the crossword generator, or creating a word search for a family member to solve.
Reading: Students should be practicing their final poem for the school year. The May poem should be recited in front of the family by the end of the school year. Students should read a fictional book daily. Students can reread a favorite book or pick a new book to read, maybe something from a series they have already started. You can have students read quietly to themselves or read aloud to you or a sibling. Remember to think about questions such as: Who is the main character? What are they like (physical and personality traits)? Are there any supporting characters? What role do they play in the story? What is the setting (time and place)? Does the setting stay the same or change? Is this story written in 1st or 3rd person? How do you know? What problem does the character have to solve? Do you agree with how the problem was solved? If not, how would you have solved the problem? Would you change anything in the book?
Writing: Research the life of Mahatma Gandhi for 15-20 minutes. Create a short presentation to present to your family. For this week create a short outline, or timeline. When reading about these famous historical figures, think about their contributions to society, both in their home country and globally. Also, ask yourself if they were still alive, would you want to meet them? If so, what questions would you ask them? Are there any suggestions you would have for them based on their contribution? The other writing task for this week is to write a letter to the main character of your book. Think about what you would want to ask or tell that main character.
Math: Complete math timings daily to practice math facts. Continue entering one word daily from the math vocabulary list by writing the word, definition, and drawing a picture. Explore the math website provided in the plans to review decimals and percents. Continue to play math games to practice different math skills.
Science: Students will use the provided website to complete some fun at-home science experiments. There are plenty of options on this page depending on what materials you have available. Students will be practicing scientific method and process while completing some fun activities.
Special: This Friday, students will take a virtual field trip to the Henry Ford Museum. Mrs. Pace is from the state of Michigan and would like students to explore a famous museum about a historical figure from her home state.
Please remember that students have the 5th Grade Zoom Conference on Thursday, May 7th at 10:30 a.m. I will be holding two Zoom conferences this week, tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday. The times will be the same as previous weeks (Tuesday at 9:15 and Thursday at 1:00). I will send the invitation out each morning as I did this last week.
Have a wonderful week!
Mr. Beckham
Update 4/27
Dear parents,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I wanted to provide the weekly guide for the lessons. As with last week, I have provided a breakdown below by subject. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Spelling/Spalding: Students should continue to practice phonograms. This should be both identifying the phonogram sounds and being able to write any given phonogram when the sound(s). Please still concentrate focus on commonly confused phonograms (gn, n, kn, or ei, ey, ie). Students will be working on List 30 words this week. Remember that there are different ways to practice the spelling words including writing each word twice, spelling test/quiz, writing a story with the spelling words, using the crossword generator, or creating a word search for a family member to solve.
Reading: Students should be finishing up their April poem and reciting it in front of the family. By Friday, students will choose their last poem for the year to recite in the next few weeks. Students should read a fictional book daily, Students can reread a favorite book or pick a new book to read, maybe something from a series they have already started. You can have students read quietly to themselves or read aloud to you or a sibling. Remember to think about questions such as: Who is the main character? What are they like (physical and personality traits)? Are there any supporting characters? What role do they play in the story? What is the setting (time and place)? Does the setting stay the same or change? Is this story written in 1st or 3rd person? How do you know? What problem does the character have to solve? Do you agree with how the problem was solved? If not, how would you have solved the problem? Would you change anything in the book?
Writing: Research the life of Eleanor Roosevelt for 15-20 minutes. Create a short presentation to present to your family members. This can be a paragraph, key word outline, or timeline. When reading about these famous historical figures, think about their contributions to society. Also, ask yourself if they were still alive, would you want to meet them? If so, what questions would you ask them? Are there any suggestions you would have for them based on their contribution? The other writing task for this week is to write a journal entry about something that you have done while away from school. This can be the start of a weekly or daily journal writing to document their life away from the classroom and practice writing skills.
Math: Complete math timings daily to practice math facts. Continue entering one word daily from the math vocabulary list by writing the word, definition, and drawing a picture. Explore the math website provided in the plans to review the topic of measurement. Continue to play math games to practice different math skills. There is also a math challenge worksheet attached to one day for students to complete. The answer key should be attached for you to check their answers.
Science: Students will research flight by visiting a website about the Wright Brothers. Think about how this invention has connected the world. What would travel be like without an airplane? How does society using airplanes (think beyond travel)? Where have you been on an airplane? If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Social Studies: This week, students will be using the provided website to research different Native American tribes. Students should spend several days researching their customs, history, and culture. Think about how it is similar or different to your own culture or family traditions. Create some type of visual for your research. This can be a PowerPoint on the computer, a brochure, or a poster on blank paper for each tribe researched.
Special: Since there is no special virtual field trip this week, think about exploring some of the local science venues, such as OdySea Aquarium or Butterfly Wonderland, if you have not already. Also, links were provided for some at-home science projects. Look at doing one of those projects if you have the supplies.
I will be holding two Zoom conferences this week, tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday. The times will be the same as previous weeks (Tuesday at 9:15 and Thursday at 1:00). I will send the invitation out each morning as I did this last week.
Have a wonderful week!
Mr. Beckham
Update 4/24 Dear parents, In lieu of an in-person event, the school is holding an online book fair. An email should have gone out from the school, but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the book fair and provide the link. I also wanted to say that I've been having a great time doing these video conferences with the students. It's so nice to be able to see and interact with them while we are all learning and adapting at home. I was glad to be able to share more about my travels and adventures today with the students. I hope this helps them make more of a connection to some of the learning topics. I will update on Monday for next week's video conferences though it will follow a similar schedule.
Dear parents, I just wanted to provide a weekly update and guidance for the lessons this week. I will break the week down by subject below. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Spelling/Spalding: Please continue to practice phonograms with your student. Students should focus on verbally saying the phonogram sounds and writing the phonogram when given the sound(s). Make sure to practice commonly confused phonograms (gn, n, kn, or ei, ey, ie). Students will be working on List 29 words this week. There are different ways to practice these words including writing each word twice, spelling test/quiz, writing a story with the spelling words, and using the crossword generator. You can also create a word search for them to solve that contains some spelling words, or have your student create a word search for another family member to complete.
Reading: Students should continue memorizing an April poem that they chose from their book of memory pieces. Remember that students can recite this in front of the family once memorized. Students should also be finishing their biography books or reading a fictional chapter book each day. Students can reread a favorite book or pick a new book to read. You can have students read quietly to themselves or read aloud to you or a sibling. While reading the book, ask the student: Who is the main character? What are they like (physical and personality traits)? What is the setting (time and place)? Is this story written in 1st or 3rd person? What problem does the character have to solve? Do you like how the problem was solved? If not, how would you have solved the problem.
Writing: Research Neil Armstrong for 15-20 minutes. Create a key word outline or paragraph about his life to present to your family.
Math: Complete math timings daily to practice math facts. Continue to enter one word daily from the math vocabulary list by writing the word, definition, and drawing a picture. Explore the math website provided in the plans to review addition and subtraction properties and skills. Read the information in the link provided to review fractions. Continue to play math games to practice different math skills. There is also a math challenge worksheet attached to one day for students to complete. The answer key should be attached for you to check their answers.
Science: The main topic of study for this week is space. Students will use multiple websites, including NASA, to learn about space and the solar system. Using this information, the students should create a visual mini project to share with the family. Some ideas are: 1) to make a brochure about the solar system, dedicating a page or side to each planet with 3 facts about each, 2) to make a diorama or model of the solar system using materials available to you, or 3) create a PowerPoint or slideshow about the solar system with facts and images for each planet. These are simply some ideas to help students along. This mini project should be presented to the family and is something students could share with the class if attending online conferences. Students will also explore the provided website about amphibians. Review what an amphibian is and learn about different types of amphibians.
Special: On Friday, students will explore the Georgia Aquarium website. This is an amazing aquarium that I had the chance to visit one summer. I would like students to explore the website, look at the live camera feeds, and find/learn about a favorite aquatic creature. During the conference on Friday, I would like to share my experience at the facility with the students.
Please refer to my previous email, or website, regarding the dates and times for the video conferences this week. Again, I will send the Meeting ID and password each morning before the conference.
Have a wonderful week! Mr. Beckham
Update 4/17 Dear parents,
I have attached in this email the answers to both parts of the grammar sentence assignment. If you have any questions or need clarification, please let me know.
I also wanted to post an update about the Zoom conferences. This week we started out doing two conferences, which both went pretty well. As we go forward, I will learn more of the intricacies of the program and can do more during those sessions. For these first times, it's just a nice way to see the class together and have them interact. I did tell them to have something they've been working on (state mini project, pet rock diary, compass rose/bedroom map) ready to share next week.
This next week I will do 3 days of video conferences, adding Friday. On Friday, the kids are scheduled to view something of my interest, and I would like to be able to share with them about it. I will continue to post the meeting ID and password on the morning of each session. I did adjust the time on the morning session due to the art session with Mrs. Watkins.
Update 4/16 Dear parents, Miss Gross came up with some extra ideas of things that students can do during this time of school closure in addition to the lesson plans provided. Spelling Ideas Monday:
2xs each the spelling words
Tuesday:
Find all spelling words that are a certain part of speech (nouns/verbs/etc.). Write one sentence for each word (using it as the correct part of speech).
Wednesday:
Take a spelling pretest.
Thursday:
Write a spelling story using as many spelling words as possible.
Friday:
Take a spelling test.
Math Ideas Students should be creating math papers, or using the websitehttps://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/ Math Worksheets 4 Kids - Free Printables for K-12to help them practice their math skills. If students are making math sheets for themselves, they should focus on multiplication of at least 2 digit numbers, or they can practice their fractions. One page should be completed a day. Please monitor children if they are using the recommended website. History Ideas Students can research more than one state this week. They can make informational brochures about several states. Remind the students to think back to the booklet that we made about the early Native American tribes of AZ at the beginning of this school year. They can complete something similar to that for several states. Science Ideas Next week, students will be finding information about space. They can make an informational packet about our solar system. They should include the sun, the asteroid belt, the eight planets, and Pluto. Each topic should receive one page in their informational book. There should be 8-15 facts for each and a picture that illustrates it. Students could also draw a picture of the solar system or use clay or Styrofoam to model the solar system. Reading / Language Arts Students should be reading a chapter a day from a book of their choice. They can then write a summary of the chapter daily.
Dear parents,
I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful weekend. Below I have provided some notes about the lessons this week. Please make sure you are checking my website as well for periodic updates. Over the weekend, I provided some more science resources to help with your child's learning at home. I also have attached some math practice problems with an answer key. You can also have the students make similar types of problems on their own or find games/worksheets on the previously provided website to practice these skills.
For this week, students may possibly need to finish the lessons from Friday (depending on your schedule with your family). These included completing your final pet rock journal entry, learning about George Washington Carver, and learning about Miss Gross' favorite type of animal. This week, you will continue practicing phonograms, spelling words, math facts, and your April poem. Make sure you are completing the next word each day in the math vocab journal. These are important to understand as you progress to 5th grade. Tomorrow, there is a space website for you to explore and a state mini project. You will research one state, other than Arizona, and create a mini-informational report or visual to present. You should start by drawing or finding an outline or map of your state (Think back to the Tribes of AZ brochure). Make sure to include important facts about the state, as well as, some fun information like state animal or flower that you can self-illustrate. On Wednesday, there is some grammar practice. You will continue with those sentences the next day as well. I will upload the answers after the second assignment so that you can check your work. On Thursday and Friday, you will continue to explore different science topics both new and review.
Lastly, I wanted to announce my conference times for video chatting with the students. I will have two days/times this week. We will see how those work out and adjust from there. Remember that these are not required, but simply a way for students to interact with others and myself.
Tuesday 9:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Thursday 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
I will send out the Meeting ID and Password on the morning of the conference. If you can, please send me an email so that I have an idea of which students will be at which meeting.
Update 4/11 Dear parents, I hope that everyone is having a safe and happy Easter weekend. On Monday, I will be sending out the initial trial times for an interactive meeting with the students. This will be posted along with the summary of the weekly lesson plans as well as any other relevant information. In the meantime, I was asked about some extra science resources. The two links below provide more at-home lessons and virtual experiences from local businesses. Sincerely, Mr. Beckham
Monday (4/6/2020) - Today, I took in a pet rock that was a stray in the neighborhood; always hanging out near my house. When I brought him in, I decided to give him a good bath and make sure he could see okay (big googly eyes). Based on his color and shape, I decided to name him Bert. (Students can always paint the rock to be more creative.) In the morning, we played around the house. We played fetch with rubber bouncy ball, danced around to music, went around the block for a walk and to check the mail. After playing around, we decided to eat lunch. Bert was such a pig and ate so much. When we finished, we needed to clean up the kitchen. Bert didn't really help. He just splashed around in the water making puddles everywhere. After drying him off, we decided to sit on the couch and relax, so I could answer some emails. While I was working, Bert watched the news and fell asleep on a soft blanket next to me. When he wakes up from his nap, I'm sure he will be up for more adventures!
Dear parents,
Thank you for having your student reply to the letters that have been sent out. I love keeping in contact with the kiddos, and it's great to hear what they have been up to. On the topic of staying connected, I have looked at doing a Zoom session once or twice a week for 30-45 minutes. This would be a way to get some social interaction with the students and their fellow classmates. I want to start this by next week, so I'm looking to you for input on what days/times would work best during the week. I know that a lot of you are busy and working from home, so this would give me some idea of what would cause the least interruption.
For this week, students are to continue practicing math facts/concepts, phonograms, and list 27 spelling words. Students will continue to write in their new math vocab journal and will pick a poem to memorize for April. They will end up reciting these poems at the end of the month in front of their family. In Science, students will review the water cycle and learn about force and motion. In Social Studies, students will start looking at different Native American tribes in different regions of the United States. Throughout this week, students will "adopt" a pet rock and journal its adventures throughout the week. I have provided a sample on my website. Today, students will write a poem about nature. Students have learned many different poem types that they can use to write this poem.
Please note that there is a slight error on the plans. I have Spring Break Day labeled as next Monday in the plans. According to the school calendar, Spring Break Day is this Friday (April 10th). Please simply move Friday’s plans to next Monday or just complete them over the two days. Have a safe and wonderful Spring Break Day!
Update 4/3
Today, you were asked to explore the Brookfield Zoo, which is Ms. Ray's favorite zoo. Did you find your favorite animal? If so, you should share it with your parents or family. I wanted to share my favorite animal. My favorite animal at that zoo is found in the Pachyderm House. This is the black rhinoceros. Rhinos are my favorite animal of all time. They are large, beautiful creatures who are unfortunately hunted for their horns. These gargantuan mammals are herbivores, yet weigh over a ton! They are found in both Africa and Asia, but are highly endangered. At my house, I have more own little collection of rhino collectibles. I hope this gives you a little insight into both the project and your teacher.
Update 4/1 Here are some "At-Home Projects for the students to work on. I'm not sure what supplies you all have at home, but figured I would pass along the link.
Update 3/31 Dear parents, I hope that everyone is doing well at home and staying healthy. Students should be reading an interesting biography book. 1) Who have you been reading about while at home? 2) Make sure you are taking notes about your person to share with your family. Write down some interesting and important facts about your person in a short paragraph. You should write this paragraph as if you were free writing in your journal.
Students will be working this week on several hands-on activities to stimulate their brains and get them away from electronics.
Students should be reading their favorite picture book. Starting tomorrow, students will write and illustrate their own picture book. Be creative with the characters and plot.
Students will create a map of their bedroom, including any features of a map (such as key and compass rose).
Students should have observed and drawn cloud pictures. Also, while outside, students should journal things in nature that they observe (wildlife, plant life, etc.)
Students can also help with cooking or other household chores that include direction following and measuring.
Students should be creating a structure that can stand on its own.
Lastly, students will take a virtual visit to Brookfield Zoo (Ms. Ray's favorite zoo) on Friday. While exploring the website, find your favorite animal and create an oral report about it and tell it to your parents or siblings.
Please continue to send me pictures, if able, of any projects that the student work on at home. I love seeing what they are doing and seeing their creativity with the projects. Sincerely, Mr. Beckham
Update 3/30 Dear parents, As some may have heard by now, schools are closed until the end of the school year. Please continue to use the weekly lessons provided to continue learning at home. Know that I am available to assist with learning at home through the end of the school year. I miss the classroom, interacting with the students each day, and seeing their daily growth. Continue to keep in touch and stay healthy during this difficult time. Once I have more updates, I will post them here.
Best wishes, Mr. Beckham
Update 3/27 Here are some additional resources for some virtual field trips while the kids are stuck indoors!