4K’s publishing day is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28, 2009. Only student work that is completely done in school is eligible for publication in the Imagination Station.

When 4K has independent writing workshop time, students will be busy planning and writing stories, poems, biographies, reports, and many other genres of writing, with the goal of publishing their very best work in the Imagination Station this year.

The class worked together this week to write a book review for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.” Lots of people use book reviews in newspapers, magazines, and online to help them decide which books they will enjoy reading. 4K often publishes their book reviews on the class blog or on individual student blogs after they have read books they would like to recommend to others.

For this class book review, we worked on starting off our review with a sentence that will catch the readers’ attention, adding interesting descriptive sentences that will encourage them to read on, and finishing up with an ending that will have them running to the library or book store – because they just have to read this terrific book! Be sure to check the class blog to read 4K’s book review for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing!

Social Studies Alive! Web sites to match each fourth grade unit in the social studies curriculum

• You don’t like the subject of the book
• You don’t understand the story because there are too many words you don’t understand
• You don’t have fun reading the book
• You think it’s confusing because there are too many characters
• You feel like falling asleep when you’re reading it
• You don’t think the book is interesting
• You know the hero will not win, the villain wins instead
• You think the story is too complicated
• You lose interest after 5 or 10 minutes
• You don’t think the book is written with a good voice
• You don’t think the book has good descriptions
• You think the book is saying the same things over and over
• You think the book is too long or too short
• You feel that your brain is not following the book
• You think the book is too hard or too easy for you
• You think the book is really blah
• You think the story is too sad or depressing
• You think the story is too obvious
• You don’t think the book really fits you

After listening to the read-aloud book “The First Day Jitters,” fourth graders shared times when they felt nervous – or had the “jitters” – when faced with a new situation or challenge. Students wrote personal narratives describing a memorable time when they felt nervous or scared or anxious.

Be sure to ask your fourth which character had the jitters in this entertaining picture book. J

Do you want to know how to become an expert at music to impress your friends? Here are some tips to make you an expert!

1. Have fun!
2. Notice all the music notes and how they sound
3. Adjust your voice to the right sound level
4. Try to memorize the music
5. Listen to the way your music teacher sings the notes so you know how it is suppose to sound
6. Think outside of the box when thinking of melodies and music notes
7. Don’t make other noises when people are singin
8. Know the music notes
9. Improve the music, by suggesting ways to make it artistic
10. Not only sing, but also play an instrument

Do you want to know how to become an expert at music to impress your friends? Here are some tips to make you an expert!

1. Have fun!
2. Notice all the music notes and how they sound
3. Adjust your voice to the right sound level
4. Try to memorize the music
5. Listen to the way your music teacher sings the notes so you know how it is suppose to sound.
6. Think outside of the box when thinking of melodies and music notes.
7. Don’t make other noises when people are singing.
8. Know the music notes.
9. Improve the music, by suggesting ways to make it artistic
10. Not only sing, but also play an instrument

Here are our top 10 ways to become an Amazing artist.

1. Have fun
2. Don’t brag
3. Practice, practice, practice
4. Do art everywhere
5. Doodle a lot  
6. See art in everyday things
7. Doodle a lot
8. Do different things, not just one
9. Take some art classes
10. Go to art museums

Bonjour! Have you ever wanted to study the French language? Here are some spectacular ways to start!

• Study French before your teacher comes into the room.
• Pay attention to your teacher.
• Study French at home.
• Learn the French alphabet.
• Learn how to say numbers in French.
• Write small French paragraphs.
• Speak French at home.
• Read French passages to other people.
• Play French games.
• Sing French songs.

Here are the top 10 ways to be an expert at science –

• Ask questions to clarify your understanding
• Try things in different ways
• Never give up
• Get deeply involved don’t be lazy
• Be daring to investigate
• Don’t get frustrated if the experiment doesn’t work
• Think outside the box
• Try things that might not work
• Be safe
• Have fun but don’t go to overboard

Here’s 10 tips on how to make your writing magnificent. Follow these 10 ways wisely to write your next story!

1. Imagination
2. Personal voice
3. Extravagent word choice
4. Sequential organization while writing
5. Very exciting and interesting topics
6. Sentence fluency is an important key
7. Every little convention counts in your piece
8. Expressing your feelings on paper helps your writing
9. Picking genres is just as signifigant as the text
10. You need tremendous amounts of patience to write well

In our school we call our gym class Physical Education!
Here are the ways we think you can become an expert at Physical Education!

1. Have fun!
2. If you have an idea, say it
3. Play fairly
4. Play by the rules
5. Cooperate with others
6. Be safe
7. Be yourself
8. Listen when the instructor is talking
9. Do your best
10. It is easier to be athletic