Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

When students arrive in the morning they have bell work to do. As we go through Aesop's Fables, the students are supposed to briefly summarize the story and then draw a picture on the back. This works in two ways: the student has the put the story into their own words and then draw what they see in their minds. Here is a great example of one student's artwork. The Ant and the Grasshopper In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.  An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.    "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"    "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."    "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present."  But the Ant went on its ...

Greetings Parents, It has come to the attention of our headmasters that Arete Prep is having an R&R weekend. Because of that, they have decided to give the Archway Arete students an R&R weekend as well. In a previous blog I mentioned a pronoun quiz for some of our students on Tuesday. That has been pushed back to Wednesday so that they do not need to study over the weekend. I am sorry for the confusion. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Best, Michael Naaktgeboren  | Third Grade Archway Classical Academy | Arete

Greetings Parents, We had our second day of pronoun quizzes. We still had a number of students who were not able to do these well. If your child is one, you will receive an email from me today. Here is the study guide for those. They will be quizzed on Wednesday. It is important that they know these. I, me, my, mine You, your, yours He, she, him, her, it His, hers, its We, us, our, ours They, them, their, theirs

Greetings Parents, Tonight, like "Meet the Teacher," was both great and intense. It was great to see those who were able to make it. It makes my heart glad to see parents actively involved in their children's education. I do regret that our night was so short though. It seems like there is always more to say. On that note, let me add a few comments. No Birthday Treats Thank you for not reaching for the heaviest items in the desks when I said, no birthday treats. I know that for many, not having some sugary item just isn't a celebration, but I truly believe it is the best decision for the class. I promise to do all that I can to celebrate your children in a way that promotes human dignity and a love for what is good. Core Knowledge For the second group, this was left out. Archway Arete values a well rounded education and I'm so glad that we take the time to teach science, history, proverbs, poetry, and all of the specials. Core Knowledge is a scope and se...

Greetings Parents, Tomorrow our students will be taking a second pronoun quiz. They were supposed to study their pronouns last night for the quiz today. Many of them did and did a great job, scoring a 100%. Tonight, they are to study for their second quiz. If your child scored a 100% on the quiz today, they do not have to retake it. I need all students to master this material before they can move to the next lessons. Please help them study these in preparation. We also had some challenges with our phonogram review today. I will not typically assign phonogram study, but it is something they should do on a regular basis. This might serve as a fun dinner activity. The students should know all of their phonograms and be able to give the sounds they may and write them when the sounds are heard. Thank you for all the work you do. As you have high expectations for us; we have high expectations for you. Together we are preparing our children/students for happy lives with the knowledge ne...

Greetings Parents, I wanted to inform you that the calendar available on ArchwayArete.org is incorrect about picture day. It has been changed to September 4, 2014. This is the date noted on the forms that were sent home. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Parents, We are off and running on Week 3. Today was a great start. Here is the rundown for week three's lessons. Language Arts Last week we learned 30 words and the students did well at learning the rules and phonograms. Now we are into hyperdrive. We will be learning/reviewing 30 words a day, but don't worry. Most of these words should be pretty easy for third graders. We need to get though these words pretty quick so we can start learning third grade words. We are continuing our reading of the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The students seem to be engaged in and enjoying the story. I would encourage you to talk to them about it and have them keep you informed about what is happening in the story. The students have been reading some fun short stories in Writing with Ease. For the activities we are summarizing the stories and working on copying dictation. Some of our students have difficult times summarizing things they read. When your child does the...

Greetings Parents, This Thursday, August 28, we will be having Curriculum Night. I hope that you will be able to attend. Curriculum Night Schedule 6:00-6:25: Welcome and opening remarks by Mr. Gillingham and Ms. Pantalena (Gym)      A-L         M-Z 6:30-7:10 Room 1210 Specials in MPR 7:10-7:55 Specials in MPR Room 1210

Greetings Parents, Please remember that Friday, August 22, is a half day and that students will be released at 11:45am. There is no reason to send a lunch with your student, but we will still be having our snack time. Thank you, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Parents, Without desiring to set a precedence, I am providing a map for the students to use to study. A number of students were having a difficult time being quite and paying attention during the activity. It will be something we will have to learn how to do together. There will be a short quiz tomorrow from this material.  Thank you, Mr. Naaktgeboren

I hope that you have had a great weekend. It was great to see many of you Friday night at the social. Last week my wife has grown weary by my absence from home, but by being able to see the children and meet many of you her heart was strengthened. Thank you to those who kindly greeted and exchanged with her. Though her presence is not in the classroom, without her efforts and encouragement I could not be where I am today. Here is a simple rundown of this weeks activities. Language Arts Literature This week we will begin reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. If students have not brought in their books, it is important that they do so quickly. Spalding Students will review the phonograms they learned last week and will be tested on the first 54 phonograms Tuesday. If you have chosen not to purchase the Spalding phonograms, please visit the resource page on this site to download the pdf. for homemake cards. There is also a link to help with the sounds of the phonograms an...

From the Administration of Archway Arete: Beginning next week, August 20 th , the Archway Arete school day will end at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesdays rather than 1:15 like we tried this week.  The one hour gap meant that our cross-over families (parents with children in both Archway and Prep) either needed to pay for Study Club or wait in two pick-up lines back-to-back.  This is not a fair decision we asked you to make, and we sincerely apologize.  Our aim was to create more time for our faculty meetings, but it is not worth the burden it placed on cross-over families.  The Prep school day will still end at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesdays.  This means that the gap between our release times will be the same as every other school day, and families can pick up both their Prep and Archway children on the Archway (west) side at 2:20 p.m.  There is no longer any need for study club, and we will refund money to those who have purchased memberships.  Please al...

Please join us for the Back-To-School Social  and Campus Dedication Ceremony! 6:00 - 7:30 PM Archway Arete families are invited to enjoy ice cream and mingle with other families and staff. 7:00 PM All families are encouraged to join in the campus dedication ceremony by  Great Hearts CEO, Dr. Daniel Scoggin, honoring the Marley Foundation and  Betty A. Wilson. 7:30 - 9:00 PM Arete Prep families are invited to enjoy ice cream and mingle with other families and staff. Parking and Shuttle Service: Due to both communities (Arete Prep and Archway Arete) being on campus with families at the  same time, traffic and parking will be an issue. To accommodate everyone, we will provide two  shuttles running continuously between the former Lindsay campus and the new Arete campus.  Only handicapped, dignitary, and faculty parking is available at the Arete campus during the  event. Shuttles will circulate every 5 to 10 minute...

Greetings parents, Please have your child bring in our first literature selection, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, this week. We will begin reading it together next week.  If you have chosen not to buy the literature, please email me privately or send a note with your student. We will provide a copy for the child to borrow. We do suggest that you purchase the book if you are able. It is good for students to develop their own library of classical literature and taking notes in books is important. Spalding We have plunged into the Spalding phonograms and the students are doing a great job. It is amazing how quickly they are learning them. Their minds are so ready to receive all this new and wonderful information. A major part of learning Spalding is rote memorization of the phonograms. That requires students to have possession of the phonogram cards at home. If your child does not have those, it is very important that they get them soon. It is suggested that you pur...

Greeting Parents, I apologize for this being a little late. I would like to let you know what your students would be studying this week, and I wanted to briefly speak to traffic. Language Arts This week we are focusing our Language Arts energy to the Spalding program. Spalding is our phonics and spelling program. The reason Great Hearts chose Spalding is because of its ground up approach. Today, students learned the basics of how to sit, hold a pencil, and place their arms on their desk. In many schools, these things are taken for granted, but as a Great Hearts school, Archway Arete takes everything seriously. This week the students will be relearning how to print the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. Along with the sounds of individual letters, they will be learning the sounds of letters put together that create a new sound. We call these phonograms. These phonograms serve as the primary building blocks for understanding spelling and reading. Thus, they serve a...

First Words I am so excited for Monday to arrive. Months of waiting and weeks of training are about to payoff. Though Monday won't be as rigorous as the days to follow, it will be a busy day and students should be prepared to work hard. If time permits, I would ask that you talk to your student about day one. Ask him or her what he or she is excited about. Help calm any fears he or she might have. It will be a fun day if our attitudes are right. Traffic Reminder Please remember that traffic is going to be a little crazy on the first day. There will be a number of staff on the grounds helping direct you. You must enter using the entrance in front of the office building. The entrance next to Archway will be closed. It is also important that you not park and that you stay in your vehicle. Snack Time I'm so glad that Archway Arete is allowing students a morning snack. I remember the hunger pains I suffered as a child, and especially after summer break. However, we have a ...

Greetings Parents and Students, Welcome to Archway Arete! It is my pleasure to introduce myself as your third grade teacher. My name is Mr. Naaktgeboren. I look forward to meeting all of you Thursday night. Please remember that we are staggering arrivals to help with crowding and flow. If your last name begins with A-H, your time window is 5:00-600. If your last name begins with I-P, your time window is 6:00-7:00. If your last name begins with Q-Z, your time window is 7:00-8:00. I also wanted to inform you about the class website: naakarete.blogspot.com. Please add the website to your toolbar as you will want to check it every Monday. Also, on the right side of the site is a place to “Follow by Email.” Just enter your email address and every time I add something it will notify you. The site is pretty bare right now, but it will come alive as the year progresses and you don’t want to miss it. See you Thursday, Michael Naaktgeboren