Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings, These three things were sent out in the school newsletter, but I thought I would send them along as well to make sure you saw them. Homework Survey It is our goal that homework serves as a fruitful extension of the rich learning that takes place at school. Let us know how homework is going by filling out this survey . If you have multiple children at Archway Arete, we kindly ask that you complete the survey separately for each of them. Your feedback is deeply valued and will serve to improve our practices. Coffee Shop Conversation 4th grade parents are invited to Coffee Conversations with our Headmaster this Thursday, September 29th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in the library. We hope you can join us for this great opportunity to meet with our leadership as well as other 4th grade parents over some coffee. Extracurricular Clubs & Sports Extracurricular clubs and sports are off to a great start! Your tax credit donations help us fund our extra-curricular programs at A...

Greetings Families, First, let me thank the Moreno family for hosting a terrific class get together. 4B is grateful for your generosity. Next, I want to thank the many families who were able to attend. It was great getting to visit with many of you and to see your children playing. I apologize that my health was still poor and that you had to endure my coughing. Remember that this week will be a short week, as Friday is a teacher professional development day. Here are the lessons for the week. Lessons Language Arts: This week in language arts students will write the first major essay of the year. This is a step-by-step process and each step is monitored by the teacher. In literature, students will read Emil and the Detectives . This is a wonderful story. This is a read aloud and students are not required to have a copy of their own. In Spalding there will be more words and more markings. There will also be an assessment on Friday over Greek and Latin roots. Students shoul...

Greetings Families, After evaluating the problems taught in class and the homework problems done from the student workbook, I do not believe I have adequately prepared the students to take the order of operation test scheduled for today. Today, the students will still take the positive and negative numbers test, as I believe they are prepared well for that. However, we will spend Wednesday and Thursday reviewing for the order of operations part of the test. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. The rest of the test schedule is as noted previously. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope you are doing well and that the start of your weekend is already a great one. I wanted to remind you to signup for the party that is coming up. You can find details in my last blog post and your child should have brought home a flyer today. If you cannot tell by my constant reminding, I really enjoy these kinds of events. On to academic stuff, here are the lessons for next week. Lessons History : This week in history, students will learn about Charlemagne and discuss his impact on Europe in the Middle Ages. They will also study the rise of Feudalism in the Middle Ages and explore what life was actually like in a castle and on a manor. The week will conclude with a very brief quiz on these chapters. Language Arts : This week in language arts students will continue the adventure with Curdie and Princess Irene. What plans do the nasty little Cobs have? Will Curdie survive? Who is Great Grandma Irene. All of these questions are answered as the students co...

Greetings Families, You should have received an email from our class moms regarding our upcoming classroom party at the Morano home. If you didn't receive that email, please reach out to Ms. Tipescu , Ms. Moreno , or Ms. McCullough . To rsvp for the party, please click here . I hope to see you there! Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I've created a Quizlet for the quiz students will be having on Friday. Everything on this Quizlet can be found in the student's notes on the Byzantine Empire. I have simply provided this as a means of assistance. This is not a significant quiz, but students should still spend some time preparing for this quiz. You can find it on the history page on the blog. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I wanted to let you know that I will not be at school tomorrow. I've been struggling through a sinus infection for about a week now and it has gotten even worse over the weekend. Thus, I'm going to finally give in and go to the doctor. There is no reason to worry though. Ms. Maguire will have no problems leading the class tomorrow. Here are the lessons for the week. History : This week in history, students will continue their study of the Byzantine Empire. They will be studying mosaics, Empress Theodora, and the Hagia Sophia. They will write a one paragraph essay on the Empress and the church. There is a quiz on the Byzantine Empire unit. Additionally, students will test their knowledge of the countries of Europe on Monday. Science : This week in science, students will use their lab observations to solidify their understanding of circuits. By the end of the week, students will be able to explain how a series circu...

Greetings Families, I wanted to pass along some data regarding assessments and participation reports that were sent home over the past two weeks. Europe in the Middle Ages, CH 1-4 Quiz – Class average: 92%  Europe in the Middle Ages, CH 1-4 Test – Class Average: 86%  Unit 1, Chapter 3 and 4 Test – Class Average: 81%  Quarter 1, Week 4 Friday Science Quiz - Class Average: 84%  Chemistry Assessment – Class Average: 85%  Quarter 1, Week 5 Friday Science Quiz – Class Average: 75%  Week 4 Spalding Test – Class Average: 93%  Week 5 Spalding Test – Class Average: 90%  Week 5 Written Phonogram Review – Class Average: 89% If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings, It has come to my attention that some students do not have ease of access to computers and the internet. This can make the use of the Quizlets difficult. Please understand that the Quizlets are not necessary for your child to do well. When making the Quizlets, I take the students notes and break them down into questions. Everything a child needs to know is in his or her notes. I have only tried to make studying easier for the students by making the Quizlets. Do not feel like you need to have your child access the Quizlets if you find it difficult or unnecessary. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope you are enjoying your extended weekend, or at least your child's extended weekend. It seems like every week I am surprised by the progress we have made into the new year. It has been a joy to be your child's teacher. I love how each of my students are uniquely special, with each child having their own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. As much as I love teaching them the beautiful curriculum we have been gifted with, it is a greater joy getting to know my students as persons worthy of love and respect. Thank you for the privilege of being your child's teacher. Below are the lessons for the week. Lessons Language Arts : This week, in grammar, students will deepen their understanding of sentence classification and sentence diagramming. Students will be able to use adverbs and adjectives properly in sentences. In literature, the plot thickens, as Curdie discovers the plot that has been hatched by the Cobs. Will Princess Ire...

Greetings Families, I hope your weekend is off to a great start. I wanted to let you know that this is an R&R weekend, so your child does not have any homework. I also wanted to apologize for my early departure today, as I left sick after lunch. It was especially disappointing for me to leave early as we were blessed to celebrate the birthday of a fellow classmate. Due to my departure, I was unable to look at the test results and I will hopefully be able to return those to you on Tuesday with some data analysis. Enjoy your Labor Day! Best, Michael Naaktgeboren