Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings Families, It is hard to believe that we are already one-third of the way through the first quarter. Time is really flying. First, I want to make sure you are aware of an important event. This Wednesday is our 3-5 Curriculum Night. Here is the invitation that was in the newsletter. 3-5 Curriculum Night   You are cordially invited to attend our 3rd-5th grade Curriculum Night, taking place on Wednesday, August 28th. The event starts at 6:00 pm in the Arete gymnasium, with opening remarks from Mr. Gillingham, Mrs. Vaughan, and our Specialists. From 6:30 to 7:30 pm, parents will hear from their child's teachers in their classroom.  Due to limited seating, this is a parent-only event. Overflow parking will be available at The Wedgewood Center located just east of the school. This night is important because it is a time for me to share information with you about class procedures, homework expectations, the curriculum in general, and information about Spalding, ...

Greetings Families, On the unit 1, chapter 2 test key, there was an error on number eight. To correct this, I've made the test out of nine. I apologize for the error and inconvenience. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I've shared most of these with your child, but I want to make sure you are aware of my class expectations. These expectations set the standard of excellence that I expect my students to pursue and that I will help guide them towards. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren Class Expectations: Rules Rule #1 : Follow Directions Right Away, All the Way, with a Happy Heart Rule #2 : R aise Your Hand for Permission to Speak Rule #3 : Raise Your Hand for Permission to Leave Your Seat Rule #4 : Don’t Cause Problems: For Yourself or Others Class Expectations: SLANT Scholarly Position : Actively Engage the Lessons with Your Posture and Hands Listen Carefully : Actively Engage the Lessons with Your Mind Ask and Answer Questions : Actively Engage the Lessons by Orally Participating Nod Your Head While You Listen : Actively Engage the Lessons with Your Expressions Track the Information : Actively Engage the Lessons with Your Eyes Class Expectations: Work Ethic Attentio...

Greetings Families, The class has successfully put two weeks under their belts and are ready to jump into week three. I've had a lot of fun thus far. I'm very blessed to have such a great class with a lot of enjoyable students. We've also done a good deal of learning. We have finished our first history unit, geography, taken two math tests, place value and estimation, and will be tested on the first science unit this week, chemistry. It is amazing how quickly things move in first grade. Toward the bottom of this post, I'll take a brief time to discuss the classes academic performance. Though we've taken measures to reduce the homework to more reasonable amounts over the past couple of years, the learning expectation of fourth grade remains the same. The rigor of fourth grade from third grade is substantial, and it does take some time for students to adjust. Let's pause there and take a look at the lessons for this week. Lessons Grammar/Writing : This ...

Greetings Families, As we start our journey through the Middle Ages, we already came to a religious conversation about Pope Leo I standing up to Atilla the Hun. In order for the students to better understand the history of the Middle Ages, they must understand the role religion played in the lives of kings, nobles, and peasants. Today, we talked about how people called Christians believed (past tense because we are talking about people who lived back then) that Jesus was the Son of God and that his original disciples were really important. Eventually, Roman Christians believed their bishop, the leader of the church in Rome, was the most important because he succeeded from Peter, who appeared to be the leader of the disciples. That is why Pope Leo I, the bishop of Rome, went out to meet Atilla. Throughout this unit, other religious conversations will happen as it relates to the religious believes of Western Europe, which was predominantly Catholic. For examples, surfs had to work ...

Greetings Families, I hope everyone has had a great first week. It seems like the week has flown by. I'm so excited for this year. The students have been great this week. They talk a little bit too much at times, but I'm super talkative so I guess it makes sense. But I'm the kind of teacher who would rather have a class who loves school than a class who just sits quietly all day. I suppose there is a way to have both, but it is difficult to achieve. Let me begin with next week's lessons, and then I'll hit on some other important things. Lessons History : In history, students will finish up their study of geography with a look at physical maps. There will be a brief time of review on Monday as students will take their first history test of the year on Tuesday. This test is open book, open notes, so there is no need to study. However, there is a study guide in the back of the history packet if students would like to complete it to support them on the test. ...

Greetings Families, It was so great getting to see so many of you on Thursday night. Thank you for taking the time to come to the school to meet Ms. Childson and me. We are so thrilled to be your child's teacher. I'm excited to see the great things we will accomplish this year. For those who prefer to "cut to the chase," I'll briefly discuss what the lessons will look like this week, then give a test and quiz schedule, and then discuss some other important classroom topics at length. Lessons Grammar/Writing : Students will start off the year in grammar and writing with a focus on what a sentence is and then a review of the parts of speech. History : The year beings with a study of geography in history. Students will learn how to measure the distance between two places on a map, the role of latitude and longitude lines, how to find a place on a map using coordinates, and times zones. There is a quiz on Friday. The symbol on a map with four arrows pointi...