What's going on in Mr. Solarz' Class?

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Testing Schedule

3/19/2019

The office has asked us to provide the testing schedule for the IAR (which will take place when students return from Spring Break). I've also included the MAP testing dates below (these dates and times are tentative and are subject to change!)...

April 2nd: IAR 1:10-2:40
April 4th: IAR 9:10-10:40
April 5th: IAR 9:10-10:40
April 8th: IAR 1:10-2:40
April 9th: IAR 1:10-2:40
April 10th: MAP Test (Math) 1:10-2:40
April 17th: MAP Test (Reading) 1:10-2:40

0 Comments

Notes from the Office...

3/17/2019

0 Comments

Please take the following survey related to "Leader in Me" if you have some time:
archive.theleaderinmeonline.org/assesment/index.php/827926/lang-en/token/518f302f052dae329a44a0a6d7a6c7a2/newtest/Y

Click on the video below to watch the Dance for Heart Video:

Friendly Reminder Regarding Westgate's Homework Policy -

Students sick/absent for 1-2 days can collect homework from classroom teacher upon arrival from absence.
Students sick/absent for 3 or more days can arrange with classroom teacher to pick up homework from main office.
Parents requesting work due to vacations: We strongly encourage parents to plan vacation periods at a time other than when school is in session. It is extremely difficult for a student to make up missed work over an extended period because of the sequential teaching and learning processes. Parents who find they must take their child from school for an extended absence are requested to discuss the matter with principal in advance of the date of the absence. Teachers are not required to provide schoolwork ahead of time for vacations. Schoolwork should be handed in (3) days after returning from the vacation or per the final agreement established between teacher and student’s parent.

Spring Conferences - Thursday March 21st, 2019 and Friday, March 22nd, 2019

At Westgate School, we value a strong partnership between home and school. Twice a year, once in October and once in March, time is provided for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Parent-Teacher Conferences are a valuable time to share information and discuss the progress of our students. Parents will be able to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences online, using http://www.signupgenius.com. Parents will be provided links to begin signing up for conferences on Monday March 11th, at 10 AM. The window for signing up for fall conferences will be Monday, 3/11/19 at 10 AM through Monday, 3/18/19 at 12 PM.
The conferences are scheduled in 20-minute increments. In order to be fair and equitable to all our Westgate families, each family may sign up for only one evening conference each year. Families can choose to either sign up for an evening conference in the fall or the spring, not both.
Here is the link to our classroom sign-up: www.signupgenius.com/go/60b094aacae23aaf49-spring53

Order your child's yearbook today! Available for $15 each through pre-order only through March 22nd.
https://westgatepta.com/yearbook/

0 Comments

March Parent Newsletter

3/3/2019

0 Comments

If you're reading this in an email, please click on the title "March Parent Newsletter" above to go to the actual web page to see the embedded tweets, slideshows of pictures, and more! Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who has sent my mom well wishes on her surgery this Tuesday. I'm sorry to have to miss the next two weeks of school! Please know that your child is in the great hands of Ms. Samantha Frankenthal, the same substitute that went with our kiddos on the Art Institute field trip last month. She has agreed to take all nine days that I will be out! I am leaving her detailed lesson plans and my cell phone number to ensure that she has a fantastic experience and that the kids continue to learn at a rapid pace!

I have changed the schedule a bit to make it easier on everyone. We will be pausing science and social studies until I return and then doubling up on those two subjects for a short period of time to catch up. This will allow Ms. Frankenthal to focus on just a few subjects, rather than all of them! Students will likely be completing Math Units 9 and 10 while I'm gone (they're both extremely short). I'd expect the first test in a week or so!

Please have a quick talk with your child about the importance of making mature decisions while I'm gone. (I will also talk with them tomorrow in school.) Just last week while I had the flu, several students made poor choices with technology. Some deleted other students' work. Some created a Google Doc to chat with their friends instead of doing schoolwork, etc. I need to know that each child will be making mature decisions while I'm out. Thanks! :)

Report cards are nearly done and will be completed on time. Report cards are emailed home on 3/15 by the district. I will also be giving students an envelope with supporting documents on 3/18 or 3/19 when I return (just like last trimester). In it, you will find data from IXL, Spelling City, writing pieces, a 21st Century Skills report card, etc. I hope you find this information useful.

Finally, thanks for all your support this year! Switching to a new grade has challenges I never anticipated (having taught the same grade for 19 years previously). You have all helped make the transition to 4th grade smooth and positive! Thank you so much!

Paul

Math - Hands-On Decimals

PDF: decimal_ordering_cards.pdf

Comparing & ordering decimals WAS tough, but not anymore! Just spent 10 minutes sorting decimal cards from least to greatest & greatest to least! Since the kiddos made each decimal the same number of digits, it was a cinch! :)#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/GFJsYca3LV
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Social Studies - SDG's

Connecting our Illinois Geography standards with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Collecting statistics and data to demonstrate how the state of Illinois is not meeting all of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs)! Our next step is creating an #Infographic with our findings and sharing it out!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/n69BjmvsPt
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Science - Engineering & Design

PDF of the contest: invent-it-2019-educator-flyer-1.pdf

Creating our #Prototypes for the 2019 #InventItChallenge by @CricketMediaInc! Our kiddos are coming up with some AMAZING inventions to help our elderly community! Such creativity!!!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/jEzJZ3KMXf
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Math - Decimal Computation

Website: www.mathfactsfixer.com/

Adding and Subtracting Decimals with partners! Students are getting stronger with their computation skills thanks to #FactFixer and daily fact practice in class! Now, to transfer that to #RealWorldProblems! :)#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/wy8lfpJtSO
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Science - Heat Energy

Link to assignment:
paulsolarz.weebly.com/energy/energy-lesson-4

Experimenting with #HeatEnergy by exploring how long it takes relatively hot water and relatively cold water to become room temperature water! Learned how variables like ice in the water can adversely affect our data!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/dNIWO72xnL
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Valentine's Day Party!

A HUGE thank you goes out the parent volunteers who organized the games, purchased the materials, and ran the groups on Valentine's Day!

Wow! Our parents treated us to THE BEST VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY EVER!!! We are so lucky to have had so many amazingly fun activities to do, crafts to make, and experiments to perform! The kids never stopped smiling! □□□#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/rSTsyDkEF2
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

KinderPals - Honesty

Website: www.peekapak.com/

Teaching our #KinderPals the importance of #Honesty thanks to @Peekapak! We spent our February meeting learning about the importance of honesty, what can happen when we stretch the truth, and some exceptions to the rule!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/yGfy4LezuG
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Math - Protractors

We learned how to use our protractor in class. If your child is still struggling to use it correctly, feel free to have them watch this video:

Learning how to use #Protractors in Math Class! Students helping students; making lots of mistakes, but learning from them; developing our skills in a safe classroom environment! #LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/efDvJwSXFJ
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

Current Events With TFK

Website: www.timeforkids.com/g34/

Learning about #CurrentEvents & other topics that interest us through @timeforkids! Kiddos read aloud with their partner, discussing each article & looking things up, rather than doing worksheets or even finishing the issue. #LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/prX8MhsKyc
— Mr. Solarz' Class (@MrSolarz) March 3, 2019

0 Comments

February Parent Newsletter

2/10/2019

0 Comments

If you're reading this in an email, please click on the title "February Parent Newsletter" above to go to the actual web page to see the embedded tweets, slideshows of pictures, and more! Thanks!

Art Institute Field Trip

Mrs. Miller took our class and two others to the Chicago Art Institute to check out famous paintings and sculptures. Although I had to miss the trip, the students and adults alike said it was a fantastic day!

Our 4th graders got a chance to visit the Art Institute in Chicago a week ago. They were lucky enough to have a docent explain the artwork and make their experience that much more meaningful! (Photo Credit: Angela Williams)#d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/9JEOk1EO0q
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) February 10, 2019

Fractured Fairy Tales

During our LMC time, students have been working on creating their own "Fractured Fairy Tales!" They wrote a script on a shared Google Doc with a couple partners, searched for images to represent their characters and printed them out, they attached green straws to the pictures and performed a puppet show on the green screen using the DOINK app. They should be uploaded this week - be sure to check them out!

Creating our own FRACTURED FAIRY TALES:
- Wrote a script
- Highlighted everyone's parts
- Printed off images to make puppets out of
- Performed the puppet show on the green screen
- Edited the video
- Done!#d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat #scitlap #scichat pic.twitter.com/R1lOOwkeL2
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) February 8, 2019

Energy Transfers

We just completed one of my favorite lessons of the school year: The "Energy Transfers" lab. Students explored 12-20 objects that, through their use, changed energy forms several times. For example, a boombox is plugged in, so it starts with electrical energy, transfers to sound energy, and has the byproduct of motion energy (since it vibrates a bit). Students identified the energy transfers in much more complicated items, mapped out those energy transfers, and then recorded videos of their explanations. Finally, students made a blog post of their four favorite videos that they wanted me to grade in order to determine their level of understanding. Check them out on their ePortfolio!

Exploring Energy Transfers in fun objects!
- Dancing Water Speaker
- Electric Current Ball
- Perpetual Motion Drinking Bird
- Autograph Stamper

Student Videos: https://t.co/Wa6d6ILV56 #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat #scitlap #scichat pic.twitter.com/A3RtUktguS
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) February 8, 2019

Social Studies

We began our unit on Illinois by learning a little bit more about the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals and how they relate to the needs of our state. In order to ensure that each student really understood each goal, we played a game of "HeadBanz" and had kids walk around giving each other clues to help them identify the goal that was on their forehead. As we progress in this unit, students will be exploring the ways our state can improve in six core areas and writing a book that we hope to publish at the end of the school year!

Spent time putting the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals into our own words with a partner. Then had to pass an informal "quiz" that I conducted thru personal interviews. All to prepare for a FUN game that we did next!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLearns #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/HnxO56voVz
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) January 30, 2019

Daily Mini Lessons

Each day, I'm trying to incorporate a 5-15 minute mini lesson on a topic of interest to the students. Some of these topics are science or social studies related, while some are focused on a unique holiday or tradition. This is a great way to learn a SMALL amount of knowledge about a WIDE variety of subjects with no stress!

Enjoyed #EarthsRotationDay today! In 15 minutes we:
- Brainstormed ways we could prove that earth rotates
- Discussed how Foucault's Pendulum proves its rotation: https://t.co/fZFQ1ZhRsy
- Observed it: https://t.co/nWlzFIwtnu #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #LearnLAP pic.twitter.com/kFN5fyrhxL
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) January 9, 2019

Reading

Students continue to enjoy reading novels with their peers. They generally get to read their first or second choice book out 10-12, and do all of the work in class. We introduced Summary Writing this round, so students are now writing summaries at the end of each day's reading. Heads up that our summarizing style is a bit of a mix between retelling and summarizing, so these summaries are a bit longer than traditional ones. Students continue to record their discussions and after we finish our student-led mini-lessons, we will be adding new types of discussions to the mix!

Chose Lit Circle books today for our next round! Shared former student ratings & Lexiles with those who wanted them. Kids chose their favorite five books out of the 12 that were offered. I'll try to give them their 1st choice!#LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat #WGLeads #d25ItsPersonal pic.twitter.com/lfVHVtEe7q
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) January 8, 2019

Global Invent-It Challenge

Students have begun work on inventing a new product or improving an old one for a contest that we hope to enter next month. The company that provides us with engineers and scientists as pen pals is conducting the Global Invent It Challenge, focusing on making the lives of senior citizens easier. Our class has split into groups and is now developing several inventions, prototypes, and specs. Wish us luck!!!

Began our study of THE INVENTOR'S PROCESS as we participate in @CricketMediaInc's brand new #TryEngineeringTogether unit called "Be An Inventor:" https://t.co/8AqkSgiWaP Quickly researched "important" inventions in our lives.#LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat #WGLeads #d25ItsPersonal pic.twitter.com/cjs51HvMMr
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) January 8, 2019

Math in Focus

We are wrapping up Chapter 7 on basic decimal concepts and are about to begin Chapter 8 on decimal addition and subtraction. They are both very short units so the next test should come up pretty quickly!

The IXL skills for the kids to work on at home are:

Level F: U1-U10
Level G: H1-H8

Students should get 70% on each skill before moving on.

Jumped right back into math first thing this morning! Reviewed basic fraction skills & applied those skills to "Real-World Problems" (which we like to joke about because they rarely feel like real-world problems)!#MissedMyKiddosOverBreak #LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/cRWkmeOJFd
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) January 8, 2019

KidnerPals

We focused on GRATITUDE during the month of December, SELF-REGULATION in January, and we will be teaching our kindergarten friends about HONESTY in February. We enjoy spending time with our younger friends, acting as mentors who focus on social-emotional skills and behaviors. We get to play games, read books, play activities, etc. Be sure to ask your child about their KinderPals experience!

"What are you grateful for?" Learning about GRATITUDE with our #KinderPals this morning! Thanks @Peekapak, Leo the Hedgehog and Cody!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #kinderchat #1stchat pic.twitter.com/17qsLSfibp
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 21, 2018

Writing

We finished the Expository/Informative Writing unit in December and are wrapping up the Opinion Writing unit this week. Students spent 14 lessons learning about persuasive writing techniques and wrote one long piece and several short portions. This week, they will be writing their final essay using the organization techniques that were taught in class through mini-lessons. They have chosen their topic from a list I provided them, and will be given a specific organizer for their prompt, as well as an organizer template to write their essay on. They will do this over three class periods this week.

Wrapping up our #Expository Writing Unit. Students are using a planner from @Scholastic's "40 Writing Prompts w/Graphic Organizers" & organizers based on "The Paragraph Writing Strategy." Lots of peer-to-peer collaboration!#LearnLAP #4thchat #5thchat #WGLeads #d25ItsPersonal pic.twitter.com/tBZjwr7Fho
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 19, 2018

Engineering Design

Students had fun designing the tallest tower they could out of various materials in the classroom. Their end goal was to build something strong enough to hold a golf ball on top without breaking. Honestly, several groups made quite impressive designs and used some smart building methods! Students got to talk about their experience with their engineer/scientist pen pals and it was an excellent springboard to our current Invent It Challenge!

Today's #STEM Exploration: Creating the Tallest Tower possible w/the materials given. Ss are enjoying trading & creatively building structures! Thanks @CricketMediaInc & #TryEngineeringTogether for "Engineering is Everywhere!"#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/szHz0iyMB0
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 6, 2018

Homework Club

Just a reminder that we have HOMEWORK CLUB before school and during lunch recess most days of the week. This is a time for students to get questions answered, finish up classwork or homework, work with a partner to complete a project, etc. Although lunch recess homework club has been well attended, morning homework club is often a lonely place! ;) Here is the link to our weekly schedule. Check it out if you'd like to drop your child off at school at 8:15 to get some work done in the classroom: paulsolarz.weebly.com/our-weekly-schedule Typically, we have AM HW Club on Mondays and Fridays, while Lunch Recess HW Club is generally every day except Friday.

Molly is experimenting with "Sink or Float" in Passion Time. She made her predictions, then invited others from class to come in during Lunch Homework Club to compete w/each other to see who is most correct!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #scitlap #scichat pic.twitter.com/dFljN0pC3V
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 6, 2018

Explorers

Our last social studies unit was on Explorers (mostly a study of European Explorers). After we learned about their purpose for exploration, we each chose a specific explorer to research in detail. Students created poster board projects to show off the information they learned. Slideshow of images below:

Finishing up our investigation of EXPLORERS by researching eight famous explorers from the 16th & 17th Centuries. Then, practicing some STUDY SKILLS like making flash cards for VOCABULARY & KEY CONCEPTS. #LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #sschat #sstlap pic.twitter.com/hbvSk0emsv
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 5, 2018

Fact Fixer in Math

The 4th grade teachers and I noticed that students were having quite a bit of trouble with their multiplication and division math facts at the beginning of the year, so after a little research we decided to use Fact Fixer in the classroom in order to give students a boost! We spend 5-10 minutes about every other class period following the prescribed routine. Students are fine with the process and appear to be improving their skills! Of course, any help at home with flash cards would be really appreciated too!

Just a few lessons into #FactFixer and my students are already ZOOMING through their multiplication math facts! Although we only know a few patterns so far, I expect them to continue to build their math fact fluency!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #Mathchat pic.twitter.com/hIIXjDFavD
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 5, 2018

Passion Time

Students continue to spend some class time exploring their own personal interests (often times with a partner). Some are focusing in on scientific ideas, others have focused more on art. Although there are no restrictions, I work hard to guide them towards a direction that will be most meaningful for them and produce the most learning possible (while still being enjoyable for each child). Please find out about your child's current Passion Time topic (and help them come up with their next one!). Thanks!

Passion Time - Round 2: Kiddos are gathering materials, performing experiments, researching scientific concepts, learning about important historical events, analyzing basketball stats & enjoying personal interests!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat #GeniusHour pic.twitter.com/FJUkmjveoZ
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 5, 2018

Music Concert

Students did such a nice job in their 4th grade music concert in December! Mrs. Tosheva and Mr. Berger did an outstanding job preparing the kids!

Rehearsing for our 4TH GRADE MUSIC CONCERT! Kids are singing songs that connect to our NATIVE AMERICANS social studies unit! Such a great way to connect academics & specials! Thanks Mrs. Tosheva & Mr. Berger!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/ekHlSyMNP2
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 4, 2018

Classroom Investigations

Depending on the lesson, students often have the opportunity to move around the classroom to travel between stations. This lesson was an explorer lesson that had students analyzing maps, reading their textbook to find specific information, and paraphrasing information from their learning.

Learning about FAMOUS EXPLORERS in History Alive! America's Past:
- What was their background?
- Who sponsored them?
- What were their motives?
- When did they explore?
- What impact did they have?
- What route did they take?#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/xQIZpZOLBQ
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 4, 2018

Connecting Reading & IXL

We are extremely lucky to have access to IXL this year for our students! Not only do we use it in math class to solidify new math skills, but we also can use it in reading and language arts as well! Students practiced skills in several different areas before taking their most recent MAP tests. Hopefully, with a little practice, students will continue to improve their reading skills!

Practicing our @Schoolwide Fiction Reading skills on @IXLLearning! My kiddos LOVE this website!
- Main Idea
- Sequencing
- Compare/Contrast
- Cause & Effect
- Problem/Solution
- Sensory Details
- Making Inferences & more!#LearnLAP #d25ItsPersonal #WGLeads #4thchat #5thchat pic.twitter.com/qLfNPnpavm
— Paul Solarz (@PaulSolarz) December 3, 2018

0 Comments

<<Previous

Parent Newsletter

This blog will serve as our parent newsletter. Any time there is information that needs to get out to parents, it will be posted here. Please check here often, or sign up for email notification below! Thanks! :)

Get an email from BlogTrottr every time a new blog post is created by entering your email here:

RSS Feed

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Testing Schedule

Notes from the Office...

March Parent Newsletter

Math - Hands-On Decimals

Social Studies - SDG's

Science - Engineering & Design

Math - Decimal Computation

Science - Heat Energy

Valentine's Day Party!

KinderPals - Honesty

Math - Protractors

Current Events With TFK

February Parent Newsletter

Art Institute Field Trip

Fractured Fairy Tales

Energy Transfers

Social Studies

Daily Mini Lessons

Reading

Global Invent-It Challenge

Math in Focus

KidnerPals

Writing

Engineering Design

Homework Club

Explorers

Fact Fixer in Math

Passion Time

Music Concert

Classroom Investigations

Connecting Reading & IXL

Parent Newsletter

Archives

Honors: