Mrs. Morgan’s Class

 

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I graduated from the University of  Utah with a BS in Elementary Education and received my Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from Utah State University. I also have a Gifted Education Endorsement, an Educational Technology Endorsement and a K-12 Library Media Certificate.

 

I am currently in my 24th year of teaching. This is my 5th year at Eastwood Elementary School. I have taught at Oquirrh Hills Elementary School in Kearns, Roosevelt Elementary School in South Salt Lake, and Cottonwood Elementary School in Holladay. I have taught 13 years of 2nd grade, 1 year of 1st grade, and am currently in my 10th year of teaching 4th grade. 

 

I love teaching 4th grade because the curriculum revolves around the state of Utah. I love the diverse and beautiful scenery here in Utah and the rich history and culture. It is a pleasure to share my enthusiasm for our beautiful state with my students. Another of my favorite things to share with my students is my love for art. I have been somewhat of a watercolor artist for about 20 years and I enjoy teaching painting methods and techniques to my students. I am convinced that anyone can produce art if they learn how to see the world through artist's eyes. That is what I try to teach the children in my class. Because I love to write, teaching creative writing is also one of my passions. Reading out loud to students each day is another one of my priorities. I love making a story come alive for young ears.

 

This year, I have teamed with Mrs. Miller to produce the Eastwood Eagle Eye News. It is an exciting project and I am thrilled to be working with Mrs. Miller and learning to use new technology tools such as the teleprompter and green screen. I am the advisor for the 5th grade news team. It has been a delightful experience and well worth giving up a couple of lunch breaks each week to meet with my reporters and anchors and to film the weekly broadcasts.

 

 I am happily married to Kirk Morgan. I have 3 married children. I love being a grandma and spend a lot of time with my 11 beautiful grandchildren. I love to be outside in just about any season. My favorite out of school activities are riding my bike, hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, playing wallyball, water sports, rollerblading, watercolor painting, and reading.

 

Curriculum This Month

March

Language Arts - We will finish our reading and discussion of The Secret Garden and begin reading the novel, Hoot. This book is packed with themes that inspire meaningful discussions. On a personal level, it explores the ideas of loyalty and trust within friendships. The novel also allows for a hard look at the problem of bullying, not only in schoolyards, but in corporate environments. Hoot also exposes young readers to the ongoing conflict between commercial development and protecting the environment and gives us the opportunity at looking at both sides of this issue. A final theme that can be explored through this novel is the idea of individual empowerment to make changes happen in communities. We will compare different means of expressing our views, and learn about legal and ethical ways of getting powerful entities to hear our voices.

Math - In math, we will be working on fractions. Students will be learning to recognize fractions of a whole unit and fractions involving groups of things. They will also be taught to compare and order fractions and to recognize equivalent fractions.

Science - This month we will be looking at soil. Students will learn about the components of soil, the soil profile, and various types of soil. They will touch it, examine it under a a magnifying glass, and make soil shakes to compare the types of soil that each of us has in our own yards. Students will learn about the importance of topsoil, and take a historical look at the negative effects of letting it be blown away. Students will also learn about composting and soil conservation techniques.

Social Studies - We will continue our study of map skills, looking at elevation and various landforms. We will then look at Utah's mountains, plateaus, and valleys, and create maps of these. We will continue to study Utah history by learning about various groups of trappers and government explorers that came to the area.

Art - We will be painting a watercolor painting depicting a red-rock desert scene. We also have created silhouette paintings that are on display all month at out local McDonald's restaurant. Please stop in and have a look. They are very pretty.

 

Assignments

Normal Assignments for Language Class:  Monday - English assignment and study for spelling test on Tuesday;  Tuesday  - Receive new spelling words and weekly spelling assignment; Wednesday  - Writer's workshop and in-class writing assignment; Thursday -  English assignment;  Friday -  usually no homework/comprehension assessment in class.

Language Class

  • Historical Fiction Book Report due - Monday, March 29th
  • March Reading Chart due - Monday, March 29th

 

Weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Words

Spelling tests will be given every Tuesday. New spelling words will be assigned on Tuesdays after the test. This schedule allows students an entire week to study rather than just four nights. It also puts spelling tests on days when school is almost always in session. The following words will be on the spelling test given on Tuesday, March 16th

Stem –– “chron” - Greek – means: time

1. chronological – events arranged in the order in which they happened

2. chronic - always present or encountered

3. chronicle - historical account of events arranged in order of time

4. synchronize – to arrange events to happen at the same time

5. chronometer – an instrument that keeps time with great accuracy

6. communicate

7. crevices

8. determination

9. delicately

10. acquaintance

11. scientific

12. innocent

13. straightening

14. triumphantly

15. morbid

16. disrespectful

17. twilight

18. unconsciously

19. suspicion

20. discouraging

 

 Dates to Remember

 

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Field Trip to Granite Youth Symphony - March 18th

Field Trip to Wasatch Jr. High play - Sound of Music - March 23rd

Field Trip to Utah Museum of Natural History  - April 7th

Skate Night - April 22nd

Dance Festival - May 13th

Field Trip to Red Butte Garden  and This Is The Place Park - May 18th

CRT Testing Window  - April 19- May 28

 

 

 

Approved Snack List

Research shows that eating healthy snacks throughout the day helps children to maintain constant blood sugar levels, helping them to concentrate better and avoid mid-afternoon slumps. The following is a list of snacks that may be eaten in homeroom class. Each student will be allowed one sandwich-sized Ziploc bag of snacks per day. It is also recommended that every student have a water bottle at his/her desk each day.

 

crackers - Wheat Thins or Triscuits

raisins or other dried fruit

mozzarella or cheddar cheese sticks

carrot sticks

pretzels

apple slices

Cheerios (no milk)

celery, plain or with cream cheese

Goldfish Crackers

grapes

popcorn (without butter or greasy coating)

nuts (if nobody in the class has a nut allergy

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News Team Assignments

 

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Week

News

Weather

Sports

 

November 16-20

Joseph

Garrison

Cassidy

November 30-Dec4

Julian

Abby

Jonathan

December 7-11

Kathy

Gabby

Megan

December 14-18

Brock

Graham

Daniel

January 4-8

Isabela

Walker

Olivia

January 11-14

Oliver

Erin

James

January 19-22

Matthew

Dakota

Max

January 25-29

Jacob D.

Zane

Jacob F.

February 1-5

Emerson

Halley

Madison

February 8-12

Jacob H.

Mackenzie

Zac

February 16-19

Andy

Joseph

Garrison

February 22-26

Cassidy

Julian

Abby

March 1-5

Jonathan

Matthew

Erin

March 8-12

James

Jacob D.

Dakota

 

 

Student Star Assignments

2nd Term

 

November 16-20

Andy

November 30-Dec4

Isabella

December 7-11

Mackenzie

December 14-18

Graham

January 4-8

Olivia

January 11-14

Joseph

January 19-22

Kathy

January 25-29

James

February 1-5 Jonathan

February 8-12

Gabriella
February 16-19 Matthew
February 22-26 Abby
March 1-5 Zac
March 8-12 Julian

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Parent Volunteers

 

 

Links

Online Utah  http://www.onlineutah.com/counties3.shtml

Utah History for Kids - Counties http://historyforkids.utah.gov/homework_help/counties/

Utah Climate Summaries - http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmut.html

UEN Counties of Utah - http://www.uen.org/counties/utah.html

Museums in Utah - http://www.onlineutah.com/museums.shtml   and  http://www.utah.com/museums/ and

http://www.censusfinder.com/utah-historical-museums.htm and http://www.vpa.org/museumsut.html

Hospitals in Utah http://theagapecenter.com/Hospitals/Utah.htm

Libraries in Utah http://www.publiclibraries.com/utah.htm

Utah Counties UEN http://www.uen.org/counties/

State of Utah Symbols - http://www.apples4theteacher.com/usa-states/utah/facts/

Utah 4 Kids http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/kidutah.htm

Utah Census Data http://www.kidscount.org/cgi-bin/aeccensus.cgi?action=profileresults&area=49S

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Documents

Documents for students to download - book reports, reading charts, songs, etc.

 

List of  Suggested Supplies

1 11X15 inch tablet of watercolor paper (Make sure it's watercolor paper and not just a sketch pad.)

1 double-wide magazine holder (I'll have one for you to see at your SEP conference)

1 large box of facial tissue for the classroom

1 pump bottle of antibacterial hand soap

1 -2 quart sized Ziploc plastic bag to hold all of your pencils, crayons, etc. (NO PENCIL BOXES, please. They take up too much room in your desk!)

1 set of colored pencils (sharpened)

1 set of markers (not permanent ink)

1 small hand-held pencil sharpener

1 glue stick

Parents: Please send me a message at my school email address from the email address at which you would like to be contacted. That will make it easy for me to create a class mailing list. On that message, please tell me both parents' names and let me know if you have any special skills you could share in the classroom or any type of volunteering you'd like to do. Also, I would appreciate knowing about any special needs or circumstances that your child has so I can be sensitive to those needs from day one.

Students: Please send me a quick note to my home email address telling me a little bit about yourself so I can begin getting to know you before school starts. I'd love for you to send me a current digital picture of yourself if you can get one.

Things I'd like to know about you:

Do you go by your given name or a nickname? What would you like me to call you?

What are some of your favorites?

What have you done this summer?

What are your talents and interests?

Are you close friends with others in the class? Who?

What do you think will be fun about 4th grade?

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Last updated on: Tuesday, March 9, 2010