Welcome to 4th grade! Each week we will send our
newsletter to you through our Grade 4 Blog. Please be sure your child's homeroom
teacher has your email address. That way you will receive an email each time we
update this blog!
Calendar Highlights:
September 24-28: MAPR assessment (Measures of Academic
Progress, Reading)
September 28: Early Release Day for students (9:30-12:55;
Lunch is 12:15)
October 5: Progress Reports will be sent home to all fourth graders.
October 8: Donuts for Dads, 8:00 AM; Open House: 9:30-12:30
PBIS:
Our school is participating in a
Positive Behavior Intervention System. By now your kids should be coming home
telling you about their classroom and individual Bulldog Bucks. Students can
earn Bulldog Bucks for demonstrating Safe, Respectful, and/or Responsible
behavior. They can earn them from any staff member. There are individual and
class Bulldog Bucks. Students will be able to use their Bulldog Bucks for
rewards both in the classroom and at the school store.
School Store Schedule for Fourth Graders (ever other week beginning this week):
Tuesdays: Mr. Bidwick's Class
Wednesdays: Ms. Dynda's class (this week will go on Monday)
Thursdays: Ms. Hudson's class
More information about PBIS can be found on the link
below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/pbis/index.shtm
Helpful
information for 4th grade:
9:05-10:25:
Writing
10:30-11:15: Specials (T,W, & F) Science (M, Th & 1 other
day, depending on teacher)
11:20-12:40: Math
12:45-1:45: Recess &
Lunch
1:50-3:15: Reading Block
*We invite students to bring a nut-free
snack to class each day, as our lunch period is late in the day.
*We invite
all students to bring a water bottle to class also.
*Students are also
encouraged to bring a removable (flash drive) with them to school as well. We do
a lot of our work on the computer & many students like to save on their
drive to share at home and school. It is not
required!
Writing:
During Quarter 1, we will
focus on writing personal narratives. Our focus is to write for our reader. Now that we have studied the writing of various authors, we will write our rough drafts focusing on one moment.
In
addition to studying the works of an author to understand the craft of writing,
students will begin to revise their small moments prewriting. They will examine
the difference between descriptive and informational writing. In a personal
narrative, it is important for the reader to feel the feelings of the
author.
Example:
Joe and I play baseball (informative)
Joe taught
me how to catch a baseball. (descriptive & specific)
A link to a
website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.htm
Life Science:
Students construct,
observe, discuss, and read about land and water ecosystems. Throughout the unit
students will explore the concepts of living things and their basic needs, how
organisms are classified, the features that make organisms well-suited to their
environment, the flow of energy and matter, and how organisms interact with each
other and the environment.
We will continue to learn how
plants and animals are interdependent. Our focus will also shift to understanding what the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is, what states are included, and how communities within the watershed affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Our field trip to the Agricultural Farm will take place on October 26. We will spend the day learning the effects of agriculture, pollution, and fishing have on the Bay. If you have not turned in your permission slip yet, it is due by October 5.
Math 5:
• Identify and
apply prime and composite numbers less than 100 and rules of divisibility.
•
Determine and apply the greatest common factor and least common multiple of
numbers.
• Recognize and represent functional relationships using graphs,
tables, and rules.
• Compare and order integers on a number
line.
This week:
Function
Tables
determine the valuable for the variables
Graphing Functions
Math
4:
*Recognize and apply place value patterns in numbers
through millions.
• Organize, display, and analyze data using line plots and
line graphs.
• Determine and distinguish among mean, median, mode, and
range, using concrete materials.
• Classify angles as acute, obtuse, or
right.
• Identify and describe the sides, angles, edges, vertices's, and faces
of solid figures.
• Draw circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals given their
dimensions. *Identify and describe points, lines, line segments, and
rays.
This week: 3 dimensional shapes; identifying edges, sides, and vertices's
Reference Book pages 87-89 will support your child's learning.
Vocabulary:
Edge
Side
Vertex
*Students
will have a math quiz each Friday on skills covered in the unit to that point.
A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on
word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We
continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This
is a great site where students (if a login is created) can track their progress
and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and
coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
In class, our focus will be to become an alert reader. We will create a
reading portfolio in our journals to record our findings/data about ourselves as
readers. We will also use Post-its to mark up a text as to what parts of a story interest us versus parts of a story that do not capture our attention. There is a Post-it note code paper that students glued into their reading journals. They will use these codes to record ideas as they read independently and in small groups. Look for your child to bring home a book at their reading level each night. They should read for 20 minutes and use Post-its to mark the text for connections, predictions, something that surprises them, interesting, important vocabulary, etc. They should also mark places where the book may have confused them.
Spelling:
*Our
spelling program involves the use of developmental
word study rather
than traditional
spelling books.
This“Words
Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that
best address their individual needs as a speller.
*Students
will study the same pattern of words for two weeks. They will practice the words
both at home and at school. The patterns will vary based on spelling
group.
*Our spelling test will be on Friday,
October 5.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Choosing the Right Book
I just read this interesting article that aligns with our reading lessons this week. The article discusses how to choose the right book and tips for parents to help at home too:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/53808/
We'll be reviewing this 5 finger strategy tomorrow in class!
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/53808/
We'll be reviewing this 5 finger strategy tomorrow in class!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Weekly Newsletter September 17-21
Welcome to 4th grade! Each week we will send our newsletter to you through our Grade 4 Blog. Please be sure your child's homeroom teacher has your email address. That way you will receive an email each time we update this blog!
Calendar Highlights:
September 17: No School, Rosh Hashannah (Happy New Year!
September 22-23: National Book Festival (see link in the writing section below)
September 24-28: MAPR assessment (Measures of Academic Progress, Reading)
September 28: Early Release Day for students (9:30-12:55; Lunch is 12:15)
PBIS:
Our school is participating in a Positive Behavior Intervention System. By now your kids should be coming home telling you about their classroom and individual Bulldog Bucks. Students can earn Bulldog Bucks for demonstrating Safe, Respectful, and/or Responsible behavior. They can earn them from any staff member. There are individual and class Bulldog Bucks. Students will be able to use their Bulldog Bucks for rewards both in the classroom and at the school store. More information will be coming soon.
More information about PBIS can be found on the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/pbis/index.shtm
Helpful information for 4th grade:
9:05-10:25: Writing
10:30-11:15: Specials (T,W, & F) Science (M, Th & 1 other day, depending on teacher)
11:20-12:40: Math
12:45-1:45: Recess & Lunch
1:50-3:15: Reading Block
*We invite students to bring a nut-free snack to class each day, as our lunch period is late in the day.
*We invite all students to bring a water bottle to class also.
*Students are also encouraged to bring a removable (flash drive) with them to school as well. We do a lot of our work on the computer & many students like to save on their drive to share at home and school. It is not required!
Writing:
During Quarter 1, we will focus on writing personal narratives. We will begin to develop the process of writing for a reader by studying the works of other great authors. A fourth grade author study will include the works of Patricia Polacco. Her new book, Bully is available just this week and so we are excited to share this with the students. In addition, she will be a featured artist at the 12th Annual National Book Festival on the National Mall in DC on September 22-23.
A link to the National Book Festival:
http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/
More information about Patricia Polacco:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/index.htm
In addition to studying the works of an author to understand the craft of writing, students will begin to revise their small moments prewriting. They will examine the difference between descriptive and informational writing. In a personal narrative, it is important for the reader to feel the feelings of the author.
Example:
Joe and I play baseball (informative)
Joe taught me how to catch a baseball. (descriptive & specific)
A link to a website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.htm
Life Science:
Students construct, observe, discuss, and read about land and water ecosystems. Throughout the unit students will explore the concepts of living things and their basic needs, how organisms are classified, the features that make organisms well-suited to their environment, the flow of energy and matter, and how organisms interact with each other and the environment.
This week we will be observing our aquariums and terrariums. Our animals and plants have arrived and we will examine the changes to their habitats in the last week. Some of the animals we will study include crickets, isopods, guppies, snails. We will learn how plants and animals are interdependent.
Math 5:
• Identify and apply prime and composite numbers less than 100 and rules of divisibility.
• Determine and apply the greatest common factor and least common multiple of numbers.
• Recognize and represent functional relationships using graphs, tables, and rules.
• Compare and order integers on a number line.
This week: We will focus on comparing and ordering integers, identifying positive and negative numbers.
Looking Ahead:
*Function Tables: determine the valuable for the variables
*Graphing Functions
Math 4:
*Recognize and apply place value patterns in numbers through millions.
• Organize, display, and analyze data using line plots and line graphs.
• Determine and distinguish among mean, median, mode, and range, using concrete materials.
• Classify angles as acute, obtuse, or right.
• Identify and describe the sides, angles, edges, vertices, and faces of solid figures.
• Draw circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals given their dimensions. *Identify and describe points, lines, line segments, and rays.
This week: Using a compass to make angles and using a ruler to make triangles and rectangles with various measurements
Vocabulary:
Compass
Radius
Circumference
Diameter
Ruler
Inches
Centimeters
*Students will have a math quiz each Friday on skills covered in the unit to that point.
A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a login is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
Students will be using various roles to create literature circle discussions about text they choose to read. This week each group will choose to read books by Patricia Polacco. They will practice each of the following roles:
Vocabulary Finder: Students will read their text and find words that they wish to share with their group. These words can be words they do not know how to say, what it means, words that add to the author's description of an event, or words they find interesting
Questioner: As students read their text, they will develop questions to ask their group members about what was read. Questions should be "thick" instead of "thin." A "thick" question requires thought and should not be answered right in the text. It may be an opinion as well. (Would you have acted the same way Sally did?) A "thin" question can be answered right in the text (Who is the main character? What is the setting?)
Connector: Students will make connections to the text they are reading. A connection allows the reader to understand the story closer.
There are 3 types of connections:
*text to self: allows reader to draw from his/her own experiences
*text to text: allows reader to draw from other characters/events in other stories
*text to world: allows reader to draw from the world around them including historical and current events
Summarizer: A summary is a brief description of a passage. These are the main ideas only and not every detail in a passage. This is often the most challenging for students because in other responses they are asked to go into great detail as they write.
In class, our focus will be to build a reading live. We will start by examining our reading in the past: what worked for us as readers and what did not in order to create 5 reading resolutions. We will discover ways to choose books that are "just right" for us by looking through book bins at our reading level and thinking about our interests as a reader. We will create a reading portfolio in our journals to record our findings/data about ourselves as readers.
Spelling:
*Our spelling program involves the use of developmental word study rather than traditional spelling books. This“Words Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that best address their individual needs as a speller.
Calendar Highlights:
September 17: No School, Rosh Hashannah (Happy New Year!
September 22-23: National Book Festival (see link in the writing section below)
September 24-28: MAPR assessment (Measures of Academic Progress, Reading)
September 28: Early Release Day for students (9:30-12:55; Lunch is 12:15)
PBIS:
Our school is participating in a Positive Behavior Intervention System. By now your kids should be coming home telling you about their classroom and individual Bulldog Bucks. Students can earn Bulldog Bucks for demonstrating Safe, Respectful, and/or Responsible behavior. They can earn them from any staff member. There are individual and class Bulldog Bucks. Students will be able to use their Bulldog Bucks for rewards both in the classroom and at the school store. More information will be coming soon.
More information about PBIS can be found on the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/pbis/index.shtm
Helpful information for 4th grade:
9:05-10:25: Writing
10:30-11:15: Specials (T,W, & F) Science (M, Th & 1 other day, depending on teacher)
11:20-12:40: Math
12:45-1:45: Recess & Lunch
1:50-3:15: Reading Block
*We invite students to bring a nut-free snack to class each day, as our lunch period is late in the day.
*We invite all students to bring a water bottle to class also.
*Students are also encouraged to bring a removable (flash drive) with them to school as well. We do a lot of our work on the computer & many students like to save on their drive to share at home and school. It is not required!
Writing:
During Quarter 1, we will focus on writing personal narratives. We will begin to develop the process of writing for a reader by studying the works of other great authors. A fourth grade author study will include the works of Patricia Polacco. Her new book, Bully is available just this week and so we are excited to share this with the students. In addition, she will be a featured artist at the 12th Annual National Book Festival on the National Mall in DC on September 22-23.
A link to the National Book Festival:
http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/
More information about Patricia Polacco:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/index.htm
In addition to studying the works of an author to understand the craft of writing, students will begin to revise their small moments prewriting. They will examine the difference between descriptive and informational writing. In a personal narrative, it is important for the reader to feel the feelings of the author.
Example:
Joe and I play baseball (informative)
Joe taught me how to catch a baseball. (descriptive & specific)
A link to a website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.htm
Life Science:
Students construct, observe, discuss, and read about land and water ecosystems. Throughout the unit students will explore the concepts of living things and their basic needs, how organisms are classified, the features that make organisms well-suited to their environment, the flow of energy and matter, and how organisms interact with each other and the environment.
This week we will be observing our aquariums and terrariums. Our animals and plants have arrived and we will examine the changes to their habitats in the last week. Some of the animals we will study include crickets, isopods, guppies, snails. We will learn how plants and animals are interdependent.
Math 5:
• Identify and apply prime and composite numbers less than 100 and rules of divisibility.
• Determine and apply the greatest common factor and least common multiple of numbers.
• Recognize and represent functional relationships using graphs, tables, and rules.
• Compare and order integers on a number line.
This week: We will focus on comparing and ordering integers, identifying positive and negative numbers.
Looking Ahead:
*Function Tables: determine the valuable for the variables
*Graphing Functions
Math 4:
*Recognize and apply place value patterns in numbers through millions.
• Organize, display, and analyze data using line plots and line graphs.
• Determine and distinguish among mean, median, mode, and range, using concrete materials.
• Classify angles as acute, obtuse, or right.
• Identify and describe the sides, angles, edges, vertices, and faces of solid figures.
• Draw circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals given their dimensions. *Identify and describe points, lines, line segments, and rays.
This week: Using a compass to make angles and using a ruler to make triangles and rectangles with various measurements
Vocabulary:
Compass
Radius
Circumference
Diameter
Ruler
Inches
Centimeters
*Students will have a math quiz each Friday on skills covered in the unit to that point.
A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a login is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
Students will be using various roles to create literature circle discussions about text they choose to read. This week each group will choose to read books by Patricia Polacco. They will practice each of the following roles:
Vocabulary Finder: Students will read their text and find words that they wish to share with their group. These words can be words they do not know how to say, what it means, words that add to the author's description of an event, or words they find interesting
Questioner: As students read their text, they will develop questions to ask their group members about what was read. Questions should be "thick" instead of "thin." A "thick" question requires thought and should not be answered right in the text. It may be an opinion as well. (Would you have acted the same way Sally did?) A "thin" question can be answered right in the text (Who is the main character? What is the setting?)
Connector: Students will make connections to the text they are reading. A connection allows the reader to understand the story closer.
There are 3 types of connections:
*text to self: allows reader to draw from his/her own experiences
*text to text: allows reader to draw from other characters/events in other stories
*text to world: allows reader to draw from the world around them including historical and current events
Summarizer: A summary is a brief description of a passage. These are the main ideas only and not every detail in a passage. This is often the most challenging for students because in other responses they are asked to go into great detail as they write.
In class, our focus will be to build a reading live. We will start by examining our reading in the past: what worked for us as readers and what did not in order to create 5 reading resolutions. We will discover ways to choose books that are "just right" for us by looking through book bins at our reading level and thinking about our interests as a reader. We will create a reading portfolio in our journals to record our findings/data about ourselves as readers.
Spelling:
*Our spelling program involves the use of developmental word study rather than traditional spelling books. This“Words Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that best address their individual needs as a speller.
•Students will study the same pattern of words for two weeks. They will practice the words both at home and at school. The patterns will vary based on spelling group.
*Our first spelling test will be on Friday, September 21
*Our first spelling test will be on Friday, September 21
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Weekly Newsletter: September 10-14
Calendar Highlights:
September 7: Back to School Picnic, 5:30-8:30
September 13: Back To School Night, 7-9
September 14: Individual School Pictures
Welcome to 4th grade! Each week we will send our newsletter to you through our Grade 4 Blog. Please be sure your child's homeroom teacher has your email address. That way you will receive an email each time we update this blog!
PBIS:
Our school is participating in a Positive Behavior Intervention System. By now you're kids should be coming home telling you about their classromm and individual Bulldog Bucks. Students can earn Bulldog Bucks for demonstrating Safe, Respectful, and/or Responsible behavior. They can eran them from any staff member. There are individual and class Bulldog Bucks. Students will be able to use their Bulldog Bucks for rewards both in the classroom and at the school store. More information will be coming soon.
More information about PBIS can be found on the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/pbis/index.shtm
Helpful information for 4th grade:
9:05-10:25: Writing
10:30-11:15: Specials (T,W, & F) Science (M & Th)
11:20-12:40: Math
12:45-1:45: Recess & Lunch
1:50-3:15: Reading Block
*We invite students to bring a nut-free snack to class each day, as our lunch period is late in the day.
*We invite all students to bring a water bottle to class also.
*Students are also encourage to bring a removable (flash drive) with them to school as well. We do a lot of our work on the computer & many students like to save on their drive to share at home and school. It is not required!
Writing:
This week we will focus on writing personal narratives. We will start by writing for 5 minutes on an important moment or memory in our lives. We will think of 3 moments and then examine each one to determine if any of these moments could be seeds for further development into a writing piece. We will take one seed and spend a significant amount of time writing about the details of that moment. That will help us notice a theme in our writing.
In addition, we will spend time thinking about goals. How do successful people set goals? What do they do to achieve their goals? We will watch a video clip from the 2012 Summer Olympics to gather examples of people who have accomplished goals they set. We will then write our own goals and steps to achieve. Look for our goals as you join us for Back to School Night on Thursday. They will be under your child's picture on the 4th grade bulliten board!
A link to a website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.htm
Life Science:
Students construct, observe, discuss, and read about land and water ecosystems. Throughout the unit students will explore the concepts of living things and their basic needs, how organisms are classified, the features that make organisms well-suited to their environment, the flow of energy and matter, and how organisms interact with each other and the environment.
This year we are asking you to send in 16-20 oz soda/water bottles instead of 2L. Please rinse them out and send the cap too! We will use these to create mini-terrariums.
This week we will be setting up our aquariums and terrariums. Our animals and plants will arrive and we will prepare their habitats. Some of the animals we will study include crickets, isopods, guppies, snails. We will learn how plants and animals are interdependent.
Math 5:
• Identify and apply prime and composite numbers less than 100 and rules of divisibility.
• Determine and apply the greatest common factor and least common multiple of numbers.
• Recognize and represent functional relationships using graphs, tables, and rules.
• Compare and order integers on a number line.
This week: We will focus on finding least common multiple and continue with prime factorizations. We will use exponents to evaluate prime factorization.
Looking Ahead to next week:
*Compare & Order integers, positive and negative
*Function Tables: determine the valuable for the variables
*Graphing Functions
Math 4:
*Recognize and apply place value patterns in numbers through millions.
• Organize, display, and analyze data using line plots and line graphs.
• Determine and distinguish among mean, median, mode, and range, using concrete materials.
• Classify angles as acute, obtuse, or right.
• Identify and describe the sides, angles, edges, vertices, and faces of solid figures.
• Draw circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals given their dimensions. *Identify and describe points, lines, line segments, and rays.
This week: We will shift our focus from lines/segments/rays to angles:
Acute Angles: measure less than 90 degrees
Right Angles: measure 90 degrees and make a square corners
Obtuse Angles: measure over 90 degrees
Straight Angles: a line that measures 180 degrees (5th grade skill: straight angles form the diameter of a circle)
*Students will have a math quiz each Friday on skills covered in the unit to that point.
A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a login is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
Students will be using various roles to create literature cirlce discussions about text they choose to read. Teachers will model each job in class and give students the chance to practice each role. Once all roles have been modeled, students will participate in a trial literature circle before participating in their own literature circles. This will take us about two weeks to model & practice before students will use the feedback given to have their own literature circle discussions.
Vocabulary Finder: Students will read their text and find words that they wish to share with their group. These words can be words they do not know how to say, what it means, words that add to the author's description of an event, or words they find interesting
Questioner: As students read their text, they will develop questions to ask their group members about what was read. Questions should be "thick" instead of "thin." A "thick" question requires thought and should not be answered right in the text. It may be an opinion as well. (Would you have acted the same way Sally did?) A "thin" question can be answered right in the text (Who is the main character? What is the setting?)
Connector: Students will make connections to the text they are reading. A connection allows the reader to understand the story closer.
There are 3 types of connections:
*text to self: allows reader to draw from his/her own experiences
*text to text: allows reader to draw from other characters/events in other stories
*text to world: allows reader to draw from the world around them including historical and current events
Summarizer: A summary is a brief description of a passage. These are the main ideas only and not every detail in a passage. This is often the most challenging for students because in other responses they are asked to go into great detail as they write.
Spelling:
*Our spelling program involves the use of developmental word study rather than traditional spelling books. This “Words Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that best address their individual needs as a speller.
September 7: Back to School Picnic, 5:30-8:30
September 13: Back To School Night, 7-9
September 14: Individual School Pictures
Welcome to 4th grade! Each week we will send our newsletter to you through our Grade 4 Blog. Please be sure your child's homeroom teacher has your email address. That way you will receive an email each time we update this blog!
PBIS:
Our school is participating in a Positive Behavior Intervention System. By now you're kids should be coming home telling you about their classromm and individual Bulldog Bucks. Students can earn Bulldog Bucks for demonstrating Safe, Respectful, and/or Responsible behavior. They can eran them from any staff member. There are individual and class Bulldog Bucks. Students will be able to use their Bulldog Bucks for rewards both in the classroom and at the school store. More information will be coming soon.
More information about PBIS can be found on the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/pbis/index.shtm
Helpful information for 4th grade:
9:05-10:25: Writing
10:30-11:15: Specials (T,W, & F) Science (M & Th)
11:20-12:40: Math
12:45-1:45: Recess & Lunch
1:50-3:15: Reading Block
*We invite students to bring a nut-free snack to class each day, as our lunch period is late in the day.
*We invite all students to bring a water bottle to class also.
*Students are also encourage to bring a removable (flash drive) with them to school as well. We do a lot of our work on the computer & many students like to save on their drive to share at home and school. It is not required!
Writing:
This week we will focus on writing personal narratives. We will start by writing for 5 minutes on an important moment or memory in our lives. We will think of 3 moments and then examine each one to determine if any of these moments could be seeds for further development into a writing piece. We will take one seed and spend a significant amount of time writing about the details of that moment. That will help us notice a theme in our writing.
In addition, we will spend time thinking about goals. How do successful people set goals? What do they do to achieve their goals? We will watch a video clip from the 2012 Summer Olympics to gather examples of people who have accomplished goals they set. We will then write our own goals and steps to achieve. Look for our goals as you join us for Back to School Night on Thursday. They will be under your child's picture on the 4th grade bulliten board!
A link to a website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.htm
Life Science:
Students construct, observe, discuss, and read about land and water ecosystems. Throughout the unit students will explore the concepts of living things and their basic needs, how organisms are classified, the features that make organisms well-suited to their environment, the flow of energy and matter, and how organisms interact with each other and the environment.
This year we are asking you to send in 16-20 oz soda/water bottles instead of 2L. Please rinse them out and send the cap too! We will use these to create mini-terrariums.
This week we will be setting up our aquariums and terrariums. Our animals and plants will arrive and we will prepare their habitats. Some of the animals we will study include crickets, isopods, guppies, snails. We will learn how plants and animals are interdependent.
Math 5:
• Identify and apply prime and composite numbers less than 100 and rules of divisibility.
• Determine and apply the greatest common factor and least common multiple of numbers.
• Recognize and represent functional relationships using graphs, tables, and rules.
• Compare and order integers on a number line.
This week: We will focus on finding least common multiple and continue with prime factorizations. We will use exponents to evaluate prime factorization.
Looking Ahead to next week:
*Compare & Order integers, positive and negative
*Function Tables: determine the valuable for the variables
*Graphing Functions
Math 4:
*Recognize and apply place value patterns in numbers through millions.
• Organize, display, and analyze data using line plots and line graphs.
• Determine and distinguish among mean, median, mode, and range, using concrete materials.
• Classify angles as acute, obtuse, or right.
• Identify and describe the sides, angles, edges, vertices, and faces of solid figures.
• Draw circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals given their dimensions. *Identify and describe points, lines, line segments, and rays.
This week: We will shift our focus from lines/segments/rays to angles:
Acute Angles: measure less than 90 degrees
Right Angles: measure 90 degrees and make a square corners
Obtuse Angles: measure over 90 degrees
Straight Angles: a line that measures 180 degrees (5th grade skill: straight angles form the diameter of a circle)
*Students will have a math quiz each Friday on skills covered in the unit to that point.
A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a login is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
Students will be using various roles to create literature cirlce discussions about text they choose to read. Teachers will model each job in class and give students the chance to practice each role. Once all roles have been modeled, students will participate in a trial literature circle before participating in their own literature circles. This will take us about two weeks to model & practice before students will use the feedback given to have their own literature circle discussions.
Vocabulary Finder: Students will read their text and find words that they wish to share with their group. These words can be words they do not know how to say, what it means, words that add to the author's description of an event, or words they find interesting
Questioner: As students read their text, they will develop questions to ask their group members about what was read. Questions should be "thick" instead of "thin." A "thick" question requires thought and should not be answered right in the text. It may be an opinion as well. (Would you have acted the same way Sally did?) A "thin" question can be answered right in the text (Who is the main character? What is the setting?)
Connector: Students will make connections to the text they are reading. A connection allows the reader to understand the story closer.
There are 3 types of connections:
*text to self: allows reader to draw from his/her own experiences
*text to text: allows reader to draw from other characters/events in other stories
*text to world: allows reader to draw from the world around them including historical and current events
Summarizer: A summary is a brief description of a passage. These are the main ideas only and not every detail in a passage. This is often the most challenging for students because in other responses they are asked to go into great detail as they write.
Spelling:
*Our spelling program involves the use of developmental word study rather than traditional spelling books. This “Words Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that best address their individual needs as a speller.
•Spelling
will begin with pre-assessments to determine which spelling patterns students
need to practice.
•Students
will study the same pattern of words for two weeks. They will practice the
words both at home and at school.
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