This Week...10/17/16

Hi!
We are SO excited about the field trip tomorrow!  There's been a lot of plotting and planning about who's riding the bus and who will sit with each other, who's riding with a parent and who can ride along with them.  So many details to work out!  Please remember to:

• Send two snacks (morning and afternoon)
• Send a bag lunch and drink
• Have your child wear a light blue uniform shirt and khaki bottoms

Next week Thursday is our annual Fall Festival, so I'm sure the plotting and planning will include who's wearing what costume and who's going to hang out with each other :)  I'm still trying to decide what I'll dress up as, but I'll be there!  It's a lot of fun for everyone in the family...I hope I'll see you there!

We'd love to have your help with candy donations for Fall Festival!!!  

You can send it in any time between now and Thursday, 10/27.

In between all of the Fall fun, we still have to get in some learning!

This week in...

Reading:  We're continuing to work on Fix-up Strategies.  This week we're talking about Rereading, Reading On, and Slowing Down.  Next week we'll move on to our Elements of Literature unit.

Language:  This week we're talking about Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections.  We'll continue working with these next week to get in some practice.

Writing:  Almost all of the kids are done with their first published piece and are working on new pieces during Writing Workshop.  Our writing focus has changed from Ideas to Excellent Word Choice, and in the spirit of Halloween, we talked about Dead Words (overused and boring words).  Later this week we'll continue this theme with Dead Verbs!

Social Studies:  We're almost finished with our NC Natives unit, and should wrap things up this week.  Next week we'll talk about the history of the North Carolina colony.

Math:  We've wrapped up our Place Value unit (rounding numbers was really hard for many of the kids, so practice with this skill would be great!), and will do a quick review of Adding and Subtracting up to four digit numbers.  Then we'll be starting our Multiplication unit.

Bible:  We're talking about what happened to the disciples after Jesus' ascension and how the Holy Spirit came to them.

They saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:  3-4

Have a wonderful week!

This Week...10/3/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

Where did September go?  I can't believe it's October already!  I'm looking forward to cooler weather and all of the fun that comes with fall activities!

Some upcoming activities to note on your calendar:

• Friday, October 7th - PTO Movie Night
• Monday, October 17th - Butterbraid Fundraiser begins
• Wednesday, October 19th - 4th grade Field Trip to Old Salem
• Thursday, October 27th - MID Fall Festival...don't miss it!  So much fun!
• Friday, October 28th and Monday, October 31st - Mandatory Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I'll be sending out a link to a Signup Genius in the next week so you can sign up for a day/time :)

We had so much fun seeing everyone's What's In Your Cupboard projects!  The kids did a great job reading their essays, and supporting each other as they presented their projects!  I learned something special about every single child...hearing why they chose their objects made my heart smile :)

This week in...

Reading:  We're working on Fix-up Strategies.  Last week we talked about things that can cause us to get stuck when we're reading.  We started talking about using context clues to help us figure out unfamiliar words (our most common problem!) and will continue working on using context clues this week.

Language:  This week we're doing our Parts of Speech review.  This week we'll work on Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs.

Writing:  We've been writing away in our journals, and this week we'll choose a piece to publish!  We'll go through the steps of revising and editing, both on our own and with a peer.  Then we'll publish our first pieces and add them to our Writing Portfolios!

Social Studies:  Last week we wrapped up our study of the NC Regions, and this week we started learning about the native people who lived in each region.  We'll study where they lived, the types of homes they lived in, the roles of men, women, and children in their societies, how they used the natural resources around them, the kinds of foods they ate, and more!

Math:  We've started our Place Value unit and are going to be working on rounding whole numbers, using money to understand decimals, and counting money.  Below are some websites and games that your child can go to for extra practice.

Comparing and ordering numbers:

Study Zone

Topmarks  The games toward the top of the page are for younger children, but the ones further down are perfect for 4th graders.

Rounding Numbers:

Mathman

Math Millions

Using Money to Understand Decimals:

Lunch Lady

Scottie Nickel's Change Maker

Bible:  We'll continue to study the first chapter in Acts, digging deeper into why it's so important that there were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ascension into Heaven.  Our memory verse this week is:

After Jesus said this, He was taken up to heaven.  They watched until a cloud hid Him from their sight.  Acts 1:9

Have a wonderful week!

This week...9/19/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

Please be sure to check the Safety Patrol schedule, as it begins this week.  Also, please write Curriculum Night on your calendar for next Thursday, the 29th.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

Here's what we'll be up to in 4th grade this week:

Over the past week or so, Ms. Bright and I have been working on completing our Beginning of the Year assessments in Reading, Math, and Spelling.  We've almost completed them, and anticipate having all of them done early this week.  Then we'll be able to begin to work with students in groups that will focus on their specific needs :)

Reading:  In reading we've been working on analyzing characters by determining their physical and personality traits.  We'll dig a little deeper this week by looking at how a character shows their traits through their actions, words, and thoughts.

We've been really enjoying our read aloud of The Indian in the Cupboard, and will continue that this week.  We'll finish the story sometime next week and will do a fun project to wrap things up!  I'll send home information about the project with our homework this week.

Language:  I always start the year with a series of "hard and fast rules" for common aspects of language/writing conventions.  Last week we worked on capitalization, and this week we'll be working on proper use of commas.

Writing:  In writing, we're focusing on the many ways that we can develop ideas for our writing.  This week we'll look at examples of authors that have written about special places and special moments.

Math:  In math we're working on adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers, which should be a review for all of the students.

Social Studies/Science:  We'll be alternating Social Studies and Science units and are starting off with a unit on North Carolina geography and history.  This week we'll be looking at the regions of North Carolina and their physical characteristics.

Bible:  In our Bible curriculum, we'll spend much of the year in the Book of Acts, learning about the early days of the Church.  This week we'll look at what happened when Jesus ascended into Heaven.

Our memory verse for the week is:  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth.  Acts 1:8

Have a wonderful week!

The First Few Days

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

The first few days with your kids have been SO GOOD!!!  They have been polite, cooperative, and willing to try everything I've thrown at them.  So far we have:

• Set up our Writing notebooks and started learning the procedures for studying Mentor Sentences (we study the writing of published authors and use them as our mentors).  
• Set up our Math Notebooks and gone through all of the types of problems that we'll do each week in the Mountain Math Center (this is a great way for them to regularly review the skills that they've learned in 3rd grade, and will learn in 4th).  
• Gone over 3 days of the Daily Language Review that we'll do during our Morning Work time (they'll do 5 problems every Mon-Thur and each morning follows the same pattern).

• Started our class read aloud, The Indian in the Cupboard (I know they're loving it when I finish a chapter and they're begging for "just one more chapter...please?!?").  
• Set up our Reading Notebooks and learned how we'll format our Reading Responses.
• Looked at what kind of smart we are (with a Multiple Intelligences survey).
• Started building our Reading stamina during independent reading time (I call it Read to Self time).
• Learned about our "I'm Done, Now What?" activities.  The kids can always take out their books and read if they finish an activity early, but these activities give them some other options, such as:  Read It, Write It, Solve It, Draw It, Journal It, and Create It.  This is something new I'm trying this year, and so far the kids are loving it!
• Started working on Math and Reading assessments that will allow me to understand what their strengths and struggles are so we know what to focus on.


Whew...looking at that list makes me tired!  But it also shows me how much we've been able to accomplish in only a few days.  


Your kids have been working hard, but we've thrown some fun in there too.  Ask the kids about a teamwork activity we did called Save Fred.  It's challenging and fun, and the kids will had a ball!


I'm having so much fun getting to know your children, and I can already tell it's going to be a great year!

This Week 4/18/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

This week the kids will participate in Jump Rope for Heart to benefit the American Heart Association.  If you haven't already, please turn in permission slips and donation envelopes by Wednesday, 4/20.  Our time slot is on Wednesday from 1:45 to 2:45.  Please feel free to come and join us in the gym!

Also, a reminder that we have an Early Release day on Friday.  The kids will be dismissed at noon, before eating lunch.  Back up care is available if needed.

This Week In...

Language:  We'll be continuing our unit on Figurative Language, learning about alliteration, onomatopoeia, consonance, and assonance.  Soon we'll begin to use our new knowledge to write some poetry!

Reading:  Students are continuing with their partner reading, formulating discussion questions, and completing comprehension activities.

Math:  This week we'll wrap up our unit reviewing fractions, and will begin a new unit where we'll add and subtract fractions.

Writing:  We'll be working on writing passages where we compare and contrast.

Science:  This week we're learning about the Periodic Table of Elements, and how elements combine to form substances.

Bible:  Our memory verse this week is:  You are my rock and my fortress.  For the sake of your name, lead and guide me.  Psalm 31:3

Have a blessed week!

This Week...4/11/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

We've got our Scholastic Book Fair going at MID all this week.  Yesterday the kids made wish lists for the books they'd like to buy, and they should have brought them home.  We'll be shopping at the book fair on Friday afternoon from 2:00 - 2:30.  If you need to figure out the tax that should be added on so you can send a check for the exact amount, you can go to this link and put 7.25 in the tax percent:  http://www.calculator.net/sales-tax-calculator.html.

We'll be going on our field trip to Imaginon on Thursday, 4/14 to see Schoolhouse Rock!  We've watched many of the videos during our grammar lessons, so it should be fun to see how they present the songs and concepts on the stage.  Permission slips are due on Tuesday, 4/12 and $6.50 for lunch at Fuel Pizza is due on Wednesday, 4/13.  I apologize for the mix-up regarding the fee!!!

This week in...

Math:  We're continuing our unit on fractions.  This week we're working on reducing fractions, improper fractions, and ordering and comparing fractions.  We'll review and take our assessment early next week.  This link has a bunch of fraction games that will help your child practice these concepts:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm#fractions

Reading:  We're continuing Discussion University where the kids write discussion questions based on their reading that day, and then begin the next day with a discussion with their reading partner.

We also finished our read aloud, Three Times Lucky, yesterday.  We were all surprised by the ending!  We'll begin our new book today:  Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.  It's a great story about a young girl named Melody.  Here's the book blurb from the back:

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory.  Her head is like a video camera that is always recording.  Always.  And there's no delete button.  She's the smartest kid in her whole school - but NO ONE knows it.  Most people - her teachers and doctors included - don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again.  If only she could speak up.  If only she could tell people what she thinks and knows...but she can't, because Melody can't talk.  She can't walk, She can't write.  Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind.

Writing:  This week we're working on sequence paragraphs, where we focus on writing about a topic in sequence.  This could be a sequence of events, the order in which a task is completed, etc.

Language:  We're continuing to learn about figurative language.  This week we'll talk about personification and idioms.

Science:  We're wrapping up our work on atoms, and will begin looking at the Periodic Table of Elements.

Bible:  This week we talked about how Paul finally began to head toward home after three long years of travelling to spread the Good News about Jesus.

Our memory verse this week is:  My life means nothing to me.  I only want to finish the race and complete the work the Lord Jesus has given me.  He wants me to give witness to others about the Good News of God's grace.  Acts 20:24

Have a wonderful week!

This Week...4/4/16

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

This week we'll be hosting Math Night in our classroom!  On Thursday, April 7th, the evening will begin with a PTO meeting at 6:00 pm, followed by Math Night in the classrooms.  You'll get to do some of the hands on activities that your kids do in class.  I hope to see you there!

This Week In...

Language:  We've started a unit on Figurative Language and are talking about similes and metaphors this week.  We listened to some songs yesterday (Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts and Speak Now by Taylor Swift) and identified the similes and metaphors that we found in the lyrics.

Reading;  We're doing partner reading, so each student is paired up with another and they're reading a book together.  For the next couple of weeks we'll be doing 'Discussion University'.  Every day after they read together, the kids generate a discussion question for their partner.  They also complete an activity that demonstrated their understanding of what they read that day.  For example, yesterday they created a 'billboard' based on something from that day's reading.  The next day's reading begins with a partner discussion using the questions generated the day before.

Our current read aloud is Newberry Award Winner Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, and it's keeping us on the edge of our seats!  The main character is Mo (her full name is Moses because as a baby she was found floating in a river after a terrible storm).  Mo was adopted by the Colonel and Miss Lana who run the local cafe, but she still looks for her 'upstream mother' by putting notes in bottles and tossing them into the river.  Mo's best friend is a boy named Dale.  Eleven year old Mo and Dale run the Desperado Detective Agency, and usually investigate things like missing cats.  Everything changes when a local man is found murdered and Dale is on the list of suspects. Ask your child if they have any guesses about whodunit!

Math:  We started a new unit on fractions this week.  We'll be learning about equivalent fractions, improper fractions, mixed fractions, simplifying fractions and comparing and ordering fractions...whew!  In our next unit we'll move on to adding and subtracting fractions.

Writing:  In Writing we've been working on the organization of our writing by trying out different styles.  This week we're working on writing a descriptive passage by using all of our senses to add details.

Science:  We've moved on to our Chemistry unit, and are currently learning all about atoms and their parts:  nucleus, protons, neutrons, and electrons.  We're finding out that the difference in the make up of an atom determines what element it is.  Soon we'll be talking about how elements combine to make many of the things around us, and we'll be studying the periodic table of elements.

Bible:  In Bible, we're back in the book of Acts, learning about how Paul continued to travel to different cities to encourage the growing churches, and how he didn't stop even in the face of opposition and abuse.  He continued to be faithful in his effort to spread the word about Jesus, and to encourage others who were doing so.  His perseverance was amazing!

Our memory verse this week is:  Christ has set us free.  He wants us to enjoy freedom.  So stand firm.  Don't let the chains of slavery hold you again.  Galatians. 5:1

Have a wonderful week!