Science! Science! Science!

We have been working hard in science! It's hard to believe that our Heredity Unit is almost complete. Here is a look at our Scientists at work!

Creature Features....
The student's had to identify the monsters parents based on their traits.

We were very lucky to have The Print Shop program come to our classroom! Ask your student about what they learned!

November News

On Thursday Mrs. Dennis came into our class to teach us about the Zones of Regulation (a way to monitor your own behavior and feelings) and also Me Moves (movements to help calm and focus). She will continue to make appearances in our class throughout the year as we continue to work on ways to help monitor and take responsibility for our own learning. Here are some pictures of the class working with her. Make sure to ask your student about it! :)

We also used the new Chrome Books as a class for the first time last week. The new math program has an online component and the student accounts are now up and running. We were able to take the Unit 3 test on the computer! It was a neat experience and will help us get used to computerized tests for the upcoming PARCC. I will be sending home the students user names and passwords and an information letter regarding the online access. Please keep an eye out for this. The videos we watch in class as well as the student text book is available on line and is a great resource! 

In reading we will be continuing to work on different reading strategies including questioning and inferencing. Within these strategies are a lot of key concepts the students will need as they move forward as readers. 

At this point your student should be completing their "menu" questions on their own. The key to this menu is the student supporting their ideas with evidence from the text and explaining why. We have modeled and practiced this many times in class. 

As I meet with some students I have noticed their book choice is not always just right. I have encouraged them to push themselves further and or save the book for another time. Please encourage your student to read books that are just right at home as well. If they are unable to identify the big idea of the book, the main problem the characters are trying to work out, and or can not tell you what five or more words on a page mean, most likely the book is not just right for them. 

I encourage you to talk to your students about the books they are reading and show enthusiasm for reading yourself. This will only help your student develop a life long love for reading.

In math we are moving on to Unit 4 which is Addition and Subtraction of whole numbers. Within this unit we will work on using mental math, estimating sums and differences, adding multi-digit whole numbers, subtracting multi-digit whole numbers and more with with subtracting across zeros.  

We also continue to work on multiplication facts for mastery. I have sent home flash cards with each student. There are also many internet sites that are available for multiplication practice. Sumdog and Xtramath are just two examples. Unfortunately our school did not purchase IXL this year but you are still able to use the site for periods of time (it just doesn't keep track of your progress). Our new math program also has e-games to help practice concepts. Please encourage your students to practice their facts! I can't stress enough how important they are!

Just as in reading, talking about math in a positive way at home will help encourage and motivate your student. Point out all the different times you use math in a day (cooking, driving, buying anything, exercising, paying bills, playing sports, etc) it is important for them to realize that these skills are things they will use in "real life". 

A look into Writers Workshop...

We are finishing our Narrative piece and moving into our Fiction Story. The students have been working hard drafting and revising their Narratives. As they move into publishing, I am excited to see the progress they are making as writers! :)

A big thank you to Mrs. Smithwick who has been helping the students with their typing skills!! Your student has their own account on typingweb.com. Log in with them to see the progress they are making! They can also practice this at home.

As always please don't hesitate to call or email me with any concerns.

Conference Reminder!

Just a friendly reminder that conferences are quickly approaching! I will be sending a reminder/confirmation note home with your student. Please send it back as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting with you! As always feel free to contact me with any questions and or concerns.

October News

We have had a busy first month of school! We have been working on routines, 4th grade expectations, metacognition (thinking about thinking) as we read, multiplication and division facts and properties, the beginning of the writing process and map skills.

Some Reminders:
Picture Day is Wednesday, October 8th
Conferences are Thursday, October 30th and Friday, October 31st. If you have not signed up for a conference yet I will be contacting you within the next 2 weeks.

Upcoming Attractions:
Math - Our next unit is Patterns and Number Sequences. Click Here to read the parent letter. I have sent home multiplication flash cards with each student. These should be practiced on a nightly basis. I can not stress enough how important it is to know these facts automatically!
Reading - We will be continuing to work on being aware of our thinking as we read. This includes monitoring for meaning, what to do when meaning breaks down, making connections to the text, making pictures and movies in our minds as we read, retelling and summarizing. We are also working on recording our thinking as we read and responding to the text. Something we will be working on the entire year will be supporting our thinking with evidence from the text.
At home you can help by asking your child to tell you about what they are reading, what they think about it and why they think that. Talking about it will help them transition them to writing about it.
Writing - We are continuing to work on our personal narrative. We will be drafting and working on revision strategies. Not only are we working on the actual writing but also the process of writing.
Social Studies - We will be finishing our map skills unit soon. A study guide and flash cards will be coming home. We have and will continue to work on how to study at school. This is also something that needs to be encouraged and worked on at home. Studying is an important skill that they will use for the next several years!
Science- We will be beginning our first science unit soon. It will be the study of heredity.


Volunteers Needed:
I am hoping to start some typing activities with the students soon. This is an especially important skill in our technological based world. Any volunteers available to help in the computer lab would be greatly appreciated! Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Remember please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you have.

Open House

Hello Parents!
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Welcome!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! I know I sure am. It is going to be a fun a and interesting 4th grade year. I am excited to meet all of you!