Sunday, February 5, 2017

February 6-10 A Peek at the Week

Dates to Note:

Monday: Parent Portal Opens; Report Cards Available to view/download
Monday: Fiction Work Intro
Tuesday: Social Studies Quiz
Thursday: Fiction Passage Quiz
Friday: Word Study Test

Math News
We continue working on Geometry this week. Our focus will be on how shapes transform or move. You can help at home by asking your child to show you a rotation, translation, and a reflection!

Writing News
       For the past several weeks we have been working on Paragraph of the Week in which your child is given on topic to write about and they spend the week creating a strong paragraph that will be graded. I have noticed that the struggle for them in the topic and conclusion sentence. We will be spending more time this week really focusing on those areas. You can help at home by pointing out topic sentences in everyday reading.

Social Studies News
       Last week we really dug into what it was like to travel from England to Jamestown in 1607. 


     This week, we are will be discussing the hardships colonists faced once they began life in Jamestown. Look in the Monday folder for the Save The Date notice!


Genius Hour
       This past week, your children really enjoyed the instant challenge of making the longest paper chain with one piece of paper. I am proud to say that the entire class was able to participate due to good choices and hard work throughout the week! WAY TO GO CLASS!! I hope this becomes a tradition.


Sunday, January 29, 2017

A Peek at the Week January 30-February 3

DATES TO NOTE:
Monday-New TFK & Word Study 
Tuesday-HAPPY BIRTHDAY Riyana!!!
Thursday- TFK Quiz
Friday- GLOW Quiz over weeks 1 & 2



GLOW Words
     Below are the words we have been working on the last two weeks. There will be a quiz over the meaning of each word part.

DE- down/away                   DIS- out/from
RE- back/again                    EX- apart/away
SUB- under                         TRACT- to pull
TRANS- across/through      PRESS- to press
MIT/MISS- to send                FORM- to shape
PORT- to carry                    JECT- to throw

Reading News
     We began using a new digital resource in the classroom called Readworks Digital. It gives students reading passages online, and then asks them to answer questions about the passage.
Math Update

     The next two weeks will be focused on Geometry. This unit has MANY vocabulary words in it that are easy to confuse. Please point out any of these terms in real life settings, for examples angles on a soccer field or basketball court, Parallel lines on streets. It is extremely important that our students see the real world application of Geometry!

Monday, January 23, 2017

January 23rd - January 27th Peek at the Week

DATES TO NOTE:
Monday-No School
Tuesday-No TFK This week! New Historical Fiction Units


GLOW Units
We have begun working on GLOW. This is an acronym for Greek and Latin Origin Words. Students will have activities to do with each unit. The point of this is to help children understand how knowing word parts can help with the words overall meaning. The units will alternate with Word Study and so will quizzes.
Reading News
We are beginning our historical fiction genre study this week. Students will be given new novels to read and work to accompany it.
Math Update
We will be using this week to focus on linear measurement. Please use any opportunity at home to have children use rulers, tape measures, and yard sticks.

Social Studies News
Jamestown begins!! This is an intense unit, but the students really learn a great deal!

Monday, January 16, 2017

January 16th - January 20th Peek at the Week!

DATES TO NOTE:

Monday-No School
Tuesday-Still working on TFK
Wednesday-Math Midyear; Still working on TFK
Thursday-Finish Math Midyear if needed; TFK assessment
Friday-Spelling Bee; END of the Nine Weeks-All work due!


Spelling Bee
CONGRATULATIONS to Charlie Strobach! He will be our class representative in this week’s Spelling Bee. The Bee will be held this Friday in the Brownsville Library with it being streamed into classrooms.
Reading News
We will be wrapping up our realistic fiction novels this week. Students will be working hard to make sure their reading is completed and the work is done to its best!
Math Update
This week we will be taking our math midyear in our math classes. It is important that your child reviews their notes from the year, as it is a cumulative assessment. I plan to use this information to drive instruction for the 2nd semester. After further discussion, the fourth grade teachers have decided to USE it as a math test grade. This is a correction from last week’s posting.

Social Studies News

This Thursday we will be taking our assessment over Virginia’s Native Americans. This has been a very quick unit so it's important your children are studying a little every evening. We will be starting our Jamestown Unit next week!