Posts Tagged ‘news’

We’re Off to a GREAT Start!

Hi Parents,

 In addition to continuing the Getting to Know Each Other process, here is what we’ve been up to in the first two weeks of 4th grade!

 

Our first unit of study in Reading lays the groundwork for good reading habits. Students are taught how to set reading goals, choose a Just Right book, read actively, and build reading stamina.

 

As we dig into writing Personal Narratives, we are learning to generate ideas of what to write by thinking about Special People, Special Places, and Strong Emotions. We also are learning to add sensory details to help the reader experience the story.

 

We are tackling numbers up to 1 Million in math this first unit! Students are learning how to model and read and write numbers in standard form (24), word form (twenty-four), and expanded form (20 + 4). We are also rounding numbers!

 

The first unit of Social Studies is all about our United States Government. In this unit, we learn about the U.S. Constitution, which will work well with our observation of Constitution Day on September 17.

 

As you can see, we have been working hard!

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Enjoy your week!

Mindy

What’s Up in 4th Grade :)

Hi Parents,

Here’s what we’ve been up to!

Math- we are digging into Unit 4 tackling story problems with all four operations, finding factor pairs and generating/analyzing number patterns.

Reading- Nonfiction Book reading skills. Reading, responding to text and sharing topics that we are learning with others.

Writing-Literary Essay. Using a BIG Idea, we will prove our point by using evidence from lessons that authors teach us within the books we read in class.

Social Studies- We are wrapping up our last lessons on the Federal Government and will be taking a test soon. Study materials will be coming home.

Science is on the way!!

What We’re Working On in the Classroom

Hi Parents!

Can you believe that we’re already well into October!?

Here is a quick snapshot of what we’re working on…

This week it’s BE NICE, BE SAFE, BE AN UPSTANDER.  We will be talking about what it looks like to be safe and be nice – as well as ways to stand up for others. We often talk about TREATING OTHERS THE WAY WE WANT TO BE TREATED 🙂

In Reading, we’ve begun Unit 2- Analyzing Characters and Reading The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo.

We are presently writing our very own Realistic Fiction Story based on our own real life experiences.

Currently, we are tackling Unit 2 Math which is all about Multiplication! It is always very helpful for your child to practice math facts (pretty please?).

In Social Studies, we are learning about the United States in spacial terms- map/globe skills, landforms, and how humans interact with the earth.

Enjoy your week!

 

We’ve Been Working!

Hi Parents,

In addition to continuing the Getting to Know Each Other process, here is what we’ve been up to in the first two weeks of 4th grade!

Our first unit of study in Reading lays the groundwork for good reading habits. Students are taught how to set reading goals, choose a Just Right book, read actively, and build reading stamina. We are enjoying Stone Fox as our mentor text.
As we dig into writing Personal Narratives, we are learning to generate ideas of what to write by thinking about Special People, Special Places, and Strong Emotions. We also are learning to add sensory details to help the reader experience the story.
We are tackling numbers up to 1 Million in math this first unit! Students are learning how to model and read and write numbers in standard form (24), word form (twenty-four), and expanded form (20 + 4). We are also rounding numbers!
The first unit of Social Studies is all about Economics. We are first revisiting what was learned in 3rd grade by discussing Michigan’s State Economy before taking our discussions to the U.S. level.
As you can see, we have been working hard!
Please don’t hesitate to ask questions!
Enjoy your week!

An Update on Our Hard Work!

Hi Parents!

Your kids have been working very hard! We will continue to dig in as we approach the Christmas Break!

We are beginning a new Reading Unit on Informational Texts where we will learn how to preview, predict, tap prior knowledge, and determine the main idea of the books we read. I’m sure we will be able to learn many new and interesting things from our books and from each other!

In Writing, we are beginning the study of Personal/Opinion Essay! You’re about to find out how your child feels about some BIG ideas out there in our world 🙂

It’s Division time! Yes! We are digging into Division (as promised!). Please check out the links I have under the Long Division heading on the right column of the blog. PLEASE encourage your child to practice division on Mathfactspro!

We wrap up our Government Unit with a test early this week! Please help your child study the packet that was sent home. Our next unit is all about The Bill of Rights! Check out a couple of videos that we use in class…

Bill of Rights/Shake It Off

Bill of Rights Rap

Rights, Rights Baby

Yeah, they’re corny, but they help 🙂

Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe is due on Friday, Dec. 4. We’ll also have a spelling test.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

 

 

 

Here’s What’s Going On… :)

Reading: We are reading the book, The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. While reading this book, we are learning to envision, predict, and make inferences about the characters. We are also growing theories and gathering evidence to understand the motivations of the characters.

Writing: Your child is writing his/her very own Realistic Fiction story! Pretty cool, huh?

Spelling: The first spelling list is coming home this week. A homework Tic-Tac-Toe board is attached to the list. Each list will be worked on for 2 weeks.

Math: We are learning strategies to multiply a 1 digit number by a 2 digit number. So far, we have learned the Area Model. Next, we are digging in to the Place Value Sections Method and the Expanded Model.

Social Studies: We have wrapped up our first unit on the physical geography of the United States. Your kids ROCKED the Unit 1 test! Now, on to Human Geography- how and why people move to the U.S. and across the U.S.

We Keep Pressing On!

schoolnewsHi Parents!

I am enjoying your kids! We are beginning to feel like a classroom “family”!

We have a Math test on Tuesday and a Social Studies Quiz on Wednesday 🙂

Reading: This week, we will learn to fit together new parts of a story with older parts, make inferences, and learn how to listen carefully when others are sharing. Unit 1 will be wrapped up this week!

Writing: We are publishing our first Personal Narrative, and will wrap up our first Writing Unit of the year! I love all of the details your kids put into their stories!

Math: On Tuesday, we will have our first unit test! During this cold, windy weekend, it would be helpful for your child to practice adding/subtracting multi-digit numbers. Also, our next Unit is all about MULTIPLICATION! Practicing facts over the weekend would be a BIG plus!

Social Studies: Currently, we are studying Special Purpose Maps. There will be a quiz on Wednesday, covering lessons 3 and 4. The word cards were sent home with your student last week!

Keep warm!