Posts Tagged ‘update’

What Your Hard Working Kids Are Up To!

Hi Parents,

Welcome to January! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays!

Here’s what we’ve been up to…

Math- we have been digging into division and will have a test at the end of the week! Pretty please encourage your child to practice math facts!

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

Writing and Social Studies (yes, together!) -Personal/Literary Essays. Using a BIG Idea, we will prove our point by using evidence and Core Democratic Values for support.

Spelling- A new list is coming home to practice our new words- attached to a NEW Tic-Tac-Toe board- so please check out the NEW directions.

Thank you so much for supporting your child’s education! I certainly couldn’t do what I do with YOU!!

 

Update on What We’re Up To!

Hi Parents,

In Reading, we’ve been analyzing Informational Books as mentor texts to help us write our own Informational Book topic of our choice.

Fractions are what we’ve been tackling in Math, with Decimals coming soon! A test on Unit 7 will be happening either at the end of this week, or early next.

We are wrapping up Social Studies by Taking a Stand on a pubic issue using the Core Democratic Values of the United States.

In Science, YES! Science! We will be practicing the Scientific Method…

  • Purpose- What do you want to know?
  • Research- What can you find out?
  • Hypothesis- What do you predict?
  • Experiment- How are you going to test it?
  • Analysis- What happened during your experiment?
  • Conclusion- What did you find out?

by dissecting OWL PELLETS! It will be a ton of fun!!

We Keep Chugging On!

 

Hi Parents,

Here is a quick update of what we are working on in the classroom…
Reading- Presently, we are reading/discussing Historical Fiction stories.
Writing- The 4th Graders are currently writing Informational Books on a subject of which they are experts!
Math- We will have a Unit 7 test this week on fractions and decimals and then move into learning about measurement and geometry.
Social Studies- Currently, we are working on the Bill of Rights and moving into the Core Democratic Values. We are having some awesome discussions in the classroom!
As you can see, there is much work to do in the time your child has left as a 4th Grader! Can you believe how quickly this year is wrapping up?!

Here’s What We’ve Been Up To…

Hi Parents!

Whew! Our class has been super busy!

We just wrapped up and reflected on our read aloud The Tiger Rising. Our Realistic Fiction stories are almost completed, and today we put the finishing touches on our On Demand Personal Narrative! Unit 2 Math on Multiplication Methods is presently being reviewed and tested before Thanksgiving Break. In Social Studies we are in the midst of our study of the U.S. Government.

Coming Soon… Spelling and Science!

I am Thankful for a classroom full of awesome kids and parents who support them!!

Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!

We’ve Been Working!

Hi Parents!

Welcome to October!

First of all, I would like to thank you for supporting the Georgetown Walk-A-Thon! It was a HUGE success! Our classroom earned an extra recess because of all of you!

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

In Reading, we’ve wrapped up our first unit of Building a Reading Life/Reading Stone Fox. Now we begin Unit 2- Analyzing Characters and Reading The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo.

We are presently revising/editing our Personal Narrative Writing! Next, we will be writing our very own Realistic Fiction Story based on our own real life experiences.

This week we will be tackling a math review and Unit 1 Test! Unit 2 is all about Multiplication! It is always very helpful for your child to practice math facts (pretty please?).

In Social Studies, each student is making a poster explaining the 6 Characteristics of a Market Economy. Those characteristics are- 1) Voluntary Exchange 2) Consumer Sovereignty 3) Competition             4) Incentives 5) Private Property Rights 6) Specialization

Enjoy your week!

Mindy

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!

A Quick Update

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hi Parents!

We have been very busy in our classroom!

Currently, we are in the midst of the Unit 4 math test, taking it in chunks!

In Reading, we are enjoying the Historical Fiction book Run Away Home and Be Free. This story nicely ties into an upcoming Social Studies unit on the movement of people across the United States.

We just wrapped up our Essay Unit in writing, and will begin our Information Writing Unit very soon!

After our Social Studies test on the U.S. Government, we will dig deeper into the Bill of Rights.

Science learning is all about the Sun, Moon and Earth with Mr. Bowen.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions!!

 

What’s Up in Our Classroom!

Hi Parents,

Here’s what we’ve been up to…

Reading: We are reading the book The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo and learning how to connect with the characters and make predictions based on our own experiences.

Writing: The kids started planning their Realistic Fiction stories for Unit 2!

Math: Our new unit is on MULTIPLICATION! Currently, we are multiplying 1 digit by 2 digit numbers. Of course, there will be more digits later! Please check out the methods we use to multiply- Area Model, Expanded Notation Model, and Algebraic Model, linked to this blog under the heading MULTIPLICATION METHODS. Don’t worry, we will be also using the “Parent” method (digit by digit) like we grown ups do!

Social Studies: We will be wrapping up our Economics Unit soon with a test to follow. Study materials will be coming home shortly!search

Spring is HERE!!

Hi Parents!

Happy spring to you! I hear that we might have a shot at more wintery weather, so don’t put away those warm clothes yet! Here is an update on what we’ve been up to in our classroom!

Reading- We’ve been working on understanding what we are reading and responding to what is read. Please have your child read each evening and fill in the reading log.

Writing- The kids are having fun writing an Informational Book about an animal of their choice. They spent a lot of time researching their animal in books and online. We will wrap up this unit with group presentations to share our new knowledge with the rest of our classmates!

Spelling- Generally, your child will receive a new spelling list every two weeks. A Tic-Tac-Toe board is included with the list, which is considered homework. Your child should do 3 activities from the Tic-Tac-Toe board each week of the two weeks, totaling six of the nine activities. Some of the students are using Google Docs for the spelling homework instead of writing it on paper and stapling it to the Tic-Tac-Toe board. They use the same Google Doc over the course of the two weeks, adding to it with each activity. At the end of the two weeks, the Google Doc is shared with me. This is a great way for kids to practice keyboarding, and it’s what many of the Middle and High school teachers use for writing assignments- so it is great practice 🙂

Math- We wrapped up Unit 6 on Fractions and are moving into Unit 7 which tackles decimals.

Science- Now we are switching with Mr. Kooiker’s class, and are learning about Animals/Habitats.

As you can see, we are keeping very busy! Thank you so much for your support!happy-easter3

 

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!

 

 

 

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