Hello,
This is a short week so there will be no spelling words. For language arts, we will be reviewing the material that we've been learning over the past 4 units. We will also be doing some fun writing projects. We will be doing some Lexia in class, and I'd love to see as many students as possible meet their required minutes (especially since there are no spelling words to study). A word about Lexia. There are 18 levels total for Lexia. Some students on the higher levels have no required minutes to do. However, finishing all 18 levels of Lexia in the 4th grade is a recognized accomplishment that warrants a visit from our Reading Coordinator and a special certificate. It also means that in 5th grade, those who have completed all the levels will get to do something else while their classmates are still finishing. It's a pretty unusual and fantastic accomplishment. One last thing. The genre of book we'll be reading for our next book reports is fantasy. I'll post specific details about the report later, but for now you can get your student started on a book that is at least 100 pages ( or more!). In math, we will be continuing with long division. I had some students ask me if there would be a test this week. I can see us doing a pre-test on Wednesday, just to see how well we're progressing, but I think that I'll hold off on the test this week. That means that you can get some extra practice time over the break. I think I'll send home some optional worksheets just to make sure that skills stay sharp. We need to take the second math benchmark on chapters 4 through 6 by 1-16-19, so it'll pay off to practice double digit multiplication and long division with your students so they can do well on the benchmark. In science, there will be some more work on soil composition, and we'll be learning more about Native Americans on Wednesday. Also, please remember the winter class party we're having this Thursday. Here's a link in case you want to keep track of something you volunteered to bring. Thanks for all of the support with our class parties! I sincerely hope that you all have a relaxing break from the normal routine. I hope that you can spend the winter break in a wonderful cocoon filled with family, love, tradition, and joy. I'll see you all in the New Year!
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Hello Everyone!
I hope that you had a fantastic weekend. I can't believe that we are so close to the winter break! Just a few more days to go and we'll be able to take a little break from the frenetic pace we all have. This week in language arts, we will be reading a story by Mary Pope Osborne about Paul Bunyan. We will be practicing generalization and making inferences about a text. The spelling words this week are hard, even for many adults. We will be practicing possessive words using apostrophe's...haha just kidding...apostrophes. The mistake that I illustrated is a very common. Be prepared for some frustration from students, and please ask them to do some extra Spelling City at home. One more thing, we will be doing a literature benchmark next week. More info about that to come in the planners. We started long division this week. I taught the kids a song that will stick in their heads for the rest of their natural lives. When you are helping with this concept, feel free to teach long division exactly the way that you learned in school. Nothing fancy. Divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, repeat. I think I've said before, I love long division, and it is absolutely crucial to future success in math! If there was ever a time to make sure that your student knows a concept, this is it. We will continue learning about the 5 Native American tribes, their customs, their way of life, their struggles, their food and clothing, etc. In science, they will continue studying the soil profile, and its importance in nature. I think that's it for this week. Thanks to all of you who have brought in the art canvases for our special project! Please email with any questions or concerns. Welcome to December! I hope you all had a great snow day and that all next week we can get to school and back safely! It's already time for mid-year testing, and we'll be doing the SRI (reading comprehension) test this week. Next week, we will be doing another reading conventions benchmark, so we'll have some great information about the improvements that we've made as a class from the beginning of the school year, as well as some of the improvements that need to be made.
This week in math we will be starting with long division. I love long division, and love teaching it. The better the students are with their multiplication facts, the better they'll be at grasping this often-difficult concept. Please insist on your student completing their Reflex minutes after school, so they can progress as quickly as possible. We'll be continuing our study of weather patterns this week for language arts. The spelling words should be fairly easy since they're compound words. I'm looking forward to excellent spelling test scores this Friday! We will be practicing cause and effect in literature and I think the students will be excited about this week's story selection, because it's a great story about a man who chases storms for a living. In science, they'll be learning about soil composition, and in history, we'll be studying about the 5 Native American tribes originally found in Utah: Utes, Paiutes, Goshutes, Shoshone, and the Navajo. Thanks to all of you who have brought canvases for our special art projects. They seem to be on sale at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, so now is a good time to get them. We'll begin working on them in towards the end of next week, so if you haven't sent your student's in yet, you've still got plenty of time. Thank you! I hope you all have a fantastic week! Please let me know if there's any way that I can be of help. |