Welcome to September 9-13. I’ll jump right in!
Homework/Planners- I have had a number of parents ask questions about homework and planners, so I will write about that first. Homework is 20 minutes of math activities and 20 minutes of language arts activities. Your student may come home with a worksheet if he or she didn’t finish it in class, but I generally give plenty of time to complete worksheets in class. If your student completes homework outlined below, they can always read the week’s story selection and then a book of their choice. Math Reflex (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division practice). This website is very important because in November, we will be starting double digit multiplication, and then long division. ALEKS (4th grade comprehensive year-long tool) This will cover every topic that we’ll learn this year. ALEKS is a fantastic way to learn and review key concepts. Language Arts Spelling City This is a great website that teaches spelling words and vocabulary we study each week. Spelling City is fun and kids enjoy playing the games I post each M-Th. I don’t grade the weekly spelling games, so don’t worry about that. If you prefer to have your student practice his/or her spelling words on paper, feel free. I do have the students use Spelling City to take the weekly spelling tests and vocab tests on Friday, so if your student misses school on Friday they can take the spelling and vocab tests at home, without help, by the following Monday. Lexia Your student will be assigned a number of minutes that will need to be completed each week Our class is expected to complete these minutes with fidelity in order to keep the grant that funds this fantastic program. Lexia will really help your students become a better reader, with improved comprehension. Planners If you are ever wondering what your student has for homework, you should know that we write in our planners every single day. We write the due date on each worksheet, and then we write again about homework that is coming up. If your student is writing in his/her planner, you will always know about tests and assignments that are due. I grade planners based upon the number of days your student writes in their planner. You may sign the planner, but I give grades based upon student participation. I hope to instill in them a habit they keep for the rest of their lives. :) Thanks for reading that clarification. Here's a quick update of what we're learning this week: Math-We finished the Ch. 1 test today with a class average of 85%! I was very pleased to see that we did so well. Of course, we’re always aiming for higher scores, but we’re certainly on our way. Keep up the good work helping clarify concepts for your students when I send corrected worksheets home for parent review. We’ll start with ch. 2 tomorrow, Addition and Subtraction rules. Language Arts-This week our story selection and spelling words are from “Along the Banks of Plum Creek”. You can always find them on my website [email protected]. We will be practicing multiple meaning words, and we’ll be working on character, setting and plot. Utah History-We have finished our initial learning of the 29 Utah counties. We will continue to review the counties until we have them memorized, placed correctly, and spelled correctly. Today, we began our study of Lake Bonneville, and how it has affected the landscape of the Great Basin region in which we live. Your students should have written about the 3 Utah lakes that are remnants of Lake Bonneville in their planners. Science-We learned about the auroras found on both poles of the earth this morning on Mystery Science, and we will continue to learn about the science of Utah’s ecosystems, and the adaptations that animals have had to make in order to live in our sometimes harsh environment. Misc- I will be picking up the order forms for our class t-shirts from the office tomorrow. I’ll send your child’s shirt home the day I receive them. Finally, we are anticipating a field trip to the Great Salt Lake toward the end of this month. I should have details by next Monday. You will receive a Permission Click form to fill out the minute we get approved. Have a great week. Thanks for reading!! Email or Dojo with any questions or concerns.
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