What's Happening in Room 30.........

Important Announcements:

• The students will have a spelling test on Friday and a science test on Thursday.
• The students will have another opportunity to explore and read non-fiction news stories from Newsela.com in class.  Newsela is a great resource for your child to read high-interest leveled articles about things happening around them. Your child has a login and password written on his/her password sheet found in his/her expandable for Newsela. This is another great resource for nightly reading!

Word of the Week: sequence ( things that follow each other in order)  We  put the events in correct sequence as they happened. 

Dates to Remember:  
Monday:   Chess practice @ 3:30    

Tuesday:   Environmental Club @ 3:30
Wednesday:  Science Fair Project Check
Thursday: Choir @ 8:00
                     Mad Science @ 3:30
                     Dine-Out at Fudruckers (PTO Fundraiser)
                                              

What's Happening in Our Room.... 

Reading Workshop:

• As we continue studying non-fiction, the students will focus on the different text features found in non-fiction books.  Some features we will focus on are table of contents, indexes, glossaries, tables/charts, timelines and pictures with captions.
• The students will choose a new story form Newsela.com and write a review of the article.

Writer's Workshop:

•  The students will continue to write their informational writing piece as they research their topic.  They are choosing a specific text structure for each chapter they write.
• The students will learn about idioms through the class mentor sentence this week.

Math:

• I am so impressed how quickly the students are grasping fractions!  This week, they will continue to practice simplifying fractions and will learn a few tricks when comparing fractions.  

Science:

• The students will be given a review over electricity on Monday and will be tested on Thursday.  They will also have a day to play with Snap Circuits and online circuit websites.

Investigating Conductors and Insulators

Homework

Reading:
-Read 20 minutes

Math:
-3 ALEKS topics completed by tomorrow
-pages 513-514

Writing:
-Research 1 chapter for your topic

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes 

Math-

• math homework pages 489-495
• facts test Wednesday and Friday 
• 3 ALEKS topics - due Friday

Extra-

• HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!   : )  

Experimenting With Simple Circuit

Our Spelling Bee Champ!!!

What's Happening in Room 30......

Important Announcements:

• Congratulations, Jason!!!  Jason won Crestwood's Spelling Bee on Friday!   We are proud of you!!

• The students have chosen their topic for their informational writing piece and will begin researching this week.  They will be responsible for taking notes and researching at home for the next 2 weeks.  The students will practice reading nonfiction material and pulling important information from the text as we practice note-taking skills.

• New spelling words will be given on Monday, and the test will be on 2/5.

Word of the Week: chronological order (from reading)  I wrote about my life in chronological order.

Dates to Remember:  
Monday:   Chess practice @ 3:30    

Tuesday:   Variety Show Practice 
                    Read, Right, Run @ 3:30
Thursday: Choir @ 8:00
                     Mad Science @ 3:30
                    Variety Show Practice @ 6:30-LHS           
Friday:      Variety Show @ 7:00 pm-LHS    

           
What's Happening in Our Room.... 

Reading Workshop:

• The students will continue to learn about the 5 basic text structures authors use when writing non-fiction.  They will learn about problem and solution, compare and contrast, cause and effect and chronological order.  The students will then practice identifying the structures with their reading partners this week.

Writer's Workshop:

•  The students will begin researching and taking notes on their chosen topics. 

Math:

• We will begin chapter 8 this week which covers fractions.  The students will begin with reviewing factors, multiples, and prime and composite numbers.  They will learn how to place fractions on a number line and find equivalent fractions.

Science:

• We will continue to study electricity this week.  The students will investigate with batteries, wires and light bulbs as they learn to understand how circuits work.

Homework

Reading:

- Read 20 minutes

Math:

-Solve the subtraction problems and check with addition
-Facts test tomorrow

Spelling:

-Activity
-Test tomorrow

What's Happening in Room 30.......

Important Announcements:

• The students have chosen their topic for their informational writing piece and will begin researching this week.  They will be responsible for taking notes and researching at home for the next 2 weeks.  The students will practice reading nonfiction material and pulling important information from the text as we practice note-taking skills.

• Scholastic Book Orders are due on January 20th.

Word of the Week: mentor (from a new weekly activity in class)  The students will be given a mentor sentence every week to study and use as a model as they create similar sentences.

Dates to Remember:              

Tuesday:       Jump Rope for Heart Kick-Off Assembly at 2:00
                        Environmental Club
                        Variety Show Practice  
Thursday:    Choir
                       Variety Show Practice  
                       Dad's Club - Smugala's at 7:30
Friday:         Spelling Bee - Gym at 2:00
                       Movie Night - Gym at 6:30

           
What's Happening in Our Room.... 

Reading Workshop:

• The students will learn about and study the 5 basic non-fiction text structures.  They will use these structures to develop their informational writing piece in writing.

Writer's Workshop:

•  The students will begin researching and taking notes on their chosen topics after they finalize the subtopics. 

Math:

• The students will review for the chapter 7 test on Tuesday and the test will be on Wednesday.  We will begin studying fractions on Thursday.

Science:

• We will continue to study electricity this week.  The students will conduct a static electricity investigation and race "cars" using static electricity.

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes
• book orders due next week

Math-

• pages 469-470
• 3 ALEKS activities due tomorrow
• facts test tomorrow

Spelling-

• spelling activity

Extra-

• HAVE FUN!!!!!!!    :) <3

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes
• book orders due on 1/20

Math

• math homework pages 455-456
• spiral review -finish
• 3 ALEKS topics  - due Friday

Extra-

• HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes 
• Book orders  DUE ON 1-20

Math-

• ALEKS!!!!! - 3 TOPICS BY Friday
• 1-10 Problems on Spiral Review
• Fact test tomorrow

Writing-

• Writing topic

Extra-

• HAVE FUN!!!: )

What's Happening in Room 30.......

Important Announcements:

• The students will be given homework on ALEKS this week. They will need to complete at least 3 topics by Friday at home.  They should record the topics they complete on the ALEKS Homework Sheet that will be given to them on Monday. The students are making wonderful progress!  If your child is at the point where he/she needs to complete an assessment, he/she will need to complete it at school before working on topics at home.

• Scholastic Book Orders are due on January 20th!

• Science Fair enrollment forms are due this week!  If your child is interested, please complete the entry form and send it in this week.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

Word of the Week: intend (from our read aloud, Ghost Dog Secrets)  I intended to wake up early to go for a walk, but I was too tired.

Dates to Remember: 
Monday:  Chess Club                  

Tuesday:  Read, Write, Run
                      Service Team
                      Variety Show Practice
Wednesday:  Flyer Families - Wear your shirt!
                            Early Release
                            PTO Meeting at 6:30
Thursday:   Choir
                         Variety Show Practice           

           
What's Happening in Our Room.... 

Reading Workshop:

• The students will continue to dive into non-fiction text.  They will learn how to read the text features and understand titles to subheadings while they close read an article from Scholastic Storyworks. The students will also learn about the 5 different types of text structures that authors use when presenting non-fiction material.

Writer's Workshop:

• The students will study examples of informational writing and decide on a topic for their next writing piece.  They will begin writing as an "expert" on their chosen topic before beginning research next week.

Math:

• The students will continue to practice finding rules to patterns and input/output tables.  They will be introduced to the order of operations and practice with given problems.
• The students should be close to mastering their multiplication facts.  If your child has not, they should be practicing them at home every evening.  They will be tested on Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Science:

• We will begin our unit on electricity this week as we start with studying static electricity.  I have some fun activities planned!

Learning Fun Facts About Lewis and Clark With Mrs. Jardon

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes 

Math-

• word problems worksheet
• ALEKS - complete at least 1 lesson
• practice facts

Extra-

• WEAR GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Have fun!!

Homework

reading

• read 20 minutes 

math

• homework 429-430
• ALEKS

extra-

• hat day Thursday

Enjoying Some Hot Chocolate Today While Reading

Those students who chose to read and complete a reading log over break were treated to some of Mrs. Branding's famous minty hot cocoa!

Homework

Reading

• read 20 minutes

Math

• pages 423-424
•  MULTIPLICATION TEST TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extra-

• color suitcase
• Have fun!!!! :  ) 

Homework

Reading-

• read 20 minutes
• marshmallow reading log due TOMORROW!! 

Math-

•  homework (patterns) PAGE 417-418
• facts test WEDNESDAY!!!!

Extra-

• suitcase (Mrs. Jardon)
• HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back into the Swing of Things

After discussing what a resolution is, each student decided on a 4th grade resolution to work towards for the 2nd semester in 4th grade.  

What's Happening in Room 30.............

Important Announcements:

• Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  It is not easy getting back into a routine after a couple of weeks of play and relaxation. Our day tomorrow will ease us back into school.  I know how tough it is waking up to the alarm tomorrow, and I also know how tough it is getting those kids out of bed and return to a school routine.  Our day tomorrow will consist of sharing about our break, thinking about a New Year's Resolution and easing our way into our new units.  I am looking forward to a wonderful 2nd half of 4th grade!

• THANK YOU, Mrs. Aikens, for the awesome holiday party!  The students had a great time with all the fun activities you had planned.  We had a lot of help at the party! Thank you, parents, for helping and sending in the treats and items to help make the party successful!

• Please let me know if you child is struggling with any new concepts while he/she is completing his/her homework at home.  An e-mail or phone call to make me aware is always beneficial to your child, and I can make sure to give your child extra support in the classroom. It is not always evident in the classroom, especially when we have a family of 19 students. My goal is to help the students learn how to advocate for themselves.  This can be difficult for some, but I encourage them to let me know when they are struggling. We have also talked about different ways to ask for help. I have students who send me a quick e-mail letting me know when they are confused on a specific problem in math and need help in the morning to work it out. I try to respond to the emails before bedtime to relieve any stress or pressure and allow them to have a good night sleep.  I am here to work with you to help your child be successful and a confident learner.

Word of the Week: Resolution  - The students will come up with a resolution for the remaining of the school year.

Dates to Remember: 
Monday:  Chess Club
                   Open Gym for Dads with Coach DC 6:30 - 7:45
Tuesday:  Variety Show Practice 3:30 - 5:00
                   Environmental Club
Wednesday: 4th Grade Girl Scouts                

Thursday:   Variety Show Practice 3:30 - 5:00
              

What's Happening in Our Room.... 

Reading Workshop:

• We will begin our non-fiction unit this week.  The students will learn how to read non-fiction books and learn how to pick non-fiction books that are at their interest level and are high quality reading. 

Writer's Workshop:

• The students will reflect on their growth as an essayist.  They will compare their 1st essay with their final essay to see how they have grown as a writer.
• The students will also focus on informal and formal writing.  They will learn the difference between each and learn when each is appropriate to use.

Math:

• We will begin chapter 7 on patterns.  This is a fun unit and will be a great way to get back into the swing of things this week! 
•  The students will continue to practice and review multiplication and long division so their new skills won't go "rusty" on us.

Social Studies:

• We have a guest speaker this week, Mrs. Jardon.  Mrs. Jardon is a retired Lindbergh teacher who loves to come back into the classroom to share her excitement and knowledge about Lewis and Clark.  She will be presenting this week everyday during Social Studies.