What's Happening in Room 34...

Things You Should Know...

• We had a very successful fundraiser and a GREAT time during the Fun Run!  Thank you for all of your support!  We are excited about new technology in our classrooms!

• Scholastic book orders came home on Friday.  If you are interested in ordering any books, please do so by Friday.

• We will have our 1st field trip on October 5th to Grant's home at Grant's Farm.  It is a completely free field trip to introduce the students to Every Kid in a Park!  All 4th graders get free passes to all national parks for the year (and following summer) they are in 4th grade.  This is a great time to start thinking about summer vacation!  Your child will come home with the information the day of the field trip.  Permission slips will be coming home on Monday!

• Our class will be buddies with Mrs. Dupree's 1st-grade class this year!  We will be meeting them on Wednesday to read a book together.  Look for pictures this week! 

• Looking for new ways to practice multiplication facts?  Click on the "FUN MATH SITES" above and scroll through to find multiplication games.

Dates to Remember...  
            Wednesday: Early Release Day
            Friday: Math Test
     
What's Going on in Our Classroom...

Reader's Workshop:

• Your child should show you his/her completed Reading Log (the back of the Week in Review yellow sheet) for the week.  Please review, sign and return on Monday.

• This week, we will continue to read Tiger Rising as we study the characters.  We are learning a lot about the characters by what they say and do.  We are learning to put ourselves in the "shoes of the character" as we read.  The students are learning to identify character traits of the characters by looking closely at their actions, thinking, dialogue and feelings.

Writer's Workshop:

• The students have picked great ideas for their personal narratives!  They have carefully thought about and told their stories aloud to help prepare their writing.  This week, we will focus on creating leads to hook our readers, creative transitions and learn how to "show and not tell" a character's feelings and thoughts.  This type of writing ties nicely to our character study in reading!

Math:

• The students will continue to work with addition and subtraction this week.  They will be subtracting across zeros and solving multi-step word problems.  They will review on Thursday and test over addition and subtraction on Friday.

• Many students will begin working with 3's this week as they master their multiplication facts.  If your child needs to be re-assessed on the 8's or 9's, they will retake the test on Wednesday. 

Science:

• Wow!  The students did an incredible job preparing for their 1st science test!  My hope is for each of them to realize preparing and studying pays off!  Thank you for your support in helping them study at home!

• We will be focusing on volcanoes and earthquakes this week!  The students will be doing a fun lesson using Mystery Science as they learn about the Ring of Fire. They will also do a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activity.  They will be challenged to create a 3-story "building" that can withstand an earthquake using cardboard, marshmallows, and toothpicks.  This will be a group project where they each share their ideas and work to create.  Keep an eye out for some pictures!