What's Happening in Room 34...

Things You Should Know...

• Intake conferences are scheduled for this Thursday, September 13th.  This will be a time for you and I meet so I can learn more about your child.  It will be a time for us to begin building a partnership and set goals for your child this school year.  

• To help prepare for conferences, please complete this questionnaire. 

• If your child has not yet registered for the fundraiser, they still have this week!  We are raising money to purchase more technology in our classrooms!  If you have any questions, please let me know.

• If you have not yet signed up for Seesaw, click on this LINK, find your child's name, create an account and you will begin seeing your child's work!

Dates to Remember...  
            Wednesday:  Library 
                                 PTO meeting at 6:30
             Thursday:  Science Test (see details below under Science)
                               Intake Conferences
             Friday: Fun Run!  - 4th grade at 1:15
     
What's Going on in Our Classroom...

Reader's Workshop:

• Your child will begin keeping track of their reading at home starting this week!  On the back of the Week in Review, your child will complete the reading log as they read on their chosen 5 days for the week.  You will need to sign it next weekend before it is turned in next 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.  

Writer's Workshop:

• The students will be studying a few wonderful personal narrative books including Owl Moon, Fireflies, Peter's Chair, and Thunder Cake before diving into their personal narrative.
• They will be selecting their story topic and begin planning it this week.

Math:

• The students will begin our next chapter on addition and subtraction.  In this unit, the students will review and learn to add and subtract large numbers, subtract across zeros, estimate to add and subtract, add and subtract with patterns, and problem-solving using diagrams and pictures.  

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

•  I can not stress the importance of your child mastering the multiplication facts early in the school year.  We will begin learning how to multiply large numbers in a couple of weeks and having the facts mastered will make the process much more enjoyable. Most importantly, it will keep the confidence high in math!

Science:

• We will be focusing on volcanoes this week!  The students will be doing a fun lesson using Mystery Science as they learn about the Ring of Fire.

• We will review for our 1st science test this week.  The students have been taking notes and will be using a review that I will hand out on Tuesday to help them prepare.  We will also talk about how to study and prepare for tests. The students will create study cards using the review and their notes.  We will also discuss the importance of preparing for a test over a couple of nights rather than just studying for one night.  I strongly believe that good study habits must be taught, modeled and practiced early to help prepare them for upper grades.  You should see the review and notecards Tuesday night.  (LEAP parents:  I will work with your child individually to make sure they are prepared).