05.27.10
Poetry Fun
http://www.magneticpoetry.com/kidspoetry/playonline.cfm
Chose one of these options to create some free form poetry! Enjoy!
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04.22.10
Quarter 4 update
Can’t believe we are well into 4th quarter already! Time is flying by!
Reading- We have already covered scripts and drama. We are into poetry right now. We are learning to analyze and appreciate poetry whether its humorous, sad, or complicated. We enjoyed Mrs. Evan coming in to our rooms to recite “Oh, Captain, My Captain” that she memorized in 5th grade! We will continue poetry, then concentrate on EOG reviews.
Math- We are thankful to be finished with fractions! We are into our decimal unit (Unit 11) and will continue that until our EOG review week. Continue to work on practical applications of fractions and decimals at home (recipes, money, etc.). Continue to practice multiplication and division facts!
Word Study- weekly lists continue in both classes. Contracts are due Thursday. There may be some upcoming EOG vocabulary in place of regular word study.
Writing- We are finishing skit writing, reviewing basic essentials, and writing poetry. We are gearing up for our end of the year “Author’s Tea” on June 3rd at 2pm.
Science-animals, animals, animals! We are studying the animal habitats of crabs, frogs, and milipeeds. Students will be working at home on their migration projects.
Social Studies- Unit 8 on Technology starts next week. We will break for a bit during EOG week and then get back to it. Vocabulary flashcards and review sheet will come home next week.
Morning Work- We continue to reinforce typing skills through the use of “The Writers”. We are also working on our year long EOG skills review through math and reading practice sheets.
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04.13.10
End of Grade Testing Review
One of our goals as teachers is to do constant spiraling reviews so that our students are well prepared for the end of grade tests. Morning work is one way we review with math review sheets and reading comprehension sheets. We use Study Island on the computers to review. We will begin stepping up our review over the next few weeks with test taking tips, EOG vocabulary review, test taking lessons with the guidance counselor, math and reading objective review, and more. Some of this will be done at school. Some practice sheets will be sent home as homework. EOG testing for track 1 will be the week of May 10th.
But… parents always ask, “How can I do MORE practice!?!” Here are a few links to practice sites and sample questions for you to review with your child.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/parents/elementary
http://www.wcpss.net/curriculum-instruction/make_the_grade/elem/gr4/math/gr4-math-students.html
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03.04.10
Happy Track Out!
Have a wonderful vacation! Enjoy family time! Visit the library! READ! PLAY! CELEBRATE LIFE!! (and, yes, drink more coffee!)
For other fabulous ideas, visit the “CAN DO” section of this webpage.
See you March 29th! Don’t forget to return your report card envelopes and library books when you come back.
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02.14.10
Quarter 3 finale
We are over half way done with quarter 3! WOW! Time is flying by! Here are a few of the highlight we will be covering the next few weeks.
Math- We are finished with long division (but will continue to review!) and will be covering Unit 8 with function tables, coordinate graphing, line graphs, and more. If time allows, we will begin Unit 9 on fractions. Continue to work on fluency in multiplication and division facts. (Math Magician – online test - is a great testing tool to use at home.)
Reading-We have finished a unit on character and realistic fiction and now begin looking at fantasy and science fiction through literature circles and guided reading. We will be covering point of view, theme, mood, word choice, and more. Mrs. Donaldson and Ms. Bell both set aside time during reading class for independent reading and journaling of lit circle books. Occassionally, if unfinished, it may be sent home. Students then meet in groups to discuss their reading and their opinions of the book (based on their response journals). They are practicing good meeting skills and polite conversations (life skills in the making!) as they listen and respond to their group members.
Writing- this week we will be taking the 3rd writing sample (4th one will be next quarter). It is a week long writing assessment. Following this week, we will be doing some short writing lessons covering narrative writing skills(personal and/or imaginative). We will be looking at verb tense, irregular verbs, and verb rules. Some students still struggle with verb tense consistency in their writing. We will also be stressing the importance of using rubrics or checklists to polish up writing assignments. It’s ALWAYS a good idea to proofread a final draft in writing or even homework assignments!
Social Studies- Unit 6 greenwork and review sheet is due 2/18. The test will be 2/23. We will be working on a special hands on project to end the quarter.
Science- Magnetism and Electricity test will be 2/25. We will be doing hands on activities following that.
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02.04.10
United Streaming Long Division
Mrs. Donaldson’s class has found a long division video on United Streaming that has been helpful! Some students may want to watch it at home again. They can choose which segments to watch, but I’d recommend lessons 4, 5, 6, and 7 in particular. We skipped the part with money as I didn’t want to confuse them. Have them log onto United Streaming with the class password. Search for “Math Mastery Division” and you’ll find a 30 minute video (divided into 9 segments). Keep plugging away at those 3 digit by 2 digit division problems.
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01.27.10
More math practice
I heard about a math practice site that’s great for 4th graders. It has work on multiplication, division, and averages. Check it out! (You may have to create an account later but you can try some now.)
http://www.ixl.com/math/grade/fourth/
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01.14.10
Cursive
Olive Chapel Elementary teaches D’Nealian cursive handwriting in third grade, which is just one form of modern cursive. If your child is still struggling with cursive, please google “D’Nealian” or “Modern Cursive” printable handwriting sheets to practice with. Teacher stores also sell these type of products. We request cursive on certain assignments in 4th and 5th grade but it is taught at 3rd grade. Mrs. Donaldson and Ms. Bell do not require a particular font of cursive as long as it’s neat and legable as we understand some students learned other forms of cursive at a different school. This month we are seeing quite a big gap in the Word Study and Vocabulary contracts when cursive is required.
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/handwriting.htm
http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/denelian-1/make-d.htm
http://www.dnealian.com/lessons.html
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01.13.10
Long Division
It is that time of year again in 4th grade… LONG DIVISION! These next few weeks typically provide random burst of tears or joy (teachers, kids and PARENTS!). Here’s a few helpful sites, mostly based on the traditional method of long division. You are also welcome to explore Unit 7 in the textbook as it covers numerous other alternative methods. Our objective is that they can divide and show us how they got the answer, not that they must use a particular method. We will go up to three digit by two digit division (larger numbers with calculators). THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Great teaching lesson for long division steps.
Great practice game for getting the steps right in long division. It won’t let you type the wrong answer! (Snork!)
Another explanation site.
More division practice games.
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01.08.10
Welcome to Quarter 3
Here’s an overview of where we are at and where we are headed academically the next few weeks as we start quarter 3.
Reading: finishing up a unit on folktales and legends (different types of fiction) and heading into a unit on novels strong character (students all need to get a chapter book with a single lead character to be approved next week) with emphasis on character motives, plot, theme, point of view, and conflict
Math: finishing up a review of standard and metric measurement and heading into 5 weeks of LONG DIVISION!! Please continue to review multiplication skills at home as it is a key piece of division. See our school website or blog for links to online multiplication helpers.
Social Studies: We are learning about the government and citizenship of North Carolina. Students all receivedunit 5 vocabulary flash cards to use at home. The review sheet and all the greenwork is due 1/25 or 1/26 for both classes. Test will be the first week of February.
Science: It’s a shocking unit on magnetism and electricity! We are looking at parts of a light bulb right now. (Don’t believe the rumor you heard about students being told to rub their feet on the carpet daily to shock their unsuspecting family member!)
Writing:We are working on some imaginative narratives (magic sled story, etc.) with focus on organization and elaborative details. We will continue to emphasize improvements in neatness and handwriting on all classroom and homework this quarter.
Word Study and Vocabulary: we are again alternating weeks of this. We have several weeks of homophones for word study and the vocabulary words will highlight prefixes for a few weeks (re, mis, ex, pre, con, com)
Other:
Dress in layers as the temperature seems to fluctuate quite a bit in our classrooms and outside.
We prefer that classroom snacks avoid peanut products due to an allergy but cannot restrict this.
Remember to sign the reading logs and agendas each night.
The second payment for the spring field trip will be due later this month. Watch for a note home soon.
Specials schedule will be posted on the class blog soon. Remember that tennis shoes are required on PE days. Students who do not wear tennis shoes will receive a think sheet.
No school on Jan. 18th.
Please update your classroom teacher of any changes in emergency contact info (emails, phone numbers, etc.)
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