Sulima's Scoop - Week of November 2

Weekly Reminders:

*Lesson 10 spelling pretest on Monday.

*Unit 1 English test on Thursday.

*Chapter 1, lesson 3 open-book science quiz on Thursday.

*Checkpoint in math class on Friday.

*Lesson 10 spelling test on Friday.

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Plan Ahead:

*Chapter 5, lessons 1-3 social studies test on Tuesday, November 10.

*Five-minute multiplication timed test in math on Tuesday, November 10.

*No school on Wednesday, November 11.

*Chapter 1 science test on Thursday, November 12.

*Roller Skating Party on Tuesday, November 17.

*End of 1st trimester on Friday, November 20.

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Thank You!

I would like to thank all the parent volunteers that helped make our Halloween Celebration a success. The children designed such creative pumpkins and looked so wonderful in their costumes.

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Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish our study of vertebrates and then move onto invertebrates. The children should be reviewing their notes each day. We will be taking an open-book quiz on Thursday. This quiz will cover the information in chapter 1, lesson 3. This lesson concludes chapter 1. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Friday. The test on chapter 1 will be on Thursday, November 12. We will play a review game on Tuesday, November 10 to help prepare for this test. Our next blog will have a list of key concepts to review for the test.

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Social Studies - Our trip to the Northeast region is coming to an end. This week we will focus on lesson 3 in chapter 5. This lesson is called Taking a Stand. We will learn about abolitionists, slavery, and the Womens' Rights Movement. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Thursday for the chapter 5 test which will be on Tuesday, November 10. Our next blog will have a list of key concepts to review for the test.

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Spelling - We will work with lesson 10 this week. This lesson covers making nouns that end in "vowel y" and "consonant y" plural. Please review the rules with your child throughout the week. The test on Friday will need to be done in cursive.

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English - On Tuesday, we will fill out a "how to study" sheet for the Unit 1 English test. On Wednesday, we will review for the test. Our test on Unit 1 will be on Thursday. Enrichment projects will be due on the day of the test.

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Reading - We have finished the classic novel, Charlotte's Web. This week, we will begin our next novel study. We will be reading a wonderful piece of literature called A Family Apart. This (historically accurate) heroic tale follows the adventures of six children who are sent out west on the Orphan Train by their impoverished mother in hope that they will find a better life. Frances Mary, the eldest of the Kelly children, shepherds her siblings through the Orphan Train trip and struggles to find them good homes. Frances Mary and Petey are adopted by the Cummings' and find themsleves involved in the Underground Railroad movement. This book, as well as the accompanying activities, will challenge your child in various ways. Be sure to ask your child about this story. Find out more about the Orphan Train and other historical events that we will encounter while reading A Family Apart. Visit this website: http://www.bgcs.k12.oh.us/reinhart/apart/default.htm

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Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Summarizing Data (median, mode, range, and mean)

Tuesday - Graphing Data (line graphs, bar graphs, circle graphs, and pictographs)

Wednesday - More on Graphing Data (double bar graphs & circle graphs)

Thursday - Reading Graphs & continue working with circle graphs

Friday - Checkpoint #1 (qualitative vs. quantitative, line plots & frequency tables, summarizing data, graphs)

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 26

Weekly Reminders:
*Halloween Parade on Thursday at 12:30.
*Pumpkin Decorating Contest on Thursday at 1:00. Bring the items to decorate your pumpkins in a plastic grocery bag. You can use this bag to carry your pumpkin home. (No push pins, please.)
*All-school Assembly on Thursday at 1:30.
*No school on Friday - Teacher Institute.
*Since we do not have school on Friday, our next 100 minute reading chart will be due on Monday, November 2.
*Unit 1 English test on Wednesday, November 4.
*Chapter 1, lesson 3 open-book science quiz on Wednesday, November 4 or Thursday, November 5.

Field Trip Reminder:
A permission slip went home regarding “all” field trips that will be taken this year. If you have not returned this to school, please sign the form (on each line) and return the form with one check (made out to Center Cass District 66) or cash by Tuesday, October 27th.

Classroom Celebration:
Two homeroom squares were pulled on the hundreds chart. We will have a classroom celebration on Wednesday afternoon. During the celebration, we will watch Charlotte's Web. If anyone would be willing to send in a healthy treat for the children to have during the celebration, it would be appreciated. We will also need drinks.

Halloween Hints:
*We only have 10-15 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. Children will not be changing in the washrooms. Girls will be changing in one classroom and boys will be changing in another classroom.
*If the costume can be worn over their clothes, then both the time to change and the chances of losing any clothes is minimized.
*If the costume involves make up, please do not apply it before sending your child to school. It becomes too much of a distraction as we try to do academic school work in the morning.
*If you send your child in with make-up then your child must to be able to apply it themselves.
*Please do not send any weapons (guns, swords, etc.) as part of the costume. Save those for trick-or-treating.
*We will not have time to change back into our clothes for dismissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

**In addition, if your child would like to bring in something to pass out to the class on that day, it is fine. We will be sending these goodies home.**

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will work on chapter 1, lesson 3. The essential question of this lesson is: How are Animals Classified? We will focus on vertebrates this week and invertebrates next week. The children will take an open-book science quiz on Wednesday, November 4 or Thursday, November 5.

Social Studies - Our study of the Northeast Region will continue. We will be reading chapter 5, lesson 2. This lesson does a quick overview of important historical events including the American Revolution, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and immigrants coming to the America.

Spelling - This week we will be working with "spooky spelling" words. The children will have an activity to do each evening. Each activity will be graded. There will not be a spelling test this week.

English - We will finish the lessons in unit 1 this week. The children will learn about simple predicates and correcting run-on sentences. On Monday, November 2, we will fill out a "how to study" sheet for the unit 1 test. Our test will be on Wednesday, November 4. All enrichment will be due the day of the test.

Reading - The children will not be taking a final test on Charlotte's Web. Instead they will be making a "flip book" to display their understanding of the novel. The "flip books" will be due on Thursday. The children will be given time in class to work on this project, but some work may need to be completed at home. Flap 1 & 2 should be done by Tuesday. Flap 3 & 4 should be done by Wednesday. Flap 5 & 6 must be done by Thursday.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - We will begin our chapter on using data and statistics. Our focus for the day will be on qualitative and quantitative data.
Tuesday - We will work on collecting data with surveys, line plots, and frequency tables.
Wednesday - The children have earned a math celebration.
Thursday - No math.
Friday - No school.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 19

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Here are some very creative decorated pumpkins.

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Weekly Reminders:

*Art to Remember orders due on Tuesday.

*Chapter 2 math test on Tuesday.

*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, 11:00.

*Open-book lesson 2 science quiz on Thursday.
*Book Fair/Social on Thursday, 6:30-8:00.
*Lesson 8 spelling test on Friday.

*Field Trip permission slips due by Tuesday, October 27.

Field Trips:

Permission slips went home for all our field trips and in-school presentations this week. If you would like to read descriptions of each of these field trips, please visit http://www.ccsd66.org/PermissionSlips/Prairieview/4th%20Grade/. Please send in the signed permission slips and payment by Tuesday, October 27. The only field trip that requires chaperones is our trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. Since I have over 15 parents signed up to chaperone, and I am only allowed to bring 5-6, I will probably draw names. If you know you signed up and are unable to attend this trip, please let me know ASAP.

PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST:

Start thinking about how you want to decorate your 3-5 lb. pumpkin during our Halloween festivities. You will need to bring in supplies to decorate your pumpkin. You may glue, tape, tie, or draw items on your pumpkin. You may also poke items into the pumpkins. You may not cut the pumpkin. Maybe you want to make a costume for your pumpkin. BE CREATIVE!

I have included a variety of example throughout this blog that might get your mind working on some very creative winning designs. Good luck to you all!

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Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue working on chapter 1, lesson 2. The students are learning about vascular and nonvascular plants. The lesson 2 open-book quiz will be on Thursday.

Social Studies - We will continue our study of the Northeast by moving onto chapter 5. We will begin by learning about Native American tribes that live(d) in the Northeast, the Narragansett tribe and Iroquois tribe.

Spelling - We will not take a spelling pretest this week. Lesson 8 is a review week. The children will be taking a different format of test. I will review the new format with the children on Monday. We will use this format for all review weeks.

W.O.W. Words - Our words this week are all about food and eating. The words are: palatable, inedible, culinary, delectable, and savory. Please encourage your child to use these words throughout the week.

English - We will have English on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Tuesday, we will go over commands and exclamations. On Wednesday, we will split sentences into subject and predicates. On Thursday, we will look at the complete subject of a sentence and decide what is the simple subject.

Reading - We will finish reading Charlotte's Web this week. Also, we will begin our weekly poetry practice. Your child will receive two poems on Monday. They should practice reading these poems outloud all week. On Friday, we will present these poems in a variety of ways including shared reading (ex. boys only, girls only, even numbers, odd numbers), independent reading (ex. each child gets a line), partner reading, etc.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - We will review for the chapter 2 test.

Tuesday - We will take the chapter 2 test. Remind your child to bring their signed "how to study" sheet to get 2 bonus points on their test.

Wednesday through Friday - We will be working on problem solving and written explanations.

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Multiplication Note: Your child should continue to practice their multiplication facts. My expectation is that all the children in my class should be able to answer 100 multiplication facts in 5 minutes or less. Our November timed test (probably during the 2nd week in November) will count for a grade.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 12

Weekly Happening:
*No school on Monday, Columbus Day.
*Movie Night Permission Slips due Tuesday.
*Open book Chapter 1, lesson 1 science quiz on Wednesday.
*Bring in Box Tops by Thursday.
*Chapter 4 Social Studies Test on Thursday.
*Lesson 7 spelling test on Friday.
*Chapter 2, lesson 8-12 checkpoint in math on Friday.
*Monsters vs. Aliens Movie Night on Friday.


Homeroom Happenings:
Science: On Wednesday, the children will take an open book quiz on chapter 1, lesson 1. We will work on lesson 2 for the rest of the week. Lesson 2 teaches the students how plants and fungi are classified.

Social Studies: The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Tuesday. We will play a review game on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will take a test on chapter 4, lessons 1-3. The children will be allowed to use their textbook for support during the test. Please have your child review these items:

*Identify the 2 Great Lakes between which Niagara Falls is located.
*Identify the two main features for which Niagara Falls is known.
*Identify the 3 main mountain ranges in the northeastern part of the Appalachian Mountains.
*Identify the two states in the Northeast that do not border the Atlantic Ocean.
*Key words: glacier, gorge, hydropower, hydroelectricity, lighthouse, and peninsula.
*Identify the steps in the production of maple syrup.
*Explain why grapes grow well in certain areas of the Northeast.
*Identify the largest lake of the Finger Lakes.
*Explain why water is essential to the production and growth of cranberries.
*Key words: vineyard, bog, sap, mineral, and quarry.
*Define the name of the people who fish Chesapeake Bay.
*Explain how pollution from a factory gets into Chesapeake Bay.
*Explain why Chesapeake Bay is important to the Northeast.
*Describe actions a resident of the Chesapeake area could take to help preserve the bay.
*Key words: bay, inlet, watermen, and crab pot.

Spelling: We will not take a spelling pretest this week. The words this week have either "ie" or "ei". Remember this phrase: i before e except after c or when sounded like a as in neighbor or weigh.

Vocabulary: We will not have W.O.W. words this week.

English: We will begin Unit 1, Sentences, this week. We will discuss fragments and complete sentences, statements & questions, and commands & exclamations.

Reading: We will continue reading Charlotte's Web. The children will have reading homework some of the days this week. They may count this reading on their 100 minute reading chart. At the end of the week, we will discuss alliterations. Each child will be creating a Fall/Halloween alliteration.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - No school.
Tuesday - Adding and Subtracting Greater Whole Numbers.
Wednesday - Adding Decimals
Thursday - Subtracting Decimals.
Friday - Checkpoint on lessons 8-12. We will also fill out a "how to study" sheet. Our test on chapter 2 will be on Tuesday, October 20.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 5

Weekly Reminders:

*Lesson 6 spelling pretest on Monday.

*Science test (introduction chapter) on Monday.

*English test (capitalization & punctuation) on Tuesday.

*Progress Reports (D's and F's only) will be sent home on Tuesday.

*Fourth Grade Lunch in the Library on Thursday.

*Lesson 6 spelling test on Friday.

*P.T.O. Affy Tapple Orders due on Friday.

Trimester Midpoint:

Please take a few minutes to check your child's grades in each subject.

THANK YOU!

I would like to thank all the families who sent in items for our Northeast Resource taste testing. The children were able to taste cranberries, cranberry juice, grapes, and sap(maple syrup). I would also like to thank Sophia and her family for the adorable apron. I truly looked like Chef Sulima!

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - On Monday, the children will take their first science test on the Introductory Chapter. They have brought home a "how to study" sheet with suggestions on how to study. The children also have a notes sheet on what to know for the test. Children should bring their signed "how to study" sheets on Monday for 2 bonus points. During the rest of the week, we will begin our Life Science unit. The first lesson focuses on cells. We will learn about plant and animal cells.

Social Studies - We will continue our study of the Northeast. Our focus will be the challenges facing the Chesapeake Bay. We will be taking a test on lessons 1-3 during the week of October 12. Watch for a "how to study" sheet at the end of this week.

Spelling - We will be working with lesson 6 words this week. Our words are contractions. Take time to discuss what two words make up each contraction (ex. they'll = they + will). Please have your child practice their words in cursive for the test on Friday.

W.O.W. Words - Our words this week are: edifice, turret, spire, facade, and plaza. Please have your child explain what the words mean and try to use them in sentences.

English - The children will be taking the Unit 5 English test on Tuesday. They should bring their "how to study" sheet on the day of the test. All enrichment projects will be due on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we will take our next English pretest. The children will get their pretests back on Thursday and will need to choose their enrichment project by Friday. I will meet with each child and sign their contracts on Friday.

Reading - We will be reading Charlotte's Web. While we are reading, we will work on vocabulary, questioning, and character traits. We will be listening to E.B. White himself reading some of the chapters. Your child will have reading homework most nights. They can count this reading on their 100 minutes chart.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday -We will begin chapter 2. The children will review addition properties: Associative Property - ex. (42 + 24) + 36 = 42 + (24 + 36), Commutative Property - ex. 18 + 9 = 9 + 18, and Identity Property - ex. 16 + 0 = 16.

Tuesday - We will be working with mental math strategies - using compatible numbers and compensation.

Wednesday - The children will use inverse operations to solve algebraic equations.

Thursday - We will use rounding to estimate.

Friday - The children will take their first open-book/notes checkpoint for chapter 2.