Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 3

Weekly Reminders:
*Classes resume on Monday, January 3.
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Argonne Permission Slips due on Thursday.
*Chapter 4, lesson 1 science quiz on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Field trip to Argonne Labs on Tuesday, January 11.
*Straight A's recognized at Board meeting on Tuesday, January 11.
*No school on Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King's Birthday.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue chapter 4, lesson 1 by learning about the respiratory system, circulatory system, and blood. The children will take an open-book/notes quiz on Thursday.

Social Studies - We will continue our study of the Southeast by exploring the life and customs of the Cherokee people. We will describe how the Cherokee lived before Europeans came to North America, evaluate how Cherokee culture changed after Europeans came to the Southeast, identify the Trail of Tears and describe it impact on the Cherokee, and explore the Cherokee culture today.

English - The children took a pretest on Unit 1, The Sentence before winter break. They will receive their contracts on Monday. I will meet with each child on Tuesday to discuss their enrichment choices. We will begin Unit 1 on Wednesday. This week we will cover: What is a sentence, Statements & Questions, and Commands and Exclamations.

Spelling - The children will take the spelling pretest on Monday. Please have them practice their words in cursive. The test on Friday will need to be done in cursive. The children have been doing a wonderful job with their cursive writing!

Reading - This week, we will be working on predicting outcomes. Readers can often guess ahead of time, or predict, what will happen in a story, based on information the author has given. Additionally, readers can change or adjust their predictions as they read.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Qualitative vs. Quantitative. HW: Data as information.
Tuesday - Make Line Graphs. HW: WB pg. 87.
Wednesday - Stem and Leaf Plots. HW: Stem-and-Leaf Plot sheet.
Thursday - Fill out "how to study" sheet for test on Monday, January 10. Double Bar Graphs. HW: Study for test.
Friday - Review for test on Monday. HW: Study for test.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of December 13

Weekly Reminders:
*No spelling pretest or test this week.
*Matilda test on Monday (open-book/notes).
*Holiday concert on Monday at 9:30 a.m.
*Chapter 6 social studies test on Tuesday.
*PE Bowling test on Tuesday.
*Prairieview "Creature Feature" on Tuesday at 1:45-2:15.
*Spelling assignments due on Wednesday.
*Bowling field trip on Thursday afternoon.
*Tivoli field trip on Friday afternoon.
*Winter break - December 20 - December 31.

Plan Ahead:
*Classes resume on Monday, January 3.

Holiday Service Project:
Don't forget about our Holiday Service Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. All donations are due on Monday, December 13. Thank you for opening up your hearts to help make the holidays a happy one for those who are less fortunate.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue learning about the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems. The children will take an open-book/notes quiz after we return from winter break. At that time, we will also learn about a few other systems in the human body.
Links for Human Body Survivor:
http://www.owen.k12.ky.us/trt/resources.htm
http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/body.php
http://www2.asd.wednet.edu/pioneer/barnard/sites/Science/bodsys/bodysys.htm

Social Studies - We will take our test on chapter 6 on Tuesday. After winter break, we will begin learning about the people of the southeast.
Items to study for the test:
*Key words: barrier islands, hurricane, wetlands, hurricane season, key, fall line, fossil fuel, Piedmont, Inner Coastal Plains, Outer Coastal Plains, endangered species, extinct, & pulp.
*Why are hurricanes dangerous?
*Name some crops from the Southeast. Why do these crops grow well in the Southeast.
*If you were going on a trip to the Southeast, where would you go and why? All theme parks (Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios, etc.) are closed!!!!

Spelling - We will not be having a spelling pretest or spelling test this week. The children will be working with a review list of spelling words. I will be collecting one of the workbook pages on Wednesday.

English - The children have been working on a five-paragraph expository essay about their creature. These will be displayed during the Prairieview "Creature Feature." We will also take our next English pretest on Thursday. The children will get their pretests back after winter break. At that time, they will need to choose enrichment projects to work on.

Reading - The first strategy that we focus on this week in reading is making inferences. A writer doesn't always explain every fact or detail when writing a story. The writer expects that readers will fill in missing information from their own experience. Good readers do this by putting together what they already know and what they have read to make the best guess they can. When readers add information from their own experience to what is stated in a text, they are making an inference. We will also study the reading skill of comparing and contrasting. Students will practice comparing pieces of literature that are similar and different.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Graphing Sense. HW: WB pg. 84.
Tuesday - Line Plots. HW: WB pg. 85.
Wednesday - Histograms. HW: WB pg. 86.
Thursday - Making Line Graphs. HW: WB pg. 87,
Friday - No Math Today.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of December 6

Weekly Reminders:
*Creatures due on Monday.

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*PTO Dine-out at Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday.

*Southeast map test on Tuesday.

*PE Bowling Slip due on Thursday.

*Spelling test on Thursday.

*Junior Achievement "Money Sense" program during the afternoon on Friday.

*Movie Night on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Last Day to bring in items for Lion's Club Holiday Basket Drive on Monday, December 13.

*Matilda reading test on Monday, December 13.

*Social Studies test on Tuesday, December 14.

*Prairieview Creature Feature (in our classroom) from 1:45 to 2:15 on Tuesday, December 14.

*Project Challenge on Tuesday, December 14.

*Open-book/notes science quiz on Thursday, December 16.

*Bowling in the afternoon on Thursday, December 16.

*Tivoli field trip in the afternoon on Friday, December 17.

*Winter break, December 20-31.

*Classes resume on January 3.

*

Holiday Service Project:

The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season. PLEASE DONATE!

Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview:

We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment!

*

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin chapter 4 on the Human Body. This week, the children will learn about the digestive system and respiratory system. Students should review their notes each evening. We will finish this lesson next week. A quiz covering chapter 4, lesson 1 will be on Thursday, December 16.

Links for Human Body Survivor:

http://www.owen.k12.ky.us/trt/resources.htm

http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/body.php

http://www2.asd.wednet.edu/pioneer/barnard/sites/Science/bodsys/bodysys.htm

*

Social Studies - The children will take the Southeast Region map test on Tuesday. They need to know the location and spelling of all the states in the Southeast. The children can earn bonus points if they correctly identify the capital city of each state. We will continue learning about the land, climate, and resources of the southeast this week. Our test on this chapter is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14. We will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Friday.

English - We will use our English time this week to work on an expository essay about our Prairieview Creatures.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. The children should practice their words in cursive. We will not have reading class on Friday, so our spelling test will be on Thursday. If your children is working on our weekly list, their at-home assignments will be due Thursday. Challenge spellers will need to complete 2 activities using their words by Thursday.

Reading - Our reading strategies are questioning, categorizing, and classifying. Recognizing the questions a story may raise is a good way to make sure you understand it. Classifying involves grouping like items, and categorizing involves naming the group. Grouping the items makes it easier to remember them. Students will classify and categorize the many characters in Matilda.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Probability. HW: WB pg. 80.
Tuesday - Tree Diagrams. HW: WB pg. 81.
Wednesday - Collecting and Organizing Data. HW: TBD.
Thursday - Range, Median, Mean, and Mode. HW: WB pg. 83.
Friday - Continue Range, Median, Mean, and Mode. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Weeks of November 22 & 29.

Weekly Reminders:
*No spelling pretest or test the week of November 22.
* "Check Your Progress" math quiz (chapter 3, lessons 1-5) on Tuesday, November 23.
*Picture retakes on Tuesday, November 23. Must have picture packet or picture order form.
*Report Cards are issued on Tuesday, November 23.
*No school on Wednesday, November 24-Friday, November 26.
*Open-book/notes Chapter 3, lesson 3 science quiz on Monday, November 29.
*Parent Teacher conferences of Monday, November 29 - Wednesday, December 1.
*Spelling pretest on Monday, November 29.
*Capitalization and Punctuation Test on Tuesday, November 30.
* "Check Your Progress" math quiz (chapter 3, lessons 6-9) on Thursday, December 2.
*Spelling test on Thursday, December 2.
*No school on Friday, December 3.

Plan Ahead:
*Southeast Map test on Tuesday, December 7.
*Movie night on Friday, December 10.
*Project Challenge on Tuesday, December 14.
*Bowling field trip on Thursday, December 16 in afternoon.
*Winter Break, December 20-December 31.

Holiday Service Project: The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season. PLEASE DONATE!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will compare living things of the past with living things today. The students will take an open-book/notes quiz on chapter 3, lesson 3 on Monday, November 29. We will not be taking a test on chapter 3. Instead, the children will be involved in a creative project called Prairieview Creature. The construction of this creature will need to be done at home. The children will plan out the creature at school. Please help your child find items, that you aleady have around the house, to help them construct their creature. Creatures will be due on Monday, December 6.

Social Studies - We will begin our tour of the Southeast. The children will fill out the capital cities and state names on a map. They will have their Southeast Map test on Tuesday, December 7. As before, the children will need to correctly locate and spell all the states in the Southeast. They can also earn bonus points for correctly identifying the capital cities. Capital cities will be worth 1/4 point bonus each. We will look at the Coastal Plains and Mountains of the Southeast. The children will be drawing a diagram to represent all the different elevations in the Southeast.

Spelling - We will not have spelling during the week of November 22. On November 29, we will take our spelling pretest. We do not have school on Friday, December 3, so our test will be on Thursday, December 2. The test will need to be done in cursive. We will practice writing the words in cursive during class.

English - We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Monday, November 22. On Tuesday, November 30, the children will take the Unit 5, Capitalization and Punctuation, Test. English enrichments will also be due on test day.

Reading - Over the next couple of weeks we will be reviewing the skills that we have gone over since the beginning of the year. The students will also work on summarizing and making generalizations. In writing summaries the students will learn to pick out the main points or events of a story or passage and concisely put them in their own words. In making generalizations the students will learn that generalizations are broad statements that are true most of the time, they are based on fact or good reasons, and may include words like always or most.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday, November 22 - Zeros in the quotient. HW: WB pg. 30.
Tuesday, November 23 - "Check Your Progress" quiz on lessons 1-5.
Monday, November 29 - Short Division. HW: WB pg. 31.
Tuesday, November 30 - Divisibility and Mental Math. HW: WB pg. 32.
Wednesday, December 1 - Estimation using Compatible Numbers. HW: WB pg. 33 & "Check Your Progress" quiz tomorrow.
Thursday, December 2 - "Check Your Progress" quiz on lessons 6-9.

Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment! Thank you!

Sulima's Scoop - Week of November 15

Weekly Reminders:

*Second Trimester begins. (New classroom expectations will be sent home this week. Please review with your child.)

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*PBIS Assembly on Monday at 1:45.

*Social Studies quiz on Friday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Picture retakes on Tuesday, November 23. Need payment envelope or complete picture packet to get retakes.

*Report card issued on Tuesday, November 23.

*Thanksgiving Break, Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26. Gobble Gobble!

*Parent Teacher Conferences, Monday, November 29 - December 1.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - In Chapter 3, lesson 2, we will explore how the behaviors of animals help them meet their needs. We will be taking a quiz over lessons 2 and 3 after the Thanksgiving break.

Social Studies - We will now explore the people of the Northeast. Our focus will be on the Narragansett Tribe. There will be an open-book quiz on Chapter 5, lesson 1 on Friday.

Spelling - The children will take the spelling pretest on Monday. Throughout the week, in class, we will practice the words in cursive. At home, your child should practice the spelling of the words and complete their activities. Our test on Friday will need to be done in cursive.

English- We will continue our unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. Our lessons will include: More Uses for Commas, Quotations, and Titles. Since using quotation marks can be so difficult for children, we will spend at least 3 days working on this concepts. Our test on Unit 5 will be after the Thanksgiving Break.

Reading - We will work on making inferences and evaluating during reading this week. Good readers should always think about their reactions to what they are reading and why they are reacting that way. This strategy is called “evaluating”. As you are reading the story think about these things: How does the author make the story come alive and make you want to keep reading? What was entertaining, informative, or useful about what you read? How did you react to the story? Did you agree or disagree with what you read? How well did you understand what you were reading? Did you enjoy reading it?

Accelerated Math Menu:

We will begin chapter 3 this week. I have decided to only do lessons 1-9 & 14 in this chapter, at this time. We will come back to chapter 3 later in the year to work on dividing by 2-digit divisors.

Monday - Understanding Division. HW: Workbook pg. 26.

Tuesday - Order of Operations. HW: Workbook pg. 38.

Wednesday - Division Patterns. HW: Workbook pg. 27.

Thursday - Three-Digit Quotients. HW: Workbook pg. 28.

Friday - Larger Quotients. HW: Workbook pg. 29 (if not finished during class).

Sulima's Scoop - Week of November 8

Weekly Reminders:

*District Eat Out - Chili's - Nov. 7-Nov. 11.

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*"Check Your Progress" math quiz on Monday.

*Roller Skating Party on Monday, 3:45 - 6:30.

*Chapter 3, lesson 1 Science quiz on Tuesday.

*Chapter 2 Math test on Wednesday.

*Chapter 4 Social Studies test on Wednesday.

*No school on Thursday - Veteran's Day.

*Spelling test on Friday.

*End of first trimester on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Picture Retakes on Tuesday, November 23.

*Report Cards issued on Tuesday, November 23.

*Thanksgiving Break, Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26.

*Parent Teacher Conferences during the week of November 29.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish chapter 3, lesson 1 on Monday. The children will take an open-book/notes quiz on Tuesday. We will begin lesson 2 during the week of November 15.

Social Studies - On Monday and Tuesday, we will review for the chapter 4 test. Our test will be on Wednesday. Students will be allowed to use their textbook during this test. Notes will not be allowed.

Items to review for the test:

*Key words: glacier, gorge, hydropower, hydroelectricity, lighthouse, peninsula, vineyard, bog, sap, mineral, quarry, bay, inlet, watermen, & crab pot.

*Identify the two Great Lakes between which Niagara Falls is located.

*Identify the two main features for which Niagara Falls is known.

*Identify the three mountain ranges in the northeastern part of the Appalachian Mountains.

*Identify the two states in the Northeast that do not border the Atlantic Ocean.

*Identify key steps in the production of maple syrup.

*Explain why grapes grow well in certain areas of the Northeast.

*Identify the largest of the Finger Lakes.

*Explain why water is essential to the production and growth of cranberries.

*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 Bay area could take to help preserve the bay.

Spelling - The children will take a spelling pretest on Monday. If they receive a 90% or higher on the pretest, they will become a challenge speller. All weekly assignments will be due on Friday. We will also take the spelling test on Friday.

English - We will continue Unit 5 this week. This unit practices capitalization and punctuation. The lessons we will cover this week are: Names of People and Pets, Names of Places and Things, Abbreviations, and Commas in a Series.

Reading - This week, we will focus on two important reading strategies. The first reading strategy that we will discuss is to make predictions, or educated guesses about what will happen next in the story. The second reading strategy that we will apply is the use of inferences, or the ability to figure something out even though it isn't exactly stated in the story. Additionally, we will focus on sequencing events in literature.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - "Check Your Progress" quiz. Fill out "how to study" for chapter 2 test on Wednesday. HW: Study for Chapter 2 test on Wednesday.

Tuesday - Multiplication with $ and review for chapter 2 test tomorrow. HW: Finish WB 23 & Study for test tomorrow.

Wednesday - Chapter 2 Test. HW: None.

Thursday - No school: Veteran's Day

Friday - Mini-lesson on Exponents. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of November 1

Weekly Reminders:
*More Short and Long Vowels spelling pretest on Monday.
*Teachers' Institute on Tuesday - No School.
*More Short and Long Vowels spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Rollerskaing Party on Monday, November 8.
*Chapter 4 Social Studies test on Wednesday, November 10.
*No School on Thursday, November 11 - Veteran's Day.
*End of First Trimester on Friday, November 12.
*First Trimester Report Cards come home on Tuesday, November 16.
*Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held the week of November 29.

Thank You: I would like to thank all the volunteers that made our Halloween party such a success. The children had a "spooktacular" time!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will begin chapter 3, lesson 1. This lesson explores the basic needs of animals and how they meet their basic needs. We will also look into animal adaptations. An open book/notes quiz on this lesson will be on Tuesday, November 9.

Social Studies - We will explore The Chesapeake Bay. The children will find out the importance of The Chesapeake Bay to the Northeast region and the challenges that face the Bay. Our Chapter 4 social studies test will be on Wednesday, November 10.

Spelling - The children will be working with more words with long and short vowels. There will be challenge spelling for those students who receive a 90% or higher on the pretest. Our test will be on Friday.

English - We will take our next English pretest on Monday. The children will receive their contracts on Wednesday. On Thursday, I will meet with each child to discuss their enrichment choice. We will begin our new unit on Friday.

Reading - Mysteries will continue to be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students next week. We will review vocabulary words that are typically associated with mysteries. While reading other mystery stories, students will review the format of a mystery and continue using the reading strategies of monitoring and clarifying and understanding story maps. A story map is a strategy that uses a graphic organizer to help students learn the elements of a book or story. By identifying story characters, plot, setting, problem and solution, students read carefully to learn the details.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Multiplying by 2-digits.
Tuesday - No school: Teachers' Institute.
Wednesday - More on Multiplying by 2-digits.
Thursday - Multiplying by 3-digits.
Friday - More on Multiplying by 3-digits & Zeros in the Multiplier.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 25

Weekly Reminders:

*Review spelling pretest on Monday.

*Math Chapter 2 "Check Your Progress" quiz (lessons 1-4) on Tuesday.

*Science test on Wednesday.

*Northeast Map test on Thursday.

*Review spelling test on Thursday.

* No reading class on Friday due to Halloween Parade and Party.

*Halloween Parade at 1:00 on Friday.

*Halloween Party at 1:30 on Friday.

*

Halloween Festivities:

It's our Halloween week. Please keep in mind the following guidelines when helping your child pick out a Halloween costume for our Halloween party and parade (parents may come at 1:00 pm to watch our school parade) on Friday, October 29th:

*We only have 10 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. 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 you send your child in with make up then your child has 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 dimissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

Plan Ahead:

*No school - Teacher Institute on Tuesday, November 2.

*

A Big Thank You!!!

I would like to thank all the families that visited the Book Fair and purchased books for our classroom collection. The children were so excited to see all the new books!

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - On Monday, we will fill out a "how to study" sheet for our test on Wednesday. Our test will be on chapter 1, lesson 3 and chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3. We will review in class on Tuesday.

Items to study for test:

*Key words - vertebrates, invertebrates, photosynthesis, life cycle, direct development, & metamorphosis.

*Go over classroom notes.

*Describe the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates.

*Which animals are vertebrates and which are invertebrates?

*Describe the stages in a life cycle of flowering plants.

*Describe how plants reproduce using only spores.

*Order the stages of an animal's life cycle.

*Describe the stages of an animal's life cycle.

*Describe how some animals grow and develop.

Social Studies - We will be working on chapter 4, lesson 2. In this lesson, we will learn about the major resources of the Northeast. The children will also take the Northeast map test on Thursday. They will have to label all 11 states in the Northeast correctly. Spelling does count. The children can earn bonus points by identifying the capitals of each state. They should spell the capitals as best as they can.

English - We will take this time to share our state reports.

Spelling - We will be doing a review spelling list this week. Our pre-test will consist of 30 words. If your child scores 100%, he/she will not have any spelling homework for the week. If your child misses 1 or more, spelling book pages will be assigned. Due to the Halloween parade and party on Friday, we will have our spelling test on Thursday. The test will be over 20 words.

Reading - Mysteries will be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students this week. We will begin by learning vocabulary words that are typically associated with mysteries, such as “suspect”, “evidence” and “suspense”. Students may practice the definitions of the vocabulary words by completing a crossword puzzle at the following website: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr06/gr4/activities/pdf/gr4_th1_xword.pdf.
All students will read & study “The Case of the Purloined Pachyderm”. While reading this mystery and other mystery stories, students will be studying the format of a mystery and using the reading strategies of monitoring and clarifying.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday: Multiplying by multiples of 10, 100, 1,000. HW: WB pgs. 16 & 17 (evens only) and "Check Your Progress" quiz tomorrow.

Tuesday: "Check Your Progress" quiz on lessons 1-4. HW: None.

Wednesday: Estimating Products. HW: WB pg. 18.

Thursday: Zeros in the Multiplicand. HW: WB pg. 19.

Friday: Halloween Math Activities. HW: Have fun Trick-or-Treating.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 18

Weekly Reminders:

*No spelling unit this week.

*MAP testing on Monday - Reading.

*Verb test on Tuesday.

*Early dismissal on Wednesday, 11:00.

*Book Fair on Thursday, 6:30-8:00.

*MAP testing on Friday - Math.

*National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Friday.

*District 66 - Eat Out at Buona Beef on Friday. http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/BuonaBeef.pdf

Plan Ahead:

*Halloween Party on Friday, October 29.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin chapter 2, lesson 3 this week. In this lesson, we will focus on the life cycles of animals.

Social Studies - We will begin our journey through the five regions by visiting the Northeast. The children will explore the environment of the Northeast region. Also, the children should begin studying for our first region map test. On Thursday, October 28, the children will take the Northeast region map test. They will need to locate and identify the states of the Northeast. Spelling does count and a word bank will not be provided. Your child can also earn bonus points by correctly identifying the capital city of each state in the Northeast. They can earn 1/4 point bonus per capital. The children should spell the capitals as best as they can.

Spelling - Due to MAP testing, we will not have a spelling unit this week. We will continue with a review spelling unit next week.

English - On Tuesday, we will take our verb test. Your child's English enrichment(s) are also due on Tuesday. We will not begin a new English unit until after Halloween. We will do some creative writing for the next couple weeks.

Reading - Due to MAPs testing and the early dismissal, we will only have reading on Tuesday and Thursday this week. This week, all fourth grade students will read the story of The Parcel Post Kid, by Michael O. Tunnel. This piece is a nonfiction story set in 1914, which tells the tale of a young girl whose parents mail her to her grandmother because it is cheaper than paying her train fare. While reading the story, students will be reviewing the strategies and skills that we have studied so far this year, with particular emphasis on predicting and making inferences.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No math.

Tuesday - (30 minute math class) Pretest on chapter 2~Multiplication. HW: None.

Wednesday - (30 minute math class) Factors and Products. HW: Textbook pg. 67 #9-43 (basic multiplication review).

Thursday - Properties of multiplication. HW: Workbook pg. 15.

Friday - No math.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 11

Weekly Reminders:
*No school on Monday - Columbus Day.
*Spelling pretest on Tuesday.
*Magazine Drive Pizza Party on Tuesday. Students will get a couple pieces of pizza, a drink, and a treat. If your child needs more or does not like pizza, please send a lunch or your child can order school lunch.
*MAP testing on Wednesday.
*Movie Night permission slips are due on Wednesday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Box Tops due Friday.
*Movie Night on Friday.
*
A BIG THANK YOU!!!
We would like to thank Robert and Izabella for bringing in popcorn and toppings for our homeroom party on Thursday.

Plan Ahead:
*MAP testing on Monday, October 18 and Friday, October 22.
*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, October 20.
*Book Fair on Thursday, October 21.
*National School Bus Driver Day on Friday, October 22.
*Halloween Parties on Friday, October 29.
*
Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue learning about the life cycles of plants. The open-book/notes quiz will probably be on Friday, October 15. Watch your child's assignment notebook for more information.
*
Social Studies - The children will finish their state reports this week. We will take time the following week to share their projects. Our study of the Northeast has been put on hold due to our state projects.

Spelling - Our spelling words this week will be homophones. These are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

English - We will finish our verb unit this week. The children will learn about Irregular Verbs, The Special Verb be, and Contractions with not. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet at the end of this week. Due to Monday off and MAPs testing, the Unit 3 test will need to be moved back a bit. It will be on Tuesday, October 19.

Reading - In reading this week the students will focus on noting details in a story. They will learn that details may give information, explain ideas, and reveal characters' feelings. They will also work on the Question comprehension strategy. Good readers ask themselves questions about important ideas as they read. The students will practice asking questions about the text that can be answered as they read the text and finish the story.
*
Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - No School ~ Columbus Day.
Tuesday - Subtract more decimals & fill out "how to study." HW: WB pg. 98 and study for test on Friday.
Wednesday - No math due to MAPs testing.
Thursday - No math due to MAPs testing.
Friday - Chapter 8 test. HW: Study for Chapter .

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 4

Weekly Reminders:

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

*Taffy Apple orders are due Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*No school on Monday, October 11 - Columbus Day.

*Movie Night on Friday, October 15.

*Early Dismisssal on Wednesday, October 20.

*Book Fair the evening of Thursday, October 21.

*Halloween Parties on Friday, October 29.

*

Exciting News: Our class earned a homeroom party! If your child has a G rated movie that he/she would like to share with the class, please have them bring it on Thursday. We will vote on our favorite. I thought it would be nice to have some popcorn with our movie. If anyone would be willing to send in popcorn, please let me know. We have 25 students.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will move onto chapter 2. In lesson 2 (we are skipping lesson 1), we will learn about the life cycles of plants. This lesson will take more than one week. The quiz on this lesson will be sometime during the week of October 11.

Social Studies - Each child has chosen a state to research. Children will be using the Internet, encyclopedias, and trade books to find out as much as they can about their state. Each child will also have to choose how they are going to present their information. A list of choices will be given to the students on Monday.

Spelling - We will be working with a spelling list that parallels our weekly story. The words contain short u, /yoo/, or /oo/.

English - Our study of verbs will continue. Our lessons will include: Subject-Verb Agreement, Spelling the present tense, Spelling the past tense, The Past with Helping Verbs, and Irregular Verbs.

**We will finish our Verb unit on Wednesday, October 13. Our test on Unit 3 will be on Monday, October 18. All enrichment work will be due the day of the test.**

Reading - Next week our story is “Finding the Titanic” by Robert D. Ballard. The reading strategy that we'll focus on is text organization. Many non-fiction author's organize their selections in time order. They also use features such as headings, pictures, captions, and charts to help the reader better understand the information.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Estimating Decimal Sums using Rounding. HW: Workbook pg. 94.

Tuesday - Adding More Decimals. HW: Workbook pg. 95.

Wednesday - Subtracting Decimals. HW: Workbook pg. 96 & "Check Your Progress" quiz tomorrow.
Thursday - "Check Your Progress" Quiz. HW: None.
Friday - Estimating Decimals Differences using Rounding. HW: Workbook pg. 97 (if not finished in class).

**We will finish chapter 8 on Tuesday, October 12. Our chapter 8 test will be on Friday, October 15.**

Sulima's Scoop - Week of September 27

Weekly Reminders:

*Short and Long "i" and "o" spelling pretest on Monday.

*Last Magazine turn-in on Tuesday.

*"How to Eat Fried Worms" movie permission slip due by Wednesday.

*Picture Day on Thursday.

*Short and Long "i" and "o" spelling test on Friday.

*Cozzi Corner District Eat-out on Thursday through Sunday. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/cozzi.pdf

Plan Ahead:

*No School on Monday, October 11 - Columbus Day.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin our first unit in Life Science. The children will explore how we classify animals. On Friday, we will take an open-book quiz on chapter 1, lesson 3.

Social Studies - We have now completed our study of Government and U.S. Rights and Responsibilities. This week we will do an overview of the United States before we start our journey through the 5 regions.

English - On Tuesday, we will begin our next unit on Verbs. You may view your child's pretest and contract in their English pocket. Please return it to the pocket after viewing. The children look at their contract each day to see whether they are with me for the lesson or independently working on their enrichment project. The lessons for the week are: action verbs, main verb & helping verb, and present, past, & future verbs.

Spelling - The children will be working on a spelling unit that parallels our weekly story from our reading anthology. The words this week will have short or long i or o. We will take our pretest on Monday. If your child receives a 90% or higher, they will choose challenge spelling words. Throughout the week, they will do activities using their challenge words. On Friday, they can keep their pretest score or retake the test for a higher grade. If your child does not get 90% or higher, they will be practicing the weekly words with workbook pages.

Reading - The fourth graders will be reading Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say. They will focus on the reading strategy to determine author's viewpoint. Author's viewpoint refers to the author's opinion, ideas of what is important or attitude. The author might give their opinion directly or you might have to infer the information by reading clues or other information that the author provides. Here is a great link to practice author’s viewpoint: http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/authorsviewpointp.cfm.

The vocabulary for the week is: bewildered, surrounded, reminded, longed, homeland, marveled. Your child can practice these words at: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/ewordgame/index.html?grade=4&theme=1&selection=2.

We will also work on the skill of putting words in alphabetical order.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Chapter 8 begins. Decimal sense. HW: Workbook pg. 91.

Tuesday - Decimals and Place Value. HW: Workbook pg. 92.

Wednesday - Add Decimals. HW: Workbook pg. 93 & "Check Your Progress" quiz tomorrow.

Thursday - "Check Your Progress" quiz. HW: None.

Friday - No math today.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of September 20

Weekly Reminders:
*Review spelling pretest on Monday.
*Magazine turn-in on Tuesday.
*Race Tracks & worms due on Tuesday.
*Soccer test on Wednesday.
*Chapter 1 Accelerated Math test on Wednesday.
*Chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3 only Social Studies test on Thursday.
*Review spelling test on Thursday.
*No School on Friday - Teacher Institute.

WORMY RACE RESULTS:
All the children did a wonderful job creating their race tracks and choosing variables to encourage their worms to travel as fast as possible to the finish line. We had some close races!
Our winners were:
1st Place : Kyle W.
2nd Place: Sarah
3rd Place: Erin
We had an exciting race day! Congratulations to all students for their hard work, great sportsmanship, and creativity!

Plan Ahead:
*Last Magazine turn-in on Tuesday, September 28.
*Picture Day on Thursday, September 30.
*Check your child's grades on Friday, October 1.

Gym: The PE study guide for the soccer test went home Friday. Have you seen it yet? If not, please ask your child about it. The PE soccer test will be Wednesday. Please help your child review for this test.

A Note from the PTO: Ultra Foods is inviting you to take part in Ultra's Smart Shopper Program, an Educational Rebate Program that generates cash back to us for educational needs. It's easy! Shop your local Ultra Foods store from September 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010, save your register receipts, and have your child drop them in the specially marked depository boxes located in our school office. At the end of the program, Prairieview will submit a grand total of all receipts collected, and Ultra will remit a check for 5% of that total back to Prairieview.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - The children will use what they have learned from our wormy investigtions to design a race track for Tuesday. We will race our worms in the morning. Please make sure your child brings their track and worm on Tuesday. They should also bring their "Worm Race Rules" packet to school on Tuesday. May the best worm win! Our next science unit will be on how animals are classified.

Social Studies - We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Tuesday. The children will need to write at least 2 ways they studied and get a parent's signature. If they attach this to the back of their test, they will earn 2 bonus points. The test will be on Thursday. It will cover chapter 2, lessons 2 and 3 only.
Items to know for test:
*Explain what the Constitution is and why it is important.
*Identify three levels of Government.
*Describe the responsibilities of each of the three branches of Government (study your Patriotic Quest).
*Explain how the Constitution can be changed.
*Identify two ways that a person can become a citizen of the U.S.
*Identify three types of services that are paid for by taxes.
*Identify at least three responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
*Explain why voting is an important responsibility in the U.S.
Here are some links to help your child prepare for the test:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usa_game/government/index.htm
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/games/interactive.html
http://www.kids.gov/
http://www.congressforkids.net/games/threebranches/2_threebranches.htm

English - The students will receive their Noun tests back on Monday. We will go over the answers at this time. On Tuesday, the children will take their next pretest. They will receive their pretests & contracts on Wednesday. On Thursday, I will meet with each student to review their contract choices.

Spelling - Due to the short week, we will be doing a review spelling list. The list will include words from "words often misspelled #1", "words often misspelled #2", and Akiak words. If your child gets 100% or 20 out of 20, they will get the week off from spelling. If they miss one or more, they will do 2 activities to practice the 20 words and retake the test on Thursday. Challenge words will not be chosen this week.

Reading - This week, we will finish reading Akiak by Robert Blake. We will continue to focus on story structure. The children will also explore character and setting in depth. When your child is reading at home, you can practice and review story structure by asking them to identify characters, setting, and plot (which includes the problem, sequenced events, and the solution).

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Fill out "how to study" sheet. Mini-lesson on Roman Numerals. HW: Study for Chapter 1 test on Wednesday.
Tuesday - Review for test. HW: Study for Chapter 1 test tomorrow.
Wednesday - Chapter 1 test. HW: None.
Items to know for test:
*Read and write whole numbers through billions in words, standard form, and short word form.
*Write numbers in expanded form.
*Read and write decimals through thousandths.
*Read decimals with values greater than one.
*Compare and order whole numbers and decimals.
*Round whole numbers, decimals, and money to the greatest place value.
*Apply addition properties and rules of subtraction.
*Estimate sums and differences using rounding.
*Add three or more addends.
*Subtract whole numbers and money amounts with zeros in the minuend.
*Add and subtract larger numbers and money.

Here are some links to help your child study for the test:
http://www.gamequarium.com/placevalue.html
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/placevaluepirates1.htm
http://themathgames.com/our-games/decimal-games/place-value/decimal-place-value-math-game

Thursday - Chapter 8 pretest & problem solving activity. HW: None.
Friday - No School : Teacher Institute.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of September 13

Weekly Reminders:

*Wormy habitats due on Monday.

*Short and Long a and e spelling pretest on Monday.

*Magazine Sale Kick-off on Monday.

*Beginning Band Parent Meeting on Monday at 7:00.

*Chapter 1, lessons 6-10 "check your progress" math quiz on Wednesday.

*Beginning Band Conferences on Wednesday and Thursday.

*Short and Long a and e spelling test on Friday.

*Unit 2 - Noun test on Friday.

*First magazine turn in on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Worm race tracks due on Tuesday, September 21.

*Second Magazine Turn-in on Tuesday, September 21.

*PE Soccer Test on Wednesday, September 22. (Look for study guide on Friday, September 17)

*No School on Friday, September 24 - Teacher Institute.

*Last Magazine turn-in on Tuesday, September 28.

*Picture Day on Thursday, September 30.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - Our Worm Study will begin on Monday. Please have your child bring in their worm habitat on Monday. This unit will allow the children to learn more about and go through the steps of the Scientific Method. We will ask questions, make our hypothesis, form a plan, test our hypothesis, collect data, and draw conclusions based on our results. The children will also learn about variables and the need to control variables during this study.

Social Studies - We will finish our government unit this week. The test on chapter 2, lessons 2 and 3 will be sometime during the week of September 20. Lesson three focuses on the rights and responsibilities we have as U.S. citizens.

English - Our study of nouns will come to an end with two days on Plural Possessive Nouns. On Wednesday, we will fill out a "how to study" sheet. Since many children get home and have no idea how to begin studying for a test, we will brainstorm as a class at least five ways the children can prepare for this test. If your child writes how they studied (at least two ways) for the test and has a parent sign their sheet, they will receive two bonus points on their test. We will review on Thursday. The children will take their first English test on Friday.

The test will cover the following lessons:

*What is a noun?

*Common and Proper Nouns

*Singular and Plural Nouns

*Nouns Ending in y

*More Plural Nouns

*Singular and Plural Possessive Nouns

Spelling - The children will work on their first spelling unit from our reading series. This first list reviews words with short and long a and e. We will take a pretest on Monday. If your child passes with a 90% or higher, they will choose challenge words for the week. They will do activities with their challenge words in their spelling spiral. If your child does not pass the pretest with 90% or higher, they will be working on workbook pages from our reading workbook. Regular spellers, and any challenge speller that would like to raise their pretest score, will take the spelling test on Friday.

Reading - This week, we will read a story called Akiak that is written by Robert Blake. Akiak is about a world-famous Iditarod Race that takes place in the Alaskan wilderness. While we are reading, we will focus on story structure. We will use a story map to look at how a problem and its solution affect the story’s plot and characters. The children will also be working with the following vocabulary: blizzard, checkpoint, courageous, experienced, musher, and rugged. You may want to have your child review these key words with the e-game at http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr06/gr4/gr4_th1_sel1.html.

*

Accelerated Math Menu: (This "menu" is subject to change!)

Monday - Estimating Sums and Differences. HW: Workbook pg. 8.

Tuesday - Adding Three or More Addends. HW: Workbook pg. 9 & "check your progress" quiz tomorrow on lessons 6-10.

Wednesday - "Check your Progress" quiz on lessons 6-10. HW: None.

Thursday - Subtraction with Zeros. HW: Workbook pg. 10.

Friday - Larger Sums and Differences. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of September 6

Weekly Reminders:

*No school on Monday - Labor Day.

*"Words Often Misspelled #2" pretest on Tuesday.

*Curriculum Night on Tuesday.

*"Words Often Misspelled #2" test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Beginning Band Parent Meeting on Monday, September 13.

*Beginning Band Conferences on Wednesday, September 15 and Thursday, September 16.

*No school on Friday, September 24 - Teacher Institute.

*

Curriculum Night:

Please join us on Tuesday, September 7 from 6:30-7:30 for our Fourth Grade Curriculum Night. The evening will begin in the gym. Mrs. Schultz will give a brief presentation. Parents will then have the opportunity to visit their child's classrooms and sign up for parent-teacher conferences (in homeroom only). I will be available for questions, but please remember this is not a conference night. Hope to see many of you on Tuesday evening!

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish our study of scientific tools and move onto the Scientific Method.

Social Studies - Our Government unit will continue. The children will begin a Patriotic Quest this week. The quest will use the skimming and scanning strategies we will be learning about and practicing in reading. We will also continue looking at the roles of each branch of Governement.

English - Nouns, Nouns, Nouns. This week we will learn about irregular plural nouns, singular possessive nouns, and plural possessive nouns. Singular & Plural Possessive nouns would be great concepts to review at home too. These seems to be a bit tricky for many students.

Spelling - We will do one more week of "Words Often Misspelled". The homework routine will be similar, but due to a four day week the children will only complete 2 activities.

Reading - This week in reading the students will learn to use skimming and scanning skills to locate answers. During science, social studies, and reading the students will be given tasks where they have to locate answers in the text. They will practice highlighting key words in questions or clues and then skim the headlines, subtitles, captions, and passages to help them find the answers to those questions.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No School.

Tuesday - Students will receive their "check your progress" quizzes. Please look in your child's math pocket to find out their score. Comparing and Ordering Numbers. HW: Workbook pg. 5. Review X6, X7, X8, & X9.

Wednesday - Rounding Numbers. HW: Workbook pg. 6. Review X10, X11, & X12.

Thursday - Addition Properties/Subtraction Rule. HW: Workbook pg. 7. Review X10, X11, & X12.

Friday - Estimate Sums and Differences. HW: Review X10, X11, & X12.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of August 30

Thank you:
I would like to thank everyone for attending the open house. I enjoyed meeting you. I still have a few openings for classroom helpers. I will be putting these volunteer sheets out again during curriculum night on Tuesday, September 7. Parents of my homeroom students will also have an opportunity to sign up for conferences during curriculum night. I would also like to thank all the families who have donated (or will be donating) items to the classroom. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Intramurals:
All 4th and 5th grade students have the opportunity to sign up for Intramural Games. This is a "free" after school program that allows your child to stay active. Permission slips will be sent out next week. Please return these to Mrs. Cushing by Friday, September 3rd.

Weekly Reminders:
*"Words often Misspelled" spelling pretest on Monday.
*"Check your Progress" math quiz on Friday.
*"Words often Misspelled" spelling test on Friday.


Plan Ahead:
*No school on Monday, September 6 - Labor Day.
*Fourth Grade Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 7, 6:30-7:30.
*Beginning Band Parent Meeting on Monday, September 13, 7:00.


Homeroom Happenings:
Science - Our focus this week will be on Science safety and tools.


Social Studies - We will begin the year by studying government. The children will be completing a Patriotic Quest. We will also explore the three branches of government.


English - The children took their first English pretest on Thursday. I have graded the pretests and returned them to each student with an enrichment contract. Your child's contract is located in their English pocket. You may take a look at it, but please put it back in your child's English pocket to return to school. If your child has passed out of any of the lessons, they will be doing enrichment work. Students will need to choose what enrichment project they would like to complete during this unit. This project will be done in school. I have explained this procedure to the children. On Monday, I will meet with each child to discuss their enrichment contract choice. We will begin our study of nouns on Tuesday. Our lessons will include: What is a noun?, common and proper nouns, singular and plural nouns, and nouns ending in y.


Spelling - The children will take thier first spelling pretest on Monday. If they receive 90% or higher, they will become a "challenge speller". As a "challenge speller", they will choose 10 challenge words to practice throughout the week. Any words they missed on the pretest will be included in those 10 words. During the week, they will be doing activities using their new challenge words. They will not be tested on these challenge spelling words, but this gives the children the opportunity to learn and use 8-10 new words. On Friday, they have the choice of keeping their pretest score or retaking the spelling test for a higher grade.


Reading - This week in reading the students will review and practice their reading strategies as they read the story The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. The reading strategies that we will focus on are: preview/infer, phonics/decoding, question, monitor/clarify, summarize, and evaluate.


Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Place Value to the Billions. HW: Workbook pg. 1. Practice X1, X2, X3, X4, & X5 by Wed.
Tuesday - Expanded Form. HW: Workbook pg. 2. Practice X1, X2, X3, X4& X5 by Wed.
Wednesday - Thousandths. HW: Workbook pg. 3. Practice X6, X7, X8, & X9 by 9/7.
Thursday - Decimals Greater than One. HW: Workbook pg. 4. Practice X6, X7, X8, & X9 by 9/7.
Friday - "Check your Progress" Quiz (open book). HW: Practice X6, X7, X8, & X9 by 9/7.