Mrs. Sulima's Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes - Week of January 30

2012-01-26T21:32:00.001-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:

*Last day to donate for Cancer Smasher on Monday.

*Math Quiz on Tuesday, Chapter 10, lessons 6-9 (open book/notes)

*Great America Read to Succeed sheets are due Wednesday.

*Southwest Map on Thursday.

*Dear Mr. Henshaw Quiz on Thursday.

*Spelling/Vocabulary Test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:

*Movie Night on Friday, February 3.

*Valentine's Day Party on Tuesday, February 14.

*No School on Monday, February 20 - Presidents' Day.

*Spring Pictures on Thursday, February 23.

*Early Dismissal on Tuesday, February 28.

*P.T.O. Dine Out at Chili's on Tuesday, February 28.

Weekly Happenings:

Science - This week we will begin our Electricity Unit. Students should review their notes each evening. We will focus on simple circuit, static electricity, and current electricity.

Social Studies - We are moving on to the Southwest. The Southwest Map project will be assigned on Tuesday and due on Thursday. We will practice taking notes in an outline format this week.

Spelling - This week we will only have vocabulary words on our spelling list. You may begin practicing the following words: hoist, jubilee, unremitting, scruples, nudge, tranquil, rejuvenate, and eccentric.

English - We will continue our unit on Pronouns.

Reading - The reading strategy that we will be studying next week is summarizing. When reading passages, it is not necessary to recall every word. Instead, we will practice using main ideas and supporting evidence to summarize a passage. While reading, a good reader finds the main ideas, whether they are stated or implied. Then, the reader must find supporting evidence to support the main idea. This support may be in the form of details, examples, explanations or descriptions.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Spotlight:

Monday - Transformations.

Tuesday - Open book/notes quiz on lessons 6-9.

Wednesday - Begin Chapter 11, Customary units of length. Please practice measuring with a ruler to the nearest 1/8 in or 1/10 cm.

Thursday - Customary units of capacity.

Friday - Customary units of weight & Trivia Challenge.

Behind the Scenes - Week of January 23

2012-01-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:

*Midwest Map Test on Tuesday.

*District Spelling Bee on Tuesday, 1:00 in PV gym. Good Luck, Saahil!

*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, 11:00.

*Chapter 4 Science Test on Thursday.

*Bingo Night on Friday, 7:00-8:30 in PV Multipurpose Room.

Coming Attractions:

*Movie Night on Friday, February 3.

*Valentine's Day Party on Tuesday, February 14.

*No school on Monday, February 20.

*Spring Pictures on Thursday, February 23.

*Early Dismissal on Tuesday, February 28, 11:00.

*End of 2nd Trimester on Friday, March 2.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish our study of the human body this week. Our test on chapter 4 is scheduled for Thursday. A "How to Study" sheet will be filled out and sent home on Monday. Items to study include:

*how tissues and organs form systems

*how the respiratory and digestive systems work

*how the circulatory system carries oxygen and nutrients

*Key words in lesson 1: tissue, organ, esophagus, stomach, diaphragm, artery, capillary, and vein.

*how the nervous system acts as the body's control system

*the jobs of the bones

*how muscles work with bones to move the body

*Key words from lesson 2: spinal cord, bone, joint, and muscle.

Social Studies - We are finished with chapter 8. Since we took a quiz on each lesson, we will not take a test on chapter 8. We are going to move on to chapter 9 and do lesson 1 only. This lesson focuses on a Native American tribe of the Midwest called the Ojibwa.

Spelling - We will have our test on Friday covering 10 spelling words and 8 vocabulary words. The vocabulary words this week are: capable, emanate, distinguish, tendency, detect, mundane, revelation, elicit.

English - This week we will begin a unit on Pronouns. Our lessons will include: What is a Pronoun, Subject Pronouns, and Object Pronouns.

Reading - The reading skill that we will work on this week is the identification of character, setting and plot. Students will fill out story structure maps as they read fiction to help them organize their thoughts and identify the main characters, setting & plot.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:

Monday - Perimeter

Tuesday - Circles

Wednesday - More Circles & Circumference

Thursday - Lines of Symmetry & Trivia Challenge

Friday - Transformations

Behind the Scenes - Week of January 16

2012-01-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:

*No school on Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

*Fourth Grade Spelling Bee on Tuesday - Saahil and Demetri will represent our class.

*Chapter 4, lesson 1 Science Quiz on Wednesday.

*Chapter 8, lesson 3 quiz on Friday (open book).

*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:

*District Spelling Bee on Tuesday, January 24, at 1:00 in PV Gym.

*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, January 25, 11:00.

*Bingo Night on Friday, January 27, 7:00-8:30.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue learning about the different systems of the body. We will have a quiz on chapter 4, lesson 1 on Wednesday. It will be open book (not notes).

Social Studies - This week we will learning about farming in the Midwest. This lesson will end this chapter. Our test will be during the week of January 23. Students should be studying for the the Midwest Map test. This test will be on Tuesday, January 24.

Spelling - Our study of vocabulary will continue this week. Try using and practicing these words with your child: sufficient, mishap, defer, wrath, hilarious, likeness, dabble, & ordeal. The test will be on Friday.

English - At the end of the week, we will take our next English pretest. The children will receive their contracts on Monday, January 23. We will begin our new unit on Tuesday, January 24.

Reading - The comprehension skill that we will be focusing on this week is drawing conclusions. Good readers use details in a story to draw conclusions about characters and events. Students may use graphic organizers to gather details from a story to draw conclusions. They will learn that it is possible to draw more than one conclusion from the same details.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:

Monday - No school.

Tuesday - Triangles.

Wednesday - No math due to MAP testing.

Thursday - Congruent and Similar polygons.

Friday - Quadrilaterals & Trivia Challenge.

Behind the Scenes - Week of January 9

2012-01-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:

*Final classroom spelling bee on Tuesday. Top two winners from our class will go to the grade level spell-off.

*Reading MAP test on Tuesday at 1:00.

*Spelling/Vocabulary test on Friday.

*Math MAP test on Friday at 1:00.

Coming Attractions:

*No school on Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King Day.

*TGIFridays District Fundraiser on Monday, January 16.

*Fourth Grade spell-off on Tuesday, January 17.

*District spelling bee on Tuesday, January 24, at 1:00 in PV Gym.

*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, January 25, 11:00.

*Bingo Night on Friday, January 27, 7:00-8:30 in PV Multipurpose room.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue our study of the human body by exploring different systems in the body. Notes will be taken in class. Students will now be taking quizzes at the end of each lesson. The quizzes will be open book (no notes).

Links for Human Body Survivor:
http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/body.php
http://www2.asd.wednet.edu/pioneer/barnard/sites/Science/bodsys/bodysys.htm

Social Studies - On Tuesday, January 24, the children will be taking the Midwest test. They will need to correctly locate and identify all the states in the Midwest. The children will also have to label the Great Lakes (in the Midwest) and the Mississippi River. Spelling will count! Your child can earn bonus points by identifying the capitals. They will earn 1/4 point for each correct capital.

English - We will continue to take a break from our normal English units to practice Extended Response writing. This past week, we went over our recipe for writing an Extended Response.

Our recipe includes: Turning the question around, Text proof, Interpretation, Text Proof, Interpretation, and What I learned statement. The Interpretation is the most important part of the response. This is where we can put our own thoughts, feelings, and opinions. The last statement of the response should state what you learned from the reading selection that you can take with you as a life lesson.

Spelling - I was thrilled with the excitement from the students about our spelling change. The addition of vocabulary words to our list will be beneficial to their reading, speaking, and writing. I even had a few students show me that one of our vocabulary words was used in the book they were reading. We will continue the same procedure this week. Our vocabulary words are: undulate, modest, immune, stately, encumbered, placid, whimsical, and endearing. Start using and discussing these words this weekend. The test will be on Friday. They will need to spell the 10 spelling words, 8 vocabulary words, and understand the meaning of the 8 vocabulary words.

Reading - This week, we will be working on the reading target of identifying the problem and the solution. Most stories involve a problem for the character to solve, and the solution to the problem may come after others have been tried.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:

Monday - Angles & using a protractor.

Tuesday - No math due to MAP testing.

Wednesday - Polygons.

Thursday - Trivia Challenge.

Friday - No math due to MAP testing.

MAP Practice Games:

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/
http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Week of January 2nd

2011-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*No school on Monday.
*Return back to school on Tuesday.
*Math test on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*MAP Reading Test on Tuesday, Jan. 10
*MAP Math Test on Friday, Jan. 13.
*No school on Monday, Jan. 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
*Bingo Night on Friday, Jan. 27, 7:00-8:30.

Thank you!!!
I would like to thank all the families that donated to the wonderful Spa gift certificate. I am looking forward to using it!!! Also, thank you to all the families that sent in items for our winter celebration. We all had a wonderful time!

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 - We will begin our study of the Midwest Region. Our first lesson focuses on how the Great Lakes were formed and their importance to the Midwest.

English - We will take this week off from normal English lessons. Instead, we will be working on extended response writing. Our writing follows this recipe:
*Turn the question around
*Text proof
*Interpretation (in my own words)
*Text proof
*Interpretation (in my own words)
*What I learned or general statement about the reading passage

Spelling - Our spelling procedure has changed. We will not be taking pretests. Our spelling lists will now include vocabulary. Our class is piloting a wonderful vocabulary program. Ten of the words will be from the regular 4th grade list. Eight of the words will be vocabulary words. Our spelling homework for this week will be:
Tuesday: Practice Sheet (due Friday)
Wednesday: Practice spelling all words (in cursive) and review meanings of vocabulary words.
Thursday: Practice spelling all words (in cursive) and review meanings of vocabulary words.
Friday: Test Day. The first ten words will be like a normal spelling test. The children will also need to know the spelling and definition of each vocabulary word.

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.

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday - No school
Tuesday - Fill out "how to study" sheet. Extended Response. HW: Study for Ch. 7 Test.
Wednesday - Review for Chapter 7 Test & Extended Response. HW: Study for Ch. 7 Test.

Thursday - Chapter 7 Test.
Friday - Begin unit on Geometry.

MAP Practice Games:http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Week of December 12

2011-12-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Creature & Planning Sheets due on Monday.
*Matilda test on Tuesday - 4 types of questions, character study, categorize & classify, making generalizations, and plot.
*Creature Feature on Wednesday, 1:30-2:00.
*Unit 5 - Capitalization & Punctuation Test on Friday.
*Winter Holiday Celebration on Friday.
*Winter break, Monday, Dec. 19-Monday, Jan. 2.

Coming Attractions:
*Return back to school on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
*No school on Monday, Jan. 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
*Bingo Night on Friday, Jan. 27.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - Our Prairieview Creatures will arrive to school on Monday. We will be writing descriptions of our creatures on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we invite you to come and view our Creature Feature from 1:30-2:00. The children will be doing informal presentations. We will begin our study of the Human Body when we return in January.

Social Studies - Table groups have been studying an aspect of the Cherokee life. They will present to the class this week. When we return from break, our study of the Midwest will begin.

Spelling - We are going to take the week off from spelling. This will give us time to write our creature descriptions. Spelling will continue after break.

English - We will finish Unit 5 this week. Our focus for the beginning of the week will be quotations. Proper use of quotations can be tricky. Please review this with your child. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. Our Unit 5 test will be on Friday. Enrichment projects will be due the day of the test.

Reading - In reading this week the students will evaluate the text. They will think about the author's writing and decide if he/she did a good job of helping them to understand the story. They will also review the strategies used throughout the theme. On Monday, each child will receive a readers' theater script - A Christmas Carol. They will need to practice their part(s) all week. We will present our readers' theater on Friday before our winter holiday celebration. On Friday, we will be watching a few versions of A Christmas Carol. The children will compare and contrast the different versions.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:
Monday - Stem-and-Leaf Plots
Tuesday - Working with Coordinates
Wednesday - Chance/Probability
Thursday - Chance/Probability
Friday - Chance/Probability
We will review and finish this unit when we return in January. Our next unit will be geometry.

MAP Practice Games:http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/
http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Week of December 5

2011-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! It is already December!

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*All-School Concert on Thursday, 9:00 am.
*Matilda Vocabulary quiz on Thursday.
*Chapter 3 Science Test on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Bowling field trip on Friday in the afternoon.
*Movie Night on Friday, 6:30-8:45.

Coming Attractions:
*Matilda Test on Tuesday, Dec. 13 - Review 4 Types of Questions, character study, categorize and classify, and making generalizations.
*Creature Feature on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 1:30-2:00.
*Unit 5 English test on Friday, Dec. 16.
*Winter Break from Monday, December 19 - Monday, January 2.

Bowling Field Trip:
Our bowling field trip to Brunswick Zone is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, December 9. Students may bring money to purchase snacks at the bowling alley. Brunswick Zone is offering a concession special: 2 slices of cheese pizza & a 16 oz. drink for $3.23 (including tax). Please keep in mind that we will be going bowling after lunch. For more information, please see Mrs. Cushing's BLOG.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - On Monday, the children will be introduced to the Prairieview Creature Feature project. They will need to plan and create a creature that can survive in Prairieview School. The creatures and planning sheets will be due back to school on Monday, December 12. On Monday, Dec. 12 and Tuesday, Dec. 13, the children will work on a written description of their creature in class. On Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 1:30-2:00, we invite you to come visit our classroom to meet the Prairieview Creatures. This week the children will also fill out a "how to study" sheet for the chapter 3 test. Our test will be on Thursday. Review the following concepts to prepare for the test:
*Key vocabulary - basic needs, adaptation, natural selection, instinct, hibernation, migration, learned behavior, fossil, & extinction.
*What basic needs are shared by all living things?
*How do adaptations allow living things to meet their needs? Give examples.
*How do instinctive behaviors help animals meet their needs? Give examples.
*How do learned behaviors help animals meet their needs? Give examples.
*How do living things of long ago compare with those of today? Give examples.
*What can we learn from footprints, bones, impressions, and petrified wood? How are these formed?
*What is a living fossil? Give examples.
*Describe the causes of extinction.

Social Studies - The children will be learning about the Cherokee Tribe.

English - We will continue our study of Capitalization and Punctuation. We will finish this unit during the week of December 12. Our test on this chapter will be on Friday, December 16.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. The children will take the spelling test on Friday. Spelling tests are now required to e written in cursive. Please have your child practice their letter formations at home.

Reading - Our reading strategies for this week are questioning and categorizing & classifying. Recognizing the question a story may raise is a good way to make sure you understand it. Also, as people read they wonder about the things they are reading and they form questions in their mind. Good readers usually do this without thinking. The students will practice the questioning strategy this week. Classifying involves grouping like items, and categorizing involves naming the group. Grouping the items makes it easier to remember them. Students will also classify and categorize information in the stories they read this week.
Our Matilda vocabulary quiz on Thursday will cover: formidable, resented, seized, vigorous, malicious, & vital. Students should know a definition & synonym for each. They should also be able to use the word correctly in a sentence.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:
Monday - Bar Graphs & Double Bar Graphs.
Tuesday - Line Graphs.
Wednesday - Circle Graphs/Pie Charts.
Thursday - Review all concepts covered to this point.
Friday - Open book/notes Checkpoint Review quiz on line plots, frequency tables, median, mode, mean, range, pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, & circle graphs.

Behind the Scenes - Weeks of November 21 & 28

2011-11-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*No school on Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday.
*Conferences on Monday, November 28, Tuesday, November 29, and Wednesday, November 30 (with homeroom teacher).
*Spelling pretest on Monday, November 28.
*Report cards issued online on Tuesday, November 29.
*Spelling test on Thursday, Dec. 1.
*Chapter 6 Social Studies test on Thursday, Dec. 1.
*No school on Friday, Dec. 2.

Coming Attractions:
*Chapter 3 science test on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
*All-school concert on Thursday, Dec. 8.
*Fourth Grade bowling field trip on Friday, Dec. 9.
*Winter Break begins Monday, Dec. 19.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will learn about how living things of long ago compare with living things today. This will be the last lesson in Chapter 3. Our test on chapter 3 will be on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The following week, we will begin our study of the Human Body.

Social Studies - Students are finishing their Southeast farmer projects. They will be due no later than Tuesday. We will finish this lesson by discussing other resources of the southeast - pulp and fossil fuels. The children will take a test on Chapter 6 on Thursday Dec. 1. Our study of the southeast will conclude by exploring the life of a Native American tribe, the Cherokee, from the southeast.
Items to review for the chapter 6 test are:
*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 - Second trimester has begun...that means CURSIVE writing. All final spelling tests will be written in cursive. We will not be doing a spelling unit during the week of Nov. 21. We will take a pretest on Monday, November 28 and have our spelling test on Thursday, Dec. 1. Watch for trimester 2 spelling changes!

English - We will begin our unit on Capitalization and Punctuation during the week of Nov. 28. The lessons we will cover are: correcting sentences, names of people and pets, names of places and things, and abbreviations.

Reading - Over the next couple of weeks we will be reviewing the skills that we have learned and practiced 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 studentswill learn that generalizations are broad statements that are true most of the time, and are based on fact or good reasons, and may include words like always or most.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Spotlight:
Monday - Check your Progress quiz ~ open book/notes.
Tuesday - Extended response assessment. We will not be taking an end of the chapter test on chapter 3.
Wednesday thru Friday - No school ~ Thanksgiving Break.
**I will not be following the order of our textbook for our Data and Statistics unit. Many of the concepts are in our book, but I do go beyond what is in the book.**
Monday, Nov. 28 - We will begin a unit on Data and Statistics. Qualitative and Quantitative.
Tuesday, Nov. 29 - Data Distributions ~ Tally Charts, Frequency Charts, & Line Plots.
Wednesday, Nov. 30 - Summarizing Data ~ Mean, Median, Mode, & Range.
Thursday, Dec. 1 - Graphing Data ~ Bar Graphs & Double Bar Graphs.
Friday, Dec. 2 - No school.

MAP Practice Games:
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/
http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Weeks of November 14 & 21

2011-11-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Southeast Map test on Tuesday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*End of 1st trimester on Friday.
*PBIS & PTO Power Paws Community Service Project on Friday, 6:30-8:00.
*No spelling during week of Nov. 21.
*No school on Wednesday, Nov. 23-Friday, Nov. 25.

Coming Attractions:
*Parent Teacher conferences during the week of November 28.
*Report Cards issued online on Tuesday, November 29.
*No school on Friday, Dec. 2.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will learn about the following concepts: instinct, hibernation, migration, and learned behavior. The children will choose an animal to draw as an example of each concept.

Social Studies - Our Southeast test is on Tuesday. The children need t know the correct spelling and location of all 12 states in the Southeast. They should also correctly identify the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi River. The children can ear bonus points for identifying the capitals of each state in the Southeast. We will also continue our Southeast Farmer project this week. The test on the Southeast land and resources will be after Thanksgiving break.

Spelling - Our pretest will be on Monday. The final test will be on Friday. We will not have a spelling unit during the week of Nov. 21.

English - We have learned about Imagery, Alliterations, and Onomatopoeia. The children will use these concepts to write a Fall poem. These will be due by Friday. Work on this poem should be done at school. If your child does not finish, they will need to bring it home Thursday night to finish for Friday.

Reading - This week, we will once again focus on the reading strategy of making inferences. Authors do not always tell the reader everything. They may give clues instead. The reader must use the clues and their own knowledge to make inferences about people and events.

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday - Divisibility
Tuesday - Estimation: Compatible numbers
Wednesday - Dividing with money (1-digit divisor only)
Thursday - First trimester assessment
Friday - Extended Response...problem solving.

Monday - "Check your Progress" quiz.
Tuesday - Extended Response test question & Thanksgiving Math. We will not take a test on Chapter 3.

MAP Practice: http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Week of November 7

2011-11-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Roller Skating party on Monday, 3:45-6:30.
*Unit 1 - Sentence Test on Tuesday.
*Spelling test on Thursday.
*No school on Friday - Veterans Day.

Coming Attractions:
*Southeast Map Test on Tuesday, November 15.
*End of first trimester on Friday, November 18.
*PBIS & PTO Power Paws Community Service Project on Friday, November 18, 6:30-8:00.
*Thanksgiving Break, Wednesday, November 23-Friday, November 25.
*Parent Teacher Conferences, week of November 28.
*Report Cards - ONLINE, Tuesday, November 29.
*No school on Friday, December 2.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - The children will continue to learn about animal adaptations this week.

Social Studies - We will explore the wildlife in the Southeast. The children will also learn about the resources from the Southeast. They will be doing a Southeast Farmer project. They will need to write from the point of view of a Southeast farmer. Students should start studying for the Southeast Map test which will be on Tuesday, November 15. They will need to identify each state in the Southeast, the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Spelling counts! The children can earn 1/4 point bonus for each capital correctly identified. A blank map was sent home on Friday for studying purposes.

MRS. SULIMA'S WEBSITE LINK: http://www.sherylsulima.com/

Peanut Farmers:
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-farmingtoday.php
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-funfacts.php
http://www.ehow.com/how_5147989_farm-peanuts.html

Peach Farmers:
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0781683.html#A0781693
http://www.worldslargestpeachcobbler.com/fuzzfacts.cfm

Orange Farmers:
http://www.fillmorepirucitrus.com/Orange_Facts.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-oranges.html
http://floridaoranges.com/unique-facts/

Cotton Farmers:
http://ganyardhillfarm.com/barn_news/teaching-resources/cotton-facts/
http://unctad.org/infocomm/anglais/cotton/crop.htm

Spelling - The children will take a spelling pretest on Monday. Due to the short week, our test will be on Thursday.

English - We will take the Unit 1 - Sentence Test on Tuesday. Enrichment projects will be due on the day of the test. We will spend the rest of the week on a writing project.

Reading - This week, we will focus on the reading comprehension skill known as sequence of events. Recognizing the order of events in a story makes it easier to understand the story. Clue words such as first, later, then, and finally signal sequence.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:
Monday -Dividing larger numbers by a 1-digit divisor.
Tuesday - Zeros in the quotient.
Wednesday - Check Your Progress quiz on chapter 3, lessons 1-5.
Thursday -Short division.
Friday - No school, Veterans Day.

MAP Practice:
http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

http://www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school357&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=133&myButton=g5plugin&db=g133_b545

Behind the Scenes - Week of October 31

2011-10-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*SE Map Due on Wednesday.
*Chapter 1, lesson 3 and chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3 science test on Wednesday.
*Picture Retakes on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*Rollerskating Party on Monday, Nov. 7, 3:45-6:30.
*Unit 1 Sentence Test on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
*No school on Friday, Nov. 11 - Veterans Day.
*End of 1st Trimester on Friday, Nov. 18.
*No school on Wednesday, Nov. 23-Friday, Nov. 25.
*Parent-Teacher Conferences during the week of Nov. 28.
*Report Cards Issued online on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

THANK YOU:A big thank you to all the parent volunteers that made our Halloween party a spooktacular event. The kids loved the treats, games, and crafts!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - The children will take a test on chapter 1, lesson 3 and chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3 on Wednesday. During the rest of the week, we will begin our next unit on Adaptations. Children should review the following concepts for the test:
*Define vertebrate & invertebrate.
*Describe characteristics of vertebrates. Which animals are vertebrates? What are the 5 classifications of vertebrates?
*Describe characteristics of invertebrates. Which animals are invertebrates? What are some of the classifications of invertebrates?
*Define photosynthesis & life cycle.
*Describe the stages of the life cycle of flowering plants. See tomato plant life cycle.
*Describe how plants reproduce using only spores. See fern life cycle.
*Define direct development & metamorphosis.
*Describe and order the stages of an animal's life cycle.
*Describe how some plants grow and develop.
*Describe the stages of the human life cycle.
*Describe the difference between simple and complete metamorphosis.

Social Studies - We will begin our trip through the Southeast region. Our journey will begin by focusing on the land and climate of the Southeast.

Spelling - Our spelling words this week will focus on short and long vowels. Our pretest will be on Monday, and our final test will be on Friday. If your child receives a 95% or higher, they will become a challenge speller. On Friday, they will take a test on their challenge words.

English - We will finish our sentence unit this week. Our final lessons will include: simple predicates and correcting run-on sentences. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. The Sentence test will be on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Enrichment will be due the day of the test.

Reading - Mysteries will be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students next 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/gr4th _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.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Spotlight:
Monday - Pretest on next chapter. Mini-lesson on division, fact families, and rules of division.
Tuesday - Order of Operations.
Wednesday - Division Patterns.
Thursday - Three-digit Quotients.
Friday - Zeros in the Quotient.

Behind the Scenes - Week of October 24th

2011-10-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Tuesday Schedule on Monday - bring library books.
*Math quiz on Monday - Chapter 2, lessons 5-8.
*Monday Schedule on Tuesday - bring your recorder, if you haven't already.
*John Lynn Assembly on Wednesday.
*Early Dismissal on Thursday, 11:00.
*Chapter 2 Math Test on Friday.
*Halloween Parade on Friday, 1:00.
*Halloween Party on Friday, 1:30.
*Bingo Night on Friday, 7:00-8:30 - Join Mrs. Sulima!

HALLOWEEN PARTY:
On Friday, we will have our Halloween Parade and Party. 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 28th:
*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. Children will not be allowed to use the washroom to change. Girls will change in one room and boys will change in another.
*If you send your child in with make-up, your child will need to be able to apply it themselves (within the 10 minute time limit).
*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.

Coming Attractions:
*Chapter 1, lesson 3 & Chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3 Test on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
*Picture Retake Day on Thursday, November 3.
*Roller Skating Party on Monday, November 7, 3:45-6:30.
*No School on Friday, November 11 - Veteran's Day.
*End of first trimester on Friday, November 18.
*No school on Wednesday, November 23-Friday, November 25 - Thanksgiving Break.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will finish chapter 2, lesson 3 on life cycles of animals. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Thursday. Due to Halloween, our test will not be until Wednesday, November 2.

Social Studies - The children are working on a Narragansett village project. They had the choice of drawing an illustration of the village or writing a detailed story about the life of the Narragansett. Both projects need to include evidence of the following: wigwam(s), Sachem, fishing, hunting, farming, cooperation, and tools used.

Spelling - Our spelling words this week will be Halloween themed. We will not take a pretest or test. Your child will have 3 activities, using the words, that will be due on Friday. All three activities will be grades - 10 points each.

English - We will continue our study of sentences. On Monday, everyone will stay with me to learn about the 4 types of sentences - declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. Throughout the rest of the week, we will focus on subjects and predicates, simple subjects, and simple predicates. We will also be doing an activity using alliteration.

Reading - This week in reading, students will be reviewing the strategies and skills that we have studied so far this year, with particular emphasis on predicting and making inferences.

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday - Check your Progress quiz on chapter 2, lessons 5-8. HW: None.
Tuesday - Fill out "how to study" & Extended response. HW: Study for test on Friday.
Wednesday - Extended Response & review for test. HW: Study for test on Friday.
Thursday - No math due to early dismissal.
Friday - Chapter 2 Test. HW: None.

Behind the Scenes - Week of October 17

2011-10-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Chapter 4 Social Studies test on Tuesday.
*Quiz on Text Organization on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*Book Fair on Thursday, October 20, 6:30-8:00.
*John Lynn Presentation on Wednesday, October 26.
*Early Dismissal on Thursday, October 27, 11:00.
*Parade and Halloween Party on Friday, October 28, 1:15.
*Bingo Night on Friday, October 28, 7:00-8:30. Mrs. Sulima will be there!! Join me!!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will discuss plants that reproduce by spores and other ways plants grow. The students will do a lesson review on Wednesday. We will also begin our next lesson on animal life cycles.

Social Studies - On Tuesday the children will take the chapter 4 test. A review quest and vocabulary assignment will come home on Monday to help your child review. Students should bring their signed "how to study" sheet on Tuesday to earn 2 points on their test. We will also begin a mini-unit on a Native American tribe from the Northeast, The Narragansett.

English - The children took a pretest on Sentences on Friday. On Monday, I will return the pretests with learning contracts. The children will then need to pick their enrichment project for this unit. We will begin our sentence unit on Wednesday. This week we will focus on the following lessons: What is a sentence? Statements & Questions, and Commands & Exclamations.

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.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:

Monday - Zeros in the Multiplicand (Multiplying by 1-digit)

Tuesday - Multiplying by 2-digits

Wednesday - Multiplying by 3-digits

Thursday - Zeros in the Multiplier

Friday - Multiplication with Money. HW: Quiz on Monday.

Behind the Scenes - Week of October 10

2011-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*No school on Monday - Columbus Day.
*No school on Tuesday - Institute Day.
*Verb test on Thursday.
*A Family Apart quiz on Thursday.
*Mario Kart Assembly on Thursday.
*Math Quiz on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*Movie Night on Friday, October 14, 6:30-8:45.
*Book Fair on Thursday, October 20, 6:30-8:00.
*Halloween Parade and Party on Friday, October 28.
*Bingo Night on Friday, October 28, 7:00-8:30 - Mrs. Sulima will be there!!!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will begin our study of plant life cycles. The children will also test their airplanes on Wednesday. Directions for the paper airplanes are in your child's science pocket.

Social Studies - Our trip through the Northeast will continue this week. We will explore the Chesapeake Bay. This is our last lesson in the Northeast Region, chapter 4. We will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Friday. Our chapter 4 test will be on Tuesday, October 18. Your child should review the following concepts 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 - We will not have a spelling lesson this week.

English - Our Verb Test will be on Thursday. Enrichment projects are due the day of the test. The children will take our next English pretest on Friday. Pretests and contracts will be returned to your child the following week.

Reading - We will continue focusing on the reading strategy of text organization. Many non-fiction authors 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. These skills will be practiced through the use of our Science and Social Studies textbooks.
Our class will also finish A Family Apart by reviewing character traits and taking a final comprehension, vocabulary, and character traits quiz on Thursday The children will be allowed to use the novel during the quiz. No other notes or handouts will be allowed.

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday - No school.
Tuesday - No school.
Wednesday - Properties of Multiplication.
Thursday - Mental Math & Patterns in Multiplication.
Friday - Check your Progress quiz over lessons 1-4. Estimating Products.

Behind the Scenes - Week of October 3

2011-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Worm 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!

1st Place - Samantha
2nd Place - Alex
3rd Place - Serena
4th Place - Justin
5th Place - Fernanda
6th Place - Reese

We had an exciting race day! Congratulations to all students for their hard work, great sportsmanship, and creativity!

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Cheer Clinic after school on Monday.
*Cheer Clinic after school on Wednesday.
*Chapter 8 math test on Thursday.
*Cheer Clinic after school on Thursday.
*Northeast Map test on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*No school on Monday, October 10 - Columbus Day.
*No school on Tuesday, October 11 - Teacher Institute.
*Unit 3 Verb test on Thursday, October 13.
*Movie Night on Friday, October 14, 6:30-8:45.
*Book Fair on Thursday, October 20, 6:30-8:00.
*Early Dismissal on Thursday, October 27, 11:00.
*Halloween Parade and Classroom Party on Friday, October 28.
*Bingo Night on Friday, October 28. (Mrs. Sulima will be there!)

Magazine Drive:
Our class won first place in the magazine drive by 1 magazine. Wow! Thank you all for making this magazine drive a success!

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - This week, we will focus on how animals are classified. The children will be filling out notes in class. They should review these notes each day. The children will take a chapter 1, lesson 3 review on Friday. They will be able to use their notes and textbook during the review.

Social Studies - The children will take the Northeast Map test on Thursday. They will need to know the correct location and spelling of all the states in the Northeast. Capitals can be labeled for 1/4 point bonus each. The children will also need to label the 2 Great Lakes and the Ocean on the Northeast Map.

Spelling - We will continue with our new procedure this week. Children that get 95% or higher will become challenge spellers. They will choose words to work with all week. On Friday, they will take a test on their words. If they get 100% on their Friday test, they will earn 2 points on their pretest score.

English - Our verb unit will continue. This week our lessons will focus on writing past tense with helping verbs, irregular verbs, the verb be, and contractions with not. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Friday. Our test will be on Thursday, October 13. Enrichment projects will be due on the day of the test.

Reading - The reading strategy that we will focus on is text organization. Many non-fiction authors 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.
Our class will also continue reading 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

Mrs. Sulima's Math Spotlight:
Monday - "Check your Progress" quiz on lessons 4-8. HW: Daily Practice Sheet.
Tuesday - We will fill out our "how to study" sheet for our test on Thursday. Decimal problem solving. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & study for chapter 8 test.
Wednesday - Continue decimal problem solving & review for test. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & study for chapter 8 test tomorrow.
Thursday - Chapter 8 test. Bring your "how to study" sheet. HW: Daily Practice Sheet due tomorrow.
Friday - Begin chapter 2 - Multiplication. HW: Enjoy your long weekend!!!

Behind the Scenes - Week of September 26th

2011-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Magazine turn in on Tuesday. Our class is in 2nd place!!!
*Tracks and Worms are due on Tuesday.
*Math quiz on Tuesday over lessons 1-3.
*Magazine turn in on Thursday.
*Picture Day on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Early Dismissal on Friday, 11:00.
*PTO Dine-out at Cozzie Corner, Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

Coming Attractions:
*Monday, October 3 - 4th grade cheer clinic.
*Wednesday, October 5 - 4th grade cheer clinic.
*Friday, October 7 - 4th grade cheer clinic.
*Tuesday, October 11 - Teacher Institute. No school.
*Thursday, October 20 - Book Fair, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
*Thursday, October 27 - Early Dismissal.
*Friday, October 28 - Bingo Night, 7:00-8:30 (Mrs. Sulima will be there!!!)
*Friday, October 28 - Halloween parade and classroom party.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - Your child needs to make a wormy race track for Tuesday. They will choose the surface of the track, width of the track, and 2 other variables (possibly variables that we tested during our worm investigations). Directions, variable planning sheet, and grading checklist are in your child's binder. Your child's track, variable planning sheet, grading checklist, and worm are due on Tuesday. We will be having a "Worm Race" in our classroom on Tuesday. May the best worm win!!!

Social Studies - We will begin our trip around the 5 regions of the United States by visiting the Northeast. This week, we will focus on the environment of the Northeast including major landforms. Children should begin studying for our first map test on the Northeast states. They will need to know the location and spelling of all the states in the Northeast. Spelling does count and a word bank will not be included. If they know the capitals, they can earn 1/4 point bonus per capital. Students should spell the capitals as best as they can. The test will be on Thursday, October 6.

Spelling - NEW SPELLING PROCEDURE!!! Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. If your child gets 95% or higher, they will become a challenge speller. They will need to choose challenge words and do challenge activities in their spelling journal throughout the week. If your child misses 2 or more, they will continue to work with the weekly list of spelling words. Workbook pages will need to be done throughout the week. Challenge activities and workbooks pages will be due on Friday before we take the test. Challenge spellers will now take a test on their challenge words. If they get 100% on their challenge test, they will earn 2 points on their pretest score. If they do not get 100% on their challenge test, they will keep their pretest score.

English - We will continue our verb unit this week. Our focus will be on subject-verb agreement, spelling present tense verbs, spelling past tense verbs, and verbs with helping verbs. The children will also continue working on enrichment projects according to their learning contract.

Reading - Students 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.
**Last week we did mini-lessons on Protagonist & Antagonist. We also learned about first person, second person, and third person point of view. Ask your child to explain these concepts to you.**

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday - Adding Decimals. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pg. 93 (#1-15) & pg. 95 (#1-17 no rounding). Quiz tomorrow.
Tuesday - "Check your Progress" open book/notes quiz over chapter 8, lessons 1-3. Estimating Decimal Sums. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pg. 94 (#1-8).
Wednesday - Subtracting Decimals. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pg. 96 (#1-15) & pg. 98 (#11-20 no rounding).
Thursday - Estimating Decimal Differences. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pg. 97 (#1-8) Quiz on Monday.
Friday - No math due to early dismissal. "Check your Progress" Quiz on Monday over lessons 4-6.

Behind the Scenes - Week of September 19

2011-09-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Bring in worms & habitat on Monday.
*Chapter 2, lesson 2 & 3 Social Studies Test on Tuesday.
*Chapter 1 Math Test on Wednesday.

Coming Attractions:
*Worm Race Tracks due on Tuesday, September 20.
*First magazine turn-in on Tuesday, September 20.
*Second magazine turn-in on Tuesday, September 27.
*Third magazine turn-in on Thursday, September 29.
*Early Dismissal on Friday, September 30, 11:00.

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 filled out our "how to study" sheet on Thursday. 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 Tuesday. 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

Spelling - We are going to take this week off of spelling. Instead, we will focus on vocabulary from our science and social studies units.

English - The students took the Noun test on Friday. They will receive their Noun tests back on Monday. We will go over the answers at this time. Also on Monday, the children will take their next pretest. They will receive their pretests & contracts on Tuesday. On Thursday, we will begin our first lesson.

Reading - This week, 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).

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:
Monday - We will fill out our "how to study" sheet for the chapter 1 test which will be on Wednesday. Our focus for the day will be on extended responses. HW: Focus for Chapter 1 Test on Wednesday.

Tuesday - We will continue reviewing extended response. The class will also review for the chapter 1 test. HW: Study for Chapter 1 Test.

Wednesday - Chapter 1 Test. There will be an extended response on the test. Bring you signed "how to study" sheet to class today!

Thursday - We will take a pretest on chapter 8 - Adding and Subtracting Decimals. The lesson for the day will be on Decimal Sense. HW: WB 93.

Friday - Decimals and Place Value. HW: Finish WB pg. 92, if not finished in class.

Behind the Scenes - Week of September 12

2011-09-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*Wear Red, White, & Blue on Monday.
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Magazine Kick-off on Monday.
*Beginner Band Sign-up on Tuesday and Wednesday, 3:00-8:00 in Band Room
*Recruitment Band Concert on Thursday, 12:45.
*Magazine Reach-out Postcards due on Friday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Unit 2 Nouns Test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
Monday, September 19, 2011 - Bring worm in habitat today
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - Magazine Turn-In Day
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - Social Studies test on Chapter 2, lessons 2 & 3
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - Magazine Turn-In Day
Thursday, September 29, 2011 - MagazineTurn-In Day & Picture Day
Friday, September 30, 2011 - Early Dismissal - 11:00 a.m.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will learn about the scientific method. These are the steps we will follow as scientists.

Social Studies - This week, we will finish our governmental study. On Thursday, the children will fill out a "how to study" sheet for the test which will be on Tuesday, September 21.

Spelling - Our spelling list will practice words with short and long a and e words. If your child misses 2 or less, they will be a "challenge speller". They will choose words from a pre-made list and will complete 3 challenge activities in their spelling spiral. If they miss 3 or more, they will study the regular spelling list and complete 3 pages from the reading/spelling workbook.

English - We will finish our noun unit this week. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. The test will be on Friday.

Reading - This week, our focus will be 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. 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).

Mrs. Sulima's Math Spotlight:
Monday - Rounding Numbers & Decimals. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pg. 6
Tuesday - Addition Properties/Subtraction Rules and Addition with 3 or more addends. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pgs. 7 & 9.
Wednesday - Subtraction with Zeros & Larger Sums and Differences. HW: Daily Practice Sheet & WB pgs. 10 & 11.
Thursday - Estimating Sums and Differences. HW: Daily Practice sheet due tomorrow. WB pg. 8. Quiz tomorrow on lessons 6-12.
Friday - "Check your progress" quiz. Mini lesson on Roman Numerals. HW: None.

Behind the Scenes - Week of September 5

2011-09-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Weekly Spotlight:
*No school on Monday - Labor Day.
*Spelling pretest on Tuesday.
*Curriculum Night on Tuesday, 6:30-7:30. Parents only, please.
*Reading MAP test on Wednesday, 1:00-2:00.
*Beginning Band Parent Meeting on Wednesday, 7:00.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Math "Check Your Progress" quiz on Friday - Chapter 1, lessons 2-5.

Coming Attractions:
*Monday, September 12, 2011 - Magazine Kick-Off - 1:15 p.m. gym
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - Beginning Band Sign-Up - 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. - Band Room
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - Beginning Band Sign-Up - 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. - Band Room
Thursday, September 15, 2011 - Recruitment Band Concert -12:45 to 1:30 p.m - Gym
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - Magazine Turn-In Day
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - Magazine Turn-In Day
Thursday, September 29, 2011 - Magazine Turn-In Day & Picture Day
Friday, September 30, 2011 - Early Dismissal - 11:00 a.m.

Homeroom Happenings:
English - We will continue our unit on Nouns. The lessons we will focus on include: singular & plural nouns, and singular possessive nouns.

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

Spelling - The children will be working with a second list of commonly misspelled words. The pretest will be on Tuesday. If your child receives a 90% or higher on the pretest, they will become a challenge speller. They will choose challenge words to use throughout the week. Any word they missed on the pretest should be on their challenge list. The challenge list should be found in your child's spelling pocket. On Friday, challenge spellers will have the choice of keeping their pretest score or retaking the regular spelling test for a higher grade.

Science - Our focus for the week will be on scientific tools and inquiry skills.

Social Studies - We will continue our study of Government. At this point, we will be focusing on the National Government. The children will explore the three branches of government and their roles. Students should be reviewing their vocabulary and notes each night. There will be a test on chapter 2, lesson 2 & 3.

Mrs. Sulima's Math Class:
Monday - No School.
Tuesday - Decimals to the thousandths & Decimals greater than one. HW: Daily Practice sheet due Friday. Master X10, X11, & X12 by Friday. WB pgs. 3 & 4 due Friday.
Wednesday - No math due to MAP testing.
Thursday - No math due to MAP testing.
Friday - "Check your Progress" quiz on lessons 2-5. Comparing and ordering numbers and decimals. HW: WB pg. 5.

Behind the Scenes - Week of August 29th

2011-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a wonderful group of children! The first two days of school went by smoothly and quickly. We are now ready to start all areas of the fourth grade curriculum on Monday. I can already tell it is going to be an AWARD WINNING year!

Weekly Spotlight:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*English pretest on Monday.
*First music class on Monday.
*Math MAP testing on Tuesday, 1:00-2:00.
*First library class on Tuesday.
*No math on Tuesday or Wednesday due to MAP testing.
*First art class on Wednesday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Coming Attractions:
*Monday, September 5, 2011 - No School/Labor Day
*Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - Fourth and Fifth Grade Curriculum Night - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
*Wednesday, September 7, 2011 - Reading MAP testing, 1:00-2:00. Beginning Band Parent Meeting -7:00 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room
*Monday, September 12, 2011 - Magazine Kick-Off
*Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - Beginning Band Sign-Up - 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., Band Room

Homeroom Happenings:
English - We will take our first English pretest on Monday. The children will receive their pretest and a contract back on Tuesday. I will review my contract procedures with the children at that time. Children will be choosing enrichment options to complete, at school, on days that they have passed out of the English lesson. I will explain this further during my presentation on Curriculum night. We will begin our first lesson on Wednesday.

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, questioning/ monitor/clarify, summarize, and evaluate.

Spelling - We will take our first spelling pretest on Monday. This week's list is words commonly misspelled by fourth graders. The pretest will consist of 20 words. Children who pass with a 90% or higher will have a challenge list for the week. All students will be doing activities with their spelling words throughout the week. Activities are due on Friday. Our test, on all 20 words, will also be on Friday. Students who had a 90% or higher can retake the regular spelling test to raise their grade or they can keep their pretest score.

Science - Our focus for 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.

Mrs. Sulima's Math:
Monday: Students will be taking a pretest on Chapter 1 - Place Value. This will not be entered into the gradebook. I will be using the information I receive from the pretests to guide my teaching and need for enrichment activities for some students. HW: Daily Math Practice sheet due Friday. Practice X1, X2, X3, X4, & X5 by Thursday.

Thursday: Place Value to the Billions. HW: Daily Math Practice sheet due tomorrow. Practice X6, X7, X8, & X9 by 9/6. WB pg. 1.

Friday: Expanded Form. HW: Daily Math Practice sheet due Friday. Practice X6, X7, X8, & X9 by 9/6. WB pg. 2 (if not finished in class).

Lights, Camera, Action...

2011-07-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Another school year is quickly approaching. Check back here often for Mrs. Sulima's "Behind the Scenes."

Sulima's LAST Scoop - Weeks of May 30 & June 6

2011-05-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No school on Monday.

*50 State Test on Tuesday.

*"We're Bowling" Wednesday - Fourth grade bowling trip in afternoon.

*"Take it Easy" Thursday - Bring a board game to school.

*"Film Festival" Friday - We will sit back and enjoy a film.

*Last day of math and reading on Friday.

*"We Made It" Monday, June 6 - All-school picnic & Sky Dogz assembly.

*"That's All Folks" Tuesday, June 7 - Report cards and yearbooks issued.

American Red Cross for Japan:

The raffle for Japan has just begun. A letter was sent home on Wednesday, with the list of raffle items and raffle tickets. If you wish to participate, just fill in the tickets, put them in an envelope with the money, and return it to your classroom teacher. All tickets must be turned in by June 3rd. We will have the raffle at the all school assembly on June 6th. Thank you so much for your support.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish our Earth Science unit with a study of Earth's landforms. The children will be exploring mountains, valleys, canyons, plains, plateaus, deltas, dunes, and islands. In their notes, the children will be drawing pictures of each landform.

Social Studies - Our study of the West will continue. We will compare and contrast the climates of Hawaii and Alaska. The children will also name the different climates in the West and learn about rain shadows. The 50 state test will be on Tuesday. They children will be given a word bank of capitals and state names. The capitals are bonus.

English - We have finished all our English units.

Spelling - We have completed all our spelling units.

Reading - As we wrap up reading class for the 2010-2011 school year, we will review all the strategies we have covered. Friday will be our last day of reading.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No school.

Tuesday - Dividing decimals by a whole number and Zeros in division. HW: WB pgs. 107 & 108.

Wednesday - Dividing decimals by decimals. HW: None.

Thursday - Estimating decimals quotients. HW: None.

Friday - Last Day of Math ~ TBD. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 23

2011-05-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Math quiz on Monday.

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*"Walk for Japan" at 3:30 on Tuesday.

*Adverb & Preposition test on Thursday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

*Science quiz on Friday (not open notes/book).

Plan Ahead:

*No school on Monday, May 30.

*50 State test on Tuesday, May 31.

*Fourth Grade Bowling trip on Wednesday, June 1 (after lunch).

*All-school picnic and Sky Dogz assembly on Monday, June 6.

*Last Day of school on Tuesday, June 7. Report cards and yearbooks will be issued.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue our study of rocks by exploring the rock cycle. The children will take a quiz on the rock cycle diagram on Friday. This will not be open notes/book.

Social Studies - Our trip around the regions of the United States will wrap up with a study of the West. On May 26, we will have "Take a Hike Thursday". We will learn about the mountain ranges in the West and National Parks. Wear your hiking gear! On Tuesday, May 31, the children will be taking the 50 state test. There will be a word bank of state and capital names. Capitals will be counted as bonus - every 10 correctly identified capitals will be worth one point.

English - We will finish our study of adverbs and prepositions. The test on Chapter 7 will be on Thursday. Enrichment projects will be due the day of the test.

Reading -This week, in addition to reviewing all reading strategies, students will be focusing on identifying the elements of fantasy and realism. Students will learn that fantasy involves events that could not happen in real life, and that realism involves events that could happen or that have happened in the past.

Advanced Math Menu (for rest of school year):

Monday - Quiz on algebra concepts. HW: None.

Tuesday - Adding Integers. HW: Workbook pgs. 163 & 164.

Wednesday - Multiplying and Dividing Decimals by 10, 100, and 1000. HW: Workbook pgs. 101 & 106.

Thursday - Multiplying Decimals by Whole Numbers and by Decimals . HW: Workbook pgs. 103 & 104.

Friday - Zeros in the Product and Estimating decimal products. HW: Workbook pgs. 102 & 105.

Monday, May 30 - No school.

Tuesday, May 31 - Dividing Decimals by a Whole Number & Zeros in Division. HW: Workbook pgs. 107 & 108.

Wednesday, June 1 - Dividing Decimals by Decimals. HW: None

Thursday, June 2 - Estimating Decimal Quotients. HW: None.

Friday, June 3 - Last Day of Math - TBD.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 16

2011-05-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*All-School Concert at 9:00 on Monday.

*Math quiz on ratio, proportion, and percent on Tuesday.

*Fourth Grade Beginning Band Concert on Tuesday at 7:00.

*Homeroom Party on Wednesday.

*Final Jr. Achievement session on Thursday.

*Math quiz on chapter 14, lessons 1-4 on Friday.

*Science quiz on chapter 7, lesson 1 on Friday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*No school on Monday, May 30.

*Bowling trip on Wednesday, June 1.

*All-school picnic and Sky Dogz assembly on Monday, June 6.

*Last Day of school on Tuesday, June 7. Report cards and yearbooks will be issued.

Walk for Japan:

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2 mile Walk Day on Tuesday, May 24^th at Prairieview School. All proceeds from the event will go to the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake in Japan. There will also be a raffle to help raise money for the cause, and any donations would be appreciated. (gift cards, sport items, games, services, small goodies). Anyone who would like to volunteer on May 24^th, please e-mail Mrs. Cavoto ccavot@ccsd66.org or Mrs. Sulima Ssulima@ccsd66.org to let them know.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science: We will learn about Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks. The children will take an open-book/notes quiz on chapter 7, lesson 1 on Friday.

Social Studies: The students will finish a postage stamp project about the Navajo. Next week, we travel to the West. Our 50 state test (word banks with state and capital names will be provided) will be on Tuesday, May 31. Start studying NOW!

English: We will finish our lessons on Adverbs and Prepositions this week. The test will be on Thursday, May 26.

Spelling: It is a review week. The children will be given a pretest on 30 words on Monday. If they spell them all correctly, they will be done with spelling for the week. If your child misses any words, they will need to complete the workbook pages and take the test in cursive on Friday.

Reading: This week we will focus on the reading target skill of comparing and contrasting. Comparing means showing similarities. Contrasting means showing differences. By comparing and contrasting one thing with another, readers can remember more of the information.

Accelerated Math:

Monday: Finding the percent of a number. HW: WB pg. 152 & quiz tomorrow.

Tuesday: Quiz on ratio, proportion, and percent. Using percents. HW: WB pg. 153.

Wednesday: Algebraic Expressions and Equations & Properties of Equality. HW: WB pgs. 156-157.

Thursday: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division Equations. HW: WB pgs. 158-159.

Friday: Quiz on Chapter 13, lessons 1-4. Introduction to Integers & Comparing and ordering integers. HW: WB pgs. 161-162.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 9

2011-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No Spelling this week.

*Chapter 10 Social Studies Test on Tuesday.

*Recreational Games PE Test on Wednesday.

*Marshmallow Catapults are due on Thursday.

*Early Dismissal on Friday, 11:00.

Plan Ahead:

*Fourth Grade Beginning Band Concert on Tuesday, May 17, 7:00.

*No school on Monday, May 30.

*Bowling trip on Wednesday, June 1.

*All-school picnic and Sky Dogz assembly on Monday, June 6.

*Last Day of school on Tuesday, June 7. Report cards and yearbooks will be issued.

Darien Dash:

The Darien Dash is on Sunday, May 15 at 8:30 am. The Dash includes a 1 mile walk, 5 K, and 10 K. If you are planning to register for this event, please consider representing Prairieview School. A $1,000 award will be given to the school that has the highest number of participants in the races. A $600 award will be given to the school that has the second highest number of participants. A $400 award will be given to the school that has the third highest number of participants. You will see some Prairieview teachers and staff walking and running in this event. Come and join us! Visit http://dariendash.com/ for more information and to register.

LifeSaving Grams:

Send a gram to your friends, teachers, or other staff members. Students can get additional grams from their teachers or they can also be printed off the PV homepage. http://www.ccsd66.org/Prairieview_home.htm

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin our Earth Science study. We will be observing and experimenting with minerals.

Social Studies - The children will be taking the Chapter 10 test on the land, climate, and resources of the Southwest on Tuesday. We will also learn about a Native American tribe from the Southwest.

English - We will begin our unit on Adverbs and Prepositions this week. Our focus will be on what is an adverb.

Spelling - No spelling this week.

Reading - Our focus in reading this week is on the reading strategy of monitor/clarify. Students should monitor how well they understand a story. If they don't understand something, they can reread or read ahead for help.

Accelerated Math:

Monday - Ratio and Percent

Tuesday - No math due to Project Brainwave Assembly.

Wednesday - Ratio and Percent

Thursday - Ratio and Percent

Friday - Ratio and Percent

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 2

2011-04-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Math quiz on dividing fractions and mixed numbers on Monday.
*Spelling Pretest on Monday.
*Science Test on Thursday.
*Spelling Test on Friday.
*Failure notices issued on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Early Dismissal on May 13.
*All School Concert at 9:00 on May 16.
*Fourth Grade Beginning Band Concert at 7:00 on May 17 at Lakeview.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Monday. Our Simple Machines test will be on Thursday. Next week, we will begin our study of Rocks and Minerals.

Social Studies - Our visit to the Southwest will continue. We will continue to practice the skill of taking outline notes. Lesson 2 will focus on the climate of the Southwest.

English - We will finish our Hero Expository Essays this week. The children will also begin our study of adverbs and prepositions. They took a pretest on this unit on Wednesday last week.

Spelling - Our spelling words this week will work with words with silent letters. The test on Friday will need to be done in cursive. Your child should not only practice how to spell the words but also how to write them, with correct letter formation, in cursive.

Reading - Our reading strategy for next week is making inferences. Readers must make inferences, or "read between the lines," when an author doesn't tell the reader everything. Readers can do this by applying what they already know to story clues given by the author.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Quiz on dividing fractions and mixed numbers. HW: Review dividing by a one-digit divisor.
Tuesday - Dividing by 2-digit divisor. HW: WB pg. 34 & 35
Wednesday - Dividing by 2-digit divisors. HW: WB pg. 36
Thursday - Dividing Money. HW: WB pg. 37
Friday - Quiz on dividing by 1-digit and 2-digit divisors. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 25

2011-04-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Unit 6 - Pronoun test on Tuesday.
*MAP - Reading test on Tuesday, 1:00-2:00 (Homeroom)
*Family Reading Night on Thursday, 6:30-8:00.
*Chapter 17, lesson 3 science quiz on Friday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*MAP - Math test on Friday, 1:00-2:00 (Homeroom)

Plan Ahead:
*Early Dismissal on Friday, May 13.
*No school on Monday, May 30.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue our study of simple machines this week. The children will explore inclined planes, screws, and wedges. We will have an open-book/notes quiz on Friday.

Social Studies - We will begin our study of the Southwest by exploring the Grand Canyon. While reading the lessons in this chapter, we will be practicing taking notes in outline format.

English - We will take the test on Pronouns on Tuesday. Enrichment projects will be due the day of the test. Throughout the rest of the week, we will work on Expository Writing.

Spelling - This week we will be working with words with unusual spellings. Our pretest will be on Monday. The children should practice writing their words in cursive throughout the week. Our test will be on Friday.

Reading - Our reading target for the week is to identify topic, main idea, and supporting details. Topic is what the whole text is about. The main ideas are important points about each topic. Each paragraph can have its own main idea. Supporting details are facts and examples that support each main idea.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday -
Tuesday - No Math due to MAP testing.
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday - No Math due to MAP testing.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 18

2011-04-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Thirty-nine state test on Tuesday.
*Dear Mr. Henshaw test (open book/notes) on Tuesday.
*Word Masters Contest on Wednesday.
*Chapter 17, lesson 2 science quiz on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Thursday.
*Early Dismissal (11:00) on Thursday.
*PTO Dine-out on Thursday at Panda Express.
*No school on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*English - Pronoun Test on Tuesday, April 26.
*MAP Testing (Reading) on Tuesday, April 26. (Homeroom students) Visit this site to practice: http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm
*Family Reading Night on Thursday, April 28.
*MAP Testing (Math) on Friday, April 29. (Homeroom students) Visit this site to practice: http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/

Homeroom Happenings:
Science -How do a pulley and a wheel-and-axle help do work? This is the question we will answer this week in science. Children should review their notes each night. They will take an open book/ notes quiz on Thursday.

Social Studies - We will begin our visit in the Southwest this week. Also, the children will take the 39 state test this week on Tuesday. They will need to correctly identify and spell each of the 39 states. Also, students can earn credit by knowing the capitals.

English -We will finish our lessons on pronouns this week by studying contractions with pronouns and homophones. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. The test will be on Tuesday, March 26.

Spelling - Our words this week will have 3-syllables. Please help your child practice their spelling skills in cursive. The test will be on Thursday.

Reading -This week in reading, we will be focusing on two important skills: following directions & summarizing. When reading a passage that describes how to complete a task, readers should look for clue words such as first, next and finally to clarify the order of steps. They also must understand that steps must be followed in the correct order in order to complete the task. Summarizing involves retelling a story in your own words, and including only the most important events. All students will study these skills using appropriate instructional-level materials. *
Dear Mr. Henshaw Links:
http://www.quia.com/quiz/126610.html?AP_rand=1886590259
http://www.quia.com/mc/18500.html *

WordMasters Link:
http://quizlet.com/3036034/wordmasters-4th-blue-10-11-flash-cards/ *

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday: Multiplying Fractions by fractions and Fractions by whole numbers. HW: WB pgs. 64 & 65.
Tuesday: Multiplying Fractions Using the GCF. WB pg. 66.
Wednesday: Multiplying Fractions and Mixed Numbers and Multiplying Mixed Numbers and Mixed Numbers. HW: WB pgs. 68 & 69.
Thursday: "Check Your Progress" Quiz. HW: None.
Friday: No School.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 11

2011-04-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*Inventions, Contract, and Grading Sheet due on Tuesday.

*OLSAT Testing on Tuesday.

*Straight A's recognized during School Board meeting on Tuesday evening.

*Spring Open House on Thursday evening, 6:30-8:00.

*Math "Check your Progress" quiz on Friday. Reschedule band lessons if at the same time.

*Spelling test on Friday.

*Check your child's grades on Friday - Midpoint of trimester.

Plan Ahead:

*Thirty-nine state test on Tuesday, April 19.

*Early Dismissal on Thursday, April 21, 11:00.

*District Eat-Out at Panda Express on Thursday, April 21. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Panda.pdf

*No school on Friday, April 22.

*MAP Testing April 25 - May 6. I will let you know exact dates as soon as possible.

OLSAT Testing:

Our 4th graders will take the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) on Tuesday, April 12. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test is designed to measure abstract thinking and reasoning abilities that are relevant to school achievement. Here are a few reminders that you can do to help your child do their best:

1. Make sure your child attends school on testing days unless they are sick.

2. Make sure your child get a good night’s sleep.

3. Provide breakfast for your child.

4. Remind your child to ask the teacher questions if he/she does not understand the test directions.

5. Let your child know that you have confidence in their abilities.

6. Advise your child not to worry about the test, but do their very best possible work.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - In science, we will take a break from our unit on simple machines to focus on our inventions. On Monday, your child will be assigned a "note card speech." These will be due on Wednesday. The children will practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, the children will each give their invention presentation (note card speech) to the class. This presentation will be part of their grade.

Social Studies - The children should keep studying for the 39 state test. The test will be on Tuesday, April 19. Capitals are worth bonus. Students must know the location and spelling of all the states in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, & Southwest.

English - We began our Pronouns unit on Friday. The children took a pretest on this unit on Thursday, April 7 and chose their enrichment projects the same day. This week we will focus on subject and object pronouns, using I & me, and possessive pronouns.

Spelling - Our pretest will be on Monday. If your child misses 1 or none, they will be a challenge speller. They will take the challenge test on Friday and will need to do challenge activities throughout the week. If your child misses 2 or more, they will take the weekly spelling test on Friday and will work on pages from the workbook. Both of these tests will need to be done in cursive. Keep practicing cursive formations at home.

Reading - Our focus in reading this week will be on understanding different genres, specifically pourquoi tales. Pourquoi is a French word meaning “why.” Pourquoi tales are stories that tell how, long ago, something in nature came to be. Often times these tales contain animals or natural forces that speak or have personalities.

Mrs. Sulima's Reading Class: Our class will be doing a readers' theater this week. The children will get their scripts on Monday. They are to practice their lines, as well as, read all 5 Pourquoi Tales. We will present our readers' theater on Thursday. Lines do not need to be memorized! In class, the children will be writing their own creative Pourquoi Tales. Hope you can come to open house on Thursday night to read these fantastic stories.

Our final Word Masters list will come home last week. Here is a link your child may want to use to practice these words: http://quizlet.com/4766271/wordmasters-4th-blue-2010-2011-3rd-list-flash-cards/

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday -Subtracting Fractions with unlike denominators. HW: WB pgs. 55 & 56.

Tuesday - No math due to OLSAT testing.

Wendesday - Subtracting Mixed Numbers. HW: WB pgs. 57 & 58.

Thursday - More subtracting of Mixed Numbers & Estimating of Mixed Numbers. HW: WB pgs. 59 & 60. Quiz tomorrow.

Friday - "Check Your Progress" quiz on lessons 6-12.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 4

2011-03-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Spelling pretest on Monday (Review week).

*No school on Tuesday - Teacher Institute.

* "Check your Progress" math quiz on Thursday.

*Chapter 17, lesson 1 science quiz on Friday.

*Spelling test on Friday (I will choose 20 of the 30 words).

Plan Ahead:

*Straight A's Recognized on Tuesday, April 12 School Board Meeting.

*OLSAT Testing on Tuesday, April 12.

*Inventions due on Tuesday, April 12.

*Spring Open House on Thursday, April 14, 6:30-8:00.

*Progress reports issued on Friday, April 15.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin chapter 17. This chapter will explore the 6 simple machines. Our inventions are due on Tuesday, April 12. Please come to the spring open house on Thursday, April 14 to see all the wonderful inventions.

Social Studies - The children will finish their Midwest brochures. Also, the children will have their next map test on Tuesday, April 19. This test will cover the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. Capitals will be worth bonus points.

English - The children will be working on an expository essay - My personal hero. These will be displayed at the spring open house.

Spelling - This week is a review week. The pretest on Monday will be over 30 words. If your child receives a perfect score, they will be done with spelling for the week. If they miss one or more, they will need to do the spelling workbook pages for the week and take a test on 20 (of the 30) words on Friday.

Reading - This week in reading the students will read two more selections with unexpected heroes. We will discuss their character traits and compare them to people we know who may possess these same traits. We will also review cause/ effect and fact/opinion this week.

Mrs. Sulima's Reading Class:

Our final Word Masters list will come home this week. Here is a link your child may want to use to practice these words:

http://quizlet.com/4766271/wordmasters-4th-blue-2010-2011-3rd-list-flash-cards/

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday: Adding Fractions with unlike denominators & Adding Three Fractions. HW: WB pg. 51 & 52.

Tuesday: No school.

Wednesday: Adding Mixed Numbers & Rename Mixed Number Sums. HW: WB pg. 53 & 54.

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

Friday: Subtracting Fractions with Like Denominators. HW: None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of March 21

2011-03-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Invention Convention Contract due on Thursday.
*"Check your Progress" math quiz on Thursday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Spring Break-week of February 28.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - On Monday, I will introduce the "Invention Convention" project to the class. The children will have until Thursday to plan out and draw a diagram of their invention. On Thursday, I will meet with each child to discuss and approve their inventions. After my approval, your child can begin constructing their invention. These projects will be due on Tuesday, April 12.

Social Studies - We will continue working on our Midwest Persuasive Travel Brochures.

English - Expository writing will be our focus this week and the two weeks after spring break. We will work on four paragraph essays. These essays will include an introduction, 2 detailed body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. Please have your child practice their words at home in cursive. Our test on Friday will be in cursive.
*
Reading - Next week in reading, students will be focusing on the skills of identifying fact and opinion, and evaluating. A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true. An opinion tells what a person thinks, believes or feels. Good readers should be able to identify when an author is using a fact or an opinion in a story. Evaluating text involves considering how well the author expresses and supports ideas. Students will be practicing these skills while reading the third story in our “Heroes” theme, Lou Gehrig, The Luckiest Man.
*
Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Multiples - LCM & LCD. HW: WB pg. 46.
Tuesday - Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions. HW: WB pg. 47.
Wednesday - Compare and Order Fractions. HW: WB pg. 48 & "check your progress" quiz tomorrow.
Thursday - "Check your Progress" quiz. HW: None.
Friday - Adding Fractions with Like Denominators. HW: Enjoy your Spring Break.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of March 14

2011-03-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spring Ahead on Sunday.
*Spelling Pretest on Monday.
*Roller Skating Party on Monday, 3:45-6:30.
*Chapter 15 Science Test on Tuesday.
*MAPs parent meeting on Tuesday, 6:30-7:30.
*PTO Fundraiser at Nonnies on Wednesday. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/nonnies.pdf
*Math "Check your Progress" quiz (chapter 4, lessons 1-4) on Thursday.
*Spelling Test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Support our school district by attending the Spring Fling at Cabana Charley's on Saturday, March 19. Hope to see many of you there! Go to the district homepage to find out more about this exciting event, bid on online auctions, and find out more about the wonderful raffle prizes!
*Spring Break: Monday, March 28 - Friday, April 1.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - The children will take the chapter 15 test on Tuesday. We will begin our unit on Simple Machines during the week of March 21.
Items to review for test:
*What is electricity?
*Constructing a simple circuit
*Explain static and current electricity
*Recognize how electricity moves in circuits (series and parallel)
*Key words from lesson 1 ~ static electricity, current electricity, series circuit, parallel circuit, conductor, and insulator.
*Compare the effects of a magnet and an electric current on a compass.
*Compare the properties of magnets with those of electromagnets.
*Recognize the usefulness of magnets, electromagnets, generators, and motors.
Key words from lesson 2 ~ magnet, magnetic pole, magnetic field, electromagnet, generator, and electric motor.
*Recognize that energy can change forms (potential to kinetic).
*Producing electricity from other forms of energy (wind, falling water, sun, heat from inside Earth, buring fuels).
Key words from lesson 3 ~ potential energy, kinetic energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, solar energy.
*Identify energy uses and their sources.
*Describe the uses of chemical and mechanical energy and how chemical energy can be changed to other forms of energy.
*Identify the need for energy conservation.
*Key words from lesson 4 ~ chemical energy & mechanical energy.

Social Studies - Each child will be researching a state in the Midwest this week. We are using trade books, Encyclopedias, and other resources for research. I have asked the children not to use the Internet for researching. We will use the Internet when we are looking for pictures and graphics to put on our brochure.

English - We will be exploring expository writing this week. Our focus will be on writing an introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. If your child misses 1 or none, they will be challenge spellers. They will receive their challenge list on Monday. On Friday, we will take our regular spelling test or challenge spelling test. Whichever test your child is taking must be done in cursive. Please practice at home.

Reading - Next week, students will read about Gloria Estefan, a famous singer whose acts of kindness have made her a hero to many people. Our strategy will be making judgments. Making judgments involves deciding whether or not a character's actions are appropriate for a situation. Readers can ask themselves, “Do I agree with this? Is this right or fair?

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Factors, Primes, and Composites. HW: WB pg. 41.
Tuesday - Greatest Common Factor. HW: WB pg. 42.
Wednesday - Fraction Sense. HW: WB pg. 43.
Thursday - Check your Progress Quiz on lessons 1-4. Fractions in lowest term. HW: WB pg. 44.
Friday -Fractions in greater terms. HW: WB pg. 45

Sulima's Scoop - Week of March 7

2011-03-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No school on Monday - Pulaski Day.

*Third Trimester - ALL Tests and Quizzes need to be done in cursive.

*Chapter 15, lesson 3 Science quiz on Tuesday.

*Spelling pretest on Tuesday.

*ISAT Science Part 1 & 2 on Wednesday.

*Chapter 8 Social Studies test on Thursday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Chapter 15 Science test on Tuesday, March 15.

*MAPs Parent Meeting on Tuesday, March 15, 6:30-7:30.

*PTO District Fundraiser at Nonnies on Wednesday, March 16. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/nonnies.pdf

*Spring Break - Monday, March 28-Friday, April 1.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - The students will take an open-book/notes quiz on chapter 15, lesson 3 on Tuesday. During the rest of the week, we will finish chapter 15 by studying how people use energy resources. We will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Thursday. The chapter 15 test will be on Tuesday, March 15.

Social Studies - Our test on chapter 8 will be on Thursday, March 10. To prepare for the test, review the following items:

-Explain how the Great Lakes were formed.

-Describe how the Great Lakes are connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

-Define the words waterway, canal, lock, and barge.

-Explain why the flow of the Chicago River was changed.

-Explain the advantages of shipping by water.

-Describe the landscape and climate of the Badlands 67 million years ago.

-Define erosion and describe the way it changes land.

-Define prairie and describe the types of life that live there.

-Explain why the climate of the Badlands changed.

-Explain why the Midwest is an important agricultural region.

-Explain why some farmers irrigate their crops.

-Identify the rainfall in the Midwest and explain how it affects the growth of crops.

-List ten crops grown in the Midwest.

-Identify some crops grown in the Central Plains and the Great Plains.

English - We will begin a writing project during the week of March 14.

Spelling - Students will take the pretest on Tuesday. The words this week have prefixes or suffixes. The test or challenge test will be on Friday. Tests will need to be written in cursive.

Reading - Next week we will be using the predict/infer strategy, as well as cause and effect. Thinking about story events and personal knowledge helps readers predict likely events. With cause and effect, students will focus on why story events happen and what happens as a result.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No school, Pulaski Day.

Tuesday - Computing with Customary Units. HW: WB pg. 131 (due Thursday).

Wednesday - No math due to ISAT Testing.

Thursday - Finding the area of parallelograms and triangles (we will review finding area of square and rectangles). HW: WB pg. 139.

Friday - Mini-quiz on Tuesday and Thursday lessons (open-book/notes). Pretest on next unit.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of February 28

2011-02-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday - Parent Teacher Conferences.

*Chapter 15, lesson 2 science quiz on Monday.

*No spelling unit this week.

*Report Cards issued on Tuesday.

*ISAT testing on Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday. (Reading Parts 1, 2, & 3 and Math Parts 1, 2, & 3)

*No school on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*No school on Monday, March 7 - Pulaski Day.

*Chapter 15, lesson 3 Science quiz on Tuesday, March 8.

*ISAT testing on Wednesday, March 9 (Science Parts 1 & 2)

*Chapter 8 Social Studies test on Thursday, March 10.

ISAT Testing - We will be taking ISAT tests on March 1, 2, 3, and 9. Testing will be during math (10:00-) and reading times (12:30-). We will test in our math and reading classes. Children should have a calculator for all math sessions. Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and begins each day with a healthy breakfast.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will take an open-book/notes quiz on chapter 15, lesson 2 on Monday. During the rest of the week, we will focus on lesson 3. This lesson will review different sources of electricity. A quiz on lesson 3 will be on Tuesday, March 8.

Social Studies - We will fill out our "how to study" for the chapter 8 test on Wednesday. The test will be on Thursday, March 10.

Spelling - Due to ISAT testing, we will not have a spelling unit this week.

Reading - Due to ISAT testing, we will only have reading class on Monday. Please remember that the Poetry Book project is due on Thursday. Students will not have time during reading to work on their poetry books. Finishing touches will need to be done at home.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Review of fractions. HW: Review pgs. 1-21 in textbook.

Tuesday - ISAT testing Part 1. HW: Review pgs. 1-21 in textbook.

Wednesday - ISAT testing Part 2. HW: Review pgs. 1-21 in textbook.

Thursday - ISAT Testing Part 3. HW: None.

Friday - No school.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of February 21

2011-02-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No school on Monday - Presidents' Day.

*PTO Dine-Out on Monday - Noodles & Company. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/noodles.pdf

*Spelling Pretest on Tuesday.

*Midterm Math Evaluation on Thursday.

*Spring Pictures on Thursday.

*Basketball test on Friday.

*Chapter 8, lesson 3 Social Studies quiz on Friday.

*Spelling Test on Friday.

*End of Trimester on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Chapter 15, lesson 2 Science quiz on Monday, February 28.

*ISAT Testing on Tuesday, March 1, Wednesday, March 2, Thursday, March 3, & Wednesday, March 9.

*Parent Teacher Conferences during the week of February 28.

*Report Cards issued on Tuesday, March 1.

*No School on Friday, March 4.

*No school on Monday, March 7 - Pulaski Day.

*Chapter 8 Social Studies test on Tuesday, March 8.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue to work with chapter 15, lesson 2. This lesson will relate magnetism and electricity. We will focus on magnetic poles, attracting & repelling, electromagnets, motors, and other uses of magnetism. An open book/notes quiz on this lesson will be on Monday, February 28.

Social Studies - Our study of the Midwest will continue. We will work on Chapter 8, lesson 3. This lesson will focus on the importance of agriculture in the Midwest. An open book/notes quiz will be on Friday.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Tuesday. The final test, which will need to be done in cursive, will be on Friday. A note will be sent home on Tuesday explaining our spelling procedures for 3rd Trimester. We will be following the same procedures they will follow in 5th grade.

Reading -In reading this week our continued target genre is poetry. The students will understand the elements of poetry, and they will work with figurative language such as simile, metaphor, personification, and idioms. A poetry project will be assigned and the students will be working on that in class and at home over the next couple of weeks. Along with poetry, the students will also be working on writing extended responses which will connect with their reading passages. I have extended the due date on the Poetry project to Thursday, March 3. This will allow enough time for children to complete all poems, bind their books, have at least 4 people read and comment on their poetry (not done in school), and to self-reflect on their project.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No School.

Tuesday - Customary and Metric Measurement Review (length, weight/mass, and capacity). HW: Measurement practice.

Wednesday - 3-D shapes review. HW: Extended Response.

Thursday - Midterm Evaluation. HW: Extended Response.

Friday - Trivia Challenge. HW: Extended Response.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of February 14

2011-02-09T13:38:00.001-08:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Valentine's Day Party on Monday, 1:30.
*Chapter 15, lesson 1 science quiz on Tuesday.
*Unit 4 Adjective test on Wednesday.
*Midwest Region test on Thursday.
*Chapter 8, lesson 2 Social Studies quiz on Friday.
*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*No school on Monday, February 21 - Presidents' Day.
*P.T.O. Dine-out at Noodles & Company on Monday, February 21. Click here: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/noodles.pdf
*Spring Pictures on Thursday, February 24.
*End of Second Trimester on Friday, February 25.
*ISAT Testing begins the week of February 28.
*Report Cards issued on Tuesday, March 1.
*Parent Teacher Conference Week - February 28.
*
Valentine's Day Party:
The children may bring in Valentine's cards and non-edible treats on Monday. We have 24 student in our classroom.
*
Homeroom Happenings:
Science - The students are having a wonderful time working with electricity. Most of this unit is hands-on exploration. The children will take an open book quiz on chapter 15, lesson 1 on Tuesday. This week we will also work on answering the question - How are electricity and magnetism related?

Social Studies - We will continue our study of the Midwest. We will have an open book/notes quiz covering chapter 8, lesson 2 on Friday. Also, the children will take their Midwest map test on Thursday. They need to know the location and correct spelling of each state. Also, they can earn 1/4 point bonus for each capital city.

English - We have now completed the lessons in our unit on Adjectives. On Monday, we will fill out our "how to study" sheet for our test which will be on Wednesday. Enrichment projects will also be due on the day of the test.

Spelling - We will take our spelling pretest on Monday. The children should practice their words in cursive throughout the week. Our test will be on Friday. This will be our last spelling test of second trimester. New procedures will be in place for third trimester. Please watch this Blog and your child's binder for third trimester procedures.

Reading - In reading this week our target genre is poetry. The students will understand the elements of poetry, and they will work with figurative language such as simile, metaphor, personification, and idioms. A poetry project will be assigned and the students will be working on that in class and at home over the next couple of weeks. Along with poetry, the students will also be working on writing extended responses which will connect with their reading passages.
Word Masters Practice:
http://www.quia.com/cb/731270.html
http://quizlet.com/3922593/wordmasters-blue-division-2010-2011-list-2-4th-flash-cards/

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Square Measures and Area of Squares and Rectangles. HW: WB pgs. 137 & 138 (skip 1, 7, 10, 13, & 16 on pg. 138) & Review pages.
Tuesday - Trivia Challenge and mini-lesson on solid figures. HW: WB pg. 140 & Review pages.
Wednesday - Cubic Measures and Volume. HW: WB pg. 142 (#1-9) & 143 (skip #7 & 10) & Review pages.
Thursday - Trivia Challenge & mini-lesson on Temperatures. HW: WB pg. 128 & Review pages.
Friday - Units of Time. HW: WB pg. 129 & Review pages.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of February 7

2011-02-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Spelling pretest on Monday.
*Chapter 10 math test on Tuesday.
*Spelling test on Friday.
*Chapter 8, lesson 1 Social Studies quiz on Friday.
*Valentine's Day Challenge due on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Valentine's Day Party on Monday, February 14 at 1:30. Please no edible treats.
*Chapter 15, lesson 1 science quiz on Tuesday, February 15.
*Unit 4 Adjective test on Wednesday, February 16.
*Midwest test will now be on Thursday, February 17 due to snow days.
*No school on Monday, February 21 - Presidents' Day.
*P.T.O. Dine-Out at Noodles & Company on Monday, February 21.
*Spring Pictures on Thursday, February 24.
*ISAT testing begins on Monday, February 28.
*Parent Teacher Conferences during the week of February 28.

Homeroom Happenings:
Due to our SNOW DAYS, we will need to complete some of the activities that were planned from last week.

Science - We will explore and construct series and parallel circuits. The children will also use circuit diagrams to represent their circuits.

Social Studies - Some students still need to finish their "Just Look" books. Our Midwest test will be on Thursday, February 17. The children will need to correctly locate and spell all the states in the Midwest region. Capitals, as before, will be worth 1/4 point bonus each. We will begin our study of the Midwest region this week.

English - Our study of adjectives will continue. We will compare with -er & -est, compare with more and most, and compare with good and bad. Our test on this unit will be on Wednesday, February 16.

Spelling - Our spelling pretest will be on Monday. The final test will be on Friday. Students will need to write in cursive on the spelling test. Please practice at home.

Reading - This week we will begin our study of Poetry. We will focus on some of the elements of poetry including rhyme, sensory words, figurative language, and wordplay. The children will also begin a poetry project. In this project, the children will be learning about and writing nine different kinds of poems. Time will be given in class, but students will also need to work on this project at home. We will be working on Poetry and Figurative Language for the next few weeks.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday: Review "Check Your Progress" quiz taken on Friday. Trivia Challenge. HW: Study for Chapter 10 test tomorrow.
Tuesday: Chapter 10 test. HW: None.
Wednesday: Extended Response Practice. HW: Review extended response problems completed in class.
Thursday: Trivia Challenge. HW: TBD.
Friday: Extended Response Practice. HW: Review extended response problems completed in class.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 31

2011-01-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Review spelling pretest on Monday (30 words).

*Review spelling test on Friday (I will choose 20 of the 30 words).

*Failure notices issued on Friday.

*Movie Night on Friday, 6:30-8:45.

Plan Ahead:

*Valentine's Day Party on Monday, February 14. Please no edible goodies with Valentines.

*No school on Monday, February 21 - Presidents' Day.

*PTO dine-out on Monday, February 21 - Noodles and Company.

*Spring Pictures - Thursday, February 24.

*End of Trimester - Friday, February 25.

*ISAT testing begins on Monday, February 28.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue our Electricity unit. We will focus on current electricity. The children will draw and construct different types of circuits.

Social Studies - We will finish our "Just Look" books. The children will also need to start studying for the Midwest map test. The test will be on Tuesday, February 15. The children will need to know the correct location and spelling of each state in the Midwest. As before, each capital will be worth 1/4 bonus point.

English - Our adjective unit will begin this week. We will focus on what is an adjective, adjectives after be, and using a, an, and the.

Spelling - The children will take a pretest on 30 review words. If your child receives 100% on the pretest, they will be done with spelling for the week. If your child does not receive 100%, they will need to do the workbook pages throughout the week. Their test on Friday will be on 20 of the 30 words. The test will be done in cursive.

Accelerated math Menu:

Monday-Symmetry. HW: WB pg. 122.

Tuesday - Transformations. HW: WB pg. 123 (top only).

Wednesday - Tessellations. HW: WB pg. 123 (rest of page).

Thursday -Quiz on lessons 6-9. Problem Solving. HW: Review Extended Response problem done in class.

Friday - Problem Solving. HW: Review Entended Response problems done in class.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 24

2011-01-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*District Spelling Bee on Tuesday at 10:00. Good luck to Robert and Emmanuelle!!!

*Spelling test on Friday.

*P.T.O. Bingo Night on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Failure Notices issued on Friday, February 4.

*Valentine's Day Party on Monday, February 14.

*No school on Monday, February 21 - Presidents' Day.

*Spring Pictures on Thursday, February 24.

*End of 2nd Trimester on Friday, February 25.

*ISAT testing begins on Monday, February 28.

*Parent Teacher Conferences during the week of February 28 ~ Reading students.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin my favorite unit this week, Electricity. The children will be experimenting with simple circuits and static electricity. We will also learn about electrical currents.

Social Studies - The children will continue working on their "Just Look" projects. If your child does not have their research finished after class on Monday, they will need to finish at home before Thursday.

English - On Wednesday, we will be taking our next pretest. The children will get their contracts back on Friday. They will have the weekend to decide on their enrichment option. I will meet with each child on Monday, January 31. We will begin this unit on Tuesday, February 1.

Spelling - Our spelling words this week follow a "VCCV" pattern (vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel). Please have your child practice the words on the practice sheet. The test, on Friday, will need to be done in cursive.

Reading - The reading skill that we will work on this week is the identification of characters, setting, and plot. Students will fill out story structure maps as they read fiction to help them organize their thoughts and identify the main characters, setting, and plot.

Our second book club discussion will be on Tuesday. The children are finishing the book for this discussion. To be prepared for the discussion, children must have their books and completed discussion sheets. The children should fill out the prediction section on the discussion sheet. They are predicting what would happen next if there were more chapters in the book. I will be collecting and grading this set of discussion sheets.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Congruent and Similar Figures. HW: WB pg. 116.

Tuesday - No math due to District Spelling Bee.

Wednesday - Quiz on lessons to this point. Perimeter. HW: WB pg. 119.

Thursday - Circles. HW: WB pg. 120.

Friday - Circumference. HW: WB pg. 121.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 17th

2011-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No school on Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

*Papa Passero's PTO Dine out on Monday. http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Papas.pdf

*Chess Club permission slips due on Tuesday.

*Chapter 4, lesson 2 science quiz on Tuesday.

*Fourth grade spell-off on Tuesday.

*Spelling pretest on Tuesday.

*Unit 1 English test on Thursday.

*Spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*PTO Bingo Night on Friday, January 28.

*Movie Night on Friday, February 4.

*Valentine's Day Party on Monday, February 14.

Spelling Bee News:

Congratulations and Good Luck to Robert and Adarsh who will represent our class in the fourth grade spell-off on Tuesday.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We have now completed chapter 4, lesson 2. The children will take an open notes/book quiz on Tuesday. We will not have a test on this chapter. During the week of January 24, we will begin our study of physical science.

Social Studies - The children have chosen an important person from Black History. They will be researching this person this week. Their research will then be organized into paragraphs. They will be word processing these paragraphs to put into a book called "Just Look".

English - The Unit 1 test on Sentences will be on Thursday, January 20. The test will cover: sentence vs. fragment, statements, questions, commands, and exclamations, subject & predicate, simple subjects, simple predicates, and correcting run-on sentences. Enrichment projects will also be due on the day of the test.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No school.

Tuesday - Geometric terms. HW: Geometry worksheet.

Wednesday - No math due to Argonne Field Trip (Trinco & Bell)

Thursday- Triangles. HW: WB pg. 117.

Friday - Quadrilaterals. HW: WB pg. 118.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 10th

2011-01-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Classroom "practice" spelling bee on Monday.

*Spelling pretest on Monday.

*Reading MAPs testing on Monday (homeroom students)

*Field Trip to Argonne Labs on Tuesday, 9:30-1:30.

*Dan Kirk Juggler Assembly on Wednesday at 12:30.

*Classroom spelling bee on Thursday. Two winners will go to grade level spell-off.

*First book club discussion on Thursday. Students must have book and discussion sheet.

*Math MAPs testing on Thursday (homeroom students)

*Spelling test, in cursive, on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*No school on Monday, January 17.

*P.T.O. Dine-Out Fundraiser at Papa Passero's on Monday, January 17. Click here for more information: http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Papas.pdf

*Straight A's recognized at Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 11, 7:00.

*Bingo Night on Friday, January 28.

MAP testing: Once again, we will be taking MAP tests on Monday January 10th and Thursday, January 13th. Please make sure your child gets a good dinner and a good night's rest before these tests. Also, make sure they have a healthy breakfast and a healthy snack on the morning of these tests.

Argonne Labs Field Trip: We will take our field trip to Argonne Labs on Tuesday, January 11. The children are to bring a sack lunch/drink. Also, all visitors to Argonne must wear long pants and closed shoes. Students are expected to be on their best behavior at all times. We will be involved in 4 learning labs: Spectrophotometers, Superconductivity, Science of Toys (scientific method), and (just added...only for our visit on Tuesday) Forensics. Thank you to Mrs. Edwards, Mrs. McGlynn, and Mr. Hoffman for volunteering to come with us on this wonderful field trip.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will continue learning about the human body. This lesson covers the nervous system, skeletal system, and muscular system. The children will take a quiz on this material on Tuesday, January 18.

Social Studies - The children will be collecting information about important people in Black history. Midweek, they will choose one of these people to research further. We will be making a special book, called a "Just Look" book about our famous person. On Wednesday, January 19, we will watch a movie about Ruby Bridges. This movie displays the important part she played in the Civil Rights Movement.

English - We will continue working on Unit 1. This unit focuses on the sentence. During the week the children will be involved in lessons on subjects & predicates, simple subject, simple predicates, and correcting run-on sentences. The test on this short unit will be during the week of January 17.

Spelling - The children are doing a wonderful job on their cursive writing. Thank you for encouraging them to practice at home. We will take our pretest on Monday and our final test on Friday.

Reading - This week the children will work on identifying the problem and solution of a story as they are reading. Most stories involve a problem for the characters to solve. The solution to the problem may come after others have been tried.

Mrs. Sulima's Reading Class -Your child is going to be involved in their first 4th grade book club on Thursday. They will need to bring their book and completed discussion sheet. As a club, the children have decided what chapters they are to read for this first discussion. Please make sure your child does not read ahead....I know they will be tempted. It is very frustrating when the children are discussing the book and a member shares information from a chapter that the rest of the club has not read.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No math due to MAPs testing.

Tuesday - No math due to the Argonne Field trip (Beseth, Cavoto, & Sulima).

Wednesday - Measuring, drawing, and identifying angles. HW: WB pgs. 113 & 114 due Friday.

Thursday - No math due to MAPs testing.

Friday - Polygons. HW: WB pg. 115.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of January 3

2010-12-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-08T13:18:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-11-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

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.

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL

2010-08-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fourth Grade!

On Monday, August 23, please join us for the district open house. Between 9 and 11, come and visit our classroom, choose your desk & locker, bring your school supplies, and meet your teacher.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Sulima's Last Scoop: May 24 - June 2

2010-05-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Our last Jr. Achievement session with Mr. Shahnisarian on Monday.

*Chapter 13 open-book/notes social studies quiz on Monday.

*Special Jr. Achievement session (about money) on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 25.
*Fourth grade bowling trip on Friday, May 28.
*No school on Monday, May 31.
*School Picnic on Tuesday, June 1.
*Last day of school and report cards issued on Wednesday, June 2.

Thank you!!!

I would like to thank the Arlt family, Spencer family, Ferreri family, Burrows family, Seitz family, Mandziara family, Veverka family, Stoppelman family, Meyer family, Baer family, Maghirang family, Uhlen family, and Cione family for volunteering to develop rolls of film. Please try to get the film in by Monday. This way I can sort the pictures by student before we begin working on our memory books on Tuesday.

Yearbooks: Will be handed out to students on June 2nd. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 2nd; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 12, 2009 and orders were due by Tuesday, December 9, 2009.

School Picnic: Lunch will be a hot dog, chips, water, and an ice cream treat. If your child needs more or does not want a hot dog, please send them with a sack lunch.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will finish chapter 8 with a lesson on fossils. The children will not be taking notes on this lesson because we will not be having a quiz.

Social Studies - We will take our chapter 13 open-book/notes quiz on Monday. This will conclude our study of the Western Region.

Spelling - We will not have a spelling unit this week. All grades are in for spelling.

English - We will continue our study of adverbs. This week we will learn about negatives and prepositional phrases. We will not have a quiz or test on this unit, but the children will be doing graded assignments from the English workbook.

Reading - Our mystery unit will continue. The children have been doing a wonderful job working in their agencies on drawing conclusion and supporting these conclusions with evidence.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - No math due to Lakeview choir concert.

Tuesday - Understanding ratios and equivalent ratios. No homework.

Wednesday - Exploring scale and understanding percents. No homework.

Thursday - This will be our last day of math. Relating percents, decimals, and fractions. No homework.

Friday - No math.

Tuesday - School picnic. No math.

Wednesday - Last day of school. No math.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 17

2010-05-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*No spelling pretest this week. It is a review week.

*Pronoun test on Tuesday.

*Math Placement test on Tuesday in homeroom.

*Beginning Band Concert on Tuesday evening at Lakeview.

*Math Placement test on Thursday in homeroom.

*Cadet Band/Choir concert at 1:00 on Thursday.

*Fifty State Challenge on Thursday (optional).

*Chapter 8, lesson 2 quiz on Friday.

*Lesson 35 review spelling test on Friday.

*Math checkpoint on Friday.

*Box Top Pizza Party on Friday. Our class won 1st place. Thank you all for sending in so many Box Tops. We had over 2,000!

Help Wanted: I am looking for parent volunteers to develop a roll or two of film. We will be using these pictures in our memory books that we will make during the week of May 24.

Plan Ahead:

*Chapter 13 open-book Social Studies quiz on Monday, April 24.

*Jr. Achievement on Monday, May 24. This is our last session with Mr. Shahnasarian.

*Special Jr. Achievement session (about money) on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 25.

*Fourth grade bowling trip on Friday, May 28.

*No school on Monday, May 31.

*School Picnic on Tuesday, June 1.

*Last day of school and report cards issued on Wednesday, June 2.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin chapter 8, lesson 2. This lesson reviews the layers of the Earth. It also covers how Earth's surface changes. We will have an open-book quiz on Friday.

Social Studies - Our visit to the Western region is coming to an end. This week we will learn about exploration and growth in the West. We will also look at examples of businesses and tourist locations in the West. We will have an open-book quiz over chapter 13 on Monday, April 24.

Spelling - We will be working with lesson 35 this week. This will be the last spelling lesson of fourth grade. Lesson 35 is a review unit. The children should focus on the rules of each lesson. The lesson 35 test asks the children to identify the misspelled word in each row.

English - The children will take the Unit 6 Pronoun test on Tuesday. All enrichment projects are due the day of the test. On Wednesday, we will begin our final unit on adverbs and prepositions. We will not pretest or test on this final unit. The children will have graded assignments each day though.

Reading - Last week was so busy, with finishing our wonderful poetry project, that we were unable to begin our mystery unit. We will begin this week! The children will be reading, listening, and watching many mysteries throughout this unit. We will be discussing the elements of a mystery and important "detective" vocabulary. Throughout this study we will also review all the reading strategies that we have covered in fourth grade.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Dividing decimals. H.W. Daily Review 94 (#1-12).

Tuesday - No math due to math placement tests. H.W. Finish Daily Review 94 (#1-12).

Wednesday - Dividing decimals by decimals & review for checkpoint. H.W. Review for checkpoint on Friday.

Thursday - No math due to math placement tests. H.W. Review for checkpoint.

Friday - Math checkpoint (open-book and open-notes). H.W. None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 10

2010-05-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*All students need to bring a sack lunch and drink on Monday. We will be eating in the classroom before we go to the Robert Crown Center. Students may want to bring a second snack for when we return in the afternoon.
*Jr. Achievement lesson on Monday.
*We will not be taking a spelling pretest this week due to our field trip.
*Chapter 12 social studies test on Tuesday.
*Open-book chapter 8, lesson 2 science quiz on Thursday.
*Lesson 34 spelling test on Friday. We will take our test first thing in the morning.
*Poetry books due on Friday.
*Early Dismissal on Friday, 11:00.

A BIG Thank You!
I would like to thank the P.T.O. and all the volunteers who helped make Teacher Appreciation so wonderful! I was amazed by the breakfast, lunches, and many gifts that I received. You all truly made me feel very special. THANK YOU!

Plan Ahead:
*Beginning Band Concert on Tuesday, May 18.
*Bowling field trip on Friday, May 28 (after lunch).
*No school on Monday, May 30.
*All-school picnic on Tuesday, June 1.
*Report Cards issued on Wednesday, June 2.
*Last day of school on Wednesday, June 2.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will begin chapter 8. This chapter continues our Earth Science study. We will begin this chapter by exploring some of Earth's landforms. An open-book quiz on this lesson will be on Thursday.

Social Studies - The children will take the chapter 12 test on Tuesday. Look over these items to review for the test:
*Key vocabulary - timberline, geyser, magma, volcano, lava, tundra, frigid, rain shadow, greenhouse, livestock, and reforest.

*Important Places - Rocky Mountains, Continental Divide, Yellowstone National Park, Mt. McKinley, Death Valley, Great Basin, Mt. Waialeale, and Cascade Range.

*Identify the largest system of mountains in the United States.

*Compare and Contrast mountain ranges of the West.

*Identify which mountain ranges have volcanoes.

*Compare geysers to volcanoes.

*Recognize names of mountain ranges in the West.

*Compare and contrast the climates of Hawaii and California.

*Name the different climates of the West and give an example of each.

*Identify states in the West with extreme weather.

*Explain how the rain shadow works.

*Identify some of the resources of the West.

*Identify places where agricultural products are grown in the West.

*Locate areas of the West that have important fishing industries.

*Explain how people benefit from the resources of the West.

Spelling - We will not take a spelling pretest this week due to gym, Jr. Achievement, and our field trip to Robert Crown on Monday. Our spelling test will be on Friday as soon as all the students arrive. Please have your child practice their words in cursive.

English - Our study of pronouns will continue. We will review pronouns and homonyms on Tuesday. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. The test will be on Tuesday, May 18.

Reading - We will begin my favorite unit of the year ~ Mysteries! The children will be reading, watching, and listening to many mysteries. We will review the elements of a mystery. The class will also review all our reading strategies throughout this unit. The children will also have time during silent reading to use our classroom computers to work on their poetry books. All poetry books are due on Friday, May 14.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday -No Math.

Tuesday -Multiplying Decimals by whole numbers. H.W. Daily Review 85.

Wednesday -Estimating the Products of a Whole Number and a Decimal. H.W. Daily Review pg. 86.

Thursday -Multiplying Decimals. H.W. Daily Review pg. 89.

Friday -Multiplication with Zeros in the Product. H.W. Finish Practice 8-7 (if not completed in class).

Sulima's Scoop - Week of May 3

2010-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Lesson 33 spelling pretest on Monday.
*Jr. Achievement session on Monday.
*Second Book Club Discussion on Monday.
*Chapter 7 science test on Wednesday.
*West region map test on Thursday.
*Lesson 33 spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Robert Crown field trip on Monday, May 10. Students will need to bring a sack lunch & drink. We will eat in our classroom prior to our scheduled lunch time.
*Chapter 12 social studies test on Tuesday, May 11.

Smencil Sales:
Students from Project Challenge have started a fundraiser for the ASPCA, a foundation to stop animal cruelty. The kids will be selling Smencils® (scented pencils) for a 1.00 each. The pencils will be sold each morning in the grade level areas. The sales will start Friday April 30th and go through May 28th. We will track our sales on the bulletin board by the multi-purpose room. For every twenty dollars we raise, one food bowl will go up on the bulletin board. So please help save our animals. Buy Smencils.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will take the chapter 7 test on Wednesday. We will not begin our next chapter until the following week.
To prepare for the chapter 7 test:
*Key Words: mineral, rock, igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, rock cycle, weathering, erosion, humus, horizon, bedrock, sand, and clay.
*What are minerals? What test did we do to classify minerals?
*What are the 3 types of rocks and how are they formed?
*What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
*What is the rock cycle?
*What processes take place during the rock cycle?
*How does weathering affect rock?
*How does a sinkhole form?
*How does erosion affect rock?
*What happens when two plates of Earth's surface come together and push against each other? Hint - What large landform begins to develop?
*What is soil?
*What are the horizon layers? What is in each layer?
*How does soil form and how do soils differ?
*Why is some soil very dark and others light?

Social Studies - We have begun our study of the Western region. The children have explored the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. They have also learned about the varied climates in the Western region. This week we will discover the many resources that can be found in this region. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Thursday. The chapter 12 test will be on Tuesday, May 11.

Spelling - The children will be working on lesson 33 this week. This lesson practices words with "tion". Please have your child practice their words in cursive prior to the test on Friday.

English - We will continue our study of pronouns. Our lessons will include "Using I and me", "Possessive Pronouns", and "Contractions with Pronouns". We will finish our study of pronouns the following week. Our test will probably be on May 18.

Reading - The children are doing a wonderful job on their poetry books. This is a great activity to review our figurative language skills. We will continue to go to the computer lab on Monday - Wednesday. Your child may want to consider doing some of this project at home. If you do not have a printer, your child can save the files on a flash drive to bring in or send them to my e-mail . This project is due on Friday, May 14. The children will also continue their book club reading this week. They will meet with their groups on Monday. Each child should have at least 5 post-it notes completed for Monday. The post-it notes should not be blank or have an arrow pointing to what they want to discuss. They should have discussion items written on them. Remember these could be connections, vocabulary, favorite parts, confusing parts, questions to ask the group, predictions, etc.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - We will spend a bit more time on dividing by 2-digit numbers. We will also fill out the "how to study" sheet. H.W. Study for chapter 6 test on Wednesday.
Tuesday - We will review for the chapter 6 test. H.W. Study for the chapter 6 test tomorrow.
Wednesday - Chapter 6 test.
Thursday - We will begin our next unit on Multiplying and Dividing Decimals. Our first lesson is on multiplying decimals by 10, 100, & 1,000. H.W. Daily Review pg. 84.
Friday - We will work on multiplying decimals by whole numbers. H.W. Daily Review pg. 85.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 26

2010-04-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Second Jr. Achievement session on Monday.
*Lesson 32 spelling pretest on Monday.
*First book club discussion on Monday.
*Chapter 7, lesson 3 open-book science quiz on Monday.
*Straight A's (from 2nd trimester) recognized on Tuesday.
*Chapter 7, lesson 4 open-book science quiz on Friday.
*Lesson 32 spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Second book club discussion on Monday, May 3.
*Chapter 7 science test on Wednesday, May 5.
*Western Region map test on May 6.
*Robert Crown field trip on Monday, May 10.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue working on chapter 7 this week. On Monday, we will take the lesson 3 open-book quiz. In lesson 4, we will explore soil. There will be an open-book quiz on this lesson on Friday. We will also fill out a "how to study" sheet on Friday. Our test on chapter 7 will be on Wednesday, May 5.

Social Studies - Our trip around the regions of the United States will continue. We will begin our visit in the Western Region. The children should be studying for the West map test. They should know the correct spelling and location of each state. Capital cities will count as 1/4 point bonus each. This test will be on Thursday, May 6. This week we will look at the landforms of the West.

Spelling - The children will be working on lesson 32 this week. This lesson practices words with consonant + "le". Please make sure your child practices their words in cursive.

English - We will begin our unit on pronouns. This week we will focus on lessons 1, 2, & 3. These lessons cover pronouns, subject pronouns, and object pronouns.

Reading - We will continue working on our review of figurative language with our poetry project. Our class will be visiting the computer lab each day to work on word processing our poems. The children should also be reading their book club assignments. Our first discussion will be on Monday. They will receive 5 more post-it notes for our next meeting. This meeting will be on Monday, May 3.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - Continue Dividing by 2-digit divisors. H.W. Daily Review pg. 64 (1-8 only) on notebook paper.
Tuesday - Five-minute division timed test (practice). Continue Dividing by 2-digit divisors. H.W. Daily Review pg. 65 (1-8 only) on notebook paper.
Wednesday - Checkpoint Quiz on Mental Math - Patterns in Division, Estimating Quotients, & dividing by 2-digit divisors. H.W. None.
Thursday - Continue Dividing by 2-digit divisors (larger numbers). H.W. Daily Review pg. 66 (1-9) on notebook paper.
Friday - Continue Dividing by 2-digit divisors (Money). H.W. None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 19

2010-04-15T20:41:00.001-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Jr. Achievement on Monday.
*Lesson 31 spelling pretest on Monday.
*Check your child's grades this week - Mid-Trimester.
*Chapter 10 math test on Tuesday.
*Chapter 11 social studies test on Wednesday.
*Fourth Grade Talent Show, 12:15 on Wednesday.
*Early Dismissal on Thursday, 11:00.
*Earth Day on Thursday.
*Due to Early Dismissal on Thursday, we will celebrate Earth Day on Friday. Wear Earth Day shirts or colors of nature (ex. green or brown).

*Lesson 31 spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Chapter 7, lesson 3 open-book science quiz on Monday, April 26.
*Straight A's recognized on Tuesday, April 27.
*
Spring Open House:
Our Spring Open House was such a success! The children were so proud and excited to share all their wonderful work with you. I want to thank you all for attending! I would also like to thank all of the families who donated books, from the Scholastic Book Fair, for our classroom. Many of the books I chose are Rebecca Caudill Nominees or Bluestem Nominees. They will be wonderful additions to our classroom library!
*
Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will continue working with chapter 7 this week. Our focus will be on erosion and weathering. The children will take an open-book quiz on this lesson on Monday, April 26.

Social Studies - Our study of the Southwest Region is coming to an end. We will fill out our "how to study" sheet on Monday. The chapter 11 test will be on Wednesday.
To prepare for this test, review the following concepts:
* Review these key words: hogan, viceroy, missionary, vaquero, tallow, homestead, and aqueduct.
*Review these important people: Kit Carson, Henry Chee Dodge, Father Eusebio Kino, Philip Armour, and Annie Oakley.
*Describe the early culture of the Navajo people.
* Describe "The Long Walk".
*Explain how the Navajo Council governs the Navajo Nation.
*Describe the Spanish Influence in the Southwest.
*Describe the effects missionaries had on some Native Americans.
*Explain how cattle raising helped the economy of the Southwest develop.
*Describe the roles of cowboys and cowgirls in the Southwest.
*Identify the route of the Chisholm Trail and explain the role it played in the cattle trade.
*Contrast ranching in the Southwest in the past with ranching in the present.
*Explain how irrigation has affected the economy of the Southwest.
*Describe how air conditioning has impacted the economy of the Southwest.

Spelling - We will work with lesson 31 this week. This lesson practices plural possessives. Please have your child focus on where the apostrophe should be placed. Also, the children should practice writing their words in cursive.

English - This week, the children will take the next English pretest. We will not begin the unit until the week of April 26. We will also begin a study of persuasive writing.

Reading - We will begin a poetry study this week. This unit will review all types of figurative language. The children will be making their own poetry book. The final project will be due on Friday, May 14. The children will also be doing book club reading during this time. I will introduce the book choices on Monday. The children will find out on Tuesday which book they will be reading. They will develop a reading schedule with their book club group. The first book club discussion will be on Monday, April 26.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday - We will review for the chapter 10 test. H.W. Study for test.
Review the following concepts for the test:
*Adding and Subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators.
*Estimating the sums and differences of Mixed numbers.
*Multiplying whole numbers and fractions.
*Multiplying fractions and mixed numbers.
*Dividing with fractions, whole numbers, and mixed numbers.
Tuesday - Chapter 10 test. H.W. None.
Wednesday - We will begin Chapter 6 - Mental Math: Patterns in Division. H.W. Daily Review pg. 61.
Thursday - Chapter 6 - Estimating Quotients. H.W. Daily Review pg. 62.
Friday - Chapter 6 - Dividing by 2-digit divisors (Day 1). We will spend a few days on this difficult concept. H.W. None.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 12

2010-04-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Lesson 30 spelling pretest on Monday.
*Chapter 7, lesson 1 science quiz on Tuesday.
*Inventions, Contract with colored diagram on back, & Grading Rubric due Tuesday.
*Invention Presentations on Wednesday or Thursday.
*Spring Open House on Thursday, April 15, 6:30-8:00.
*Lesson 30 spelling test on Friday.
*Chapter 10 math quiz #2 on Friday.
*Chapter 7, lesson 2 science quiz on Friday.
*
Plan Ahead:
*Check your child's grades during the week of April 19 - Halfway mark of trimester.
*Chapter 10 math test on Tuesday, April 20.
*Earth Day on Thursday, April 22. Wear Earth Day shirts or colors of nature (ex. green or brown).
*Early Dismissal on Thursday, April 22. Dismissal at 11:00.
*Straight A's recognized on Tuesday, April 27.
*
Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will take a quiz on chapter 7, lesson 1 on Tuesday. This quiz will be open-book. We will then use the rest of the week to begin chapter 7, lesson 2. This lesson explores the rock cycle. There will be an open-book quiz on Friday.

Invention Convention - The children need to bring their completed invention, contract with colored diagram on back, and grading rubric to school on Tuesday. That evening, they will need to write a short note-card speech. They will present to the class on Wednesday or Thursday. The speech can just review the name, purpose, how it solves the problem, and how it was made OR the children can add some creativity with catchy slogans or attention grabber. They will be able to use their note-card during the presentation. I will be drawing names, so all children should be prepared to present on Wednesday.

Social Studies - Our exploration of the Southwest Region will continue. We will finish our study of the Navajo. Then we will read about the Spanish Influence and the roles of ranchers and drivers in the Southwest. Finally, we will explore life in the desert. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Monday, April 19. The test of chapter 11 will be on Wednesday, April 21.

Jr. Achievement - This week our Jr. Achievement representative, Mr. George Shahnasarian, will come in for a brief introductory overview of the fourth grade Jr. Achievement Program. On Monday, April 19, we will have our first actual lesson with him. Activities done with Mr. Shahnasarian will be taken for a social studies grade.

English - The children will continue going through the process of writing an expository essay. We have our 3 key ideas, 2 supports for each of the 3 key ideas, and elaboration for each support. This week we will work on our introductions ~ writing a "hook" to grab the reader's attention and writing a conclusion.

Spelling - We will work with lesson 30 this week. This lesson practices singular possessive nouns. Don't forget to have your child practice their words in cursive.

Reading - Fourth graders will continue working on personification and self-questioning. We will continue to work with Pourquoi Tales. The children are excited to share their Pourquoi Tales with you at the spring open house.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday -Multiplying Whole Numbers and Fractions. H.W. Daily Review pg. 118.
Tuesday - Multiplying Fractions and Mixed Numbers. H.W. Daily Review pg. 119 (1-12) & 120 (1-9).
Wednesday - Dividing by Fractions. H.W. Review Notes.
Thursday - More Dividing with Fractions & Mixed Numbers. H.W. Review for checkpoint tomorrow.
Friday - Fill out "how to study" for Chapter 10 test on Tuesday. Checkpoint on Estimating Sums and Differences of Fractions and Mixed Numbers, Multiplying Whole Numbers, Fractions, and Mixed Numbers and Dividing with Fractions & Mixed Numbers. H.W. Study for Chapter 10 Test on Tuesday.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 5

2010-04-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back! I hope you all had a wonderful spring break.

Weekly Reminders:

*Lesson 29 spelling pretest on Monday.

*Receive readers' theaters on Monday. Practice each night.

*Present readers' theaters on Wednesday.

*Math quiz on Thursday - adding and subtracting fractions & mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators.

*Lesson 29 spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Inventions due on Tuesday, April 13.

*Chapter 7, lesson 1 open-book quiz on Tuesday.

*Spring Open House on Thursday, April 15.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - We will begin our Earth Science study by exploring minerals. We will be classifying the minerals by testing for hardness, luster, streak, magnetism, color, and texture. The children will also begin exploring 3 types of rocks - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The open-book quiz on this lesson will be on Tuesday, April 13.

Social Studies - Our study of the Southwest region will continue. We will learn about some of the first people in the Southwest - The Navajo. The children will also work on a Navajo craft project.

Spelling - The children will work with lesson 29 this week. This lesson adds the prefixes "mis" and "dis" to different root words. Please make sure your child practices their spelling words in cursive.

English - We will continue working on our Hero expository essays. At this point, the children have identified their hero and brainstormed what traits make them a hero. This week, the children will fill out a graphic organizer and write their rough drafts.

Reading - Our focus for this week will be on Pourquoi Tales. These folktales explain how something came to be in nature. Pourquoi is a French word that means "why". We will explore personification and self-questioning during this study. The children will also write their own Pourquoi Tale. Each child will receive a readers' theater script on Monday. They will need to practice their lines for Wednesday.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - Adding fractions & mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators. H.W. Daily Review pgs. 108 (#1-8), 113 (#1-8), 115 (#1-8).

Tuesday - Subtracting fractions & mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators. H.W. Daily Review pgs. 109 (#1-8), 114 (#1-8), 116 (#1-8).

Wednesday - Adding and Subtracting fractions & mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators. H.W. Quiz tomorrow on concepts covered on Monday-Wednesday.

Thursday - Practice 5-minute division test. Quiz on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like and unlike denominators. H.W. None.

Friday - Estimating sums and differences of mixed numbers. H.W. None.

Sulima's Spring Scoop

2010-03-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have a relaxing spring break. An updated blog, for the week of April 5, will be posted sometime over spring break. I will miss you all!
*

Mrs. Sulima

Sulima's Scoop - Week of March 22

2010-03-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Weekly Reminders:

*Lesson 28 spelling pretest on Monday.

*Students receive "Invention Convention" letter, contract, & grading rubric on Monday.

*Chapter 17 science test on Tuesday.

*Southwest Map test on Tuesday.

*Marshmallow Mania Extra Credit Projects due on Wednesday.

*Marshmallow Mania Contest on Thursday.

*Students return signed invention contract on Thursday (for teacher approval).

*Louis Braille comprehension & vocabulary quiz on Thursday.

*Chapter 10 open-book social studies quiz on Friday.

*Lesson 28 spelling test on Friday.

Plan Ahead:

*Spring Break - Week of March 29. Students return to school on Monday, April 5.

*Inventions, contract (with a neatly-drawn colored diagram on back), and grading rubric due on Tuesday, April 13.

*Spring Open House on Thursday, April 15. Inventions will be displayed in the fourth grade classrooms during this event.

Thank You:

*We would like to thank Mrs. Awad, Mrs. Burrows, Mrs. Cione, Mr. Meyer, Mrs. Morton, and Mrs. Spencer for joining us on our field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. The children had a wonderful time and were able to do many hands-on activities to review what we have learned about simple machines.

Homeroom Happenings:

Science - On Tuesday, the children will take the chapter 17 Simple Machines test. After spring break, we will continue our final unit of the school year on Earth Science.

Review these items for the test:

~Define work, simple machine, lever, and fulcrum.

~Explain how a lever changes the way work is done.

~Give three examples of levers.

~Define pulley and wheel-and-axle.

~Explain how a pulley changes how work is done.

~Explain how a wheel-and-axle changes how work is done.

~Define inclined planes, screw, and wedge.

~Explain how an inclined plane changes the way work is done.

~Explain how a screw changes the way work is done.

~Explain how a wedge changes the way work is done.

~Great website: http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/

*Invention Convention - The children will receive an informative letter, contract and rubric on Monday for our annual Invention Convention. They will need to brainstorm an everyday problem and develop an invention to solve this problem. On Thursday, the children will need to bring in their signed completed contract for my approval. They should not begin building their invention until they have my approval.

Social Studies - The children will take the Southwest map test on Tuesday. They will need to know the location and correct spelling of the four states in the Southwest. As before, the children will have the opportunity to earn 1/4 point bonus for each correct capital. This week, we will also continue chapter 10. In this chapter, we will explore the environment & climate of the Southwest. Chapter 10 is only 3 short lessons. We will take an open-book quiz on lessons 1-3 in chapter 10 on Friday. This way we can start on chapter 11 when we return from spring break.

Spelling - We will work on lesson 28 this week. This lesson adds the prefixes "un" and "in" to words. Students should practice their words in cursive for the test on Friday.

English - We will take a break from the English textbook for the next few weeks. Instead, we will be working on expository writing. The children will be writing a five-paragraph essay that will be displayed at the spring open house.

Reading - Fourth grade students will be reviewing the strategies of clarifying and inferring this week. We will be using a biograpghy called Louis Braille, The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind. The vocabulary will include: pinpricks, patterns, succeeding, discouraged, simplified, and institute. This reading selection is from our anthology. It is included in a theme called Problem Solvers. The children will have an open-story comprehension & vocabulary quiz on Thursday.

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday: Mixed Numbers & Improper Fractions. H.W. Daily Review 102 (#1-13).

Tuesday: Comparing & Ordering Fractions. H.W. Review for open-book checkpoint on Friday.

Wednesday: No math - 2 classes will be going to the Museum of Science and Industry.

Thursday: No math - 2 classes will be going to the Museum of Science and Industry.

Friday: Open-book checkpoint on factors, prime numbers, composite numbers, prime factorization (using exponents), greatest common factor, equivalent fractions, least common denominators, mixed numbers, improper fractions, and comparing/ordering fractions.

Sulima's Scoop - Week of March 15

2010-03-10T18:43:00.001-08:00

Weekly Reminders:
*Chapter 17, lesson 2 open-book science quiz on Monday.
*Max and Erma's District fundraiser on Monday.
*Museum of Science and Industry field trip on Tuesday.
*Roller Skating Party on Tuesday, 3:45-6:30.
*Chapter 9 social studies test on Wednesday.
*Verb test on Thursday.
*Chapter 17, lesson 3 open-book science quiz on Thursday.
*Lesson 26 review spelling test on Friday.
*Tanya's Reunion comprehension/vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Plan Ahead:
*Southwest Map test on Tuesday, March 23.
*Chapter 17 Science Test on Tuesday, March 23.
*Extra Credit Science Project due on Wednesday, March 24.
*Catapult Contest on Thursday, March 25.
*Spring Break ~ Week of March 29.

Homeroom Happenings:
Science - The children will take the chapter 17, lesson 2 open-book quiz on Monday. On Tuesday, we will explore all 6 simple machines in the Simple Machines Lab at the Museum of Science and Industry. During the rest of the week, we will focus on chapter 17, lesson 3. This lesson covers inclined planes, screws, and wedges. The chapter 17, lesson 3 open-book quiz will be on Thursday. We will also fill out our "how to study" sheet for the chapter 17 test which will be on Tuesday, March 23.

Social Studies - The children will take the chapter 9 test on Wednesday. This week we will also begin our study of the Southwest region. The children will be taking the Southwest map test on Tuesday, March 23. As usual, your child will need to locate and label the states in the Southwest. Spelling of state names will count. They can also earn 1/4 point for each correct capital. This test should not be too difficult since there are only 4 states in the Southwest.
To study for the chapter 9 test review the following items:
*Keywords ~ fur trade, mission, trading post, sod, drought, Dust Bowl, mound, steamboat, hub, transcontinental railroad, & Interstate highway system.
*Describe early Ojibwa culture.
*Describe the ways Ojibwa culture has changed since the mid-1600s.
*Describe why the French came to the Midwest in the 1600s.
*Identify the roles of Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in the fur trade.
*Explain the role fur trading played in the development of towns in the Midwest.
*Explain some events that forced Native American tribes in the Midwest to give up their land.
*Compare and contrast a home built out of sod and one built with logs.
*Explain the difficulties settlers faced in farming the land and their ultimate success.
*Describe the causes and long-term effects of farming the prairie, including the Dust Bowl.
*Describe Cahokia as the early trading center of the Midwest.
*Identify the goals of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
*Identify the role of the steamboat in shipping.
*Describe the advantages of railroad as compared to steamboats.
*Explain the role the government played in developing superhighways that became the Interstate highway system.

Spelling - This week we will be working with lesson 26. This is a review lesson. We will not be taking a pretest. The test on Friday will be the format where the child needs to find the word in each line that is spelled incorrectly. The children should focus on the rules of lessons 19-25.

English - On Monday, we will finish our unit on verbs with a lesson on contractions. We will also fill out our "how to study" on Monday. The test on Verbs will be on Thursday. All enrichment will be due on the day of the test. We will not begin our next unit for a few weeks. Instead, we will be working on expository writing.
To Review for the English test review the following concepts:
*Action Verbs
*Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
*Present, Past, and Future Verbs
*Subject-Verb Agreement
*Spelling Present Tense Verbs
*Spelling Past Tense Verbs
*The Past Tense with Helping Verbs
*Irregular Verbs
*The Special Verb "be"
*Contractions with "not"

Reading - Fourth grade students will be reviewing making connections and summarizing this week. We will be using a realistic fiction story called Tanya's Reunion to practice these reading strategies. The children will also need to practice the story vocabulary throughout the week and will be taking a comprehension/vocabulary quiz on Friday. During the quiz, the children may refer back to the story.

Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday ~Greatest Common Factor. H.W. Daily Review pg. 97.
Tuesday ~ No Math - My class will be visiting the museum today.
Wednesday ~ Fraction Sense. H.W. Daily Review pg. 101 #1-8 & pg. 104 #1-8.
Thursday ~ Five minute multiplication test for grade. Fractions in lowest term. H.W. Daily Review pg. 105.
Friday ~ Least Common Multiple & Least Common Denominator. H.W. None.

The children may want to begin practicing 5-minute division tests. We will begin these after spring break. Click here for free printable division sheets. http://themathworksheetsite.com

List of units covered during third trimester:
*Fraction Concepts
*Addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division of fractions
*Dividing by 2-digit numbers
*Multiplying and dividing decimals
*Ratio and Percent