Sulima's Scoop - Week of April 18

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

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

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.