Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 19

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Here are some very creative decorated pumpkins.

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Weekly Reminders:

*Art to Remember orders due on Tuesday.

*Chapter 2 math test on Tuesday.

*Early Dismissal on Wednesday, 11:00.

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

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

Field Trips:

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

PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST:

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

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

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Homeroom Happenings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Accelerated Math Menu:

Monday - We will review for the chapter 2 test.

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

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

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

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 12

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sulima's Scoop - Week of October 5

Weekly Reminders:

*Lesson 6 spelling pretest on Monday.

*Science test (introduction chapter) on Monday.

*English test (capitalization & punctuation) on Tuesday.

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

*Fourth Grade Lunch in the Library on Thursday.

*Lesson 6 spelling test on Friday.

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

Trimester Midpoint:

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

THANK YOU!

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

Homeroom Happenings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Accelerated Math Menu:

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

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

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

Thursday - We will use rounding to estimate.

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