Behind the Scenes - Week of August 29th

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...

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

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.