Monday, April 30, 2012

Mrs. Cavoto's Blog April 30-May 4

News From Mrs. Cavoto's Room April 30-May 4

Important Dates to Remember:

Tuesday, May 1 - MAP testing reading
Friday, May 4 - MAP testing math
Thursday, May 10 -  Field trip to Argonne
Friday, May 18 - Early dismissal 11:00

Math This week in math the students will be working on Multiplying multiples of 10,20,30,40 and so on . They will be introduced to 2 digit by 2 digit  multiplication.  Any extra help from home on this skill is greatly appreciated.  Please look in their folder for the strategy we use in class if you need help. 


Spelling This week the students will be working with words that have unusual spellings.  They will work on pages 213-215 in their spelling workbook.  There will be a test 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.

 We will also continue reading Earthquake Terror.  There will be a comprehension quiz over chapters 9-12.  on Thursday of this week.

English-This week in English the students will continue to learn about pronouns. The focus this week will be on writing with pronouns, combining sentences, using I and Me, possessive pronouns and contractions with pronouns. The students will be periodically assessed using their workbook pages.

Science- This week in science the students will continue to learn about simple machines. The class will be focusing on pulleys and wheels and axles. There will be an open book quiz over these two concepts. The students also received an optional assignment last week to make a catapult, which will be due on Wednesday. The students will be launching marshmallows from their creations on Thursday for Miss Lee's last day.

Social Studies- This week in social studies the students will continue to learn about the West region. The class will continue to discuss the landforms of the west (volcanoes, mountain ranges, national parks) and will begin to learn about the various climates.The students will be joining Mr. Trinco's class on Tuesday for a picture slideshow of various areas in the West. There will be an open book assessment over the landforms on Wednesday.

 






Sunday, April 22, 2012

News From Mrs. Cavoto's Room April 23-April 27

Mrs. Cavoto's Blog April 23-April 27

Dates To Remember:

Monday, April 23 Book Worm Angels Book Drive begins ends May 4th
Wednesday, April 25th-Early Dismissal
Monday, April 30 Map testing begins

In an effort to make the transition to 5th grade as smooth as possible, the fourth grade teachers will be enforcing the 5th grade policy for late work during the month of May. The policy is as follows:
Any assignment that is late, but not taken for a grade
, will receive a late slip. The student will have one point taken out of his/her homework bank. (NO CHANGE).

Any assignment that is late and taken for a grade
will receive a late slip, but no points will be lost from the homework bank. If the assignment is turned in one day late, the final grade will be reduced by 10%. If the assignment is more than one day late, but turned in before the unit test, the final grade will be reduced by 25%. If the assignment is not turned in before the unit test. the final grade will be a zero

 Math- This week in math the students will continue to learn about multiplication patterns and strategies such as rounding or using mental math. The students will learn how to do long multiplication with 1-digit by 2-digit numbers, as well as multiplying 3-digit and 4-digit numbers and money. The students will be wrapping up chapter 9 with multiplying with zeros. There will be a test over Chapter 9 lessons 9.1, 9.2, 9.4, 9.5, and 9.6 on Friday.

 What To Know for the Test: 
The students will need to know how to round numbers to estimate a product, how to use the zero pattern to multiply numbers, how to multiply 1-digit numbers by 2,3, and 4 digit numbers and money, and how to multiply numbers with zeros by 1-digit numbers.

 Spelling-This week in spelling the students will be learning about 3 syllable words. The students will be required to split the words into their 3 syllables, understanding what syllable is stressed when you pronounce it. There will be a spelling test on Friday.

English- This week in English, the students will continue to work on their expository writings, and will begin a unit on pronouns. The students will be learning about singular and plural pronouns, object and subject pronouns, and the use of I and Me. Students will also be required to write with pronouns. There will be an assessment at the end of the week to make sure the students understand these concepts. 


What To Know for the Quiz: 
Students will need to know what a pronoun is, and be able to replace names with the appropriate pronoun.


Reading- This week the class will continue to read Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret and have Small Steps as a read aloud.   While using these two book, we will be focusing on two important skills: following directions and 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 while reading Earthquake Terror There will be a vocabulary quiz 1-4/comprehension 3-5  quiz on Tuesday of this week Chapter .  The students were given this information last week.

The students will have homework each night. Some nights they may be asked to read a chapter and complete a journal, and other nights it may be to reread chapters to study for upcoming quizzes. Quizzes will include comprehension questions and vocabulary words.



Social Studies- The students will be assessed on their understanding of the Navajo people. They will be able to use their book for this information.   We will then begin a unit on the West Region.   The students will need to complete a map outline, labeling each state of the West region using a rubric. A map assessment will be done on Thursday, where the students will need to label the states in the West Region.The students will also learn about the physical characteristics of the land, including mountains and volcanoes.


Science- This week the class will begin their unit on simple machines. The students will be learning about simple machines such as levers, wedges, wheel and axle, inclined planes, wedges, and screws. The students will see demonstrations of these different simple machines and will also read about them in their textbook. The students will be presented with an opportunity to build a simple catapult if they so chose.





















Tuesday, April 3, 2012

News from Mrs. Cavoto's Room

Mrs. Cavoto's Blog April 9-April 13
Dates To Remember

Tuesday, April 10th- Science Inventions Due
Wednesday, April 11th- SS test on chapter 10/Theme test for Reading
Thursday, April 12th- Open house from 6:30-8 P.M.
Friday, April 13th- Science test on chapter 15/Wheels of Wisdom school assembly at 12:45 P.M.

Math-This week we will do a quick review of comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers. We will then work on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators. By the end of the week, we will be introducing adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. To introduce this skill, the students will be working on finding the least common denominator for the fractions.

Spelling-
This week we will be working on homophones. The students should know that a homophone is a word that sounds the same, but is spelled different. Workbook pages 199-201 will be assigned throughout the week. The test will be on Friday.

Reading-
This week we will continue to work on cause and effect relationships and understanding Pourquoi tales. Pourquoi is a French word meaning "why". These tales are stories that tell how something in nature came to be a long time ago. Often times, these tales contain animals or natural forces that speak or have personalities. The students will also work on vocabulary related to stories they read during the week.

English-
The students will be writing their own Pourquoi tales with a partner this week. They will have to develop an outline for their story, write a rough draft, and eventually create a final draft with a creative boarder that reflects the theme of the story.
We will also be learning about pronouns and begin expository writing this week.

Science-
This week we will be learning about how people use energy resources to finish chapter 15. On Wednesday and Thursday the class will begin reviewing for the test on Friday.

WHAT TO KNOW FROM CHAPTER 15:
Vocabulary- conductor, electromagnet, generator, parallel circuit, magnet, kinetic/potential energy, static electricity
Concepts- how a generator works, how magnets work, geothermal energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, how parallel and series circuits work, two kinds of energy and four sources of energy

Social Studies- This week we will be reviewing for the chapter 10 test on Wednesday. The students will play a fun review game called "Leapfrog" where groups answer questions, earn points, but also risk the chance of loosing everything if they pick the unlucky "leapfrog card" from the pile. They will also have the opportunity to earn 2 extra points on their test if they fill out the "How to Study" sheet and bring it back with a parent signature. The class will work on study skills by creating a vocabulary t-chart to study from as well.

WHAT TO KNOW FROM CHAPTER 10:
Vocabulary- savanna, refinery, adobe, pueblo, arid
Concepts- What a desert is, how the Grand Canyon formed and why it is a national park, what river is associated with the Grand Canyon, climate of the Southwest region, saguaro cactus and how it adapts and helps its environment, renewable/non-renewable resources, technology of the Southwest