Welcome to Fourth Grade!
We have had a very busy three day week, and we are off to a great start. This week we organized our materials, learned about classroom procedures, and participated in activities to help us get to know each other. We read stories about two famous and successful people who at a young age had dreams that they followed. They were determined, hard working, and persevered even when things were difficult for them. Perhaps you have heard of them, Michael Jordan and Debbie Allen.
The students also learned about picking "Good Fit" books today. We related book selection to shoe selection. We wear shoes for different purposes and interests, just like we choose the books we read based on our interests and purpose. We also need to be sure that our shoes fit. We may like the shoes, but if they are too big or small we could hurt ourselves. This is like choosing books. If they are too hard or easy we will not enjoy reading them. You might try this strategy when helping your children pick out books:
I Pick
1. Purpose: Why do I want to read it?
2. Interest: Does it interest me?
3. Comprehension: Do I understand it?
4. Know: Do I know most of the words?
Dates to Remember:
Monday,September 2, No School, Labor Day
Tuesday, September 3, MAP testing
Friday, September 6 MAP testing
Tuesday, September 10 - Field rip permission slips to Brookfield Zoo are in your child's folder. Please return them by Tuesday, September 10th.
Tuesday, September 17, 4th grade Curriculum Night 6:30-7:30 (This is a change from the original date set)
Helpers Needed: I am looking for a parent who would be interested in helping to run papers off for me once a week or once every other week for about an hour. If you think you would like to do this, please let me know.
Math: This week we will begin math classes on Wednesday. The students will focus on the essential question: How does place value help represent the value of numbers? They will be working with numbers in the millions. They will recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right.
Reading - We will be begin the Daily 5 reading process this week. We will review the I Pick strategy for choosing Good Fit books. The students will learn about the different ways to read a book: Read the pictures, read the words, and retell the story. We will also review the reading strategies as we read the story The Pumpkin Runner.
Spelling: Our first spelling unit
will include frequently misspelled words. A pretest will be given on Tuesday.
The students will be given their weekly homework assignment also on Tuesday. All
homework is due on Friday. The test will be given on Friday. A sheet explaining my pretest policy is in their folders.
Science: We will begin the introduction
chapter of "Getting Ready for Science". Our focus this week will be on how
tools are used for science, and safety in the lab.
Social Studies: The students became familiar our social studies text on Friday by working with a partner and completing a "textbook scavenger hunt". This week we will read and learn about the structure and purpose of the US government.
Social Studies: The students became familiar our social studies text on Friday by working with a partner and completing a "textbook scavenger hunt". This week we will read and learn about the structure and purpose of the US government.
