Friday, February 21, 2014

Classroom News for the Week of February 24th


Thank you!:

* A huge thank you to our Tuesday Volunteers: Krista and Mrs. Lee. They have been working with small groups of students to help differentiate the program in language arts. There is room for more! Please email me if you are able and willing to come on a regular basis (Tuesdays 12:50-1:30) and work with the students.

* And, thank you so much to our wonderful garden committee who volunteer in our classroom every Thursday morning!

Items Needed:

Your donations of the following items would be much appreciated!
Paper towels
- Baby Wipes

Upcoming:

* Jazz in Schools Assembly - Thursday Feb. 27

* Typed tall tale stories - Scroll down for complete instructions. 

* Please turn in your Six Flags "Read to Succeed" reading logs no later than Friday. February reading calendars are also due.

What's Going On This Week In Class:


Math: 

Geometry: Topic 8 - Identifying and describing points, lines, planes, and different types of polygons.

Fact Practice: "Multiplication Madness" (daily, 1 min. multiplication fact practice). Please work with your child to help him/her memorize facts x1-x12.

Writing:

Revision and Editing Practice

Spelling Rules: Plurals

Reading:

We will be practicing close reading of a fantasy story from our Treasures anthology: The Cricket in Times Square, and answering text-dependent questions.

We will also begin reading the gold rush adventure, By the Great Horn Spoon.

Health:

Consumer Awareness continued: Analyzing Advertising and Making Healthful Choices

Visual Arts:

Creating Persuasive Ads

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Rancho Era in California

Physical Science: Electricity and Magnetism continued...


Typing your book project:

FORMAT:
Please type your book as a Word document.
Font size: 14
Font type: Your choice, but it must be VERY legible.
Spacing between lines: 1.5
Margins: Left, bottom, and top margins 1.5 inches; Right margin 1.0 inch

The title should be on your first page. Please center it.

You may use chapter or section headings. Remember to capitalize every first letter in your title and chapter headings.

Indent your paragraphs.

There is no page limit.  Do not put page numbers on your pages.

Do not type your name on any of the pages. When you turn the hard copies in (see below), please write your name in pencil on the top left hand corner.

DUE DATES:
DUE DATE # 1 -Please bring in a typed copy (hard copy) of your story by Friday, March 7th.  You may turn it in earlier (and that is appreciated!). You will receive this copy back with my notes no later than Monday, March 10th.  You do not need to bring the flashdrive.

DUE DATE #2 - On Thursday, March  13th your final copy (hard copy) and the copy on the flashdrive is due. We will be printing off of your flashdrive on to the publishers’ special paper at school on Thursday 3/13 and Friday 3/14.

After spring break we will begin illustrating the book.

Thank you for your efforts!
SEE ME, EMAIL ME, CALL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS ASAP.


Monday, February 17, 2014

Classroom News for the Week of February 18th


Thank you!:

* A huge thank you to our Tuesday Volunteers: Krista, Mrs. Lee, and Mr. Pinchuk. They have been working with small groups of students to help differentiate the program in language arts. There is room for more! Please email me if you are able and willing to come on a regular basis (Tuesdays 12:50-1:30) and work with the students.

* A huge thank you to our Valentine's Day pillow sewing crew: Gina, Christie, Kia, Kadia, and Aunt Helen! The pillows were adorable.

* And, thank you so much to our wonderful garden committee who volunteer in our classroom every Thursday morning!


Items Needed:

Your donations of the following items would be much appreciated!
Paper towels
- Clear tape in individual dispensers
* Many students have filled or have almost filled their spiral writing notebooks. Please check in with your child and purchase a new one if needed. Unfortunately, the school does not provide this item. Thank you!

Updates and Reminders:

* If you plan on purchasing items, book orders are due 2/21. Checks only, please.

What's Going On This Week In Class:


Math: 

This week is a review week for grade 4 multiplication and division skills (drills and word problems). Students will also have a preview of grade 5 skills: multiplying and dividing with decimals.

Fact Practice: "Multiplication Madness" (daily, 1 min. multiplication fact practice). Please work with your child to help him/her memorize facts x1-x12.

Writing:

Revision Mini-Lessons: Revealing Character Through Descriptions

Students should finish drafting tall tales by this Wednesday. Part of their homework on Wednesday will be to read their draft to an adult and get feedback. Thank you for your help!

Reading:

This week we will be using different strategies (summarizing and note-taking) to understand informational text. We will be reading out of our Health textbook.

More Practice: Identify Main Idea and Details in Non-Fiction.

Health:

Consumer Awareness: Analyzing Advertising and Making Healthful Choices

Visual Arts:

Creating Persuasive Ads

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Rancho Era in California

Physical Science: Electricity and Magnetism continued...