Classroom News for the Week of January 9th

News and Upcoming Events:

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments.

• 12/19 - 1/6 Winter Break. School resumes Monday, January 9th.
• 1/12 - CA. Mission projects due. Use the checklist provided under "Mission Project" in the Class Handouts menu on the right side of this page, to help guide you. You will also find PDFs of the Brochure here as well.
• 1/20 Field trip to Leonis Adobe Museum. Students will receive their trip slip on Monday. Please return it as soon as possible. Thank you!

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Prime and Composite Numbers; Determining if a whole number is a multiple of another; Dividing Multiples of 10, 100, 1000

Reading:

This week we will begin reading Christopher Paul Curtis' Newbery Award Winning novel, Bud, Not Buddy. This week we will build background on the Great Depression and Segregation in the 1920s and read Chapters 1-4. Skills: Story Elements, Summarizing, Inferring, Writing to Explain.

We will be reading about the life and work of Mahatma Ghandi and his influence on MLK.

Genre Genius: Ask your child about his/her progress.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This is the last week for Greek and Latin roots and prefixes. Check the blog for details about the upcoming Grade 4 Spelling Bee.

This week's words are:

1. miniature
2. microbe
3. microscope
4. mince
5. minute
6. cooperate
7. operable
8. laboratory
9. labored
10. operator

Writing:

This week we begin a unit on writing personal and persuasive essays. Students will learn and practice basic essay structure and how to collect ideas as an essayist.

Health/Second Step:
Showing Compassion. There will be a brief home assignment on Thursday night to complete with your child.

Arts:
We will use the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from Civil Rights era photographs.

Social Studies/ Science:
End of the Mission Era and The Beginning of the Rancho Period in California; Gallery Walk of the Mission Projects

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Classroom News for the Week of December 12th

News and Upcoming Events:

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments.

• 12/12 Holiday Program. Grade 4 students should wear black skirts or pants and a solid, brightly colored shirt. No words, logos, graphics please. No hats. Thank you! Performance times: 10:45 (TK-2 Families); 1:00 (Grades 3-6 Families). See you there!
• 12/13 Science quiz
• 12/15 All students entering the Scholastic Robot contest, please have your entries complete (including Parent Signature) at school on Thursday.
• "What Makes Our State Special?" Please see the schedule below. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. As guests, you will play the role of potential tourists. The students have designed and prepared presentations to convince you to visit their California region. Each group will have approximately 5 minutes to present and answer audience members' questions. Please come to the MPR on time as presentations will begin right away.

1.  Friday 12/9 8:30a.m. Time change 9:00:Gayelle, Julissa, Lyric. This presentation will be in room 12.
2. Tuesday, 12/13:  8:30 a.m. Bryan, Gigi, Chloe; Grace, Rowan, Janelle; Kaiden, Aidan, Ewan; Joaquin, Payton, Hope; Eduardo, Tyler, Luke
3. Thursday 12/15 1p.m. Soleil, Orson, Senaiah; Genevieve, Ann Elise, Jonathan; Braeden, Sean Gahbriel; Alex, Milan, Bridget; Meha, Maggie, Colin

• 12/19 - 1/6 Winter Break. School resumes Monday, January 9th.
• 1/12 - CA. Mission projects due. Use the checklist provided under "Mission Project" in the Class Handouts menu on the right side of this page, to help guide you. You will also find PDFs of the Brochure here as well.
• 1/20 Field trip to Leonis Adobe Museum
• 2/22 Field trip to JPL

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Division with greater dividends; Solving division word problems - tape diagrams and number bonds; Division quiz on Friday

Reading:

Comparing Fiction and Non-Fiction texts on the same topic

Students created a new Genre Genius template before the break. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
No spelling this week.

Writing:

Rewriting based on feedback.

Arts:
Origami; Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text.

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Presentation skills and self-reflection


Social Studies/Science:

No rotations this week.

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Parents, Thank you for checking the class blog. Please read through this information carefully. There's a lot going on!

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments.
• I am in need of a volunteer(s) who can cut paper in the work room for an upcoming origami project. Please email me (slc5001@lausd.net) if you have any time to give any day/any time this week before Friday, Thank you!
• Our class will be visiting the book fair Wednesday and Thursday this week. Your child may bring money to buy books. Your child is responsible for his/her money and purchases. The Fair will also be open after school if you would like to assist in buying.
• Study science notes for quiz on 12/13
• We are asking all students to bring in $2 to contribute to the 4th grade winter break party. Please bring in your contribution by Friday 12/9.
• 12/12 Holiday Program. Grade 4 students should wear black skirts or pants and a solid, brightly colored shirt. No words, logos, graphics please. No hats. Thank you! Performance times: 10:45 (TK-2 Families); 1:00 (Grades 3-6 Families). See you there!
• "What Makes Our State Special?" Please see the schedule below. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. As guests, you will play the role of potential tourists. The students have designed and prepared presentations to convince you to visit their California region. Each group will have approximately 5 minutes to present and answer audience members' questions. Please come to the MPR on time as presentations will begin right away.

1.  Friday 12/9 8:30a.m. Time change 9:00:Gayelle, Julissa, Lyric. This presentation will be in room 12.
2. Tuesday, 12/13:  8:30 a.m. Bryan, Gigi, Chloe; Grace, Rowan, Janelle; Kaiden, Aidan, Ewan; Joaquin, Payton, Hope; Eduardo, Tyler, Luke
3. Thursday 12/15 1p.m. Soleil, Orson, Senaiah; Genevieve, Ann Elise, Jonathan; Braeden, Sean Gahbriel; Alex, Milan, Bridget; Meha, Maggie, Colin

• 12/19 - 1/6 Winter Break. School resumes Monday, January 9th.
• Thursday, January 12th - CA. Mission projects due. Use the checklist provided under "Mission Project" in the Class Handouts menu on the right side of this page, to help guide you.
• 1/20 Field trip to Leonis Adobe Museum http://leonisadobemuseum.org/. I can take 3 parent chaperones. If you are willing and able to assist students on this day, please email me at slc5001@lausd.net. Please specify that you are replying to the 1/20 Leonis Adobe trip. Volunteers will be selected on a first come/ first serve basis.
• 2/22 Field trip to JPL. I can take 3 parent chaperones. If you are willing and able to assist students on this day, please email me at slc5001@lausd.net. Please specify that you are responding to the 2/22 JPL trip. Volunteers will be selected on a first come/ first serve basis. JPL requires I submit names of all attendees 6 weeks in advance. If you would like to come, include in your email to me: your full legal name, and whether you are a US citizen or hold a Resident Green Card.  You must bring government issued ID to this trip.
• Finally, it's an exciting time of the year, but the students have been very talkative this past week. This really slows down our day as we wait for everyone's attention, and impedes our progress as learners. This is a good time to talk with your child about your expectations for classroom behavior and how his/her behavior can affect others. Thank you for your support!
  

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Learning the standard algorithm for division.

Reading:

 "The Power of Words" continued... Students will be reading, discussing, and analyzing various selections from the Treasures anthology. 

Students created a new Genre Genius template before the break. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's words are:

1. generation
2. genuine
3. generic 
4. generous
5. generate
6. magnate
7. magnificent
8. maximum
9. maximize
10. magnification

Writing:

Scripts and note-cards for "What Makes Our State Special?" project

Arts:

Song rehearsal; Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text.

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Presentation skills and collaboration; Evaluation


Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Mission System

Earth Science: Earth and Human Activity (Energy and Fuels that humans use are derived from the Earth; Environmental impact of energy extraction and use)

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Classroom News for the Week of November 28th

News and Upcoming Events: 

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments!
• 12/12 Holiday Program
• "What Makes Our State Special?" Please see the schedule below. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. As guests, you will play the role of potential tourists. The students have designed and prepared presentations to convince you to visit their California region. Each group will have approximately 5 minutes to present and answer audience members' questions. Please come to the MPR on time as presentations will begin right away.
•  Friday 12/9 8:30a.m. :Gayelle, Julissa, Lyric. This presentation will be in room 12.
• Tuesday, 12/13:  8:30 a.m. Bryan, Gigi, Chloe; Grace, Rowan, Janelle; Kaiden, Aiden, Ewan; Joaquin, Payton, Hope; Eduardo, Tyler, Luke
• Thursday 12/15 1p.m. Soleil, Orson, Senaiah; Genevieve, Ann Elise, Jonathan; Braeden, Sean Gahbriel; Alex, Milan, Bridget; Meha, Maggie, Colin
• 12/19 - 1/6 Winter Break. School resumes Monday, January 9th.
• Thursday, January 12th - CA. Mission projects due. Use the checklist provided under "Mission Project" in the Class Handouts menu on the right side of this page, to help guide you.

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Understanding division with arras and area models; Vocabulary of division

Reading:

This week we will begin a mini-unit "The Power of Words". Students will be reading, discussing, and analyzing various selections from the Treasures anthology. 

Students created a new Genre Genius template before the break. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's words are:

• inscribe
• inscription
• prescription
• transcribe
• scribe
• autograph
• biography
• grammar
• graphic
• graphite

Writing:

Scripts and note-cards for "What MakesOur State Special?" project

Arts:

Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text; Creating mandalas with multiple lines of symmetry (bilateral and rotational symmetry)

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Script Writing, Visual Aides, Rehearsal


Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Mission System

Earth Science: Earth and Human Activity (Energy and Fuels that humans use are derived from the Earth; Environmental impact of energy extraction and use)

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Classroom News for the Week of November 14th

News and Upcoming Events: 

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments!
• Monday 11/14 is a shortened day. Students will be dismissed at 12:54
• On Thursday students will receive instructions on a social studies project related to California Missions to be completed at home. The project is not due until Jan. 13th, but I want to give families plenty of time to complete it either on the upcoming breaks or during the school weeks. Please review the instructions with your child and email me with any questions. Thank you!
• 11/21-11/25 School Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

This week we will use the standard algorithm for multiplication to complete multi-step word problems. Students will be solving 3 and 4 digit x 1 digit. There will be a multiplication assessment on Thursday.

Reading:

This week we will finish reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will complete a short writing assignment based on what they've read and will take the Accelerated Reader quiz for the book on Friday.

On Tuesday, students will be co-creating a new Genre Genius. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's words are:

• support
• export
• deport
• import
• portable
• structure
• destructive
• instructor
• obstruct
• construction

Writing:

Creative Writing - A Day on Mars continued; Writing about theme in Island

Arts:

Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text.

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Script Writing, Visual Aides, Rehearsal
 

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Birth of the Missions; History of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving

Earth Science: Rock classification and Fossils

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.