Weekly Update 4/27/14

Important Reminders:

We will be finishing up MAP Testing this week. Test dates are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I was incredibly proud with the excellent effort students gave last week! The same reminders are in place this week about arriving to school on time, eating a healthy breakfast, and getting a good night's sleep. Friday homework will continue to be suspended this week as well.

Please look for a Sign-Up Genius to be emailed from the school soon. Parent volunteers will be needed for two upcoming school-wide events:  Earth & Science Day and Field Day.

Spring picture orders are due by April 29th.

Class Updates:

In math, we have been very busy reviewing all fourth grade concepts for testing. In addition, we are beginning our unit on fractions. The students used packages of Smarties candy to create fractions for each color of candy in their package. We also played fraction bingo, a pizza fraction game, and used online fraction practice to review basic concepts. Looking ahead, equivalent fractions, putting fractions into their simplest form, and ordering and comparing the sizes of fractions will be covered.

Almost all students are finished with their Poetry Anthologies.  Those students who are still working were instructed to finish up their anthologies over the weekend.  I will provide some class time tomorrow to finish up, however they are due by the end of the day Monday.

We will be starting literature circles in reading this week. Each reading group will be working through a chapter book and students will take turns with a variety of roles, such as "Discussion Director" and "Word Wizard". The roles will allow students to direct their own meaningful discussions about the texts as they would in a book club. This is a great opportunity for the children to take ownership over their learning and apply the skills they have learned this year.

The class has had so much in science exploring force and motion. Children practiced using the formula for speed by calculating how fast they could chew gum in the "Chomper Challenge". Students also raced mini cars over different surfaces to find out how friction would affect the distance the cars could travel.  Finally, we learned about inertia by knocking a paper plate out from under an egg and having the egg land safely in a glass of water. Students tried their own version of this experiment with pennies. Ask your child about the egg experiment - it is the favorite one of the year! Or - try it yourself at home with using video below as a guide. Students should study for a vocab. quiz tomorrow. We will review all week and our chapter test will be on Monday, May 5th.

Weekly Update 4/20/14

Important Reminders:

Thank you so much to everyone who donated snack items for our MAP Testing trail mix!  The kids are excited to enjoy the treats after working hard on their tests.  This week, our test dates are Tuesday and Wednesday.  It is important that students are well rested and eat a healthy breakfast before testing mornings. There will be no Friday homework during testing weeks.

Spring picture order forms went home in Friday's mail folders.  If you would like to order pictures, forms are due by April 29th.

Beginning on April 30th, the cafeteria will not longer accept lunch account payments by check.  Please use cash only after that date.

This Wednesday is an early release day, with a 1:40 dismissal.  Please make sure your child knows how they are getting home on that day if it will be different from their normal routine.

Permission slips will be coming home in Tuesday's mail folder for a field trip to St. Charles.  Students will be visiting the original first state capital building, as well as the Lewis and Clark Museum.  Please sign and return permission slips with payment before the date of the trip.

Class Updates:

In math, we wrapped up our unit on customary measurement and spent the rest of the week practicing the same skills with metric measurement.  This week, we will be reviewing all concepts learned throughout the year to prepare for testing.  We will also be beginning our fractions unit by exploring fundamental fractions concepts, such as the difference between the numerator and denominator, naming fractions for a given picture, and basic equivalent fractions.

Several students have finished publishing their final poetry anthologies.  The rest of the class should be wrapping up the project this week.  A few students have even memorized a favorite poem to recite to the class for extra credit.  Take a look at some of the finished poems and anthologies:

In science we have studied different types of motion and the forces that cause motion to happen.  We spent time exploring gravitational force and learned how much we would weigh if we lived on the moon!  The children had fun dropping three sizes of marbles down a ramp to see how mass can affect the amount of work an object can produce.  Students also timed the marbles and learned the formula to calculate speed. This week we will be using the speed formula to find out how fast we can chew gum.  We will also be experimenting with the force of friction.  Please make sure your child is studying the vocabulary cards that go with this chapter regularly.  Several words have similar definitions that can be easily confused.

Weekly Update 4/13/14

Important Reminders:

Thank you so much for the donations that have been made so far towards our MAP Testing snack mix.  We are still needing additional items to have enough trail mix to last for all testing dates.  Cheerios, Chex Mix, Skittles, raisins, and pretzels have all been popular items in the past.  Please have your child bring in items by Thursday.  Thank you again!

School is closed this Friday - enjoy the upcoming three day weekend!

Class Updates:

In math, we spent last week working on learning the customary units of measurement for capacity and weight.  We continued to practice changing back and forth between different units of measurement throughout the week by using multiplication and division.  The children have been doing various activities to help them remember their benchmark measurements including making "Mr. Gallon" men.  For additional area and perimeter practice the students drew animals or their names and found out the area and perimeter of their creations.  We will be reviewing customary measurement for a test on Wednesday.  We will also be working on metric measurement, especially being able to measure given objects to the nearest centimeter.

We are in the final stage of our poetry unit, and most students are working on publishing their anthologies with a goal to have them completed by the end of the week.  We will also be focusing on reviewing all skills and strategies learned in reading throughout the year as we prepare for the MAP test.

The class will begin the next unit in science this week, which will cover force and motion.  Topics of study will include describing how objects move in relation to other objects, calculating the speed of objects, and learning about gravitational force.  Children will receive new vocabulary words to begin studying on Monday.

Weekly Update 4/5/14

Important Reminders:

Now that April has arrived, we are reviewing and doing important practice for upcoming state MAP Testing. It is very important that your child is in school everyday as we review skills and test-taking strategies. Testing dates for fourth grade will be April 22, 23, 29, 30, and May 1.

It is tradition to have a MAP Testing trail mix for the students to enjoy on testing days.  A flier was sent home in Friday's mail folder with details.  Any donations you can provide towards our snack are greatly appreciated!

Presidential Service Award sheets are due by April 11th!

Class Updates:

In math, we are learning all about customary measurement.  We have started out learning the different units of measurement for length, including inches, feet, yards, and miles.  The students have been busy measuring various items around the classroom on a measurement scavenger hunt.  Next week, we will practice changing between units of measurement and comparing the sizes of various measurements.  We will also broaden our study to include measurements for weight and capacity.  Students should continue to study the yellow measurement study guide in their binders.

Our poetry unit continues, and students are working on creating mini anthologies of poems.  So far, the children have written the following types of poems:  limerick, cinquain, haiku, couplet, acrostic, sensory, simile, concrete, and free verse.  They are now in the process of choosing the three poems they like best to include in their anthologies.  Next week, the students will choose three published poems from books of poetry that they will also put into their portfolio, along with an analysis of why they like the poem and what types of figurative language the authors used.  I am proud of the children's creativity!

In social studies this week, we learned about how Missouri and the rest of the nation had to rebuild after the Civil War during a period called reconstruction.  We also learned about Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, and discussed the hardships newly freed slaves faced.  We are wrapping up the unit with exploring the rapid growth in railroads, manufacturing, and inventions that came in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  We will be reviewing Chapter 6 this week and having a test on Thursday.

We were fortunate to have another author visit to Long School this week.  Children's author and illustrator Debra Frasier came on Thursday to share about her writing career and the processes of revising and editing to create published pieces.  Mrs. Frazier even dressed up Dr. Parker as one the characters from her books.  Congratulations to Abby and Ashley who were lucky enough to win a lunch 15193 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield, MO 63017 Mrs. Frasier!  Check out her blog to learn more about her books.