Hello everybody!!
Well we are officially on the homestretch. I hope all our grade 4 families are looking forward to a relaxing summer holiday. Here's to a great last few weeks of school!
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was a part of our baby shower this past Friday. Magda and I were truly touched. We are very lucky to be part of such a caring community here at Discovery.
This Week's Classroom Activities:
MATH
This week we will be working on interpreting information from bar graphs, pie graphs, and line charts. We will also be practicing calculating elapsed time, which seems to be very difficult for our students.
READING
We will be finishing our class novel, "Because of Winn-Dixie" and watching the movie version. We will be having a class discussion where we will compare and contrast the book with the movie version of the story. We will also finishing our class read aloud, "The Adventures of Edward Tulane", a fantastic book by the same author as "Because of Winn-Dixie".
WRITING
We will be writing our end of year reflections this week. Before doing so each student will take a look at their very first journal entry of the year to see how much they've improved as writer's over the course of the year, and to remind themselves how they felt back in August this year.
SCIENCE
For our final assessment in Science the students will be creating an open circuit with a switch that should be able to turn connect and disconnect their circuit with ease. We will also have a follow up lesson to the experiment that identified the difference between conductors and insulators.
Here's to a great week in grade 4. Thanks for reading,
Jordan Rose
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Activities for the week of May 23rd to 27th
Greeting parents and students,
I hope everyone is well and has enough energy to finish the end of our school year strongly. Our trip to the Montoya's last Thursday was a great success. We had a wonderful morning up in the hills of El Hatilo. Thanks again to Vivian Flores for being such a gracious host, and I apologize for the sunburnt students, I should have been more careful about re-applying sunscreen throughout the day. Mi Disculpe!
THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES:
Math: On Tuesday we will have our final Math chapter test of the year. The test will be on the what we've learned about measurement, decimals, and adding and subtracting fractions. On Wednesday we will begin our final Math strand of the year, graphing.
Reading: We will continue to read our class novel 'Because of Winn-Dixie'. As part of our reading skill, 'compare and contrast', we will begin watching the movie and discuss the similarities and differences that we find between the book and the film.
Writing: As we prepare to say goodbye to some of our grade 4 classmates, we will work on writing special notes of appreciation to each member of our class. This should be a 'feelgood' activity that will provide our departing students with a keepsake and memories of all their friends here at Discovery.
Science: Continuing with our Electricity unit, we will be learning about electric circuits and how they are created. We will then work on building our own circuits using a D cell battery, Fahnestock Clips, and a lightbulb. We will also learn about conductors and insulators, and see if we can use a paper clip to complete an electric circuit as a conductor of electricity.
Grammar: We will be looking at common and uncommon homonyms, and learning about how to not let them confuse us when reading and writing.
Thanks again for reading everybody. I hope all's well with you and yours. Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
I hope everyone is well and has enough energy to finish the end of our school year strongly. Our trip to the Montoya's last Thursday was a great success. We had a wonderful morning up in the hills of El Hatilo. Thanks again to Vivian Flores for being such a gracious host, and I apologize for the sunburnt students, I should have been more careful about re-applying sunscreen throughout the day. Mi Disculpe!
THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES:
Math: On Tuesday we will have our final Math chapter test of the year. The test will be on the what we've learned about measurement, decimals, and adding and subtracting fractions. On Wednesday we will begin our final Math strand of the year, graphing.
Reading: We will continue to read our class novel 'Because of Winn-Dixie'. As part of our reading skill, 'compare and contrast', we will begin watching the movie and discuss the similarities and differences that we find between the book and the film.
Writing: As we prepare to say goodbye to some of our grade 4 classmates, we will work on writing special notes of appreciation to each member of our class. This should be a 'feelgood' activity that will provide our departing students with a keepsake and memories of all their friends here at Discovery.
Science: Continuing with our Electricity unit, we will be learning about electric circuits and how they are created. We will then work on building our own circuits using a D cell battery, Fahnestock Clips, and a lightbulb. We will also learn about conductors and insulators, and see if we can use a paper clip to complete an electric circuit as a conductor of electricity.
Grammar: We will be looking at common and uncommon homonyms, and learning about how to not let them confuse us when reading and writing.
Thanks again for reading everybody. I hope all's well with you and yours. Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
Monday, May 16, 2011
Grade 4 for the week of May 16th-20th
Greetings parents and students! I hope all's well. I think we're officially on the homestretch of the school year. Here's to a great last 4 weeks of school!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
This Thursday, May 19th we will be going on a field trip to the Montoya residence. The trip will be from 8-12:30 and give our students a chance to get some fresh air and take a well-deserved break from all the hard work they've been doing in class lately. Parental permission slips will be coming home today (Monday). Parents are welcome to join us. If anyone is interested please contact me today or tomorrow.
Here are some photos I took while the students were putting together their final social studies projects last week. Great job everybody!!!
In math this week we will be focusing on decimals. We will be learning to order and compare decimals, round decimals to the nearest tenth and hundreth, and add and subtract decimals. To do so we will be relating decimals to our prior knowledge of fractions and percentages. We will also be using grids to help us and add and subtract decimals.
READING
In reading this week we will continue to read our class novel 'Because of Winn-Dixie'. Our class discussion will centre on comparing and contrasting the main character, India-Opal with some of the other main characters that we've come across in our previous class novels. We will also look at the overall tone and style of our novel, and see if we can compare and contrast that as well.
WRITING
In writing this week we will be writing reading letters that mirror our classroom discussion, (comparing and contrasting main characters). We will also be doing an exercise where we practice writing positive messages about each person in the class. This should be a feel-good exercise, and will be coupled with a general reflection on each student's year as a fourth grader that will follow next week.
GRAMMAR
We will be looking at past tense verbs this week in grammar. Specifically at common mistakes that occur in our writing and speaking.
SCIENCE
This week in Science classes we will be experimenting with electricity. Students will be given a chance to work hands on with electric power using a D-cell battery, lightbulb, and copper wire to see if they can create an electric circuit that will light the bulb. Students will then learn take a closer look at electric circuits, and how they work.
Here's to a fun filled week in fourth grade. All the best,
Jordan Rose
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
This Thursday, May 19th we will be going on a field trip to the Montoya residence. The trip will be from 8-12:30 and give our students a chance to get some fresh air and take a well-deserved break from all the hard work they've been doing in class lately. Parental permission slips will be coming home today (Monday). Parents are welcome to join us. If anyone is interested please contact me today or tomorrow.
Here are some photos I took while the students were putting together their final social studies projects last week. Great job everybody!!!
THIS WEEK'S CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
MATH
In math this week we will be focusing on decimals. We will be learning to order and compare decimals, round decimals to the nearest tenth and hundreth, and add and subtract decimals. To do so we will be relating decimals to our prior knowledge of fractions and percentages. We will also be using grids to help us and add and subtract decimals.
READING
In reading this week we will continue to read our class novel 'Because of Winn-Dixie'. Our class discussion will centre on comparing and contrasting the main character, India-Opal with some of the other main characters that we've come across in our previous class novels. We will also look at the overall tone and style of our novel, and see if we can compare and contrast that as well.
WRITING
In writing this week we will be writing reading letters that mirror our classroom discussion, (comparing and contrasting main characters). We will also be doing an exercise where we practice writing positive messages about each person in the class. This should be a feel-good exercise, and will be coupled with a general reflection on each student's year as a fourth grader that will follow next week.
GRAMMAR
We will be looking at past tense verbs this week in grammar. Specifically at common mistakes that occur in our writing and speaking.
SCIENCE
This week in Science classes we will be experimenting with electricity. Students will be given a chance to work hands on with electric power using a D-cell battery, lightbulb, and copper wire to see if they can create an electric circuit that will light the bulb. Students will then learn take a closer look at electric circuits, and how they work.
Here's to a fun filled week in fourth grade. All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, May 9, 2011
Class Activities for May 9th-13th
Greetings grade 4 parents and students!
Thanks to everyone for making me feel so appreciated during Teacher Appreciation Week. You're too kind!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
We will be starting our third and final MAP testing session this week. Hopefully our test scores reflect all the students' hard work over the past few months.
Progress reports will be coming home on the 11th. Please look out for those.
GARAGE SALE – The DPTO is putting together the annual Garage Sale for next Saturday May 13th. The price of each table is L250. This is a great opportunity to buy and sell “treasures”! If you are interested please contact Martha Bandes atmbandes@yahoo.com or call her at 99456338
DISCOVERY ZONE SUMMER CAMP – This summer check out our Discovery Zone Summer Camp. The camp begins on June 13th If you would like more information about the camp, please contact Ms. Cristiana for details. cbanegas@discoveryschool.edu.hn
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
MATH
In math lessons we will be reviewing adding fractions with unlike denominators before getting into measurement with metric units of weight, length, and capacity. The students will then connect what they learn about the metric system to decimals and their prior knowledge of percentages and fractions.
READING
In reading we will continue to read our class novel, 'Because of Winn-Dixie' and compare and contrast it to our previous class novels. To do so we will create a Venn-Diagram as a visual aid to help our understanding of comparing and contrasting as a reading skill. In reading this week we will also be focusing on the Mystery genre of fiction writing. The students will choose a mystery novel and read in class and at home to discover the key aspects of mystery writing.
WRITING
In writing this week we will be writing a reading letter about the mystery novel that each student has chosen to read. The students will be asked to write about what they know about the mystery genre, as well as their reflections on the book they have begun to read.
SOCIAL STUDIES
After putting the finishing touches on their project posters, the students will prepare their oral presentations. The presentations will be on Wednesday afternoon. Students will be graded on their clarity of their voice, their understanding of the information, and their overall ability to communicate with their audience.
SCIENCE
We will begin our science unit on Electricity, by first finding out what the students know about electricity and how it works. To do so the students will create a KWL chart on what they know, and would like to know about electricity.
GRAMMAR
We will be looking at antonyms and synonyms in this week's grammar lesson.
Thanks for reading everybody! And have a great week!!
Thanks to everyone for making me feel so appreciated during Teacher Appreciation Week. You're too kind!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
We will be starting our third and final MAP testing session this week. Hopefully our test scores reflect all the students' hard work over the past few months.
Progress reports will be coming home on the 11th. Please look out for those.
GARAGE SALE – The DPTO is putting together the annual Garage Sale for next Saturday May 13th. The price of each table is L250. This is a great opportunity to buy and sell “treasures”! If you are interested please contact Martha Bandes atmbandes@yahoo.com or call her at 99456338
DISCOVERY ZONE SUMMER CAMP – This summer check out our Discovery Zone Summer Camp. The camp begins on June 13th If you would like more information about the camp, please contact Ms. Cristiana for details. cbanegas@discoveryschool.edu.hn
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
MATH
In math lessons we will be reviewing adding fractions with unlike denominators before getting into measurement with metric units of weight, length, and capacity. The students will then connect what they learn about the metric system to decimals and their prior knowledge of percentages and fractions.
READING
In reading we will continue to read our class novel, 'Because of Winn-Dixie' and compare and contrast it to our previous class novels. To do so we will create a Venn-Diagram as a visual aid to help our understanding of comparing and contrasting as a reading skill. In reading this week we will also be focusing on the Mystery genre of fiction writing. The students will choose a mystery novel and read in class and at home to discover the key aspects of mystery writing.
WRITING
In writing this week we will be writing a reading letter about the mystery novel that each student has chosen to read. The students will be asked to write about what they know about the mystery genre, as well as their reflections on the book they have begun to read.
SOCIAL STUDIES
After putting the finishing touches on their project posters, the students will prepare their oral presentations. The presentations will be on Wednesday afternoon. Students will be graded on their clarity of their voice, their understanding of the information, and their overall ability to communicate with their audience.
SCIENCE
We will begin our science unit on Electricity, by first finding out what the students know about electricity and how it works. To do so the students will create a KWL chart on what they know, and would like to know about electricity.
GRAMMAR
We will be looking at antonyms and synonyms in this week's grammar lesson.
Thanks for reading everybody! And have a great week!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Activities for the week of May 3rd-6th
Hello everyone,
I apologize, but I appear to have experienced some technical difficulties and my weekly blog posting was not posted online correctly. I'm sorry if you checked in and were not able to find the blog post las week.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
There's lots of stuff going on at Discovery School right now. It should be a fun and busy final 5 weeks. Here's a list of things to look out for:
I apologize, but I appear to have experienced some technical difficulties and my weekly blog posting was not posted online correctly. I'm sorry if you checked in and were not able to find the blog post las week.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
There's lots of stuff going on at Discovery School right now. It should be a fun and busy final 5 weeks. Here's a list of things to look out for:
- The General Assembly meeting and the Art Exhibition is on the evening of May 5th here at school. Please mark your calendar and we hope to see you here.
- There will be a half day Friday, May 6th. Students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. Your child needs to bring a only a snack to school on that day, no lunch.
- Progress report will be sent home May 11th.
- This year Discovery School will be having a 'Book Drive'. If you would like to donate any books that are in good condition, please do so by May 9th.
- Discovery Idol- This year the school will be having the annual 'Discovery Idol'! This is a talent competion that is open to all students. If your child would like to participate, auditions will be held on May 17th and 18th. More information will be sent home soon.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
Math:
We will be learning about Customary units of measurement in math lessons this week. We will explore units of length, weight, and volume. We will also look at breaking down measurements into fractions, such as fractions of an inch. Finally we will be practicing our measuring skills with rulers and other measuring tools.
Reading:
Our new reading skill is comparing and contrasting. We will be learning to compare and contrast things in our lives and things that we read. We will also be starting our final class novel of the year: 'Because of Winn-Dixie'. We will read this novel and analyze by comparing and contrasting it to our 4 previous class novels.
Writing:
The majority of our writing lessons this week will focus on drafting, proofreading/editing, and publishing the written portion for our social studies project. The students will be working together to take the information they've learned and then put it into their own words and then get it ready to display to their fellow classmates in their final presentation. We will also be working on creating a Venn Diagram to help us understand our reading skill: compare and contrast.
Character Studies:
We will continue to work on conflict management, and role-playing different ways to find win-win solutions to conflicts that arise in our lives.
Social Studies:
We will spend a lot of time getting everything ready for our social studies poster and presentation. The students will need to use all of their reading, writing, and cooperation skills this week in order to put together a quality presentation by early next week.
Here's to a great week at Discovery School!! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, April 4, 2011
Activities for the week of April 4th-8th
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
This Wednesday April, 6th will be an early release day. The day for students will end at 11:45.
This Friday, April 8th the DPTO is sponsoring a MOVIE NIGHT. Students and families are invited to come and enjoy watching movies from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. The Movie Night has been created to support the victims of the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami disaster.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
MATH
This Thursday we will be having our Chapter Test. The test will cover all of what we have been learning about fractions over the past few weeks. Leading up to the test we will be learning to apply our knowledge of fractions to circle graphs, and word problems. We will also spend time reviewing what we have learned and practicing for our test.
READING
This week we will be reading towards the conclusion of our class novel 'Sounder'. We will be practicing using our context clues to help us determine the meaning of new words, and how to read and understanding challenging material. We will also get a chance to watch the movie created from the novel, also entitled 'Sounder'. The movie is a classic, and does a great job of bringing this excellent novel to life.
WRITING
We will be working on crafting the first drafts of our biographies at the start of the week. Having interviewed a fellow classmate, each student will now take their information and begin to craft a biography. Each pair of students will write their biography together and then work on editing and proofreading as a team.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Due to last week's school cancellation on Wednesday, we've gotten off to a slow start on our final social studies project. This week we will be getting things going, choosing topics and partners and beginning to summarize the important information into our own words. We will also spend some time discussing what it means to work cooperatively on a project of this nature, as students will be graded on their ability to manage their time and work together, as well as their final product.
Thanks for reading everybody. I hope you have a wonderful week. All the best,
Jordan Rose
This Wednesday April, 6th will be an early release day. The day for students will end at 11:45.
This Friday, April 8th the DPTO is sponsoring a MOVIE NIGHT. Students and families are invited to come and enjoy watching movies from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. The Movie Night has been created to support the victims of the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami disaster.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK:
MATH
This Thursday we will be having our Chapter Test. The test will cover all of what we have been learning about fractions over the past few weeks. Leading up to the test we will be learning to apply our knowledge of fractions to circle graphs, and word problems. We will also spend time reviewing what we have learned and practicing for our test.
READING
This week we will be reading towards the conclusion of our class novel 'Sounder'. We will be practicing using our context clues to help us determine the meaning of new words, and how to read and understanding challenging material. We will also get a chance to watch the movie created from the novel, also entitled 'Sounder'. The movie is a classic, and does a great job of bringing this excellent novel to life.
WRITING
We will be working on crafting the first drafts of our biographies at the start of the week. Having interviewed a fellow classmate, each student will now take their information and begin to craft a biography. Each pair of students will write their biography together and then work on editing and proofreading as a team.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Due to last week's school cancellation on Wednesday, we've gotten off to a slow start on our final social studies project. This week we will be getting things going, choosing topics and partners and beginning to summarize the important information into our own words. We will also spend some time discussing what it means to work cooperatively on a project of this nature, as students will be graded on their ability to manage their time and work together, as well as their final product.
Thanks for reading everybody. I hope you have a wonderful week. All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, March 28, 2011
Activities for the week of March 28-April 1st
Greetings everyone,
Thanks to all the parents who returned the report card envelopes with their children this morning. If you have any questions about reports or would like to schedule a meeting time please let me know.
THIS WEEKS ACTIVITIES:
MATH
We will start the week with a short review quiz before learning about mixed numbers and improper fractions. By this point each student should be reasonably comfortable with finding equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, and ordering fractions using common denominators and/or percentages. By the end of the week we will be applying our knowledge of fractions to circle graphs. The chapter test for fractions will be early next week.
READING
We will spend some time choosing and reading biographies and autobiographies. We will be discussing common features found in all biographies, and how we will use what we learn from our reading to help us write our own autobiographies. We will also keep reading our class novel 'Sounder' and practicing our summarizing, and hopefully we will be able to watch the movie version of 'Sounder' by the end of the week.
WRITING
We will be using a graphic organizer to help us plan out our autobiographies. The organizers will be used to work on our pre-writing skills, and learning about how important it is to plan before writing. Once our graphic organizers are completed we will begin writing.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We will be discussing the expectations for our final social studies project, especially time management and cooperation. We will also discuss how to find and use information appropriately, and how to use our summarizing skills to make sure that all of the information that goes into our projects comes from our own words and hard work. The students will be given time to work on their projects and assessed on how well they use their time, and how they cooperate with their partners.
CHARACTER STUDIES
This week in character studies we will be working on good sportsmanship. This is a character trait that needs work in our class, as sports activities amongst our students often lead to fights and arguments.
Here's to a great week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Thanks to all the parents who returned the report card envelopes with their children this morning. If you have any questions about reports or would like to schedule a meeting time please let me know.
THIS WEEKS ACTIVITIES:
MATH
We will start the week with a short review quiz before learning about mixed numbers and improper fractions. By this point each student should be reasonably comfortable with finding equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, and ordering fractions using common denominators and/or percentages. By the end of the week we will be applying our knowledge of fractions to circle graphs. The chapter test for fractions will be early next week.
READING
We will spend some time choosing and reading biographies and autobiographies. We will be discussing common features found in all biographies, and how we will use what we learn from our reading to help us write our own autobiographies. We will also keep reading our class novel 'Sounder' and practicing our summarizing, and hopefully we will be able to watch the movie version of 'Sounder' by the end of the week.
WRITING
We will be using a graphic organizer to help us plan out our autobiographies. The organizers will be used to work on our pre-writing skills, and learning about how important it is to plan before writing. Once our graphic organizers are completed we will begin writing.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We will be discussing the expectations for our final social studies project, especially time management and cooperation. We will also discuss how to find and use information appropriately, and how to use our summarizing skills to make sure that all of the information that goes into our projects comes from our own words and hard work. The students will be given time to work on their projects and assessed on how well they use their time, and how they cooperate with their partners.
CHARACTER STUDIES
This week in character studies we will be working on good sportsmanship. This is a character trait that needs work in our class, as sports activities amongst our students often lead to fights and arguments.
Here's to a great week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, March 21, 2011
Classroom Activities for March 21st to 25th
Hello everybody,
We are coming to the close of our third quarter. Reports will be sent home with students at the end of the week. Please return the envelope that they come in with a parents signature on Monday. Here's to a great final week of quarter three, and enough energy to keep learning new things right to the end of the year.
This Week's Classroom Activities:
MATH
In math lessons this week we will be learning to compare and order fractions. To do so we'll use our fraction pieces to visually compare the size of different fractions. We'll also be drawing connections between fractions and percentages to help us determine which fraction is larger or smaller. At the end of the week we'll be having a short quiz to assess how we are doing with fractions thus far.
READING
We will continue to practice our reading skill of 'summarizing' this week. Students will listen and read along with a section of our class novel, "Sounder", and then practice summarizing the most important details in their own words. We will also continue our individual reading, and continue to write about the books we're reading in a reading recommendation letter to another student in the class.
WRITING
We will be using the timelines that we created last week as the starting point for writing our own autobiographies. The autobiographies will be an ongoing project where we will attempt to tell the story of our lives, from birth to the present day.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We will begin our final social studies project this week. Students will choose partners and project topics and begin to read and summarize the information that they read.
I hope everyone has a great week!! Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. Thanks for reading,
Jordan Rose
We are coming to the close of our third quarter. Reports will be sent home with students at the end of the week. Please return the envelope that they come in with a parents signature on Monday. Here's to a great final week of quarter three, and enough energy to keep learning new things right to the end of the year.
This Week's Classroom Activities:
MATH
In math lessons this week we will be learning to compare and order fractions. To do so we'll use our fraction pieces to visually compare the size of different fractions. We'll also be drawing connections between fractions and percentages to help us determine which fraction is larger or smaller. At the end of the week we'll be having a short quiz to assess how we are doing with fractions thus far.
READING
We will continue to practice our reading skill of 'summarizing' this week. Students will listen and read along with a section of our class novel, "Sounder", and then practice summarizing the most important details in their own words. We will also continue our individual reading, and continue to write about the books we're reading in a reading recommendation letter to another student in the class.
WRITING
We will be using the timelines that we created last week as the starting point for writing our own autobiographies. The autobiographies will be an ongoing project where we will attempt to tell the story of our lives, from birth to the present day.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We will begin our final social studies project this week. Students will choose partners and project topics and begin to read and summarize the information that they read.
I hope everyone has a great week!! Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. Thanks for reading,
Jordan Rose
Monday, March 14, 2011
Activities for the week of March 14th-17th
Hello everybody,
I hope everyone who made it out had a great time at family night. Our third quarter is coming to a close this week. It is also a short week, as there will be no school Friday.
This Week's Classroom Activities
MATH: In math lessons this week we will be continuing with our fractions unit. We will be learning about equivalent fractions. To do so we'll use our number sense and multiplication/division skills, as well as using hands-on manipulatives and visual representations of fractions. We'll also work on putting fractions into their simplest form and comparing fractions.
READING: In reading this week we'll continue to practice our ability to read and summarize a piece of text in our own words. We'll be looking at a piece of text from our social studies unit about slavery in the USA. This summarizing skill will be necessary for our social studies project that begins this week.
WRITING: In writing this week we'll be putting together the timeline of our lives, and use it as the entry point to writing our own autobiographies.
SOCIAL STUDIES: In social studies this week we will be learning a little bit more about the differences between Northern and Southern States during the time of slavery. We'll also be introduced to our final project for this unit that will have students working as partners to study and report on an aspect of the issue of slavery in the USA.
GRAMMAR: In grammar we will spend a second class looking at prepositions in the English language and how they're used in our writing and speaking.
I hope everyone has a great week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
I hope everyone who made it out had a great time at family night. Our third quarter is coming to a close this week. It is also a short week, as there will be no school Friday.
This Week's Classroom Activities
MATH: In math lessons this week we will be continuing with our fractions unit. We will be learning about equivalent fractions. To do so we'll use our number sense and multiplication/division skills, as well as using hands-on manipulatives and visual representations of fractions. We'll also work on putting fractions into their simplest form and comparing fractions.
READING: In reading this week we'll continue to practice our ability to read and summarize a piece of text in our own words. We'll be looking at a piece of text from our social studies unit about slavery in the USA. This summarizing skill will be necessary for our social studies project that begins this week.
WRITING: In writing this week we'll be putting together the timeline of our lives, and use it as the entry point to writing our own autobiographies.
SOCIAL STUDIES: In social studies this week we will be learning a little bit more about the differences between Northern and Southern States during the time of slavery. We'll also be introduced to our final project for this unit that will have students working as partners to study and report on an aspect of the issue of slavery in the USA.
GRAMMAR: In grammar we will spend a second class looking at prepositions in the English language and how they're used in our writing and speaking.
I hope everyone has a great week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, March 7, 2011
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
DISCOVERY SCHOOL FAMILY NIGHT IS THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 11th
In case you missed the letter sent home with your child, you and yours are invited to join as at Discovery School for Family Night. The theme this year is Carnaval Students and parents are welcome to wear a mask or a costume. The evening will be from 5 to 8 pm. Please contact me if you did not receive a letter, and would like more information about this event.
ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT FAMILY NIGHT:
The Music department will be devoting their class time this week to constructing musical instruments for the BATUCADA SAMBA GRITÓN group presentation on Family Night. Please make sure that your child brings with him/her the following materials for your child’s choice of instrument by Tuesday morning:
For Drums: An Large Empty Milk Can with its lid (preferably “CETECO” brand, but any will do) OR a medium size plastic bucket, AND a broom stick (with out the broom).
For Maracas: Two small empty cans OR two small Agua Azul bottles.
Please send your child’s materials labeled with your child’s name. If you have extras of any of these materials, please donate them to share with the children who may not be able to bring them. If your child has any stickers or drawings that they would like to use for decorating their instrument, please encourage them to bring them or put them in the bag along with the materials.
We hope you can all join us for a wonderful fun filled evening.
This Weeks Classroom Activities:
Math
This Tuesday will be our end of chapter test for the Geometry concepts that we have learned over the past three weeks. As always there will be a practice test sent home tonight (Monday) for students to review prior to the test tomorrow. Following our geometry test, we will be moving into everybody's favourite math topic: Fractions! The students will have a re-introduction to the concept of fractions as a part of a whole, and talk about what they already know about fractions and how they are used in day-to-day life. We will also be using manipulatives to help our visual learners conceptualize the idea of fractions.
Reading
In reading we will continue to read our class novel, 'Sounder'. We will be using our context clues to try to understand challenging words that we come across. We will also be using the story to learn more about some of the effects that slavery has had on American society. Our new reading skill this week will be summarizing. The students will work on reading pieces of non-fiction text and summarizing the text into the main idea and important supporting details.
Writing
In writing this week we will begin preparing our 'My Life' timeline. We will be determining some of the key moments of our lives, and then arranging them in chronological order so that we can make our 'My Life' timelines. This project will lead into an autobiographical writing project the following week.
Social Studies
In social studies this week we will be preparing our play about slavery for a performance for our grade one reading buddies on Thursday. We will also be learning about the Fugitive Slave Laws and how these affected slaves that escaped via the 'Underground Railroad'.
Grammar
We will be looking at prepositions. We will learn what they are, and how they can be used in our speech and writing effectively.
I hope everyone has a great week. Looking forward to seeing you all at the Family Night this Friday. Thanks for reading,
Jordan
Monday, February 28, 2011
Activities for the week of February 28th to March 4th
Hola everybody!
Here's what we'll be doing this week in grade 4 at Discovery School:
MATH
In math lessons this week we will be working on understanding and using formulas to calculate perimeter, area, and volume. We will apply our understanding of these concepts to word based problems, and use manipulatives and drawings to help us solve these problems visually. We will also spend time comparing and contrasting these three geometric concepts and their formulas. It should be fun!!
READING
Our next reading skill that we will focus on is 'main idea and supporting details'. We will be taking a look at different text structures and practice identifying the main idea in different paragraphs. We will also look at how supporting details are used to create well-written and interesting paragraphs, and then apply them to our own writing next week.
WRITING
This week we will be working on writing our conclusion to our persuasive writing piece, and then spend a class proofreading our first drafts with fellow students. Our final copies will be completed for homework mid-week. We will also work on writing a short, anecdotal story about an incident of integrity. Integrity is our current 'character studies' trait.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies this week we will be learning about how the slave trade that brought slaves to the Americas. We will also be learning about some of the lingering effects that slavery has had on American society and culture in a talk with our middle school teacher Vincent Taylor and in reading our new class novel, 'Sounder'.
I hope that everyone has a great week! Thanks as always for reading,
Jordan Rose
Here's what we'll be doing this week in grade 4 at Discovery School:
MATH
In math lessons this week we will be working on understanding and using formulas to calculate perimeter, area, and volume. We will apply our understanding of these concepts to word based problems, and use manipulatives and drawings to help us solve these problems visually. We will also spend time comparing and contrasting these three geometric concepts and their formulas. It should be fun!!
READING
Our next reading skill that we will focus on is 'main idea and supporting details'. We will be taking a look at different text structures and practice identifying the main idea in different paragraphs. We will also look at how supporting details are used to create well-written and interesting paragraphs, and then apply them to our own writing next week.
WRITING
This week we will be working on writing our conclusion to our persuasive writing piece, and then spend a class proofreading our first drafts with fellow students. Our final copies will be completed for homework mid-week. We will also work on writing a short, anecdotal story about an incident of integrity. Integrity is our current 'character studies' trait.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies this week we will be learning about how the slave trade that brought slaves to the Americas. We will also be learning about some of the lingering effects that slavery has had on American society and culture in a talk with our middle school teacher Vincent Taylor and in reading our new class novel, 'Sounder'.
I hope that everyone has a great week! Thanks as always for reading,
Jordan Rose
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Activities for the week of February 22nd-25th
Hello everybody!! I hope everyone had a great long weekend. Congratulations again to all grade 4 students and families as all of our students presented interesting and well prepared science projects!! As was very proud of the work that the students did, and the judges assured me that each student gave a strong oral presentation. Thanks again to parents and family members for helping to make this such a success.
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: In math this week we will be learning about perimeter, area, and volume of shapes, and how to calculate these measurements. These are fun and practical lessons that the students will need throughout their mathematics education and in the real world.
Reading: In reading we will continue to look at the reading skill of identifying and understanding the author's purpose for writing. Our four main 'purposes' for writing are: to explain, to entertain, to persuade, and to inform. We will also begin reading our new class novel, "Sounder".
Writing: In our writing periods this week we will be working on writing to persuade. Each student will choose an opinion they hold strongly and try to persuade the reader to agree with them. In this written piece we will experiment with the 'hamburger' essay writing structure.
Social Studies: We have begun a new unit on American Slavery in social studies. This week we will look at how slavery began in America, as well as begin to think about some of the affects it has had on American society throughout it's history.
Grammar: Our grammar quiz had to be postponed last week due to science fair preparation. As a result this week we will be having our proofreading quiz.
Here's to a great, short week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: In math this week we will be learning about perimeter, area, and volume of shapes, and how to calculate these measurements. These are fun and practical lessons that the students will need throughout their mathematics education and in the real world.
Reading: In reading we will continue to look at the reading skill of identifying and understanding the author's purpose for writing. Our four main 'purposes' for writing are: to explain, to entertain, to persuade, and to inform. We will also begin reading our new class novel, "Sounder".
Writing: In our writing periods this week we will be working on writing to persuade. Each student will choose an opinion they hold strongly and try to persuade the reader to agree with them. In this written piece we will experiment with the 'hamburger' essay writing structure.
Social Studies: We have begun a new unit on American Slavery in social studies. This week we will look at how slavery began in America, as well as begin to think about some of the affects it has had on American society throughout it's history.
Grammar: Our grammar quiz had to be postponed last week due to science fair preparation. As a result this week we will be having our proofreading quiz.
Here's to a great, short week! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, February 14, 2011
Classroom Activities for Feb. 14th-17th
Hello and happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS THIS WEEK
Science Fair: Yes, the Science Fair is finally upon us. The fair will be this Thursday, from 10:15 to 12:25. The fair is going to be for students and teachers only this year. Each student will have 10-15 minutes to present their Science Project to our two judges. Each judging duo will be made up of one elementary and one high school teacher. The students will need to answer questions from the judges to display their understanding of their process and what the scientific knowledge they've gained from the experience. Good luck to all of our students....I can't wait to see your hard work!!!
Short Week: There will be no school this Friday and the following Monday. Hooray!! Have a great long weekend!!
The Chronicles of Discovery: The Chronicles of Discovery, a literary and art magazine for Discovery School high school students will be coming soon.
Submissions for both art and literature are being accepted now until March 11.
The official award ceremony will take place in April.
I'm sure this will give our students a chance to show of their are and literary skills to the whole school!
Progress Reports: Progress reports will be going home this Thursday. Included in the reports will be a breakdown of each students' MAP test scores from December. For any questions or further info about the MAP tests please contact me via email at: jrose@discoveryschool.edu.hn
Classroom Activities This Week
Reading: We will finish reading our class novel, "The Million Dollar Shot", and discuss what we think of the author's climax and resolution within the story. We will also be learning about an 'author's purpose' for writing. Our four main purposes are: to entertain, to explain, to inform or tell, and to persuade.
Writing: To connect our reading and writing lessons we will be writing a persuasive essay. Each student will choose an opinion they hold strongly and then write with the purpose of convincing the reader to share their opinion. This should be fun!! We'll also be creating the final copies of our very own booklets of poetry.
Math: This week in math we're learning about the movements that shapes make, specifically: slides, rotations, and transformations/flips. We'll also be learning about lines of symmetry within shapes, and the concept of perimeter and how to calculate it.
Social Studies: This is the first week of our new social studies unit on American slavery. This week we'll be creating a KWL chart to assess our students' prior knowledge of slavery in America and reading a short story about the underground railroad.
Grammar: We'll be having a grammar quiz this week to assess each students' ability to find and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes in a piece of text.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and thanks to Mrs. Ivy Chen for reading this blog each week. All the best,
Jordan Rose
IMPORTANT REMINDERS THIS WEEK
Science Fair: Yes, the Science Fair is finally upon us. The fair will be this Thursday, from 10:15 to 12:25. The fair is going to be for students and teachers only this year. Each student will have 10-15 minutes to present their Science Project to our two judges. Each judging duo will be made up of one elementary and one high school teacher. The students will need to answer questions from the judges to display their understanding of their process and what the scientific knowledge they've gained from the experience. Good luck to all of our students....I can't wait to see your hard work!!!
Short Week: There will be no school this Friday and the following Monday. Hooray!! Have a great long weekend!!
The Chronicles of Discovery: The Chronicles of Discovery, a literary and art magazine for Discovery School high school students will be coming soon.
Submissions for both art and literature are being accepted now until March 11.
The official award ceremony will take place in April.
I'm sure this will give our students a chance to show of their are and literary skills to the whole school!
Progress Reports: Progress reports will be going home this Thursday. Included in the reports will be a breakdown of each students' MAP test scores from December. For any questions or further info about the MAP tests please contact me via email at: jrose@discoveryschool.edu.hn
Classroom Activities This Week
Reading: We will finish reading our class novel, "The Million Dollar Shot", and discuss what we think of the author's climax and resolution within the story. We will also be learning about an 'author's purpose' for writing. Our four main purposes are: to entertain, to explain, to inform or tell, and to persuade.
Writing: To connect our reading and writing lessons we will be writing a persuasive essay. Each student will choose an opinion they hold strongly and then write with the purpose of convincing the reader to share their opinion. This should be fun!! We'll also be creating the final copies of our very own booklets of poetry.
Math: This week in math we're learning about the movements that shapes make, specifically: slides, rotations, and transformations/flips. We'll also be learning about lines of symmetry within shapes, and the concept of perimeter and how to calculate it.
Social Studies: This is the first week of our new social studies unit on American slavery. This week we'll be creating a KWL chart to assess our students' prior knowledge of slavery in America and reading a short story about the underground railroad.
Grammar: We'll be having a grammar quiz this week to assess each students' ability to find and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes in a piece of text.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and thanks to Mrs. Ivy Chen for reading this blog each week. All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, February 7, 2011
Activities for the Week of February 7th-11th
Hello parents and students,
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here at Discovery School we had a busy weekend as we held the National Spelling Bee on Saturday morning. The event was a big success, and all the spellers did a great job and showed off their spelling abilities.
Important Reminders
This is the last full week before our Science Fair on Feb. 17th. Most students should have completed their experiments by now, and should now be putting all of their work into their final poster-board. I can't wait to see all the hard work that the students have done with their experiments.
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: We're getting into our second week in our Geometry unit. The students will be learning about lines and angles, how to classify triangles and quadrilaterals, and about the basic geometry facts and terms regarding circles. We will also be learning about the motion of 2-D shapes, such as sliding, rotating, and reflecting, and learning about the lines on symmetry in shapes. It should be a fun week, as we have lots of hands-on math activities and working with shapes in the classroom.
Reading: Our reading skill this week will be focusing on is: 'author's purpose', which teaches the students to think about why the author writes what he does. This critical thinking about what we read is an important skill that will make our students stronger readers. We will also continue to read our class-novel, 'The Million Dollar Shot' together and analyze the plot structure of the story, and have a short quiz that will assess the student's comprehension of the story, and their understanding of our previous week's reading skill of 'cause and effect relationships'.
Writing: We will be wrapping up our poetry unit this week in writing lessons. The student's will finish writing their rhyming poetry examples, and experiment with different rhyming patterns and subject matter. The students will then work on putting together their very own book of poetry, with the edited copies of their favourite examples of their poetry.
Science: This is the final week of our 'Motion and Design' unit in Science. The students will have the choice of 3 distinct design challenges, and need to work together to meet them, record them, and then report on their findings to the class. The challenge will be to build a vehicle that can travel quickly using the kinetic force of rubber bands, a vehicle that can securely carry a heavy weight, or a vehicle that can travel using the force from the wind.
Here's to a great week in grade 4! On a side note, if you've read this blog could you please post a brief comment at the bottom of the blog or shoot me a quick email. I'm trying to find out who in our grade 4 community checks up on us. Thanks and all the best,
Jordan Rose
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here at Discovery School we had a busy weekend as we held the National Spelling Bee on Saturday morning. The event was a big success, and all the spellers did a great job and showed off their spelling abilities.
Important Reminders
This is the last full week before our Science Fair on Feb. 17th. Most students should have completed their experiments by now, and should now be putting all of their work into their final poster-board. I can't wait to see all the hard work that the students have done with their experiments.
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: We're getting into our second week in our Geometry unit. The students will be learning about lines and angles, how to classify triangles and quadrilaterals, and about the basic geometry facts and terms regarding circles. We will also be learning about the motion of 2-D shapes, such as sliding, rotating, and reflecting, and learning about the lines on symmetry in shapes. It should be a fun week, as we have lots of hands-on math activities and working with shapes in the classroom.
Reading: Our reading skill this week will be focusing on is: 'author's purpose', which teaches the students to think about why the author writes what he does. This critical thinking about what we read is an important skill that will make our students stronger readers. We will also continue to read our class-novel, 'The Million Dollar Shot' together and analyze the plot structure of the story, and have a short quiz that will assess the student's comprehension of the story, and their understanding of our previous week's reading skill of 'cause and effect relationships'.
Writing: We will be wrapping up our poetry unit this week in writing lessons. The student's will finish writing their rhyming poetry examples, and experiment with different rhyming patterns and subject matter. The students will then work on putting together their very own book of poetry, with the edited copies of their favourite examples of their poetry.
Science: This is the final week of our 'Motion and Design' unit in Science. The students will have the choice of 3 distinct design challenges, and need to work together to meet them, record them, and then report on their findings to the class. The challenge will be to build a vehicle that can travel quickly using the kinetic force of rubber bands, a vehicle that can securely carry a heavy weight, or a vehicle that can travel using the force from the wind.
Here's to a great week in grade 4! On a side note, if you've read this blog could you please post a brief comment at the bottom of the blog or shoot me a quick email. I'm trying to find out who in our grade 4 community checks up on us. Thanks and all the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, January 31, 2011
Activities for the Week of Jan 31st-Feb. 4th
Greetings parents and students,
January's officially flown by, and we're getting ready for February.
Important Reminders
Spelling Bee: This Saturday Discovery School is hosting the nationwide Spelling Bee. Let's hope our young spellers do a great job. Good luck to our grade 4 representative Gabe Morrison!!
Science Fair: It sounds like most students are on their way to some interesting science projects. Remember the science fair is on February 17th.
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: Well we've finished our computation section of the math curriculum and we're moving into geometry this week!! The students will be learning how to define and classify 2D and 3D shapes and experiment with making their own figures out of construction paper. The students will also be learning about 2D polygons, lines, line segments, and angles, as well as learning how to classify triangles. It should be a fun week in math class!
Reading: In reading we will be exploring rhyming poetry. We will be learning about the different rhyme patterns that are used in rhyming poetry, and about certain techniques like rhythm and alliteration.
We will also continue reading our class novel, 'The Million Dollar Shot', and examine the plot structure of the story. We will also be looking for cause and effect relationships that occur throughout the story.
Writing: After learning about rhyming poetry in reading lessons, we will experiment with writing our own rhyming poetry. We will practice applying different rhyme schemes and rhythm into our rhyming poems. We will also have a contest, like the one in our class novel, where we will see who can write the best Finkle poem.
Grammar: We will be working on our proofreading skills by finding and fixing punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes in a piece of writing.
Science: The students will design and build their final vehicle of the 'Design and Motion' unit. The vehicle will use a propeller and a rubber band to create energy and put our vehicles into motion. The students will then test their vehicles and create a data chart to record what they find.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! All the best,
Jordan Rose
January's officially flown by, and we're getting ready for February.
Important Reminders
Spelling Bee: This Saturday Discovery School is hosting the nationwide Spelling Bee. Let's hope our young spellers do a great job. Good luck to our grade 4 representative Gabe Morrison!!
Science Fair: It sounds like most students are on their way to some interesting science projects. Remember the science fair is on February 17th.
Classroom Activities This Week
Math: Well we've finished our computation section of the math curriculum and we're moving into geometry this week!! The students will be learning how to define and classify 2D and 3D shapes and experiment with making their own figures out of construction paper. The students will also be learning about 2D polygons, lines, line segments, and angles, as well as learning how to classify triangles. It should be a fun week in math class!
Reading: In reading we will be exploring rhyming poetry. We will be learning about the different rhyme patterns that are used in rhyming poetry, and about certain techniques like rhythm and alliteration.
We will also continue reading our class novel, 'The Million Dollar Shot', and examine the plot structure of the story. We will also be looking for cause and effect relationships that occur throughout the story.
Writing: After learning about rhyming poetry in reading lessons, we will experiment with writing our own rhyming poetry. We will practice applying different rhyme schemes and rhythm into our rhyming poems. We will also have a contest, like the one in our class novel, where we will see who can write the best Finkle poem.
Grammar: We will be working on our proofreading skills by finding and fixing punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes in a piece of writing.
Science: The students will design and build their final vehicle of the 'Design and Motion' unit. The vehicle will use a propeller and a rubber band to create energy and put our vehicles into motion. The students will then test their vehicles and create a data chart to record what they find.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! All the best,
Jordan Rose
Monday, January 24, 2011
Class Activities for the Week of January 24th-29th
Hello parents and students....well we're back in full swing and ready for another week of fun at Discovery School.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Our mid-year MAP testing is under way. We've completed Math and Reading tests, and will be sitting our Language Usage test this Wednesday. So far the trend in our scores has been very positive. Please contact me via email if you're curious about your child's scores. Otherwise you can read about them on our mid-quarter progress report.
MATH
This our last week of division!! We will be practicing our ability to divide with two digit divisors, and our ability to apply our division skills to word based problems. Wednesday will be a review day before our test Thursday. TEST THURSDAY!! I will be sending home a practice test Wednesday as per usual. Friday begins a new unit, as we finally say goodbye to computation and number sense and get into some geometry.
READING
We will be continuing to read our class novel, 'Million Dollar Shot', and apply our Cause and Effect reading skills to help us evaluate the story. We will also be reading to monitor each student's comprehension of the text and will be having a short quiz and homework as an assessment. We will also work on reading free-verse poetry, as we learn more about the structure and form of free-verse poetry so that we can apply it to our own writing.
WRITING
We are ready to begin creating our own poetry. The students have gained a feel for expression and description through language and will now explore what they've learned by experimenting with writing their own free-verse poems. We will be looking for the use of metaphors and similes and the use of words that sound nice when read aloud, as well as convey meaning.
SPELLING
Our spelling words this week will focus on words that end with the suffix -er and -or.
SCIENCE
In our motion and design unit we will be testing the effects of air resistance on a vehicles motion by designing and building vehicles with sails. In this experiment we will be learning about concepts such air resistance, drag, and aerodynamics.
GRAMMAR
In grammar this week we will be working on the reading/writing skill of main idea and supporting details. The students will learn about thee concepts and then practice identifying the main idea in a piece of text then and providing their own supporting details.
CHARACTER STUDIES
In this week we will be following up last week's lesson where we learned about the concept of diligence. We will discuss why diligence is an important character trait, and give examples of how we can use diligence to improve ourselves.
Thanks for reading everyone!! Have a great week!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Our mid-year MAP testing is under way. We've completed Math and Reading tests, and will be sitting our Language Usage test this Wednesday. So far the trend in our scores has been very positive. Please contact me via email if you're curious about your child's scores. Otherwise you can read about them on our mid-quarter progress report.
MATH
This our last week of division!! We will be practicing our ability to divide with two digit divisors, and our ability to apply our division skills to word based problems. Wednesday will be a review day before our test Thursday. TEST THURSDAY!! I will be sending home a practice test Wednesday as per usual. Friday begins a new unit, as we finally say goodbye to computation and number sense and get into some geometry.
READING
We will be continuing to read our class novel, 'Million Dollar Shot', and apply our Cause and Effect reading skills to help us evaluate the story. We will also be reading to monitor each student's comprehension of the text and will be having a short quiz and homework as an assessment. We will also work on reading free-verse poetry, as we learn more about the structure and form of free-verse poetry so that we can apply it to our own writing.
WRITING
We are ready to begin creating our own poetry. The students have gained a feel for expression and description through language and will now explore what they've learned by experimenting with writing their own free-verse poems. We will be looking for the use of metaphors and similes and the use of words that sound nice when read aloud, as well as convey meaning.
SPELLING
Our spelling words this week will focus on words that end with the suffix -er and -or.
SCIENCE
In our motion and design unit we will be testing the effects of air resistance on a vehicles motion by designing and building vehicles with sails. In this experiment we will be learning about concepts such air resistance, drag, and aerodynamics.
GRAMMAR
In grammar this week we will be working on the reading/writing skill of main idea and supporting details. The students will learn about thee concepts and then practice identifying the main idea in a piece of text then and providing their own supporting details.
CHARACTER STUDIES
In this week we will be following up last week's lesson where we learned about the concept of diligence. We will discuss why diligence is an important character trait, and give examples of how we can use diligence to improve ourselves.
Thanks for reading everyone!! Have a great week!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Class Activities for the Week of January 18th-21st
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Science Fair: As I wrote in our last blog the science fair date has been pushed back a few weeks. The new date is February 17th. Please refer to the previous week's blog for information or contact me if you have any questions.
Spelling Bee: Our two top spellers in class, Gabe Morrison and Dani Chassy, battled it out last week to see who would represent grade 4 at the National Spelling Bee. Gabe narrowly edged Dani and will be our class representative. The spelling bee will be held at Discovery on Feb. 5th. We will be hosting 25 schools from around Honduras. It is a family event, and all our welcome to come cheer on our Discovery students. The event is from 9-12.
MAP Testing: This week our students will be taking the MAP tests. If you are unfamiliar with MAP or the testing process please see the school website or contact me for more information. The MAP tests are not tests that can be studied for, but we will be reviewing test taking skills this week so that students are more comfortable with the process. If you have any questions or are curious about your child's results please contact me.
Classroom Activities This Week:
MATH: We are on the homestretch of our division unit. This week we will learn to divide using monetary values, find averages, and divide using two digit divisors. We will also be reviewing division vocabulary such as: divisor, dividend, and quotient, and reviewing how to divide using multiples of 10. Our Chapter test will be on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
READING: We will be continuing to read our class novel, 'Million Dollar Shot', and finding all the cause and effect relationships within the 3rd and 4th chapters. We will also continue to read and learn about poetry, specifically free verse poetry this week.
WRITING: In correspondance with our poetry reading we will be writing our very own metaphors for our favourite colours. (for eg. Blue is the sea shimmering on a........) We will then look at how metaphors are used to make the words in a poem come alive and add meaning, and then practice writing our own free-verse poems with as many similes and metaphors as we can think of.
SCIENCE: Unfortunately our science lessons will be curtailed this week due to the MAP testing times. But we will have time to evaluate our designs of our vehicle and look at how friction effects the effectiveness of our vehicles.
GRAMMAR: We will be learning the grammar lesson that we did not have time for last week. We will be studying the prefix and suffix de- and -er/or
I'm looking forward to a great week, and hopefully some signs of improvement in our MAP tests. Have a great week everyone!!
Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
Science Fair: As I wrote in our last blog the science fair date has been pushed back a few weeks. The new date is February 17th. Please refer to the previous week's blog for information or contact me if you have any questions.
Spelling Bee: Our two top spellers in class, Gabe Morrison and Dani Chassy, battled it out last week to see who would represent grade 4 at the National Spelling Bee. Gabe narrowly edged Dani and will be our class representative. The spelling bee will be held at Discovery on Feb. 5th. We will be hosting 25 schools from around Honduras. It is a family event, and all our welcome to come cheer on our Discovery students. The event is from 9-12.
MAP Testing: This week our students will be taking the MAP tests. If you are unfamiliar with MAP or the testing process please see the school website or contact me for more information. The MAP tests are not tests that can be studied for, but we will be reviewing test taking skills this week so that students are more comfortable with the process. If you have any questions or are curious about your child's results please contact me.
Classroom Activities This Week:
MATH: We are on the homestretch of our division unit. This week we will learn to divide using monetary values, find averages, and divide using two digit divisors. We will also be reviewing division vocabulary such as: divisor, dividend, and quotient, and reviewing how to divide using multiples of 10. Our Chapter test will be on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
READING: We will be continuing to read our class novel, 'Million Dollar Shot', and finding all the cause and effect relationships within the 3rd and 4th chapters. We will also continue to read and learn about poetry, specifically free verse poetry this week.
WRITING: In correspondance with our poetry reading we will be writing our very own metaphors for our favourite colours. (for eg. Blue is the sea shimmering on a........) We will then look at how metaphors are used to make the words in a poem come alive and add meaning, and then practice writing our own free-verse poems with as many similes and metaphors as we can think of.
SCIENCE: Unfortunately our science lessons will be curtailed this week due to the MAP testing times. But we will have time to evaluate our designs of our vehicle and look at how friction effects the effectiveness of our vehicles.
GRAMMAR: We will be learning the grammar lesson that we did not have time for last week. We will be studying the prefix and suffix de- and -er/or
I'm looking forward to a great week, and hopefully some signs of improvement in our MAP tests. Have a great week everyone!!
Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
Monday, January 10, 2011
Classroom Activities for Jan 10th-14th
Happy New Year Everyone!!! I hope everyone had a great holiday. Now it's time to get back into our studies as we begin our third quarter in fourth grade.
Important Reminders:
2nd Quarter Reports: Please have all students return the brown report card envelope with a parent's signature this week. If you have any questions about the report card or if you did not receive it please contact me.
Science Fair:
The presentation day for our science fair projects has been moved back two weeks, until the second week of February. We do not have an exact date at this time, but we will let you know in the near future. I hope this postponement comes as good news as it will give students and families a bit more time to complete those experiments and prepare their posterboard presentations. If your child has already completed his/her experiment please remember to take lots of photographs so that these photos can be used to display the completed work and all of the process on the final posterboard. Again if you have any questions about Science Fair please contact me.
Friday, Jan. 14th:
This Friday we will be on our AM schedule, meaning that students will be dismissed at 11:45 am.
This Week's Classroom Activities:
Math: We will be continuing to learn and practice our division skills in chapter 7 this week. We will work on representing and solving problems using counters, story problems, pictures, and paper and pencil. We will also be working on word based problems that require us to interpret the meaning of the remainder. By the end of the week we'll be ready to start dividing 3 digit numbers, problems with 0 in the quotient, and division problems with dollars and cents.
Reading: This week we will starting our new class novel, "Million Dollar Shot", by Dan Gutman. This is an entertaining, grade-level read that will allow us to practice our oral reading skills, as well as our reading comprehension, narrative structure, and understanding of cause and effect. For our self-selected reading the students will be asked to choose a book of poetry. We will reading poetry, and learning about the different types of poetry as a lead in to our new writing unit.
Writing: This week will be our introduction to our poetry unit. We will start by learning about verse and free-verse poetry. We will then experiment with free-verse poetry and write some concrete poems. We will also practice using similes and metaphors in groups to describe our favourite colours.
Grammar: Our grammar focus will continue to look at prefixes and suffixes. This week we will be working with the prefix de- and the suffix -er.
Spelling: This weeks words will focus on the /s/ sound. The words are: notice, recess, twice, sentence, device, surface, princess, slice, chance, office, iceberg, spice, peace, prance, faucet
Science: We will be getting back into our design and motion unit, as the students will learn about design challenges, and begin to think about how to deal with their own design challenges with regards to their vehicles. The students will also experiment with the use of energy from a rubber band, and using that energy as force to propel their vehicles into motion.
Here's to an excellent 2011 in grade 4!!!!!!! Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
Important Reminders:
2nd Quarter Reports: Please have all students return the brown report card envelope with a parent's signature this week. If you have any questions about the report card or if you did not receive it please contact me.
Science Fair:
The presentation day for our science fair projects has been moved back two weeks, until the second week of February. We do not have an exact date at this time, but we will let you know in the near future. I hope this postponement comes as good news as it will give students and families a bit more time to complete those experiments and prepare their posterboard presentations. If your child has already completed his/her experiment please remember to take lots of photographs so that these photos can be used to display the completed work and all of the process on the final posterboard. Again if you have any questions about Science Fair please contact me.
Friday, Jan. 14th:
This Friday we will be on our AM schedule, meaning that students will be dismissed at 11:45 am.
This Week's Classroom Activities:
Math: We will be continuing to learn and practice our division skills in chapter 7 this week. We will work on representing and solving problems using counters, story problems, pictures, and paper and pencil. We will also be working on word based problems that require us to interpret the meaning of the remainder. By the end of the week we'll be ready to start dividing 3 digit numbers, problems with 0 in the quotient, and division problems with dollars and cents.
Reading: This week we will starting our new class novel, "Million Dollar Shot", by Dan Gutman. This is an entertaining, grade-level read that will allow us to practice our oral reading skills, as well as our reading comprehension, narrative structure, and understanding of cause and effect. For our self-selected reading the students will be asked to choose a book of poetry. We will reading poetry, and learning about the different types of poetry as a lead in to our new writing unit.
Writing: This week will be our introduction to our poetry unit. We will start by learning about verse and free-verse poetry. We will then experiment with free-verse poetry and write some concrete poems. We will also practice using similes and metaphors in groups to describe our favourite colours.
Grammar: Our grammar focus will continue to look at prefixes and suffixes. This week we will be working with the prefix de- and the suffix -er.
Spelling: This weeks words will focus on the /s/ sound. The words are: notice, recess, twice, sentence, device, surface, princess, slice, chance, office, iceberg, spice, peace, prance, faucet
Science: We will be getting back into our design and motion unit, as the students will learn about design challenges, and begin to think about how to deal with their own design challenges with regards to their vehicles. The students will also experiment with the use of energy from a rubber band, and using that energy as force to propel their vehicles into motion.
Here's to an excellent 2011 in grade 4!!!!!!! Sincerely,
Jordan Rose
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