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
Monday, January 31, 2011
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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