Spelling Words: August 29 - September 1

Week 1


Spelling :

1. admit
2. bath
3. middle
4. brush
5. catch
6. sadness
7. thankful
8. standing
9. absent
10. thick

Prefix of the Week:
The prefix mis- means "wrong" 

1st Week Reflections & 2nd Week Word Study

The first week of school was a success! We spent time getting reacquainted with classmates from last year and welcoming new members into our classroom. We reviewed school-wide behavior expectations and established classroom norms. Students were introduced to all content areas including math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Our first math unit focuses on place value up of large numbers. We have begun our mythology study by learning about the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. We will be moving into nonfiction after Labor Day, but each month, we will read and study a new story from Greek mythology. Students are exploring ideas and voice in their writing journals and will be starting their word study this coming week. Science takes place in Mrs. Janssen's room where students learned about her fish as an introduction to life science. The first quarter of social studies will focus on United States geography, so students are practicing locating different points of interest on a map of our country.

Starting Monday, we will be following our regular schedule. I have made a few changes to the previously posted schedule and have posted the new schedule below.

Word study in fourth grade includes spelling and vocabulary practice. Each week, students will be given a list of ten spelling words from a collection of words every fourth grader should know. Students will also receive several choices they may complete for their spelling practice. All spelling practice is due on Thursday before our spelling quiz. Click here to view the spelling assignment sheet for this quarter. Students will be expected to complete a vocabulary sheet focusing on our prefix/suffix of the week. These assignments will be introduced on Monday along with the prefix or suffix for the week. For their vocabulary assessment, students will be given five words to use correctly in sentences.

Back to School Countdown...2 Days!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to meet with me on Friday. It was nice to see that students and parents are as excited about starting fourth grade as I am.

I am posting a copy of our daily schedule below. Students will be heading to PE first thing on Monday morning, so please make sure your child is dressed appropriately. Monday and Tuesday will be full of introductions and procedures, but my goal is to begin teaching content by Wednesday and Thursday.

I have had several questions about homework. I will go more in depth at our Open House on August 25, but I did want to let you know now that students will not be bringing homework home during the first week of school. We will be learning and practicing the format for our review homework throughout the week. Monday, August 29 will be the first day students will have homework. Every night, students will have a review practice sheet to complete at home. This does include Thursday evening. Our review sheets will alternate between math and language review. First quarter will focus on language. During the week, students will be expected to complete several spelling and vocabulary practice assignments to prepare for our weekly test on Thursday. I strongly encourage you to set aside time each evening to check in with your child about his or her homework. If they finish their assignment at school, encourage your student to bring the assignment home and explain to you how they completed it.

See you all on Monday!

4A Daily Schedule

8:00-8:10             Homework Check-in

8:10-8:45 Specials

8:45-9:00 Morning Meeting

9:00-9:30 Math Stations

9:30-9:45 Breakfast & Read Aloud

9:45-10:55 Writing & Word Work

10:55-11:05 Recess

11:10-11:40 Lunch

11:40-12:25 Reading

12:25-1:25 Social Studies (M/W)

Science (T/R)

1:25-2:00 Specials

2:00-2:15 Recess

2:15-2:30 Snack & Quiet Reading

2:30-3:15 Math

3:15-3:45 Reading Strategies

3:45-3:55 Closing

AM Specials: PE (M/W), Guidance (T), Library (R)

PM Specials: Technology (M), Performing Arts (T/R), Art (W)

Wonderopolis

Do you ever just wonder about things? This is a great site that is based around wondering...about anything. Wonderopolis is a wonderful site to encourage your student to wonder and explore.
http://wonderopolis.org/

Back to School Countdown...6 Days!

Summer is winding down, and it's time to get ready for school. I am working in my classroom this week, setting up and organizing materials for this year. All parents and students are invited to come meet their teacher and check out their classroom on Friday, August 18 from 2:00 to 3:00. I hope to see you all then.


By this point, you should have all received a mailing from the school with information about which class your student will be in and a supply list. Below is a link to the supply list. If you have any questions about the 4th grade list, please email me or stop in the classroom.
Elementary Supply List