Sunday, October 30, 2011

Math in Focus

I spoke with several parents about our math curriculum during conferences last week. Our program, Math in Focus, follows the Singapore approach to math instruction and puts a huge focus on place value. That focus causes some slight changes in how we teach and learn math at West Grand. Math in Focus offers online resources for students (and parents) to access for support away from school. Students can view an online textbook, student workbook, and virtual manipulatives in their library. The website is linked below and also on the math page. Students will need their username and password. Just shoot me an email, and I will get that information to you. Enjoy!

https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do

Happy (almost) November!

Thank you to all the wonderful parents who participated in parent-teacher conferences. It was nice to sit down and talk with you. Our next scheduled parent-teacher conferences will be in the spring, but I am always available to chat before then.

Tomorrow (October 31) will be the day of our Halloween party. The elementary costume parade will begin at 2:45. We will begin changing into costumes around 2:30. Our class party will be after the parade. We will have snacks, an art project, and some games. If you are planning on coming to the costume parade and would like to stay and help with games, please join us. Until 2:30, students will be expected to participate in a regular school day. We still have content to cover before we can have fun.

Below is a copy of November's homework calendar and spelling practice for 2nd quarter. Instead of 5pts for spelling practice, students must complete three assignments in a row, just like tic tac toe. The tic tac toe may be three in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Since students will not be turning in their tic tac toe board, please remind students to number their assignments with the box number.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Parent Teacher Conferences

It's conference time! Fourth grade conferences will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (Tuesday is an extra day beyond the scheduled elementary conference nights.) I will be available after school at 4:15. Fall conferences should take about twenty minutes. If you would like more time to talk, we can schedule a conference for another time.
I will be sending home a sign-up sheet on Wednesday. If you have other children's conferences already scheduled and would like a conference on the same night, please let me know. If you are still setting up conferences for your other children, please let me know which class your child is in. I will do my best to coordinate with other teachers.
Please list your top three time/date slots. I will send home another slip of paper with your scheduled time.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Student News

One of our goals in 4th grade is to help students develop a larger world view. One of the tools we use to achieve this goal is Scholastic News. Every other week, our class receives a new edition of the news magazine. As wonderful as Scholastic News is, there are several other news sources appropriate for students. In addition to current event stories, many of these sites offer enrichment and review activities that focus on a wide variety of skills.

4Kids.org is a weekly newspaper feature and web site produced at the University of Kansas by a team of teachers and students.
TimeForKids has a little bit of everything. There are news stories that range from world new to sports and entertainment. There is also a section called Kid Reporters where students are the reporters. (Check out this section to learn about Rick Riordan's newest book The Son of Neptune.) There is also a Homework Helper section where students (or parents) can get academic support.
ScholasticNews takes students further into topics brought up in the classroom magazine. Articles are written at appropriate reading level for students. There are also several links for students to explore.

Multiplication & Division

We have completed the first two units in our math curriculum, and on Monday, we will begin our unit on whole number multiplication and division. I strongly encourage students to click on the math page and explore some of the practice sites I have listed under Whole Number Multiplication and Division. Practice and understanding of multiplication and division facts will help students be successful in our daily lessons.

I have also found some fun activities for you and your child to complete at home. Warning: Some of them could get messy!
Digit's Cyber-Dough

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Pajama Day!

As a class, students earn marbles for positive behavior. We have been working very hard this quarter, and our marble jar is filled! Students have chosen to celebrate this accomplishment with a pajama day on Wednesday (tomorrow). Please remind students that we do have PE and recess tomorrow and that they will be expected to participate even in their pajamas.
Thanks,

Monday, October 3, 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

October Homework Calendar

It's October already! The first months of school have flown by. We have completed our first field trip, survived our first round of MAPs tests, and (almost) finished our first research project. I think that's a pretty good start to the year.

Please take a moment to look at your child's homework calendar. Just like last month, there is a copy online as well as a paper copy for you at home and a copy for students in their homework folder.

Unlike last month, vocabulary will be checked on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This allow everyone to receive additional feedback throughout the week as we progress through our word study. On Tuesdays, we will be checking "pg 1" which identifies the prefixes/suffixes for the week as well as their meanings. Usually the practice on this page asks the students to use the prefix/suffix to create words. "Pg 2" or "More Practice with (insert prefix/suffix here)" will be checked and collected on Wednesday. This page asks students to use words in context and create original sentences. We will still have our vocabulary quiz on Thursday. We have two more weeks of studying prefixes before we transition into studying suffixes. The practice pages will be similar.

You will also notice that on October 12, students will have Drops in the Bucket #1 for homework. We have completed the first part of our language Drops and will start math review this month. The format is similar, but we will go through the first page together in class.

Please, please, please make sure your child is reading at home. By the end of the month, students must have read one nonfiction book and take an AR test on it. This should not be the only book they read. If they find a nonfiction topic they really like, challenge them to find a fiction book that includes that topic. (Check out Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborn for examples.) Or embrace nonfiction this month, and encourage your child to read multiple books on the same subject. Have conversations about how different writers present similar information.

Below are several links to book lists and articles for parents on student reading. Enjoy!
Favorite Books for Fourth Graders
Scholastic: Choosing Books for Your Child
Books for Third and Fourth Grade Students
Grand County Library District
            *Our local librarians are fantastic! Stop by and see what books they have to offer.