September is coming to a close.

Hi Everyone.
It is hard to believe that September is drawing to a close and October will be here on Thursday. This school year is truly flying by. Below is the list of topics that we will be working on this week in our classroom.

Reading: We are continuing reading the Lightning Thief. We are halfway through the book and the kids really enjoy reading this novel. I am pleased with the way that they have taken up the interest and are hunting for more books that relate to the topic. Great Job!
We are also working on constructing a Tree Map to help illustrate literary topics from the story. The kids really like creating to learn.

Math: This week we are moving on to Median, Mode and Range. This deals with data and creating Line Plot and Stem and Leaf graphs. This is a simple topic that does not require much calculating on the student's part. We are building them up for success with relatively easy instruction.

Writing/Social Studies: Our class has combined writing and social studies to use our time better and be able to get both subjects accomplished. We are working on comparing the three regions of NC using a Tree Map. This will help them see between Physical, Cultural, and Climate differences in each region. The students will also be writing notes from parts of our lessons to turn into paragraphs in our writing.

• http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/kidspg/
• http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NCKids/default.aspx

Science: This week our kids are going to be "shocked" by the science lessons on Electricity. We are going to work on using batteries, wires and lightbulbs to create a current, as well as illustrate how electricity works in different areas. I will be doing simple demonstrations for them with Static Electricity, Currents, Circuits, etc.

• http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/Science/electricity.htm (great site with interactive items on Electricity)
• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/electricitycircuits.html

Spelling: The words for this week: since, which, inch, string, title, shrimp, picnic, mind, wild, decide, why, skyscraper, buy, right, lightning, write, cypress, bicycle.
The words this week deal with the long "i" and short "i" sounds. Help them remember that not all the "i" sounds will come with the letter "i."

9/21 - 9/25 at a Glance

**REMINDER!!! 4th Grade FUN FRIDAY is the 25th. The theme is tailgating so please send in a towel for your child to sit on since we will be outside "tailgating." Also, please send in a bag of chips/dip, popcorn, cupcakes, etc. Also, please make sure your child has a juice box to drink...HiCi or Capri Sun will work just fine.
Thanks!!!!!!

Hi there Everyone.
This week has a lot of different things happening with our schedule. We are working hard this week on the writing process to get us prepared for Thursday Writing Test.
Here is what we will be working on:

Reading: Our class is continueing the Lightning Thief. They have started working on their brochures for Camp Half-Blood or Mt. Olympus. I have seen some great creative thinking in the process. I have also noticed that the students are getting into the story and anticipating what is going to happen next.

Math: This week we are wrapping up using graphs, specifically Bar Graphs and Line Graphs. The students will have an assessment on Wednesday. This will lead us into learning about data and how to find the Median, Mode, and Range.

Writing: We are currently working on our Haunted House story. The students are working hard and following my guide that we use in class to construct our story. This guide allows them to see how to form sentences but also to change words and make it their own.

• Thursday is our Writing Test. Please make sure your child is on time to class with a good breakfast and ready to learn.

The spelling words for this week are: then, else, edge, when, tenth, empty, sketch, easy, eager, sneakers, mean, fifteen, receive, piecem believe, spelling, people, squeeze.

9/14-9/18 at a Glance

Hi Everyone!!
This week is going to be packed with some fun science, engaging math and fantastic reading. Our full week or work is sure to get some great ideas and responses from our students.
Here it is:

Reading: We have started looking at The Lightning Thief by Rick Roridan. It tells the story of a boy who discovers more about himself and leads him on a great discovery of friendship, hardship and sticking with what is right no matter what. Check out the link below to get more information on Rick Roridan and his novels.

• http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm
• http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0786838655.asp

Math: This week we well be working with Ordered Pair, which students have learned in 3rd grade. I am looking for this to be a pretty easy topic for the kids. We learned our jingle, "Over and Up!" to help with remember our directions. Middle of the week will find us working on graphing with Pictographs, circle graphs, and line graphs. By Friday, we are going to work on double bar graphs...comparing data and information. This will involve a lot of hands on work that the students can be creative with. Below is a graphing site for kids that allows them to create their own graphs from information.

• http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createAgraph/default.aspx
  

Writing: We will start a menu that gives students selections regarding The Lightning Thief, Math instructions, and Science. All of this will be incorperated into our Writing studies. The menu will allow the students to select different writing parts from Appitizers, Main Course and Desserts. I am looking forward to some great ideas and great collaboration from the students.

Science: Our class is working on creating an electromagnet. This is going to happen on Friday while we continue to learn about magnets and their properties. Later in the week we are going to see how magnets tie into electricity. Science is going to be a great way for the students to have hands-on experience with materials that will help them understand better.

Spelling: Words for this week are: fact, began, clasp, rapid, able, later, space, stranger, grade, display, main, explain, freight, neighbor, weigh, vein, April, ankle
The students have their Spelling practice for the week. This will be collected on Friday for a participation grade. If the assignment is incomplete they will have to finish it the following Monday during their lunch period.

I am looking forward to a great week of learning.

Week of 9/8-9/11

Hi There.
I hope that everyone has had a restful and fun-filled Labor Day Holiday. Mine was very exciting but I was also ready to get back in the classroom and jump into our week of learning.
Here are a few things we will be working on this week:

• Reading: Frindle. We will continue to look at Main Idea and summary within the story. The students are getting into the novel and are asking great questions that stem outside the novel.
• AR is up and running so we are going to start working on our goals for the remainder of the quarter.
• Math: We are going to continue working on rounding numbers. Once I feel that this is under our belt, I hope to move on to ordering and comparing numbers. I think this will be a easier concept and be a better success for the students.

Here is a link to a website that might help you and your child understand rounding. http://www.aaamath.com/est27a-rounding.html

• Writing: The class is working on finishing their "Bad Case of Stripes" stories. We are working together and using a template that I am showing the students. This way we are all working with the same pace and mindset. The cool thing is that this allows them to change some wording to make it their own and develop their vocabulary.
• Social Studies: We are going to wrap up our unit on NC and its location, the cultures, regions and history in our state. The students will be tested on their knowledge on Friday.

The Spelling words for this week are: attach, where, sandwich, change, watch, singer, slippery, spring, gather, these, thread, athlete, worth, thirsty, whisper, whistle, awhile, nowhere.
The words this week all have either a "ch", "tch", "wh" or "th" sound. We will be having our spelling test on Friday, so make sure you are studying your words.

Here is a Video Clip on rounding numbers. Enjoy!