This has been another busy week! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY of MAP TESTING!! Hurray! Students have worked very hard. We have many fun activities planned as the school year winds down. We have the Fifth Grade Talent Show, Field Day, our field trip to St. Charles, and lots more to look forward to. I remind students that many of these activities are privileges. I want each student to join us for these fun activities. We have to show SUPERSTAR behavior so that each day is smooth and successful!
This week in science we started chapter 11, Force and Motion. Next week we will create our own simple machines in class. Students will bring in objects from home to create a simple machine that will open their text book.
Some useful materials include, but are not limited to... tape, string, wood, Legos, cardboard, pulleys, empty milk containers, empty water bottles with lids Students will have until next Wednesday, April 9 to bring supplies for their simple machine. All items should fit inside a shoe box We are working hard as we wind down third quarter.
Writing: We have lots of fun projects going on. The Historical fiction writing has gone so well. We will have our Author's Day celebration when we come back from Spring Break. Math: Topic 14 and 15, capacity and measurement Reading: After Spring Break we will begin book clubs. I am super excited about getting to meet with small groups for book discussions. We will continue to practice main idea, summarizing, and drawing conclusions. Spelling: We will continue to practice the weekly words in class. Students are encouraged to study their words at home as well. Science/Health: Simple Machines will be our next unit in the next couple of weeks Social Studies: We started researching Missouri people, places, and things. Students will create presentations to share their discoveries. There is so much going on these days in fourth grade! Here's an update on some of the projects and important dates coming up:
Writing: We are beginning our discussion of Historical Fiction in writing. This week has been super interesting as we have had discussions some awesome discussions of The Great Depression from the perspective of children who lived through this difficult time in American history. Math: We are moving right along in long division. Students are working so hard in understanding the concept and the routine and practice. Science: Chapters 5 & 6 in science. We have had some wonderful discussions about volcanoes, earthquakes, and landforms. Reading: The focus for reading has been inferencing. The next skill we will move on to is main idea. Intervention Time/WIN: Each day after reading we have WHAT I NEED time. The agenda of each day varies depending on what students need. We have group work, partner work, and whole group instruction covering all areas of the classroom curriculum. What a great turn out at Curriculum Night! I still haven't announced to the class that we're getting 27 Ipads! I thought for sure the students who were here last night would share with the rest of the class. No one has mentioned a word all day. I'm excited to share the surprise after special class this afternoon as we go Welcome to curriculum night! We are happy you were able to join us to find out more about what we do each day at school.
Please take some time to walk around the classroom and get to know how your child spends their day here at Gotsch as a fourth grader. Schedule: Notice the reminder of A-B-C-D schedule. This allows students to remind themselves when we have PE so they wear tennis shoes. Data Wall: We are tracking growth in writing and math. Students take ownership of their own learning by graphing their progress on pieces of writing and math tests. You will be amazed at the growth your child will show throughout the school year. Classroom library: We have several book categories and titles for students to choose from. We also visit our school library weekly. The book mobile comes to Gotsch each month. I encourage each student to make time to visit local libraries. TECHNOLOGY!!! We have a lot of technology in our classroom. We also have weekly visits to the school computer lab. COMING SOON: More TECHNOLOGY will be joining our classroom very soon!!!! HURRAY!!! Thank you for joining us this evening. Please visit our class webpage, notice the blog as imformation is added, and follow me on Twitter. The 2013-2014 is off to a great start! I am so impressed with my new class of fourth graders! We have been super busy already getting organized and getting to know the ropes of fourth grade.
Next week we will begin our regular schedule and rountine. Expect to see spelling words coming home on Monday. Also look for a reading log and any other work that was not completed in class. Students started taking their binders with planners inside this week to get signed. Please continue to look for those each night with homework and evidence of all the work that goes into our school days. I know this is going to be a fantastic school year! |