Happy Friday parents! The end of the year is approaching rather quickly, and we still have so much to accomplish in such a short amount of time. Please take a look at what is happening in fourth grade during this upcoming week!
**Please sign and return permission slips for the girls puberty talk on May 22nd! Thanks!**
Math: Students continue to work through their unit 8 math boxes, weekly morning work, and daily assessment check ins. There will be NO MORE math homework throughout the rest of the year. Each week, the students will also be completing an "Escape the Classroom" math concept review, where they will have forty-five minutes to figure out the clues and escape the classroom game.
Science: During science class, the students are completing STEM projects where they are given a real life problem and asked to solve it by planning and building a product. For example, we talked about the importance of water and how some countries do not have access to clean water. The students then built a water filter. For each project, students will be using an app to post pictures of their finished products for their parents to see if interested.
Seesaw Parent Link(Duke) --> https://app.seesaw.me/s/999-094-327
Seesaw Parent Link(Harlacker) --> https://app.seesaw.me/s/907-259-339
Reading: We are building on our interpretations as we read fiction text and poetry.
Writing: Many students have published their literary essays on the book Fox. Next we will write essays on historical fiction texts the students have been reading during this unit.
Social Studies: The students will be having a quiz on the location of all 50 states.
Vocabulary: Word of the Day quiz will be Wednesday, May 17th
No more word sorts for the year!!
Upcoming Dates:
Career Day: May 19th
May Day: May 19th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Friday, May 12, 2017
Friday, May 5, 2017
Second Week of May (05/08-05/12)
Happy rainy Friday parents! What a fun day yesterday was at the track meet. We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of our students who participated and put forth their best effort. We are now under twenty days of school left, so things are really starting to come to an end. I will not be sending any more math homework home for the remainder of the school year, so students can focus on what they need to get done at school and then mentally relax and have fun outside in the nice weather at home. Please take a look at what is happening this upcoming week in fourth grade.
Math: Students will just be completing project based learning projects. Their grades will consist of their work during this, along with morning work, mental math, and math boxes. Please encourage them to take their time on their morning work and ask questions if they do not understand what is being asked of them.
Science: Students will be working through our end of the year STEM unit. STEM focuses on preparing students to become lifelong learners and to take particular skills that they learn in school and apply it to everyday life. They will be given a problem and then asked to research, plan, and build something that may resolve the problem. An example would be talking about how third world countries have a limited supply of clean water. We have focused a lot on Earth's water this year, so we are going to have the students build a clean water filter to help our the citizens of these countries that are struggling. They will be working collaboratively in groups to complete these projects, which will be another learning experience in itself. They will be graded on the effort and thought that they put into each of these projects.
Reading: As we continue to read Number the Stars the students are learning to analyze parts of the story to develop their own interpretations. I will be administering DRA's next week to assess how much each student has grown as a reader.
Writing: The students wrote a flash draft in class. This means they wrote a draft of a literary essay in a limited amount of time in order to get their thoughts, ideas, and opinions onto paper. We will continue to draft and finally publish these literary essays on the book, Fox. Once students are finished with this literary essay, they will begin
Upcoming Dates:
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Career Day: May 19th
May Day: May 19th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Math: Students will just be completing project based learning projects. Their grades will consist of their work during this, along with morning work, mental math, and math boxes. Please encourage them to take their time on their morning work and ask questions if they do not understand what is being asked of them.
Science: Students will be working through our end of the year STEM unit. STEM focuses on preparing students to become lifelong learners and to take particular skills that they learn in school and apply it to everyday life. They will be given a problem and then asked to research, plan, and build something that may resolve the problem. An example would be talking about how third world countries have a limited supply of clean water. We have focused a lot on Earth's water this year, so we are going to have the students build a clean water filter to help our the citizens of these countries that are struggling. They will be working collaboratively in groups to complete these projects, which will be another learning experience in itself. They will be graded on the effort and thought that they put into each of these projects.
Reading: As we continue to read Number the Stars the students are learning to analyze parts of the story to develop their own interpretations. I will be administering DRA's next week to assess how much each student has grown as a reader.
Writing: The students wrote a flash draft in class. This means they wrote a draft of a literary essay in a limited amount of time in order to get their thoughts, ideas, and opinions onto paper. We will continue to draft and finally publish these literary essays on the book, Fox. Once students are finished with this literary essay, they will begin
Upcoming Dates:
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Career Day: May 19th
May Day: May 19th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Friday, April 28, 2017
A Blooming Week in May (05/01-05/05)
Happy Friday parents! This week the students completed their Math PSSAs, and Ms. Duke and I are so proud of how hard they worked all week long! They were focused and determined to do their absolute best! We have one more week of PSSAs for Science, but it is much shorter and will only span over 2 days of Tuesday and Wednesday. During those days, please make sure your child is getting adequate rest and a good quality breakfast each and every morning either at home or at school. Please take a look at what else is happening this week in fourth grade.
Math: We will begin Unit 8 of Everyday Math, along with some project based math learning. A new homework packet will be sent home on Monday, so please look out for this packet so it does not get lost. We understand we are approaching the end of the year, but we would like to see students continue to work hard.
Science: Students have finished their Invasive Species project. This week, the students will be presenting their research to their peers.
Reading: We are reading and discussing our historical fiction texts. What is the underlying theme? How can we deepen our interpretation through close reading?
Writing: The students will be developing more complex ideas and then drafting their literary essays next week!
Social Studies: We will continue to learn the 50 states by regions. We will have quizzes on each region. Soon we will tackle memorizing the capital of each US state. Have your child practice by using a fun 50 States geography game on the website. Go to Google Classroom and click on the link.
Reading: We are reading and discussing our historical fiction texts. What is the underlying theme? How can we deepen our interpretation through close reading?
Writing: The students will be developing more complex ideas and then drafting their literary essays next week!
Social Studies: We will continue to learn the 50 states by regions. We will have quizzes on each region. Soon we will tackle memorizing the capital of each US state. Have your child practice by using a fun 50 States geography game on the website. Go to Google Classroom and click on the link.
Upcoming Dates:
Science PSSA: May 2nd and 3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
- have students dress in layers to help be prepared for cold/warm weather
- students may bring a water bottle to keep with them
- apply sunscreen or send it to school (students will be outside most of the day)
- wear appropriate running attire, including sneakers
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Friday, April 21, 2017
Last Week in April (04/24-04/28)
Happy Thursday parents! We are at the point where there are less than 30 days left of school for the year. Can you believe it? This year flew by and we can't believe that it is almost coming to an end. We understand that at this time of the year, students tend to start slacking on their school work. Please encourage your child to keep working hard because we still have a lot to do, yet a lot of fun content as well. Also next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the students will have their Math PSSAs. During these days, please make sure that they are getting an adequate amount of sleep and a proper breakfast in the morning, whether that is at school or home.
Math: There will be nothing new taught during math class for the week due to PSSAs. This also means that there will be no homework being sent home.
Science: Students will continue to work on their invasive species project. They have been given a rubric to follow and are required to either make a Powerpoint presentation or poster. They may work on this at home. After they complete their project, the students are expected to present their information to the class. Lastly, for fun, the students will create a WANTED poster to present their information.
Reading: The students have chosen good fit historical fiction books to read during independent reading time. They will be identifying historical timelines and comparing those to their characters' timelines. They will be looking for themes and significant parts in the text. We will be using the powerful historical fiction novel, Number the Stars, to model these strategies.
Writing: We will be studying a published literary essay so the students have an example for when they begin drafting their own literary essays! They will continue to grow ideas, include quotes and evidence for their brainstorming portion.
Social Studies: We will continue to study the 50 states and capitals. Next week we will be identifying the states by region.
Word Work: A new word sort will not be sent home this coming week due to PSSAs, so there will be no Tic Tac Toe Homework due the next Day 6. The next word sort that will be sent home will be on May 2nd. Therefore, TTT homework won't be due again until Day 6 on May 9th. A reminder will be written on the blog next week.
Upcoming Dates:
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Science PSSA: May 1st-3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Math: There will be nothing new taught during math class for the week due to PSSAs. This also means that there will be no homework being sent home.
Science: Students will continue to work on their invasive species project. They have been given a rubric to follow and are required to either make a Powerpoint presentation or poster. They may work on this at home. After they complete their project, the students are expected to present their information to the class. Lastly, for fun, the students will create a WANTED poster to present their information.
Reading: The students have chosen good fit historical fiction books to read during independent reading time. They will be identifying historical timelines and comparing those to their characters' timelines. They will be looking for themes and significant parts in the text. We will be using the powerful historical fiction novel, Number the Stars, to model these strategies.
Writing: We will be studying a published literary essay so the students have an example for when they begin drafting their own literary essays! They will continue to grow ideas, include quotes and evidence for their brainstorming portion.
Social Studies: We will continue to study the 50 states and capitals. Next week we will be identifying the states by region.
Word Work: A new word sort will not be sent home this coming week due to PSSAs, so there will be no Tic Tac Toe Homework due the next Day 6. The next word sort that will be sent home will be on May 2nd. Therefore, TTT homework won't be due again until Day 6 on May 9th. A reminder will be written on the blog next week.
Upcoming Dates:
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Science PSSA: May 1st-3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
Sunglasses Day: May 10th
Puberty Lesson: May 22nd
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Week After Easter Break (04/17-04/21)
Math Madness Addition Winner: Congratulations Tyler Good for winning the championship against the best in the school!
We are also super proud of everyone that competed and put in their best effort throughout the whole tournament. Encourage your child to study their facts to take on the top in the school next year!
Happy Thursday parents! I hope you are all just as excited to have off tomorrow as Ms. Duke and I am! I will be venturing to Boulder, Colorado over this long break, so I will not be at school on Monday, April 17th. I will still send a Remind text out keeping all of you updated on homework for the day. Math PSSAs will also be starting up this week and will last for three days, Tuesday through Wednesday. Please try your absolute best to have your child at school during those days so they will not have to make up their test during class time.
Math: Students will be reviewing main concepts that we focused on this year to help prepare them for the PSSAs. Homework will be sent home, but it will be in the form of a worksheet! I will send a Remind making you aware of what worksheet will be assigned each night!
Science: Students will begin their invasive species projects this week! They were each assigned a specific species and are required to research information on their species and format it into a Powerpoint presentation. They will be presenting their findings to the class, which will also be a good portion of their grade. They will have access to their project at home through Google Classroom. If you have a computer at home, your child has permission to work on it there, but please make sure it is their work and not yours. I will attach the rubric for this project so you can see how your child will be graded.
Reading: We are starting a Historical Fiction unit. The students will apply strategies such as analyzing setting and mood, keeping track of story elements, and comparing personal and historical timelines. Our read aloud will be, Number the Stars, a beautifully written and touching novel.
Writing: In our final unit the students will be ultimately writing literary essays. We will be doing some close reading of literature and learning how to grow our ideas. We will identify a these for our story's characters and write detailed paragraphs that include our inferences.
Word Work: The students received new word sorts and Tic Tac Toe Homework will be due Friday, April 21st!
Vocabulary: Our Word of the Day Quiz will be Wednesday, April 19th!
Social Studies: We will be having fun learning our 50 states and capitals! Check out these links for songs and games:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
https://youtu.be/_E2CNZIlVIg
https://youtu.be/uUFeVKeKRQc
Upcoming Dates:
Easter Break: April 14th-16th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Science PSSA: May 1st-3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
No School: May 29th
Last Day of School: June 2nd
Hot Alternate Lunch For Next Week:
Monday: Stuffed Crust Pizza
Tuesday: Fiesta Pizza
Wednesday: Mickey’s Pizza
Thursday: French Bread Pizza
Friday: Mickey’s Pizza
Thursday, April 6, 2017
A Hopping Week Before Easter Break (04/10-04/13)
Happy Friday parents! We wanted to thank you all for your cooperation this week with the PSSAs. The students did a wonderful job focusing and doing their absolute best. Ms. Duke and I are so proud of them. This upcoming week, the students will not have PSSAs because it is a short week. Please take a look at what will be happening in fourth grade.
Math: Students will be finishing Hands-On Equations this week. They will have a short quiz on the seven lessons that they completed. There will be no study guide being sent home for this. Also, on Thursday, we will be conducting our first ever Math Madness tournament championship. Over the course of the last four weeks, the students have been competing in tournament brackets for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We have gathered a winner for each operation that will competing against the other top third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. We are really excited about this tournament and we are hoping that it is a true success.
Science: We continue to work through our unit on the Pennsylvania Food and Fiber system. Next week, the students will begin a project on Biological Pests. They will be given a certain invasive species that they will need to research and learn about. They will be creating a Powerpoint presentation of the information to present to the class. The students will have access to their Powerpoint at home through Google Classroom if they choose to work on it there.
Reading/Writing: As we research history the students are keeping in mind that there are big lessons that can be learned. This helps them with identifying theme. Next week we will begin a new unit on Historical Fiction. The students have finished up their final research paper on the Revolutionary War. We continue to stress the importance of organization through using transitional phrases and paragraphs, as well as using proper conventions in our writing pieces.
Word Work: A new word sort will be sent home next Day 1, April 13th. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due the following Day 6, April 21st. A Remind text will be sent home.
Social Studies: Our next unit in Social Studies will be our 50 states.
Upcoming Dates:
Crazy Socks and Hat Day: April 12th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Math Madness Championship: April 13th
Easter Break: April 14th-16th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Science PSSA: May 1st-3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
No School: May 29th
Math: Students will be finishing Hands-On Equations this week. They will have a short quiz on the seven lessons that they completed. There will be no study guide being sent home for this. Also, on Thursday, we will be conducting our first ever Math Madness tournament championship. Over the course of the last four weeks, the students have been competing in tournament brackets for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We have gathered a winner for each operation that will competing against the other top third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. We are really excited about this tournament and we are hoping that it is a true success.
Science: We continue to work through our unit on the Pennsylvania Food and Fiber system. Next week, the students will begin a project on Biological Pests. They will be given a certain invasive species that they will need to research and learn about. They will be creating a Powerpoint presentation of the information to present to the class. The students will have access to their Powerpoint at home through Google Classroom if they choose to work on it there.
Reading/Writing: As we research history the students are keeping in mind that there are big lessons that can be learned. This helps them with identifying theme. Next week we will begin a new unit on Historical Fiction. The students have finished up their final research paper on the Revolutionary War. We continue to stress the importance of organization through using transitional phrases and paragraphs, as well as using proper conventions in our writing pieces.
Word Work: A new word sort will be sent home next Day 1, April 13th. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due the following Day 6, April 21st. A Remind text will be sent home.
Social Studies: Our next unit in Social Studies will be our 50 states.
Upcoming Dates:
Crazy Socks and Hat Day: April 12th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Math Madness Championship: April 13th
Easter Break: April 14th-16th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Science PSSA: May 1st-3rd
Track and Field Day: May 4th (rain date: May 18th)
No School: May 29th
Friday, March 24, 2017
Final Week in March (03/27-03/31)
Happy Friday parents! Hopefully this cool weather passes through and you all have a sunny,warm weekend. Please take a look at what is happening this upcoming week in fourth grade:
Math: Unit 7 will be coming to an end this week, which means that your child will have their Unit 7 test next Friday. A study guide will be sent home on Thursday. I also might be trying an online classroom study time from 7:00-8:00. If you have technology that is able access WizIQ, and online learning management system, your child can login and ask me questions pertaining to their study guide. I am not 100% sure if I am trying this or not, but if I am, I will make the students aware.
Science: This week, the students will be focusing on the food and fiber system and the different products that are made here in Pennsylvania.
Reading/Writing: The students have chosen another topic related to the Revolutionary War. They are learning to cite evidence in their research papers. They are also writing effective introductions and conclusions for their papers. As they read nonfiction texts on their topic they are using strategies to gather the most important information. Next week we will be searching for deeper conclusions and themes in nonfiction text.
Social Studies: We are learning about the causes and the outcome of the Civil War. The students will use a study guide and their Social Studies textbooks to take a quiz.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe homework is due Monday, March 27th.
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
4th Grade Field Trip to the High School: March 29th
Book Fair: March 30th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Crazy Socks and Hat Day: April 12th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-16th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Math: Unit 7 will be coming to an end this week, which means that your child will have their Unit 7 test next Friday. A study guide will be sent home on Thursday. I also might be trying an online classroom study time from 7:00-8:00. If you have technology that is able access WizIQ, and online learning management system, your child can login and ask me questions pertaining to their study guide. I am not 100% sure if I am trying this or not, but if I am, I will make the students aware.
Science: This week, the students will be focusing on the food and fiber system and the different products that are made here in Pennsylvania.
Reading/Writing: The students have chosen another topic related to the Revolutionary War. They are learning to cite evidence in their research papers. They are also writing effective introductions and conclusions for their papers. As they read nonfiction texts on their topic they are using strategies to gather the most important information. Next week we will be searching for deeper conclusions and themes in nonfiction text.
Social Studies: We are learning about the causes and the outcome of the Civil War. The students will use a study guide and their Social Studies textbooks to take a quiz.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe homework is due Monday, March 27th.
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
4th Grade Field Trip to the High School: March 29th
Book Fair: March 30th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Crazy Socks and Hat Day: April 12th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-16th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Friday, March 10, 2017
A Lucky Week in March (03/13-03/17)
Happy Friday parents! Please take a look at was is happening in fourth grade this upcoming week!
Math: The students continue to work through unit 7 on Multiplying fractions by whole numbers. We have also started our Math Madness Tournament this week with completing our addition bracket. Our class winner for addition was Tyler Good! We will complete our subtraction bracket next Friday. Each winner for each operation will compete against the top third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders towards the end of April!
Science: Our students completed an oil spill simulation today where they were to try and clean oil out of water with limited amount of supplies. We have been focusing on how human and natural influences can change an ecosystem. Next week, we will move into learning about natural resources.
Reading/Writing: The students are preparing for debates! We are learning how to research and find evidence to support our position on a topic. We've had a few students volunteer to debate: Patriot vs Loyalist. It was a lot of fun to watch them take a stand on the Revolutionary War! The students are finishing up their Informational Books on the Revolutionary War. Next week they will share them in small groups. We are moving on to our next research project. The students will get to choose a new topic.
Social Studies: Since February was Black History month we learned about a lot of famous African Americans who impacted our country. March is Women's History month so we will be discussing the historical journey of women's rights. We are also heading to the next stage on our American timeline and learning about the effects and importance of the Civil War.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework is Tuesday March 14th! Please encourage your child to complete the 3 activities with their word sorts and turn them in on every Day 6. This homework can be done at any time over the course of our 6 day cycle and should only be taking them 15-20 minutes total. Our classroom rule is if homework is not completed and handed in on Day 6, the student loses a classroom dollar and must finish the homework during a portion of their recess (students are not losing the entire recess time). If 3 homework assignments are missed in a row, the student will receive a write up. Thanks for your help in teaching your child responsibility!
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-17th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Math: The students continue to work through unit 7 on Multiplying fractions by whole numbers. We have also started our Math Madness Tournament this week with completing our addition bracket. Our class winner for addition was Tyler Good! We will complete our subtraction bracket next Friday. Each winner for each operation will compete against the top third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders towards the end of April!
Science: Our students completed an oil spill simulation today where they were to try and clean oil out of water with limited amount of supplies. We have been focusing on how human and natural influences can change an ecosystem. Next week, we will move into learning about natural resources.
Reading/Writing: The students are preparing for debates! We are learning how to research and find evidence to support our position on a topic. We've had a few students volunteer to debate: Patriot vs Loyalist. It was a lot of fun to watch them take a stand on the Revolutionary War! The students are finishing up their Informational Books on the Revolutionary War. Next week they will share them in small groups. We are moving on to our next research project. The students will get to choose a new topic.
Social Studies: Since February was Black History month we learned about a lot of famous African Americans who impacted our country. March is Women's History month so we will be discussing the historical journey of women's rights. We are also heading to the next stage on our American timeline and learning about the effects and importance of the Civil War.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework is Tuesday March 14th! Please encourage your child to complete the 3 activities with their word sorts and turn them in on every Day 6. This homework can be done at any time over the course of our 6 day cycle and should only be taking them 15-20 minutes total. Our classroom rule is if homework is not completed and handed in on Day 6, the student loses a classroom dollar and must finish the homework during a portion of their recess (students are not losing the entire recess time). If 3 homework assignments are missed in a row, the student will receive a write up. Thanks for your help in teaching your child responsibility!
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-17th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Second Full Week of March (03/06-03/10)
Happy Friday parents! Hope you are all looking forward to the snow we are suppose to be receiving today and the lovely weekend you have ahead of you. Please take a look at what is happening next week in fourth grade.
Math: We will beginning Unit 7 which focuses on multiplication of a fraction and whole number along with measurement. Your child will be given their new homework packet on Monday, so please look out for this coming home. They can not lose this packet or they will lose their homework. Also, we will be hosting a Math Madness tournament throughout the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Students will be tested on their fact fluency accuracy and speed and will be moved on through the tournament based on how they do. Encourage your child to practice these facts at home!
Science: The students will work through our Ecosystem and Environment Unit. They will be completing a group project on building a habitat for an animals which will be work 100 points! We will then progress into learning how humans can impact our environment in negative and positive ways.
Reading/Writing/Social Studies: We will continue to work on our informational books on The Revolutionary War. The students are typing their 4 chapters, as well as their resources on Google Docs. We can't wait to share what we have learned with everyone! We will practice recognizing point of view, tone, and perspective when reading nonfiction text. Soon we will begin researching to prepare for debates!
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework is due Monday, March 6th.
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-17th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Math: We will beginning Unit 7 which focuses on multiplication of a fraction and whole number along with measurement. Your child will be given their new homework packet on Monday, so please look out for this coming home. They can not lose this packet or they will lose their homework. Also, we will be hosting a Math Madness tournament throughout the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Students will be tested on their fact fluency accuracy and speed and will be moved on through the tournament based on how they do. Encourage your child to practice these facts at home!
Science: The students will work through our Ecosystem and Environment Unit. They will be completing a group project on building a habitat for an animals which will be work 100 points! We will then progress into learning how humans can impact our environment in negative and positive ways.
Reading/Writing/Social Studies: We will continue to work on our informational books on The Revolutionary War. The students are typing their 4 chapters, as well as their resources on Google Docs. We can't wait to share what we have learned with everyone! We will practice recognizing point of view, tone, and perspective when reading nonfiction text. Soon we will begin researching to prepare for debates!
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework is due Monday, March 6th.
Upcoming Dates:
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Language Arts PSSA: April 3rd-7th
Grandparent's Day: April 12th
Easter Break: April 14th-17th
Math PSSA: April 24th-28th
Friday, February 24, 2017
Read Across America Week (02/27-03/01)
Happy Friday parents! This is the blog for our upcoming week and we are sending this home early so you are aware of the spirit days Read Across America week. We will be participating in a daily drop everything and read time and completing an activity with a second grade class. Please take a look at what we will be completing during class in each of their subjects:
Math: Unit 6 will be coming to an end this week which means that Wednesday the students will have their unit test. We will be reviewing in class on Tuesday and a study guide will be sent home for the students to practice. As usual, the study guide will be worth two extra credit points on the test if it is fully completed.
Science: Last week the students finished up their unit on Adaptations and Patterns. Instead of an end of the unit test, the students completed a research based project on a specific Pennsylvania native animal and applied their knowledge from this unit to help complete it. They created a video to show their information about their animal and built their animal's habitat. In addition to this, they worked through stations, in which they were also applying their knowledge to help them complete.
Reading/Writing: As the students are researching they are synthesizing information from different sources and learning how to read primary sources. They began to write mini stories in their informational books to bring their information to life. Next week we will learn about how to write essays that include historical evidence as reasons to support a claim.
Social Studies: We are still learning about the Revolutionary War. The students will also be introduced to some important African American figures who have helped to shape our country's history.
Word Work: New word sorts Monday!
Vocabulary: Word of the Day Quiz on Tuesday!
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE:
In your child's math and science class, we have been transitioning into a hybrid environment, which means that your child's education is a mix of face-to-face small group instruction and computer based. They are given a weekly agenda that they are to follow to help them complete their necessary work. This agenda is placed on their Google Classroom along with videos to help them with their daily math lessons. There are many advantages to having a system like this. It allows the students to work to their strengths. Some students pick up on new concepts quickly and this lets them move at a fast pace, while my struggling students get that one-on-one intervention that they need to be successful. Another benefit to this is that when your child is absent, they have access to our daily lessons at home. As long as you have internet access, your child can logon to their Google account and sign into their Google Classroom at any time. Next week, I will be sending a letter home explaining that because of this new way of instruction that students will be allowed to bring in their own types of technology to use and access online information. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BRING IN THEIR OWN TECHNOLOGY, this is just an option that you will all have. If you have more questions about this, please let me know!
Upcoming Dates:
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Read Across America Week: February 27th-March 3rd
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Math: Unit 6 will be coming to an end this week which means that Wednesday the students will have their unit test. We will be reviewing in class on Tuesday and a study guide will be sent home for the students to practice. As usual, the study guide will be worth two extra credit points on the test if it is fully completed.
Science: Last week the students finished up their unit on Adaptations and Patterns. Instead of an end of the unit test, the students completed a research based project on a specific Pennsylvania native animal and applied their knowledge from this unit to help complete it. They created a video to show their information about their animal and built their animal's habitat. In addition to this, they worked through stations, in which they were also applying their knowledge to help them complete.
Reading/Writing: As the students are researching they are synthesizing information from different sources and learning how to read primary sources. They began to write mini stories in their informational books to bring their information to life. Next week we will learn about how to write essays that include historical evidence as reasons to support a claim.
Social Studies: We are still learning about the Revolutionary War. The students will also be introduced to some important African American figures who have helped to shape our country's history.
Word Work: New word sorts Monday!
Vocabulary: Word of the Day Quiz on Tuesday!
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE:
In your child's math and science class, we have been transitioning into a hybrid environment, which means that your child's education is a mix of face-to-face small group instruction and computer based. They are given a weekly agenda that they are to follow to help them complete their necessary work. This agenda is placed on their Google Classroom along with videos to help them with their daily math lessons. There are many advantages to having a system like this. It allows the students to work to their strengths. Some students pick up on new concepts quickly and this lets them move at a fast pace, while my struggling students get that one-on-one intervention that they need to be successful. Another benefit to this is that when your child is absent, they have access to our daily lessons at home. As long as you have internet access, your child can logon to their Google account and sign into their Google Classroom at any time. Next week, I will be sending a letter home explaining that because of this new way of instruction that students will be allowed to bring in their own types of technology to use and access online information. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BRING IN THEIR OWN TECHNOLOGY, this is just an option that you will all have. If you have more questions about this, please let me know!
Upcoming Dates:
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Read Across America Week: February 27th-March 3rd
End of the 3rd Marking Period: March 27th
2 Hour Delay for Students: March 28th
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
A Short Valentine's Day Week (02/13-02/16)
Happy Monday parents! Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather we had this weekend and that you were able to spend some time outside. Please remember that your child will not have school this Friday or Monday. We have lost the Thursday for Easter break due to the snow day. Take a look at what is happening in fourth grade this week!
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 6 of Math which focuses on different strategies to help the students to divide. I have been teaching the students the steps to solve traditional division problems and they should be using this to complete their homework. If you would like extra practice to have your child work on this at home, let me know and I will send some work home.
Science: Our adaptations and patterns unit will be coming to an end. The students will be working through station work all week that has them applying all of their new information that they have learned through the course of this unit. This is due along with their research project at the end of the week. They may work on their research project at home if they would like.
Reading/Writing/Social Studies: Our focus is to research the Revolutionary War. The students are learning how to prioritize the information they read in order to take notes on the most important facts. We will be reading information from books, articles, and websites to help us write our own informational book on the American Revolution. This book will consist of four chapters: Revolutionary War Overview, Focus Topic (student's choice), Mini Story, and an Essay on why their focus topic is important to the war. So far we have learned about so many interesting and important topics that led up to the war such as The Boston Tea Party, The Intolerable Acts, Paul Revere's midnight ride, and the Shot Heard Round the World. We have also learned about some important people who have impacted this period in history such as Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, and George Washington. Check out http://www.ducksters.com/history/american_revolution.php
Word Work: New sorts will be given out on Wednesday this week!
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 6 of Math which focuses on different strategies to help the students to divide. I have been teaching the students the steps to solve traditional division problems and they should be using this to complete their homework. If you would like extra practice to have your child work on this at home, let me know and I will send some work home.
Science: Our adaptations and patterns unit will be coming to an end. The students will be working through station work all week that has them applying all of their new information that they have learned through the course of this unit. This is due along with their research project at the end of the week. They may work on their research project at home if they would like.
Reading/Writing/Social Studies: Our focus is to research the Revolutionary War. The students are learning how to prioritize the information they read in order to take notes on the most important facts. We will be reading information from books, articles, and websites to help us write our own informational book on the American Revolution. This book will consist of four chapters: Revolutionary War Overview, Focus Topic (student's choice), Mini Story, and an Essay on why their focus topic is important to the war. So far we have learned about so many interesting and important topics that led up to the war such as The Boston Tea Party, The Intolerable Acts, Paul Revere's midnight ride, and the Shot Heard Round the World. We have also learned about some important people who have impacted this period in history such as Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, and George Washington. Check out http://www.ducksters.com/history/american_revolution.php
Word Work: New sorts will be given out on Wednesday this week!
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday, February 6, 2017
First Full Week of February (02/06-02/10)
Happy Monday and first week of February! We hope that everyone who watched the Superbowl had a good time and they got the outcome that they wanted! Please take a look at what is happening in fourth grade this week and the upcoming events that will be happening at our school and throughout the district.
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 6 of Math which focuses on different methods of division. I will be teaching the students the traditional way to multiply with a lot of emphasis on practice at school. If you would like extra worksheets for your child to practice at home, please reach out to me and I will help out in any way that I can. Also, I wanted to make each parent aware that my classroom in transforming into a blended learning environment, which means that your child is completing the same math concepts and work, but they are working at their own pace and at their own ability. It gives me the opportunities to challenge students at a higher level, but also focus more on the students who are struggling with the harder concepts.
Science: We are still working through our adaptations and patterns unit. Your child will be conducting a research based project on a specific animal throughout the end of this unit and will be presenting their findings to their peers. I am excited to teach students how to further their research and to use good quality websites!
Reading: The students have been busy researching! We have used our reading and note taking skills to research important information and subtopics on Native Americans. While the students are finishing typing up their Native American articles, we are beginning a new subject; The American Revolution. We will find good fit books and articles to read and take notes on the information from those resources.
Writing: We are learning how to write an article, which is similar to an essay but with headings. All of the Native American research the students have found will now be organized in this paper. They will continue to use proper conventions and paragraphs, as well as strong introductions and conclusions.
Social Studies: The topic of the Revolutionary War will be integrated into language arts. We will learn about the causes of the war, battles, important leaders, and the outcome. Please feel free to have your child bring in a source that relates to this topic.
Word Work: New word sorts will be given out on Tuesday. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due next Monday, Feb 13th!
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Workout Day: February 8th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 6 of Math which focuses on different methods of division. I will be teaching the students the traditional way to multiply with a lot of emphasis on practice at school. If you would like extra worksheets for your child to practice at home, please reach out to me and I will help out in any way that I can. Also, I wanted to make each parent aware that my classroom in transforming into a blended learning environment, which means that your child is completing the same math concepts and work, but they are working at their own pace and at their own ability. It gives me the opportunities to challenge students at a higher level, but also focus more on the students who are struggling with the harder concepts.
Science: We are still working through our adaptations and patterns unit. Your child will be conducting a research based project on a specific animal throughout the end of this unit and will be presenting their findings to their peers. I am excited to teach students how to further their research and to use good quality websites!
Reading: The students have been busy researching! We have used our reading and note taking skills to research important information and subtopics on Native Americans. While the students are finishing typing up their Native American articles, we are beginning a new subject; The American Revolution. We will find good fit books and articles to read and take notes on the information from those resources.
Writing: We are learning how to write an article, which is similar to an essay but with headings. All of the Native American research the students have found will now be organized in this paper. They will continue to use proper conventions and paragraphs, as well as strong introductions and conclusions.
Social Studies: The topic of the Revolutionary War will be integrated into language arts. We will learn about the causes of the war, battles, important leaders, and the outcome. Please feel free to have your child bring in a source that relates to this topic.
Word Work: New word sorts will be given out on Tuesday. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due next Monday, Feb 13th!
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Workout Day: February 8th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Monday, January 30, 2017
Cloudy Week in January (01/30-02/03)
Happy Monday parents! Can you believe that January is coming to an end already? We are flying through this school year with still a lot of work to be completed. Please take a look at what is happening in fourth grade this upcoming week!
Math: Unit 5 will be coming to an end tomorrow when the students take their Unit 5 Test. Study guides will be sent home tonight and as always will be worth 2 extra credit points if they choose to complete it. Please continue to have your child practice their fact fluency using either flash cards or Xtra Math at home.
Science: We continue to work through our Adaptations and Patterns Unit. This week we will be focusing on food webs and specific adaptations that animals have to help them to survive.
Reading: The students are beginning to research Native Americans. They have each chosen a focus topic in addition to the subtopics every student will be researching. We will have resources available at school, but please feel free to gather additional resources outside of school.
Writing: We are working on Text Dependent Analysis. The students will respond to a text in the form of a 5 paragraph essay. Citing evidence will be key in this analysis.
Social Studies: How did Native Americans impact the U.S.?
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe due Friday, February 3rd.
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Workout Day: February 8th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
Math: Unit 5 will be coming to an end tomorrow when the students take their Unit 5 Test. Study guides will be sent home tonight and as always will be worth 2 extra credit points if they choose to complete it. Please continue to have your child practice their fact fluency using either flash cards or Xtra Math at home.
Science: We continue to work through our Adaptations and Patterns Unit. This week we will be focusing on food webs and specific adaptations that animals have to help them to survive.
Reading: The students are beginning to research Native Americans. They have each chosen a focus topic in addition to the subtopics every student will be researching. We will have resources available at school, but please feel free to gather additional resources outside of school.
Writing: We are working on Text Dependent Analysis. The students will respond to a text in the form of a 5 paragraph essay. Citing evidence will be key in this analysis.
Social Studies: How did Native Americans impact the U.S.?
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe due Friday, February 3rd.
Upcoming Dates:
Study Island Benchmark (Math and ELA): February 6th-13th
Workout Day: February 8th
Elementary Basketball Tournament: February 16th-18th
No School: 02/17 and 02/20
MG Book Fair: February 21st-24th
MG Movie Night: February 24th @ 6:30
4th Grade Musical: February 27th
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