Happy Monday parents! Can you believe that summer is coming to an end? We can not believe how fast the first couple weeks of school have went, but we are happy with the progress that the students are making. Please take a look at what will be happening this week in fourth grade:
Math: This will be our final week working in unit 1, which means that Thursday will be their first unit test. A study guide will be sent home Wednesday evening. Study guides are optional, but if your child completes the ENTIRE study guide, they will receive two extra credit points on their test. I go over the study guide before they take their assessment and answer any questions that they may have. Please encourage the students to continue to work on their fact fluency at home and at school.
Science: In Science this week, we will be finishing our unit on matter. The students will be working through independent stations to take what they have learned and apply it. Their science test is scheduled for Friday. We will be sending a study guide home on Thursday evening. Please take the time to have your child study the content to help them prepare for their test.
Reading: We are using text evidence to support our theories and ideas we have about the characters in our fiction text. Please be sure your child is reading every night for at least 15 minutes!
Writing: The students are coming up with amazing leads and endings to their realistic fiction stories. They are also learning to add meaningful dialogue to make their stories come to life scene by scene!
Word Work: New word sorts are being handed out on Monday to those students who have mastered their previous word sorts. If your child is doing classroom activities as well as their homework with their word sorts they will have no problem moving on to the next word patterns. Tic Tac Toe Homework is due next Day 6, which is Monday, Sept. 26th!
Vocabulary: We have a total of 5 new interesting words on our Word of the Day sheets. Once we reach 10 then we will have a quiz. The students are encouraged to find interesting words and record them in their Word Collectors in and out of class to help expand their vocabulary.
Social Studies: Stay tuned for a Map Skills unit.
On Monday the students are learning the difference between making mindful decisions and unmindful decisions. Also we are practicing a way to focus on the here and now in order to stay calm and pay close attention.
Upcoming Dates:
September 29th: Mazie Gable Clothing Drive @ 4:30
October 5th: Wear all the same color day!
October 10th: No School
October 11th: School picture day
October 14th: Movie Night @ Mazie Gable 6:30
Monday, September 19, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
The Upcoming Week in September! (09/12-09/16)
Happy Monday parents! Hope you enjoyed your hot and humid weekend. Please check out what is happening this week in fourth grade:
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 1 which will be coming to an end next week. A study guide will be sent home with your child. It is optional, but if they complete it, it will be two extra credit points on their test. Please encourage your child to complete all of their homework assignments and to practice their fact fluency. When they are working on homework, they should focus on not rushing through their work and reading every problem carefully.
Science: Our unit on matter is still in progress. The students will be learning about the different states of matter along with physical and chemical changes. There test for this will also be next week.
Reading: The students are learning to assess their reading skills and strategies by working with a partner and using a goal sheet. We will develop theories, pay attention to details, and make inferences about characters in a story, Please be sure your child is reading for 15 minutes every night (M-F) and getting the reading log filled out and initialed.
Writing: We have begun the drafting stage for our realistic fiction stories. The students are bringing their characters to life. They are also including a strong lead and dialogue.We will continue writing stories scene by scene and adding details that make our writing interesting.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework will be due Friday, Sept. 16th! Look for your child's differentiated word sort in an envelope, as well as the homework sheet with the several activities to choose from. The students are to choose 3 activities in a row from the sheet and hand in all completed work every Day 6. Also please be sure the word sorts go back into the binder so they are ready for class activities.
Social Studies: We will begin a short unit on map skills soon!
Upcoming Dates:
September 14th: Elementary Instrumental Enrollment (SH) 6:30 or 7:30
September 29th: Mazie Gable Clothing Drive
**If you are looking for clothes in all different sizes for this fall or winter, please stop in and check what we have.**
October 10th: No School
Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 1 which will be coming to an end next week. A study guide will be sent home with your child. It is optional, but if they complete it, it will be two extra credit points on their test. Please encourage your child to complete all of their homework assignments and to practice their fact fluency. When they are working on homework, they should focus on not rushing through their work and reading every problem carefully.
Science: Our unit on matter is still in progress. The students will be learning about the different states of matter along with physical and chemical changes. There test for this will also be next week.
Reading: The students are learning to assess their reading skills and strategies by working with a partner and using a goal sheet. We will develop theories, pay attention to details, and make inferences about characters in a story, Please be sure your child is reading for 15 minutes every night (M-F) and getting the reading log filled out and initialed.
Writing: We have begun the drafting stage for our realistic fiction stories. The students are bringing their characters to life. They are also including a strong lead and dialogue.We will continue writing stories scene by scene and adding details that make our writing interesting.
Word Work: Tic Tac Toe Homework will be due Friday, Sept. 16th! Look for your child's differentiated word sort in an envelope, as well as the homework sheet with the several activities to choose from. The students are to choose 3 activities in a row from the sheet and hand in all completed work every Day 6. Also please be sure the word sorts go back into the binder so they are ready for class activities.
Social Studies: We will begin a short unit on map skills soon!
Upcoming Dates:
September 14th: Elementary Instrumental Enrollment (SH) 6:30 or 7:30
September 29th: Mazie Gable Clothing Drive
**If you are looking for clothes in all different sizes for this fall or winter, please stop in and check what we have.**
October 10th: No School
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
What's happening in this four day week? (09/06-09/09)
Happy Tuesday parents! We hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. I spent a lot of time outside and with my family all weekend long and I loved every minute of it. Please take a look at what is happening this week in fourth grade:
Math - We continue to work through Unit 1 which concentrates on the importance of place value. This week the students will be learning about multi-digit addition and subtraction which will be the primary focus on their homework. Please encourage them to try their hardest to complete their homework and if you are interested in me sending home more for your students to practice, please reach out on the Remind App. Also, always remember there is no homework on Fridays!
Science - Today, we will start our unit on Matter and its different properties. Students will be learning through hands-on experiences. This is a very short unit and the unit test will be upon us at the end of the month. Please keep on the lookout for a study guide that I will send home.
Reading- This week we are learning to give a retelling of our chapter books by chronology. We are also practicing synthesizing our retelling by including previous events that happened in the book with the more recent events. Next we will work on putting ourselves in our books by envisioning. A Home Reading Log has been placed in the students' binders. Please be sure to initial this sheet each night. Students should be reading at least 15 minutes every night (Mon-Fri). The September Home Reading Log is on a blue sheet. It should remain in their binders so it can be checked each day.
Writing- The students have been developing main characters for their realistic fiction narratives. These characters have specific external and internal traits, as well as motivations and struggles. We will begin creating scenes from our stories that show us the characters' motivations and struggles. Then we will be planning our story plots using a story arc. Interesting stories have lots of problems throughout!
Word Work- Our individualized word sorts will be distributed by Wednesday and placed in envelopes. Please be sure that these sorts remain in their binders so they come back to school each day. We will begin our weekly activities on the next Day 1. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due the following Day 6 (September 16th).
Vocabulary- During our read aloud time the students are capturing interesting words by writing them down in their Word Collectors. We will use some of these words to expand our vocabulary. Very soon we will begin our Word of the Day activity.
Reading- This week we are learning to give a retelling of our chapter books by chronology. We are also practicing synthesizing our retelling by including previous events that happened in the book with the more recent events. Next we will work on putting ourselves in our books by envisioning. A Home Reading Log has been placed in the students' binders. Please be sure to initial this sheet each night. Students should be reading at least 15 minutes every night (Mon-Fri). The September Home Reading Log is on a blue sheet. It should remain in their binders so it can be checked each day.
Writing- The students have been developing main characters for their realistic fiction narratives. These characters have specific external and internal traits, as well as motivations and struggles. We will begin creating scenes from our stories that show us the characters' motivations and struggles. Then we will be planning our story plots using a story arc. Interesting stories have lots of problems throughout!
Word Work- Our individualized word sorts will be distributed by Wednesday and placed in envelopes. Please be sure that these sorts remain in their binders so they come back to school each day. We will begin our weekly activities on the next Day 1. Tic Tac Toe homework will be due the following Day 6 (September 16th).
Vocabulary- During our read aloud time the students are capturing interesting words by writing them down in their Word Collectors. We will use some of these words to expand our vocabulary. Very soon we will begin our Word of the Day activity.
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, September 7th: Black and Gold Day!
Thursday, September 8th: MG PTO's Ice Cream Social @ 6:30-7:30
Wednesday, September 14th: Elementary Instrumental Enrollment at the Senior High School 6:00 or 7:30 (information will be sent home if your student was interested in playing an instrument)
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
First Full Week Back to School 08/29-09/02
Hi parents! Hope your child's transition back to school went smoothly. We wanted to thank each and everyone of you for sending back all paperwork quickly and efficiently. It makes our jobs a lot easier and we really appreciate it. Here is a look at what is going on this week in school.
Math- We started our Everyday Math program on Monday, so homework will start to come home each night except Fridays. Please make sure that your child is completing this to the best of their ability. I check for completion not if it is correct.
Science- This week we will be completing a few small labs to help teach the students about the scientific method. We will be starting our unit on Matter next week.
Reading- Students were given a book bin and have chosen several good fit books to read. They also keep a reading binder in this bin. This week we will start the first unit of interpreting characters. The students will learn to read intensely and write about what they are reading in order to have meaningful book discussions.
Writing- We started our Narrative unit this week. The students will be writing detailed Realistic Fiction stories based on a small moment in their lives.
Word Work- The students will be given Word Their Way sorts that are addressed specifically towards their different spelling needs. Look for these sorts in envelopes coming home soon. They will have homework activities to do using these sorts and this homework will be due every Day 6. The word sorts need to come back in their envelopes every day so we can use them for word work activities in class.
Class Meeting- The students learned about an important organ- the brain! We will work on how to calm our brains and be more mindful in order to focus and do better at school. Ask your child to show you the effective breathing techniques we learned.
Upcoming Dates:
September 5th- No school!
September 7th- Black and Gold Day
September 8th- Mazie Gable PTO Ice Cream Social @ 6:30
September 14th- Elementary Instrumental Enrollment Meeting at the Senior High 6:00-7:30
Math- We started our Everyday Math program on Monday, so homework will start to come home each night except Fridays. Please make sure that your child is completing this to the best of their ability. I check for completion not if it is correct.
Science- This week we will be completing a few small labs to help teach the students about the scientific method. We will be starting our unit on Matter next week.
Reading- Students were given a book bin and have chosen several good fit books to read. They also keep a reading binder in this bin. This week we will start the first unit of interpreting characters. The students will learn to read intensely and write about what they are reading in order to have meaningful book discussions.
Writing- We started our Narrative unit this week. The students will be writing detailed Realistic Fiction stories based on a small moment in their lives.
Word Work- The students will be given Word Their Way sorts that are addressed specifically towards their different spelling needs. Look for these sorts in envelopes coming home soon. They will have homework activities to do using these sorts and this homework will be due every Day 6. The word sorts need to come back in their envelopes every day so we can use them for word work activities in class.
Class Meeting- The students learned about an important organ- the brain! We will work on how to calm our brains and be more mindful in order to focus and do better at school. Ask your child to show you the effective breathing techniques we learned.
Upcoming Dates:
September 5th- No school!
September 7th- Black and Gold Day
September 8th- Mazie Gable PTO Ice Cream Social @ 6:30
September 14th- Elementary Instrumental Enrollment Meeting at the Senior High 6:00-7:30
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
A Rainy Week in May (05/02-05/06)
Happy Tuesday Parents!
I hope that everyone is doing well and staying out of the rain. This weather is really putting a damper on our track and field day this week. As of right now, our meet will be held this Thursday, May 5th. If it rains, I will keep you posted with the new date.
Ms. Duke and I are also trying out a new version of our Thursday Check-Ins. In the front of your child's binder is a behavior/agenda sheet. On this sheet, we will record your child's homework for the week. On Friday, Ms. Duke and I will check off on the sheet whether your child completed that homework or not, or if they were absent. We will also both circle one of the faces to make you aware of their behavior for the week. There is also a section for us to leave comments and for you to comment back to us. Please sign this paper, place it back in child's binder for us to check on Monday. We are hoping this will help to better keep you in the loop of what is going on in your child's life. The following document looks like this:
Friday: Build A Tower
May 5th: Track and Field Meet
May 13th: Book Order Forms Due (if you are ordering books)
May 14th: May Day 11:00-2:00
May 19th: Career Day
Puberty Lesson for the Girls
May 26th-June 1st: Fact Fluency Testing
May 30th: No School
June 1st: Scotties Trees Rock Celebration
June 3rd: Last Day of School (1/2 day for students)
I hope that everyone is doing well and staying out of the rain. This weather is really putting a damper on our track and field day this week. As of right now, our meet will be held this Thursday, May 5th. If it rains, I will keep you posted with the new date.
Ms. Duke and I are also trying out a new version of our Thursday Check-Ins. In the front of your child's binder is a behavior/agenda sheet. On this sheet, we will record your child's homework for the week. On Friday, Ms. Duke and I will check off on the sheet whether your child completed that homework or not, or if they were absent. We will also both circle one of the faces to make you aware of their behavior for the week. There is also a section for us to leave comments and for you to comment back to us. Please sign this paper, place it back in child's binder for us to check on Monday. We are hoping this will help to better keep you in the loop of what is going on in your child's life. The following document looks like this:
Here is what is going on in fourth grade this week:
Math: Students will be completing various lessons throughout the next couples. Please check their agenda sheet and the Remind App for updates on what homework will be due.
Science: We are moving right through our STEM unit and it is off to a great start! The students are super involved and putting a lot of thought and focus into their work. I will be posting pictures daily of the kids working and the projects they will complete.
Monday: Construct An Igloo
Tuesday: Build A Blanket
Wednesday: Snowball Shooter
Thursday: Track Meet
Friday: Build A Tower
Reading- How does text structure affect the way we interpret information in nonfiction text?
Writing- We are writing historical fiction, and reflecting on the research we found for our essay topics
Social Studies- How does our government work? We discussed the roles of the 3 branches of government. We will be taking a closer look at each one.
Word Word- Tic Tac Toe Spelling is due Tuesday, May 10th
Vocabulary- We are having a Word of the Day Quiz on Friday!
UPCOMING DATES:
May 5th: Track and Field Meet
May 13th: Book Order Forms Due (if you are ordering books)
May 14th: May Day 11:00-2:00
May 19th: Career Day
Puberty Lesson for the Girls
May 26th-June 1st: Fact Fluency Testing
May 30th: No School
June 1st: Scotties Trees Rock Celebration
June 3rd: Last Day of School (1/2 day for students)
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Final Week of PSSAs (04/25-04/26)
Happy Tuesday!
We are in our final week of PSSAs and the students will be tested in the subject of Science this week. Please make sure that your child continues to get a good night sleep and has a good breakfast each morning. The students will complete PSSAs tomorrow, April 27th.
Here is what is happening in our upcoming weeks of school:
Math - The students have completed their entire math curriculum. The students will be assessed on math boxes that they complete in class and any homeworks that may be sent home. Homework will not be sent home until all PSSAs are completed.
Science - This Friday we will be celebrating Arbor Day along with the launch of our STEM unit. On May 3rd, we will be starting our unit on STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The students will work in groups to complete a problem that is given to them. Each problem is based off a story line and in each scenario, the students will be required to build different structures. This unit will be the majority of their grade for the fourth marking period. Mrs. Lankford and myself are still collecting any of the materials from the list that we sent home last week. Thank you to the parents who have already brought stuff in!
Reading - We are experiencing texts in different forms including plays and movies. We will be comparing and contrasting these texts to the different presentations.
Writing - We are wrapping up our essays and will be writing reflection pieces on the historical facts that we have learned.
Social Studies - We are beginning a new unit on government.
Work Work - Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling will be due Monday, May 2nd.
UPCOMING DATES:
Arbor Day: April 29th
Track and Field Day: May 2nd
*Rain Date will be May 5th
Scholastic Book Order Forms Due (if you are ordering books): May 13th
Girl's Puberty Lesson: May 19th
Career Day: May 19th
No School: May 30th
Scotties Trees Rock Celebration: June 1st
Last Day of School: June 3rd
We are in our final week of PSSAs and the students will be tested in the subject of Science this week. Please make sure that your child continues to get a good night sleep and has a good breakfast each morning. The students will complete PSSAs tomorrow, April 27th.
Here is what is happening in our upcoming weeks of school:
Math - The students have completed their entire math curriculum. The students will be assessed on math boxes that they complete in class and any homeworks that may be sent home. Homework will not be sent home until all PSSAs are completed.
Science - This Friday we will be celebrating Arbor Day along with the launch of our STEM unit. On May 3rd, we will be starting our unit on STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The students will work in groups to complete a problem that is given to them. Each problem is based off a story line and in each scenario, the students will be required to build different structures. This unit will be the majority of their grade for the fourth marking period. Mrs. Lankford and myself are still collecting any of the materials from the list that we sent home last week. Thank you to the parents who have already brought stuff in!
Reading - We are experiencing texts in different forms including plays and movies. We will be comparing and contrasting these texts to the different presentations.
Writing - We are wrapping up our essays and will be writing reflection pieces on the historical facts that we have learned.
Social Studies - We are beginning a new unit on government.
Work Work - Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling will be due Monday, May 2nd.
UPCOMING DATES:
Arbor Day: April 29th
Track and Field Day: May 2nd
*Rain Date will be May 5th
Scholastic Book Order Forms Due (if you are ordering books): May 13th
Girl's Puberty Lesson: May 19th
Career Day: May 19th
No School: May 30th
Scotties Trees Rock Celebration: June 1st
Last Day of School: June 3rd
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
We Need Your Help With Our S.T.E.M. Unit!!!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our PSSAs will come to an end and fourth grade will be focusing our final month of school on a culminating unit of STEM. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Education, and Math. We will be investigating different scenarios and working as teams to solve problems. These scenarios include helping scientists out at the arctic circle, being deserted on a tropical island, and venturing into a pioneer town. They will be given a storyline for each challenger and will be required to work together to imagine and build something based on that story. We are in need of some items for these projects. If you are willing/able to send supplies to school, we would greatly appreciate it. Any items can be sent into school with your student by May 2nd. This is going to be an exciting and wonderful month of intense projects and learning.
Thank you so much in advance, and if you have any more questions concerning these projects, please let me know!
Miss Harlacker :)
Our PSSAs will come to an end and fourth grade will be focusing our final month of school on a culminating unit of STEM. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Education, and Math. We will be investigating different scenarios and working as teams to solve problems. These scenarios include helping scientists out at the arctic circle, being deserted on a tropical island, and venturing into a pioneer town. They will be given a storyline for each challenger and will be required to work together to imagine and build something based on that story. We are in need of some items for these projects. If you are willing/able to send supplies to school, we would greatly appreciate it. Any items can be sent into school with your student by May 2nd. This is going to be an exciting and wonderful month of intense projects and learning.
Thank you so much in advance, and if you have any more questions concerning these projects, please let me know!
Miss Harlacker :)
- magnets
- small scraps of wood
- various types of tape
- glue
- paper clips
- beads
- tissue paper
- foam
- packing “popcorn”
- toothpicks
- pipe cleaners
- any type of wheel
- buttons
- newspaper
- waxed paper
- plastic wrap
- plastic spoons
- spaghetti noodles
- plastic grocery bags
- napkins
- small dixie cups
- cotton balls
- paper towels
- fabric scraps
- sand
- play-doh
- clay
- small containers (such as yogurt or butter)
- corks
- cardboard scraps
- bubble wrap
- plastic wrap
- foil
- cardboard tubes (paper towel or toilet paper)
- popsicle (craft) sticks
- plastic bottles
- bar erasers
- index cards
- Q-tips
- clothes pins
- pom-poms
- coffee filters
- plastic cups
- small pebbles
- pretzel rods
- zip-loc bags
- yarn
- string
- ribbon
- plastic lids
- bottle caps
- rubber bands
- twist ties
- straws
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