Week of 5/2/11 - 5/6/11

Highlights for the Week of 5/2/11 - 5/6/11 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

English - Adverbs & Prepositions
Students will be taking the pretest for the Adverbs & Prepositions unit on Tuesday. Students who get perfect scores in two or more lessons will be given challenge work for those lessons. The first few topics that we will cover in this unit include what is an adverb and comparing with adverbs.

Social Studies - The Southwest

Resources and the economy of the Southwest region will be our focus this week. Students will learn about how the oil and technology industries have shaped the economies of this area.

Science - Simple Machines

Students will be taking an open note/book QUIZ on lesson 1 of chapter 17 on Tuesday, 5/3. Then we will take a look at two more simple machines, the pulley, and the wheel & axle.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Silent Consonants

The test for this lesson will be on Friday, 5/6. The homework packet will also be collect on that day.

Reading - Earthquake Terror

Our reading strategy for next week is making inferences. Readers must make inferences, or "read between the lines", when the author doesn't tell the reader everything. Readers can do this by applying what they already know to story clues given by the author.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will finish up chapter 23 with a look at how to estimate and find the volume of prisms. Students will be taking the TEST for chapter 23 on Thursday, 5/5.


FYI...

May 13 - Early Dismissal - PV students dismissed at 11:00

May 30 - Memorial Day - No School

Prairieview School is helping to reduce what goes into landfills by recycling shoes. Old gym shoes will be given to SCARE's (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education) annual Gym Shoe Rescue for Nike's Go Places Program. Regular shoes, in good condition, will be given to 2nd hand stores that benefit those in need. Collection dates are 5/2 - 5/11. When bringing shoes to donate, please tie them together, or place each pair in a plastic grocery bag so they do not become separated.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 4/25/11 - 4/29/11

Highlights for the Week of 4/25/11-4/29/11 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

English - Expository Writing

Students will be writing their third and final expository essay this week. They will be writing about their heros. They will be planning their essay using the organizer, writing the rough draft and proofreading on their own. The final draft will be due on Friday, 4/29.

Social Studies - Land & Climate of the Southwest

The Southwest Region map QUIZ is scheduled for Monday, 4/25. Students should use the map that they created to prepare for the quiz. The next topic that we will focus on is the climate of the Southwest.

Science - Why is the Force of Gravity Important? / Simple Machines

We will be finishing gravity with a QUIZ on chapter 16, lesson 3 on Tuesday, 4/26. Simple machines is the next topic that we will study in science, beginning with a look at the lever.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Unusual Spellings

This week's list consists of words with unusual spellings. The final test on this list will be on Friday, 4/29. The cursive page & workbook pages will also be collected that day.

Reading - "I Can Identify Topic, Main Idea & Supporting Details"

Our reading target for the week is to identify topic, main idea, and supporting details. Topic is what the whole text is about. The main ideas are important points about each topic. Each paragraph can have its own main idea. Supporting details are facts and examples that support each main idea.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will be taking a look at using formulas to calculate area at the beginning of the week. Students will be taking a QUIZ on lessons 1-4 of chapter 23 on Wednesday, 4/27.

Don't Forget...

April 29 - Marble Party Celebration (Mrs. Bell's Homeroom) - Pizza & Movie

May 13 - Early Dismissal

I am so proud of my homeroom students who have earned a second "Marble Party", celebrating good behavior in our classroom. Students have voted to watch the movie, "Marley & Me" after enjoying a pizza lunch in the room. Please be sure to return the movie permission slips on or before April 27th. I will be providing pizza and popcorn, but students must bring their own healthy drink. Congratulations to my amazing students!

Students will be taking the Spring MAPS test for reading and math this week. My homeroom students will be testing on Tuesday and Friday. Please make sure that your child comes to school well rested, and has a healthy breakfast on those days.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 4/18/11 - 4/22/11

Highlights for the Week of 4/18/11 - 4/22/11 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Expository Writing

Students will be working in partners to write a second essay. They will be using the skills that we have studied, which are brainstorming & organizing ideas, including a hook, supporting details & transitions, to respond to a prompt that asks "What Would Do if you Had a Robot?".

Social Studies - The Southwest

This week we will take a look at the geography of the southwest region, in particular the Grand Canyon. Students will study how the canyon was formed and who were the first explorers to travel through the area.

Science - Electricity / Gravity

The chapter 15 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 4/18. Students should review their notes & the text book to prepare for the test. Later in the week, we will move on to studying gravity.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Three-Syllable Words

The final test for this lesson will be on THURSDAY, 4/21. The cursive pages and workbook pages will also be collected that day.

Reading

This week in reading, we will be focusing on two important skills: following directions & summarizing. When reading a passage that describes how to complete a task, readers should look for clue words such as first, next and finally to clarify the order of steps. They also must understand that steps must be followed in the correct order in order to complete the task. Summarizing involves retelling a story in your own words, and including only the most important events. All students will study these skills using appropriate instructional-level materials.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

The chapter 22 TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 4/19. Our next unit of study will be chapter 23, which covers perimeter, area & volume.

FYI...

April 21 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:00

April 22 - No school

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 4/11/11 - 4/15/11

Highlights for the Week of 4/11/11 - 4/15/11 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

English - Expository Writing

We will continue writing our pet essay together by adding transitions and support for our second key idea. At the end of the week we will write the rough draft.

Social Studies - The Southwest

Students will create and color their own map of the Southwest this week. Look for a quiz on the map to be scheduled for the week of 4/18. They will also take a "video field trip" to the region.

Science - What are Some Sources of Electricity?

Our focus this week will be the last lesson of chapter 15, which describes sources of electricity. There will be an open note/book QUIZ on this lesson on Thursday, 4/14. The test for this chapter will take place the week of 4/18. INVENTIONS are due on Tuesday, 4/12. Students will write their descriptions in class that day, and presentations will begin on 4/13. I will be giving sheets to students on Monday that describe how to give the presentations. I look forward to seeing all of their creations!

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - More VCV Words

This week's list contains more VCV (vowel-consonant-vowel) words. We will be focusing on how to divide these types of words into syllables. The final test for this week will be on Friday, 4/15, and the cursive pages and workbook pages will also be collected that day.

Reading - "I Can Understand Different Genres"

Our focus in reading this week will be on understanding different genres, specifically pourquoi tales. Pourquoi is a French word meaning "why". Pourquoi tales are stories that tell how, long ago, something in nature came to be. Often times these tales contain animals or natural forces that speak or have personalities.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We are finishing the portion of Chapter 22 that deals with customary measurement, so...it's time for a quiz. Students will be taking a QUIZ on lessons 1-4 of chapter 22 on Monday, 4/11. We will continue our study of measurement with a look at metric measurement, specifically measurement of mass and capacity.

Don't forget...

April 14 - Prairieview Open House/Book Fair - 6:30-8:00 p.m.

April 21 - Early Dismissal - 11:00 a.m.

April 22 - No school

On Tuesday, 4/12, all fourth grade students will be taking the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) test. This test is designed to measure abstract thinking and reasoning ability. Please make sure that your child eats breakfast & comes to school well rested that day.

The PV Open House & Book Fair will be on Thursday, 4/14, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Please be sure to stop by our classroom to your child's creations. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs. Karen Bell