Week of 12/5/11 - 12/9/11

Highlights for the Week of 12/5/11 in Mrs. Bell's Class!

Spelling - The ôr/ ür / yŏŏr sounds
The words this week will have sounds like the words, "more", "hurt" & "pure". The final test for this week's lesson will be on Friday, 12/9. Cursive and workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - Strategies Review
Our reading strategies for this week are questioning, categorizing and classifying. Recognizing the question a story may raise is a good way to make sure you understand it. Also, as people read they wonder about the things they are reading and they form questions in their mind. Good readers usually do this without thinking. The students will practice the questioning strategy this week. Classifying involves grouping like items, and categorizing involves naming the group. Grouping the items makes it easier to remember them. Students will also classify and categorize information in the stories they read this week.

English - Nouns
We will cover the last two lessons in the Nouns chapter this week. The topics we will focus on are Singular and Plural possessive nouns. Students will review how to write each of these types of nouns and how to use apostrophes correctly. Look for the Nouns TEST to be scheduled the week of 12/12.

Social Studies - The Midwest
Our journey through the regions of the U.S. has brought us to the Midwest. Students will create their own Midwest Map, labeling the states and important water areas in the region. The QUIZ on the Midwest Map is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 12/12. We will also look at the impact that the Great Lakes has on this region.

Science - How do Living Things of the Past Compare with Those of Today?
Next week, we will take a look at how scientists use fossils to study plants and animals of the past. We will also learn about extinction. Students will be taking an open note/book QUIZ on Lessons 2 & 3 of chapter 3 on Thursday, 12/8

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class
Classifying data by using Venn diagrams will be our first topic this week. Then we will move on to the study of Mean, Median, Mode & Range. Students will be collecting weather data from cities around the world for an activity scheduled for Wednesday. There will be a QUIZ on lessons 1-3 of chapter 7 on Thursday, 12/8.

Don't forget...

Our BOWLING FIELD TRIP to Brunswick Zone is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, 12/9. Students may bring money to purchase snacks at the bowling alley. Brunswick Zone is offering a concession special: 2 slices of cheese pizza & a 16 oz. drink for $3.23 (including tax). Please keep in mind that we will be going bowling after lunch.

The Tivoli Movie outing on Friday, 12/16 has been canceled. The fourth grade teachers have decided to show movies in our individual classrooms that afternoon. Our class recently
completed reading aloud the book, Hachiko Waits. This novel is based on a true story, and tells the tale of a dog who shows tremendous honor and loyalty. It is one of my favorite read alouds, and the children truly enjoyed it. For this reason, I have chosen to show the movie Hachi on the afternoon of the 16th. The movie is based on the book, and is rated G. I will be serving popcorn and juice boxes to the children that afternoon. If you would like to send in a bag of popcorn or some juice boxes that day, please contact me.
Thank you in advance !

Mrs. Karen Bell

Posted by Mrs. Karen Bell at 4:46 PM

Weeks of 11/21/11 & 11/28/11

Highlights for the Weeks of 11/21/11 & 11/28/11 in Mrs. Bell's Class!

Spelling
There will be no spelling the week of 11/21. The following week, the rule for the lesson is words with the patterns of îr/är/âr , which are words that have the sounds like the words, "ear" &"glare". Cursive and workbook pages, as well as challenge work for the lesson will be collected on Thursday, 12/1. The final test for that lesson will also be that day.

Reading
Over the next few weeks, we will be reviewing the skills that we have gone over since the beginning of the year. The students will also work on summarizing and making generalizations. In writing summaries, the students will learn to pick out the main points or events of a story or passage and concisely put them in their own words. In making generalizations the students will learn that generalizations are broad statements that are true most of the time, and are based on fact or good reasons, and may include words like always or most. We will finish the novel, Because of Winn-Dixie with a "Friendship Celebration" modeled after the one in the book. Look for the invitation to come home with your child.

English - Nouns
Singular and plural nouns, and spelling rules for nouns that end with the letter "y" will be our focus over the next two weeks.

Social Studies - The Southeast
The Southeast Postcard project will be collected on Monday, 11/21. Students will also be working on completing the Southeast portion of their United States Map. Then, we will take a look at the Native Americans who live in this region, the Cherokee. Students will learn about their history and culture. Look for a QUIZ on this topic at the end of the week of 11/28.

Science - TFK - "Bats on the Brink" / Behavioral Adaptations
We will read & discuss a Time for Kids article that describes how a mysterious disease is endangering the lives of bats in the United States. Then, we will move on to the study of how the behavioral adaptations of animals help them to meet their needs.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class
We have had a lot of fun this week using internet games to practice telling time. If your child would like to play the games at home, try these links:

TIME CLOCK: http://www.primarygames.com/math/timeclock/start.htm

CLOCK RACER GAME: http://justkidsgames.com/play.php?ClockRacer

We will be taking a look at how to measure temperature as we finish chapter 6. Look for the TEST on this chapter to be scheduled the week of 11/28.

Wishing you & yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/14/11-11/18/11

Highlights for the Week of 11/14/11 in Mrs. Bell's Class!

Spelling - The /ōō/ & /ŏŏ/ Sounds
The final test for this week's lesson will be on Friday, 11/18. Cursive and workbook pages or challenge work will also be collected that day.


Reading - I Can Make Inferences
This week, we will once again focus on the reading strategy of making inferences. Authors do not always tell the reader everything. They may give clues instead. The reader must use the clues and their own knowledge to make inference about people and events. Students will be taking a comprehension/vocabulary QUIZ on chapters 1-10 of Because of Winn-Dixie on Tuesday, 11/15.




English - Nouns
This week in English we will take a look at what is a noun and common & proper nouns. Students will be introduced to a new Schoolhouse Rock song that we will sing to remind us of how to find nouns in sentences. We will also take a look at "invisible" nouns, which are words that are not normally thought of as nouns, such as the words "excitement" and "honor".

Social Studies - The Southeast
The chapter 6 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 11/14. Students were given a study guide to let them know what facts to focus on while studying. Reviewing notes, workbook pages, and textbook pages is the best strategy to prepare for the test. On Wednesday, students will begin working on a descriptive writing assignment for the Southeast. Look for the project description sheet to come home that day. We will finish the week by working on the Southeast portion of our large United States map.

Science - How do the Bodies of Animals Help Them Meet their Needs?
We will complete our study of how animals' physical adaptations help them to survive. Students will be taking an open note/book QUIZ on chapter 3, lesson 1 on Thursday, 11/17.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class
Chapter 6 begins with a look at telling time and elapsed time. Students will be taking a QUIZ on the first two lessons of the chapter on Wednesday, 11/16. Then, we will move on to elapsed time on a calendar, and changing units of time.

Don't forget...

November 23, 24, 25 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School



Mrs. Karen Bell