Week of 5/28/12

Highlights for the Week of 5/28/12 - 6/1/12  in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling 
We have finished spelling...be sure to keep practicing the spelling rules that we have studied this year !

Reading - Strategies Review
I am thrilled with the results of our Peg Kehret book clubs. The children's skills in writing summaries, predictions and connections improved greatly as the clubs progressed. And...I think we finally have perfected the art of writing a "Think and Search" question.  I was also very pleased with the response to the books that they read.  I had many students tell me, "This is the best book I have ever read!" and "Do you have any other Peg Kehret books?". This author has written many suspenseful books that will capture your child's imagination.  I encourage them to look for her books at your local library. This week we will review all of the reading strategies using a Time for Kids magazine that is about the 2012 Olympics in London. Students will practice reading a schedule with a TFK activity sheet, and will be taking the comprehension quiz for the issue on Wednesday, 5/30

English-Pronouns

Possessive pronouns, contractions with pronouns, and homophones will be the topics that we will study in English this week.

Social Studies - Time for Kids / Illinois
The Illinois flap book project is due on Tuesday, 5/29.

Science - Rocks and Minerals
We will finish our study of rocks and minerals with a look at sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

 
Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Addition and Subtraction of Decimals / End of the Year "Wrap Up"

Students will be taking the chapter 11 TEST on Tuesday, 5/29. We will spend some time looking at addition and subtraction of decimals, and practice using what we have learned by doing "menu math". We will wrap up the year by playing a Jeopardy game that covers all concepts that we have studied this year.  The last day of math is Friday, 6/1.

Don't forget...
May 28 -- Memorial Day -- No School

May 31 - Bowling Field Trip - 12:10-2:15
June 5 -- Last Day of School







All of fourth grade is following a "last 5 days" theme in our classrooms.  The themes are as follows:

5/30 - "Wacky Wednesday" - students will bring in board games to play with their classmates
5/31 - "Take me Bowling Thursday" - Brunswick bowl in the afternoon
6/1 - "Film Festival Friday" - Students will choose a movie to watch as they enjoy some popcorn
6/4 - "Marvelous Monday" - Field day games and a PTO provided lunch
6/5 - "That's All Folks" - Bring in your favorite pen for a fourth grade autograph session


Enjoy your holiday weekend! 
Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/21/12

Highlights for the Week of 5/21/12 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Review

This week's spelling lesson will be a review list. Students must earn a 100% on the pretest to qualify for challenge work. The final TEST on this lesson will be given on Friday, 5/25. The workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - I Can Monitor and Clarify

Our focus this week is on the reading strategy of monitor/clarify. Students should monitor how well they understand a story. If they don't understand something, they can reread or read ahead for help.We will continue using our Peg Kehret novels to practice this strategy. Students will have their third book club meeting on Monday, 5/21, and their fourth, and final meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 5/24.

English-Pronouns

Subject and object pronouns, and correct use of the pronouns, "I and Me" are the topics that we will study in English this week.

Social Studies - Time for Kids / Illinois
Students will be using the information that they collected on their Illinois scavenger hunts to create a "flap book" project.  They will be given time in class to work on the project, which will be due on Tuesday, 5/29.

Science - Rocks and Minerals

The catapult project is due on 5/22, and the launch will take place on 5/23.  The last topic for the year in science will be "Rocks and Minerals". We will begin the unit with a look at the properties of minerals, and characteristics of Igneous Rocks.


 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Understanding Division

Students will be taking the fourth grade placement tests on Monday and Tuesday.  These tests are a cumulative assessment of concepts studied for the year. Monday's test will assess computation skills, and Tuesday's test will feature problem solving.  On Wednesday we will discuss how to estimate with division.  The TEST for chapter 11 is scheduled for Friday, 5/25.

Don't forget...

May 23 - Catapult Launch
May 28 -- Memorial Day -- No School

May 31 - Bowling Field Trip - 12:10-2:15
June 5 -- Last Day of School
Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/14/12 - 5/18/12

Highlights for the Week of 5/14/12 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Silent Consonants

This week's spelling list will focus on words that have silent consonants. The final TEST on this lesson will be given on Friday, 5/18. The workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - I Can Make Inferences

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. We will be practicing this strategy in our book clubs.The date of the first meeting of our Peg Kehret Book Clubs has been changed to Monday, 5/14. During the meetings, students will use their discussion sheets to guide the conversations about the books that they are reading.  Students will take turns being the group leader, who is responsible for controlling the discussion. I will be observing two groups at each meeting, and students will be graded on the how well they participate in the discussion, and how well they listen and respond to others.  The second meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 5/17.

English-Pronouns

The last unit in English this year will be pronouns. Students will be taking the pretest to qualify for challenge work on Monday. This week we will cover what is a pronoun and subject pronouns.  We will also learn a new Schoolhouse Rock song called, "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla".

Social Studies - Time for Kids / Illinois
Students will be taking a comprehension QUIZ on the 4/20 edition of the Time for Kids magazine that was discussed in class on Friday, 5/11. They will use the magazine to complete the quiz.  We will spend the rest of the week learning about the state of Illinois.  Students will work in partners to complete a scavenger hunt that will take them on a journey through the symbols, history, economy and geography of the Land of Lincoln.

Science - Simple Machines

Information about the Catapult project was sent home on 5/10.  This project will be completed at home, and is due on Tuesday, 5/22. The TEST on chapter 17 (Simple Machines) is scheduled for Wednesday, 5/16. The next unit that we will study in Science is "Rocks and Minerals".


 
Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Understanding Division

We will spend the first part of the week learning the process of dividing a two digit number by a one digit number.  Students will be taking a QUIZ on lessons 1-3 of chapter 11 on Wednesday, 5/16. We will finish up the week by taking a look at how to use patterns in division to do mental math, and how to estimate in division.

Don't forget...

5/18 - Early Dismissal - Students will be dismissed at 11:00 


Please enjoy these pictures from last week's luau.  We had a wonderful time!

Mrs. Karen Bell