Week of 3/3/14 - 3/7/14

Highlights for the Week of 3/3/14

in Mrs. Bell 's Classroom

Spelling 
 We will not have a spelling lesson due to ISAT testing. Next week's spelling lesson will focus on words that change the final "y" to "i".

Reading - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Final Project & Assessment
We have completed our novel study - be sure to ask your child about what Fudge does with Peter's pet turtle! During this week, students will complete a Reading Response Web for the novel that focuses on applying different reading skills.  On Friday, students will take the final QUIZ for the novel. It will cover vocabulary from chapters 1-10, and will include comprehension questions from the entire book.  Mrs. Krasnodebski has set up new vocabulary practice on the Quizlet site for students to use while studying. Please click on the following link to access the vocabulary practice: 

http://quizlet.com/37279918/combo-tales-of-a-fourth-grade-nothing-ch-1-10-flash-cards/

English - Verbs
Subject/verb agreement is the topic that we will study in English this week. 

Social Studies - The Midwest
We have begun working on the Midwest research project. Students will complete the research on the attractions in their Midwest city this week, and will begin work on the group slide show.  Below are some photos of students using the Google Chrome computers in the classroom to work on their projects.

Science - ISAT Preparation
This week we will touch on the topics of space, simple machines, and  rocks & minerals and color in preparation for the ISATs.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - ISAT testing / Unit 7 
Most of our time this week will be spent taking the ISAT tests. On Friday, we will return to Unit 7 with a look at using the four operations to extend patterns. 

Don't Forget...

ISAT testing begins this week. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day before coming to school!


Mrs. Karen Bell 

Week of 2/24/14 - 2/24/14

Highlights for the Week of 2/24/14

 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Words with a Prefix or Suffix
This week's spelling lesson consists of words that have prefixes and suffixes. The cursive/workbook pages OR challenge work will be collected on Friday, 2/28. The final test for the lesson will also be that day.

Reading - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing / ISAT Prep
Preparation for the ISAT test will be our focus this week. On Monday, we will write another extended response paragraph related to the novel, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We also review reading and testing strategies, and  practice skimming text to find answers to multiple choice questions. Students will independently finish reading the novel, and complete the comprehension packet for the last 3 chapters.

English- Verbs

Action verbs, main and helping verbs, and verb tenses are the topics in English this week. 



Social Studies - The Midwest - Final Project
After finishing the Ojibwan talking sticks, we will move on to the Midwest Region final project. Students will be working in small groups to research Midwestern cities. They will collect data to be used to create a presentation that will be shared in class.  Students will be working on Google Docs in school and at home to complete the project.

Science - Human Body Presentations / ISAT Prep

I am very impressed with the work I am seeing on the Human Body presentations. Students have learned how to do research and collect relevant information using a variety of sources. The have also learned how to take that information to create a slide presentation using Google Docs.  The collaboration among group members has been outstanding, and I am looking forward to the oral presentations which are scheduled for Tuesday, 2/25. Once we complete the presentations, we will spend the rest of the week preparing for the Science portion of the ISAT test. Students will receive a practice packet that we will complete in stages. We will also review the concept of "Weather and the Water Cycle".

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - ISAT Prep

We will devote our time in math this week to reviewing topics in preparation for the ISAT tests, which are scheduled for the week of 3/3. We will revisit the concepts of motion geometry, congruent and similar figures, symmetry, solid figures, mean, median, mode and range, and measurement.

Don't Forget...


February 28 - No School - Teachers' Institute

ISAT testing begins the week of March 3rd. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day before coming to school!



Mrs. Karen Bell 

Week of 2/17-14 - 2/21/14

Highlights for the Week of 2/17/14

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Words with "-ed" & "-ing" Endings
This week's spelling lesson will focus on words that end with the suffixes "-ed" & "-ing". The cursive/workbook pages OR challenge work will be collected on Friday, 2/21. The final test for the lesson will also be that day.

Reading - I Can Write an Extended Response & Determine Cause & Effect

This week we will continue practicing how to write an extended response, which is a skill that will be assessed on the ISAT tests in March. We will study the formula for how to write a response by working with picture books.  At the end of the week, we will write a response to a prompt about Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. On Friday, we will read chapter 7 from the novel and look at how Judy Blume uses cause and effect in her writing. 

English- Adjectives / Introduction to Verbs
The adjectives TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 2/18. Students will take the chapter pretest for verbs on Wednesday to earn the opportunity to do challenge work. 



Social Studies - The Ojibwa
The QUIZ on the Ojibwa is scheduled for Wednesday, 2/19. Thursday will be our "Midwest Feast" featuring wild rice, which was a staple of the Ojibwan diet.  We will finish the week by creating our own talking sticks, which is a cooperative communication tool used by the Ojibwa. 

Science - Human Body Presentation Project
The students have completed their research, now it's time to create our presentations!  We will be working in the computer lab to create the slide presentations all week.  Students will learn how to add text, images and transitions to the presentations. Oral presentations to the class will take place the week of 2/24.

Mrs. Bell 's Math Class - Unit 7 - Patterns and Sequencing
We will begin our week with a look at the problem solving strategy of "Look for a Pattern". Students will take a QUIZ on lessons 1-4 of Unit 7 on Wednesday, 2/19. Our attention will turn to ISAT test preparation at the end of the week with reviews of the concepts of area, perimeter and geometry.

Don't Forget...

February 17th - President's Day - No School
February 20th - Spring Picture Day
February 28th - No School - Teacher's Institute




The "Wheels, Levers & Pulleys" in school learning lab that was canceled due to the snow day has been rescheduled for March 13.

Mrs. Karen Bell 

Week of 2/10/14 - 2/14/14

Highlights for the Week of 2/10/14

 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Compound Words
This week's spelling lesson will focus on Compound Words. The cursive/workbook pages OR challenge work will be collected on Friday, 2/14. The final test for the lesson will also be that day.

Reading - I Can Summarize

While reading chapter 5 in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, we will focus on the reading strategy of summarizing. We will also begin practicing how to write an extended response,  which is a skill that will be assessed on the ISAT tests in March. We will study the formula for how to write a response by working with picture books, and write some responses in the whole group setting.


English- Adjectives

The last lesson in this chapter will include comparing with adjectives using the words "more" and "most". Students will complete a chapter review on Wednesday in preparation for the chapter TEST which is scheduled for Monday, 2/17. 



Social Studies - The Ojibwa
The next topic that we will study in Social Studies is the Native Americans of the Midwest region, The Ojibwa. We will focus on their culture, and how it has developed from the past into the present.

Science - Human Body Research Project
The chapter 4 TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 2/11. On Wednesday, I will introduce the final project for the human body unit. Students will work in pairs to research a body system, and to create a slide presentation about their system that will be presented to the class.  They will be given time in school to work on the project, but they should expect that some of the work will also be done at home.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 7 - Patterns and Sequences


The pretest for Unit 7 is scheduled for Monday. This unit begins with a look at nonnumeric and numeric patterns, and sequences.

Don't Forget...

February 13 - "Edison's Workshop" - In-school learning lab
February 17 - President's Day - No School



Our Valentine's Day celebration will be on Friday, 2/14 at 1:30. If your child chooses to bring cards to share, please be sure that he/she has a card for every student in our classroom. Any edible treats that accompany cards will be sent home to be eaten. 

Mrs. Karen Bell