Week of 1/4/16

Highlights for the Week of 1/4/16

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Words with Final /j/ & /s/ Sound
Words this week will have the final "j" & "s'" sound. The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 1/8. Cursive pages & Google Classroom activities are also due that day.

Reading - Unit 1 - Courage - Lou Gehrig
The final story that we will read in the Courage unit is a biographical piece about baseball player LouGehrig. While studying this text, we will continue to hone our close reading skills and focus on identifying statements that are facts and statements that are opinions. A statement of fact can be proven by looking it up in a reference source. A statement of opinion tells what a person thinks, believes or feels.

English- Explanatory Writing

The next unit in English is Explanatory Writing. Explanatory passages are written to give information, or to explain a topic. We will begin exploring this topic with a look at how to write "hooks", key ideas & key details. Together, we will write an essay about what why Lou Gehrig is a hero. Students will independently write about their personal heroes.

Social Studies - Wildlife & Resources of the Southeast
The chapter 6 TEST is tentatively scheduled for 1/8. Watch for a study guide to come home early in the week. The wildlife and resources of the southeast is the last topic for this region. Be sure to ask your child why the alligator became an endangered species.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 3 - Place Value & Decimals

Rounding and adding tenths and fraction/decimal equivalencies will be covered in math this week. 

A graded CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Wednesday, 1/6. 

Don't Forget..

January 4 -- Classes Resume after Winter Break

We had a special visitor to our class this week. My grandson JR & his mom Jessie are here from Japan,  and they stopped by to say hi to the kids. Below are some pics of him with his fan club!

We had a "ball" at the bowling field trip. Looks like some of us are ready to hit the pro bowling circuit...

Mrs. Cushing is looking for a parent volunteer help with a "cutting" job.  This can take place at school or at your home (items would need to be picked up.)  There is a lot to cut, so more than one volunteer would be great!  If you are interested, please contact her at tcushing@ccsd66.org

Wishing you & yours a very happy, safe & relaxing winter break!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/14/15

Highlights for the Week of 12/14/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Words with the final / ē / Sound
The final test for this lesson will be on Friday,12/18. Cursive pages & Google Classroom activities are also due that day.

Reading -  Greek Mythology
It has been such a pleasure for me to watch students create the slides for their presentation on the Labors of Heracles. They have learned a great deal about how to use the presentation software to create interesting slides. I look forward to the presentations, which will take place on Thursday, 12/17.

Social Studies - The Southeast - "Sunlight & Storms"

The climate of the Southeast region will be our focus in Social Studies this week. Students will learn about how the climate influences the economy and the impact of hurricanes. The Southeast map QUIZ is scheduled for Monday, 12/14.

Science - "Do Seeds Grow Better in Sand or Soil?"

We will continue making observations with our sand vs. soil lab this week. Students will write their conclusions and bring home their planters on Tuesday. Below are some photos of our classroom scientists making observations in the lab...

Mrs. Bell's Math Class -Unit 3 - Place Value & Decimals

Ask your child about the Great Wall of Base Ten that we are building in math class! Decimals and place value continue to be our focus this week. Students will complete a graded work sample in class on Thursday, 12/17.

Computational fluency is a skill that we work on constantly in math. One way we practice is to play the game "I Have, You Need". At the beginning of the game the leader sets a target number, such as 100. The first person to play states, "I Have XXX", with XXX being a number between 0-100. That person then tosses the ball to another player who states, "You Need YYY", with YYY being the number that is the difference between XXX and 100. (Please ask your child to clarify!) Nevertheless, below is a video of us playing this game in class...you may need to turn up your volume, students were being shy for the camera!

Don't Forget...

December 15 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:30

The Fourth-grade BOWLING field trip is the morning of Wednesday, 12/16.  Students may bring a small amount of money to purchase snacks while bowling. Brunswick is offering a concession special of 2 slices of cheese pizza and a 16 oz. drink for $3.00. 

The "all-school" field trip to the Ogden 6 Movie theater will be the afternoon of Friday, 12/18. Students will enjoy watching "ET: The Extraterrestrial". No money is necessary; snacks will not be available.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/7/15

Highlights for the Week 

of 12/7/15 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Words with the /k/, /ng/ & /kw/ Sounds
The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 12/11. Spelling homework on Google Classroom and cursive pages are also due that day.

Reading - Greek Mythology
The first task that students will complete this week will be to write a response that compares and contrasts Gloria Estefan with the goddess Athena. They both showed courage. Students will write about how the two women showed courage in ways that were the same, and how they showed courage in ways that were different. We will finish the week with the introduction of the Hercules Labors Project. Students will be creating a slide presentation that focuses on one of the 12 labors of Hercules. Some students will work in pairs, and others will work individually. Presentations will take place the week of 12/14.

Below are some photos of student collaboration on comprehension questions for The Myth of Arachne & Athena...

Social Studies - The Southeast

The next stop in our journey across the United States is the Southeast region. On Tuesday, students will create a map of the Southeast that includes the states and water areas. We will continue with a study of the Southeast's geography and how it changes from the coast to the mountains. A map QUIZ is tentatively scheduled for 12/14.

Science - Chapter 2 - "Life Cycles"

The chapter 2 TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 12/8. Study guides were sent home on 12/4. Tests in science are not open note/book. We will also begin a lab activity in which students test the question, "Do plants grow better in soil or sand?". They will follow the Scientific Method by making a hypothesis, following the procedure, making observations & collecting data, and finally drawing conclusions and reporting the results. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 3 - Place Value & Decimals
The new unit begins with a look at decimal place value and rounding. Students will be involved in investigations and problem-solving strings as we explore these topics.  Be sure to ask your child about this month's Number Corner calendar activity in which we are using pentominoes to explore the geometric characteristics of symmetry, angles, intersecting lines, perpendicular lines and parallel lines.

Don't Forget...

December 15 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:30

The Fourth-grade BOWLING field trip is the morning of Wednesday, 12/16.  Students may bring a small amount of money to purchase snacks while bowling. Brunswick is offering a concession special of 2 slices of cheese pizza and a 16 oz. drink for $3.00. 

The "all-school" field trip to the Ogden 6 Movie theater will be the afternoon of Friday, 12/18. Students will enjoy watching "ET: The Extraterrestrial". No money is necessary; snacks will not be available.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/30/15

Highlights for the Week of 11/30/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Review Lesson
This week's spelling list will contain 30 words from the second theme in our reading text. Words will be chosen from lessons 8-12. Students must score 100% on the pretest to earn challenge work for the week. The final test will be on Friday, 12/4 (did I actually just type December ?), and will cover 20 words from the list. Homework is also due on Friday.

Reading - Courage Unit - Greek Mythology
Students will close read the myths of Athena and Arachne & Athena. They will compare and contrast the two goddesses and work in small groups to respond to leveled text dependent questions. We will also begin a study of Greek and Latin affixes and root words.

English - More Homophones & Using Commas before Coordinating Conjunctions
We will take another look at use of homophones there, their, they're, to, too & two. This will be followed by practice in how to use commas before coordinating conjunctions such as and & but.

Science - What are Some Life Cycles of Plants?
Students will continue making observations with to answer the question, "Do plants need light to germinate?". They will take an open note/book QUIZ on chapter 2 / lesson 2 on Tuesday, 12/1. Life cycles of animals will be the next topic that we study in Science. Below are some pictures of our young scientists preparing the seeds for the "Sprouting Seeds" investigation.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 3 - Place Value & Decimals
The Unit 2 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 11/23. Students should use their spirals, worksheets & the pre-assessment to review. The test is modeled closely after the pre-assessment. Before beginning Unit 3 we will take another look at Least Common Multiple, Least Common Denominators and fraction problem solving. On Thursday we will begin Unit 3.

Don't forget...

November 25 - 27 - Thanksgiving Break

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/16/2015 & 11/23/2015

Highlights for the Weeks of 11/16/15 & 11/23/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - The ôr/ ür / yŏŏr Sounds
This week's lesson contains words with the  patterns of  ôr/ ür / yŏŏr, which sound like "more", "hurt" & "pure". The final test for the lesson will be on Friday, 11/20. Cursive  pages and Google Classroom activities are also due that day. There will be NO SPELLING the week of 11/23.

Reading - "Courage" / Greek Mythology
We will begin our mythology unit with a look at the story of Hercules. Students will examine this myth to determine the characteristics of heroes and the ways that they show courage. They will also work in partners to complete comprehension related tasks.

We will also be reading a Time for Kids magazine that focuses on how Navajo code talkers helped the U.S. defeat Japan in World War II. Students will complete a magazine comprehension QUIZ on Friday, 11/20.

English - Quotations & Commas / Modal Auxiliaries
We will continue our study of the use of quotation marks for direct quotes in text. Modal auxiliaries - the use of words like can, may & must - will also be our focus next week.

Science - What are Some Life Cycles of Plants?
Photosynthesis and life cycles of plants are the first two topics that we will study in our new science unit. We will be conducting an investigate to find the answer to the question, "Does a Plant Need Light to Germinate?".  Students will record their daily observations, and then draw conclusions about the relationship between light and germination. They will also be creating their own diagram of the life cycle of a plant.  Look for the description sheet for the plant life cycle project to come home on 
11/20. We will begin the project in class, but it will be completed at home. The completed diagram is due on 11/30.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 2 - Addition & Subtraction of Fractions



The last concept that we will study in this module will be common denominators. The unit 2 TEST is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 11/23.

FYI...

November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break

We are so proud of our friends AJ & Ethan who led our school in the Pledge of Allegiance at our Veteran's Day Assembly. It was a wonderful event that was enjoyed by all. Way to go gentlemen!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Karen Bell