Week of 4/27/15

Highlights for the Week of 4/27/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Theme 5 Review
This week's spelling list will be a review of 30 words we have learned in Theme 5.  Students will be required to score 100% on the pretest to earn challenge work for the week. The final test (20 words) on this lesson will be given on Friday,5/1. The workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - Journeys Unit / Poetry

We will continue to study the literary elements of poetry including rhyme, meter, figurative language and point of view. The poems that we will carefully read this week include The Hen, The Arrow & The Song, and A Narrow Fellow in the Grass. Students will also complete a TFK comprehension QUIZ on 4/28. Please be sure that your child has his/her TFK magazine at school that day.

English- Adverbs and Prepositions
We will complete this unit with a look at "What is a Preposition?". A preposition is a word that shows a relationship between two nouns. For example, in the sentence "The man is below the platform.", the word "below" is a preposition...it shows the relation between between the man and the platform. Look for the unit 7 TEST to be scheduled for the week of 5/4.

Social Studies - The Southwest
Students will be working on projects related to the Native Americans of the Southwest, the Navajo. Ask your child to tell you about the significance of the sun to the Navajo people, and how they used sand painting in their ceremonies. Their works of art will be on display at our Open House on 4/30.

Science -  Inventions 

This week's focus will be our annual INVENTION CONVENTION !!! I am very excited to see what our young inventors have created ! Inventions are due on Tuesday, 4/28. Students will present their inventions to the class with a note card speech on 4/29. A sheet with guidelines for the speech was sent home on 4/23. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Topic 13 - Extending Fraction Concepts
We will begin the next topic in math with a look at unit fractions. Then we will take a look at multiplication of fractions by whole numbers and converting fractions to decimals.

Don't Forget...

April 27 & 29 - MAP Testing for Team Bell students

April 30 - Prairieview Open House - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
May 15 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:00
May 25 - Memorial Day - No school

We look forward to seeing you at the Prairieview Open House on Thursday, 4/30 from 6:30 to 8:00. The students have been working hard to create a "Southwestern Fiesta" in the Fourth grade wing. Be sure to ask your child to show you his/her "I Am" project, and all of the other work (including inventions) displayed in our room. Don't forget to stop at the book fair in the gym!

The online book fair opens 4/25. Visit this link for more information:

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=prairieviewelementaryschool15

Karen Bell

Week of 4/20/15

Highlights for the Week of 4/20/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Homophones
This week's spelling list will focus on homophones. The final test on this lesson will be given on Friday, 4/24. The workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - Journeys - Poetry 
The next cycle of our Journeys unit will focus on Poetry. We will begin by studying author's viewpoint through Shel Silverstein's poetry. Author's viewpoint is how the author expresses his/her feelings about a topic and/or the purpose for writing. We will also revisit the topic of first and third person. When text is written in first person point of view, a character in the story tells the story, and pronouns such as "I", "me" and "we" are used. Third person point of view is when a narrator outside of the story is telling it, and pronouns such as "he", "she" and "they" are included. We will also study figurative language that is used in poetry.

English- Adverbs & Prepositions
Students will complete a graded review on lessons 1-3 of this unit on Tuesday. Topics will include identifying adverbs, comparing with adverbs and using "good" and "well".

Social Studies - The Southwest
Students will conduct research to collect information for the brochure, and create their document using Google Docs. 
Work on the brochure will be completed at home and at school.
The final product is due on 4/24.

Science -  Human Body / Inventions
Don't forget that inventions are due on 4/28! We have completed our study of the human body. The chapter 4 TEST is scheduled for Thursday, 4/23. Look for a study guide to come home with your child on Monday. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Topic 12 - +/- Fractions & Mixed Numbers with like Denominators

This week's topics in math include decomposing & composing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and the problem solving skill of draw a picture and write an equation. The Topic 12 TEST is tentatively scheduled for Friday, 4/24.

Don't Forget...

Week of 4/27 - MAP Testing - Team Bell scheduled for Monday & Wednesday
April 30 - Prairieview Open House - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Week of 5/4 - PARCC Testing - Monday - Wednesday
May 15 - Early dismissal - students dismissed at 11:00



Mrs. Karen Bell 

Week of 4/13/15

Highlights for the Week of 4/13/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - More VCV Words
This week's spelling list will again focus on the VCV (vowel-consonant-vowel) pattern. The final test on this lesson will be given on Friday, 4/17. The workbook pages OR challenge work will also be collected that day.

Reading - Journeys Unit
This week we will carefully read the classic story of The Velveteen Rabbit.  Students will compare and contrast the journeys experienced by the rabbit in the story with the rabbit in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. They will also create a dialog between the two characters that describes how their journeys were impacted by the people and events that they encountered along the way.

English - Adverbs & Prepositions

Comparing with adverbs and using "good" & "well" are the topics that we will focus on in English this week.




Social Studies - The Southwest

Lessons 2 and 3 of this chapter center around the climate and resources of the Southwest. At the end of the week, we will begin a technology project for the SW region. Students will create a travel brochure for a state. We will work on the brochure in school, but they will be expected to work on it at home as well.  Look for the project description and rubric to come home on Friday. I will be setting up the project in Google Classroom. PLEASE do not begin working on the brochure until we have gone over instructions the week of 4/20.

Science -  How Does Your Body Think & Move?
Students will finish the Kids Discover Bones magazine scavenger hunt early in the week. Then we will move on to the muscular system. The chapter 4 lesson 2 QUIZ is tentatively scheduled for Friday, 4/17. The quiz will be open note / textbook.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Topic 12 - Adding/Subtraction Fractions & Mixed Numbers with Like Denominators



Topics this week will include addition and subtraction of fractions on the number line, and operations with improper fractions and mixed numbers. 

Don't Forget...

 

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





Mrs. Karen Bell