Week of 1/3/11 - 1/7/11

Highlights for the Week of 1/3/11 - 1/7/11 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

English - Adjectives

We will be pretesting for our new chapter on 1/3. Students who get 100% correct in three or more lessons will have the opportunity to do alternate challenge work to the textbook lessons. The first three lessons in this chapter will cover the definition of adjectives, adjectives used after the forms of the word "be", and using the adjectives/articles "a", "an" and "the".

Social Studies - Wildlife & Resources of the Southeast

We will be finishing chapter 6 with a look at the wildlife and resources of the Southeast. The chapter 6 TEST is tentatively scheduled for the week of 1/10.

Science - How Behaviors of Animals Help Them Meet their Needs

This week we will be focusing on lessons 2 & 3 of chapter 3. Students will study behaviors of animals that help them to survive, such as migration and hibernation. We will also look at instinctive behaviors versus learned behaviors.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Words with the /k/, /ng/ & /kw/ Sounds

Beginning with this lesson, we will no longer be pretesting in spelling. We spend more time focusing on the rule for the week, and with the definitions of the spelling words for the week. Workbook pages and the cursive page will be due on Friday, 1/7. The final test for the lesson will also be on 1/7.

Reading

This week, we will be working on predicting outcomes. Readers can often guess ahead of time, or predict, what will happen in a story, based on information the author has given. Additionally, readers can change or adjust their predictions as they read.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will be reviewing for the chapter 6 test on Monday, 1/3. The TEST is scheduled for 1/4. Our next unit will be chapter 7, which focuses on the collection & organization of data. This week we will focus on venn diagrams, and finding the mean, median and mode for data sets.

Don't Forget...

January 3 -- Classes Resume after Winter Break

January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School

Have a happy, relaxing & safe holiday break!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/13/10 - 12/17/10

Highlights for the Week of 12/13/10 - 12/17/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English

Students have been busy studying figurative language while preparing to write their, "I Remember When..." descriptive paragraphs. The rough draft of their paragraph is due on Monday, 12/13. We will write the final copies in school that day.

Social Studies - The Southeast

We will be finishing our study of the climate of the Southeast.

Science - How do the Bodies of Animals Help Them Meet Their Needs?

We will be finishing chapter 3, lesson 1 with a look at natural selection. Ask your child why it is rare to see a light gray peppered moth. Students will have a QUIZ on this lesson on Wednesday, 12/15.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling

Our reading class will only be meeting 3 days this week due to the bowling & Tivoli field trips. Therefore, there will be NO spelling lesson this week. When we return from holiday break, we will begin a new routine for spelling. Due to the low number of students that have passed the pretest, we will no longer be taking it. We will use that time to focus on reviewing the spelling rule for the week, and familiarizing ourselves with the meanings of the words. All students will be completing the same cursive page and the workbook pages for each unit.

Reading

The first strategy that we focus on this week in reading is making inferences. A writer doesn't always explain every fact or detail about when writing a story. The writer expects that readers will fill in missing information from their own experience. Good readers do this by putting together what they already know and what they have read to make the best guess they can. When readers add information from their own experience to what is stated in a text, they are making an inference. We will also study the reading skill of comparing and contrasting. Students will practice comparing pieces of literature that are similar and different. After studying these skills, students will practice them with the story of The Polar Express.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Chapter 6

Elapsed time on a calendar, changing units of time and temperature are our topics for this week. We will not be testing on this chapter until after the holiday break.

Don't Forget...

December 16 - Bowling Field Trip (afternoon)

December 17 - All School Field Trip to the Tivoli

December 20 - Winter Break begins

January 3 - Classes Resume after Winter Break

The permission slip and fee for the Tivoli field trip is due by Monday, 12/13.

Hot lunch will be available for students on the day of the Tivoli Field trip on 12/17. However, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that your child bring a sack lunch that day in order to avoid the long lines in the lunch room.

There is a test in PE on Tuesday, 12/14. The test will cover the bowling unit.

Thank you to all the families who have contributed to the Project Challenge collection for the needy. They will be collecting food, toiletries & toys through 12/13.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/6/10 - 12/10/10

Highlights for the Week of 12/6/10-12/10/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Descriptive Writing

We will be taking a break from our English textbook to learn about figurative language. Students will study adjectives and similes, and will then use what they have learned to write a descriptive paragraph about a favorite winter memory

Social Studies

We will continue our study of the Southeast with a look at the resources of the region.

Science

Adaptations is our new unit in science, found in chapter 3, lesson 1. We will study how physical and behavioral adaptations of animals help them to survive.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling

The spelling test for this week will be on THURSDAY, 12/9. Workbook pages & contract work will also be due that day.

Reading
Next week our story will be Two-Star Day, by Veronica Freeman Ellis. It is the story of a boy who has a two very occasions falling on one day...his birthday & becoming a United States citizen. Our reading strategies are questioning, categorizing and classifying. Recognizing the question a story may raise is a good way to make sure you understand it. Classifying involves grouping like items, and categorizing involves naming the group. Grouping the items makes it easier to remember them. Students will classify and categorize the many characters and countries named in the story to help understand the story better.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

The graded assessment for Chapter 5 is scheduled for Monday, 12/6. We will then move on to chapter 6, which covers the topics of telling time and elapsed time.

Don't forget...

We can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---NO CARDBOARD!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment! Thank you

Mrs. Karen Bell

Weeks of 11/22/10 - 12/3/10

Highlights for the WEEKS of 11/22/10 - 12/3/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Nouns

We will be finishing this unit the week of 11/22. We will be reviewing the material on 11/29, & the TEST for chapter 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, 11/30.

Social Studies - Chapter 6 - The Land of the Southeast

We will be moving on to a new region in Social Studies, the Southeast. Students will be creating their own map of the region at the beginning of the week of 11/29. Next, we will study the landforms from the coast to the mountains in the SE.

Science - Life Cycles of Plants and Animals
After finishing lesson 3 of chapter 2, we will have a QUIZ on the material on Monday, 11/22. The chapter TEST is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, 12/2.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling

There will be no spelling lesson the week of 11/22. Our next lesson will be the week of 11/29. Due to the short week, the final test will be on Thursday, 12/2, and the cursive page, workbook pages, and contract work will also be due that day.

Reading

Over the next couple of 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, based on fact or good reasons, and may include words like always or most. We have already begun working on our summarizing skills with the Because of Winn-Dixie timeline project.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Students will be taking a QUIZ on lessons 1-4 of chapter 5 on Monday, 11/22. The following week, we will cover the topics of predicting and testing, exploring inequalities & finding a rule. The test for chapter 5 is tentatively scheduled for the week of 12/6.

FYI...

Dates to Remember:

November 23 - Report Cards

November 24, 25, 26 - Thanksgiving Holiday - No school

November 29 - December 3 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

December 3 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - No school

Conferences are scheduled for the week of November 29th. I will be sending home confirmation slips.

From the students in Project Challenge...

The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lions' club Holiday Drive. we are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13th. Remember that some of these families live right her in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season. PLEASE DONATE.

Click on the link below to read a story from the local paper about the PBIS program at PV:

http://triblocal.com/downers-grove/communitystories/2010/11/prairieview-school-receives-pbis-award/

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/15/10 - 11/19/10

Highlights for the Week of 11/15/10-11/19/10 in Mrs. Bell's Class

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Nouns

Singular & plural possessive nouns will be covered this week.

Social Studies - The Narragansett People
Finishing lesson 1 of chapter 5 is our mission this week. Students will be creating drawings of a Narragansett village and will have a QUIZ on lesson 3 on Thursday. Next stop...the Southeast region!




Science - Life Cycles of Plants and Animals
We will be moving on from plants to animals in our study of life cycles. This week we will look at different types of growth and development, including metamorphasis. We will learn about the four stages of human development, and what the characteristics of each stage are. Look for a QUIZ on chapter 2, lesson 3 during the week of 11/22.



Mrs. Bell's Reading Class


Spelling
The final test this week will be on Friday, 11/19. The print/cursive page and workbook pages 137-139 OR contract work will also be collected that day.




Reading

We will work on making inferences and evaluating during reading this week. Good readers should always think about their reactions to what they are readning and why they are reacting that way. This strategy is called "evaluating". As you are reading the story, think about these things: How does the author make the story come alive and make you want to keep reading? What was entertaining, informative, or useful about what you read? How well did you understand what you were reading? Did you enjoy reading it?



Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Algebra: Use Multiplication & Division Facts
This week we will begin chapter 5 with a look at the properties of multiplication. Lessons to follow include multiplication & division expressions, order of operations and multiplication & division equations. I have tentatively scheduled a QUIZ on lessons 1-4 of chapter 5 for Monday, 11/22.


FYI...

Dates to Remember:

November 23 -- Report Cards

November 24, 25, 26 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School

December 3 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School



Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/8/10 - 11/12/10

Highlights for the week of 11/8/10 - 11/12/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Nouns

Singular and plural nouns will be our focus this week. We will study the rules of spelling for plural nouns, including nouns that end in "s", "x", "ch", "sh" and "y". Plural nouns that do not follow any pattern will also be studied. Ask your child how to pluralize the words sheep & ox!

Social Studies - The Narragansett People

Lesson 1 of chapter 5 will include information about the Narragansett people, native americans who lived in the Northeast region. We will learn about their culture and then compare and contrast it with the culture of the Iroquois people.

Science

The QUIZ for chapter 2, lesson 2 will be on Monday, 11/8. We will be moving on to the next lesson, Life Cycle of Animals, later in the week.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - The "ou" & "aw" sound

The final test for this lesson is on Friday, 11/12. The print/cursive sheet, workbook pages and/or contract work will also be collected that day.

Reading

This week we will focus on two important reading strategies. The first reading strategy that we will discuss is to make predictions, or educated guesses, about what will happen next in the story. The second reading strategy that we will apply is the use of inferences, or the ability to figure something out, even though it isn't exactly stated in the story. Additionally, we will focus on sequencing events in literature. Our reading class will be studying the novel Because of Winn-Dixie while we work on these strategies.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Early in the week, we will finish chapter 4 by taking a look at the problem solving skills of choosing an operation and finding missing factors. The TEST for chapter 4 will be on Friday, 11/12. Students will not be allowed to use their multiplication table for the test.

FYI....

Dates to Remember:

November 8-- Roller Skating Party
November 11 -- Veteran's Day -- No School

November 12 -- End of 1st Trimester

November 16 -- Report Cards issued

November 24, 25, 26 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School

Students attending the roller skating party on Monday, November 8th, will need to report to school at 3:45 p.m. to check in and to have their hands stamped before boarding the buses. Students should bring their fast pass with them at check in, which will go home with them on Monday. Please remember not to park in the bus lanes when dropping your student off, and for pick up.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/1/10 - 11/5/10

Highlights for the Week of 11/1/10 - 11/5/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Chapter 2 - Nouns

Our new unit in English is nouns. We will begin by taking a look at the definition of a noun, then continue on to common and proper nouns, and singular and plural nouns. Ask your child about the new Schoolhouse Rock song that is being sung in our room!

Social Studies - Chapter 5 - People of the Northeast

Students will finish creating the Northeast portion of their U.S. maps early in the week. Then we will move on to chapter 5, People of the Northeast. The first lesson in that chapter will focus on the Narragansett people.

Science - Chapter 2 - Life Cycles of Plants and Animals

Plants that reproduce by means other than seeds is the topic for this week. Our studies will include a look at ferns and tubers (potatoes). There will be a QUIZ on lesson 2 of this chapter the week of 11/8.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Reading

Mysteries will continue to be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students next week. We will review bocabulary words that are typically associated with mysteries. While reading other mystery stories, students will review the format of a mystery and continue using the reading strategies of monotoring and clarifying to understand story maps. A story map is a strategy that uses a graphic organizer to help students learn the elements of a book or story. By identifying story characters, plot, setting, problem and solution, students read carefully to learn the details.

Spelling - More Short & Long Vowels

The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 11/5. The print/cursive sheet and workbook pages or contract work is also due on that day.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will begin the week with a look at multiplication facts from through 12. Students will be creating their own multiplication facts table, and should be practicing their facts at home. There will be a QUIZ on lessons 1-5 of chapter 4 on 11/4.

FYI...

Don't forget...no school on Tuesday, 11/2 due to teachers' institute.

Book Club orders are due on Friday, 11/5. If you would like to order online, our class activation code is HDNTK. Order forms & an information letter were sent home with your child.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the parents who gave of their time and talents to make our Halloween celebration a success. I'm wishing all of my little "goblins" a happy & safe Halloween!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/25/10 - 10/29/10

Highlights for the week of 10/25/10-10/29/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English-Capitalization & Punctuation

We have completed this unit, and will have the TEST on Thursday, 10/28. To prepare for the test, students should review the practice and workbook pages, and the textbook. The next unit that we will study in English is nouns.

Social Studies-Chapter 4 - Land & Water in the Northeast

The TEST for this region is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/26. Students have received a study guide to help them prepare for the test.

Science-Chapter 2 - Life Cycles of Plants and Animals

We will continue to study the life cycles of plants in lesson 2 of this chapter. Students will focus on the life cycles of plants with and without seeds.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Theme 1 Review

This week's spelling list will contain words from the first theme in our reading text. Included in this group are words with long and short "a","e", "i", "o", "u", and homophones. The final test will be on Friday, 10/29, and workbook pages will be collected that same day.

Reading

Mysteries will be the focus in reading for all fourth grade students this week. We will begin by learning vocabulary words that are typically associated with mysteries, such as "suspect", "evidence" and suspense". Students may practice the definitions of the vocabulary words by completing a crossword puzzle at the following website:

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr06/gr4/activities/pdf/gr4_th1_xword.pdf.

All students will read & study, "The Case of the Purloined Pachyderm". While reading this mystery and other mystery stories, studeents will be studying the format of a mystery, and using the reading strategies of monitoring and clarifying.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

The TEST for chapters 2 & 3 will be on Monday, 10/25. Students were given a study guide so that they will know what to focus on while preparing for the test. We will begin the chapter 4 which covers multiplication and division facts, on Tuesday. The first concepts that we will look at are relating operations and multiplication and division facts through 5.

FYI...
The Halloween celebration will be on Friday, 10/29. The traditional PV parade will begin at 1:00, and parties will start at 1:30. Thank you to all the parents who are helping to make this a special afternoon for our classroom!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/18/10 - 10/22/10

Highlights for the Week of 10/18/10-10/22/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English - Capitalization & Punctuation

We are approaching the end of chapter 5 with a look at quotation marks and titles. The review and TEST on this unit is scheduled for the week of 10/25.

Social Studies - The Plentiful Sea

Our focus in social studies will be on the resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Ask your child what problems are being faced by the fishermen who make their living by working in the Bay.

Science - Life Cycles of Plants & Animals

Our new science unit begins with the study of the life cycle of plants. We will be conducting an investigation to discover how light affects the germination of radish seeds. Students will also look at the process of photosynthesis.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - No Lesson this week!

Due to scheduling conflicts with the MAPS testing, there will be no spelling lesson this week.

Reading - The Parcel Post Kid

This week, all fourth grade students will read the story of The Parcel Post Kid, by Michael O. Tunnel. This piece is a nonfiction story set in 1914, which tells the take of a young girl whose parents mail her to her grandmother because it is cheaper than paying her train fare. While reading the story, students will be reviewing the strategies and skills that we have studied so far this year, with particular emphasis on predicting and making inferences.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Working backwards to solve story problems will be our skill for this week. Our next TEST is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 10/25. This test will not only cover chapter 3, but will contain some review questions from concepts mastered in chapter 2. Look for a study guide to come home with your child on Wednesday.

FYI...

MAPS will continue this week.

The Halloween Celebration is scheduled for Friday, 10/29.

Have a relaxing weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell