Week of 9/3/12-9/7/12

Highlights for the Week of 9/3/12 - 9/7/12 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - Words Often Misspelled List #1
This week's list will consist of words that are often misspelled by fourth grade students. Students will be taking a pretest consisting of 20 words on Tuesday. Cursive work will be assigned on Tuesday, and contract activities will come home on Wednesday. Homework will be collected on Friday, and the final test for the week (20 words) will also be given that day. Look for a sheet titled "All About Spelling" in the Spelling pocket of your child's binder for details on how spelling will work this year.

English - Friendly Letter /Sentences

Students have completed their first English assignment, which was to write an autobiographical paragraph. This week in English we will review how to write a friendly letter. Students will learn about the different components that make up a friendly letter, and we will write one together. Then, they will write their own friendly letter to be shared with parents on Curriculum Night. At the end of the week, we will begin the first unit of study in English by taking a look at "What is a Sentence?", and two types of sentences, the "statement" and the "question".

Reading - The Pumpkin Runner
This week in reading the students will review and practice their reading strategies as we read the story The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. The reading strategies that we will focus on include: preview/infer, phonics/decoding, questioning, monitor/clarify, summarize, and evaluate.

Social Studies - "We the People"
Students have become familiar with our Social Studies text by working with partners on a "textbook scavenger hunt". This week we will begin our study of the structure and purpose of the U.S. Government with a look at chapter 2, lesson 2.


Science - "Getting Ready for Science"
Our focus this week will be on how tools are used for science, and safety in the science lab.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class 
The first topic in math this year will be understanding place value. Students will be studying place value through the millions period, and how to compare and order numbers. Our first QUIZ in math is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, 9/5. The quiz will cover lessons 1-5 of chapter 1 in the textbook.

FYI...

Please be sure to attend Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 5th from 6:30 to 7:30. You will have an opportunity to visit our classroom, and to meet your child's math teacher.

MAPS testing for our class will take place on Thursday, 9/6. Students will be taking the math portion of the test first. Please see that your child is well rested, and has a healthy breakfast that day.

If your child is interested in joining the band, please plan on attending the meeting for beginning students on September 10th at 7:00. The meeting will be held at Prairieview in the Multi-Purpose room.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell