Week of 9/22/14

Highlights for the Week of 9/22/14
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Short & Long "i" and "o"
The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 9/26. Cursive and workbook pages OR contract work will also be collected that day.

Reading - Courage
I am so pleased with the work that students did while conducting the close read of the poem, "Casey at the Bat". Their enthusiasm for the material coupled with their perseverance with the challenging text was a pleasure to watch.  Below are some of our classroom archaeologists "Digging Deeper" into the text while close reading the poem.

 

 

This week in reading we will begin the fourth grade Courage unit. The unit revolves around the essential questions of "What does it mean to show courage?", "Can Courage be shown in more than one way?" and "How can one person make a difference?". The first text that we will explore is the story, Happy Birthday Dr. King, which tells the story of a young man who learns a life lesson from the example of Dr. King. 

English - What is a Sentence?
On Tuesday,  students will be completing their "Snapshot Sentences" project that is a review of the four types of sentences.  Please be sure to send a 4 X 6 photo to school on or before that day. We will be using glue with the photos, so please do not send one that is too special! Subjects and predicates is the next topic in our English unit, and that means that Mr. Morton will be coming to town! Ask your child to sing one of my favorite Schoolhouse Rock songs for you . We will be focusing on complete subjects  to end the week.


Social Studies - Resources of the Northeast

Cranberries, grapes, sap and minerals are all resources that come from the Northeast. We will study how cranberries are grown and harvested from bogs, why the Finger Lakes area is conducive to growing grapes, and the process through which tree sap becomes maple syrup. We will also look at the minerals that are harvested from the quarries in the NE.

Science - The Scientific Method
Our junior scientists/architects used their inquiry skills this week to work together to create a model of a building using straws, paper clips and masking tape. Check out what they created...

 

 

 

Next week, they will use the steps of the Scientific Method to test the strength of their models. They will also answer the question "Does Popcorn Float" in an activity that also focuses on the process of the Scientific Method.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Multiplication and Division: Meanings and Facts
The Topic 1 TEST is scheduled for Wednesday, 9/24. Students should review class notes, practice pages and workbook pages to prepare for the test. We will begin Topic 2, Generating and Analyzing Patterns on Thursday. 

FYI...

Magazine turn in dates are Tuesday, 9/23 and Thursday, 9/25.

Happy Weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell