Week of 8/31/15

Highlights for the Week of 8/31/15 
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 take a pretest consisting of 20 words on Monday. Look for an assignment sheet for homework to come home with your child that day. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 9/4.

English - Writing a Friendly Letter
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. We will also begin a mini-unit on paragraph writing.

Reading - Close Reading- "Casey at the Bat"

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...!!! Close reading is the careful, sustained interpretation of a piece of text, and one of the cornerstones of the Common Core State Standards. This week we will begin a close read of the poem, "Casey at the Bat". Students will read and reread this piece of rich text, dissecting it to gain understanding of the author's words. They will also compare it to another text and attempt to understand the author's perspective.

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
Fourth grade Social Studies is the study of regions of the United States. Early in the week, students will become familiar with our Social Studies text by working with partners on a "textbook scavenger hunt". We will finish the week with a peek at the Northeast, which is the first region that we will study.


Mrs. Bell's Math Class 
The first topic in math this year is multiplication and volume. The first lessons focus on finding factor pairs, reflective writing and the properties of multiplication and volume. Students will complete a pretest on these topics that will guide instruction for the rest of the unit. There is a graded "checkpoint" tentatively scheduled for Friday, 9/4.

FYI...

Please be sure to mark your calendar for Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1st from 6:30 to 8:00. You will have an opportunity to visit our classroom, and to meet your child's math teacher. There will also be a presentation regarding the district "Learning Never Stops" technology initiative. 

Our first week included "Getting to Know You" activities, team building, learning procedures and a visit from our principal, Mr. Pagel. The students and I have been getting to know each other, sharing some laughs and working hard.  I hope you enjoy these pictures of your children enjoying their first days in fourth grade.

Enjoy the weekend!
Mrs. Karen Bell