Week of 9/28/15

Highlights for the Week of 9/28/15
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling -  Short and Long "u"

The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 10/2. Google Classroom activities will also be due that day. Spelling homework should be submitted before 7:00 a.m. on the day it is due.

Reading - "Courage" - Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

We will continue digging deeper into the treasure chest of text with the story, Happy Birthday, Dr. King! Students will work with partners and independently to respond to Text Dependent Questions (TDQs) and build their personal collection of vocabulary. We will also study the text structure of cause and effect. Look for a vocabulary QUIZ to be scheduled the week of 10/5.

English - Writing Paragraphs & What is a Sentence?
Our paragraph study will conclude this week. Students will independently write a paragraph about something they did during the summer. They will be assessed on their ability to write topic, concluding and detail sentences. We will then move on to our sentence unit.

Social Studies - The Northeast
The chapter 4 TEST is scheduled for Wednesday, 9/30. A study guide was sent home on 9/24. Students should review the textbook, review pages and workbook pages to prepare for the test.







Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Multiplication & Volume
Reviewing division with area models and division with remainders will be our focus next week. Look for a TEST on Unit 1 to be scheduled the week of 10/5. Below are some pictures of Richard leading the class in a Number Corner discussion. 

 

FYI...What a marvelous day we had at the zoo! Students learned how to record observations while observing animals and how to turn the collected data into a format (bar graph) that is meaningful. Thanks again to the chaperones who helped to make the day special.

A group shot!

Observing the activity of Delilah the turtle

Recording data on the kangaroos

Time for lunch!

ANOTHER WONDERFUL WEEK!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 9/21/15

Highlights for the Week of 9/21/15
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Short & Long "i" and "o"
The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 9/25. Google Classroom activities will also be due that day. Below are some photos of students working on Spelling homework on their Chromebooks. Spelling homework should be submitted before 7:00 a.m. on the day it is due.

Reading - Courage
This week we began 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?". Students worked in small groups to share ideas about one person making a difference. Ideas were then shared on the "graffiti" wall shown below. We discovered that small actions, not just large ones, can be important in making a difference.

Students also explored text in a different format by viewing a video about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While watching the video, they answered text dependent questions. We love using our Chromebooks in class!

 

 

Next week we will learn about finding theme in text, and begin our close read of  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 - Introducing Paragraphs
We have practiced brainstorming ideas and writing topic, detail and closing sentences. This week, students will practice revising and proofreading paragraphs.


Social Studies - Resources of the Northeast / The Plentiful Sea

We will finish our study of the resources of the Northeast, and move on to how the Atlantic coast influences the economy of the region. Look for the NE region TEST to be scheduled the week of 9/28.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Multiplication & Volume
Topics in math this week include multiples, partial products and relating multiplication and multiplication. Students will independently complete a graded CHECKPOINT on Friday, 9/25. The checkpoint will cover multiplication strategies and volume. Students should review their spiral notes and work pages to prepare for the Checkpoint.

FYI...

The Brookfield Zoo field trip is scheduled for Tuesday, 9/22. Please send a 100% disposable lunch to school with your child. We will be outside come rain or shine, so please have him/her dress for the weather!

Magazine turn in dates are Tuesday, 9/23 and Thursday, 9/24.

Happy Weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 9/14/15

Highlights for the Week of 9/14/15

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - Long and Short "a" and "e"

The final test for spelling this week will be on Friday, 9/18.This is the first week that we will be using the spelling words from our reading series. Students who score a 90% or above on Monday's pretest will have the opportunity to do challenge work assigned in Google Classroom.  Workbook pages and contract work will also be collected on 9/19. 

Reading - "Casey at the Bat" / Courage Unit

We will finish our close read of Casey at the Bat by completing a text comparison with the story The Mighty Jackie. Students will compare and contrast the literary features of both passages through the use of a Venn diagram. We will also work in partners to complete a small PARCC based assessment for the Casey poem. As a group we will discuss and work on strategies for analyzing and completing the assessment questions. Below are picture of students using their Chromebooks as they dig below the surface of the Casey poem text to discover the meanings of unfamiliar words.

We will also begin the first ELA unit titled, "Courage". Throughout this unit, we will study the different ways that courage can be shown, and answer the big question, "How can one person make a difference?".  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the first courageous figure that we will study. 

English - Introducing Paragraphs
Topic and concluding sentences are the last concepts in this "mini-unit". Students will brainstorm and write paragraphs about how to "fill someone's bucket".

Social Studies - The Beautiful Northeast

The Northeast Map QUIZ is scheduled for Monday, 9/14. We will then focus our attention on the resources of the region. Be sure to ask your child how cranberries are grown...it's an amazing process!

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Multiplication & Volume
Our focus in math this week includes: examining the "ten times" strategy, modeling with closed and open arrays, determining surface area, and using partial products to solve multiplication problems.  Below are pictures of students working with Omnifix cubes to problem solve with volume. Their task was to determine all the dimensions for boxes needed to ship 24 baseballs. Be sure to ask your child what they discovered with their partner!

 

 

 

 

FYI...

The Brookfield Zoo field trip is scheduled for Tuesday, 9/22. Please send a 100% disposable lunch to school with your child. We will be outside come rain or shine, so please have him/her dress for the weather!

Another wonderful week!  Happy weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell