Week of 1.30.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 1/30/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 19 - Greek Roots

Words this week will contain the Greek Roots "uni", "bi", "tri" and "quad". Students will study the definition of these roots and words that contain them. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 2/3.

ELA / Reading - Unit 2 - Journeys
What does it mean to go on a journey? How can a person be changed by a journey they have experienced? These are the questions that we will pose to students as we begin the second unit in Reading titled "Journeys" We will begin by reading and discussing the short story, Grandfather's Journey by Alan Say. We will also read a Time for Kids magazine that focuses on a soap recycling program in Cambodia. The comprehension QUIZ for the TFK is scheduled for Thursday, 2/2.

The capitalization and punctuation TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 1/31. Students should review textbook pages 166-187, the practice packet and workbook pages to prepare for the test. Extra practice for the concepts is also found on pages 189-202 of the textbook. Below are some photos of students using magnetic punctuation marks to correctly punctuate sentences that use quotation marks:

Science - "What are Some Life Cycles of Plants?"
The study of the life cycle of plants will be our focus this week. Students will create a digital Plant Life Cycle Diagram in Google Classroom which will be due on 2/5. The radish seed observations will continue as we explore the question, "Do seeds need sunlight to germinate?" Students set up their investigations in the following pictures:

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals

The Multiplication Algorithm Checkpoint is scheduled for Monday, 1/30. Students should be able to perform two-digit multiplication using all of the strategies we have studied including: doubling and halving, ratio tables, over strategy, using quarters, area model, four partial products, and standard algorithm. They have examples of these strategies in their spirals and in the math folder of their binder.

Unit 4 is ending with a look at how to multiply to divide and divisibility rules.  Look for the Unit 4 test to be scheduled the week of 2/6.

FYI...

2/2 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:35

Congratulations to Aaqil and Monika who represented our classroom in the 4th-grade spelling bee.
We're so proud of both of you!

Students were thrilled to get their first peek at the new PV "Fab Lab" maker space. When working in the lab, they will have opportunities to use problem-solving skills and to be creative. Be sure to ask your child to tell you all about it!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 1.23.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 1/23/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 18 - Words with "ch" & "tch"

Words this week will contain the letters "ch" or "tch". Students will learn that if the final "ch" sound comes after a consonant or a two letter vowel, the ending is -ch. If the final "ch" sound follows a one letter vowel, it's usually written -tch. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 1/27.

ELA / Reading - Unit 1 - Profile in Courage Culminating Project
Students will continue to work on the slide show for their Profile in Courage project. They will be given time to work in school, but should expect that some work will be done at home. We will convert the slide show into flip books in school on 1/25. Presentations will begin on 1/26. 

We will complete our study of punctuation and capitalization with a look at how to write titles. Students will complete a chapter review on Thursday. Look for the chapter 5 TEST to be scheduled during the week of 1/30. 

Science - "What are Some Life Cycles of Plants?"
We will begin a new unit that focuses on life cycles of plants and animals in Science. Students will complete an investigation that answers the question "Do plants need light to germinate?" We will also take a look at the process of photosynthesis.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals

Our study of the standard algorithm for double digit multiplication will continue at the beginning of the week. Below is a model that demonstrates WHY the algorithm works. I love this lesson because Bridges requires that students go beyond memorization to learn this concept. Ask your child to explain the algorithm and how partial products work.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 1/16/17

Highlights for the Weeks of 1/16/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 17 - Words with the Suffix "-tion"
This week's list includes words with the suffix "-tion". Students will learn that when the suffix -tion is added to a verb, the word becomes a noun. When -tion is added to a word that ends in an "e" or "t", the "e" or "t" is dropped. The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 1/20.

ELA / Reading - Unit 1 - Profile in Courage Culminating Project

Students will continue the research and begin the slide show for the Profile in Courage project. They will be given time in class to work, however, they should expect to also work on it at home. The tentative due date for the slide show is Monday, 1/23. Presentations will take place the week of 1/23.

Use of quotation marks will be our focus in English this week. Quotation marks are tricky so we will spend a few days on this topic.

Social Studies - The Cherokee
We will wrap up our study of the Southeast region with a look at the culture and traditions of the Cherokee people. Students will take a QUIZ on chapter 7, lesson 1 in Social Studies on Thursday, 1/19.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals

The multiplication & division CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Tuesday, 1/17. We will spend the rest of the week focusing on the following strategies: sketching arrays & partial products, four partial products and arrays to algorithms. 

Collaboration has reached a new level as we delve into higher level concepts in math. I am thrilled with what I am observing as students discuss finding solutions to problems. Below are photos of partners working together to fill in a series of ratio tables to be used for problem solving...

FYI...

1/16 - No School - Martin Luther King Day.

"Organized chaos" takes place as students move their desks for a new seating arrangement!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 1/9/17

Highlights for the Weeks of 1/9/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 16 - Greek Roots
This week's list includes words with the Greek Roots micro, mega, hydro, astro, hydra and path. Students will study the meaning of these roots and words that contain them. The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 1/13.

ELA / Reading - Unit 1 - Lou Gehrig

Students will take the comprehension and vocabulary QUIZ for Lou Gehrig on Thursday, 1/12. The comprehension portion of the quiz will be open book. Students should review the word work on Google Classroom and the text dependent questions from the story to help them prepare for the quiz. We will also close read Gehrig's farewell speech. On Friday, we will introduce the culminating project for the courage unit, titled "Profile in Courage". Your child will research a historical figure who showed courage, create a slide presentation that will be turned into a "flip" book and present his/her project to the class. Step 1 will be to choose a person from a list that will be sent home on Friday, 1/13. 

In English, we will continue the study of capitalization and punctuation with a look at comma usage and quotation marks. 

Social Studies - The Southeast / The Cherokee
The long awaited Southeast Feast has been rescheduled for this week. It will be followed by a look at the culture of the Cherokee, the Native Americans of the SE. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals

This week in math we will focus on multiplication relationships, fractions as operators and the over/under strategy. Be sure to ask your child to describe the multiplication strategies that we have learned so far in Unit 4. The first checkpoint for Unit 4 is tentatively scheduled for the week of 1/16.

FYI...

1/16 - No School - Martin Luther King Day.

MAP testing is scheduled for the week of 1/9. Students in fourth grade will the reading test in their homeroom on Tuesday, 1/10 and the math test in their math classroom on Wednesday, 1/11. Please see that your child comes to school well rested and with a fully charged Chromebook on those days. Thank you!

Mrs. Karen Bell