Week of 4.3.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 4/3/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  None
Due to PARCC testing, there will be no spelling lesson this week.

Reading- Unit 2 - "Journeys" - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
We will finish reading the novel this week. Students will take an open book QUIZ on chapters 15-18 of the novel on Thursday, 4/6. 

Students worked together to edit and revise their Hero essays. Notice how they used whisper readers to help them with this process...

Social Studies - The Midwest - "Just Look Book"
Students will begin working on a project for the Midwest called the "Just Look Book". The project description will come home on 4/4, and research will be due on 4/6. We will also take a look at the culture and history of the Navajo, which is the Native American group of the Southwest. 

Science - Invention Convention
Inventions are due on 4/25.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 6 - Graphing, Geometry & Volume
We will continue to focus on the hierarchical relationship between polygons. We will also take part in a practice test to prepare for the PARCC test. Students will take part 1 of the math test on Friday, 4/7.

Look for a Shape CHECKPOINT to be scheduled the week of 4/10.

Below are photos of students working in partners to categorize shapes by their characteristics. There is also a picture of the class holding the "trophy" they won for the "Great Fraction Race" game that we played in Number Corners during the month of March.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

FYI...
3/27 - 3/31 - No School - Spring Break
Week of 4/3 - PARCC Testing begins

Students will be taking the PARCC tests the week of 4/3 & 4/10. Please make sure that your child's chrome book is fully charged and that he/she has earbuds at school those weeks. Your child will be able to do his/her best when he/she is well rested and has had a healthy breakfast before coming to school. There will be no time for a snack before the tests, as we are taking them first thing in the morning. And just a reminder that our classroom motto is..."Don't stress - just do your BEST!"

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 3.20.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 3/20/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 26 - Words that end in "-el", "-al" and "-le"

Words that end in "-el", "-al" and "-le" are on the list this week. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 3/24.

Reading- Unit 2 - "Journeys" - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Students will take an open book QUIZ on chapters 7-10 of the novel on Wednesday, 3/22. They will also read & discuss a Time for Kids magazine whose main article takes a look at a NASA engineer who designs spacesuits for future missions. The comprehension QUIZ on the TFKk is scheduled for Friday, 3/24.

English- Explanatory Writing 

Proofreading and revising the hero essay are on the list for this week. Students will type and submit their final drafts on 3/23

Social Studies - The Midwest - Bountiful Midwest Farms
The chapter 8 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 3/20. A study guide was sent home for the test. Students should review their textbooks, notes and workbook pages to prepare for the test. We will also spend some time studying the Ojibwa, which is the Native American group for the region.

Science - Invention Convention
Look for INVENTION CONVENTION information to come home on Monday. Students will be asked to think of a problem that they have in their life, and to design, create & present an invention that will solve the problem. The invention proposal, or "contract" will be due on Thursday, 3/23.    The final product is due on 4/25.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 6 - Graphing, Geometry & Volume
The Graphing Patterns CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Monday, 3/20. We will then switch gears and look at the characteristics and classification of triangles and quadrilaterals.

Below are photos of students working with Unifix cubes to investigate patterns. After defining the pattern, they developed an equation and graphed it.

FYI...

Author Allan Woodrow visited PV on 3/16. Among his many books is the novel Class Dismissed, which we read as a read aloud story earlier this year. His advice to students on how to become good writers follows 3 steps: 1. Practice  2. Read  3. Revise. Sounds like good advice to me! Below are some photos of Mr. Woodrow addressing the 4th-grade class:

3/27 - 3/31 - No School - Spring Break

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 3.13.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 3/13/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 25 - 

The prefixes "im-", "in-", and "un-" are the focus of this week's spelling lesson. In addition to the list of words to spell, students will study the meaning of these prefixes and how they change the meaning of the root words that they are attached to. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 3/17.

Reading- Unit 2 - "Journeys" - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

We will read and discuss chapters 6-10 of the novel. We will also read the poem The Falling Star which has been paired with these chapters. Students will "dig" into the poem to discover how the theme is similar to the message in chapters 6-10 of Edward Tulane. On Friday, students will be given a Time for Kids magazine and quiz that they will read and complete for homework.

English- Explanatory Writing 

The end of this unit is in sight. Students will write the introductory and concluding paragraphs for the Lou Gehrig and hero essays this week. The rough draft of the hero essay will be due the week of 3/20.

Social Studies - The Midwest - Bountiful Midwest Farms
We will finish our study of the Midwest this week. The chapter 8 TEST is tentatively scheduled for 3/20. Look for a study guide to come home this week.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 6 - Graphing, Geometry & Volume
We will begin the week with a lesson on the coordinate plane. Students will learn about the four quadrants of a coordinate plane and how to appropriately plot and record points on the plane. We will then move on to how to describe, compare and graph patterns.

FYI...

3/27 - 3/31 - No School - Spring Break

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 3.6.17

Highlights for the Weeks of 3/6/2017
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 24 - Greek & Latin Roots

This week's words each contain the root "auto", "homo", "tract" or "phobia". We will study the meaning of these roots and how to determine the meaning of a word that contains them. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 3/10.

Reading- Unit 2 - "Journeys" - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

As our novel study continues, students will have several opportunities to independently complete written responses to the text. The expectation is that they will provide text evidence to support their response, and will also be able to interpret and extend that text proof. We have practiced this skill several times as a class, and now it is time for them to "show what they know". This week they will respond to a prompt from chapter 3. We will also read a Time for Kids magazine in which the main article focuses on President Trump. The comprehension QUIZ for the TFK is scheduled for Friday, 3/10.

English- Explanatory Writing 

We will add supporting details and elaboration to our Lou Gehrig and hero essays.

Social Studies - The Midwest - The Badlands of South Dakota / Bountiful Midwest Farms
The geography of the Badlands and agriculture in the Midwest will be our focus this week. We will study how erosion impacts the landforms in South Dakota and how rainfall determines the types of crops that farmers grow in the Great Plains and the Central Plains.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 5 & Unit 6
The Unit 5 TEST is scheduled for Wednesday, 3/8. On Thursday we will begin Unit 6 which is the study of graphing, geometry and volume.


FYI...

Below are some photos of the Ghanaian Dance Troupe that visited PV on 3/1...

Mrs. Karen Bell