Week of 10.1.18

Highlights for the Week of 10/1/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 6 - "Suffixes "-ed" and "-ing"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -ed and -ing.  We will study how adding these suffixes to base words changes their spelling. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 10/5.

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage" 
Students will continue to close read the fiction piece titled, Happy Birthday Dr. King. They will work in small groups to answer text-dependent questions and to use context clues to find meanings of unknown words. They will also be creating a digital notebook of vocabulary words for the story. 

The Happy Birthday Dr. King vocabulary QUIZ is scheduled for Friday, 10/5. Students should review the word work that they completed in Google Classroom to prepare for the quiz.

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
The chapter 4 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 10/1. Students should review the textbook, review pages, and workbook pages to prepare for the test. The rest of the week will be spent creating the Northeast portion of a United States Map. This is a year-long activity that is completed region by region. It is a favorite activity of mine...I hope the children enjoy it as much as I do!

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 2 - Adding & Subtracting Fractions

We have begun Unit 2, which is one of my favorite units of the year! In Unit 2, students will learn how to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators. They will learn a number of strategies for finding common denominators in order to perform the operations.

The unit begins with a look at simplifying fractions. Once we have studied this concept, it is my expectation that all answers on homework, checkpoints and assessments will be given in the simplest form. At the end of the week, we will also look at using a "money model" to find common denominators for fractions.

During September's Number Corner activities, we have been collecting and recording Egyptian numbers while looking for patterns and translating them into modern numbers. To break up the action a little, as each day's Egyptian number is revealed, we have sung the place value of each symbol to the tune of  "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Below are some talented mathematicians/musicians presenting the addition to our calendar for September 27th...

FYI...

10/8- Columbus Day  - No School

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 9.24.18

Highlights for the Week of 9/24/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 5 - "Greek Roots"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the Greek roots "graph", "auto", "photo", "tele", and "rupt".  We will study the meanings of these roots and how to use them correctly. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/28.

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage"
We kicked off the Courage unit by reflecting on the question, "How Can One Person Make a Difference"? Students participated in a "silent conversation" using Google Question where they shared their thoughts and commented on the ideas of others. Then we created the graffiti wall below to display their ideas. Of course, we had to take a class picture (& a silly one) in front of our beautiful creation! 

Next week's task in reading will be to close read the fiction piece titled, Happy Birthday Dr. King. Students will work in small groups to answer text-dependent questions and to use context clues to find meanings of unknown words. They will also be creating a digital notebook of vocabulary words for the story. 

English - What is a Sentence?
The chapter 1 TEST is scheduled for Wednesday, 9/26. Students should prepare for the test by reviewing the textbook, practice pages, and workbook pages for the chapter. There is also a chapter review section in the textbook (p. 56-62) that covers all of the topics we have studied. Below are some activities that we used to practice our sentence skills.

Subject/Predicate "Scoot"

Can you find the simple subject in the sentence?

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
We will finish our study of the Northeast this week. Look for the Chapter 4 TEST to be scheduled for the week of 10/1.

Close reading is the thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that focuses on significant details or patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text's form, craft, meanings, etc. It is a skill that we will work on and develop throughout the year...we call it "digging into the text". Nothing makes me happier than seeing students apply skills they have learned across the curriculum. These photos show our junior archaeologists digging deep into Social Studies text to find meaning and to answer text-dependent questions.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Expressions, Equations & Volume
We will conclude this unit with a look at interpreting remainders. On Wednesday, 9/26, students will take the Unit 1 TEST. They should use their math spirals, Student Book and Home Connections pages as tools to review for the test. Unit 2 will focus on adding and subtracting fractions.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 9.17.18

Highlights for the Week of 9/17/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 4 - "Frequently Confused Words"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include homophones such as to, too and two & their, there and they're. We will study the meanings of these words and how to use them correctly. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/22.

English - What is a Sentence?
We will finish our study of the sentence with a look at simple subjects, simple predicates, and run-on sentences. The chapter 1 TEST is scheduled for the week of 9/24. Students should prepare for the test by reviewing the textbook, practice pages, and workbook pages for the chapter. There is also a chapter review section in the textbook (p. 56-62) that covers all of the topics we have studied.

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage" 

The Courage unit begins by exploring how one person can make a difference. In order to gain some background knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King,  students will work in small groups to close read a biographical article about his life. They will also independently watch a video about him and answer text-dependent questions related to the video.

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
Our focus this week will be the resources of the Northeast and how the Atlantic Ocean contributes to the economy of the region. Students will learn about crab pots, and how the problems of overfishing and pollution impact the area.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Expressions, Equations & Volume

The rest of the week will focus on using area models with dividing, division with remainders, and how to interpret those remainders. and interpreting remainders.

Look for the Unit 1 test to be scheduled for the week of 9/24. Students should review their math spirals, Student Book and Home Connections pages as tools to review for the test.

FYI...

THANK YOU to all the parents who were interviewed by their children and shared their stories of 9/11. We had a meaningful discussion and students enjoyed looking at newspapers from the days that followed this tragic event. Below are photos of Mrs. Nino leading the class discussion...

Enjoy your Weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 9.10.18

Highlights for the Week of 9/10/18
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 3 
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the sounds "ou", "aw", "au" and "ow". We will study the word pattern and review antonyms as they are related to the vocabulary words.  The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/14.

English - What is a Sentence?
Mr. Morton has come to town! Subjects and predicates will be our focus in the study of the sentence. The Tale of Mr. Morton is a Schoolhouse Rock song that helps students to understand the concept of subject and predicate. Looks like it's time to warm up our opera voices! 

Students will also complete a graded review of lessons 1-3 on 9/12. They will be asked to identify types of sentences and to correctly add the end marks that match the sentence type.  To prepare for the review, students should look over their practice packet and textbook pages 36-39.

Reading - "Casey at the Bat"

Our study of this famous poem will conclude with a "practice run" of a comprehension assessment.  Teachers will model the techniques, and students will practice digging into the text to find proof to support responses to comprehension questions. Future reading assessments will follow the same format as this one.

Social Studies  - The Beautiful Northeast
Students have created their own maps of the region in preparation for the map QUIZ on 9/10. The quiz will be identical to the map sheet in their binder. Students will be given a word bank with the names of states and water areas and will have to label the map correctly. We will also take a look at the geography of the NE this week. 

If you're looking for a study tool to help your child prepare for the map quiz, a parent has recommended an APP called "U.S. Map Quiz". It sounds like an engaging way to learn the states of each region!

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Expressions, Equations & Volume
Finding surface area, unit pricing and multiples are this week's topics. The Multiplication and Volume CHECKPOINT is scheduled for 9/13.

FYI... 

On Monday, 9/10, Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) testing will take place for all fourth-grade students. The test measures students' reading fluency and comprehension. Your child will work one on one with Mrs. Nino or me reading aloud and answering text related question. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know your child as a reader and also provides us with another tool for measuring his/her reading skill. 

During the week of 9/10, all fourth students will take two reading common assessments and one math common assessment. The purpose of these tests is to provide data for the teachers that will help to drive instruction. The results will not be entered in the grade book. Students are encouraged to do their best and do NOT stress!

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell