Week of 9.2.19

Highlights for the Week of 9/2/2019
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling -  Prefixes: un-, non-, dis-
This week's spelling unit focuses on spelling rules for words that begin with the prefixes 
"-un", "-non", and "-dis". We will also study word roots and how the prefixes change the meanings of the words. In addition to the spelling list, students will learn several vocabulary words that follow the same prefix pattern.  The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/6.

English: Writing a Friendly Letter
Students will learn the format for writing a friendly letter and write one to share with you on Curriculum Night.

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. On Wednesday we will review this skill with an activity in which students will close read Oreo cookies...as you can imagine this activity has been quite popular in the past! Then, 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 an understanding of the author's words. 

Science  - Energy Conversions
We will kick off our science unit with an activity titled "How Do Scientists Know So Much?".  Students will examine an ordinary object through the lens of a scientist's eyes and record their observations about that object.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 1 - Expressions, Equations & Volume
Numerical expressions and investigating volume will be our focus this week. Look for the first CHECKPOINT to be scheduled the week of 9/9. The checkpoint will review lessons 1-5 of Unit 1.

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.

FYI...

Fourth-grade students will take MAP tests during the week of 9/2. The Reading portion of the test is scheduled for Friday, 9/6 and the Math portion will take place on Thursday, 9/5. Our classroom motto for MAP testing is "Don't stress...just do your best!" 

Picture Day is Tuesday, September 10th. An order form will be sent home with your child. 

Please be sure to mark your calendar for Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 4th  from 6:30 to 8:00. You will have an opportunity to visit our classroom, and to meet your child's math teacher. 

Our first week included "Getting to Know You" activities, team building and learning classroom procedures. The students and I have been getting to know each other, sharing some laughs and working hard. Below are some pictures from an activity in which students had to solve clues in order to unlock codes to break the "Back to School Blues". 

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell