August News
8/27 - 8/31
What's happening in Room 104 this week!
Math: Place value to the ten thousands, playing Target 1000
Grammar/Writing: Reviewing nouns, end punctuation and editing marks. We will also be interviewing a partner to learn what's important about them. We'll be writing an "Important Paragraph" in the style of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown which we read today.
Reading: Researching porpoises in preparation for reading our first story, Science Squad: Porpoises in Peril. Our focus this week will be learning reading routines and procedures and practicing responding to reading with partners, with a group, and as a whole class.
Science/Social Studies: Understanding how scientists and researchers do their work, and beginning our study of California history with discovering the 4 geographical regions of our great state!
Specials: Monday- Computer Lab- logging in to our various computer programs we use at school- Lexia, ST Math, Google Drive, Typing Training, and Digital Passport
Tuesday- P.E.- movement, spatial awareness
Thursday- Music- singing
Friday- Library- first checkout of the school year!
Our class came up with expectations for behavior last week. Please review with your child our classroom agreements:
1. Listen when our teacher is talking.
2. Follow directions quickly.
3. Respect others, ourselves, and our school.
4. Work hard and do our best!
5. Be safe, be kind, and be honest.
**Parent Volunteer to help with homework folders needed this week. Please email me if you are able to help before Friday.
Important News:
Back to School Night- Thursday, September 13 5:30 pm- 7pm. Come visit specials classes (P.E., Library, and Music, Speech, and RSP) at 5:30, Teacher introductions in the MPR at 6pm, and classrooms open at 6:20- 7 p.m.
Scholastic Book Fair! Sept. 13-19 (will be open during Back to School Night). It will be open during morning recess, and for 30 min after school. Mrs. Szalai, our librarian is looking for parent volunteers to work the book fair all week, from 10-3:30. Please let me know if you are able to help. Thanks!
HERO Fundraiser begins next week! More info coming soon.
October News
What's happening in Room 104 this month:
This month we are wrapping up the first trimester of fourth grade. We'll be gearing up for assessments at the end of October. Our class will be decorating a scarecrow on the Windsor Town Green, and doing a game booth at the WE Foundation's Harvest Festival! I'm so excited for our kids to be a part of their community in this way. We will also be having a Halloween costume parade and class party!
Classroom Value: Responsibility- Taking care of what needs to be done.
Math: Unit 1- Multiplicative Thinking
- Your child will:
- Fluently multiply and divide within 100
- Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide
- Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve story problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities
- Find the area of a rectangle
Writing, Grammar, and Spelling
We have been working on Personal Memoirs this month. Our lessons have focused on how to engage our reader, add figurative language and sensory details to improve our descriptions, and organization of our writing.
In Grammar, we are using Mentor Sentences to study good writing. Each week, I read a story aloud to the class. I pick a sentence from the book that models good writing. Each day, we study what makes it a good sentence and talk about parts of speech, punctuation, and other grammar concepts. Lastly, students revise the sentence to make it better, and then imitate the style of the sentence and write their own well written sentence. Students have already started to make the connection about how using vivid verbs and adjectives help the reader create a picture in their mind!
In spelling we are studying the following spelling patterns:
Prefixes un/in
Commonly misspelled words
Words from other languages
Prefixes dis/re/non
Reading
This month, we are reading three non-fiction texts:
- King of the Parking Lot
- Movers and Shapers
- Skeletons Inside and Out
Social Studies
We are wrapping up our study of the regions of California. We completed a project- a foldable of the 4 regions that includes a picture of each region and important facts.
We also made a flip booklet of the symbols of our great state! Both of these projects you will be able to check out during Parent Teacher Conferences. I have saved them for your child's portfolio.
Science
To connect to our reading texts about the human body and skeletal system, we learned about our brain and how it controls the way our body moves. We did a test of our reaction speed - ask your child about dropping the ruler and having to catch it! We also learned about optical illusions! Have your child show you one with a rolled up piece of paper and your hand!
Important Dates:
10/15/18: First payment and form due for Sacramento trip!
10/20/18: Scarecrow Decorating at the Town Green 11 am - 4 pm
10/27/18: Harvest Festival at the Town Green 1-5 pm
10/31/18: Halloween parade and class party
November News
What's happening in Room 104 this month:
This month we are learning about multiplication, reading traditional tales like legends and myths, and beginning our study of the Native American tribes of California. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving break, and spending time with our families.
Classroom Value: Gratitude- Being thankful for what we have.
Math: Unit 1- Multiplicative Thinking
- Your child will:
- Fluently multiply and divide within 100
- Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide
- Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve story problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities
- Find the area of a rectangle
- Determine factors and multiples for numbers
- Categorize numbers as prime or composite
Writing, Grammar, and Spelling
We will begin our lessons on Summary this month. Students will be learning the difference between summarizing for non-fiction and fiction texts. Students will choose a non-fiction article to summarize. They will determine the main idea and key details of the text. They will produce clear and coherent writing that is organized and appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience.
In Grammar, we are using Mentor Sentences to study good writing. Each week, I read a story aloud to the class. I pick a sentence from the book that models good writing. Each day, we study what makes it a good sentence and talk about parts of speech, punctuation, and other grammar concepts. Lastly, students revise the sentence to make it better, and then imitate the style of the sentence and write their own well written sentence. Students have already started to make the connection about how using vivid verbs and adjectives help the reader create a picture in their mind!
In spelling we are studying the following spelling patterns:
Compound words
Suffix -ly
Reading
This month, we are reading two fiction texts:
- Why the Sea is Salty
- How the Stars Fell Into the Sky
Our focus question is: What is a legend, and what is its purpose? We are practicing the reading skills of describing events, setting, and characters with details, point of view, and theme.
40 Book Challenge Check In: Be sure your child is aiming for reading a book a week!
What Mrs. Anaya is reading: The Wild Card by Hope and Wade King and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Social Studies
We are beginning our studies of the indigenous people of California. We begin by learning how the first Californians arrived here more than 13,000 years ago. We also learn how early people in California lived as hunter gatherers, and settled into villages. We will be exploring how each tribe has its own culture (beliefs, language, dress, food) all of which are shaped in part by the environment they live in. We will be focusing on the natural resources available to each tribe based on the geographical region they inhabited.
Science
Waves of Sound: This unit helps develop the understanding that sound is an actual thing- a wave of vibrations traveling through the air. Equipped with this understanding, students can make sense of how sound and music work.
Important Dates:
11/13/18 to 11/16/18: Parent Teacher Conferences - Report cards will be given at this time.
11/14/18: Walking field trip to Windsor Public Library. Bring your library card if you already have one! Don't forget a sack lunch!
11/16/18: Library books due. Next library date is Dec. 7
11/19/18 to 11/23/18: Thanksgiving break - Enjoy!
11/26/18: School resumes
12/20/18: Minimum Day - Winter Holiday Class Party
12/21/18- 1/4/19 - Winter Break
We will treat each other with respect |
We will learn by working hard and doing our best |
We will use materials responsibly |