October Already?!

Things are moving along so quickly!  I just looked at the calendar, and we are already 2 weeks away from the end of the first quarter!  I guess time flies when you're having fun!

We are all settled in now and getting to the meat of our work.  Here's what we've been up to:

READING:  We finished our myth unit with allusion posters.  These are hanging in the hallway outside of our room and look great!  Students did a great job sharing allusions and their meanings!  We have moved into reading various books with dogs as the main character.  Students were allowed to give me their top 2 book choices, and are placed in book groups based on their choice.  Throughout this unit we are reviewing key reading skills, such as cause and effect, sequencing events, character traits, and writing about our reading.  Ask your child which book s/he is reading.

 

WRITING:   Realistic fictional narratives will be our first type of writing that we take through all the stages.  This week, we looked at an example of this type of writing, and began the first stage of writing,  brainstorming.  We started by brainstorming small moments in our lives, moments we felt strong emotions, and stories we wish existed.  These will help us figure out what story we want to write.  Ask your child what idea s/he has for his/her story.

MATH:  All students are coming to the end of chapter 2 and moving right into chapter 3.  Since both chapters are about multiplication, and one builds on the other, we are going to combine the two chapter tests into one.  You can help by making sure your child completes his/her Reflex math requirement, as well as checking in about other homework each night.  Have your child show you how to multiply a 1 digit number by a 3 or 4 digit number.

SCIENCE:  We have been learning about living things, ecosystems, and the balance of life.  Students have read about animal and plant adaptations, food chains and food webs, and a variety of ecosystems.  This will lead us into a study of fossils that will help prepare us for our field trip to CAESAR's CREEK!  Ask your child how a small change to an ecosystem can affect the balance.  

TESTING:  Next week, starting on Tuesday, October 3, all fourth graders will take IOWA and Cognitive Abilities tests.  We will test each morning after specials until close to lunch. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep, has a full healthy breakfast, and brings a snack to school as well.  Also, please don't schedule any appointments for this time. 

REMINDERS:  Don't forget about the Social Studies field trip project...December 8 will be here before you know it!
Another field trip permission slip, this time to SunWatch Indian Village, came home on Friday...please send it back with $5 by Thursday.
If you haven't signed up for a conference with me, please send me an email and we can schedule one!

Settling In...

The students are settling in very well to 4th grade!  We are busy, busy, busy throughout each day.  Here's what we've been up to these last 2 weeks:

September 11:  Thank you for allowing your child to interview you about your Sept. 11 experience.  The students were eager to share what they learned from you, and to put your "one word" into our art piece.  Caden shared the story of his great aunt, Ann C. Judge, who was on board the flight that hit the Pentagon.  Really made this tragedy real for our students.  

                                               
 Sharing our stories

      

 Our one word...

                 

Our 9/11 art piece


ELA:  Our focus has been the allusions that we use in our language that come from ancient myths.  Students have read quite a few different myths in various formats. Presenting a myth poem to the class was fun!  Students really enjoyed the reverso poems!  They also LOVE reader's theater!  Finally, to end this unit, students were partnered up to create a poem about one of the allusions they read about.  Ask your child which allusion his/her poster is about!

We have also continued on with vocabulary study and mentor sentence work centered around our mentor texts.  Students are really enjoying the variety of picture books being shared in our classroom, along with our chapter book, The Girl Who Could Fly. Ask your child what book s/he is reading for AR in our classroom. 

Spelling began this week, after we took a week to practice the routines together. Hopefully you received a packet of information explaining how spelling works in our classroom, and which day is your child's "spelling day".  If you did not, please ask your child to find this important packet in his or her desk!  Ask your child what day his/her spelling day is!

MATH:  We finished chapter one and took a test on it, then moved into chapter 2. This chapter focuses on multiplication by 1 digit numbers.  We will teach the students a variety of methods for multiplying numbers.  Please allow them to practice ALL methods taught, then to choose the one that works best for them.  Also, students should be practicing REFLEX MATH 3+ times per week.  This will be a part of the math grade.  Has your child been practicing Reflex Math?

SOCIAL STUDIES:  We finished up this section of SS by learning about primary and secondary sources.  Students practiced looking at various types of resources and then deciding which type it was.  Ask your child what the difference between primary and secondary sources is.  

SCIENCE:  We began our science unit this week.  Students have been reading about animal and plant adaptations, how the environment influences living things, and about instinctual vs. learned behaviors.  This unit will lead into a study of ecosystems and fossils.  A field trip permission slip came home on Friday for a trip to Caesar's Creek, which will nicely enhance this unit.  Ask your child about some animal adaptations.  

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

And so it begins...

An important reminder from Mrs. Casterline:
Don’t forget Harman has an attendance line for parents to call and report their child’s absence or tardy. The number is 937-424-2201. Please use this number when calling in an absence or tardy. Please do not use the main Harman phone line or email for attendance information.  

You may still email me if you'd like, but also be sure to call the attendance line!  Thanks!

We really got down to business this week in 4K!  I feel good about our routines (see last week's post) and how well the students are settling in.  Here's a glimpse into what we were up to this week!

READING:  We continue our focus on myths and allusions.  This week, students were involved in 3 different myth reader's theaters!  They practiced for fluency throughout the week, and presented to each other on Friday.  They did a really nice job!  A new allusion we learned this week was that the scientific word for spider, arachnid, actually comes from the myth of Arachne and Athena!  Ask your child which myth s/he did for reader's theater.  

We also learned a skill that will be used all year...putting the question in the answer.  When asked a question about what was read, or learned, or studied, students are expected not to answer with an incomplete sentence, but are required to put the words from the question into their answer to make it a complete thought.  For example, "What holiday are we celebrating on Monday?"  "The holiday we are celebrating on Monday is Labor Day."  Students have been introduced to R.A.P.--Restate the question Answer all parts of the question Prove your answer with evidence from the text.  You might see the direction to "USE RAP" written on a student's paper as a reminder to do these things.

WRITING:  We had some fun this week brainstorming what we are looking for in a new friend.  Students listed qualities that they want in a friend, qualities they have to share with a friend, and activities they'd like to do together with a friend.  Then, an "ad" was written expressing what they want in a friend.  These will hang in the hallway, and students can then read to find out someone who could be a new friend!  Ask your child what qualities sh/he is looking for in a friend!  

MATH:  Regardless of who your child's teacher is, all 4th grade students are working though chapter one right now, with the intention of testing at the end of next week.  We are working on skills with numbers up to 1 million.  This week the focus was on adding and subtracting large numbers, as well as estimating to make sure our answers are reasonable.  Students also took the AimsWeb benchmark in all math classes to give us some information about strong/weak skill areas.  Give your child opportunities to practice REFLEX math...3 times a week to the green light!

SOCIAL STUDIES:   We begin our year in fourth grade by learning about and practicing some skills we will use all year long...map skills, reading a timeline, learning about primary and secondary sources.  These are skills historians use all the time, and we will use them, too, as we learn about Ohio's fascinating history.  Ask your child what the difference is between primary and secondary sources.  

I hope you and your family have a wonderful, long weekend.