Ms. Brown's Fantastic Fourth Grade

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Visit the TeacherWeb® videos to learn about the features, modifications, and customizations available on your website. Click here to learn more. Homework small medium large WEEK OF DECEMBER 14-18, 2009 Note: I will be gone January 4-5 as I will be returning from a vacation in Kenya and it is a long trip back! I am pretty excited for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. NEXT BOOK PROJECT will be assigned in early January and due in early February. Have your child read a book of his or her choice over the break. I think we are growing as readers and kids are learning about genre, styles, and authors they like. Statewide Alaska Map Test is being given in three parts: towns and villages, mountains/islands/peninsulas, rivers and saltwater. The last day to take the tests is Thursday, December 17. Students have a large labeled map and are using maps for each category to study in class. Several students have already taken at least one test. BRING YOUR BIOGRAPHY to school this week. We are finishing up our writing for our book projects and students should bring in their posters and time lines for sharing. The details for the current Book Project is posted on the link from my home page, due December 15, a biography. (Haven't had time to do this in awhile. More to come second semester.) I am adding one more weekly assignment to our homework regime. It is a review of words which your child has learned and needs to practice so that searching for the meaning does not slow him/her down on the assessment tests. It is also a little practice of grammar rules that should be familiar now. It is expected that this will take no more than ten minutes. It is due on Fridays. This is the spot to look for the week's homework tasks. Check out the other links for announcements important to our class as well as schedules and more. Math homework is assigned daily, spelling sentences are assigned weekly, and science and social studies tasks are assigned intermittently. Most writing is done in class. Students should take about 20 minutes to read each night. Book projects are assigned monthly, for a total of six projects. We read silently every day for 15 minutes in class. It is the goal that all work is turned in promptly. All work that is turned in by Friday can be graded on the weekend and be posted and returned by Tuesday. MATH--due the following day. Monday--None tonight Tuesday--Riddle 19 Wednesday--None Thursday--None *WINNERS OF CLASS SPELLING BEE were Dalton Klinger, Brittney Bradford, and alternate is Seth Waldo. The school bee is January 15. LESSON 16 TEST IS Optional** THIS WEEK. Instead of sentences, we are writing holiday stories in class. Students who need more time can write or finish them at home. Holiday Words 1. North Pole 2. Santa Claus 3. present 4. sleigh 5. reindeer 6. caroling 7. ornament 8. naughty 9. stocking 10. tradition 11. snowflake 12. fireplace 13. chimney 14. elves 15. candles 16. wish 17. share 18. holly 19. holiday 20. tinsel 21. Christmas WILSON 1 Spelling List WILSON 2 Spelling List Some students will use the Challenge list as their week's spelling lesson with the added benefit of expanding their vocabulary. Students and parents should decide carefully if they would like to "raise the bar" for themselves.) Usually we will be practicing basic spelling patterns and commonly used (high frequency) words. New list words are introduced on Monday and examined for phonetic patterns. Some students will be using the grade level list and others have elected to challenge with a list of less common vocabulary with more complex spellings. ALL students are directed to write their words in their notebooks and have this task signed off before moving onto the related exercises in their workbooks. High Standards for Writing: SENTENCES are due on Thursday. Each student needs to write a sentence containing ONE spelling word used correctly. Each sentence must be at least six words long, be thoughtful, and make sense. If TWO words can fit in a sentence easily, they can be used, however students must write at least 15 sentences altogether (9 altogether for short list spellers) as we want to develop our writing skills. Some students like to make up stories that use all the spelling words, but, however imaginative, the stories must make sense. Spelling tests are given on Friday after lunch. READING The novel group has finished "Zach's Lie" and students are taking a test and turning in journals this week. We will use reading block the rest of the week to finish up some projects. We are also using a software subscription program 1-2 times a week called "Read Naturally" which is designed to promote fluency (increased rate of processing words) and encourage comprehension skills. WRITING We are continuing to practice standard handwriting (Zaner-Bloser style) We will use our spelling words for practice and include that in weekly classwork. Some may need to be finished at home. We will be applying ourselves to the six traits of writing: ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, and conventions. (See Links section for an on-line reference.) By the end of the year, we will be writing thoughtful, well-organized paragraphs. We will continue to practice standard grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and apply ourselves to revising and editing before publishing, as recommended in the writing process. SCIENCE--We are wrapping up our study of weather this week and continue to monitor the clouds and temperature for the GLOBE project. The fifth grade collects our data and uses it to correlate with frost and snow studies they are doing. We are also working on recognizing science vocabulary in print and practicing techniques of measuring and applying the metric system units. SOCIAL STUDIES The focus in fourth grade is on Alaska's geography, history, and economics. We are finishing up our geography unit with the map tests, text outline, and sharing region research. COMPUTERS Our primary skill focus is to become highly competent at keyboarding using home row. We will practice every week and take some timed tests. If students can practice a little at home, they will increase their words-per-minute and accuracy much faster. Grades will be based on participation and individual progress as demonstrated in accurate words per minute. SPANISH Conversation practice this week: "Si vas a comer almuerzo de la escuela, leva su mano por favor." If you are eating a school lunch, raise your hand, please. NEWEST vocabulary: We are learning how to greet each other with: Hola Buenos dias Buenas tardes Buenas noches senor senorita senora We have begun practicing dialogues that use greetings and friendly conversation as well as what we want to do or what we like to eat. HEALTH We are using our health time on Thursdays to do some team-building work with Ms. Moore, our school counselor. We hope to encourage students to be self-reflective as well as empathetic so we are a harmonious community. MUSIC Students have two 40-minute sessions with Mrs. Land to learn the basics of music and try out many styles of both music and movement. It is hoped that students will be well-prepared to begin the band program as fifth graders. ART Students have one hour a week for instruction and workshop in various art techniques taught by Ms. Danner. This week we will design our Christmas plates. Yep, it's that time already--Halloween means Christmas plates! 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Ms. Brown's Fantastic Fourth Grade

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