Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling

In writing this past week, we finished our personal essays!  We will start our persuasive essays this coming week.  In Spelling, students will get new word sorts after Thanksgiving break.  

Writing our final drafts 

Reading
This past week in reading we continued with our historical fiction unit.  We will continue to study tone, mood, and theme in the coming weeks.  

Citing evidence in our text responses to our read aloud Wonder

Math
We have started Chapter 6 in dividing with multiples of 10,100 and 1,000 and with estimating.  Soon we will learn long division.  It is very important that students continue to study their multiplication facts at home.  The biggest error I see in multiplication and division is students confusing and not knowing their facts.  

Using a budget to create a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people

Social Studies/Science 

We finished Chapter 2 in social studies.  Students will get the study guide on Monday, and the Chapters 1/2 Test is Wednesday, December 3rd.  In our next science unit, we will learn about rocks in Chapter 5, Earth's Resources.  

Blue Ribbon Week

"Dress for Success" Day

Other Important Info.

• Thanksgiving Break starts Wednesday, November 26th.  School will resume Monday, December 1st.  
• There is no Friday Homework this week.  

Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling

In writing this past week, we worked hard on putting our ideas together with the five-paragraph essay format.  We also worked hard on our introductions and conclusions, as well as adding transition words.  We are working on the final drafts of our personal essays this coming week.  Then, we will move on to writing our persuasive essays.  In Spelling, students will not get new word sorts until after Thanksgiving break.  

Reading
This past week in reading we continued with our historical fiction unit.  We used context clues to find information about the setting and time in history.  We then took it one step further by determining the tone and mood of the book.  We will continue this study this coming week.

Math
In Chapter 5 this past week, we worked hard on two-digit by two-digit multiplication and word problems involving multiplication.  Students will be tested over Chapter 5 on Wednesday, 11/19.  They will receive the study guide on Monday.  Again, students should continue to study their multiplication facts at home.

Social Studies

We have finished Chapter 1 in social studies.  This week we will move on with Chapter 2.  In Chapter 2, we will learn about Missourians, primary and secondary sources, population maps, and arts, sports, and recreation in Missouri.  We will have a test after Chapter 2, and this test will cover both Chapters 1 and 2. 

Veteran's Day Assembly

A big Thank You to all veterans!  

Other Important Info.

This past week we got to see Dr. Parker accept our National Blue Ribbon award in Washington, D.C. via a live internet stream!  

Our Blue Ribbon theme starts on Monday!  See our schedule below!

Monday, November 17^th:  We are FLYERS! 

Wear your green and gold to celebrate that we are high achieving Flyers!

Tuesday, November 18^th:  We are CRAZY about Long School!

Wear crazy socks and crazy hair!

Wednesday, November 19^th:  Show your BLUE Ribbon Pride!

Wear blue to celebrate our big award!

Thursday, November 20^th:  Begin with the End in Mind!

Wear your best “Dress for Success” outfit to show how we are leaders in our school! 

Friday, November 21^st:  We are a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School!

All students will be given a Blue Ribbon t-shirt today to wear!  

Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling
This week we chose an essay topic and worked on the organization of our essays (i.e. thesis including 3 supporting reasons and examples for each of those reasons).  We have also been working hard to write paragraph-long ministories that will act as some of our examples in our essays.  These are turning out great!  In Spelling, students will have their next test Friday, 11/14.


Reading
This week in reading we started our historical fiction unit with popular series.  We used context clues to find information about the setting and time in history for these books.  We will continue this study next week.

Math
In Chapter 5 this week, we used the "zeros trick," rounding, and the distributive property in helping us to solve two-digit by two-digit multiplication.  Next week, we will learn the traditional method of solving two-digit by two-digit multiplication!  So, students should continue to study their multiplication facts at home. The video below will help students in solving these bigger problems.

Social Studies

In Chapter 1, we have learned about the regions of Missouri and the states surrounding Missouri.  We will also review latitude and longitude and renewable and nonrenewable resources in Missouri.  Then, we will move to Chapter 2.  We won't have a test until after Chapter 2, and this test will cover both Chapters 1 and 2.  

Comfy Day Reward!

What a perfect way to start the week after an extended weekend!  On Monday, we enjoyed reading in our pajamas and with something comfy!  

Kid's Voting

We got to vote this week!  Check out the fun we had fulfilling our responsibility as citizens of Missouri.  

Other Important Info.

• I will see you all at the Music Program today!  Fourth grade performs at 4:00pm, and students must be there 15 minutes prior to get ready.  
• Our annual Veteran's Day Assembly is this Tuesday, 11/11, at 9:00am.  Students can wear red, white and blue to show their support! 
• This Wednesday, 11/12, is an Early Release Day with dismissal at 1:40.  Please make sure that your child knows how they are going home. 

Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling
This week we continued to prewrite for our essay unit by thinking of objects, events, and places that are important to us.  We built our stamina by freewriting for long periods of time, using the words below to "push" our thinking.  In Spelling, students will receive new word sorts on Monday. 

Adding boxes and stars to identify big ideas in our writing!

Reading
This week in reading we reviewed figurative language.  We read many books that used great figurative language and also found some in our independent reading books as well! 

Math
The Chapter 4 Test is Wednesday, 11/5.  Students will receive the study guide on Monday.  They should continue to study their multiplication facts at home, as Chapter 5 will have students multiplying by two-digit numbers.  This week's Friday Homework is the Math Standardized Test Prep. Ch. 4.  It is due Friday, 11/7. 

Social Studies

We resume social studies with the next unit involving Chapter 1: Missouri's Geography and Chapter 2: Our State Today. 

Music
Here are some videos from Mr. Kassulke:





Halloween Party Day! 

We started the day with a Halloween STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) activity.  Groups competed to create the most realistic spider web in the least amount of time, using tape, scissors and dental floss. 

Later we enjoyed our Halloween party!  A big THANK YOU to the many parents who volunteered to make the party a success!  

Other Important Info.

• We reached our goal of earning 100 points for good behavior!  Students can wear pajamas and bring something comfy (pillow, blanket, stuffed animal) on Monday!!
• Friday, November 7th is Picture Re-Take Day.   

Science Jeopardy Game!

Students have requested that I upload the review game we played in class today.  I have added it to the Moodle as the last resource under the "Ecosystems" title under "Science" as another study tool.  Use the link below to access the Moodle.  As a reminder, the online textbook extra credit activities are due tomorrow. 

https://cloud.lindberghschools.ws/

Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling
Students started their essay writing unit with learning the format of an essay.  We also brainstormed ideas for our personal essay piece by thinking of important people in our lives that have made an impact on us.  We will continue to draft and learn more about the structure of an essay this coming week!  

Meeting with our new writing partners!

In Spelling, students will take their next test this Thursday, 10/30.  (There is no school Friday, 10/31.)  Also, students took home The Great American Spell Check newspaper to help them in studying for the classroom spelling bee and possibly the school-wide spelling bee at home.  Our classroom spelling bee will be held in December.  Our classroom winners will then participate in the school spelling bee on Friday, January 16th!  Good luck, students!  

Reading
This past week in reading we reviewed main ideas and supporting details in nonfiction texts.  Then we moved to studying narrative nonfiction, which means we read nonfiction texts that were written as stories.  In these books (such as the "Who Was..." and "I Am..." biographies series), we discussed that the main idea followed the character's struggle.  Just as in fiction, there were characters, problems, and solutions in these narrative nonfiction books.  However, just like nonfiction, there were also maps, timelines, and facts.  Again, this was a focus in reading groups as well. The Friday Homework is an interesting reading titled, "Jack of the Lantern."  It is due Thursday, 10/30.  (There is no school Friday, 10/31.)

Math
Ask your child about the "zeros trick" that we use in multiplying big numbers with zeros at the end (ex. 8 x 700).  This past week we also reviewed rounding in estimating products as well as the distributive property in multiplication.  All of these strategies help us to solve bigger multiplication problems.  This coming week we will discuss multiplying by multi-digit numbers and the difference between estimates and exact answers in solving word problems.  The Chapter 4 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, 11/5.  Students should continue to study their multiplication facts at home. 

Science

This past week was an exciting week in science!  Students logged on to the online science textbook to review Chapter 4 topics with the diverse activities and resources available.  For every activity the students complete, they receive a 1/2 point extra credit to go towards their test- which is up to 13 possible extra credit points!  The online textbook can be accessed at home.  Usernames and passwords are posted in students' Take Home Folders.  Students are currently working on their Chapter 4 study guides, and some took them home. These do need to come back to school if taken home to study.  Our Chapter 4 Test over Ecosystems is this Wednesday, 10/29.    

This past week we gained a "class pet," as we welcomed a Venus flytrap.  We are having a great time learning about this carnivorous plant and taking care of it!  Check out the video below.

Also, check out our trip to the Gempp Property this past week!  We explored a pond and prairie ecosystem and looked for producers, consumers and decomposers as well as living and nonliving parts of these ecosystems.  

We also played a food web game!

Ability Awareness Day

On Friday we enjoyed learning with Ability Awareness Day!  We got to hear a lot about Autism, Down Syndrome, deafness, and prostheses.

Other Important Info.

• The Scholastic Book Fair will be open for students to purchase books until Wednesday, 10/29. 
• Parent-Teacher Conferences are this Monday, October 27th and Wednesday, October 29th. 
• The classroom Halloween parties will be held Thursday, October 30th from 2-3 pm.  The school parade will start at 1:30 that day.  
• There is no school Friday, October 31st!