Homework and Agenda Help at Home Please

Agendas are filled out each night as a class. The work is written on the whiteboard, students are to copy the information, and then I sign the agendas. Please read and sign your child's agenda each night. Thank you to those parents who do this on a regular basis. It is key to communication and for your child to refer back to for homework and important dates.

Homework in grade 4 will occur. Students should not have more than 40 minutes of homework a night. Even if your child does not have homework, they can bring home their books to review information and to study for upcoming tests and/or assignments.

We will be starting our fourth week of school. As a class we have discussed the importance of using class time wisely to complete work when we are at school. For example, today students had one hour to complete a courage poster for language arts. This was an assignment that we started off by reading a story, answering questions (day 1 and 2) and day 3 was starting the poster. Today, many students did not have the poster finished after the 60 minutes. This is a task that I would expect to take 20 minutes in grade 4. As such, the posters would be for homework.
In math class we start with a lesson, then we move onto answering questions together as a class, and then students work independently to complete the remainder (this has been the back of the worksheet). Students typically have 30-40 minutes to complete these questions. If they do not finish their work, it is assigned for homework. I will never assign a math worksheet for homework that I haven't first taught to the students (or any other subject).

The class is almost double the size that the students had last year. During independent work I will be working with small groups or assisting students 1-1. It is my expectation that students in grade 4 will work in class to complete tasks. Students who are not using their time effectively, chatting, etc. will have more homework.

Homework checks occur regularly. If your child has incomplete homework they will contact you by a phone call home or a note in the agenda. The purpose of this is to keep parents aware and informed. In my experience, it is better to know ahead of time rather than after a test, progress report, assignment, etc. that a student was struggling. If homework is incomplete students usually have: 1) chosen not to do the assignment, 2) forgot their work, 3) had a busy night, or 4) didn't understand what to do. I would ask that you help your child with their homework as often as possible. If there is a reason that your child's homework isn't finished they need to speak to me at the beginning of the day.

Each day we take up math work to review and enhance understanding. If your child has not completed the work, it will likely set them back on the building concepts. Today, 14/27 students did not have their work completed. This is a major problem. It means that I cannot move on to teach the next lesson. Then the rest of the students that are ready for the day have to wait until the rest of the class has caught up. This also means that the test can have 2 options: 1) remain on the same day, or, 2) be pushed back. For the first Unit test, I will be moving the test to Friday, September 26th. The students are not ready for a test on Tuesday. This will allow us to get caught up as a class. For Unit 2, it is my hope and expectations that students will show me that they are back in the groove of school, and following through with their responsibility (part of the page 1 progress report mark) by working effectively in class and by completing homework when necessary.

Thank you for your continued support in your child's education.

Pizza Orders Due Tomorrow

Just a reminder that the pizza orders are due tomorrow. According to my list, 15 students have not returned their forms. Of those 15 students, 11 of them said that they would like/normally get pizza and/or milk. Please send in the forms and money ASAP. Thank you.

Rock Hunt

Today was a beautiful day for a rock hunt! The students were busy being rockhounds as they searched for rocks on the schoolyard. Each group collected and described the rocks, and where they were found. They used a paint brush to "polish" the rock. Magnifying glasses were used to look for distinctive features on the rocks. Check out some of the pictures of our geologists at work!

Open House

Thanks to all of the families who were able to come and check out the class on Thursday. It was great that your child was able to show off their work and classroom. I enjoyed meeting many familiar and new faces. If you weren't able to make it to the Open House on Thursday, I look forward to meeting you at a later time.

Science- Rocks and Minerals

Our first unit in Science is Rocks and Minerals. Thanks to Mindcraft, lots of students may already have background knowledge about the hardest minerals and some of the names for rocks and minerals. This week students will be "rockhounds". They will have to opportunity to explore and look for rocks outside (at school). They can also try this at home too. Thanks to Eric for bringing in samples of minerals that he found mining this summer in Thunder Bay. The class loved them!
The class will also become scientists as they investigate and examine various rocks and minerals. They will need to have a magnifying glass to complete different experiments. If they could bring one from home (labelled with their name) that would be terrific.

Religion- How Full is Your Bucket?

In class we have read the book, How Full is Your Bucket?



This story is about a boy who learns that we all have invisible buckets that determine how good or bad we feel throughout the day. People can cause another person's bucket to have a drip or a drop based on their words and actions.
A drop is when someone adds to another person's bucket in a friendly way. Some examples include: a compliment, praising someone for a good job at school answering a question, for a goal in soccer, great ideas in class, being a good friend to someone, helping someone when they are hurt or scared, picking up papers that someone drops, cleaning up a mess without being asked, keeping your room tidy, helping to set the table, being honest- even when it's hard telling the truth.
A drip is when you take from someone's bucket. This can be "hands on:" e.g. kicking, hitting, grabbing, etc., name calling, leaving someone out of the group, gossiping about people, laughing at people when they make a mistake or do something wrong, cheating, telling on someone to get them in trouble (this doesn't include when someone is hurt), not standing up for people (the by-stander), cheating, lying, not listening to parents and teachers, etc.

In class we created our own "buckets" (pocket cards). Students are very excited to start writing positive messages to classmates. At times they may be given a student's name by the teacher to write a message to a classmate, or, they can take it upon themselves to write a positive message to classmates.
The drip and drop terminology will be used in class to discuss concerns and situations that arise. We all can use more drops in our lives!

Spelling

The traditional "Spellers" that many of us were accustomed to when we were in elementary school have been replaced in schools today. In my classroom, we will be working on a program called Words this Way. The program has a pretest to determine where students are at in their ability to decode words. Students are then placed in groups based upon their level. They will be given a list of words bi-weekly. These words will be cut out and placed in a Ziplock bag at the front of their agenda. Throughout the 2 weeks students will have "word sorts", play games, work with the teacher in small groups, work in pairs/small groups, and do independent sorts. At home, there are nightly games and word sorts to play with your child. It is important that the students take care of their words and bring their agendas daily so they can partake in the activities at home and at school.
A letter will be sent home this week to explain this in further.

DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)

The DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) is well under way. Students in grade 4 experience this is a new way from what they were used to in the primary grades. There is a 1-1 reading section with the teacher (which they are familiar with) and then there is a huge independent writing section which is new to students. About 85% of the students have finished this assessment. Within the next week the entire class should be finished. This information will be used to determine the strengths and areas of need for students as we commence our reading groups and goal setting.

You can help your child with reading by:

1) Selecting books, magazines, graphic novels, etc. that are appropriate for their reading level. A good rule of thumb is to have your child read the first page of a book. If they struggle or have mistakes with 5 or more words then the text is too challenging for them to read independently. They should select another books, or together you can read the text.

2) Set aside 10-20 minutes each night to read. Reading is fundamental to so many other areas of learning. If your child read for 20 minutes each day that would equate to 7300 minutes a year. Roughly, 122 hours. Just think of all the adventures and facts that they could explore in a year!

3) Asking them questions about what they have read (to determine their comprehension). Can your child tell you about what they have just read? Can they tell you who the characters are? What the problem in the story is? Can they predict how it is solved? If they are reading non-fiction books can they tell you some facts? If not, have your child open up the book and re-read parts of it to find out the answer. This is a skill that we will continue to reinforce in grade 4. It is called using supporting detail from the text.

4) Have your child read every day material. For example, have them spot out different signs or read maps (GPS) while you drive. Can they read the instructions on videogames? Posters while you shop or at appointments count too.

Cool Websites!!

Cool Website Suggestions from Our Class
http://www.gamefudge.com/
http://kizi.com/
http://www.bitstrips.com/




Cool Math Websites
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-cargo-bridge/index.html
http://www.mathplayground.com/games.html
www.abcya.com
http://ca.ixl.com/math/grade-4
www.coolmathgames.com





Lunch Ideas
http://easylunchboxes.smugmug.com/The-Best-Lunchbox-System/Yummy-Lunch-Ideas/10136835_YSuyb#!i=696914291&k=YxmUd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mslil65/sets/72157601755804789/

Math Strategies and Tips for Helping Your Child at Home Unit 1: Patterning

The math test for unit one will be on Tuesday, September 23^rd.

Unit 1: Patterning

In the first unit of math: patterning, students are required to identify, create, and explain various patterns in math. In class we call this being an amazing math detective! So how can you help your child to build upon these skills you might ask?

1.  Become familiar with the math language

a)    Core: the core, are the numbers in a repeating pattern. There has to be at least 3 numbers (terms) in a core in order for it to be considered a “repeating pattern”. For example: 1, 6 ,7, 8, 1, 6, 7, 8, 1, 6, 7, 8, ... the core if it were to be circled would be the numbers: 1, 6, 7, 8.

b)   Repeating Pattern: a repeating pattern has a core of 3 or more terms that repeat again and again. For example: 1, 2 ,3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, .... The students might be asked to identify the next 3 terms, or what the core in the repeating pattern are.

c)    Growing Pattern: a number pattern that increases. A growing pattern will always include the operation of either multiplication or addition (in grade 4). For example: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, ... Can you find the next 3 terms? Can you identify the pattern rule?

d)   Shrinking Pattern: a number pattern that decreases. A decreasing pattern will always include the operation of division or subtraction (in grade 4).   

e)   Term: a term is another word for number when used in math vocabulary. For example, “What are the next 3 terms in this number pattern? 20, 17, 14, 11, ___, ____, ____.

f)    Pattern Rule: a pattern rule explains, “give directions”, using words as to how the number pattern words. For growing and shrinking patterns, it always uses the words “Start at ____, +, -, x, or / (divide) _____ each time.” For example the number pattern: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 would have the pattern rule: Start at 5, add 5 each time. The same Start at ___, is used in repeating patterns, but students may describe how the pattern repeats in various ways.

 

2.  Practice looking for patterns at home and in your community

Your child has the ability to transfer the knowledge they already have about patterns to things that they can find at school, home, and in the community. We have discussed being a “pattern detective” in class. Here students identified existing patterns such as: the desks/rows, students (boy/girl/boy/ etc.), the tiles on the floor, the blocks on the wall, the hands on a clock, the patterns on the borders of the bulletin boards, clothing, pencil cases, etc. When you are out for a walk or sitting around at home have your child find and explain to you the pattern. You’ll be amazed at how many different patterns that you can discover as a family.

3.  Play games at home

Games make learning fun. The class loves to play games and you can do this at home as well with your child.

a)    A 100s chart and highlighters, bingo dabbers, or counter type chips to place on the 100s chart.

-      This game can be used again and again (and we’re doing this in class too). Your child can use a 100s chart (printable off a website such as: http://math.about.com/library/100.pdf

 

4.  Websites

http://www.abcya.com/interactive_100_number_chart.htm

This is an interactive 100s chart. Your child and you can create patterns using a highlighter; it’s easier than printing off multiple worksheetsJ You can print the work/worksheets as well so it’s the best of both worlds.

Sample Questions for Games and Websites

1.     Make a growing pattern. What is the number pattern? What are the next 3 terms?

2.    Make a shrinking pattern. What is the number pattern? What are the next 3 terms?

3.    Make a repeating pattern. What is the core? What are the next 3 terms?

4.    As the adult you make the same types of patterns and have your child tell you the pattern rule, type of pattern, and/or the next 3 terms.

5.    Have a guessing game to see if your child and you can outsmart each other- who can guess the next terms the fastest? Identify the pattern rule first? Identity the type of pattern?

6.    Have your child look for various patterns in the hundreds chart.

a)    What pattern is occurring the ones column?

b)   What pattern is occurring in the tens column?

c)    Can you skip count (multiply) by 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.?

d)   Can you divide/subtract?

 

Here are some number card ideas that I would use in class:

1)    Start at 5, add 5 each time.

2)   Start at 90, subtract 5 each time.

3)   Start at 2, multiply by 2 each time.

4)   Start at 40, divide by 2 each time.

5)   Start at 1, add 3 each time.

6)   Start at 30, divide by 3 each time.

7)   Start at 4, add 4 each time.

8)   Start at 45, subtract 4 each time.

9)   Start at 100, subtract by 10 each time.

10) Start at 1, go on a diagonal to the right (1 tile to the right, 1 tile down). What patterns do you notice? If you child needs further prompts ask him/her to look in the ones and tens columns.

11)  Ask your child to identify patterns in different rows, columns, diagonals.

12) Ask your child to show you as many different patterns as he/she can find.

13)  As your child begins to gain more confidence and understanding, start to cover up or whiteout various numbers on the 100s chart.

14) Ask your child to fill in specific patterns on a blank 100s charts for any of the questions for #1-11.

15)  Ask your child to create pattern rules that can be used in the 100s chart game.

If you have any fun games or websites that you find/come up with as a family please share them with the class.

 

    

Welcome to Grade 4!

Hello! Welcome to Mrs. Small's Grade 4 Class Blog. Our class blog is a fun and interactive website that parents and students will be able to access. The class blog will be used instead of a monthly class newsletter. Here you find important dates, see pictures of the students' work and of the students as they learn and create. Please check into the blog weekly to see new posts.
In order to be able to comment on a post, I will need your email address to send you an invite. If you would like to be able to do this, a letter will be sent home next week for parents/students to complete. The email addresses will only be used to send you the invite to be able to post to the class blog. For all communication, I'd ask that you either write a note in the agenda or call me at the school (519) 843-3810. I will not be able to respond to emails.
As the school year progresses, students will have the opportunity to assist with the posting of pictures and information.