Math Test Update

The math test will be on Wednesday.  Many of you probably have Monday night plans.

Week 11

Hey Parents,

Thanks for all of the help at the Medieval Festival.  I feel it was a great success.  The students had a great time and learned about the Medieval period in the process.  I just have a few announcements for you for the upcoming week.  On Tuesday we will have the topic 6 math test.  I will send a study guide home on Monday.  This is perhaps the most difficult topic we have had yet, so please look over that information with your child.   Also, use the Envision website I posted previously to review as well.  In language arts we started discussing compound words, action verbs, and verb tenses last week.  This week we are going to talk about subject verb agreement, linking verbs, and helping verbs.  I will test on last week’s and this week’s information on Friday.  Last week we also began to talk about the difference between chemical and physical changes.  We will further that discuss by talking about how to identify objects composed of more than one substance.  I am planning on giving a science test on Wednesday.     For conceptual this week we are learning about the plague, castles, medieval roles, and famous medieval figures.     

*On Monday your child can wear their Halloween costume.      

Eat Like a King

Hey parents!  I hope you had a great fall break.  This is going to be a fun week at BDS.   On Friday we will have our Fall Festival.  As I posted earlier, our class is responsible for the food.   Two parents will bring one of the following.  Please let me know soon which food you want to bring.   Remember, two people are bringing each item below.   Each parent should plan on preparing enough for about forty people.

Foods:

Apple Tart- http://www.greneboke.com/recipes/appletart.shtml

Bread

Turkey Legs

Beef Pie- http://medievalcookery.com/recipes/beefpie.html

Applemoyse- http://medievalcookery.com/recipes/applemoyse.html

Fall Festival

I am very excited about the Medieval Fall Festival on October 28.  There are several activities planned that I feel will be enjoyed by the adults and the children.  The parents of each class will run booths during the Fall Festival.  We have been selected to station the food booth.  This week I am going to compile a list of possible foods for us to prepare.  I will post the list and from there we can decide who will make what.  

Monday

Hey Parents,

It was a great start to the Medieval Unit.  This past week we discussed the contributing factors that lead to the fall of Rome and feudalism; the structural governing system of most medieval societies.   I especially enjoyed the feudalism game we played on Friday.  The students took on the role of Kings, nobles, knights, peasants, and serfs.  They completed tasks by using the feudalist system to delegate jobs.  They had a blast playing the game, and in the process gained a basic understanding of how the system worked and those that worked within it. 

This week is Fall Break.  Monday is a scheduled school day, but I understand that many of the students will be absent.  If you know you will not be attending please let me know.  On Monday I will be in meetings from 9:00-11:00.  Tara McMahon will be in the classroom at that time.  I have some activities planned for that day, but nothing will be completed that your child, if absent, will have to makeup.  I am sending report cards home on Monday.  The grades are an average of grades taken during the first nine weeks.  Please let me know if you have any questions.    

I did hear back from Ellen Ruffin, who is the librarian/curator over the DeGrommond.  They would love to have us visit.  I really wanted to go last week, but a few students were absent, and I want it to be something we experience as a whole class.   I will keep you posted on this.

Thanks,

TRENT 

Wow, what a performance!  I am always amazed at our fourth grade class and all of the students at BDS.  They did such a great job.  They have been so excited about sharing their performance with you all. I hate that the Roman unit is already over, but I am extremely excited about the Medieval unit.  I have planned some engaging, creative, hands on activities for the students.  Though many know it as the Dark Ages, I hope it is full of enlightenment. 

 This Friday was busy!  I had a few test scheduled for yesterday, but we were only able to take two of them.  We took the conceptual post test and the Bronze Bow reading quiz.  We were not able to take the vocabulary or the spelling test.  I sent the vocabulary test home.  Please send that back completed by Tuesday.  I will not count spelling-pretest scores against the students.  We are still working on our writing project.  I hope you have had the chance to read your child’s story.  They are really working hard and developing traits of good writers.  I am checking into the possibility of arranging a visit to the de Grummond museum at USM.  This is a wonderful place to see primary sources that display the evolution of a story, from the pre-writing stage all the way to publishing.  I will keep you updated on this and will post on this blog Monday to tell you when we will go. Click here to visit their website.   

I am sure that many of you have noticed that the complexity of topic 5 is greater than that of the previous math topics.  The students are doing well in the classroom, but they need to practice at home.  Please be sure to check over any assigned HW with your child.  The whole class performed phenomenally on the past two test.  They really want to make it three test in a row with everyone scoring well, so please let me know if you notice a particular issue your child is struggling with.

*All students need to have Crispin by Tuesday.

Thanks,

TRENT    

Spelling

Hey parents,
Several of the kids went to the swim meet and did not bring their folders, so I am going to post the spelling words.

TEACHER: Trent Holliman                              SCHOOL: Benedict Day School

SUBJECT: language arts-Spelling                    GRADE: 4th grade      

UNIT: The Roman Empire                               DATE: October 3, October 6 and 7, 2011      LESSON:  fourth grade spelling words

Objective: The students will write sentences and target words as the teacher reads them aloud.

Assessment: The teacher will check each student’s spelling of target words.  Misspelled targeted words will be used as the student’s spelling words along with any misspelled common usage words.

Procedure:

·         The teacher will read three short sentences that include the words: fellow, camera, and knead.  He will also give them seven target words: January, clever, exit, extra, rattle, fasten, and knowledge.

Materials: paper pencils

Sentences:

My fellow teachers have enjoyed the Roman unit greatly. 

I wish there were camera in the past so that we could see all of the things we have discussed.

Did everyone get a chance to knead the bread last week? 

(We did not get a chance to test on these vocabulary words last week)

Vocabulary:

Embroider-sew decoration onto fabric

Impulsive- inclined to act on sudden urges, being spontaneous

Intricacy- a characteristic of something that has many aspects or parts arranged together in a particularly complex or artful way

Vivid- very bright, extremely clear and fresh, striking, distinctness

Ignorance- lack of knowledge

Elation- a feeling of great happiness and excitement