Hey Parents,

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.  Lisa and I enjoyed watching our Eagles win the championship in such a resounding fashion!

This week and next week I will be focusing on ensuring our class has completed certain midyear benchmarks.  Though the Christmas break is right around the corner, it is important that the students stay committed to finishing out the year with a strong work ethic.  For the next two weeks we will focus more on reading projects and activities during our language arts period.  On Friday the students will take their comprehension test on The Shakespeare Stealer.   For one of our center activities on Wednesday your child will need a mirror.  Like the actors in our novel your child will get to try their hand at using stage makeup to create visual effects.   

I will be sending the topic eight test home for you to review on either Monday or Tuesday so look for that in your child’s folder.  Tuesday we will begin topic 9.  Personally this is one of my favorite topics.  It is about lines, angles, and shapes.  If your child is a visual or tactile learner they will most likely enjoy this topic as well.  Because I am not sure if we will test on this topic before the Christmas break, I will quiz the students on the material we cover this week on Friday. 

I just have a few reminders about the folders.  Please sign any graded work in your child’s folder.  You have probably noticed that I do not take out homework material.  This is for two reasons: one I want to give you ample time to use the homework as a resource to review with your child, and two I want to make sure that you are aware of the material we are covering during each topic.  The lessons build from day to today.

*I am planning on teaching the students a new game at recess this week.  If you have a kickball or something like that could you please send it?  Write your name on it so it won’t be confused with the other balls that are brought in.  I don’t need them on a certain day but I would like to teach them Tuesday or Wednesday.    

Tomorrow

Hey parents,

Tomorrow is our tea party day for conceptual.   I mentioned in the previous blog that our class is responsible  for the sandwiches.  Please send 12 (each student needs 12 so 144 for the class) of the small sandwiches to school tomorrow.

We have our math topic 8, spelling, vocabulary and grammar test tomorrow.  Any information they need to study can be found in their journals which they are bringing home.  We will not have our science quiz tomorrow.   

Thanks,

TRENT  

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  Lisa and I enjoyed seeing our families and decorating our home for the holidays.  I hope all of the students are well rested and eager to return to school.  This week we are diving right back into our studies.

The students are enjoying The Shakespeare Stealer.  Remember every Tuesday night the students are assigned a small amount of reading to complete at home.   It is very important they do this because they are quizzed on their reading on Wednesday.  Those scores have a big impact on their overall reading score. 

For grammar this week we will talk about irregular verbs and contractions using not.  On Friday the students will complete a quiz on linking verbs, helping verbs, irregular verbs and contractions using not.

On Monday I will spend a good portion of our math period reviewing information in topic 8.  My goal is to complete the topic and test on Friday.  Please look over the practice and re-teaching sheets I am sending home so that we can identify any areas of concern before the test.

We will continue to discuss Earth’s features this week.  I will most likely test on this topic Wednesday or Thursday.  The students will have a study guide in their folders on Tuesday. 

For conceptual on Friday Mrs. Lisa needs the following materials:

 *ALL students need to bring a mug / teacup with their name on it for Friday.  

4th grade: finger sandwiches - ham, cheese, turkey, cucumber (recipe for cucumber sandwiches: http://teapartygirl.com/2011/04/cucumber-tea-sandwiches-101/ but they do not have to be this fancy)

Thanks,

TRENT

website for centers

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/~/~/~/link.aspx?_id=414072C9661545C682CB4926FEEE20EA&_z=z

I had such a fantastic experience teaching the students about the Medieval period.  I was especially proud of our fourth graders during our many projects and activities.  They worked so hard and set great examples for the younger children during conceptual projects.  I am so thankful that I am the fourth grade teacher.  Each of them has a unique characteristic that enriches our classroom. 

Last week we started on topic 8, which focuses on two-digit multiplication.  We started the test on Friday and will finish it on Monday.  This is not going to be counted as a test grade, rather I am viewing it more as a classroom assignment.  Because multiplication is the basis of so many other skills they will need, I am using this test as an opportunity to work one-on-one with the students on aspects of multiplication with which they are struggling.  Please practice basic multiplication facts with your child at home. 

I hope you were all able to review the grammar test I sent home with your child.  This week’s topics will include: linking verbs, helping verbs, and irregular verbs. 

The students are currently working on a Mississippi studies project.  I have given each child a rubric that shows what I am expecting from each project and presentation.  The students are working very hard and the PowerPoints they are working on look fantastic.  If your family has any interesting historical Mississippi stories or artifacts, encourage your child to include those things in their presentation. 

In science this week we are going to focus on Earth’s features such as mountains, oceans, rivers, valleys, etc.    We will also discuss Earth’s changes and the forces that drive those changes.   

Parents, please take a look at our snack rotation.  We have completed the cycle so it will reset.

Hey parents,

Some of the kids did not grab their folders today.  Here are the spelling and vocabulary words.

Seven target words: flute, flock, market, lettuce, simple, furniture, and journal.

Sentences:

The peasant could not account for all of the dead carrots.  

Buckets of water were filled from the stream.

Daughters were married off by their fathers for political reasons rather than for love.

Vocabulary

Engulf-to surround, cover over, and swallow up somebody or something.

Infatuated- being and behaving irrational because of a great and often temporary passion.

Succumb- to be unable to resist or oppose something, the act of giving in/giving up

Voracious- unusually eager or enthusiastic about an activity

Stagnant-not moving, stale or impure from lack of motion, inactive, not developing or making progress

Gawk- to stare stupidly or rudely

Grammar test

Hey parents,

I am moving the grammar test to Monday.  I didn’t quite finish our lesson today on spelling past and present tense verbs.

Thanks,

TRENT