February 29, 2016

Classroom Updates

Happy Leap Day! Thank you in advance for your participation at Dads-n-Donuts. 4th grade is on Wednesday, March 2nd. If you cannot attend you on that day it is okay to attend Tuesday or Thursday of this week. Enjoy!

Subject	Learning Targets and Activities for week of:  2/29/16
Reading	We started learning about first and third person point of view today. We discussed different stories and their points of view. We can use pronouns to help us determine the point of view. A few points of view we will hear from this week are the wolves point of view in Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. Students will also choose a passage and rewrite it from the opposite point of view. We will take a test on this skill at the end of this week. Our summative on the skills we have covered this quarter will take place next week. We will review in school for this test. Please check in with your child about the book they are reading in literature circles. :) We will also start a Book Share activity this week! Students will pick a book to share with their class. They will create a commercial and a written piece to advertise their favorite book.
Writing	Today we watched a video about Leap Day and learned the purpose of it. Students are doing some creative writing about Leap Day! Students are working on another writing opinion/persuasive piece. Students shared their introduction paragraph today. They need to have a lead, the issue, their 3 reasons, and their opinion. We will work on the body paragraphs and conclusion this week. We will also be including some research on their topic in their writing. When we include statistics, or number facts, it helps to emphasize our points in our writing.
Word Study	Feature-prefix re; un Word Study HW due: 3/4/16 Test due: 3/11/16 *Vocabulary due: 3/11/16-Students are able to do their vocabulary during centers if time allows. Grammar HW-due Friday; Subjects and Predicates
Math	We are continuing to work on number sense for the next couple of weeks. Remind your child that "Esty is their Besty" meaning that estimation is a powerful tool to use when comparing actual answers. If your estimation is way off that it is best to double check the answer again by using a different strategy. We discuss all of the time to double check. Also, we will be doing a lot of practice with multi-step word problems using 4 operations. Also, underlining key words and summarizing what the word problem is asking will be emphasized. SEW boxes are encouraged to show all work when solving problems as well. I have extra practice sheets available in the classroom students can earn bonus bucks on if they return. Please encourage your child to take a few, but it is not homework. **Please note that Weekly Math is taken out of 8 points (2 points for each problem on the front side) instead of 4 points. The next couple of weekly maths will be based on multi-step word problems. Homework due: 3/5/16. The 3 N math challenge is available in the classroom if your child wants one, please encourage them to get one if you see a need at home.
Content Areas	Social Studies: As Ohio has become a new state, we are now weighing the pros and cons to the environment. The land is being cleared and roads, railroads, canals, etc. are being built. We have been discussing the positive and negative outcomes of the industrialization of America. We made a great connection to the famous Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax. Next, we will discussing the positive and negative consequences of using pesticides. Science: We explored the math and science behind Leap Year. Please ask your child about this concept!

Reminders & Important Information

This week is Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday is on Wednesday. Students are invited to wear their P.J.s and Dr. Seuss gear on Wednesday, 3/2/16 and bring in their favorite Dr. Seuss book as it is his birthday as well.

Check out the link below for more information on Read Across America!

 http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm

Please make sure your child has a coat, hat and gloves for recess. If your child wants to play in the snow, they must have snow pants.

Just a reminder since we switched our lunch and recess times. Students go to recess at 11:50-12:15. Lunch is from 12:15-12:40.

Important Dates:

Wednesday, Mar. 2 Dads and Donuts

Friday, Mar. 11: End of 3rd. grading period

Wed., Mar. 2: Dad's -N-Donuts

March 21-25: Spring Break

We had a wonderful time at the Cleveland Orchestra!! Unfortunately, the rain kept us from getting a class picture outside the Orchestra. We were definitely up close. They are such talented musicians!