TERM 3 Has Begun!

Hello Everyone,

   It's going to be a very busy week! I have some great activities scheduled for Wednesday to keep our tired, sugar babies busy. I hope everyone has a safe and spooky Halloween night!
     I am knee deep in grading assessments from our end of term testing on Friday. The students did well overall.  I will be sending all of their scored tests home by the end of this week. Your child should have come home today with new spelling words. They have a study sheet with activities that is due next Friday November 10th. We spent some time today sorting their words and discussing the spelling patterns and rules.

                                                      TERM 3 Unit of Inquiry

  Theme: How We Organize Ourselves

Central Idea:
Knowledge of the past can be used to organize and make decisions about the present and future. 

Lines of Inquiry:
Change. What brings about change and what occurs during the process?

Reflection. In what ways do we organize in order to make decisions?

Causation. How do past events influence decisions that are made in the present and future?

In math we will learn about geometry and measurement.

In reading we will explore the elements of fiction, follow a character as he/she changes, examine point of view,  and compare and contrast themes. We will also read poetry, myths and drama. 

In writing, we will craft opinion pieces.

In science, we will learn about weather and the water cycle.

In social studies, we will inquire into the causes of the Revolutionary War. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you would like to chaperone our next (walking) field trip on November 8th, please email me. I am need of at least 2 chaperones! 

Math-a-Thon starts Friday! Please encourage your child to get sponsored! We have been practicing math on SumDog for the last 2 weeks and the children LOVE it! This is a great fundraiser for our school!

Special THANKS to The Decatur Education Foundation for approving our grant application. The students love the flexibility of choice seating and are happy to gather on their Big Joe chairs to discuss and collaborate! 
  

Important Dates

November 3-10

F.Ave Math-a-thon

November 7th

Teacher Workday

November 8th

Hawk Hollow Field Trip

November 16th

Vilage Gathering 1:30 pm

***THIS IS A CHANGE DUE TO OUR FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE***

A Fly On the Wall View

Dekalb History Center Field Trip

Birthday Gumbo!

Term 2 Ends Friday!

Hello Everyone!

    This week is a busy one! We will be reviewing and wrapping up our TERM 2 Unit of Inquiry. Your child has 2 study guides to go through this week for end of unit assessments on Friday.

      I am still in need of chaperones for Thursday. We are walking to Adair Park and I could use a few helping hands and watchful eyes! We will be eating lunch late on Thursday so try to provide a hearty breakfast and a small snack for your child to carry on the walk. 

     Next term we will learn about Weather and the Water Cycle, the Revolutionary War, Opinion Writing, Geometry and much more! We will also begin a new homework cycle. The word study schedule is below.

   Weeks 1-2  Spelling Word Study

Weeks 3-4  Vocabulary Word Study

Week 5 Homework Vacation

Week 6 Study Guides for End of Term Assessments

****Each week your child should read & practice multiplication and/or division facts*****

      I have scored your child's vocabulary test from last week and I will send them home tomorrow. Overall, the students did a great job. They are learning how to study. We wrote goals for our next round of vocabulary. Be sure to read them and encourage your child to take a few minutes to practice 'something' each night! 

Important Dates

Ocotber 26th 

Walking Field Trip Dekalb History Center

November 3-10

F.Ave Math-a-thon

November 7th

Teacher Workday

November 8th

Hawk Hollow Field Trip

November 9th

Vilage Gathering 1:30 pm

A Fly On the Wall View

 

Moon Phase Exploration

Learner Profile Posters

Investigating Seasons and Day & Night

Perspective????

My Sweet Puppy

My Sweet boy "doing laundry"

Week 11 in Room 216!

Hello Everyone,
     Thank you for coming to conferences. I really enjoyed having the chance to talk with you and share your child's progress. If you were unable to meet and you are still interested, send me an email and we can work something out!
      This week we will begin wrapping up our Term 2 curriculum. In math for the next two weeks we are learning composite and prime numbers, factoring and division. In Social Studies, we are learning about the 13 Colonies, their geographic location, the people who lived there and how their economies thrived. In Science, are looking at the phases of the moon. We will continue reading for meaning in Non-Fiction text and crafting an expository piece on a country of interest.

*We will take a vocabulary quiz on Friday as part of our 2 week word study.*

 

Please take a moment to complete the survey below:

Safe Routes to School System-wide Survey
New deadline- October 20

Decatur Active Living partners with the City Schools of Decatur to participate in the Safe Routes to School Program and is excited that so many of our children walk and/or roll to school.

Parent surveys enable us to make program improvements and address safety concerns around the schools. Results from this survey will be used in planning transportation improvements and alternatives. Some of the changes that have resulted from past surveys include crosswalks, additional crossing guards and new sidewalks.

Please complete one Safe Routes to School survey for each child in your family by October 13^th. In addition please mark the route your child will taketo school on the map at the link provided in the survey. You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BMMW6R9

Important Dates

Ocotber 26th 

Walking Field Trip Dekalb History Center

October 27th

F.Ave Movie Night 6:45 pm

November 3-10

F.Ave Math-a-thon

November 7th

Teacher Workday

November 8th

Hawk Hollow Field Trip

November 9th

Vilage Gathering 1:30 pm

A Fly On the Wall View

Research

Guitars in Music!

10 Weeks in 4th Grade!

Hello Everyone!
 
         I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. I had a great time driving my son all over the world for soccer and I really enjoyed the sleepy rainy Sunday!

     Your children are working hard to learn about European Explorers and the Stars and Planets. They are also crafting research papers on a country of their choice and they calculated the area and perimeter needed to make their dream bedrooms! They included slushy machines, soccer fields, super power machines, hot tubs (with cup holders) and closets that aid in getting one dressed! We will be moving into multi-digit multiplication and division for the next few weeks.
 

                                      *****HOMEWORK ANNOUNCEMENT*******

         We will be rotating word study homework. There will be 2 weeks of spelling practice and 2 weeks of vocabulary building. The lists are on Google Classroom and your child knows how to find them if they should leave the work at school or lose them.  This  week and next is our vocabulary rotation. It is due on October 20th.

In addition to word study, your child should practice X facts for 5 minutes or so, nightly. I have shown them how to play a QUICK FLASH and we spent time today filling out a X chart that helped them to see which facts they need to practice most.

There is also a math packet for extra practice that has come home. It is due October 20th as well, however,  I expect students to work on it during class time and during math stations. It is not solely for home work.

Here's what I need from you:

* Check in with your child to keep him/her on track for HW. (There were several students who did not complete the work even with 2 full weeks to complete it)

* Help your child mange his/her time so that there isn't a mad rush to finish the job the night before it is due.

* ALSO.... I am need of 4-5 chaperones for our walking field trip on October 26th. Email me if you can help out!

Important Dates

Ocotber 26th 

Walking Field Trip Dekalb History Center

October 27th

F.Ave Movie Night 6:45 pm

November 3-10

F.Ave Math-a-thon

November 7th

Teacher Workday

November 8th

Hawk Hollow Field Trip

November 9th

Vilage Gathering 1:30 pm

A Fly On the Wall in Room 216

Alternative Seating Has Arrived!

Am I Fluent?

Dream Bedroom

Exploring Area

4Square and Cartography at Recess

Week 9!

Good Evening,
    What a beautiful fall weather weekend we had! I heard all about the soccer matches, birthday parties, art shows, puzzle solving, and tree top adventures.

This week we will:

Math: Explore word problems with area & perimeter

Reading/SS/Science: Read non-fiction to determine the main idea & supporting details. We will read be reading articles about European Exploration and Space and Stars in an effort to incorporate social studies and science standards.

Writing: Students will begin researching a country for their expository writing project.

For homework this week we will:

1. Continue to practice word study lists and prepare for the spelling test on Friday.
2. Read 15-20 minutes or practice X facts by creating flash cards or playing on SumDog.

Speaking of SumDog....Did you know?

Math-A-Thon is 4 weeks away! 

Math-A-Thon is a super fun opportunity for all of the students to engage in some friendly competition. They get to improve their math skills, all while raising money for the F.AVE PTO. The funds raised are used to support both students and teachers. 

During the week of November 3rd, students will log into an online program, SumDog, and answer math questions. They earn points for every problem answered, similar to a read-a-thon. 

Please encourage your child to start thinking about sponsors! Look out for detailed information and sponsor sheets in your child's red Communication folder today! This is our school's biggest fundraiser and we hope to keep building on our goals!

Important Dates and Announcements 

October 4th   Walk and Roll to School 

October 7th  Mayor's Mile and 5K

October 9th 

Teacher Workday (no school for students)

October 10th 

Picture Day

October 27th

F.Ave Movie Night 6:45p.m.

A Fly on the Wall in Room 216