Week 3

We made it! Our first full week! It’s been a hot one here in fourth grade - but we have survived! :) Although it’s been warm, we have enjoyed this perfect weather for awesome recesses!

In math this week we have finished our first unit. Math assessments will be coming home next week. We are onto our second, which is a quick study on comparing, ordering and writing numbers in word form. Please, please make sure that your child is practicing multiplication facts. Daily math in the morning has problems everyday that require automaticity with these facts.

In science this week we continued our unit on weathering and erosion with a lab day on Thursday. This Thursday’s lab was geared around water erosion. We watched some videos about mudslides and then created our own imitation mountain with trees and boulders. We then made a rain storm and watched the “erosion” occur. Students have a lab journal they keep here to record in each week. Can’t wait to show you in November at conferences!

In reading this week we started a new 10 minute activity each day to help build background knowledge with different subjects, increase vocabulary and increase stamina with reading. We have short passages we are now reading to start independent reading each day. After reading the passages the students pull out information they learned or facts they thought were interesting. These facts go into their book of knowledge. You may have heard about this, as this week’s topic lead to a discussion about granite and marble countertops! :)

We are working through chapters 3 and 4 of Bud, Not Buddy. As we finish each chapter the students are writing responses in their literature journals. We also are pulling out vocabulary words and doing comprehension questions with each chapter. We are held in suspense at the end of each chapter and eagerly await the next day’s reading!

We are currently on week 3 of spelling words. On Thursday your child brought home last week’s unit 2 test (with their grade) and the current week’s pretest. Please, please, please study these words that they got wrong on their pretest (unit 3) with your child so they will succeed on their post test next Wednesday. If you can’t find the pre test to study with….remember, they have the yellow folder in their backpack with the word lists for the year!

I hope you have a great weekend! ~ Mrs. Haulk