Week 21

In reading this week we are still working on our DRAs. I hope to get every student done testing this week. We are also talking about how to use evidence in a nonfiction text to draw conclusions. For the next 8 weeks we will not be doing spelling. Instead we will be preparing for our 4th grade persuasive writing test. This year students will be taking a test around Spring Break which will be a persuasive writing assignment. To prepare students for this, instead of doing spelling homework, students will be given 2 weeks to write a persuasive essay using the article given them. This week's article and essay is answering the question, "should all field trips be educational?" Students have been given a yellow, hole-punched, cardstock sheet with the instructions for all of the essays that we will be doing for the next 8 weeks. They also have a yellow articles with their pre-write on the back to use for this week's essay. If your student looses these, you can find a copy of these on my blog.

In writing we are finishing our Imaginative stories. These are due on Friday, January 24th. They, of course, need to be re-written and turned in for a grade, as well as typed on our blog.

In math we are now going to be focusing on how to solve word problems. We will be doing all sorts of word problems and talking about how to understand/interpret a word problem. The test for this unit will be next Thursday.

In social studies we will be presenting our Genealogy Projects. Please make sure that this homework assignment gets completed! For my class it is due on January 23rd and for Miss Goldsborough's class it is due on January 24th.

Also, you should have received an emailed progress report for Language Arts and Math from me yesterday. If your student has missing assignments, PLEASE have them turn these in ASAP. Students can get their math papers from Think Central, their reading logs from class, and their spelling sorts are on my blog for you to use.

This Week's Homework:

Tuesday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                          Field Trip Essay

                           Big Book pg. 481-482

Wednesday:     Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Field Trip Essay

                           Big Book pg. 465-466, not #8-10

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Thursday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Field Trip Essay

                          Big Book pg. 491, not  #3, 17, 18, 19

Friday:              Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                          Field Trip Essay

Week 20 Vocabulary

Faded – gradually disappeared

Crisp – firm, brittle

Mask – a covering for the face

Palm – the inside of your hand

Threaded – moved carefully through

Week 20 Spelling

Sort 44
through
knuckle
bought
whistle
honor
fasten
resign
wrestle
rhyme
listen
thought
often
brought
knowledge
wreckage
soften
rhythm
assign
though
answer

Week 20

This week in Reading we will be reviewing how to read fluently. We will be practicing this using Readers Theaters. Students will get into groups and will practice a Readers Theater that they will fluently perform on Friday. We are also now doing our DRA - reading tests during class. For spelling we are doing Sort 44 with silent consonants. Remember, my class will be doing our class spelling bee the week of January 27th.

This week in Writing we are working on drafting our Imaginative stories. Students should be able to finish their at least 5 paragraph drafted story in class this week and should start editing and revising it. Next week we will be publishing it. It is due next Friday, January 24th.

This week in Math we are taking our Measurement Unit test and moving on to our Word Problem Unit. Tomorrow students will be taking their test.

In Social Studies we are still talking about how people got to Utah. Students are doing an in class research project with this, and they should be doing their Genealogy Project at home as well. Remember, the Genealogy Project is due next week, Jan 23rd for my class, Jan 24th for Miss Goldsborough's class.

Last but not least, we have been having problems with bullying and note writing in our class. Please take a minute to talk to your student about the importance of being nice to everyone and showing them respect.

This Week's Homework:

Monday:           Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 4

                           Lesson 12.7 P233

Tuesday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                          Spelling Sort 44

                           Lesson 12.4 P227

Wednesday:     Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 44

                           Lesson 12.8 P235

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Thursday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 44

                          Big Book pg. 477

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Friday:              Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Week 19 Vocabulary

Wintry – feeling or looking very cold

Jolly – happy

Sod – another word for dirt or soil

Abroad – in a foreign country

Frosty – very cold with frost on it

Week 19 Spelling

Sort 33:
danger
failure
pressure
rancher
capture
future
nature
treasure
teacher
mixture
senior
pleasure
creature
culture
pasture
leisure
pitcher
injure
torture
posture

Week 19

In reading this week we are spending some time reviewing story structure. Students will soon be taking their DRA (reading test) so we are reviewing to make sure they can do their best on it. For spelling we are doing Sort 33. These words have the /chur/, /zhur/, and /yur/ sounds in them spelled a couple different ways. We will be doing our class spelling bee the week of January 27th, so please help your students study for this by then.

In writing we are starting our Imaginative Unit. Students will be writing a story based off of a picture and a little information about it. This will be due in a couple of weeks.

In math we are continuing our unit on Measurement. We will be talking about mass, capacity, and time. students will have their test on this unit next week.

In social studies we are beginning to talk about how different cultural groups got to Utah and learning more about them. In order to help students connect this to their own lives, students will be doing a genealogy project. This week students will receive a handout with the instructions on what to do. Basically, they need to write a 3 paragraph paper, answering the questions on the handout, as well as filling out a map. This assignment will be due on January 23rd for my class and January 24th for Miss Goldsborough's class.

Today in our Class Meeting we made individual New Years Resolutions for class. We are going to be working on these resolutions for the rest of the school year. Please ask your student what their resolution is so that you know what they want to be working on in class. When we meet for Parent Teacher Conferences next month, we will discuss how your student is doing on their resolution.

This Week's Homework:

Monday:           Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 33

                           Lesson 12.1 P221

Tuesday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                          Spelling Sort 33

                           Lesson 12.2 P223

Wednesday:     Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 33

                           Lesson 12.6 P231

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Thursday:          Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Spelling Sort 33

                          Lesson 12.3 P225

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project

Friday:              Read 20 Mins

                           *Reading Log & Road to Success

                           Social Studies: Genealogy Project