Spring Creek Cardinals
4th Grade Newsletter
OCTOBER 2018 EDITION
**Each Monday you should see the RED "Monday folder" coming home to you with graded papers and our first field trip permission slip form.
The front office also gives us information they would like for us to distribute.
Example - progress reports, picture forms, box tops information.
**Remember to check your child's planner to see what they are doing that week in each of their classes. This is a great way to have a conversation about their learning!
**Parent conferences have started! We look forward to spending time with each of you and sharing about how your child is doing in school. If you haven't signed up yet for a conference please contact your homeroom teacher.
Thank you for your support!
MATH Update
We will be rolling into October with an introduction to decimals. We will begin with using money to show that money represents decimals and decimals represent money. From there we will cover pictorial models of decimals as well as base ten block representations to make sure students get a clear understanding of decimal place value. Going into our second week of October, we will begin to practice comparing and ordering decimals using concrete and visual models as well as ordering decimals on number lines. Students should have a good grasp of decimal place value which will allow for us to move into adding and subtracting decimals. We will spend a full week on understanding the relationship between decimals and fractions as well as equivalent fractions. This will lead us into our first Fall CBM. Students are still working on fluency practice every day. Along with fluency students are also able to work on different mathematical skills using our online math software Education Galaxy and Prodigy. All students have logins and are able to access these at home as well. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me by phone or email.
READING/WRITING Update
October 2018
Students are working their way through the writing cycle. Since the beginning of school we have been collecting in our notebook and testing strategies for how to generate ideas and writing. Then we determined our topic, based on what we wrote the most about, and generated more entries on our topic. Students wrote their first draft out of the notebook, spent several days establishing the purpose for their piece, revising, and editing. On Friday, they were able to publish. I am so looking forward to printing out their writing and reading what each student wrote. Be looking for it in their Monday folder October 8! We have plans to share our writing with classmates and peers through Seesaw. (Parents will be given their Seesaw access code through Monday folders as well. Once you have your parent access code you will be able to read and comment on your child’s work.) We are also paired with a 2nd grade class with whom we will share our published work with throughout the year.
Our next writing project will be realistic fiction. This will also correspond with our work reading realistic fiction starting this week. Your student should have a fiction book they are reading at school and at home. We will use their independent reading book and writing to study character, plot, and other story elements.
Poetry is a blast! Students look forward to reading, writing and sharing poetry. Our 4th graders are publishing their poems on our blog: https://mrsdungansclass.weebly.com Students really enjoy reading the comments others around the world make on our blog. Please read and add to the comments your thoughts, or even your own poems! Last week we even received a comment from an author who would like us to write some poems about her dog.
READING HOMEWORK seems to be going smoothly from my point of view. I have heard from a few parents that their child is excited to sit and read. Please let me know if homework is creating stress for your family so we can talk and come up with a plan that works for all of us and most of all will benefit your child. There are a few kids that still tell me they are too busy to read at home. If you don’t see your student reading, ask to see their planner and the plan they made to get 100 minutes of reading completed during the week. Discuss ways you can help them find time. I remind them that time reading at the grocery store, in the car, or before bed are good options. Please login to schoology for weekly updates about homework.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES Update
In Science this month we are looking at the physical property and force of magnetism, the difference between solutions and mixtures then we will investigate conductors/insulators in electrical circuits, force and forms of energy.
The vocabulary that we cover in class is important for our students to know and understand so on my webpage and in Schoology I have digital flashcards. Help your child get into the good habit of looking over the words every couple of days for 10 - 12 minutes. This will help them make the connections to our labs and discussions we have in class. Plus the weekly quizzes will be easier for them!
Here is the link to my webpage: http://mann4thgradeclass.weebly.com/
In Social Studies we are looking at Texas and who lived here first. Our discussions and readings will look at Archaic Indians, Prehistoric Indians and the historic American Indians.
Each week students will have a weekly quiz to see if they are understanding the concepts we cover that week. This is a great way for me, you and our student to see if they are "getting" it.
Be looking for this quiz in their Monday folder. If they are consistently making an 80 or higher, they are doing well. If your student starts consistently scoring below an 80, we need to figure out how to help them be more successful.
Looking Ahead...
Upcoming Events:
October 5 - Boosterthon Fun Run & 6 week celebration
October 8 - Student Holiday
October 9 - School Picture Day
October 15 - 4th Grade OPUS Storytelling (during school)
October 18 - PTO Meeting at noon
October 19 - Washington on the Brazos Field Trip
October 26 - First Awards Assembly
October 31 - Book Character Dress Up Day
Spring Creek Elementary
Website: http://sc.csisd.org/
Location: 2450 Brewster, College Station, TX
Phone: 979-694-5838
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSISDSpringCreek
Twitter: @sc_elementary