Miss Carpenter's Classroom News
3/8-3/11
Classroom Reminders and Notes
- For the next three weeks, PARP slips are due on Mondays.
- Report cards will be going home on Friday, March 18th.
- From here on out, we will be going outside for recess as long as the weather cooperates. Please help make sure your fourth grader is dressed appropriately.
- Ice Cream Social is next Wednesday, March 16th at 6:00 p.m.
- Thank you to all who brought in books for the basket raffle!
Attention Students: Learn From My Mistake
So unfortunately I found myself at the dentist on Monday afternoon. Nothing against the dentist, it's just not my favorite place to be. I arrived at 4:00 p.m. for a 4:15 appointment. I found myself in a terrible, horrible, emergency reading situation. I didn't get called in until 4:30 so for thirty whole minutes, I sat in my chair, wasting precious reading time because I was not prepared. I had nothing to read. The magazines on the table next to me were from 2013 so I took out my IPhone and read some articles online. This was okay, but not my first choice. The point of this story is... with our hectic schedules, it is so hard to find time to read. Look for the rare but quiet moments, like waiting for an appointment, or while you're waiting for your sibling to be done with soccer practice, to steal a few minutes of reading time for yourself. Always keep something you love to read nearby. You will never know when you will need it.
Simple Machines Projects
On Friday, I introduced a project on Simple Machines. It started out as a leprechaun trap project but has evolved into something wonderful. By Thursday, March 16th, students must bring in a project that uses at least one simple machine. They must also write a paragraph or two about what simple machines they included in their project and describe how they made their project. They can make a leprechaun trap, they can make a McQuadle trap, etc. The purpose of this project is to build something using simple machines and to have fun doing it. Please don't stress about grades. For me what's important is the experience of building the project. If you have any questions or need some materials, don't hesitate to contact me!
What We're Learning this Week
Math News
The students are continuing to work hard with our fraction unit. As always, any extra practice at home with math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) is always encouraged. Here's what this week's math lessons will look like:
Mod 5 Lesson 28: Solve word problems with line plots.
Module 5 Lesson 30: Add a mixed number and a fraction.
Module 5 Lesson 31: Add mixed numbers.
Reader's Workshop
We are in the midst of some amazing book club books. The students are blowing me away with their thoughtful conversations, ability to use the text to support their discussions, and their responses to their reading. This week, we will continue to enjoy some amazing books and work on noticing the theme across the texts.
Science
Last week we finished up our first animal unit. This week, we will study Chapter 3 which is all about energy in ecosystems. There is lots of new vocabulary in this chapter so students will not have weekly vocabulary words this week. They can use their extra time to review their science vocabulary. Students are also encouraged to bring their notes packet home to help them review their material a little bit each night. In fourth grade, we work hard to build study skills and routines so students can do these independently in future grades.
Writer's Workshop
We are continuing our Literary Essay unit. We are doing some intense reading work with different short stories. This week, we are really focusing on writing about characters and their traits, motivations, struggles, relationships, and changes. It is difficult work but so far they are up for the challenge and I am very impressed!