The Silver Scoop
January 4-8
Upcoming Events
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful break and that the students are ready for the second half of the school year. Since we didn't get to close out the year the way we had planned on December 17, this Monday we will go ahead and have those special events. Monday afternoon will be full of Christmas-related learning activities as well as a few that are just for FUN! We will have our book exchange, and there will be a special snack, too. Some of you had signed up to volunteer at the party that was scheduled for December 17. I realize that circumstances have changed, so those parents may not be able to volunteer now. If you would like to help at our party on Monday, January 4 from 2:30-3:30, please just let me know.
Report cards will go home on Wednesday. Please keep the report card but sign and return the envelope by Friday. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child's report card. Our PRIDE awards convocation is this Friday at 2:15. I am contacting the parents of those students who will be recognized at this special celebration.
You may recall that a Body Safety program that we scheduled earlier this year was canceled. The elementary Home-School Advisors have worked to reschedule these presentations for the students. There is a parent meeting regarding the Body Safety program on Tuesday, January 12th at 6:30 here at Clarks Creek. 3-5th grade students will have the program on the morning of Wednesday, January 20th. Be looking for an email from Mrs. Donovan and a flyer with more information.
This week's special schedule:
Monday--Library, Tuesday--Music, Wednesday--Art, Thursday--Gym, Friday--Computers
Our Class Has PRIDE
What We Are Studying This Week
DOL/Word Word -- We are on Daily Paragraph Editing #7 this week, and there will be a quiz on Friday. In Word Work, we are back to our vocabulary lists, doing #17 on science vocabulary words. We will study our words in class all week, and there will be a test on Friday. For the test, the students need to know the spellings and definitions of the 10 vocabulary words and also the spellings of the 5 core words. This week's words: chemical, classify, core, ecology, effect, erode, expand, origin, physical, root. Core Words: square, length, information, suppose, government
Math -- We are diving right back into long division in Topics 9 and 10. We will review Lessons 9-4, 10-4, 10-5, and 10-6, and we will also learn about mental long division problems in Lesson 9-1. The students will play several games and even have a "snowball" fight as they practice long division problems! There will math homework on Wednesday and Thursday. The long division algorithm includes these steps: Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Check, Bring Down. Your child might use the mnemonic device "Does McDonald's Sell Cheeseburgers" to help remember these steps. There are a few websites with practice problems that provide prompts for each step of the process. These websites are wonderful for students who can do the steps but forget what to do next. Take a look:
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/long-division.php
http://www.softschools.com/math/division/long_division
http://www.thegreatmartinicompany.com/longarithmetic/longdivision.html
Science -- We will begin Unit 3 on earth science this week. We will read Lesson 1 and learn all about three important concepts: weathering, erosion, and deposition. I will teach the kids hand motions to help them remember what these words mean and how they affect the earth. There will likely be science homework over Lesson 1 on Thursday.
Reading -- Our story this week is "My Brother Martin" from the blue reading book. It was written by Christine King Farris, the older sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and it tells about their childhood growing up in Atlanta and significant events that impacted Dr. King's future as a civil rights leader. Our reading skill this week is cause/effect. There will be comprehension homework over the story on Wednesday and a story quiz on Friday. The students will read a leveled reader all about the Civil Rights movement and will even watch Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. **On Monday, I will collect the final Alice in Wonderland assignment over Chapters 9-12 as well as the books. We will watch the Disney movie and compare/contrast these two versions, too!
Language -- Before break, the students built sentences with the different parts of speech we've studied. This week, we will analyze 12 of these student-written sentences and will practice identifying the parts of speech. In writing, the students will use critical thinking skills to write responses to situations real students may find themselves in. The students will be asked to think, "What would Dr. King do?" in those situations and cite evidence from a piece of text about Dr. King.
Social Studies -- We will read Unit 2, Lesson 3 on the early European explorers in Indiana, the fur trade, and the French & Indian War. There will not be any social studies homework this week.
This Week's Funny
Mrs. Kara Silver
4th Grade Teacher
Clarks Creek Elementary
Plainfield Community Schools
Email: ksilver@plainfield.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us
Location: 401 Elm Drive, Plainfield, IN, 46168
Phone: 317-839-0120