The Silver Scoop
September 15-19 edition
Our Students Show PRIDE
Congratulations to the students who "clipped up" last week for showing exceptional behavior: Mia, Rylea, Joey, Sawyer, Madison, Kaydence, Brady, Andy, Xavier, Ella S, Brayden, and Elyse.
Almost all of our students have earned 10 PRIDE credits, and several are close to 20 credits. Keep up the amazing work!
Upcoming Events
Federation WRE T-shirt orders can be brought to school on Tuesday to be taken to WRE and turned in.
Scholastic Book Club orders are due this Wednesday. Visit http://www.scholastic.com/bookclubs to order online using the Class Activation Code: HCJBM.
Please turn in any PTO trash bag orders THIS FRIDAY.
This week's special schedule:
Monday--Library, Tuesday--Music, Wednesday--Art, Thursday--Gym, Friday--Computer Lab
Last Week's Learning
Check out these pictures to see some of the cooperative learning activities we did last week. In reading, students worked to match vocabulary words with cards containing definitions, analogies, and sample sentences. In math, students worked with a partner to complete a place value Tic-Tac-Toe board.
What We Are Studying This Week
DOL/Journal -- We will do DOL Week #6 each morning this week. On Friday students will take a quiz over the DOL sentences we corrected. Students will also use the prompts for Week #6 to write at least one page in their journals this week.
STARS Club -- Our reading clubs continue, so check with your child about the book his/her group is reading.
Math -- Last week we started Topic 3 on Place Value. This week we will complete Lessons 3-1, 3-3, and 3-4. Students will learn to write numbers (through the hundred millions place) three ways: standard form (with digits), word form, and expanded form. We will also compare numbers (using >, <, and =) and place numbers in order from least to greatest or greatest to least. There will be math homework each night this week. We will continue working on multiplication facts and counting multiples of 6 and 7. Last week Ella C, Mia, Brayden, and Noah passed all of their multiplication facts. Congratulations! Other students should have sets of colored flashcards to practice at home each night. These flashcards should be returned daily to practice in class, too. Most students are working on the "memory group" facts, which are the last 12 facts! These are the leftover x3, x4, x6, x7, and x8 facts. Encourage your child to practice the corresponding counting songs so they can quickly count up to figure out any difficult memory group facts.
Science -- We repeated our paper towel experiment on Friday due to some questionable data from our first set of trials. The students realized that good scientists would expect trial data to be similar, and many of our initial results varied wildly. Even when science doesn't go as planned, there is an important lesson to learn! We will compile our results on Monday and draw conclusions about the most absorbent paper towel brand. Then we will read Lesson 2 in our book on science process skills. There will be a homework assignment on Thursday.
Word Work -- We are on List #6 this week on Antonyms. This week's words are 5 sets of antonym pairs. Students need to learn the definitions and spellings of the 10 vocabulary words as well as the spelling of the 5 core words. We will practice all week in class and will have a test on Friday.
This Week's Words: native, foreign, excited, calm, identical, dissimilar, enlarge, reduce, appear, vanish. Core Words: hundred, probably, instead, finally, understand
Reading -- Our story this week is "How Night Came from the Sea" from the blue book. It is the first story in our imaginative literature unit. Over the next several weeks, we will read many types of folktales, including myths, fairy tales, fables, legends, and tall tales. This week's story is a myth because it explains how something in nature came to be. Be sure to ask your child exactly what this myth explains. In addition to the myth in our reading book, we will read a myth about how rainbows came to be and why the narwhal has a tusk. This week's skills are cause/effect, sequence of events, and homonyms. There will be comprehension/vocabulary homework on Tuesday and a story quiz on Friday.
Language -- The students are using computer lab time to publish their "Highlight of My Summer" writing. They will also finish their "Roll a Story" assignment from last week. We will learn about subject/verb agreement this week, too.
Social Studies -- On Monday we will finish reading Lesson 2 about the regions of Indiana, and there will be homework on Monday. Then on Wednesday we will make a study guide for Unit 1, Lessons 1 and 2. There will be a review assignment on Wednesday, too. On Thursday the students will play a fun review game, and we will have a test on Friday. The test will only be over Lessons 1 and 2. Students will need to know the names of the 3 regions of Indiana, characteristics of each region, and vocabulary words. There will be a map section on the test asking students to identify important cities and rivers and neighboring states. All of this information will be included on the study guide.
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