Weekly Newsletter: January 27th - January 31st

Language Arts

In language arts this week, the children will complete their final assessment on their Realistic Fiction writing unit, using all of the tools they have learned throughout the unit. We begin our new reading unit this week, Reading for Research. We will begin by revising previous concepts taught this year including identifying the main idea within non fiction texts. In the first bend of the unit, students will work towards learning multiple strategies in order to identify the main idea and supporting details. They will also learn to differentiate between interesting versus important information.

Math

This week in math the students will continue to deepen their understanding with equivalent fractions. They will be using images and number lines to help visually and conceptually understand how different fractions can be equal. The students will then move on with comparing fractions using visual representations.

Science

This week in science, students will gather information from images of fossils from an online simulation and a book in order to help them answer the question: How do fossils form? The purpose of these lessons is for students to construct and reflect on their understanding of how fossils form. Then, students will use the Simulation to gather information about sedimentary rock formation. They observe rocks forming and record their observations about how this process happens. In doing so, students begin to make sense of the role of water and sediment in rock formation.

Announcements

• Legal Guardianship - If for some reason you have to be out of the country, please advise your child’s teacher as to who will be the legal guardian of your child.
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.
• March 7th & March 8th - Student Led Conferences (SLC) will be held just before spring break. Please contact your child’s teacher if you are not able to attend on either one of these days, so that an alternative date can be set up.

Resources

Here is a video explaining a game called Race To 1 that you can create at home to help reinforce the concept of fractions. It is a game primarily for teaching addition and subtraction of fractions but it can be modified to simply build fractions and conceptual understanding.

Here is a website resource, The Math Learning Center, where students can build and manipulate fractions. Open the link and select fractions. When building fractions we encourage only using rectangles as it will reinforce what we are doing in the classroom.

Weekly Newsletter: January 21 - January 25, 2019

Language Arts

In Reading this week we will begin looking at informational reading. We will be looking at how informational is presented and what type of text structures make up an informational text.

In writing this week we are completing peer editing in CUPS (Capitalization, Usage, Punctuation & Spelling, as well as revising with ARMS (Add sentences and words, Remove unneeded sentences and words, Move a sentence or word placement and Substitute words or sentences for others). We have been both giving and receiving feedback from peers and teachers in order to get our realistic fiction stories to the publishing stage.

Math

This week we continue our unit on equivalent fractions. They will then move on to show what fractions will look like when we model them during our class work. Students will begin to compare two fractions with different numerators and denominators.

Science

As we launch our science unit, students are introduced to the unit and to their roles as geologists exploring a fossil that was discovered in a rocky outcrop in Desert Rocks National Park. They learn that a geologist is a scientist who studies the materials and processes that form the solid part of Earth. They learn that rocks and fossils can provide clues about the way Earth changes over time. They reflect on what they understand and don’t understand, allowing them to prepare for learning new things. Students also learn about observations and inferences and make inferences about the found fossil and are introduced to some simulations.

Announcements

January 25th: FREE Dress day - If your child chooses to not wear their uniform they can make their 5 RM donation to one of the Red Hats

Camp Lost Property - There are some leftover items from camp that have been forgotten by students. Please remind your child to check the table in the grade four common area for lost or missing items.

Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.


Resources

Here is a video explaining the game, Race to1 that you can create at home to help reinforce the concept of fractions. It is a game primarily for teaching addition and subtraction of fractions, but it can be modified to simply build fractions and conceptual understanding.

Here is a website resource, The Math Learning Center,  where students can build and manipulate fractions. Open the link and select fractions. When building fractions we encourage only using rectangles as it will reinforce what we are doing in the classroom.

Weekly Newsletter: January 14th - January 18th

Language Arts

We will continue with our realistic fiction reading and writing units. Book clubs will continue as some of the groups need to finish up their second book with their book club group. In writing, the students will continue revising their second story and will begin to edit before publication.

Math

Our new math unit being launched this week will be Fraction Equivalence and Ordering. In this unit students will be using models to show/prove whether fractions are equivalent or not and they will be using benchmark fractions to compare the size of the fractions. Here is a link to a quizlet vocabulary set that may be a good preview/recap of the vocabulary. As always with quizlet, start with 'flashcards' and 'learn'. This week we will be assessing the students previous understandings of fraction ordering and equivalence using a pre-assessment. We will use this information to plan work for students within the class to target key knowledge or skills that they need through the coming weeks as we teach this unit.


Science

Science will not start this week as it is such a short week due to our Camp-In experience on Thursday and Friday. Here is a preview of the unit on Earth Changes that we will be starting to teach next week to whet your appetites:

Next week, in the role of geologists, students will begin to investigate how a dinosaur fossil found in the fictional Desert Rocks National Park formed. This investigation serves as the anchor phenomenon for the unit. Students will make inferences about the history of the park based on the fossil itself and the rock layers in which it is embedded. Investigating how the fossil formed and how the Earth has changed.

Announcements

• ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates. 
• CAMP-IN - Be sure that your child has a Home Snack and Home Lunch for Thursday. It is also recommended that your child gathers up all that they will need for his or her sleepover on Thursday night. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

Resources

Our Camp-In takes place this Thursday 17 January into Friday 18 January. Below is the information you and your child will need for a successful experience.

Camp-In Information Presentation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q9z0mHsWOHI76Dq5aZkAzNr3HLdmyV2AN4GarYEK9W4/edit

Camp-In Permission Form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScP8pXGZV9w5H3QmDfxpeNhCwTA6M0EbahaKO3hDGC4k_W_6A/viewform

Camp-In Packing List https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vQj5uinxjxuh9aAvspJ_GF_JhDU57-ZV0zkRcj6_NUI/edit