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Subject
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What We Will Be
Learning This Month |
Assignments
Projects
Tests
to Be Aware Of |
 Math
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- Unit 1.1 Introduction to the
Student Reference Book. We will discuss the sections of the
student reference book and students will explore the different parts of
it.
- Unit 1.2 Points, Line Segments, Lines, and Rays.
Students
will learn/review how to draw each of these geometric terms.
They will also use geoboard with rubberbands to practice
making line segments.
- Unit 1.3 Angles, Triangles, and
Quadrangles. We will finish making quadrilaterals out of
straws. After we make each shape, we will study its
properties.
- Unit 1.4 Parallelograms(Properties of a
parallelogram). We will also discuss parallel lines,
intersecting
lines, and parallel rays.
- Unit 1.5 Polygons. The students will learn
about the properties of different polygons and what makes each one
unique.
- Unit 1.6 Drawing Circles with a Compass.
The students will learn how to make a circle using a compass.
- Math 1.7 Circle Constructions. The students will
learn about concentric circles and the radius of a circle.
- Math 1.8 Hexagon and Triangle Constructions. The
students will use what they learned to make these constructions.
After Unit 1, we will begin to study Unit 2
- Math 2.1 A Trip to Washington(
Students will be using a map scale to calculate distances).
- Math 2.2 Many Names for Numbers.
We will
discuss how a number can have many names or several problems can equal
that number.
- Math 2.3 Place Value in Numbers.
We will look
at each place value and use that to determine the value of digits in
numbers.
- We will also be reading How Much is a Million and If You Made
a Million to get a better understanding of the value of
numbers.
- Play the games Fishing for Digits and
Addition Top It
- Math 2.5 Organizing/Displaying
Data.
The students will use raisins ina box to determine the
maximum, minimum, range, and mode.
- Math 2.6. The Median.
Using
students's head sizes we will plot this information on the board and
determine the median (average head size).
- We will also be looking at sports
statistics, as well
as doing other activities to determine the maximum, minimum, mean,
mode, and range.
- Math 2.7 Addition of Multi-Digit Numbers.
The students will be introduced to the partial sums method.
They will be free to use their own method.
- We will be reading the book Twelve Ways to Get Eleven
and the students will be reflecting on how it relates to the real
world, as well as the math unit we are studying.
- Unit 2.8 Displaying Data
on a Bar Graph. The students will learn
how to collect, as
well organize data. They
will then use
this data to create a bar graph.
- Unit
2.9 Subtraction of
Multi-digit numbers. The
students will
practice using different methods to solve subtraction problems.
Otter Creek:
Students
will be completing their lettered timing each day. If they
don't
pass, they are to complete the top half of the sheet for homework.
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 Reading |
The
First
20 Days of Reading
Day 1: Selecting books and enjoying silent reading
Day 2: How readers choose books
Day 3: Making good book choices
Day 4: Thinking and talking about your reading.
The students will also be doing the following during the first twenty
days.
- Think and talk about what they are reading.
By doing this the students will be able to become more active
readers.
- How to buzz with one another. This simply
means how to to talk to other students about the book that he/she is
reading.
- How to abandon a book if it is too hard or not
interesting.
- How to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction.
- Keeping a Record of your reading
- Learn guidelines for working together
- Writing letters in your journal.
- Topics to write about in your journal.
- Determining reading interests.
Also, the students will be learning about the Daily 5 which includes
the major groups:
- Read to Self
- Read to Someone
- Listen to Reading
- Word Work
- Work on Writing
They will use what they learn here when they are doing the Daily 5
during guided reading time.
We will begin by reading the story Tales of a Fourth Grade
Nothing by Judy Blume.
- Each day the students will complete a
mini-activity in class which they will complete in their booklet.
We
will be
reading Donavan's
Word Jar which can be found in the pink
Harcourt reading book.
When reading this
story we will focus on:
- Vocabulary:
uneasy, disappointment, compromise,
perseverance, leisure, and chortle. Please discuss these
words
with your son/daughter.
- Prefixes,
suffixes, and root words. We will
use each of these to help us determine the meaning of words.
- Synonyms and
Antonyms
- Making inferences
to better understand the story.
We will be reading The
Gardener which can be found in the pink
Harcourt reading book. When reading this
story we will focus on:
- Vocabulary: anxious,
retire, vcant, sprucing, adore, and recognizing.
- Focus Skill: To identify and use
narrative elements such as plot, character, as well as setting to gain
insight about a character's actions.
- Focus Strategy: To use context
clues to confirm the meanings of words.
The Garden
of Happiness
Focus
Skill: To use
cause-and-effect relationships to understand a character’s
motivations and
actions.
Focus Strategy: To make
and confirm predictions during
reading.
- We will start The
Baker’s Neighbor toward the end of the month.
We will be working on
1) Using decoding and phonics to determine the
meanings of words and 2) Identifying cause and effect relationships and
use
them to see how the plot develops.
Key Vocabulary: privilege, luxury, elated, assent, ad
lib, shiftless,
indignantly, and shamefacedly.
Key vocabulary for
this story: lavender,
haze, inhaled, mural, and skidded.
Reading
Mystery: In
groups students will read a short story mystery in which they have to
put the pieces together in order to solve it. Students
practice
using such skills as: recalling events, inferencing, and sequencing to
help them determine who did it.
Calvin and Hobbes:
We
will be looking at a couple of comics and using picture clues, as well
as text clues to figure out why the comic is so funny. Also,
we
will be practicing making inferences which will allow us to read
between the lines.
I
encourage you to reread what we have read in class and allow your child
the opportunity to show his/her comprehension skills. This is
also an easy way to review the story to see if your child understands
it.
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 Writing |
We will continue Mountain
Language. This is a program that helps students
understand the parts of speech and focuses on developing grammar skills.
Grammar:
Nouns(what it is, common/proper, and compound nouns), pronouns, and
verbs.
We will continue to do the 20
Days of Writing.
This week students will learn:
- Using the writing process and how to works.
- Writing with a sense of purpose.
- Name Writing
- Understanding how the traits of Ideas and Content, as
well as organization play an important role in writing.
- How to write with a sense of purpose. We
will discuss the writing trait of ideas and content.
- How to brainstorm ideas and transfer them to our
papers as we write the rough draft of our name paper.
- Read Hoops and
discuss how the ideas are
presented in that book.
- How to organize their paper. We will
discuss the writing trait of organization and read Zoom to see
how it
is present in writing.
- How to use proper sentence fluency We will
discuss the writing trait of sentence fluency and read Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble to see how it is present in writing.
- The students will work on their name papers each day.
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 Social Studies |
This month we
will begin to study Chapter 1. Our main topics that we will
cover this month are:
- Our Country's Geography. The students will
learn about the different landforms that make up the United States.
- Our Country's Climate. The
students will learn about the difference between climate and weather.
- Our Country's
Resources. The
students will learn about the natural resources, as well as the
non-renewable resources we have.
- Our
Country's Culture.
The students will learn about how individuals have different
cultures and customs in their daily life.
- Our
Country's Government.
The students will learn about the three branches of
government and the responsibilities of each.
- Our
Country's Economy.
The students will discuss the process of a business and how a
free enterprise
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 Science |
We
will also
begin our
Environmental Factors Unit. During these unit the students
will
learn about the factors of the environment. This month we
will:
- Terrariums:
We will plant our seeds and continue to track the progress of their
growth.
- Learn how seeds grow. We
will study the process of
germination and discuss photosynthesis.
- Discuss the key vocabulary of
the unit.
- Begin our water tolerance
experiment. The students will determine just how much water a
plant needs to live while doing this experiment.
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Monthly
Happenings