Spirit Week!

In recognition of Homecoming, PB is celebrating spirit week this week. Your child is welcome to show their school pride by participating!

9/29)  Marvel Monday (dress as superhero)

(9/30)  Tractor Tuesday

(10/1)  Dress for Success! (Picture Day!)

(10/2)  Dress as your favorite book character 

(10/3)  PJ Day

Congratulations Dr. Moss!

Grain Valley's very own superintendent was named Missouri's Superintendent of the Year this evening! This is an honor well deserved! Congratulations, Dr. Moss!

Math Strategies

As part of the Everyday Math curriculum, your child will be exposed to many different strategies. Some of these May seem strange to you as they are different from the more traditional methods we learned in school. I assure you that even though some seem rather strange, they work and some students find the alternative methods work better for them.  Ultimately, students will choose a strategy that works best for them. I will ask students to at least try all of the methods introduced. 

Today's method was partial differences. Here is a link to some information on this strategy. If your child struggled, please do not worry. We will review it again tomorrow. 

http://www.mathatube.com/e-subtrac-partial-difference.html

Apples, Apples, Apples

Classroom News - Week 6

In the Classroom...

Reader's Workshop -
This week, readers will focus on reading closely and answering questions using explicit details from the texts. This is a great comprehension monitoring strategy as well as text taking strategy.

Writer's Workshop -
In writing, students are coming close to beginning the revision and editing phases of writing. This week, we will focus on sequencing and ensuring our stories have a clear beginning, middle, and end. We will use transitional words and phrases to help link events.

Math -
We will practice multi-digit addition and subtraction this week. We will learn a couple of different strategies in class that I encourage students to try. It is the Everyday Math philosophy for students to be exposed to multiple problem solving strategies so they can find and embrace one that works the best for them. Please encourage your child to attempt all strategies with the understanding that once they know how to use the strategies, they can choose the method that works best for them.

Science -
We are SCIENTISTS! This week, students will take their first shot at using the scientific inquiry process as they test out their hypotheses. We will use a chopped, peeled, and plain apples to test and see which apple looses the most water over a 5 day period. Students will help set up the experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions over the next week. I know they will be eager to share their results with you at home!

Mid-Terms

I apologize for not getting mid-term reports home on Friday. We were excited to have Mrs. Ratcliff, our long-term substitute for my maternity leave, visit the classroom. Reports will go home Monday afternoon in your child's Monday Mail Folder. Included with your child's mid-term is a list of skills we have worked on so far in reader's and writer's workshop. This will be an attachment you will see with mid-term reports and grade cards as we work to share with you specifically the skills in which your child is working on in class as well as their progress. 

The 4, 3, 2, 1 as indicated on the form reflects your child's progress. These means that as your child becomes more proficient in these skills, their level of understanding will improve. It is the ultimate goal for students to score a 3 in each area. A 4 reflects thinking above and beyond that which was presented in class. If you have questions, we can speak about this directly at our upcoming PT conferences. 

Have a great week!

Mrs. T

Classroom News - Week 5

In the Classroom...

Reader's Workshop - This week, readers will continue to make inferences by using text clues and their background knowledge. We will discuss how as readers we determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.

Writer's Workshop - We are on our way in creating realistic fiction stories. This week, we will focus on the details we include within our stories by learning from real authors. Student writers will learn to use sensory details, descriptive details, and similes to make their stories come to life for their readers.

Math - In math, we will focus on place value in large numbers and organizing data to be displayed visually by creating graphs.

Social Studies - We are in the midst of finishing up our science unit. Students are creating either a commercial, travel brochure, or trip itinerary demonstrating their understanding of the different regions of the United States.

Science - This will be a fun week for fourth graders as we dive into SCIENCE! We will first put our skills to the test as we learn about scientific inquiry. Students will go through the scientific method and complete a lab that will last most of our week!

Two Hour Late Start

Thursday will be our first late start for the year. Instead of 8:40, school will begin at 10:40 am. Breakfast is not served on late start days. The later start time allows us to meet and grow our brains as teachers. This week's late start will focus on the development and implementation of writer's workshop. 

Mid-Term Reports 

It is hard to believe that we have already reached the half way point of our first quarter in fourth grade. Friday afternoon, mid-term reports will be sent home. As we will be meeting very soon for conferences, the mid-term can serve as a vital tool of your child's progress so far in fourth grade. That being said, we have several weeks left of first quarter. After receiving your child's report, please sign and return the bottom half. If you have any questions about your child's progress, I am happy to answer your questions. 

Science Supplies 

As part of an upcoming unit in science, we are in need of cardboard rolls. Paper towel, toilet paper, or wrapping paper rolls will serve our need well. If you can start collecting these at home and send them to school, we would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you for your support and for helping the first part of this quarter such a smooth one. 

Have a great week,
Mrs. T.

Art Museum Field Trip

We had a great day at the Nelson-Atkins art museum yesterday! We were so glad the weather held out and were able to enjoy lunch outside on the big steps along the outdoor sculptures. Since we were divided into groups, I was not able to capture pictures of everyone. I know the kids were snapping pictures left and right. If they could email some to me, that would be great!

Classroom News - Week 4

In the Classroom...

Reader's Workshop - This week, students will be learning how to read between the lines. Being able to answer explicit questions as well as inferential questions is an important skill. Students will practice using texts including "Casey at the Bat" and Fireflies.

Writer's Workshop - We are now working on the techniques of creating realistic fiction. Specifically, writers will focus on creating beginnings and endings that effectively connect to their readers. 

Math - We will start the week off by going over last week's assessment and developing personal goals. It is always my goal for my students to know how they can improve as learners. Each math assessment will allow students to walk away knowing more than a letter grade, but the actual skills they need to master in order to improve. 

Social Studies - We will wrap  up our unit over the United States regions on Thursday. We will have a small quiz to review our understanding of the unit before we enter our next unit in science.

Nelson-Atkins Art Museum

Friday, September 5th will be our first field trip in fourth grade. Tonya Jackson and Michael Montgomery will be our adult volunteers. The fourth graders will leave the school at 9:30 am. Each student will need to bring a disposable sack lunch. Students are also welcome to bring cameras, but will need to know how to operate without a flash. We will be outside for a portion of our trip. Please be sure students are dressed appropriately for the weather. If you child has a PB shirt, they are welcome to wear it on Friday, but it is not required. We will be back at school around 1:30 pm. 

Conferences

This week, I will be in contact with you regarding your scheduled conference time. If you need to reschedule, please let me know ASAP.

Reading Logs

To help promote reading at home, students are asked to read for 20 minutes for 20 days. I sent home logs on Friday. All you have to do is simply sign with your seal of approval after your child has initialed the days they have read for at least 20 minutes. Students are welcome to read more than 20 minutes, but the goal is to read at least 20 days. Reading logs are due at the end of the month. For each student that meets this requirement, they will earn a free Pizza Hut Book-It for a free personal size pizza. 

McTeacher Night

Mark your calendars! Our first McTeacher Night for PB will be Tuesday, October 7th from 4-8 pm at the Grain Valley McDonald's. This is always a quick and easy fundraiser for our school. Please make plans to attend and start spreading the word.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Have a great week,
Mrs. T.