Another slideshow by Smilebox

Happy Sunday! I rested all day long yesterday so I am feeling A LOT better today. Darn head colds last forever. But, I am back in action and getting ready for next week. 

We will dissect our owl pellets in reading class. Then, we will officially be done with this awesome book! Onto our next one! We will not be doing small book clubs this go around due to all the testing interruptions and our next break coming up in April. I will be gone before and after that break for a couple days as I am going out to spend some MUCH needed Auntie Tam time with my nephew and my sister's family. WooHoo!!! 

Let's talk testing for a minute. This week we have our reading tests. They start on Wednesday and continue through Thursday and Friday. All tests are in the morning from 10-Noon. 

In math, we will continue our fraction unit. We will add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. We will also reduce the fraction to it's lowest forms by finding the Greatest Common Factor (GCF). It is hard for me to believe at times that 4th graders are able to grasp all these concepts sometime. We will also continue to review all that we have learned to keep concepts fresh in our heads. Once again, please continue to practice basic multiplication facts at home. Kids can master them in one weeks time if parents are truly determined to help them each night at the table. It will save your child many tears and frustrations I promise, but as always it is up to you. 

Volcanoes are due this Wednesday. They will be on display in the hall until the following Tuesday. They will go from a dormant state to an active one Tuesday afternoon at 2. If you would like to come and watch, please feel free. We will be out on the playground. It tends to get a little messy. :0) All of this is depending on our weather of course and is subject to change if the weather turns ugly. We will keep you posted. Kids do need to bring in their dormant volcanoes Wednesday morning though. There will be tables in the hall to set them up on. I can't wait to see the creativity from this group. They always amaze me! In class, we will finish up our volcano study and move towards rocks. We will study the three types of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. We will be looking at some rock samples and doing some basic rock tests in class. 

In CC meeting this week, we will focus on dreams and goals. We will take a look at the ladder of small steps we will take to reach our long term goal. I will read some fun stories about how other people (famous) got to their goals. We talked a little about this when we read our biographies in reading class. Then, next week we will join up with Mrs. Hankin's class and watch the movie Soul Surfer. It is an amazing movie about a true story. A girl is bitten by a shark and loses her arm. Her only goal in life is to become a professional surfer. She has to make a choice, go on or quit. She struggles with both decisions. She also has to stop and see others that are worse off then her. Above all, she has to stay strong in her faith and believe in herself to obtain her goal. I absolutely LOVE this film and it shows such strength in the concept of believing. Permission slips will go home, as there is a touch of church/religion in the film. Students will need to buy into the film and have your permission to watch. I highly recommend you watching it at home as well. So powerful! It is also set in Hawaii, so that is a perfect tie in to our West Regional Studies as well. Beautiful pictures of the oceans and land there! 

In SS we will continue our Alaska unit. We will venture into the Iditarod race. We have a guest speaker coming in to share about their experience in this area. I can't wait to hear all about it. That life just fascinates me! We will also continue reading our Ice Worm book. We still have not come to the part about why the author named it that. It sure is getting exciting though. I wonder if she will ever find her mom??? This is the first time we have taught an Alaska unit and I am loving it as much as the kids are. Their letters are also improving, especially the letter writing skills. I am now trying to encourage some to make more connections with the story and pull out more facts while I am reading it. This may require kids to go beyond the half page required writing. I have some kids writing two pages. They are earning A's with all the facts, questions, and connections they are making. I can tell they are really connecting with Allison. Others are finding only a few, and their grade reflects it. I will keep pushing them, but it is ultimately up to them. 

Well, that is the week in a nutshell. Weekly reports came home on Friday. They need your signature and to be returned tomorrow. Please take a close look at their math grades, especially the multiplication and long division assignment grades. Some kid's grades are falling due to these assignments. Recorders are needed for music class tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful Sunday.