Welcome back to another week in 4th grade! We are well and truly on our way now. The end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching on October 5th. Students have until the end of the quarter to submit any missing assignments. After the end of the quarter, they start over with a clean slate. :) Quarter grades are averaged into Semester grades for elementary which is slightly different from how middle school and high school do things.
ELA:
This week in ELA we will begin our new novel study with the book Because of Winn-Dixie. I love this book and I always enjoy watching my students as they read the book. There are so many wonderful lessons to learn in this book as we continue to work on our reading comprehension as well as learning story elements, character development, and other skills.
We will have our normal quizzes on Thursday of this week. Please help your student to study their spelling words at home. They may or may not have time to practice them here during their school day.
Your student should also be documenting their reading on their September reading calendar. That will be due Monday, October 2nd. Students need to read a total of 500 minutes a month for full credit. Please help them count up their minutes, that is what the parent signature represents on the calendar.
Math:
This week we will be taking our first Topic test in math. Students will have their first attempt on Monday. I will mark any that they missed with one line through the number. On Tuesday students will have an opportunity to correct any that they missed. Each problem is worth 2 points. They get one point for the correct answer and one point for showing their work. The back sides of the test are blank so that they can show their work there as well. As long as it is labeled clearly with the problem number, they get that point! Students may retake any test that is below a 70%, they just need to tell me when they are ready. They have until the end of the following week to do a retake.
We will be starting Topic 3 on Wednesday. Topic 3 is all about multiplication. We will be learning different strategies to solve multi-digit multiplication strategies. The end goal is for students to be able to comfortably and accurately use the standard algorithm, but they are encouraged to use the strategy that works best for them. This supports their brain development where they are at. I know this can be frustrating for parents as you are not learning those strategies. Please feel free to show them the algorithm and tell them why it works best for you if you are helping them with a missing assignment or homework.
It is about this time that students who do not have a grasp of their multiplication facts really start to struggle. We use the program Xtramath at school to help practice these every day. Students can access this at home as well to practice!
Thirsty Thursday:
Thank you, Aidan, for the name suggestion! This used to be "Fun Friday" but since we don't go to school on Fridays very often it didn't make sense. Aidan suggested "Thirsty Thursday" because "we are thirsty for an extra recess"! I love it! At the end of the week, students can earn an extra recess if they have no missing assignments.
Parent Volunteers:
I am working on getting our volunteer schedule set up to start in October. Please remember that younger siblings cannot come in with you for any of the volunteering opportunities including class parties.
There a two ways you can volunteer. The first is coming into the class to help students with assignments, flashcards, etc. If you would like this option, please email me and let me know what days you are available and what times. I like this to be a weekly schedule but if you can't come in every week, please let me know that as well.
The second opportunity is planning or donating to class parties. I need parents who are willing to plan and coordinate our October Book Celebration, Christmas Party, and Valentine's Party. I will give directions on times and expectations and will help out as well. You may choose to be a parent who comes in to help during the parties or just send in supplies/food. Please email me and let me know how you would like to help if this is something you are interested in and able to do.
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