Talking to the Other Side of the World!

What one question asked of Hailey about her life in Ethiopia caused this reaction?

Ask one of the students of room 20!

Lucky Week Seven

Curriculum News

• English Language Arts: We will be learning about Implicit vs. Explicit character traits and questions and answers, 1st person Point of View and 3rd person Point of View, and continue to work on Figurative Language and response to the book, The Dot. 
• Math: NUMBERS IN BASE TEN finish rounding and comparing numbers. This week we will be focusing on multiplication by 2 digit numbers. Although it may seem different than the way we learned as children, please know we are focusing on a deeper understanding of the concepts, rather than simply memorizing the algorithm/steps. This may prove frustrating, at first, but in the long run students will develop a deeper understanding and develop persistence in solving difficult problems! Thank you for your support!
• Writing: Narrative stories
• Physical Science: Finishing up understanding of the Force of Magnetism and moving on to  experimenting with and understanding compasses. 
• Social Studies: Lesson 3 - Regions of California
• Health: Nutrition and a balanced meal
• Art: Make a Mark art with background Pointillism inspired by Georges Seraut and the book, The Dot.  
• Other: We have been talking a lot about making a mark on the world. Please read the previous post and comment. 

Reminders

• There is no school this Thursday, Sept. 25th.
• The first turn in day for the Magazine Drive is this Wednesday.

Thinking About Our Actions and Words

Last week we celebrated International Dot Day and will continue these activities.

We have been discussing ways we can make our mark on the world and how our words and actions affect other people!
Please comment on this post to share how YOU will make your mark!

Click this link to HEAR THE STORY
Click this link to HEAR THE SONG

Off To A Flying Start!

We are about to enter our 5th week of 4th grade!

Days are flying by.

Dates to Remember

Tuesday, September 9th Menchie's Day (on Fallbrook Ave)

I will be there around 4:00 PM, so come say hi and support our school.

Thursday, September 11th is Patriot Day

Wear red, white, and blue!

At 8:15AM we be gathering for a moment of silence and the singing of some patriotic songs.

Friday, September 12th is Spaghetti and BINGO Night

Please RSVP and come support our school.

YOUR TEACHER, MRS. SLEZINGER, will be the BINGO caller for the evening!

Thursday, September 18th is Picture Day
Wear your BEST smile!

Thank you to those who have donated to AGC!

We are filling up our light bulb toward no homework and a double recess.

It is not too late! Any amount is appreciated!

We still need math rotation volunteers!
If you are available from 10:10-11:30 on any day except Thursdays, please let me know. It's fun, I promise!

Also let me know if you are available on either Tuesdays or Fridays at either 12:15 to run the Classroom Store.

The school is looking for volunteers to help with Psychomotor. Our time is on Tuesdays form 8:50-9:50.

THANKS!

Curriculum News

English Language Arts Rotations

Last week, we started rotations with Mrs. Dant and everyone seemed to enjoy it. In Room 20 we are learning about figurative language. We listened to Taylor Swift's song Mean, to learn more about similes. We discussed the difference between saying, "Your voice like nails on a chalkboard," and "Your voice is annoying," or "Your voice is irritating!" Laughter could be heard all around and hopefully, new concepts learned. In rotations, two days per week, I will continue to focus on figurative language and response to non fiction text, while Mrs. Dant focuses on word origins, vocabulary, and grammar.

English Language Arts Classroom

Last week we read My Diary From Here to There and worked on writing a concise summary and sequencing events in a story using a flow map. This week we read The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein, focusing on analysis of story structure, and character, setting, and plot.

Writing

We are conquering the universal fear of "figuring out what to write'" by brainstorming small moments and books we wish existed, focusing on characters that share our own struggles. All of our amazing author ideas are kept compiled in our notebook creating a wealth of ideas and inspiration.

Math

We will continue to focus on 

Number and Operations in Base Ten 

Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers 

Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

For activities to supplement at home, go to 

4th GRADE NUMBER ACTIVITIES: NUMBER AND OPERATIONS IN BASE TEN

Science

We finished up our section on Magnetic Force. Students should be able to explain: the forces of attraction and repulsion, what magnets "stick" to, north and south poles and the rules for how they attract and repel.

Social Studies with Mrs. Dant

Geography of the World Unit continues
Check out the following sites for fun games:
BrainPop Latitude and Longitude
Latitude Longitude Map Game

Birthdays At School

With more research showing the importance of nutrition, new Federal and District Guildlines will be

implemented at our school to help the children learn about smart snacks and healthier choices. 

If you wish to bring a treat for the class for your child's birthday, please make sure to contact me a day or so in advance.  We can arrange a five minute time period during recess, lunch, or before dismissal to sing Happy Birthday and share a treat.  

Here are some suggestions:(Please make sure all items are sent to school individually wrapped so they are easy to pass out)

• Raw vegetable sticks or slices with low fat dressing or yogurt dip
• Fresh fruit wedges: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, oranges, etc.
• Fruit and Cheese Kabobs: Skewers with grapes, strawberries and cheese wedges
• Sliced fruit: apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, etc.
• Dried fruits/Trail mix: nuts, raisins, cranberries, apples, apricots
• Pretzels
• Fruit Cone: Serve cut fruit, melon balls or whole berries and grapes in ice cream cones
• Apple slices tossed in cinnamon
• Popcorn
• Popcorn tossed w/ cinnamon
• Pita Bread and Hummus
• Natural fruit leathers 
• Yogurt “Sundaes” – dollop Greek yogurt into plastic cups, sweetens w/honey & top w/nut-free granola & chopped fruit
• Unsweetened applesauce cups
• Strawberries, tangerines, grapes, cold pineapple spears
• Baked Tortilla chips with or without dips (hummus, salsa) 
• 100% fruit juice popsicles
• Bagels topped w/cream cheese (mix chopped fruit into cream cheese for sweeter treat)

Treats do not necessarily need to be food:

• Small bottles of bubbles
• Books donated to the classroom in the student's name
• Personalized pencils 
• School supplies

Thank you for supporting our efforts as we educate our students and model healthier habits.

Setting The Stage For Science

Mystery Bag Observations

In Science, it is important to be observant and use our senses to notice and record details. Using the lesson, Mystery Bags to Develop Observation and Inference Skills, we learned that scientists must always investigate further to check their findings and that inferences and predictions are not the same. Ask us. Photos from the Mystery Bag Observation Experiment are also on the PHOTO page, but below are a few, and also two short videos explaining some findings.