Please see below for reminders and announcements, as well as what’s happening in fourth grade this week.
· We are taking a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo next Wednesday, April 24th. Student cost is $12.50. Chaperone cost is $9.00. Money is due TOMORROW! You can pay online at www.myschoolfees.com or by check made payable to SSC.
· The fourth grade will be taking a field trip to tour Brock's Gap Intermediate School next Monday, April 22nd. Please return permission forms for this trip by TOMORROW! Parents are invited to attend an informational meeting later that evening from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. A letter from Brock’s Gap should be forthcoming.
· Get excited! The Annual SSC Family Fun Fair is this Friday, April 19th.
· Spring testing dates have CHANGED! Testing has been condensed into one week. Testing will begin on Monday, May 6th and conclude on Thursday, May 9th. Monday and Tuesday will be ARMT+ Reading. Wednesday and Thursday will be ARMT+ Math.
· Be on the lookout for a sign-up to send in snacks for testing.
This week in 4th grade:
Math: In Unit 8, we are continuing to work on multiplication problems. All students should have at least one strategy for solving multiplication problems that they are comfortable with. I am seeing students struggle in making simple, careless mistakes in computation (this includes in multiplying numbers and adding numbers). It is important that students learn to recognize these mistakes in their own work, especially as the problems we are solving are growing larger and more complex. I emphasize daily in class about slowing down and checking for accuracy. This is a valuable skill that needs to be nurtured.
By the end of the week, we will once again review division strategies. We will use story problems represented by a division expression to keep track of parts of the problem. We will also use what we know about multiplication to solve division problems. Again, this is a review from our division unit earlier in the year.
We are also continuing with ARMT+ review daily in class. Additional homework assignments to prepare students for ARMT style questions will come home weekly.
Many of you have asked about extra Math practice you can be doing at home. Hopefully I have a solution that meets your needs and your child will enjoy! Your child will have a 30-day free trial to website called IXL. IXL is a comprehensive math review site with an unlimited number of math practice questions in hundreds of skills — all of which are aligned to state standards. One of the best things about IXL is that your child can access it from home, so you have a chance to see your child's progress! I will walk the students through how to log-in during our computer lab time this week.
Vocabulary: Our focus this week is on reading vocabulary. Students WILL NOT be assessed on the spelling of these words. Students will be assessed on Friday. The format for this test will be matching word with definition.
Reading: In Reading, we are continuing to work on exploring expository text and text structure. The non-fiction texts we have been studying have direct correlation to our Science unit on Animals. We are learning to use questioning to make sense of the text. Again, we are combining this with daily ARMT+ review. This is necessary so that students may be prepared in answering ARMT style questions which includes open-ended, written responses. Also, I will begin end-of-the-year Reading assessments on students this week. This information will be provided to your child’s fifth grade teacher next year.
Writing: We also began exploring expository texts in writing. We will be looking at different ways to organize and present information in nonfiction.
Language: In combination with ARMT review, we are looking at multiple meaning words and contractions.
Science: We are continuing our study of animals. This week we are learning about types of adaptations and animal defense. We will also examine food chains, food webs, and animal life cycles. We will have a second quiz on Animals this Friday. Much like last week, students will be provided with guidelines as to what to study.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Wilkes
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