4th Grade News

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August 22, 2014
Issue #2
Character Word: Cooperation
Its been a busy week at school. I hope youve been checking your childs assignment
book so you have an idea about whats going on in the classroom. Its the spiral note-
book in his/her binder. This is where students record their minutes read aloud.
Please sign the reading page at least once a week.
Youll also notice I can or I am working on statements in this notebook. This may
be a change from last year. Instead of students writing down what were doing in
class, they are taking ownership of their learning with these statements. The news-
letters will let you know what were learning.
Fact fluency makes doing math so much easier! Ten to fifteen minutes of nightly
practice online or with flashcards is recommended until mastery of 100 problems is
achieved. Mrs. Michel, the computer teacher, set up Xtra Math accounts for every
student. This is a wonderful way to work on fact fluency at home too.
Another I can statement tells about good reading strategies. Regardless of the
level, ALL students need to read aloud for at least 20 minutes, five times a week.
Weve been working on good reader strategies, so you may notice them stopping to
summarize, make connections, visualize, monitor, infer, or question. Im training them
to pay attention to what happens in their minds as they read. This will increase com-
prehension quickly. Reading Homework Logs are also in their binder. The 100 required
minutes will be due on Monday, September 1. We will add reading responses in a few
weeks.
We will begin to explore soil next week. If you have clay soil at your house, Id LOVE
a gallon baggy of it. Were going to plant seeds in it and topsoil to see which soil
grows better plants. Well also see which soil holds the most water.
In writing, were going to write personal narratives. The students seem to enjoy
writing, and most love sharing their stories with the rest of the class.
We are in need of a third composition notebook per child. Several brought theirs
in this week. If you havent sent your child with a third composition notebook, I
would truly appreciate sending one at the beginning of next week.


9/1No School
10/101/2 Day
Week of 10/13
Parent/Teacher Conferences
10/17No School