Don't forget! Picture Day is this Tuesday, 9/26!
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Reading: Our first reading unit focuses on narratives. Our class novel, Shiloh, will stand as our anchor for teaching these lessons. We began Shiloh this week and discussed how good readers read intensely to grow ideas. We jotted thoughts, questions and ideas as we read. Ask your readers how Shiloh began? What do we know about Marty and his family already? How about Judd and Shiloh? Writing: Writing was awesome this week. The kids put their characters into little scenes to imagine how their character would deal with what they want and what gets in their way. Friday we used post-its to plan out our story arcs and decide how we want our stories to go. We will wrap this up on Monday. Ask your writers what their character wants? What gets in the way? How will their story show this with a problem, climax, and resolution on the story arc?
4th Grade Math: We are halfway through unit one: place value, rounding, and estimating. The kids took a quiz on Friday that will help me determine how to support them for the rest of the unit. They will get their quizzes back on Monday. The ones that they missed will be circled and they will have an opportunity to find and correct the mistakes. Ask your kids: round 75,416 to the nearest thousand... ten thousand... hundred thousand. Ask them to show you how they represent it on a vertical number line with a high, low, and midpoint.
Social Studies: We are wrapping up our "scavenger hunt" of landforms on US maps. The kids are developing their own maps using the list of landforms. This is a great way to familiarize them with basic geography of our country and the surrounding countries and bodies of water, plus they practice map skills, scale drawings, have fun doing it! Ask your kids where the Great Lakes are located. Where does the Mississippi River flow to?
Science: We began our first lab in our Soils, Rocks, and Landforms unit. It allows the kids to "discover" what soil is composed of, and how different parts of the world have different soil compositions. We are going to use the app "Explain Everything" to guide our lab directions and take notes. This will allow kids to add photos and other features to their detailed observations. It was a slow start but well worth it.
Miscellaneous:
- From our PTO: You should have received information in your child's backpack this week. Maybe did you hear about the wildcat visiting at lunch on Wednesday? :) Our goal is to raise $14,000 or $50 per child. These funds keep our favorite PTO programs running all year. ALL kids participate, and have a great time. There are prizes for kids, classes and whole school when the fundraising goals are met. Send cash or check payable to Whittier PTO, or create an online profile for your child (http://www.thegetmovincrew.com) to ask friends/family to donate. Those that turn in $50 in pledges by next Weds the 27th will be entered in a prize drawing to be held on Thursday the 28th! Don’t forget to join us for the Fun Run itself during school on Wednesday October 4th. You can click here to sign up to volunteer http://signup.com/go/jtcCyPS
