Tuesday, March 6th: Pajama Day! (See below for more details)
We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss & Read Across America Day!
Thursday, March 8th: Seed Orders Due
Order the 2017-18 FGCS Yearbook!
Don't miss your chance to order the 2017-18 FGCS Yearbook! Click here to order and pay for yearbooks online with credit/debit. If you prefer to pay with cash or check, you may download a paper form here or pick one up in the school office.
Deadline for orders is 4 p.m. Thurs., March 22.
Level 2 Suggested Weekly Homework:
Reading Homework
Spend at least 20 minutes reading (outside of school) every day.
Reading is on the "honor system" and we ask that you help your kiddo to develop a daily reading routine with good-fit books. At fall conferences, your kiddo brought home the Tower of Books wall poster, which is a fun (and optional) reading genre challenge.
Typing Homework
Level 2 students have typing homework to develop and support important keyboarding skills. Please practice at least 20 minutes per week on: Typing.com
Math homework
It is strongly recommended that your student practice math skills
at least 30 minutes (or more) per week.
This can be completed online with Dreambox or Khan Academy. Students can also play math games, or complete worksheets (you can find grade level workbooks online or at the Learning Palace).
Recent 4th grade Math Topics:
- Multiplication: 1 digit by 2 digit and 2 digit by 2 digit using the "area method"
- Divide 1 digit by 2 , 3 and 4 digits using an area model
- Division Algorithm (AKA: Long Division) Watch a Video!
- Fractions
Prefer a worksheet for math homework? You can download here, or your student can pick up a paper copy in class.
Here are the practice pages for the previous weeks:
- Homework #1: Introduction to Fractions
- Homework #2: Unit Fractions/ Finding Fractions on a Number line
- Homework #3: Comparing Fractions
- Homework #4: Adding & Subtracting Fractions
- Homework #5: Adding & Subtract Fractions with UNLIKE denominators AND Multiplying a Fraction by a Whole Number
NEW 4th grade MATH HOMEWORK:
- Homework #6: Proper and Improper fractions, Conversions between improperfractions and mixed numbers, addition of mixed numbers
All 4th grade math students should be practicing their multiples DAILY.
4th graders have set goals and made plans for daily practice and have identified the numbers they needs to work on (ie. 6’s, 7’s, 8’s, etc.). Check in with your kiddo about this!
What's Happening in the Puffin Nest...
This THURSDAY, we went to see Oregon Ballet Theater perform Alice (in Wonderland) at Keller Auditorium in Portland. This trip fits in with our storytelling and fairy tales theme, and it was also a chance for the students to see a professional dance performance!
Storytelling in the Classroom
Puffins are learning about the art of storytelling and building their public speaking skills. First, students read several stories and selected the one they wanted to learn. Next, they created a "story map" to help them memorize their own version of the tale. Finally, we did several fun activities in class to help them practice and prepare to tell the stories out loud in class. We were working on:
- Talking loudly, clearly, and slowly enough so that our audience can hear everything
- Using gestures and facial expressions to help the listeners SEE the story
- Emphasizing some words and repeating parts to make them stand out
- Being brave, assertive, and calm when speaking in front of others
Ask your kiddo to practice at home by telling you the "Story of Sneezy" as well as the story they chose to learn! If you are interested in encouraging more storytelling at home, check out these prompts for telling personal or family stories. Sharing stories at home can be an enriching experience!
Read Across America Day
Grab your hat and read with the cat! The Puffins & Plovers will celebrate the National Education Association's annual Read Across America Day on Tuesday, March 6. This is after the official day (March 2nd). Level 2 kiddos will celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday by reading in their pajamas! We will also have special read alouds, opportunities to read with a buddy and read-to-self time. Students are allowed to bring a stuffed animal to read with, but they should not bring blankets or sleeping bags.
Our "Fairytale Adaptations" Writing Unit & Stop Motion Animations!
- We started our fairy tale writing unit by reading and listening to many original fairy tales. We saw that it’s all about Characters – Setting – Motivation – Trouble – and Resolution.
- We studied Modern Fairy Tale Adaptations to help us with writing our own. We looked closely at the changes that authors made and noticed that they usually made one big important change to improve the story.
- We wrote our own adaptations of fairytales. We choose our favorite piece of writing from this unit, and used it to create our own stop motion animation!
- We studies our stories, and used them to create a storyboard, characters, and backgrounds for filming the stop motion.
- Sickerella
- The Sly Little Fox
- Hamster Man
- The Little Tae Kwon Do Dojo
- The Pig's New Home
- The Three Little Seagulls and the Big Bad Eagle
- The Naked Mole Rat
Our Class Read Aloud:
Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin. This story incorporates many Chinese folk tales told by the main character's father, which makes it a great fit with our focus on storytelling!
Reading Workshop: Book Clubs
These small group "Literature Circles" engage students in vocabulary study and rich conversations about shared readings. Students can express their opinions, predictions, and questions about a text in a productive, structured way while developing their reading, speaking, and thinking abilities. Ask your kiddo to tell you about the book they are reading!
Our Book Club Books:
- The Wanderer
- View from Saturday
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Holes
- Cricket in Times Square
- How to Train Your Dragon