February 22-26th Newsletter
Upcoming Events:
February 25 (Thursday) - Out & About to Washington County Museum - Chaperones Needed
Oregon Battle of the Books Club Announcement
Congratulations Daphne & Payton! As the winners of our school battles, Daphne, Payton (from the Puffin Nest) & Nasya (from the Plover Nest) will represent FGCS at the regional competition in March. Please see the revised meeting schedule below and remind your reader to turn in all books! Thank you!
Wed Feb 24: Practice session for winning team. No meeting for other teams.
Wed Mar 2: OBOB celebration for all teams – LAST MEETING!
Sat March 5: Regional competition at Westview High School (Beaverton)
CHESS CLUB
4th graders, Level 3 & Level 4 students are welcome to join a new chess club
Level 4- Chris' classroom
Mondays after school from 3:30-4:30pm
Homework will be due on Thursday, February 25th:
Each week, homework is the following 3 parts:
1. Writing:
- Reading Response Letter in Writer's Notebook. Parents! Please take a look at the Directions for completing the Reading Response Letter (these can also can be found inside the front cover of the writing notebook.) Sentence starting ideas can be found on the last page of the notebook.
- NEW WRITING HOMEWORK OPTION: Students can TYPE their reading response and email it to:
[email protected] Title: Student Name/ Date - Students can get valuable keyboarding practice by typing their reading response letter each week. Please continue to proofread the letter and give feedback to your young writer. I recommend that students use Word or Pages to type/edit/save their work, and then cut and paste the finished response into the email. As you observe your kiddo typing, you will know if they need more "home-row" typing support. There are many free typing programs out there. Here are a few games/ websites to check out:
- http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html
- http://www.abcya.com/kids_typing_game.htm
- https://www.typing.com/typinggames
2. Reading: Read for at least 20 minutes every night- track at home
3. Math: Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice per week-(more is recommended)
Suggested IXL skills for 3rd grade math practice:
- E.1 Count equal groups
- E.4 Relate addition and multiplication for equal groups
- E.8 Write multiplication sentences for number lines
Suggested 4th grade math practice:
- Fractions Worksheet: Fractions Week 7 Homework
- Practice saying multiples (skip-counting) for numbers 2-12
- Multiplication facts up to 12: IXL (D.2)
- Division Facts up to 12: IXL (E.1)
Our Week in Review:
Reading Workshop:
Novel Study:
Students follow up sessions of focused, independent reading with a four part reflection. In their novel study journals, students list and define new words. They note examples of figurative language. They summarize the chapters they read, pose questions and make predictions about what might happen next in the story.
Literature circles:
These small group book clubs engage students in rich conversations about shared readings. Students can express their opinions, predictions, and questions about a text in a productive, structured way. Students take on specific group roles which are designed to develop reading, speaking, and thinking abilities.
Class Read Aloud
We are currently reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Writing Workshop
Students continued to type their persuasive speeches in the computer lab. We talked about how important it is to get lots of keyboarding practice at home so that typing is quick and painless. Weekly writing homework will be changing to include some keyboarding practice. Check in with your kiddo by asking them to type a few sentences for you. For most students, this is an area for goal setting and home practice. See my suggestions above for fun typing games they will enjoy.
This week, students continued to implement the following practices:
- Edit and ADD as you write
- Use examples that show, facts that explain, and evidence that proves
- Make sure can always read your drafts
Students continued our work with persuasive writing by considering the following structure:
Develop an Idea
- Problem/solution
- See people, places, things that are noteworthy
- Check that your thesis is BRAVE and BOLD
- Find EXAMPLES, FACTS & DETAILS to support your thesis
- Name and talk back to the worries or concerns the audience might have about your idea
Project
Next week, we will jump onto the Oregon Trail through a program at the Washington County Museum. This trip will happen on Thursday instead of Wednesday. We'll tour the museum and check out a special exhibit on display this month about Forest Grove! If you would like to visit the museum with your family, it is free for all FG residents on February 20th, and free for families every second Saturday of the month. To learn more about these programs, visit:http://www.washingtoncountymuseum.org. Please join us as a chaperone for this trip!
4th grade Math:
FRACTIONS CC 4.NF
BIG IDEAS:
Subtraction of Mixed Numbers, Multiplying a Mixed Number by a Whole Number, Decimal Notation
Click on the images below to see the whole poster!