Upcoming Events:
Monday, February 15th- NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, February 16th- Puffins to Library, (make-up visit) Chaperones needed! Please join us in our room at 1:45pm if you can walk with us to the library!
Wednesday, February 17th- Celebration of Learning (School-wide Open House) 5-6:30pm
Friday, February 19th- All School Meeting and Spirit Day. Theme: Neon Rainbow!
Oregon Battle of the Books Club Announcement
We are approaching the regional battle and must choose one 3rd-5th grade team to represent FGCS. Please see the revised meeting schedule below and remind your reader to turn in all books this week! Thank you!
Wed Feb 10: All teams compete in FGCS School Battle (3:30 – 4:15)
Wed Feb 17: No Meeting (Celebrations of Learning)
Wed Feb 24: Practice session for winning team that will be competing at regionals. 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
The Great Kindness Challenge
Last week, The students of FGCS continued The Great Kindness Challenge (Feb 8 - 12). The Great Kindness Challenge is dedicated to creating a culture of kindness on campuses nationwide. This week, the Puffins made Pet Rocks for their next-door neighbors (the Plovers) and delivered them with a friendship note. You can also encourage your child to practice extra kindness at home and show the world that KINDNESS MATTERS!
Homework will be due on Thursday, February 18th:
1. Writing:
- Reading Response Letter in Writer's Notebook. Directions for completing the Reading Response Letter 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:
- A.6, A.7 and A.8 Skip counting
- I.1 Divide by counting equal groups
Suggested 4th grade math practice:
- Fractions Worksheet: Fractions Week 6 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
After editing this week, students got the opportunity 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 were asked 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
In the classroom, we are preparing to head west on the Oregon Trail. During our new Story Path history adventure, students will be creating a story about westward movement to the Oregon Country in America in the 1840’s. This week we were busy creating characters within families. Students also explained why they have decided to move west and presented their new identity along with a wagon train application to the class on Friday.
For our Out & About this week, we visited the Oregon Historical Society in downtown Portland. Our guides took us on a tour through history using artifacts from Native Americans, early explorers, Oregon trailers, and beyond. In the Oregon Voices exhibit, we learned more about important people that helped create positive change throughout Oregon's history.
4th grade Math:
FRACTIONS CC 4.NF
BIG IDEAS:
Proper and Improper fractions, Conversions between improper fractions and mixed numbers, addition of mixed numbers