Upcoming Events Calendar for May & June:
Monday, May 9th Last day for Treehouse
Wednesday, May 18th O&A: We will spend the day at Gales Creek Campground, practicing outdoor skills. This O&A will include a hike, so please send your kiddo to school dressed for the weather and with good walking shoes. Thank you to our early sign-up chaperones!
Thursday, May 19th Typed biography essay due (complete instead of regular writing homework).
Friday, May 20th Lunch order forms due. Click here to download a June 2016 school lunch order form.
Monday, May 23rd State (SBAC) MATH Testing Continues
Testing is administered in the computer lab in short sessions, and students have the opportunity to work on the same test over multiple sessions so they can work at their own pace. Please help support your Puffin by:
- encouraging them to do their best
- making sure they eat a healthy breakfast and bring a snack
- helping them get plenty of sleep
- practice keyboarding skills
Donations of nuts/trail mix, organic apples, and yogurt are needed! There are sign-ups on VolunteerSpot, and you are welcome to send snacks in with your child anytime over the next three weeks.
Friday, May 27th All School Meeting: Puffins will present a special newscast all about earthquake preparedness and the kits they are creating for the school.
Forest Grove School District building (1728 Main St.) in the Grove Room @ 9:45 am
Monday, May 30th NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day
Wednesday, June 1st Celebrations of Learning 5 - 6:30 pm
Friday, June 3rd FGCS Talent Show
Forest Grove School District building (1728 Main St.) in the Grove Room @ 9:30 am
Thursday, June 9th Bridging Ceremony at Taylor-Meade @ 1pm
The Bridging Ceremony honors students in 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th grades who are moving up to a new grade level or graduating from FGCS.
Friday, June 10th Last Day of School- Field Day
Become a Summer Garden Steward
Please consider helping care for the garden this summer!
Homework will be due on Thursday, May 19th:
Each week, homework is the following 3 parts:
1. Math:
Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice per week-(more is recommended)
Suggested 3rd grade math practice:
- Practice the Math PT (Performance Task) for 3rd graders on the OAKS Practice Site
- Practice the Math PT (Performance Task) for 4th graders on the OAKS Practice Site
2. Writing:
- THIS WEEK'S WRITING HOMEWORK: Students need to EDIT & TYPE their biography essay drafts.
- Folders will be sent home on Friday, May 13th with drafts and a revision packet to guide the final editing.
- STUDENT DIRECTIONS FOR TYPING THE ESSAY
Username: [email protected] Password: ourclass
- Click on the Google Apps Icon (nine small squares icon in the upper right corner)
- Click on the DRIVE icon
- Click on the folder for your grade: “Grade 3 Biography” or “Grade 4 Biography”
- Click to open the folder that has your name on it.
DO NOT OPEN DOCUMENTS BELONGING TO OTHER STUDENTS.
- Due: Thursday, May 19th
3. Reading:
Read for at least 20 minutes every night- track at home
Our Week in Review:
Project:
We had a busy week! Monday was our last visit to the Forest Grove Public Library.
NOTE: Library Cards will be sent home with students in their writing homework folders on Friday 5/12.
Special Guest Visit
Evelin Hernandez is the aunt of one of our 3rd graders and works at a local news station. She and her camera man visited our classroom on Tuesday afternoon to share her expertise with presenting a newscast. Our Puffins asked many thoughtful questions and were able to get some good ideas for their own news show about earthquake preparedness.
On Wednesday, we went to Portland to see Oregon Children's Theater perform James and the Giant Peach.
Next Wednesday, we will spend the day at Gales Creek Campground, practicing outdoor skills.
4th grade Math:
Current Topics:
Division with remainders
Students have been learning how to write an equation that expresses the relationship between
the dividend, quotient, divisor and remainder.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.6
Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division.
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.
Literature Circle Books we are reading:
- The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
- Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- Navajo Longwalk by Nancy M. Armstrong
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Frindle by Andrew Clements
- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
Writing Workshop
We continue Bringing History to Life with our Biography Unit!
During this unit, students:
- Conduct a short research project that builds knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- Write informational text by teaching about a topic clearly and including facts, quotations, details, formatting and illustrations.
This week, we focused on revision. Students worked to improve their introductions and conclusions. Next, they looked at paragraph structure and transitions.
Class Read Aloud
We are currently reading The Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Key Boarding Practice at Home
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: