Upcoming Events:
Friday, March 18th FGCS Yearbook Order Forms Deadline- Order forms were sent home on pink paper. Click here for an online Form.
Friday, March 18th FGCS Lunch Orders are due
Monday March 21-25th Spring Break
Monday, March 28th Puffins to Library- Chaperones welcome! Please join us at 1:45pm
Wednesday, March 30th Oregon Trail Dress Up Day and All Day Out & About- see below for more details
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, March 17th:
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:
- G.1 - G.4 Multiplication facts for 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10
- Family Letter about 3rd grade multiplication goals
- Multiplication activities to try at home
Suggested 4th grade math practice:
- March 10-17th Math Homework Worksheet Pages
- Multiplication & Division Skills Practice on Khan Academy
- Practice saying multiples (skip-counting) for numbers 2-12
Our Week in Review:
Project
This week on our Oregon Trail StoryPath, we experienced an outbreak of cholera!
As the wagon train neared Fort Laramie, students discovered that the illness had affected one of the families on the wagon train. They discussed issues related to the illness. Students wrote about their reactions to the outbreak in their journals, and came to a decision.
This week for Out&About, we took a historic walking tour of downtown Forest Grove. We also had a storyteller/reenactor visit our classroom to tell all about his journey west in the 1800's.
On March 30th, Level 2 students will walk to the AT Smith House and recreate a day in the life of their Oregon Trail character. Wagon families will imagine they have completed their journey and are ready to begin their lives in a new community. Puffins are encouraged to dress up again! Some easy costume ideas that you may be able to find around your house or borrow: long skirts, aprons, button-up shirts, suspenders, straw hats, and bandanas.
Chaperones are welcome! Send me an email if you are interested in joining us.
4th grade Math:
New Topics:
Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
Writing Workshop
Puffins have been working on a Donors Choose page essay. They are using their persuasive writing to seek grant money for our school. Our project: to create emergency earthquake kits for each classroom at FGCS and to educate fellow students. In their essays, students focus on:
- Goals for the project
- How they will complete the project
- Why this project is important
Stay tuned!
BIG IDEAS for Persuasive Writing:
- One way to become more informed is to do some background reading and see how that changes what you already know and think…
- To be CONVINCING,you need to be as INFORMED as you can be! (Research)
TIPS FOR RESEARCHING
- Read & look for important ideas that relate to your topic and support your ideas
- Highlight / underline / add notes
- Get the facts right by double checking for important names and numbers
- Rewrite in your own words and cite your sources
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:
- View From Saturday
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Holes
- Sideways Stories from Wayside School
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Class Read Aloud
We are currently reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.