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Update 11/1/21

Hi Families!

Quick notes to know:

 

  • 11/2 Joey FineRhyme assembly (outdoor)- please make sure your child has gloves, hat and outdoor coat
  • Monday, November 1-Friday November 5, 2021 – Halloween Candy collection (Uneaten, Wrapped) in classroom buildings
  • Monday, November 1-Friday, November 12, 2021 – Halloween Candy Wrapper collection in classroom buildings
  • 11/4 -11/18 Thursdays 3:45-­4:45 p.m., Pokemon Fall Club
  • 11/ 7   Daylight Savings Time ends  
  • 11/11   Veterans Day
  • 11/12    Early Release-End of First Trimester
  • 11/15 Literacy Night- PCCS Virtual Literacy Night will be held over Zoom on Monday, November 15th- More details to follow! 
  • 12/7   Tuesdays, 3:45­ -5:30 p.m. (one time club) Winter Craft Club

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  • Thank you so very much for all of the wonderful donations and supplies for a very successful Halloween party! The students really enjoyed themselves! Thank you!
  • We had two wonderful and successful cooking projects last week! Be on the lookout for order forms for our very own cinnamon applesauce. Some students were asking for the potato recipe to cook at home. Here it is: 
    • Preheat oven to 425.
    • Wash potatoes, half sweet and half regular, (don’t peel) and cut into 1 inch cubes.
    • Coat with olive oil, add salt, pepper and herbs to taste (Garlic too)
    • Spread on baking sheets — 1 layer —  bake for approx. 30 minutes. 
  • Students should be bringing in extra candy to donate for operation gratitude. Candy will go to soldiers, and is our calssroom’s second green challenge activity (impact of food choices). Please bring unopened candy donations to the classroom between now and 11/5.
  • Our (outdoor) assembly has been rescheduled to 11/2, Tuesday. The weather all next week and on Tuesday is going to be chilly. Please make sure your child is sent with a heavy coat, gloves, hat, etc. So your student is comfortable during recess, assembly, outdoor ed, etc. We go outside everyday unless there is lightning or a zero degree windchill. 
  • One last request…. We are having difficulty keeping our classroom clean. There is a ton of mud coming in everyday regardless of how much we sweep. Students are to have a pair of indoor only classroom shoes or slippers left here for this very reason (this was on the supply list). This pair should be separate from their outdoor daily shoes and their PE shoes.  Many students are telling us they do not have a pair of indoor shoes. If you can please check in with your student and have your child bring a pair of indoor shoes (that are dedicated to only inside the classroom) if they do not currently have one, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much! 

 

 NEXT WEEK:

 

Reading and Writing,  

This week we have our normal spelling groups. Students should follow the normal homework schedule. 

 

In writing we are finishing our narrative stories. The final draft is typed on a google doc and is due Wednesday. Students who have not finished their final draft of a personal narrative will also be asked to finish this up during daily 5 time and study hall, as well as, writer’s class. Following this, we will start a short unit on persuasive writing. We are focusing on advertising techniques and will be persuading our audience to purchase our applesauce from our economic unit business. 

 

We are continuing our chapter book studies. The fourth graders are reading, “Underworlds, The Battle Begins.” Students will read these independently, as well as, with the teacher and in a group at times. We will complete many activities with these books over the next few weeks that will broaden our vocabulary and strengthen our comprehension. Students will also apply previously learned comprehension strategies to the books as they read. This unit will continue to span at least the next several weeks.

 

In the next weeks, we will also learn about Veteran’s day and complete a learning activity about Veterans.

 

3rd grade Math,  We are completing Module 3 and 4 over the next two weeks. Our unit 2 assessment is planned for Wednesday 11/10/21.

 

Module 3 builds on students’ existing skills and focuses on new ways of seeing multiplication. Students solve story problems and generate a list of strategies they

have learned so far. They begin to explore the ratio table, a model and tool that invites proportional thinking. In Sessions 3 and 4, they identify and label types of multiplication facts in a table to help them begin to internalize  these basic combinations.

In Module 4 students solve multi-step problems in the context of library books. The problems require use of a variety of operations—including multiplication and multi-digit

addition and subtraction—to answer questions about data. Students will then complete the Unit 2 Post-Assessment.

 

We are starting the November Number Corner as well. In November, our number corner will focus on multiplication and area. We will also have a fraction race. 

 

4th grade math,  

We are wrapping up Unit 2 this week and will be taking our Unit 2 assessment.  We then will begin Unit 3 which focuses on fractions.  In the first module students will review fraction skills and concepts and extend their understanding to mixed numbers, improper fractions, and more sophisticated strategies for generating equivalent fractions.  They begin by exploring a fair-sharing situation in which the idea of fractions as quotients is developed.  Then they fold and cut paper strips to model and investigate the relationship between mixed numbers and improper fractions.  During the last two sessions students will model and investigate equivalent fractions using eggs in a carton.

Science/Social Studies,  

Students are finishing their Economics social studies unit. We will spend some time completing advertisements using the techniques we have studied. The culmination of this unit is our PBL, which is a student-run business of selling applesauce. At the end of this unit, there will also be an open note unit test on the concepts and vocabulary of economics. 

 

 Following our economics unit, students will start a science unit on light. Students will learn about how the colors of light are perceived. They will also complete science experiments to understand how light travels. Students will also learn about the parts of an eye and a basic understanding of how they see. We will complete a project on creating a light maze with a small group. This unit will last approximately two weeks with a unit assessment planned for 11/12.

 

We are continuing phenology and solo spots, alternating each week. Please make sure your student is prepared to be outside on a regular basis with warm outdoor clothing. 

 

I hope you have a wonderful week!