Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Spelling Lists #14

Here are the links to this week's spelling words. There are 3 different lists for students, according to their needs. The list your child brings home each week should say at the bottom the name of the list. You can also access the words on these links as well as games for students to study with.


December 19-22nd

Dear Parents,

Last Friday we earned our 2nd Reading parties! After reading about Caribou-The Real Reindeer, we got to watch a Christmas Movie with the reindeer we learned about. We enjoyed it so much! We are also very excited to perform for you this week for our Christmas Sing! It will be on Wednesday the 21st at 9:30 and 1:00. The 1:00 session is usually not as full as the 9:30 session. Also, the last day of school before the break will be Thursday the 22nd. It is a common day, so all students should come to school at 8:00 and they will be dismissed at 2:15. This is PJ day for the whole school, so students are welcome to wear their pajamas to school as long as they still follow the dress code.

Here is what we are doing in class this week:

Reading: This week we will continue reading biographies. We will figure out the author’s point of view about the person we are reading about, and we will write our own explanation about the person did in their life. Our spelling is list #14 with plurals. Students should be spending 20 minutes studying their words this week.We will be taking our spelling test on Wednesday. They should also be reading 20 minutes a night and filling out their reading logs. They only need to read on Monday and Tuesday so they can turn in their reading log on Wednesday.

Math: This week we will be continuing to learn about equivalent fractions. We will learn how to find common denominators and how to solve problems that need equivalent fractions. On Thursday we will be having our multiplication ice cream party. Students will receive toppings on their ice cream according to the facts up through their 12s they were able to pass off. If you are willing to come help us scoop ice cream and toppings at 9:45 on Thursday, please let me know!

Writing: This week we will take a break from our Author Reports and will be writing opinion letters to Santa. We will give reasons and evidence for why we deserve the gifts we want for Christmas. This will just be a fun writing project before the break.

Science: This week we will be reviewing for our Rock Cycle unit test. This test is tricky, but I am confident the students will do well. A study guide was sent home last week and I strongly recommend going over the study guide with your child. The test will be on Wednesday. We will take a practice test from the book to help solidify these concepts.

Social Studies: This week in social studies we will be taking our final County Test. Mrs. Wheatley’s class is taking it on Monday and Mrs. Ditto’s class will take it on Tuesday. This will be worth almost double what the quizzes in class were worth.

This week’s homework:
Read 20 mins each day and fill out a pink reading log
Spelling #14– 20 minutes of study and list signed by parent
Lesson 7.2-P135, 7.3-P137
*Math, reading, and spelling are due on Wednesday

Thanks!
Mrs. Wheatley



Monday, December 12, 2016

Spelling Lists #13

Here are the links to this week's spelling words. There are 3 different lists for students, according to their needs. The list your child brings home each week should say at the bottom the name of the list. You can also access the words on these links as well as games for students to study with.


December 12-16th

Dear Parents,

We got our party! We were so happy that last week we finally got our party and got to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We finished reading this book a while ago and now we got to compare it to the movie. We are also now working towards earning a party day with no school work for the day before Christmas Break. Wish us luck with this one!

Here is what we are doing in class this week:

Reading: This week we will be reading biographies. We will figure out the author’s point of view about the person we are reading about, and we will write our own opinions about the person. We will start writing opinion essays with these by typing our draft instead of writing it out.  Our spelling is list #13 with soft c and g sounds. Students should be spending 20 minutes studying their words this week. They should also be reading 20 minutes a night and filling out their reading logs.

Math: This week we will be finishing our Decomposing Fractions unit and taking our test on Tuesday. Look for a pre-test to be sent home on Monday to study from. Then we will begin learning about equivalent fractions. We will learn how to find equivalent fractions, and how to see if 2 fractions are equivalent or not. In Target Time we will be doing a STEAM activity and then we will practice our Christmas Sing Songs.

Writing: This week we will keep working on our Author Reports. Last week students should have completed their research about their author. If the have not done so, they need to finish at home. They should be finishing their rough draft this week, editing and revising it, and then begin typing it. They should be mostly done with typing it by the end of this week.

Science: This week we will be doing a Reader’s Theater about rocks and soil. We will learn about specific examples of igneous and metamorphic rocks. We will also take a quiz about the 3 rock types and examples of each.

Social Studies: This week in social studies we will be taking our final counties quiz on Tuesday and Wednesday. Again, students are welcome to use the study guides/answer keys on my blog to help them study: http://mrswheatleysfourthgrade.blogspot.com/2016/11/county-study-guides.html. Our final test will be next week. We will then start a Road Trip STEAM project where students have to use Google Maps to plan out a road trip to see at least 5 places in Utah within a certain amount of time and with so much gas money.

This week’s homework:
Read 20 mins each day and fill out a pink reading log
Spelling #13– 20 minutes of study and list signed by parent
Lesson 3.2-P53, 4.5-P77, 2.9-P39, 7.1-P133
Study Counties and County Seats – Quiz 3 is Tuesday
*Math, reading, and spelling are due on Friday

**Don’t forget about our Christmas Sing next week! It will be on Wednesday December 21st at 9:30 and 1:00. The morning session is usually the fullest session, so if possible, please come to the 1:00 session. Students should wear a green or white shirt on that day and if they want, they are welcome to wear a Santa Hat. Here are some links that students can practice our songs with at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejveVZw1UDw and http://www.schooltube.com/video/830af6f78354934c762b/Housetop%20Carol


Thanks!

Mrs. Wheatley

Monday, December 5, 2016

Spelling Lists #12

Here are the links to this week's spelling words. There are 3 different lists for students, according to their needs. The list your child brings home each week should say at the bottom the name of the list. You can also access the words on these links as well as games for students to study with.


December 5-9th

Dear Parents,

We have been working so hard for points the past couple of weeks and we are so close to a party! We are hoping that we can earn it this week! Wish us luck!

Here is what we are doing in class this week:

Reading: This week we will be focusing on the point of view of the author in Literature again. We will also review how to write a summary of a fiction story. Our spelling is list #12 with silent letters. Students should be spending 20 minutes studying their words this week. They should also be reading 20 minutes a night and filling out their reading logs.

Math: This week we will be working on our Decomposing Fractions unit. This is a short fractions unit to get the basics of fractions reviewed before moving on to harder fractions. We will focus on decomposing a fraction into a sum of fractions such as ¾ = 2/4 + ¼. We will also add and subtract fractions. In Target Time we will review word problems from our test last week.

Writing: This week we are taking a break from opinion writing. I will give students a little extra time on Monday and Tuesday to finish their White Lies paper if they need to, but then we will move on to our Author Report. This project will take us quite a while to do since we will be writing our paper, making a poster, and doing presentations on our report. We will focus on writing our paper before Christmas Break. We will get all our research for our paper done in class this week. If students do not complete all their research by Friday, they need to bring their pre-write home to finish their research.

Science: We will be learning about igneous rocks and 5 specific types. Students will be able to touch and look at each rock type. We will also be discussing soil. We will make an edible treat involving pudding, Oreos, and worms to learn about each layer. Our class also earned a party in Science, which will be on Tuesday, December 6th. We will be watching a science video, eating popcorn, and relaxing. Students are welcome to bring pillows and blankets to use during this time.

Social Studies: This week in social studies we will be taking our second counties quiz on Wednesday and Thursday. Again, students are welcome to use the study guides/answer keys on my blog to help them study: http://mrswheatleysfourthgrade.blogspot.com/2016/11/county-study-guides.html. We will also present our Recreation Project in class. We will then talk about the future needs of Utah.

This week’s homework:
Read 20 mins each day and fill out a pink reading log
Spelling #12– 20 minutes of study and list signed by parent
Lesson 4.3-P73, 2.4-P29, 2.12-P45, 4.12 P91
Study Counties and County Seats – Quiz 2 is Wednesday
*Math, reading, and spelling are due on Friday

**Don’t forget that Penny Wars are going on this week. This is a great and fun opportunity to raise money for Christmas for families in need. Feel free to send coins and bills with your student to school. Pennies and bills will go in our class jar and silver coins will be used to bomb other classes.

Thanks!
Mrs. Wheatley