Wishing each of you the happiest and most special Thanksgiving holiday ever! For those of you who will be traveling, be safe. If you'll be staying home, relax. Whatever you do, enjoy the time with your loved ones.

Snuggle up with a few good books during the Thanksgiving Holidays and complete Addison's Reading Challenge! Forms are due by Wednesday, December 3. Readers are Leaders!



Practice all the basic facts: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division!


Explorers posters are due Tuesday, December 2. Practice your presentation!


Practice spelling words from our spelling sorts as well as the official study list I gave students. We will begin our classroom spelling bees when we return. We will determine our classroom winner who will represent us in the Addison Spelling Bee before December 18.

Come back and be ready to learn!

DIVISION IN A RECTANGLE!

Can you see it? Today, we learned another strategy for division. It is a little more like the way you and I learned, so I hope you parents will enjoy Math homework tonight! This video should help you understand the rectangular method. Many students found division of multi-digit numbers to be easier this way. Follow the link:

RECTANGULAR DIVISION

IT'S ALMOST TURKEY TIME!

We will all be running next week to wrap up many areas of learning! It is important to be at school all day every day. The temperature is quickly dropping, so please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately. 

 On Thursday, your child should have given you a bright green "Emergency Dismissal Plan" for you to complete and return ASAP. With winter approaching, we need to know how your child will be going home in the event of inclement weather.

You are invited to join your child for Thanksgiving lunch at school on Wednesday at 11:40. On Tuesday and Thursday, we will be picking up sack lunches to eat in our classroom.

This week your student was introduced to a strategy for dividing multi-digit numbers by a single digit. An explanation and example of the strategy was sent home with their homework. Students need to understand how partial quotients help us divide large numbers. I know some of you may be frustrated with "Chunking & Chipping" but please try to be supportive and refrain from showing your child your way of dividing. We will get to traditional "long division" later. We will be learning some other division strategies in the classroom, also. Students will apply their learning to solving word problems and explaining their solutions in multiple ways which include area models and drawings. Please continue to remind your child to practice basic multiplication facts and division facts. From this blog, your child knows how to gain access to some fun practice games.

Today I sent home the study words for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We will conduct spelling bees in our classroom to determine our representatives in the Addison Spelling Bee for fourth and fifth graders. The school winner will represent Addison at the Cobb County Spelling Bee. From there, the winner will go to the State Spelling Bee. Wouldn't it be great if the national winner came from 306 Listening Lane at Addison Elementary? 

I have posted Sort 15 at SPELLERZ (CODE: UTP772) and at SPELLING CITY.

Our study of some of the European explorers will conclude with the presentation of the students' posters. This week, I sent home the expectations for the poster project. Posters are due on December 2 and will be presented orally. Thank you for helping your child prepare. We are learning about Columbus, Cabot, Balboa, Hudson, Ponce de Leon, and Cartier and the ways the world was changed because of their explorations and discoveries. 

Grammar: We will be focusing on pronouns next week and their correct usage. Proper English, please!

 

Simple Machines are supposed to make work easier for everyone! We will continue our study of simple machines (lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and wedge). 

 

Watch for information about the Thanksgiving Holidays Reading Challenge. Remind your child to check out a good chapter book or two to read during the break. We are fortunate to have both the Mountain View and Gritter's public libraries nearby. Take advantage of what they have to offer. 

NOVEMBER NUGGETS!

My how the days are flying by! It is hard to believe we are looking toward the holidays so soon. It is certainly a busy time of the year for families and for our students here at school. Thank you for making sure your child arrives on time and is wearing a jacket on these chilly mornings. We enjoy recess even when the temperature drops!

THANKSGIVING LUNCH FOR 4TH GRADE IS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19.

Our class will be eating at 11:40 which a little earlier than usual.     If you can, please join us!

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS ARE NOVEMBER 24 - 28.

This week I sent home information concerning the end of  year testing. Your child is able to access OAS from the school website to practice and to get an idea of what the test will be like. In addition to the green letter, we also glued their usernames and the password into the front of their agendas on a little green card.

Please share; send your child to school next week with a can or two if  you can!

The girls and boys made beautiful and very thoughtful cards for some of our local veterans who will be honored at Sandy Plains Baptist Church. Many expressed pride that their own relatives have served in the Armed Forces. We want all veterans to know how much their service to our country is appreciated!

BOW-TIE MULTIPLICATION!

This week we learned a new strategy for multiplying two two-digit numbers. The bow-tie strategy serves to remind students to multiply each of the digits of the two factors. The students seem to have multiplication all tied up!! Most mistakes are results of careless addition when adding the partial products or not being fluent with the basic multiplication facts. Please continue to insist that your child practices every day. As we move into division next week, those who know their facts will have a much easier time, You will see a new strategy - please do not show them the way you (and I) learned. They will be ready for our way for "long division" later!

SIMPLE MACHINES IN SCIENCE!

We have been learning about simple machines and today we had the chance to experience using each type of simple machine in the Science Lab. Oh what fun that was! We are thankful for our volunteers, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Hernandez. We are especially thankful for three other ladies who do not even have students in our class - Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Brock, and Mrs. Maddox helped us with our simple machines!

Next week your child will be assigned one of six explorers to create a poster project at home. The poster will be due after the Thanksgiving break. They will enjoy learning about the discovery of the New World and all the changes that came about for Europeans and Native Americans in this Social Studies unit.

Spelling Sort 14 words have been posted at SPELLERZ, code EHA748. Next week's spelling words are also waiting for you at SPELLING CITY.

Thank you for encouraging your child to read and to record that reading in their agendas daily. During the Thanksgiving Holidays, students will again be challenged to read, and will have another opportunity to be recognized and celebrated for their reading!