IN FULL SWING!

Parents, thank you so much for taking time to attend Open House last Thursday evening. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you all. I trust that you gained some insight into our classroom and that you felt your time was well spent. I really had fun watching you all find your children at their seats! 

We are in full swing! The students have really been working hard and I am pleased that they have adjusted so well to fourth grade and our classroom! The only problem we have is that we all LOVE TO TALK!  Some of us are still working on knowing when it is and is not a good time to talk to our classmates.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, August 29         Field trip to Cobb Safety Village  

Monday, September 1   Labor Day - No School!

Tuesday, September 9   School Picture Day    

                        PREPAY ORDER FORMS COMING SOON!

What are your  Gators doing at school?

MATH:  Friday, we will have our first test, assessing what we have learned about place value and our base ten number system, rounding, comparing, and ordering numbers. We will continue to practice reading large numbers with fluency. Next week we will add and subtract large numbers so students need to brush up on basic addition and subtraction facts. 

ALL MY STUDENTS NEED TO BE PRACTICING MULTIPLICATION FACTS EVERY NIGHT!  I HAVE ADDED TWO NEW LINKS TO THE TOP OF MY MATH PRACTICE PAGE. PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT!

SCIENCE:  We are learning about the water cycle and will be applying those concepts to our study of weather.  Check out the page on this blog titled "Water Cycle on the Web" for a wide variety of information sources, activities, and games.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will explore the United States as we review map skills. We are creating maps showing some major physical features of the United States including the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Great Plains, the Continental Divide, the Great Basin, Death Valley, the Gulf of Mexico, the St. Lawrence River, and the Great Lakes. 

HEALTH:  This Friday we will be instructed by a Cobb County firefighter or police officer. Students will learn the importance of having a home escape plan. Thank you, parents, for helping your children draw floor plans and determine escape routes in their workbooks. Students will have Fire Safety homework next week:  reading passages and quizzes in preparation for our field trip on Friday, August 29 to the Cobb Safety Village.  We are excited about all the fun activities we will experience while we learn to put safety first!  Students will be tested on what they learn. 

SPELLING:  Sort 3.  In class, we are learning about vowel sounds and syllables (where and why words are divided into syllables). Spelling homework is designed to help us practice and remember spelling patterns. There are several websites on my Spelling Practice page to help your children become better spellers.

READING:  We have focused on Reading standards that include identifying main idea, details, text structure, and vocabulary. We are reading The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies and are enjoying an entertaining story while learning some economic concepts and examining the writer's craft. She uses lots of idioms and is so descriptive that we are able to "see a movie in our heads" as we read.  Several students are looking for other books by this author! Students are getting into the habit of recording their nightly 20 minutes of reading in their agendas (title and pages read). Thank you for your help in reminding them.

Thank you for supporting your child and signing his/her agenda each night.