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!

NOVEMBER NOTES!

NOVEMBER 2 - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS; "FALL BACK" ONE HOUR BEFORE GOING TO BED SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1

NOVEMBER 4 - STUDENT HOLIDAY

  AND ELECTION DAY

NOVEMBER 6 - 5:00-6:00 MUNCH & MINGLE (A Parent's Guide to Testing)
6:00 PTA MEETING 

NOVEMBER 11 - VETERAN'S DAY: HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN THE ARMED FORCES

NOVEMBER 19 FOURTH GRADE THANKSGIVING LUNCH AT SCHOOL
PLEASE JOIN US!

NOVEMBER 24-28 - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS

WE WILL BE WRITING LETTERS OF APPRECIATION TO SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING OUR COUNTRY ABROAD.

WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO WITH MULTIPLICATION OF MULTI-DIGIT NUMBERS IN WORD PROBLEMS -- ESPECIALLY WHEN WE NEED TO FIND AN ESTIMATE. STUDENTS HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL USING THE BOX METHOD AND ARE READY TO TRY SOME OTHER STRATEGIES, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO MASTER THE BASIC "X FACTS" IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS IN MATH. DIVISION IS COMING SOON AND WILL INVOLVE SOME STRATEGIES THAT WILL AMAZE YOU!

SORT 13 IS ALL ABOUT WORDS THAT END WITH -LE. PRACTICE THE WORDZ AT SPELLERZ WITH CODE AXV642! COMPLETE YOUR TRIAL TEST AND PLAY GAMES AT SPELLING CITY.

WATCH FOR THE SCRIPPS OFFICIAL NATIONAL SPELLING BEE STUDY LIST THAT WILL BE COMING HOME SOON. THE SCHOOL SPELLING BEE WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER THE WINTER HOLIDAYS BUT WE WANT TO BE READY! WE WILL BE CONDUCTING CLASSROOM BEES DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

OUR SCIENCE STUDY OF SIMPLE MACHINES WILL BEGIN.

S4P3. Students will demonstrate the relationship between the application of a force and the 

resulting change in position and motion on an object. 

a. Identify simple machines and explain their uses (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, 

screw, wheel and axle). 

b. Using different size objects, observe how force affects speed and motion. 

c. Explain what happens to the speed or direction of an object when a greater force than 

the initial one is applied. 

d. Demonstrate the effect of gravitational force on the motion of an object.

ALL THE STUDENTS DID A FANTASTIC JOB ON THEIR NATIVE AMERICAN PROJECTS. THEIR CREATIVITY AND ENTHUSIASM HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE. WE LEARNED HOW EACH TRIBE ADAPTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE REGION WHERE THEY SETTLED. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE THE FIRST AMERICANS -  LONG BEFORE EUROPEANS DISCOVERED THE NEW WORLD.

WE WILL LEARN OF OUR COUNTRY'S BEGINNINGS AS WE STUDY SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL EUROPEAN EXPLORERS WHO CROSSED THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO EXPLORE THE NEWLY DISCOVERED CONTINENT.

SS4H2: The student will describe European exploration in North America.

a. Describe the reasons for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the Spanish, French, and English explorations of John Cabot, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Juan Ponce de León, Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson, and Jacques Cartier.

b. Describe examples of cooperation and conflict between Europeans and Native Americans.

PARENTS, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AND HIS OR HER LEARNING!

SUCCESS!

Thank you, parents and students, for the great conferences this week! The time spent with each family seemed to just fly by. I trust that each of you walked away with more understanding of what your child is learning in fourth grade and ways that you can support your child. The students did a very nice job as they presented their Leadership Notebooks from the "pink chair." I am proud of them all! The poster below reiterates a few of the tips that were offered this week.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4

STUDENT HOLIDAY!

PARENTS, GO VOTE!

WE WILL CONTINUE MULTI-DIGIT MULTIPLICATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING NEXT WEEK. PLEASE PUT THOSE "X PLANS" IN MOTION! I AM ANXIOUS TO AWARD MORE STUDENTS WITH A "0 - 9 X FACTS" CERTIFICATE.  

 DOWNLOAD THIS GEORGIA STANDARDS NATIVE AMERICAN POWERPOINT TO REVIEW WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE INUIT, KWAKIUTL, NEZ PERCE, HOPI, PAWNEE, AND SEMINOLE.

NATIVE AMERICAN PROJECTS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY. EVERYONE SEEMS EXCITED ABOUT THEIR CREATIONS AND WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING. DON'T FORGET TO WRITE A SHORT PARAGRAPH TO TELL ABOUT YOUR PROJECT AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO YOUR TRIBE. WE WILL BE WRITING OUR INFORMATIONAL REPORTS ABOUT THE TRIBES IN CLASS.

SORT 12 --- WORDS ARE READY FOR YOU TO PRACTICE AT  SPELLERZ (CUSTOM INVASION TNF456) AND AT             SPELLING CITY.


TODAY IN THE SCIENCE LAB, WE HAD A FUN S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) LESSON. WE WORKED WITH A PARTNER TO DESIGN  MOLDS FOR MAKING ICE CUBES INTENDED FOR USE IN BUILDING AN "ICE HOTEL." THE STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO CHOOSE THEIR MATERIALS FOR THE PROJECT FROM A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF ITEMS MRS. KNOBBE HAD GATHERED. NEXT WEEK, WE WILL TEST THE SUCCESS OF THE ICE TRAYS WE CREATED. THANK YOU, MRS. HERNANDEZ AND MRS. BROWN FOR VOLUNTEERING TO HELP US WITH OUR ENGINEERING!


Another inky evening’s here—
the air is cool and calm and clear.
Can it be true? Oh, can it be?
Yes!—Bat Night at the library!
ON FRIDAY, WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL HALLOWEEN TREAT! AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR BRIAN LIES WILL VISIT OUR SCHOOL. HIS BOOKS FEATURE BAT CHARACTERS AND EXCITING PLOTS. WE CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR HIM TO SHARE HIS WRITING TRICKS!


HAVE A FUN AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!

NEXT WEEK

YOUR STUDENTS WILL BE LEADING OUR CONFERENCES.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AT OUR SCHEDULED TIMES.


12:15 EVERYDAY!


BOOK FAIR!
STUDENTS MAY PURCHASE DAILY UNTIL 4:00! BOOK FAIR WILL BE OPEN LATE ON TUESDAY UNTIL 6:30! WILL END AT 11:00 ON FRIDAY. READALOT!


DURING RED RIBBON WEEK, WE WILL PROMOTE LIVING A HEALTHY DRUG FREE LIFE IN FUN WAYS!


DUE TO EARLY DISMISSAL, THESE CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO OUR DAILY SCHEDULE: SPECIALS - 8:30; LUNCH - 10:15

WE WILL STILL BE WORKING HARD NEXT WEEK! STUDENTS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB LEARNING TO MULTIPLY MULTI-DIGIT NUMBERS USING THE BOX MODEL STRATEGY. THEY EVEN BEG FOR CHALLENGES! TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE CAN FIND THE PRODUCT OF 45 X 58. WE USE THE DISTRIBUTIVE PROPERTY BY WRITING EACH FACTOR IN EXPANDED FORM. FROM THERE, WE FIND THE PARTIAL PRODUCTS. THE SUM OF THOSE PARTIAL PRODUCTS GIVES US THE ANSWER!

WE WILL BE APPLYING OUR SKILLS TO SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS.

SPELLING SORT 11. I HAVE ENTERED THE WORD LIST AT SPELLERZ - THIS WEEK'S CODE IS CZN594 AND AT SPELLING CITY.  THE STUDENTS SEEM TO BE ENJOYING THE ONLINE TRIAL TEST AND PRACTICE GAMES.

IN CLASS, WE WILL BE WORKING ON OUR INFORMATIONAL WRITING ABOUT THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES.

REMEMBER THAT NATIVE AMERICAN PROJECTS ARE DUE ON OCTOBER 29. I HOPE THE STUDENTS ARE HAVING FUN WHILE LEARNING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


PLEASE SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION DURING SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS APPRECIATION WEEK!