Friday, October 31st

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!
We were busy, busy, busy today.  Science and Spelling tests are complete.  Math test has been started and will be completed on Monday.  Social Studies Assessment has been moved to Wednesday, and we will still begin our UOI Summative on Monday.

If you would like to purchase books from the Scholastic Book Orders, please send those in by next Friday.  I will order them Friday, so that they will arrive before we leave for the Thanksgiving Break.
Also, take note that the book fair will be coming to FAVE November 17th-20th.  Our class will preview on November 14th, and will have our buying day on November 18th.  Literary Cafe' is on November 18th.  Students will be presenting a piece of literature.  We hope you can join us.

Have a safe evening and a wonderful weekend!!

Adam Gidwitz

Thursday, October 30th

We had a great day!  Many students completed their iMovie summarizing task during reading and have also finished publishing their opinion pieces.

Adam Gidwitz visited FAVE today!  He was so funny and wonderful.  Students got to experience hearing him tell a fairy tale and ask great questions.  He had us laughing the entire time!  If you'd like to see Adam Gidwitz, he will be at Little Shop of Stories tonight at 7:00.  He will be announcing the winners of the F.AVE Fairy Tale Mash up there, so go by and get an autograph. Pictures from his visit are coming soon...

Tomorrow is our spelling test, science test and the start of our math test.  Students can read through their science study guide tonight and practice their spelling words.  We reviewed math today.  They will start their math test tomorrow and complete it on Monday.

This is just a reminder that tomorrow is Halloween.  Students should NOT wear costumes to school.  Thank you in advance for you understanding and cooperation with this.

See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 29th

Another busy day on the AVE.  We are working diligently to publish our opinion writing pieces.  Today students were editing for complex and compound sentences. 
We continued our discussion of the 13 colonies.  Students were able to look at different people (farmers, men, women, slaves, indentured servants, etc..) and discuss what life may have been like for them.
We worked again with the partial products model today during math and students complete the first three math stations for the week.  Please take some time to watch this wonderful video explaining why we teach division this way.  It was created by Mrs. Eber and does a great job clarifying information.
Division Video
Have a great evening!

Tuesday, October 28th

This day flew by as we continued finishing up things for term 2.  We looked at sentence fragments and run-on sentences.  Students looked for these when they were editing their papers today.

Students learned about the Terrestrial/inner planets and the Jovian/outer planets.  We watched some short videos on each type of planet and were able to classify and describe all eight planets into these categories.

We began using the partial quotients method to solve division.  Ask your child to explain "lucky 7" and use partial quotients to solve.

TESTING:
This is a very busy time for giving end of the term assessments.  Here is a break down of the anticipated test dates:
Tomorrow: Spanish Test - students should study the words that were provided yesterday for homework tonight
Friday: Science - Students were provided a study guide today and should study it the rest of the week.
            Spelling - students can work on spelling city (there is a link in the Superstar Symbaloo).
             Math - This may be moved to next week, depending on how comfortable we are feeling by
                         Thursday.
Monday - Social Studies - Students brought home information about the colonial regions today.
                 Possibly Math
                 UOI Summative Task Day 1
Wednesday - UOI Summative Task Day 2

I hope this information will assist you with helping your child prepare for these assessments.

Thank you!

Monday, October 27th

We had a great field trip today!  Students enjoyed visiting the Bradley Observatory.  They were attentive and asked lots of great questions.

We worked to learn the difference between revising and editing today.  We created a chart to help us remember and added it to our Edmodo backpacks.

We also worked with division in math.  Students are using number disks in math to assist them with dividing greater numbers.  We will continue learning division strategies this week.

We have a lot of testing going on this week.  It is happening throughout the school and in every class, including Spanish.  Students were sent home information for their Spanish assessment today.  Please see the information below from Senora Souki.

Spanish Assessment Information

It is very important that all students are at school every day.  We are busy learning important information, not just for this term, but things that we will utilize throughout 4th grade and beyond.  Homework this week will be to work on spelling activities and study for assessments.

Students can log in to Spelling City.  There is a link in the Superstar Symbaloo, and in Edmodo.  The username is firstnamelastname (no spaces).  The password is sanders310.
Thank you!

Social Studies and Science Study guides for the end of Term 2

Here are links to the Social Studies and Science study guides for the end of term 2.  The science assessment will likely be on Friday, while the Social Studies assessment will likely be on Monday, November 3rd.  These dates are subject to change.  They will also be posted on Edmodo.

Science Study Guide
Moon Phases Study Guide
Colonies Study Guide

Friday, October 24th

Happy Friday!!

We had a very busy day!  Students worked to take a reading assessment in Edmodo and began adding drafting their conclusion paragraphs for their opinion essays.  We will begin revising, editing, and publishing next week.

We completed a very fun activity in science to help clear up misconceptions about the relative distance of the planets to the sun.  Each student brought their activity home in their agenda.  Ask them to share it with you!

Students used number disks to solve division problems.  More information will be posted on Monday to be used when assisting with homework.

I introduced the class to Vocabulary Spelling City today.  We will begin using this next week for spelling homework and assessments.  There is a link to spelling city in the Superstar Symbaloo.  Login is first and last name (no spaces), and password is sanders310.  We will begin on Monday.

Have a restful weekend!

Thursday, October 23rd

We had a wonderful walking field trip today!  Thank you to all of our chaperones.  Ask your child to tell you abou their great day.  For homework, they will write their opinion about the field trip, including their favorite station that we visited.  Enjoy some pictures from our day.  See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 21st

Our day was good and filled with learning.

Students worked to complete an assignment on their iPads during science.  They were looking at and collecting data on the phases of the moon across two months.  Questions were answered at the end of the activity to expand their thinking.  Ask your child to tell you more!

We worked in Math stations today.  Students rotated through three of the six stations today.  They were working on multiplication, division, factors, and Compass Learning.  We will continue these rotations later this week.

Please remember to send in the $10 for our field trip on Thursday, if you have not already done so.

Thank you to those who volunteered to chaperone on Monday.  We have plenty of help!
 Look for conference sign up information to come home tomorrow.

See you in the morning!

Monday, October 20th

Welcome back!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

We began our day discussing the differences between summarizing and retelling information from a text.  Students worked to summarize a reading that we've been working with called Animal Senses.  Tomorrow we will work to add details to change our summary into a retelling.

Students began drafting their introductory paragraphs for their opinion pieces.  They are turning out great so far!  I can't wait to work on the body of our essays tomorrow.

During math we looked at the rules of divisibility.  By using these rules, students can determine just by a quick check if a dividend will be evenly divided by its divisor.  Ask your child to tell you more!

Students were given a math sheet for homework.  We had a few minutes at the end of the day, so they were able to work on it in class.  Several finished.  :)  Don't forget that spelling homework has gone home and to complete your nightly reading.

We have a busy week ahead with a cultural arts performance and a field trip.  Please be sure that your child arrives to school on time every day.  We want to take advantage of instruction time, and we don't want to miss out on these fun events!

We are ready for our field trip on October 27th.  I am still in need of at least one or two chaperones to assist us in walking to and from Agnes Scott.  We will be leaving at about 9:30 and should return by 12:15.  Please e-mail me at csanders@csdecatur.net if you are interested.  Thank you in advance!

Have a wonderful evening!!

Explorer Study Guide

You can also find this in Edmodo.  Remind students that the parts in bold face on the chart are the most important to remember.

Explorer Study Guide

Friday, October 17th

Happy Friday!  We had a great end to our week.

Students worked with a partner to read a TIME for Kids article and determine the topic, main idea, and provide supporting details.  They worked diligently and are doing so well with gathering this information.

We will be ready to begin drafting our opinion essays next week.  I am really looking forward to reading them.

Student began looking at the cycle of the moon today.  They were first asked to put the cycle in order.  After watching a short video about the moon, they were asked to modify their moon cycle.  They then recorded their final cycle of the moon on paper and labeled it.  We also discussed the misconception that during the new moon phase, there is no moon.  Ask your child to tell you more!!

Students worked to solve number riddles in math.  Here's a sample of one we completed in class:

I am a 3-digit whole number between 400 and 650. 

My hundreds digit is divisible by 2 but not 3. 

My tens digit is a multiple of 3. 

My ones digit is 1⁄2 of my tens digit. 

All of my digits are different. 

The sum of my digits is 13. 

What number am I?

Can you solve the riddle??

We have an incredibly busy week next week.  I hope you have a restful weekend!

Wednesday, October 15th

This week is going by so quickly, and our class is working so hard!!

We created a chart this morning to assist us with using clues from our text to determine the main idea of the text.  Students were able to identify several text features that will assist in determining the main idea.  Ask your child to tell you more!

Students presented their explorer today.  Presentations went very well.  I am excited to see what the students can do when they have even more time and experience with the Keynote app.  Tomorrow they will be given a study guide the will cover the explorers.  This will help them study for the test on Monday.

We worked on some word problems during math today.  Students analyzed multi-step word problems and worked to find the solution using strategies learned in class.  Ask your child about Unique People Squeeze Lemons...  We also took a mid-term math assessment today.  Check out www.learnzillion.com and enter quick code LZ4389 for a refresher on area model.  Also, enter quick code LZ4390 for a refresher on partial products.

We have another packed day tomorrow.  See you in the morning!!

Homework: Reading - Galloopade - due tomorrow, math sheet, spelling - due Friday

Tuesday, October 14th

What a rainy Tuesday!  We still accomplished a lot of things today.

Students enjoyed a few read alouds of my favorite books.  This becomes a part of our classroom.  We will read several chapter books throughout the school year that will support our learning.  Activities will be completed as we read.  I really enjoy read alouds, and the students do too!  Ask your child to tell you about their favorite book from today.

We continued working with multiplication today.  We practiced using partial products to multiply two digit by two digit numbers.  We began looking at factors and multiples today.  Students worked to create factor rainbows for a variety of numbers.  They utilized color tiles to create area models.  Ask your child to tell you more!

Please send in your field trip form for our walking field trip to Adair Park.  Field trip forms for our Observatory field trip will be coming your way soon.

Tomorrow is our meet and greet from 5:00-5:30.  I am looking forward to meeting you all and sharing information with you.

Monday, October 13th

Welcome back!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  We had a busy and great day!

Students worked diligently this morning to practice close reading an article about the seasons.  We were looking to determine the topic and main idea of each paragraph.  I modeled their assignment and then they worked with a partner to complete their work.  We then worked to add supporting details to our main ideas in our opinion pieces.   We will continue this work tomorrow.

Explorer presentations are nearly completed.  We will finish them tomorrow and begin presentations on Wednesday.

We worked again today to use an area model when multiplying two digit numbers by two digit numbers.  Go to www.learnzillion.com and enter quick code LZ4389 for a brief video lesson.

Students received spelling homework today.  It should not be completed in one night, and is due on Friday.  They will have a spelling test each Friday.

Please return your signed permission forms for the Adair Park field trip.  We are only missing a few.  Thank you to the parent volunteers for our trip.  It will be great!!  If you are available to chaperone our next walking field trip on October 27th, please send me an e-mail at csanders@csdecatur.net.

I am looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday at 5:00!

Friday, October 10th

Happy Friday!

We had a great end to our busy week!  Students continued working on their social studies projects.  Presentations will begin on Tuesday.  Ask your child to tell you about the Keynote app.

We continued working with multiplication of two digit numbers.  Students worked to use area models to multiply two 2-digit numbers.  We also began our first day of math stations.  Ask your child to tell you more!!!

Don't forget to sign and return your permission forms and money for our field trip to Adair Park.  We will have another field trip at the end of October, so be on the look out for information coming home in your red folders.

Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, October 9th

We had a wonderful day!  Students completed their last day of CogAT testing this morning.  Students who were absent will be making up the missed sections tomorrow.

We began thinking about our thesis statements for our opinion essay.  Students discussed the characteristics of a thesis statement and the differences between opinion essays and persuasive essays.  For homework, students should decide on their thesis statement and write it in their agendas.  They will need it for morning work and writing tomorrow.

We began working on our research projects for the European explorers.  Ask your child to tell you more!

In math, we worked to multiply multiples of 10 by two digit multiples of 10 using an area model.  We will continue working with this tomorrow.

Please return the field trip permission form and money for our walking field trip to Adair Park.  I am still missing them from several students.

Homework: Read for 20 minutes, Xtramath.com, Decide on your thesis statement

See you in the morning!

Wednesday, October 8th

This week is really passing quickly!!  We have been so busy and the students are working incredibly hard.

We worked to review text features.  Students utilized TIME for Kids to locate a variety of text features and explain their purpose.  They were then challenged to connect the cover story, The Mars Mystery, to our central idea.

We will begin working on a group project about the explorers tomorrow.  Students are excited to work together to create their iPad presentation.

We continued work with multiplication today.  Students worked to decompose numbers to make solving large math equations easier.  Ask your child to tell you more!  Because they worked so diligently, they were able to complete their math homework in class.

Tomorrow will be our last day of CogAT testing, so please arrive to school on time.

We are in need of two chaperones for our walking field trip to Adair Park on October 23rd.  Please e-mail me at csanders@csdecatur.net if you are interested in accompanying us.

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, October 7th

We had another busy day!
After CogAT testing, worked on asking questions about our reading.  Students discussed the value of asking questions as they read and were able to practice this skill during independent reading time.  We will continue with CogAT testing in the morning, so please arrive to school on time.

We began working with multiplication this afternoon.  Students are working to multiply by one digit and two digit numbers.  Ask your child to tell you more!!  They utilized drawings to assist them in learning this task.  Homework problems were assigned for tonight and should be returned to school tomorrow.

Don't Forget...
Please sign and return your child's permission form and money for their visit to Adair Park as soon as possible.  These are due no later than next Friday.

We have some other exciting things happening in our classroom and at F.AVE, so be sure to check the upcoming events.

I am looking forward to meeting you next Wednesday at 5:00!!
Have a great evening!

Monday, October 6th

Happy Monday!

It was a wonderful to be back at F.AVE this morning!  I had a great welcome back and we had a very busy day.

Students were great listeners and participants as we created our class essential agreements for the remainder of the school year.  These will server as a guide for our behavior each day.

We worked to reorganize our journals and, as a class, understand the expectations during different section of the day.  As we move forward, students will be aware of these agreements and our days will run effectively.

Students worked with area and perimeter today.  We reviewed the formulas for each and then worked to apply those formulas when solving multi-step word problems.  Students had some difficulty when solving the multi-step word problems, and will be challenged with more problems again tomorrow.

Please continue to practice math facts at home each night.  Xtramath.com is a great sight to practice fluency.

Reminder:  Tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday will be CogAT testing.  The testing will begin at 8:00 each morning, so please arrive to school on time.

We are celebrating spirit week in honor of DHS homecoming.  Tomorrow is Tacky Day, so wear your tackiest outfit.

Homework: Read for 20 minutes, Math sheet