Early February ‘10: Topics-of-Study
Language Arts: Parentheses, Combining Sentences + Review of Synonyms/Antonyms, Main Ideas, Commas/Quotation Marks/Apostrophes
- Parentheses in English (notes)
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Compound Sentences, Putting Sentences Together
- Synonyms and Antonyms (movie), Synonyms, Squanky the Tooth Taker: Quiet Quest for Opposites, Squanky the Tooth Taker: Tooth Tally, Same Difference
- Main Idea (movie), Main Ideas, Summarize As You Read, Reading Nonfiction (movie)
- Power Proofreading, Punctuation Paintball, Comma Confusion
Mathematics: Multiplication and Division Word Problems, Long Division, Prime Numbers + Review of Double-Digit Multiplication, Fractions/Decimals, Line Types, Radius & Diameter, Area (multiplication)
- Grand Slam Math
- Snork’s Long Division, Math Baseball
- Prime Factoring, Grid Game
- Two Digit Multiplication Steps (review practice), Study Jams! (video), Basic Parts of a Whole (movie), What’s a Fraction?, Death to Decimals, Fishy Fractions: Fraction and Decimal Match, Comparing Fractions and Decimals, Fishy Fractions: Equivalent Fractions, Fresh Baked Fractions, The Decifractator, Saloon Snap, Tony Fraction (challenging fractions), Lines (review practice), Matho (review of all geometry terms), Area and Perimeter, Everyday Area, Find the Area
- Trimester Two Math Helper (front), Trimester Two Math Helper (back)
Social Studies: Chapter Three — Exploration and Early Settlements
- Extra Credit Mission Project: My Mission, The California Missions, California Missions Foundation
- Explorers/Newcomers, Settlements/Missions (vocabulary practice)
- Early California Explorers (Cabrillo, Cortes, Drake, Vizcaino; Cermeno here)
- Chapter Three Guideline Notes
Science: Chapter Six — Electricity
Compassion Wordles!
Have you ever visited Wordle.net? We have! In fact, after discussing the events unfolding in Haiti, we brainstormed the meaning of compassion and decided to make our own Wordle word clouds! Take a look!
The Way to Start a Day: Yoga in the Morning
After reading the short story The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor, we’ve decided to get into our own routine by learning the Sun Salutation as part of our daily yoga. We’ve been practicing our individual poses all school year (Yoga Pretzels), but now it’s time to put them together. It’s like learning each note of your instrument and finally getting to play a song! If you’d like to practice at home, you can see the sequence here or watch the Flash video below. Enjoy!
Early January ‘10: Topics-of-Study
Language Arts: Synonyms/Antonyms, Main Ideas, Commas/Quotation Marks/Apostrophes + Review of Prefixes/Root Words/Suffixes and Step Up to Writing Paragraphs
- Synonyms and Antonyms (movie), Synonyms, Squanky the Tooth Taker: Quiet Quest for Opposites, Squanky the Tooth Taker: Tooth Tally, Same Difference
- Main Idea (movie), Main Ideas, Summarize As You Read, Reading Nonfiction (movie)
- Power Proofreading, Punctuation Paintball, Comma Confusion
- Wordworks, Root Words, Short Circuit, Prefixes Say Plenty, Spelling with Suffixes, Fish Tanks, Spelling Prefixes, Rooting Out Words (review practice)
- Step Up to Writing, Step Up to Writing #2 (notes + examples)
Mathematics: Double-Digit Multiplication, Long Division, Fractions/Decimals, Prime Numbers + Review of Line Types, Radius & Diameter, Area
- Two Digit Multiplication Steps (review practice)
- Snork’s Long Division, Math Baseball
- Study Jams! (video), Basic Parts of a Whole (movie), What’s a Fraction?, Death to Decimals, Fishy Fractions: Fraction and Decimal Match, Comparing Fractions and Decimals, Fishy Fractions: Equivalent Fractions, Fresh Baked Fractions, The Decifractator, Saloon Snap, Tony Fraction (challenging fractions)
- Prime Factoring, Grid Game
- Lines (review practice), Matho (review of all geometry terms), Area and Perimeter, Everyday Area, Find the Area
- Trimester Two Math Helper (front), Trimester Two Math Helper (back)
Social Studies: Chapter Three –Exploration and Early Settlements
- Explorers/Newcomers, Settlements/Missions (vocabulary practice)
- Early California Explorers (Cabrillo, Cortes, Drake, Vizcaino; Cermeno here)
- Chapter Three Guideline Notes
Science: Chapter Six –Electricity
Winter Break Homework
Welcome to Winter Break! I hope everyone has a joyous holiday! As your children are aware, we do have a few items of homework over the next two weeks. All are simple, but essential!
* Read two AR chapter books and be ready for quizzes on Monday morning. All students already chose and wrote down their books on the back of the bright pink homework half-sheet.
* Practice cursive handwriting. Many of our current assignments will now be required in cursive, a fourth grade essential standard. Spelling assignments will start this transition.
* Practice multiplication and division facts. Nearly all of January will be spent practicing double-digit multiplication and long division.
* Review geometry flashcards. This light green packet of flashcards will help students review our other important mathematical studies.
See you all in 2010!
Holiday Multiplication Practice
Gooey gum drop buttons! Each time you get a multiplication fact correct, another piece of the holiday scene is revealed! When you complete the level, you get to build your own holiday picture!
Happy Holidays Multiplication Practice
November/December 2009 Newsletter
PDF: November/December 2009 – English
PDF: November/December 2009 – Spanish
Content: Parent Conferences, Seasonal Breaks, California’s Native Americans, Magical Multiplication Monday
Mid November ‘09: Topics-of-Study
Language Arts: Prefixes/Root Words/Suffixes + Review of Parts of Speech, Capitalization, Finding Information in Books, Step Up to Writing Format
- Wordworks, Root Words, Short Circuit, Prefixes Say Plenty, Spelling with Suffixes, Fish Tanks, Spelling Prefixes, Rooting Out Words (review practice)
- Rocket Word Tag, Alien Word Mine, Grammar Gorillas, Supernova Sentence Puzzles, Irregular Verbs, Wacky Web Tales (Mad Libs), Adjective and Adverb Trail, Parts of Speech (review practice)
- Capitalization Rules (notes), Capitalization, Capitalization #2 (review practice)
- Parts of a Book (notes), Reading Nonfiction (video), Parts of a Book, How to Locate Parts of a Book (review practice), Using a Dictionary (review practice and notes), It’s Non-Fiction (song)
- Step Up to Writing, Step Up to Writing #2 (notes + examples)
Mathematics: Line Types, Radius & Diameter, Double-Digit Multiplication, Congruency + Review of Estimating, Multiplication Equals
- Lines (review practice)
- Matho (review of all geometry terms)
- Two Digit Steps (review practice)
- Congruent Concentration (review practice)
- Estimating = Rounding all numbers before adding, subtracting, or multiplying [Rounding (notes), Rounding, Rounding #2, Rounders Rounding (review practice)]
- Trimester Two Math Helper (front), Trimester Two Math Helper (back)
Social Studies: Chapter Two — California’s Indians
- First CA’s/North Coast Region, S. Coast/Cent. Valley/Desert Tribes (vocabulary practice)
- Chapter Two Guideline Notes (essential concepts)
Science: Chapter One — Living Things Need Energy
Chapter One Resources (vocabulary practice, videos, and more)- Dirt Made My Lunch, Producers, Consumers, Decomposers (songs from class)
- Parts of a Plant, Photosynthesis, Plant Life Cycle (videos)
- Illuminating Photosynthesis, Root Factory, Life Cycle of Plants (review practice)
- Food Chain (video), Food Chains Science Desk (review practice)
- Fun With Food Webs, Eat or Be Eaten, Diversity of Life on Earth
Magical Multiplication Monday!
As part of “Magical Multiplication Monday,” this Monday was spent strictly reviewing and practicing our multiplication facts. As stated to both parents and students at the start of the school year, memorizing multiplication facts is one of the most unbelievably important factors (no pun intended, haha!) for success in fourth grade math.
We are now beginning our second trimester. There are nine essential standards to be taught during these next few months. Of these nine, seven require multiplication! If your child does not yet have their facts memorized, this trimester will seem to last forever. Area, prime numbers, double-digit multiplication, division, radius and diameter, fractions and decimals, multiplication and division word problems, … these are our new topics of study. Use our Trimester Math Helpers as a guide.
Please spend 10 minutes each night reviewing the flashcards sent home with your child. You can also visit the Multiplication! page on our class website for online review games, finger tricks, and other ways to help your child. This is crucial. Please make it a part of your nightly routine.
During Magical Multiplication Monday, Ms. York dressed as a Hogwarts professor while guiding students in a variety of multiplication tricks and activities. We reviewed our charts and the concept of the commutative property (3 x 2 is the same as 2 x 3). We drilled our facts with flashcards, sliders, dice, and timed tests. We played multiplication board games, bingo, and online practice. We learned finger tricks, stories, and rhymes to help us remember specific facts. Some of us even exercised to the facts! What a great day!
Photosynthesis Hands-On Lab
What a fantastic trip we had! We we able to extend our classroom study of photosynthesis by discussing the functions of stomata, racing to complete the scientific formula, and viewing the light spectrum relative to the chlorophyll found in leaves. The kids impressed the CSUC staff by sharing their extensive classroom knowledge! We finished our labs early because they remembered so much! Way to go, guys!
