SWAT + Geometry Park...

Posted by MsYork in Classroom Updates on January 30, 2009 | No Comments

There’s nothing like a fun game of SWAT coupled with renditions of “Geometry Park” (see, quotation marks around songs)!

One Week Left: Trimester Two Testing ’09!...

Posted by MsYork in Classroom Updates, Topics-of-Study on January 22, 2009 | No Comments

Please look over the following essential standards and review each with your child! I have chosen one online review for each standard. If you have any questions about the content of the test, send a note via the contact form. Remember, benchmark tests are used to “take a snapshot in time”. They are done in accordance with trimesters up to the point of state testing, not necessarily the end of the school year. For this reason, please keep in mind that if your student is low in a particular area, it is simply a reminder that this is an area to focus on before fourth grade is over. Standards need to be met in order to be prepared for fifth grade and beyond, not used as a micromanaging of specific months. Standards are consistently reviewed and practiced. Okay, off my soapbox!

English/Language Arts – Second Trimester

I am able to figure out the meaning of words or phrases by using word origins, synonyms, and antonyms. Wordworks
I am able to use root words to define unknown words in my reading. Short Circuit
I can compare and contrast information on a topic after I have read several articles on the topic. Compare and Contrast (click on Skip Intro, then Number 42)
I can identify the main events of a story and tell how each affected the future action in the story. Summarize As You Read
I can combine short sentences into more interesting sentences using adjectives, adverbs, and phrases to describe. Combining Sentences
I can use commas, quotations marks, and parentheses correctly. I can use apostrophes in contractions and to show ownership. Punctuation Paintball
I can correctly spell root words, with prefixes and suffixes, and use this skill to spell longer words. Spelling with Suffixes

Mathematics – Second Trimester

I can write decimals in tenths and hundredths and show that common fractions have equivalent decimals. [Four to memorize: 1/4=0.25, 1/2=0.50, 3/4=0.75, 4/4=1.0. For the remainder, read the number aloud, and it will be easy to write its equal. For example, 1 2/10=1.2, 34 5/100=34.05, 16 3/10=16.3] Comparing Fractions and Decimals
I can solve a division problem dividing a multi-digit number by a one-digit number. [DMSBR - Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring Down, Remainder] Snork’s Long Division
I can understand and identify prime numbers. [Prime Number: A number with only two factors, one and itself. For example, 13 is prime because the only factors that make up 13 are 13x1. 15 is not prime because it has more than two factors - 15x1 and 5x3. 2 is the only even prime number. 0 and 1 are not considered prime.] Prime Numbers
I can measure rectangles using the correct units (area). [Area = Length x Width] Area and Perimeter
I can identify parallel and perpendicular lines. [Parallel: Never touching, always the same distance apart. Intersecting: Touching. Perpendicular: Intersecting/Touching at 90* exactly.] Lines
I can identify the radius and diameter of a circle. [Diameter: A line that extends from one end of a circle to the other, while passing through the center of the circle. D=Rx2. Radius: A line that extends form the center of a circle to its outer edge. R=D/2.] Matho (all geometry terms)
I can tell when figures are congruent. [Congruent = Same size, same shape.] Congruent Concentration
I can identify the different types of triangles and can tell how they are different. [Triangles are identified by sides and by angles. Angles: Acute (All angles are less than 90*), Obtuse (One angle is greater than 90*), Right (One angle is 90* exactly). Sides: Scalene (no sides are the same length), Isosceles (two sides are the same length), Equilateral (all sides are the same length).] Identifying Triangles Based on Their Sides/Identifying Types of Triangles by Angles
I can identify the different types of quadrilaterals and can tell how they are different. [Quadrilateral: A shape with four (and only four) straight sides. There are five types of quadrilaterals to review. Square: Four congruent sides, four right angles. Rectangle: Two pairs of congruent sides, four right angles. Rhombus: Four congruent sides, no right angles. Parallelogram: Two pairs of congruent sides, no right angles. Trapezoid: Only one pair of parallel sides, no right angles.] Quadrilateral Quest

Mid January ’09: Topics-of-Study...

Posted by MsYork in Topics-of-Study on January 11, 2009 | No Comments

Language Arts: Paragraph Writing, Apostrophes and Parentheses, Compare and Contrast, Main Ideas, Review of Synonyms/Antonyms + Prefixes/Root Words/Suffixes