We’re finishing our study of life science, and moving on to physical science. For a great animated summary of our newest topic, view the video below!
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.
English/Language Arts – Second Trimester
Mathematics – Second Trimester
Congratulations to our classroom spelling champions Giovanni and Dallas as well as our alternate Travis! Good luck! Parents, if you’d like to attend this year’s bee, please meet us in the cafeteria on Wednesday, February 22nd at 9:00 AM!
If you’d like to see this year’s word list, please click here! Study time!
Two-digit multiplication and long division are our most hard-hitting math topics in Trimester Two. We are required to know all of our multiplication and division facts, steps, and word problem clue words. In order to help facilitate practice at home, please use the following links. They provide notes to print out, activities to follow step-by-step, and clue words to help indicate whether a problem is division or multiplication. We have two weeks until our benchmark exams.
Division:
Don’t forget to continue your goals in the V.I.P. (Very Intelligent Pupil) Club! There are so many questions that you likely already know! Nouns, verbs, synonyms, math fact families, place value charts, Native American tribes, … the list goes on! Remember, 16 stars places you on the Hall of Fame!
Just a reminder that our Chapter Two Social Studies test will take place Friday, January 13th. The following sites are fantastic tools for study, as are our blue notebooks and our textbook. Inside our blue notebook, we have written the definitions to all the needed vocabulary, summary paragraphs for each lesson, as well as guideline notes for each chapter guideline. Thoroughly study the vocabulary and guideline notes, and you’ll do just fine! 
Chapter Two Study Guideline Notes (also found in the front of your notebook)
Matching Game Vocabulary Practice: First CA’s/ North Coast Region, S. Coast/ Cent. Valley/ Desert Tribes
Native Californian Cultures (great photographs of California Native American artifacts)
The First Californians (links to information about each tribe)
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful break and are excited to come back to school! I know I am! While you were gone, we had two DonorsChoose proposals funded! We’re going to receive a set of student dictionaries for students to keep, as well as a large supply of glue sticks to keep us going until the end of the year! Yay! See you soon and be sure to have your two AR chapter books ready to quiz!!!
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 Tuesday morning (1/3/12). All students already chose and wrote down their books on the back of their bright pink homework half-sheet.
* Practice cursive handwriting. Many of our current assignments will now be required in cursive, a fourth grade essential standard.
* Practice multiplication and division facts. Nearly all of January will be spent practicing double-digit multiplication and long division.
See you all in 2012!
Based on a true story, Island of the Blue Dolphins is a time-honored tale that shares the life of Karana, a young Native American girl stranded alone on an island for 18 years. We have been reading this story over the last three weeks and will come to its conclusion tomorrow. As with all great stories, we will also view the movie to compare and contrast different versions of Karana’s tale. For more information about Scott O’Dell or the story itself, please visit the following links!
Explore Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scholastic)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Common Sense Media)
Just the right time for some holiday math pun! 
Our current Friday Accelerated Reading goal is 22.5 points. Our Accelerated Math goal is 36 objectives. 16.0 AR points and 26 AM objectives are required for a passing grade. If your child is behind, time will be given during recess to attain this week's goal. 
