Notes for 11/30-1/4

There is a lot going on this week. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Orchestra Hall is on Friday. We leave around 10:45. Students will need bag lunches for the bus trip between Orchestra Hall and the MIA. Chaperones (drawn randomly) are: Mrs. Eidsness, Ms. Wegner, Mrs. Worden, and Mrs. Fuglseth. Thanks for your interest.

2. Cards for Servicemen/women
Mrs. Swanson stopped by this morning with cards to send to US Soldiers abroad over the holidays. If your child is interested in completing a card, please have it back by Wednesday. Thanks!

3. Math facts. We are working hard in class and in the computer lab to master multiplication & division facts. Please take a few minutes each night to help your child study. They will be extremely helpful as we move forward in math class.

4. Culvers' Night- December 2nd.

Homework tonight:
Spelling- This is a review week. Please sign the tic-tac-toe sheet (student can pick any three) once your child has completed his/her sheet. The sheet is posted below.
Math- 9.1 Expressions (front and back)

Have a great night!

Lesson 10 Ttt 4th

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Expressions

Today's math lesson was on expressions. We learned about using variables to stand for unknown numbers and how to translate a word problem into an expression. The three slides are a brief description.

Homework:
Word study boxes for: culinary, downcast, consternation, vivid, extensive, serenely
Math 4.1- Backside 1-16 only
Spelling- See planner for the list. There is no word search or practice this week.
Check folders for the Year Book Design Contest
Return Innisbrook folders

Monday Notes

Spelling Practice Site

Homework:
Spelling word find, vocab words for "House, House"
29.3 Perimeter/Area sheet

Tuesday Notes

Homework:
Think About It Question
Sentence Fluency Worksheet- Sentence Starters

Math-
28.3 Circumference
Bluesheet (Both Sides)

Yearbook Orders due April 3rd
Spring Pictures on Friday.

Tuesday Notes

Homework:

Think About It Questions
27.4 Subtracting Decimals
Bluesheet

Farming in the Midwest

Homework: 23.4 & 23.5, blue sheet (both sides) & please return Wolf Ridge forms.

Today we started learning about farming in the Midwest over the last 200 years. We are especially curious about how farming has changed over this time period (sizes of farms, % of people that farm, tools farmers use, and the lives of farm families).

In class today I shared some of my experiences growing up on a dairy farm near Alexandria. A student asked how farmers fill their silos. Below is YouTube video showing haylage being blown from a silage wagon into a silo.

More Fractions and Haikus

Homework:
21.3 Ordering Fractions-see web sites below.
Blue Sheet
Think About It Questions and Story Pyramid




Ordering Fractions Web Site

BBC Fraction Ordering Web Site

Advice for comparing fractions:
Check the denominator- if they are the same it is as easy as counting 123.
Check the numerator- if they are the same then the bigger denominator, the smaller pieces of the fraction are.
Is one piece missing? What score would you rather have? 1/2, 2/3, 9/10, 19/20? If only one is missing the bigger the denominator, the greater the fraction's value.
Less than half, half, more than half- categorize your fractions in these groups and go from there.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Red Writing Vocab

View more presentations from Dan O'brien. (tags: vocabulary elementary)

Haikus, Fractions, and Spelling Words

Fraction Identification- Circles

Fraction Identification- Lines

Identify Fractions- Groups

Renaming Fraction in lowest terms (reducing)

Equivalent Fractions- Higher



Spelling this week (Tues & Fri). Rule: adding suffixes to words that end with -y.
families, worried, ugliest, funnier, happily, easily, heavier, earlier, tiniest, supplied, luckily, relied, activities, countries, enemies, hurried,
Spelling vocab words:
triumphantly, desperately, injustice, circumstances.
Bonus Words:
contradict, oxymoron, memorandum, omniscent

If Not For the Cat ...Haikus

Today in class we read a great poetry book by Jack Prelutsky called If Not for the Cat. Prelutsky has written 17 haiku riddle poems describing different animals. The tie-in to our writing class is Prelutsky's examples of interesting word choice. We wrote a few haikus in class. Look here in the near future for some examples of student haikus. Here is a sample:

Chicken
On my precious egg
I contemplate the future
Destiny nugget

The video below is from a warm-up activity we did to reteach syllables. We picked 8 great words from the story, divided them up into syllables, and had groups of students chant the individual syllables. A volunteer student, that had left the room, had to come in and guess what the word was.

Homework: Finish A-Z booklet, Finish math packet and white circle sheet. Complete blue math sheet.

Tomorrow is the last day for the 2nd trimester AR goal and Valentine's Day. Students are encouraged to bring in Valentines, treats, and mailboxes.

Wednesday Notes

A little homework tonight ...
Finish A-Z Animal Story- illustrate and go over text with black marker/pen
Complete pg 129 in reading workbook-Summarize and Paraphrase
Math-Double check 18.3 for errors, complete 18.4-Venn Diagrams
Please check the conference times in your child's planner to make sure they work.
Have a great night!

Quadrilateral Practice

Test your knowledge of quadrilaterals!




Homework:
18.3 Quadrilaterals- both sides all
Reading- Read In the Days of King Adobe and complete Think About It questions. Complete workbook pages 126 & 127 in reading workbook.
Complete Blue Math sheet for tomorrow.
Phy. Ed. tomorrow.

Friday Notes

Homework:
18.1- Polygons- Regular & Irregular
A-Z Verb Planning in Journal due Monday
Please note 2 important papers in the Friday folder:
1. Conference Schedule
2. Student List for Valentine's Day- We will exchange Valentines on Friday, Feb 13th. Students are encouraged to bring a decorated mailbox for their Valentines.

For practice with shapes- check out the site below.
Have a great weekend!

Yo-Yos & Valentine's Day Notes & Geometry Quiz

Today Dazzling Dave entertained Shirley Hills students with his yo-yo tricks. Yo-yo order forms are in tonight's homework folders.

Our Valentine's Day party is next Friday (2/13). Students are invited to pass out treats and Valentines. Students are also encouraged to create a Valentine's Day mailbox to receive Valentine's from their classmates.

Tomorrow we have a math test on Chapter 17 (angles, lines, rays, segments, intersecting, parallel, and perpendicular lines). Look here for a video quiz once I get it uploaded to Teachertube.

Homework:
Reading workbook pages 119-121
Math Chapter 17 Review Sheet (Both sides)
Blue Math Sheet

Tomorrow we have Adventures in Art with Mrs. Kuehn!
Yo-yos can be purchased before school and during lunch from Mr. Halvarson.

Pen Pal Letters Arrive

Today students were excited to receive pen pal letters from Mrs. O'Brien's second graders at Clover Ridge Elementary in Chaska. Check out the excited faces.
Homework:
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose- Think About It?s, sequence notes, and story pyramid.
Finish pen pal letter draft
Math:
17.4- Draw a diagram & Bluesheet

Monday Notes- Ice Skating Tomorrow!

Spelling for The Case of Pablo's Nose.
unused, dislike, unclean, unheard, disagree, disabled, unkind, unfriendly, unable, unhappy, unsafe, disobey, uncertain, disappear, undecided, dishonest, sculptor, alibi, muttered, strengthening
Bonus:
uncorroborated
unapologetic
uncatalogued
unlicensed
Homework:
Spelling Word Find and Practice
Vocab notebook for The Case of Pablo's Nose.
Math: 17.3 all- Intersecting, Parallel, and Perpendicular lines
Math Bluesheet
Library Tomorrow

Geometry- Lines, Points, Rays, Segments, Planes & Angles

Homework: 17.1 & 17.2- all
Pennies for Patients fundraiser for Leukemia on Monday- Please bring in a penny (or pennies).
Have a great weekend!

Homework Message

Homework:
Practice speaking & singing parts for music concert
14.2 - Front 6-9, Back Mixed Review
14.3- Front 5-8, back 1-9
Also white math homework sheet

Wednesday Notes

Today we concluded our bus and boat tour of the Southeast states. Our last stop was in Montgomery, Alabama- home of the Civil Rights movement. We wrote a poem about the state of Civil Rights in the US today.
Homework:
Theme 3 Review packet for reading
Math chapter 13 review
Southeast Letter

President Obama!

Today we watched history unfold. All of the 4th graders crammed into Mr. P's room to see Vice-President Biden and President Obama take the oath of office. Ask your child for details.
Homework:
Reading-Finish 15 vocab word study assignment and Shape Poem
Math- Fix and/or finish chapt 13 packet.
Music tomorrow!

Notes for the Three-Day Weekend

Enjoy the three-day weekend. There is no school on Monday. Homework includes:
Math- finish the chapter 13 packet
Reading- Complete "Cactus Hotel" booklet and generate questions sheet.
Pictured is a sample of our Saguaro Cactus project from this afternoon.
Have a great afternoon!