Hello Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful weekend and our Indian summer weather.

ELA: We are continuing our Lucy Calkin's reader's workshop on a daily basis. It is important to be sure your child is reading 40 minutes nightly and applying the strategies taught in class. We are focusing on a main character's: traits, desires, and motivations. The story arc is being discussed and studied. 

Read Aloud books: Wringer and The Tiger Rising

AR Reading: Accelerated Reader continues to be an important part of our reading program.  Students are reading appropriate AR books found through the AR book find link and then quizzing on them within 24 hours of finishing their book.  It is critical to support your child in book selection (most books are in our school and classroom libraries) and to remind them to read, read, read whenever the opportunity arises--in the car, while waiting for an appt., to and from school, before bed time, on a Sunday in your jammies, etc.  These books should travel to and from the classroom in a daily fashion for classroom DEAR (drop everything and read) sessions as well as nightly reading homework and beyond.  Students have a goal of 14.5 points for this first trimester.  Each book has a certain amount of points it is worth.  This information is listed with reading level and appropriateness (grade school, middle school, high school, for example).  Points per book range from 3 to 5, generally, with longer books being worth more points.  On an average, this is going to mean your child is reading anywhere from 3-5 books by November 1.  That said, help your child select books that are on their reading level, and have high interest for them.  This will allow them to accomplish reading books from start to finish successfully.    
4th Math: factors, multiples and divisibility. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers for homework.  
5th Math: We will continue to review mental math multiplication strategies with 10's, 100's and 1000's as well as exponents. Division will be started this week. 

In addition, students are expected to have their times tables memorized by the end of October (2's through 12's).  If your child isn't saying times tables in the car on the way to and from school and every night for a 5 minute run through (and driving you a bit crazy), something is amiss.  These are goals that were set in early September.  In order for your child to be successful with the math in this grade level, it is important to have these skills down.  Please have some fun with these and have your child rehearse daily so that they can test on these math facts by the end of the month.  multiplication music

4th Science: Experiments with magnets and electricity continue.

Social Studies: Early colonies are studied in depth through History Alive text book.

Writing and Grammar:  FANBOYS, interjections, personal narratives

Spelling and Vocabulary: weekly review and unit tests. 

Thank you in advance for supporting me and the growth of your child in every way.

Have a stellar week!

Warmly,

Mrs. Young