4th Grade - Ms. Wood

Greetings from Mrs. Miller

I am Mrs. Miller, the supply teacher for Mrs. Wood. I am enjoying getting to know all of your children. They are very sweet and are very eager to learn. Over the next few weeks we will be very busy in class. Here are the highlights:

• Reading-We are reading the novel Frindle. We are focusing on reading for meaning, attending to details, understanding figurative language, and cause and effect. We should finish the novel before the winter break. The students just took the STAR test again to find their reading range for AR books. I will send this range home in their Monday folders next week. Most of our students really need to work on reading more and taking more AR tests to reach their goal. We just completed Lesson 7 in Wordly Wise (vocabulary work) and will take our test tomorrow. I am also giving a quiz each Wednesday to check on students' progress in their reading comprehension skills.

• Math-Students in my class for Math have just finished a geometry unit. We have focused on lines (parallel and perpendicular), naming types of triangles, measuring angles with a protractor, identifying and comparing and contrasting quadrilaterals, and naming and locating ordered pairs in the coordinate plane. We will take a quiz tomorrow. Beginning Friday we will be reviewing multiplication, division, and solving story problems requiring two steps.

• Writing and Grammar-We have been working on organizing sentences to form a paragraph by writing a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a concluding sentence. We are working on identifying and using action verbs, helping verbs, and linking verbs. We will be taking a quiz on these before the holidays.

• Science -This week we have been studying simple machines. We can identify the six simple machines and explain how they are used. We are taking our quiz tomorrow. Tomorrow we will begin studying force and motion. Then we will learn about light and sound.
• Social Studies-Last week we finished our study of the explorers.
• Testing Next Week-Next week the students will be taking the county checkpoint tests. You can help your child do his/her best on the test by encouraging them to eat breakfast and get a good night's sleep each night. THANK YOU!!

What some crazy and interesting weeks we have had. First, a fabulous performance by our fourth graders at PTSA. Their performance was very entertaining. Last week we enjoyed a trip to the Cobb Youth Museum. Besides learning some of our nations history, I think the children enjoyed being able to act out of the parts the most. Now we are into our last week before the Thanksgiving Break. Who would have ever thought we should be at this point in the year already!

Writing - We are working on writing interesting topic sentences, supporting detail sentences, and a good conclusion sentence. We will begin working on writing a descriptive piece.

There is NO Wordly Wise this week. We will resume when we return from the Thanksgiving Break.

Math - The classes are continuing to work on division and some classes are beginning our Geometry unit. Continue practicing multiplication facts, double-digit multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division.

Science - We have completed our unit on Weather. Coming in the future are... Force & Motion, Simple Machines, and Light & Sound.

Social Studies - We are learning about 6 famous European Explorers and how the world was changed through their explorations.

Upcoming...

Thanksgiving Break...The Week of November 21-25...No School this week

 

Parents,

I want to thank you all for being at conferences last week. It was nice to talk with you all about how your child is doing and to work together to help them be successful in their 4th grade year. Please remember that I am here to work with you and help your child have a successful year. If at any time you have questions or want to set up a meeting, let me know.

 

IMPORTANT INFO.....

* Thursday, November 3rd is PTA. The 4th grade will be performing. Please remember that your child needs to meet in their classroom around 6:15. The PTA meeting will begin at 6:30 in the gym. After a brief meeting the students will join you for their performance.

* Tuesday, November 8 - There is NO SCHOOL for students. It is a Teacher Workday, so please make arrangements for your student.

 

 

Parents,

I forgot a couple things from yesterday's BLOG post, so here they are.

-Due to conferences this week, Monday Folders are not going home. They will resume being sent home next Monday, October 31.

-More Study Island Assignments are coming in the next couple of weeks!!!! So be on the look out.

-I will send home AR reports on Monday  in the Monday Folder.

Parents,

This week is conference week and Red Ribbon week. As you know, we are dismissing 2 hours early so please make arrangement for after school care of your child. Red Ribbon week is where we are promoting students saying NO to drugs. Today, your student came home wearing a red ribbon, please have them wear this ribbon evryday. Also this week, the Book Fair is in our Media Center before and after school.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all at conferences!

This week....

Science/Social Studies - Because we have been cut short on Science this past 9 weeks, this week we will devote our time to catching up. We are working on weather. This week we will continue to learn vocabulary and learn about predicting weather. We will have a weather quiz on Friday.

Math - The various math classes have begun working on division. Please continue to practice learning the multiplication facts. Many students still do not know them and this is a very important foundational concept needed in math.

Writing - This 9 weeks, one of our focuses will be on writing a response to what we read.  The students are currently working on writing responses to The Chocolate Touch. Last week we took the time to write letters of appreciation to our military for Bert's Big Thank You from Q100.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather. Here is what is "blowing" our way....

Math - The various math classes are continuing to work on mastering multiplication facts. We are continuing to work with multiplying 2-digit numbers, working with Order of Operations, and beginning to look at dividing with a 2-digit number.

Social Studies - We are learning about various Explorers, such as, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Ponce de Leon, and several others.

Science - We are working on a unit about weather. We are using our knowledge about the water cycle to understand how the it affects the weather. We will be learning many weatherterms and learning about various weather instruments.

Writing -  This week we will be practicing are writing skills by writing letters of appreciation.  Our fianl products will include a card of appreciation to our bus drivers and a letter to the U.S. soldiers.

Reading - We have finished reading The Chocolate Touch.   We will be reviewing the story and taking a comprehension test towards the end of the week.

Language Arts - We are continuing to review subjects/predicates and nouns.  We will begin learnig about simple and complex sentence structures.

Important Info....

* Please remember to return your child's permission form to attend the Cobb Youth Museum field trip.

* "OnTrack" conference questionaire sheet is due Wednesday.

* Conference week is October 24-28. Students will be released 2 hrs early form school, so please make after school arrangements for your student. Please be respectful and courteous of your conference time. The Scholastic Book Fair will also be open in the Media Center during confernece week.

Happy October & Fall! I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful weather as much as I am. Here is the latest of what is coming up and going on....

Math - Students are working on multiplication in their various math classes. Please work with them and practice having a good foundation with this skill.

Reading - We are beginning a new book entitiled The Chocolate Touch. I am looking forward to reading the book and planning some fun activities with the students.

Writing - We are continuing to work on personal narratives.

Social Studies - We are wrapping up our study on Native American tribes and will soon begin the Early Explorers.

Science - On Friday, we will be taking a test over the Water Cycle. A study guide will be coming Tuesday with your child. There is also an assignment about the water cycle that students may use to study on Study Island.

The students all enjoyed their Field Trip to the Fire safety Village. They learned some valuable information to help keep them safe in emergency situations. I think that the most fun that they had was getting to drive the little Go-Carts around the village. After seeing them drive ,though, I'm a little afraid when many of them get their licenses!

Today your student brought home 2 green forms. One was from Ms. Tally concerning the PTA performance in November and the other was from PTA concerning the Fall Festival. Please look these over and return them soon!

I will be scheduling conferences this week. Please be on the look out for your conference appointment form. When these come home, the sooner you return them to me, the sooner I can reschedule people if needed.

This week is Public Safety Appreciation Week.  The Fourth Grade is collecting small snack and treats to put together a Thank you basket. If you would like to contribute, please send in your items by this Thursday!!

Thursday is PTA @ 6:30 and Second Grade will be performing.

FYI... Monday folders were not ready for today, so your child will bring them home on Tuesday!

Planning ahead...

Conference Week is October 24-28. This will also be an Early Release Week. The students will be getting out 2 hours early (12:15). Please make arrangements for your student's after school needs.

 

Parents,

            I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful Fall weather that we are experiencing. Read on to find out what is happening.

            Remember if you have any questions , concerns, etc., please contact me at

 Kari.Wood@cobbk12.org

 

     Spelling Bee

For those of you whose children are already interested in studying words for the Spelling Bee, you may go to www.spellingbee.com.  There are a variety of word lists there to study.  Some of the words for the school, county, and higher level spelling bees may come from there, but there will be others as well.  The lists for each grade (5-8) will be given to the classroom representatives after the classroom spelling bees. 

   

Academic Happenings…

Math—Students are in various classes but are covering the same general information, just on different levels for understanding. We are currently working on Data and Graphs.

 Language Arts—We are working on building our vocabulary, learning spelling patterns, and sentence structure (subject/predicates). There will be a Subject/Predicate re-test on Wednesday!!!

Writing—We are using our descriptive writing to write about a Special Person in our lives.

Social Studies—We are learning about different Native American tribes.

 Science—We will begin learning about the Water Cycle.

Fire Safety - This week we will have our first Fire Safety lesson.

 Please remember to return the Fire Safety Village Field Trip Permission form and the lunch choice papers, if you have not done so.

 Our Field Trip is scheduled for Thursday, September 29.

Mrs. Wood’s Weekly Words                      September 12, 2011

Parents,

              It was a pleasure seeing all of you at Open House on Tuesday night. I know that we covered a lot of information in a short amount of time, so if you have any questions, please let me know. I look forward to a successful year with you and your student. Thank you for the support that you give to your child and working with the school , so that we are all on the same page to help them succeed.

              Remember if you have any questions , concerns, etc., please contact me at

 Kari.Wood@cobbk12.org

 Academic Happenings…

 Math—Students are in various classes but are covering the same general information, just on different levels for understanding. We are currently working on Understanding Whole Numbers and Operations.

 Language Arts—We are working on building our vocabulary, learning spelling patterns, and sentence structure (subject/predicates).

Writing—We are discussing descriptive writing and how using descriptive words make a better writer.

Reading—We are continuing our class reading of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. We will be testing on the story Wednesday, September 14.

 Social Studies—We are learning about maps, their features, and how to use them. We will be beginning our Native American unit this week.

Science—We are learning about the Scientific Method and the steps that scientist use in their work. We will take a test over the Scientific Method on Friday, September 16.

Forgotten Info from Open House….

Lunchroom—Children cannot charge milk, juice, or any kind of extra (anything other than a fully-reimbursable meal).  If they do not have their lunch $, they cannot have milk.  If they are free and do not get a meal, they cannot have milk for free. It is not the Cobb County School District's  policy.  It is the USDA's policy.  We have been nominated for the GADOE/USDA '"re-audit" scheduled this November.  A team of investigators will be surveying every cash register action.  Thank you so much.

Money in Drop Boxes—First of all, any payment should be put into the correct envelope (white for school functions except PTSA and lunch money and yellow for ASP) and marked with at least the first and last name.  It would be great if you would completely fill out all envelopes. Thanks for your help.

Picture Day is Tuesday, Sept. 13

Don’t forget your money and smile!!!!

Dear Parents,  We have had a good week learning our procedures, routines, rules, and mainly about each other.  I do not know about your student, but I think I’m going to like Fourth Grade! I am sending home a paper newsletter for this week but usually things will be posted on my BLOG. If you need a paper copy of classroom Happenings/News, please send me a note concerning this need.   Today, we started Math compacting. We group students according to their needs and abilities, so your child may or may not be in my class for Math instruction.   I have gone over the expectations for my classroom as to what I expect from your child. Here are the things we discussed so that you may review at home. I Expect… Them to Encourage others and not be a bully. To participate. (Participation in my class IS a requirement!) To always try. To always do their best. To be respectful of their peers, teachers, and all other adults. To listen and learn. To be responsible for their own actions.

Also, many of you may not have had a chance to meet Ms. Vento at Meet ‘N’ Greet, but she will be co-teaching in our class for parts of the day. She is a DHH teacher, which means she works with deaf students.  We are fortunate to have 3 DHH students in our class to learn with and from this year.  I think that it is a neat opportunity for these students to be in our class!  Because of their hearing loss, they have an interpter that will be assisting in the class, also.   WISH LIST ITEMS: ROOM PARENT!!!! Playing cards (currently in $1.00 section at Target) Magic Rub Cleaning Erasers Skittles Quart Size Ziplock bags Games for in-door recess   OPEN HOUSE for our class will NOT be on the scheduled night. I will hold my classroom OPEN HOUSE on Tuesday, September 6 at 6:30!   Contact Info: Email: Kari.Wood @cobbk12.org   BLOG: stilllearning.typepad.com/wood/