Week of 9/7

     I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend. I know I did!! It was so easy to slide right into vacation mode. I had to remind myself that we only had one day off. 

     This week at school we will have our first Early Release Wednesday. Students will be dismissed at 1:30.

     In math this week students will work on rounding numbers to any place. In fourth grade students are expected to round numbers through the millions. Many students have already had experiences with rounding numbers. This year students will be asked to use what they have already learned about rounding and we will also learn some new strategies. One strategy is the vertical number line (see the example below). If students were asked to round 548,253 to the nearest ten thousand. They would first decide which two ten thousands the number falls between. In this case it would be 540,000 and 550,000. Each number would be an endpoint on the number line. Next step would be to decide what number is the midpoint, or come in the middle of the two numbers,545,000. The third step would to decide where the number goes on the number line. Finally decide if 548,253 is closest to 540,000 or 550,000.

     In science this week we will continue to learn about how scientist do their work. We will complete our study of lessons one and two. Students will take a quiz on the two lessons. When we take quizzes students will be allowed to use their books and journals. For that reason please discuss with your child the importance of bringing required materials to class each day. If a student does not have their materials in class it will result in a mark against their conduct.
     After completing lessons one and two we will begin learning about the scientific method. Students will learn how to write a hypothesis and how to control variables during a scientific investigation. 

   

Week of 8/31

Hi Everyone,
     This week we have continued to get adjusted to being in school. We had our first homework assignments and I am very proud to say that almost all of the students remembered to complete and return their assignments. See below for subject specific items.
     
Math
     In math this week we have been working on our understanding of numbers and place value. One of our biggest understandings has been that the number in place is ten times greater than the place to it's right. We have learned how to show numbers on the place value chart. Students have also learned how to regroup from one place to another. We have also worked on learning where commas go in numbers and comparing numbers. 
     Students received their first Math Super Stars sheet. Math Superstars is a program that offers students challenge in problem solving. The problems on the sheets require mathematical skill, logical reasoning, and problem solving. Students will receive a new sheet each Monday and completed sheets are due on Friday. Students may find some problems difficult, please help your child with the problems as much as possible without telling them the answer. In order to receive credit for completing their homework students must show that they have at least attempted the problem. Leaving a problem blank or simply putting a question mark does not show an attempt. 
     We will take our first timed quizzes this week. Students will take a timed quiz every other week. Students will receive one multiplication quiz and one division quiz. Multiplication quizzes covers facts through 9 x 9. Division quizzes covers facts through 12 x 12. Each page will have 50 questions. The problems are randomly generated, so students should study and review all of their facts. For the first nine weeks students will get 3 minutes per quiz. During the second weeks the time will drop to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. During the third and fourth nine weeks students will have 2 minutes per quiz. Some websites that may help students practice are:
http://www.mathplayground.com/ASB_GrandPrixMultiplication.html 
http://www.mathplayground.com/ASB_DragRaceDivision.html
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/timernator/Timernator-multiplication.html

More Challenging Practice
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/SumSense/summulti.html
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/SumSense/sumdiv.html

Science
     This week in science we are learning about how scientist answer questions. So far we have learned a little bit about what science is, what some of the tools of science are, and what is a testable question. Students also completed their first lab, How many drops of water will fit on a penny?

Please see the Fun Websites sections on the right hand side of the screen to find some website links that students can use for more practice with what we are working in class.

Don't forget that there is no school on Monday. Have a Wonderful weekend!!

Happy First Day of Fourth Grade

     I hope everyone enjoyed their first day of school as much as I did!! It was great meeting all of the 45 kids!! We had 100% of our classes show up on the first day. 

     I would like to thank everyone for bringing in all of their supplies. We spent most of the day today working on putting all of the supplies set up and ready for use. 

     I am looking forward in getting to know everyone this week. We are off to a GREAT start!!

Fourth Grade Supplies

4^th Grade Supply List

Quantity	Item
2	1 ½ inch Three Ring Binder
1	1 ½ inch Trapper Keeper with Zipper
2	Packages of Tabbed Dividers
4	3-Prong Folders
1	Pocket folder with 3 Holes to Fit Inside Trapper Keeper
4	Packages Wide Ruled Notebook Paper
7	Composition Notebooks
Infinite	Pencils
1	Package Red Checking Pens
1	Pencil Pouch with 3 Holes to Keep in Trapper Keeper
5	Glue Sticks
1	Yellow Highligher
1	Pair of Scissors
1	Package of Colored Pencils or Crayons
1	Large Eraser
1	Ream of Copy Paper
2	Rolls of Paper Towels
2	Boxes of Tissue
1	Earphones (not ear buds) – place in a baggie, labeled with student’s name
Boys	Antibacterial Hand Soap, Sticky Notes, Gallon or Quart Size Ziploc Baggies
Girls	Hand Sanitizer, Clorox Wipes, Sandwich Size Ziploc Baggies
Optional	Repositionable Tabs, Band-Aids, Scotch Tape, Rubber Cement

***No Rolling Backpacks

Welcome to Third Grade

We would like to welcome you to third grade. We look forward to working with you and your child this upcoming school year.
Our OnCourse page is the place that you would want to visit to find out what we will be working on during the upcoming school week. Educational websites that you and your child can visit for practice on the math, science, and social studies materials that we have discussed in class.
This page is where you want to come to see photos and videos of all of our wonderful third grade adventures.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Third Grade Supplies

Please label these supplies:
1 zippered binder (trapper keeper that zips & has a shoulder strap)
2 packs of pencils (non-mechanical, please)
1 pair of Fiskars scissors (or comparable pair)
1 pack of colored pencils (8 or 16)
3 composition notebooks (different colors)
2 1.5-inch binders with inside pockets (1 white and 1 blue)
1 pencil pouch with zipper and three holes to put in binder (NO PENCIL BOXES, PLEASE)

Please do not label these supplies (class supplies):
3 packs of wide-ruled loose leaf paper
3 glue sticks
2 packs of 8 tab dividers (or a total of 16)
1 box tissues
1 container of Clorox Wipes
1 roll of paper towels
Girls only- 1 box of quart-size baggies
1 bottle of hand soap
Boys only- 1 box of gallon size baggies
1 bottle of hand sanitizer

***Please note that a backpack is optional due to the size of our class and storage space. The zippered binder will be able to hold your child’s agenda, notebook paper, homework folder, pencil pouch, and any materials sent home.

The Latest Buzz for the Week of March 9th

Dear Parents,
Again I would like to thank everyone for their quick reply to last weeks request for FCAT Snacks. The schedule we have is as follows:
Snack
Drink
Tuesday Snack Katie DrinkBrian
Wednesday Snack Austin DrinkJack
Thursday SnackPeyton Drink Luke
As you know we will be testing this week. It is very important that students get good nights sleep and eat a healthy breakfast each day. I am encouraging the students to relax in the afternoons when they get home. If they have questions about things they do not understand please answer them, but try not to have your child spend time outside of school practicing for the test. We spent lots of time doing just that last week. During class we will allow students to ask math questions, but we will spend the majority of our time this week working on Science and Social Studies. We fell the students are prepared and ready for testing. If you want to offer them any advice and help encourage them to read the questions carefully and double check their work when they finish. Our mantra is “It is not a race. Take your time. Check over your work.”
The testing schedule is

Tuesday 3/11 Reading Session 1 (60min)
Wednesday 3/12 Reading Session 2 (60min)
Thursday 3/13 Math Session 3 (60min)
Break
Math Session 4 (60min)


If students are absent due to illness they will be able to make up any sessions that are missed. However if a student begins a test and then leaves the school for any reason, they will not be permitted to finish the session. Testing will begin promptly at 9 each day so please try to have students present and on time.
For homework this week (don’t worry its painless), students are asked to take care of some FCAT related tasks. Students are being asked to do things like get a good nights’ rest, eat breakfast and to go out to play after school. For each day they are asked to complete certain tasks without being asked more than a couple of times. For example if you have to ask them to go to bed five times, don’t sign their card. The students will earn extra treats for completing tasks.

Science Night

It was great seeing so many families at Family Science Night. Of our 53 students 22 were able to make it out!! Way to go and your free homework passes are on the way. Thanks for making it such a wonderful event!! A big CONRATULATIONS to Zach for winning the grand prize for the Estimation Station.