Week of August 29th

Hi Everyone,

     I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend in spite of the occasional down pours. Hopefully our weather won't be too terrible this week. On a bright note we are beginning to find our rhythm and are getting things done in class in a more timely manner!

     A couple of items of note for this week.
*Math Superstars begins this week
*Early Release is Wednesday- Students will be dismissed at 1:30
*100 Mile Club begins on Wednesday
*We will have our first timed quizzes for a grade on Friday
*Friday is College Colors Day- Students are asked to wear their a t-shirt for the favorite college or the colleges colors.

     In math this week, we will work on rounding numbers to any place. We will take a quiz on this Friday. The quiz will cover knowing that a number in one place is 10 times the number to it's right, representing numbers, writing numbers in different forms, comparing numbers using <,>, and = and rounding.

   

   
     Students will take timed quizzes on this Friday. There will be one on multiplication and one on division. Students will be given 3 minutes to answer as many problems as they can. The multiplication quiz will cover facts from 1 x 1 through 9 x 9. The multiplication quiz will count as a classwork grade. The division quiz will be given for practice. Division quizzes will not count for a grade until the second nine weeks.


     Students will also begin working on Math Superstars this week. Students will receive their sheets on Monday and are due on Friday. Some of the problems on the sheet can be very difficult. I encourage you to help your child with the more difficult problems. If a problem is too difficult, the students are required to still try the problem by writing down their thinking on the paper. In order to receive credit for the sheet they must show that they at least tried each problem. Thank you to Mrs. Narisetty (Viraat) and Mr. Lee (Jawara) for volunteering to be our Math Superstars Parents.

     In science this week we will learn about the scientific method. Students will gain an understanding of the scientific method as the main way a scientist finds answers to their questions. The scientific method can go in any order.

 

      In social studies, students should read lesson 3 Climate and Resources on pages 20-23, S the lesson extension on Hurricanes on pages 24-25, and the skill builder on Latitude and Longitude on pages 26-27.

Class Poems

We wrote acrostic poems about school. Below are the finished poems for each class. Which one do you like the best?

 School by Ms. Johnson's Class                       
     Sucess comes in school                                 
     Continuing to learn everyday                         
 wisHes of knowledge are granted                 
     Ongoing fun                                                 
     Optomistic thinking                                       
     Love our classmates and teachers       

School by Mrs. Pavlinek's Class
           Subjects to study
           Cafeteria is the place for lunch
     teacHers help us learn
           Outside recess is fun
           Objectives in our class
principaL to look after everyone

Week of 8/22

Hi Everyone,

     Welcome to the 2nd Week of School!! Our hope is to get more into our regular routine this week.

     In math we will be completing our diagnostic tests. Once complete we will be able to move on and begin our regular math block lessons and rotations work. Once I have collected all of the data I will be conferencing with each student to review their strengths and identify those areas that we will need to work on this year. Students will then bring home a copy of that data for you to review.

     In science we will work on a scientific question lab and an observation lab using microscopes and hand lenses. 

     In social studies we will learn how to read a map and how to use a map scale to calculate approximate distances on a map. We will also learn about the geography of our state. 

     In class our typical schedule for the week will be to work on science Monday-Thursday and social studies on Friday. Because of this schedule I will rely on students to complete the vast majority of the reading at home. This will free up a large portion of class time for hands on science labs and social studies discussions and activities. Students will be given the social studies reading assignment on Monday. They then have the entire rest of the week to read the lesson and be ready for discussion on Friday. Students will also be asked to work on their vocabulary at home as part of their homework.

     At the top of this blog you will find links to other pages that will assist your child with their studies. There are additional pages for websites that match what we are working on at in class. As well as pages for the required vocabulary.

Have a GREAT week,
Aesha  

August 15, 2016

Hi Everyone,

     We had an awesome first day of school!! We weren't able to get much done other than getting all of our supplies labeled and put away.

     Students received their Student of the Week posters today. This is the only homework assignment that they will have this week. Students are asked to complete all sections of the poster as neatly as they possibly can. They can add pictures, color and decorations of their liking. Their posters are due on this Friday, but they may bring them in early if they complete them before then.

     Students are also asked to bring in their completed PTA packet that was given out at Friday's Orientation.

     We will hopefully be able to settle in to our regular schedule as the week progresses. A few things to keep in mind:

Resource Schedule

Ms. Johnson's Homeroom
Monday          Art                               9:25-10:10
Tuesday         Music                           10:15-11:00
Wednesday    Coach                           9:25-10:10
Thursday       Computer/STEM          9:25-10:10
Friday           Library                          9:25-10:10

Mrs. Pavlinek's Homeroom
Monday          Computer/STEM        10:15-11:00
Tuesday          Music                           9:25-10:10
Wednesday     Library                        10:15-11:00
Thursday        Coach                            9:25-10:10
Friday             Art                               10:15-11:00

     This week in math we will begin working on our first unit. We will learn about place value, different ways to represent numbers, comparing numbers, and ordering numbers. In fourth grade our numbers will go up to the millions place. We will also complete some diagnostic tests to gain a baseline on students mathematical needs.

     In science we will begin our year learning about how scientists work and the difference between a scientific question and a regular question, We will also learn about scientific tools and complete our first hands on lab.

     In social studies we will learn all about the geography of our state.

     Have a Rock Star week,
    Ms. Johnson

   

Week of May 31, 2016

Happy Tuesday Everyone,

     I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. It is such a humbling feeling to know that there are those Americans that are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to have the freedoms that we hold most dear.

     We have several activities coming up over the next two weeks of school.

·         *Thursday June 2^nd- Science Choices Due

·         *Tuesday June 7^th- Fourth Grade Awards Ceremony @10:00

   --Students are welcomed to dress up or wear regular school attire

·         *Tuesday June 7^th- Fourth Grade End of Year Luncheon @11:00

   --Students will have pizza from Milano’s, carrots, chips, drink boxes

·         *Tuesday June 7^th- Fourth Grade End of Year Party @11:45-1:45                         --We will walk to Beach Bowl 818 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250            (904) 249-9849                                                                                     

-      --Students need to wear sneakers to bowl. Students can bring extra money            for the snack bar. Students can bring cameras

·         *Thursday June 9^th and Friday 10^th- Games Day

    --Students may bring in a game to play

·         *Friday June 10^th- Last Day of School-Noon Dismissal

    --Students will be dismissed at 12:00 Report Cards will come home

    --If you want your child to have a bag lunch from the cafeteria please let              your child’s homeroom teacher know as soon as possible.

In math this week we will complete our Step Up to 5^th Grade unit. We will continue working on our Dream House projects.

In science we will finish up our work on our space unit. Student science choices are due on this Thursday. Students need to complete one rocks and mineral choice and one space choice. The directions for these activities were emailed to all parents.

Thanks,

Aesha Johnson

Week of May 16, 2016

Hi Everyone,

     Our end of the year calendar is filling up quickly! Please see the calendar for all of the events that are being planned. 

     This week in math we are continuing to work on our Step Up to 5th Grade unit. This week we are learning how to write expressions using parenthesis, exponents, and variables. Students are also solving expressions by figuring out the rule for a given set of data. 

     In science we are learning about the moon. Students should be working on their Moon Observation sheets at home. In fourth grade students are required to be able to describe the changes in the observable shape of the moon over the course of about a month. If students have difficulty observing the moon, they may come into the classroom before or after school to copy my sheet. Students may also go to the site: https://www.stardate.org/nightsky/moon. The sheet will count for a quiz grade. The sheet must be completed neatly and accurately. 

Thanks,

Aesha

Week of April 4th 2016

Hi Everyone,

     Can you believe that today is the end of the third quarter? We have just nine weeks of school left. Students will not have school this Friday for teachers planning day. For those of you that follow the grade portal closely you notice just a few more grades being added for math and science. Due to test prep we did not have as many graded items for this quarter. The few things that are left should not change your child's current grade too drastically. If you notice a huge difference in your child's grade please let me know. The final items will be added no later than noon on Friday.

     This week in math we will begin working on our end of year math project, Dream House. In this project students will work with a partner or group to completely design a home. Students will use many of the math skills that we have learned during this school year. 

addition/subtraction- keeping track of the amount of money spent, keeping                                       track of the total area used 
multiplication-determining the total cost of rooms, calculating the area of rooms
measurement-determining the area and perimeter of rooms.

     Also in math we will also work on a "Step Up to Fifth Grade Unit". In this unit we will learn some skills that will help students have a smoother transition to 5th grade math. This week we will learn about the order of operations. For this skill students will be learning:
PEMDAS (You may know it as Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally.)
Parenthesis
Exponents
Multiply/Divide
Addition/Subtraction 
Order of Operations tells us which order to solve mathematical expressions that contain more than one math operation. Take for example how would you solve 

2 + 3 × (8 + 5³ ÷ 1)

Step 1-Parenthesis In order to solve (8 + 5³ ÷ 1), we must first figure out 5³. 5³ is an exponent of 3 attached to a base of 5 and means 5 x 5 x 5 which equals 125. (8 + 125 ÷ 1) 125 ÷ 1 = 125 so 8 + 125 = 133
Step 2- 2 + 3 × 133 Now I multiply 3 x 133 =399
Step 3- 2 + 399 = 401
So 2 + 3 × (8 + 5³ ÷ 1) = 401
For more information you can watch a video at  http://mathantics.com/index.php/section/lesson/OrderOfOperations. You can also find a handy order of operations calculator at  https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/operations-order-calculator.html

     In science this week students will receive the directions for food chain raft. Please see the hand out for more information. These projects are due on Friday April 15th. We will finish up our work on plants and animals and take the test next week. 

Have a GREAT week,
Aesha