DECEMBER UPDATE

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be busy wrapping up our studies in the various subject areas before the holidays. We will work hard to maintain a structured schedule and remain focused on our work. We have a great deal to accomplish!!

Last week, students were assigned one of the six explorers and were given several choices for presenting their learning. Their projects are due next Tuesday. Here is a link that might be helpful for gathering important information:
http://www.wlcsd.org/Loonlake.cfm?subpage=1425024
Of course, there are numerous resources that can be accessed through Cobb Digital Library on our school website.

Students have learned a lot of Common Core Math using whole numbers. Now, we are ready to tackle fractions! Students are excited about learning some things about fractions they didn’t know before! Please continue to have your children practice multiplication and division facts daily. Their overall success in math depends on proficiency with basic facts of whole numbers!

Upcoming Science topics will include Light and Sound. We will begin the unit before the holiday break.

Our holiday party will be on Thursday, December 19. Our room mothers are busy making plans that I am sure will delight us all!

Opportunities in October

I hope that you all enjoyed the opportunity to relax and enjoy some family time during the recent days away from school! The weather in October is just beautiful and perfect for Fall fun!
Upcoming October Opportunities at Addison:
Fall Festival October 11 5:00 - 8:00
Parenting Toolbox for Success October 17 9:00am OR 6:00pm
Conferences October 21 - 25 (Early dismissal 12:20)
Book Fair Octboer 21 - 25
Red Ribbon Week October 21 - 25

Conference appointments were sent out last week and I have received most of your responses. If you have not returned the lower portion of your form, please send it back to me to confirm the date and time. Thanks!
Students will have an opportunity to preview the book fair and even purchase items during the school day, but the fair will also be open during some conference hours.
The same week, we will celebrate Red Ribbon Week to stress the importance of being proactive and drug-free. Our counselors have planned some fun activities for the students.
Remember that students will be dismissed two hours early to allow for conferences. Please bring your child with you to our student-led conferences. Please be prompt as we are on a very tight schedule. You will be proud of how much he or she has learned already this year! I look forward to meeting with each family.

Thank you for supporting your child as he or she practices multiplication facts. I have added some new exciting websites to our Math Practice page that I know your kids will enjoy. As always, the activities are completely free. If your child needs flash cards to use at home, I will be happy to send some. Math is a million times easier (and a lot more fun) for those who are fluent with multiplication facts!

Gator Update

What are the Gators at 306 Listening Lane up to?

Important dates to remember:

NO SCHOOL  October 3 – 8 

FALL FESTIVAL  October 11  5:00 – 8:00

CONFERENCE WEEK  October 21 – 25  (Early Dismissal 12:20)

MATH

PLEASE continue to have your child practice his/her multiplication facts each week. The children will be more successful mastering the concepts presented in class if they know their facts (0-12)! Practice with flash cards and check out the Math Resources on this blog for free online practice.

We have focused on these concepts and will continue to practice:        

·        Identifying factors and multiples of a given number

·        Determining if a number is prime or composite

Coming up soon:

·        Input/Output

·        Properties of multiplication (commutative, associative, distributive and identity)

Looking ahead:

Multiplication and Division

•2 and 3 digit by 1 and 2 digit multiplication

•2-digit and 3-digit by 1-digit division    

•Solve division problems including those with remainders

•Estimate quotients using multiples of 10

•Compute using commutative, associative, distributive property

•Mental Math: estimation of products and quotients; determining reasonableness of an answer

•Problem solving

SOCIAL STUDIES

We are about to begin our study of Native American cultures and will focus on comparing and contrasting the different tribes (Inuit, Kwakiutl, Nez Perce, Pawnee, Hopi, and Seminole). We will learn how each tribe used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter. We will understand why each of the Native American groups occupied the areas they did, with emphasis on why some developed permanent villages and others did not.

SCIENCE

Now that students have an understanding of the water cycle, we are learning about various types of clouds and about different forms of precipitation and sky conditions (rain, snow, sleet, hail, clouds, and fog).  We will identify weather instruments and explain how each is used in gathering weather data and making forecasts (thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, wind vane, anemometer).  In the Science Lab, students will work in groups to make these weather instruments. We will learn to use weather maps to identify the fronts, temperature, and precipitation and use the information to interpret the weather conditions.  We will differentiate between weather and climate.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

In Writing, our focus is informational text.  We are working on organizing and developing the body of a paper, as well as editing and revising. We are learning to write using appositives, compound, and complex sentences in order to increase the variety of sentence structures and add more interest to our writing.

We work on our editing skills, including correction of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar daily.  We have gained knowledge of nouns and verbs and the roles they play in the subjects and predicates of sentences.  Soon, we will learn more about adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. 

In Reading, we are using strategies such as rereading, explicit and implicit questioning, and determining the main idea to clarify and help shape our understanding of what we read.  We are learning the importance of returning to the text to find evidence to support our answers to questions.  Please continue to remind your children to read every night and to record titles and the number of pages they read in their agendas.

THANK YOU, PARENTS, FOR ALL YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING!

 

IN FULL SWING!

 

We are in full swing! The students have really been working hard and I am pleased that they have adjusted so well to fourth grade and our classroom! The only problem we have is that we all LOVE TO TALK!  Some of us are still working on knowing when it is and is not a good time to talk to our classmates.  We have a very busy week ahead. Below, you will find a list of important upcoming dates and information to help you keep track of what we are learning in class.

This Thursday, August 23      Open House for Parents       6:00

Friday, August 30                  Field trip to Cobb Safety Village  

Monday, September 2           Labor Day                        No School!

Tuesday, September 10       School Picture Day    PREPAY ORDERS

"GATOR SNAPS!" IS A NEW PAGE ON THIS BLOG DESIGNED TO SHARE SNAPSHOTS OF OUR LEARNING.  CHECK "GATOR SNAPS" OFTEN AND ENJOY!

Math:  We will have our first test, assessing what we have learned about place value and our base ten number system. This week we will review addition and subtraction of large numbers. We will continue to round, estimate, and practice reading large numbers with fluency.  In our next unit, students will be learning some new and exciting math strategies. They will:

● solve multi-step problems using the four operations

● use estimation to solve multiplication and division problems

● find factors and multiples

● identify prime and composite numbers

● generate patterns

If your child has not mastered the multiplication facts, daily practice at home is crucial.

Science:  We are learning about the water cycle and will be applying those concepts to our study of weather.  Check out the page on this blog titled "Water Cycle and Weather on the Web" for a wide variety of information sources, activities, and games.

Social Studies:  We will continue to explore the United States as we review map skills. We are creating maps showing some major major physical features of the United States including the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Great Plains, the Continental Divide, the Great Basin, Death Valley, the Gulf of Mexico, the St. Lawrence River, and the Great Lakes.  We will have a test next week to show what we know!

Health: Safety has been our focus.  Last Friday we were instructed by a Cobb County police officer. Students learned the importance of having a home escape plan. Thank you, parents, for helping your children draw floor plans and determine escape routes in their workbooks. Students will have Fire Safety homework this week:  reading passages and quizzes in preparation for our field trip on Friday to the Cobb Safety Village.  We are excited about all the fun activities we will experience while we learn to put safety first!  Students will be tested on what they learn. 

Spelling:  Sort 3.  Learning where and why words are divided into syllables is helping us become better spellers. 

Reading:  We will finish reading The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. We have enjoyed an entertaining and relateable story while learning some economic concepts and examining the writer's craft. She uses lots of idioms and is so descriptive that we are able to "see a movie in our heads" as we read.  Several students are looking for other books by this author! Students know that S.Q.U.I.R.T. in our classroom means Sustained Quiet Uninterrupted Independent Reading Time.  So far, your children have been able to choose their own chapter books and we are getting better at following the expectations of this time.

Thank you for supporting your child and signing his/her agenda each night.  I look forward to seeing you all at Open House Thursday night.  I have much to share with you!

 

WHAT WILL WE BE LEARNING?

     Gator Leaders are off to a wonderful start! Your children seem very eager to come to school and learn each day! We have worked on developing our daily routines and classroom procedures and are ready to move on to academics and learn a lot of new concepts. I will be reviewing the curriculum at Open House on Thursday, August 29, and sharing additional suggestions that might be helpful in making the transition to fourth grade an easy one. Each week I will post important information to keep you updated about what is happening in our classroom. Please be sure to check the blog frequently for updates.

     One of the required goals for 4^th graders is to read at least 25 books (the equivalent of about 1,000,000 words!) during the school year. This is approximately 6-7 books in a nine-week period. The books should be across different genres which we will discuss in class during the first few weeks of school. Students are to maintain a list of books they read. Please remind your children to record titles and how many pages they read each night in their agendas. Soon, they will begin Reading Response Journals.

     PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY PAGE ON THIS BLOG TITLED FIRST QUARTER ACADEMICS TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT GATOR LEADERS WILL BE LEARNING!

WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL AND TO FOURTH GRADE!!! I can already tell that this is going to be a fantastic year! It was great to put faces and names together and to meet the families of students at Sneak-A-Peek! During our first three days together, I have truly enjoyed getting to know my new students . . . they are leaders already!

Parents, thank you for making sure your children brought their supplies and for completing all those forms! Many of you have volunteered your time and talents for future events and needs. There is a wide variety of opportunities for parent involvement at Addison and your willingness to help out is greatly appreciated!


Just a few reminders:

• Review and sign your child's agenda every night.
• Send a note if there is a transportation change.
• If you have not done so, please return all forms.
• Send a healthy snack each day.
• Update your child's lunch account as needed.

I look forward to a wonderful year of helping your children grow, lead, and succeed!