MrHowd.com

Spelling: Today continued looking at rules for adding prefixes and suffixes, and we practiced spelling patterns for the /s/ sound. There will be a spelling test tomorrow, and the unit 4 worksheets will be due. The skill test for tomorrow will be over /s/ sound spelling patterns: s, ss, sc, cy, ce, ci.

Cursive: Cursive worksheets pp. 45-47 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles.    

Writing: None today due to a double social studies time. Students should be prewriting for their next piece of writing, some type of narrative (personal or fiction) The next piece of writing is due December 22.

Math: We reviewed how to solve number stories, starting with understanding the problem, then making a plan, following the plan and double-checking the answer. Homework is to finish journal pp. 62-64.

Science Inquiry: Family members were visiting with us for science today. Students, and family members, participated in one of four stations: flight, magnets, circuits, or ramps and rollers. Today, the focus was on making adjustments to the design, such as changing the number of batteries, or bulbs, refining the design of the airplane, changing the ramp length or curve, or testing different magnets for their strength of attraction. This is preparing students for when they will design and test their own experiments to make discoveries!

Social Studies: We began learning about Michigan’s land and water today. We read in the book starting on page 19, and then students worked on a strategy called “alphabet soup.” Students listed things they learned from the reading from a to z! Homework is to finish listing things for each letter of the alphabet (will take creativity to get those tricky letters!). Click here for the worksheet.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Thanks, family members, for visiting our classroom today during Bring a Family Member to School Day!   
• Juice Volunteers for Friday, December 8: Kori and Abbey. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• Grand Blanc Lanes field trip coming soon! Click here for details.
• We are looking for donations of medium and short cardboard tubes (have plenty of short ones, thanks!) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!

We are going to Grand Blanc Lanes on Wednesday, December 20 for a year-end celebration! Here are the details:

Who: the fourth grade at McGrath
What: Bowling two games at Grand Blanc Lanes
When: Wednesday, December 20 from 1:00-3:30 pm
Cost: We are asking for a $4.00 donation for the cost of bowling two games.

Click here for the permission slip.

Would you like to chaperone? Just contact me.

***We had a guest teachers with us in the afternoon, so yesterday’s activities are included in this post.*** 

Spelling: Yesterday we look at rules for adding suffixes and prefixes to words. Today we used spelling time to discuss our weather station, our rain guage, and how radar works. The next spelling test will be on Friday, and the unit 4 worksheets will be due at that time.

Cursive: Cursive worksheets pp. 45-47 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Yesterday was a reading day in Literature Circles, and today was a discussion day. We also read had WEB both days.    

Writing: Yesterday, students had prewriting conferences and planned an idea for their next piece of writing, which must be some type of narrative. Today, students shared their story ideas with the class and worked on prewriting.

Math: Yesterday, students finished their “factor forests” project from last week and worked on fact families. Journal p. 57 was completed in class. Today, we practiced division facts with a neighbor, and students played Multiplication “Beat the Calculator”. Homework is to finish math boxes 3.4.

Science: Yesterday, we watched a movie about electrical dangers. Today, we viewed a website with games on electrical safety. Here are the links:

• Electrical Safety World
• Hazards of Voltageville

Social Studies: Yesterday, students completed the chapter 11 test on government. Today, we used this time to extend writing, and we will have a double social studies time tomorrow.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Don’t forget about Bring a Family Member to School Day! Refreshments at 2:30 pm. Visit to the classroom at 3:00 pm. Book Fair and community activities at 3:40 pm.  
• Juice Volunteers for Friday, December 8: Erica and David. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• We are looking for donations of cardboard tubes (toilet tissue, paper towel, wrapping paper) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!