Weekly News--December 15th

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

December 15, 2017

Math News

We took a quiz this week on estimating quotients and dividing with multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000.  These have been recorded into the gradebook.  We also spent a lot of time learning the traditional algorithm for division.  I have included a Google slideshow in Google classroom for students to review the steps.  Please encourage your child to practice their division over the break.  We will do more long division when we return a take a major test on division the 2nd week in January.  This will also include the information on the quiz from this past week.

Another fun activity was placed in Google classroom for them to complete that will help them with many math activities.  Students are also always encouraged to work on ALEKS topics to advance.  We have several students that are now in 5th grade ALEKS and are doing great!

Please have your child practice their multiplication facts.  There are many games on www.multiplication.com that they would love to play that will help them. The better they know their facts, the easier this unit will be for them to complete.

If you still need to join Seesaw, please click here and follow the directions.

Science News

This week we discussed constellations and why we do not see all constellations throughout the year.  We heard the stories of some of the major constellations and even discovered ways to find them in the night sky.  Moon calendars were due today.  If your child did not turn this in, please have them turn in the day we return from break.  We will be discussing the moon when we return and doing some fun activities to discuss the phases of the moon.

ELA News

This week students completed our holiday reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which they thoroughly enjoyed! Today, they took a test on the entire story which majority seemed to do well on. If you get the chance to catch the Disney movie version over the break, please do as a family!!! Your child will love it!!!!

In addition to our literature review, students also focused on completing Lexia levels this week! Special shout out to the following Lexia completers who are finished with Lexia Core 5:

• Jack Dalrymple
• Aiden Grant
• Brooke Blanding
• Aaron Fonce
• Austin Jeffcoat
• Harris McLean

What you can do at home to help your child be successful:

• Discuss What Your Child is Reading and help them complete weekly Reading Responses which will now be checked as they are submitted via Seesaw
• Find Reasons to Write outside of the Classroom
• Play Educational Games/Watch Educational Videos - LEXIA and STUDY ISLAND can be used at home and is strongly encouraged for students who are pulled out during class time/not meeting weekly requirement.

Social Studies News

Upon Return: The Triangular Trade and Early Slavery in the Colonies

*It is strongly encouraged that your child STUDY all Social Studies material over the break! Refer to Google Classroom presentations, videos, and all notes in journal/binder.

Remember:

• Students (and now parents) can access Google Classroom at home. All presentations and special links are posted there as references. Students may use these references when studying and completing weekly RAP questions. Some links are interactive games and videos!
• RAP Questions are assigned every Thursday and it is highly encouraged that students use notes to complete. Social Studies journals will come home on Thursday.
• A parent study guide has been issued for your personal use (so you can help your child if for some reason they are missing information or you aren’t exactly abreast on your history!)

Fourth Grade News

Related Arts Schedule for the first week of January

Fourth Grade is going on another field trip.  We are going to the Koger Center on Tuesday, February 13th to see a performance of “Freedom Train.” Information will be sent home when we return.  The cost is $13 per student and the money and permission forms are due by Friday, February 2nd.

The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Columbia in January.  Your child has an opportunity to place their name in a drawing for free tickets to see them.  You also can use the special Richland 2 code to receive $7 off of your tickets.  Click here for more information.

Happy Holidays!  See you next year!

Ending Thoughts

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  Please feel free to email us with any questions.  For those who signed up for Remind 101 with Ms. Bodrick, feel free to shoot a text if necessary.  Click on our name below for a direct link to our email.  

Thanks for sharing your children with us each day!

Mrs. Shannon Benson and Ms. Aubriaunna Bodrick

Weekly News--December 8th

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

December 8, 2017

Math News

We have been dividing all week long.  We will take a quiz on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week on what we have learned.  It will contain division problems with basic facts and then multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000.  It will also contain problems that students will need to estimate to find the quotient.  After our quiz, we will spend some time learning the traditional algorithm for division and do some holiday pictures with our multiplication and division skills.

Please have your child practice their multiplication facts.  There are many games on www.multiplication.com that they would love to play that will help them. The better they know their facts, the easier this unit will be for them to complete.

There will be no homework packet next week.  Please have your child study their multiplication/division facts every night.  Students should have  mastered at least 5 topics in ALEKS during the week.  If for some reason, they have not mastered them by Friday, students can (and are encouraged) to finish over the weekend.  I will run my report first thing on Monday morning.  

If you still need to join Seesaw, please click here and follow the directions.

Science News

This week we have discussed the seasons resulting from the tilt of the earth and the revolution of the earth around the sun.  We were able to make some models that showed this process.  Next week we will discuss the constellations and the stars that make up the constellations.

Don’t forget that the Moon calendars are due on the last day before Winter Break.  Students should be observing the moon each night.  If they forget or it is cloudy, they can use the website provided on their moon calendars to see what it should have looked like.

ELA News

This week, students were introduced to England’s Victorian Era to gain background knowledge for our holiday reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Many of your children will be able to tell you that I love reading stories that are lengthy and complex, but peak their interests - I haven’t disappointed them yet! We began reading the beloved Christmas tale Wednesday after breaking down the complexity of vocabulary - one stave a day, and will begin with stave three - The Ghost of Christmas Present - Monday. Students are thoroughly enjoying the story and discussion, especially since I told them it was a late middle/high school piece (I’m reading the original condensed version)! As we finish the reading next week, students will complete character analyses, produce a writing piece about a Christmas past, and a couple arts and crafts.

***NO reading responses were required this week. They will NOT be required next week either. Some students chose to complete them at their own will.

What you can do at home to help your child be successful:

• Discuss What Your Child is Reading and help them complete weekly Reading Responses which will now be checked as they are submitted via Seesaw
• Find Reasons to Write outside of the Classroom
• Play Educational Games/Watch Educational Videos - LEXIA and STUDY ISLAND can be used at home and is strongly encouraged for students who are pulled out during class time/not meeting weekly requirement.

Social Studies News

Today, students took a social studies test on early colonization by the English, French and Spanish in the New World. Students were informed of this test Monday and throughout the week given various opportunities to study/prepare for assessment. Each night they were asked to study, so no other work was assigned. Unfortunately, test scores were not that good. We ended up having a long conversation about studying and test-taking skills. We started going over assessment in class, but did not finish. All answers are found in notes. Grades will be updated next week. (I will send the test and notes so you can see what students had to study and were assessed on. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.)

*It is strongly encouraged that your child STUDY all Social Studies material over the break! Refer to Google Classroom presentations, videos, and all notes in journal/binder.

Remember:

• Students (and now parents) can access Google Classroom at home. All presentations and special links are posted there as references. Students may use these references when studying and completing weekly RAP questions. Some links are interactive games and videos!
• RAP Questions are assigned every Thursday and it is highly encouraged that students use notes to complete. Social Studies journals will come home on Thursday.
• A parent study guide has been issued for your personal use (so you can help your child if for some reason they are missing information or you aren’t exactly abreast on your history!)

Fourth Grade News

Related Arts Schedule for Next Week

*Bodrick Homeroom Parents - Check Emails for Celebration Sign-Up List  

The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Columbia in January.  Your child has an opportunity to place their name in a drawing for free tickets to see them.  You also can use the special Richland 2 code to receive $7 off of your tickets.  Click here for more information.

Ending Thoughts

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  Please feel free to email us with any questions.  For those who signed up for Remind 101 with Ms. Bodrick, feel free to shoot a text if necessary.  Click on our name below for a direct link to our email.  

Thanks for sharing your children with us each day!

Mrs. Shannon Benson and Ms. Aubriaunna Bodrick

Weekly News--December 1st

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

December 1, 2017

Math News

We finished our multi-digit multiplication unit today!  We took our unit test and those grades should be posted by Tuesday of next week.  On Monday we will begin division.  Students will be learning how to divide two, three, and four digit numbers by a single digit--with and without a remainder.  We will take a big quiz on the Thursday before Winter Break and then finish our unit in January.  Please help your child stay on top of their learning objectives.

Please have your child practice their multiplication facts.  There are many games on www.multiplication.com that they would love to play that will help them. The better they know their facts, the easier this unit will be for them to complete.

Homework packets will be sent home on Monday of next week.  They will be due by the end of the day Friday.  Students should have  mastered at least 5 topics in ALEKS during the week.  If for some reason, they have not mastered them by Friday, students can (and are encouraged) to finish over the weekend.  I will be running my report on Monday morning.  

If you still need to join Seesaw, please click here and follow the directions.

Science News

We discussed the cause of day and night this week.  We have day and night because of the earth’s rotation on its axis.  Next week we will focus on the revolution of the earth around the sun and the cause of seasons.  We will also observe our shadows.

Don’t forget that the Moon calendars are due on the last day before Winter Break.  Students should be observing the moon each night.  Right now you can view the moon before it even gets dark.  We will have a full moon this weekend.

Fourth Grade News

Related Arts Schedule for Next Week

Thanks to all who were able to chaperone the Brattonsville field study!  It was great!  We appreciate all of your help!

The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Columbia in January.  Your child has an opportunity to place their name in a drawing for free tickets to see them.  You also can use the special Richland 2 code to receive $7 off of your tickets.  Click here for more information.

The 4th and 5th graders are in for a special treat next week!  Famous author, Max Brallier, will be visiting us and speaking to students about his experiences as an author.  He is known for his “Last Kids on Earth” series and his book, “Eerie Elementary:  Recess is a Jungle.”  You can pre-purchase books and have him sign them.  Please ask your teacher for one of these forms.  More information can be found right here.

Ending Thoughts

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  Please feel free to email us with any questions.  For those who signed up for Remind 101 with Ms. Bodrick, feel free to shoot a text if necessary.  Click on our name below for a direct link to our email.  

Thanks for sharing your children with us each day!

Mrs. Shannon Benson and Ms. Aubriaunna Bodrick

Author visit next week

Globetrotters Information

Weekly News--November 17th

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

November 17, 2017

Math News

We are halfway through our multi-digit multiplication unit.  Students should have started on Objective 3 today and we should be finished with Objective 3 on Tuesday before the break.  We will review when we return from Thanksgiving and finish with Objective 4.  We will take our unit test on Friday, December 1st.  

By now, we have learned many different strategies to do multi-digit multiplication.  Your child should have these examples in their notebooks.  They need to be reviewing these strategies each night so that they will be familiar with them and they can pick out their favorite one.

Please have your child practice their multiplication facts.  There are many games on www.multiplication.com that they would love to play that will help them. The better they know their facts, the easier this unit will be for them to complete.

There will be no homework packet sent home on Monday.  Students should have  mastered at least 5 topics in ALEKS during the week.  If for some reason, they have not mastered them by Friday, students can (and are encouraged) to finish over the weekend.  I will be running my report on Monday morning.  

If you still need to join Seesaw, please click here and follow the directions.

Science News

Our models of the solar system are all posted in Seesaw.  If you do not see your child’s, encourage them to finish it over the weekend so that they will not get behind.

All grades have been updated in PowerSchool.  If a child is missing a science assignment, I have put a 0 in the gradebook.  Upon completion of the assignment, the 0 will be replaced with a grade.  We have been very busy with many classwork assignments this week.

This week, we researched tools used to navigate the stars.  Students completed a chart in Google classroom with what each instrument was, why it was important to astronomy, and a picture.  Students need to click “Turn in” when complete and I will be able to grade it.  It was due today.

Starting today, students need to be aware of the moon each day or night and make an observation.  Right now it is in the “New Moon” phase, so they won’t see it.  We will record our observations starting on Monday.  I will be giving them a calendar to keep up with their observations.  This will be due the Friday before Winter Break.

ELA News

This week students had a blast reviewing figurative language - all figures of speech - through song! I taught students one of the few songs I have in my repertoire that I can still use as a fourth grade teacher (I made several when I taught third grade and some aren’t of much use anymore)!  Your child has the lyrics to the song with them, so if you catch them on YouTube playing instrumental music and singing along - you know why!

Next week, students will have a Thanksgiving Choice Board. Assignments on the choice board will be due to me Tuesday before dismissal. They can work on at home (depending on how much they get done in class). The class period will be self paced. There will be NO reading responses due next week Monday and Tuesday!  

What you can do at home to help your child be successful:

• Discuss What Your Child is Reading and help them complete weekly Reading Responses which will now be checked as they are submitted via Seesaw (teacher has to approve each post before it is viewable by other students)
• Find Reasons to Write outside of the Classroom
• Play Educational Games/Watch Educational Videos - LEXIA and STUDY ISLAND can be used at home

Social Studies News

Next Week’s Indicators Standard 4-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how the settlement of North America was influenced by the interactions of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans.

Next week on the two days we will be in school, students will receive notes on the various European settlements in North America (New England, New Spain, New France). They will view videos and presentations in Google Classroom in order to complete tasks that they will be able to bring home and study over the break.

*It is strongly encouraged that your child STUDY all Social Studies material over the break! Refer to Google Classroom presentations, videos, and all notes in journal/binder.

Remember:

• Students (and now parents) can access Google Classroom at home. All presentations and special links are posted there as references. Students may use these references when studying and completing weekly RAP questions. Some links are interactive games and videos!
• RAP Questions are assigned every Thursday and it is highly encouraged that students use notes to complete. Social Studies journals will come home on Thursday.
• A parent study guide has been issued for your personal use (so you can help your child if for some reason they are missing information or you aren’t exactly abreast on your history!)

Fourth Grade News

Related Arts Schedule for Next Week

Donuts for Dads is coming up on Tuesday, November 21st.  

We are going on a field trip!  We are visiting Historic Brattonsville on Wednesday, November 29th.  Permission forms were due today..  The cost is $36 per child and if you would like to chaperone, it is also $36 per adult.  This is a wonderful field trip that we enjoy every year.  If you haven’t returned your forms or made payment, please do so ASAP so that we can get an accurate count.

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY! (No School next Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.)

Ending Thoughts

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  Please feel free to email us with any questions.  For those who signed up for Remind 101 with Ms. Bodrick, feel free to shoot a text if necessary.  Click on our name below for a direct link to our email.  

Thanks for sharing your children with us each day!

Mrs. Shannon Benson and Ms. Aubriaunna Bodrick