Weekly News--January 5th

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

January 5, 2018

Math News

We began the 2nd half of our division unit on Wednesday.  Students should be completing their checklist daily in class.  We are planning on taking a test on long division next Thursday.  This will be the last major grade of the nine weeks.  Please encourage your child to practice their long division every chance they get and check it to see if they are doing it correctly.  If not, you can shoot me an email so I can make sure to sit down with them in a small group next week to work on their skills.

There will be one more ALEKS grade for this nine weeks also.  I will be counting all topics mastered between January 3rd and January 18th.  I have encouraged students to master as many as they can so that they can get some extra credit points for extra topics.  I’m not telling them a number, but they should master at least 10-15 topics and any over than amount will count as extra points.

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 wrote our own constellation stories.  Students were to draw their constellation and write a short story about how their constellation came to be.  I gave an example in Seesaw and shared with them.  They should have posted their constellations and stories in Seesaw by the end of class today.  If you do not see theirs in Seesaw, please encourage them to finish them so that we can move on to the phases of the moon on Monday.

Next week we will discuss the phases of the moon and start reviewing for a unit test the following week.  The unit test will be the last major grade of the nine weeks in science.  I will make sure to give a study guide a couple of days before the test.  We will plan on taking that test around January 18th.

ELA News

This week - although short - we began shifting our focus from literary (fictional) literature to informational (nonfiction) texts. To start our week, we had a discussion about the differences between fiction and nonfiction and then proceeded to talk about informational text features and visual aids. That help make navigating through informational text easier. Students received a colorful note-page with all features and their purpose. Please make sure they study it because they will need to be familiar with when they complete their very own text feature collages next week!  Students will also complete informational text scavenger hunts which will require them to search through text and use features to answer questions.

Additionally, I would like to continue to shine a light on my Lexia completers so special shout out to the following students who finished Lexia Core 5:

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

The following students are almost there! Keep pushing: Lily Calhoun, Thomas Bozard, Daija Caldwell, Liana Adams, Caroline Goff, Jake Gonzales, Jeremy Harris, Emily Lancaster LaLonnie Mitchum, and Libby Lee

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 (WILL BEGIN BACK MONDAY, JAN. 8, 2018)
• 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

Next Week: The Triangular Trade and Early Slavery in the Colonies

Be on the lookout for a field trip permission form for our upcoming field study in February to see Freedom Train at the Koger Center.

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

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 was sent home this week.  The cost is $13 per student and the money and permission forms are due by Friday, February 2nd.

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