Weekly News--February 2nd

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

February 2, 2018


Math News
For the 100th day, 4th grade math students are collecting small water bottles for BHE’s backpack program. We would love to see how many small water bottles we can collect to help this wonderful program to succeed. The 100th day of school is this coming Monday, February 5th. Please send any water bottles you wish to donate to school on Monday. You can read more about BHE’s 100th day Math project by clicking here.

We took a Geometry test this past Tuesday. It was given to students today so that they can bring it home and show you. We have started the next part of our Geometry studies. In this Geometry unit, we will take what we learned about lines, angles, and line segments and learn how to classify shapes--quadrilaterals, triangles, hexagons, and pentagons. We will also discuss lines of symmetry and area and perimeter formulas for rectangles. This unit shouldn’t take too long so I anticipate testing on it the week of February 12th. I will have a more definite date in next week’s newsletter.

There will be a homework packet sent home next week. Students will also need to make sure they are completing at least 5 topics each week in ALEKS. They should be able to master a topic in 10-15 minutes. If they are working longer on a topic, they need to ask for help so they can master that topic. 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.

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

Science News

This week we continued to discuss animal and plant classification. We viewed many presentations and video or two discussing how animals and plants are classified. We specifically discussed how the vertebrate group was divided into 5 groups and how each group was different. We took an online quiz today about classification. Each student received their scores once they finished. I will update parent portal this weekend with their test scores.

Next week we will discuss the life cycles of several different plants and animals. We will plant some seeds in our classroom and watch them go through their life cycles. We will also do a mini project on life cycles. Students will be give this information on Monday or Tuesday with a due date.

Just a reminder--if work is turned in past the due date, points will be deducted in the gradebook when it is turned in. I will have it marked as late in the gradebook so that you can see in Parent Portal if they have turned it in or not. I also mark when assignments are missing so that if you log in and see there is missing work, you can remind your child to complete it. After a week or so of it being missing and/or late, I will put a zero in the gradebook.


ELA News
This week, students thoroughly enjoyed our SUPER BOWL themed “learning experiences” with informational text and types of sentences - and I must say...so did I (despite the extra chit-chat that I guess they couldn’t help)! To start the week, we reviewed simple, compound, and complex sentences and then shifted gears to punctuation specific sentence types - declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory. Of course after mini lesson, there was a football themed twist! As we began our discussion on informational text, we reviewed the difference between fact and opinion football style and beginning on Wednesday, we made some predictions about our reading before seeing the actual text - I posed the question, what do you already know about the Super Bowl? By the end of the day today, students were able to confirm and/or revise their predictions and gain new knowledge that I’m sure they will give you an ear-full of this weekend as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52!!!

NOTE: Students did not get to take the assessment planned for today on SENTENCES (so everything from subjects and predicates, fragments, run-ons, simple, compound and complex sentences, as well as declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences they will see). We got carried away with memes! Notes for all of this has been provided! Test will be given on Monday, February 5, 2018.


Next week, we will have our first WRITING BOOT CAMP - as the time for middle of year writing benchmark assessments has approached. Students will engage in an intensive week long (Monday-Thursday) teacher-led writing lesson with lots of modeling, practice, and peer/teacher reviewing. Friday, they will complete their benchmark (PAPER AND PENCIL)


Reading logs will be on paper again next week - NO submissions online as I am trying to get students back into the habit of writing (structurally and grammatically correct) well thought out responses. This shift comes with the news that students will test at the end of the using paper and pencil for the Reading/Writing portion. Parents, please take the time to read through your child’s responses from time to time! It will help both me and them out!

Special shout out the following Lexia Core 5 Completers! 

LaLonnie Mitchum

Lily Calhoun

The following students are almost there! Keep pushing: Thomas Bozard, Daija Caldwell, Liana Adams, Caroline Goff, Jake Gonzales, Jeremy Harris, Emily Lancaster, 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

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: Cooperation and Conflict between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans and its influence on life in America - students will present the memes they created! Many already submitted and received grade, but some have to work on over the weekend. Please check with your child so they can receive full credit.







The Assignment: Create two content-related memes using appropriate pictures and wording for social studies indicator 4-2.4: Summarize the relationship among the Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans, including the French and Indian War, the slave revolts, and the conduct of trade. Utilize the note page provided/presentation in Google Classroom that has examples of memes (may not use same ones). You may use the Meme Generator (a lot easier for some) - https://imgflip.com/memegenerator


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!

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






Our field trip to the Koger Center to see a performance of “Freedom Train” is on Tuesday, February 13th. We will be leaving school about 10:30am and returning around 1:30pm. We will eat lunch when we return. If you have not turned in a permission form and money, please do so no later than Monday, February 5th. If your child is not attending the field trip, please send us an email or note letting us know. Also please let us know if they will be at school that day or if they are going to be absent.







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