Weekly News--January 25th

Benson/Bodrick News

News from the 4th Grade

January 25, 2019

Math News

We have worked very hard with long division this week.  We will continue to work on long division strategies next week with Topic 10 lessons 3-7.  We will take a division unit test around Tuesday, February 5th. Please continue to help your child with this skill.  It is a complex one for students to get, but I know that with much practice, student will become experts. Of course, students must know their multiplication facts to master division, so drilling them on their facts in the car and around the dinner table would be a plus.

Multiplication and Division Math Stations Booklets are due on Monday.  Students have had these booklets with the 10 activities to complete since we returned from Winter Break.  They should be about done by now with not much, if any, to do this weekend.

Calendar of Tests/Assignments  for Math and Science

Please continue to encourage your child to complete their ALEKS topics each week.  This is a great way to get up to 10 extra credit points each week.

Science News

We had a great first week learning about organisms.  We talked about how plants and animals are broken into groups:  flowering and non flowering plants and vertebrates and invertebrates.  We took notes, looked at examples, and ended the week creating our own visual of examples.  These examples have been uploaded into Seesaw.

ELA News

READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT

Next week we will start the new quarter with a shift to nonfiction/informational text. We will begin by talking about the difference between literary and informational texts and students will learn (review really from previous grade) about informational text and graphic features found in informational text that is critical to a readers’ overall understanding of the topic.

Greek/Latin Roots will continue next week with Week 2’s assessment on Monday, January 28th. Week 3 will be introduced Monday as well. Each week (or two) students will get a list of 15 roots. We will discuss the meanings and students will be exposed to new vocabulary through a number of activities done both in class and at home. At the end of the week, there will be a test. All assessments are formatted the same way so your child knows what to expect each time. Week 2 List begins with ped, man, and scribe. Please help your child over the weekend. (Check List of Ways to Study below)

Social Studies News

This week we reviewed reasons for exploration by Europeans and Early European Settlements. We ended the indicator on Wednesday, did a review on Thursday and students were assessed today. A message was sent via Class Dojo to inform parents - as not all assessments are announced a week or two in advance. Students have been engaging with this content since the beginning of the month. The assessment was done via Quizizz (an online assessment tool) that students are very familiar with. The only thing about it is once students choose an answer, they can’t change it - therefore, reading carefully and using a clear process of elimination before clicking is critical (which was explained to students).

Next week we will begin talking about The Triangular Trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, that operated from the late 16th to early 19th centuries, carrying slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers. Refer to this link over the weekend to get a heads up on what we will discuss - http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_43.html

Indicator addressed: 4-2.3: Explain the impact of the triangular trade, indentured servitude, and the enslaved and free Africans on the developing culture and economy of North American.

Parents Remember!

• Check your child’s binder as frequently as you can.
• Students (and now parents) can access the Social Studies Google Classroom at home. All presentations and special links are posted there as references. Students may use these references when studying throughout the week 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!)
• Check out the chart of fun and effective ways to study! Keep in mind that simply talking to  your child about what they learned/talked about during day helps.

Fourth Grade News

 

Field Trip

Fourth grade is going on a field trip to the Koger Center on February 8th to see “Freedom Train”..  We will be leaving school about 10:30 am and returning around 1:00pm. We will eat lunch in our classrooms when we return.  Permission forms went home last week. Please fill out and return the form and payment no later than Friday, February 1st. You can pay online for this trip.  It is $14 per student. If you would like to chaperone, there are two options. Option 1 is $15 and it includes a ticket and your bus ride there. Option 2 is $9 and it is just the ticket--you would need to meet us at the Koger Center.  If you want to pay a chaperone fee online, you’ll need to talk to Mrs. Metts in the office and she can add it to your account so that you can pay online. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Ending Thoughts

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  Please feel free to email us with any questions.  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