November 28th - December 2nd, 2011

• No Homework this week!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

• We have a class of poetry writers!  Students are writing/publishing and creating fantastic poems.  Many of these poems were shared on Grandparents Day.

• I feel very blessed and honored to be in your children’s lives!  It is a joy to be their teacher and I’m very thankful for each one of them and such wonderful family support!

• Thanksgiving Holiday:  No school November 21-25.

• Report cards are in Friday folder this week! You may keep the documents inside the envelope.  Please just sign and return the outside envelope on Monday, November 28.

Field Trip to Peck Elementary:  Friday, December 9^th from 11:00-1:30. We will be spending time with our pen pals. Students need to bring a sack lunch and drink.

1.  If you want to play an awesome game, check this one out!  Practice now, because next week you will have an assignment using this web math game.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/symmetry/play.shtml

November 14-18

• Writing Prompts:  Thank you for having conversations with your son/daughter regarding the writing they have completed in the classroom and at home.  I have included these graded writing pieces in their Friday folders. I was pleased to see so many students are using strong descriptive words, had a clear beginning, middle, and end to their writing, and took the time to edit and revise. On reading responses, we are working on including a topic sentence, supporting details from the text and including a strong conclusion. These are all strategies we are working on in class.

• Report cards will be sent home on Friday, November 18^th. Please sign and return the outside envelope on Monday, November 28^th.

• Grandparents Day:  Friday, November 18^th. Students are working on writing poetry in our classroom and plan to share these with their special guests on Grandparent’s day. Students are encouraged to dress up on this day in order to represent our school and show respect to our guests.

• Thanksgiving Holiday:  No school November 21st-25^th.

• Fourth Grade Field Trip to Peck Elementary:  Friday, December 9th from 11:15 – 1:30. Permission slips (see below) are included with this week’s take home packet.  Please sign and return as soon as possible.  Students will bring their own sack lunch and drink.  We will be having lunch and planned activities with our fifth grade pen pals as we get to know them better.

  



1. Please create the following Polygon Creatures on paper:

Now make the following creatures and write a description for each (use juicy words!):

• Trimouthed Creature
• Quadheaded Creature
• Pentahorned Creature
• Hexatongued Creature
• Octatailed Creature
• Decaspiked Creature

2.  Please play the following game:

http://hoodamath.com/games/bizwiz.php

November 7th - 11th, 2011

November 7th –November 11th, 2011

• Report cards will be sent home on Friday, November 18^th. Please sign and return the outside cover.

• Grandparents Day:  Friday, November 18th.

• Thanksgiving Holiday:  No school November 21^st-25^th

• Arvada Food Drive:  Our school will be collecting canned and boxed goods to help meet the many needs of food in our Arvada area.  Students in our class can bring in their donations from November 28^th to December 9^th.  The classroom with the most donations will receive a pizza party from student council.

• Snacks needed for Grandparent’s Day:  To provide a welcoming, social environment, we will again be serving simple snacks to our grandparents and other special guests. A light finger food such as cookies, brownies, pastries, breads, or mini muffins are needed. All the snacks from fourth grade will be served in the main hallway outside the C pod. Please email or call Diane Ranta if you can donate food for this special day or if you have any questions. (Diane Ranta 303-431-3669, e-mail: dianeranta@msn.com)

1.  This Turkey Needs Dressing!  In your Friday folder I sent home a turkey copied on card stock.  Cut out the Turkey, use scraps of cloth, paper, foil, glitter, and your imagination for a spiffy he or she.  Be sure to name him or her and then write a biography about your terrific turkey. Your dressed turkey, and turkey biography are due Friday, November 11th. Remember a biography is a a written account of another person's life, in this case, the life of your turkey.

2.  Please play the following geometry game and be prepared to discuss the shapes and ideas presented in the graphics.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/2D_shapes/play.shtml

October 31st - November 4th, 2011

• Halloween Fall Festival, Monday, October 31st - parties 2:15-3:40. Students may bring a costume to school on the morning of the 31^st and will be given 15 minutes to change before the school-wide parade begins. Please no masks. This is a school rule.
• Hearing and vision: November 16^th.
• Grandparents Day, November 18^th, 10:55 to 11:55.
• Math Club: Thursday mornings from 8:00-8:45 a.m. These times will be used for students that need additional help and support in math.
• Please remember that the Banana Costume and writing are both due Monday, October 31^st.

• The Fourth Grade Rats Cube was sent home on 10/28 in your Friday Folder. This needs to be completed and turned in by Friday, November 4.

• Please play the following math game to help increase your knowledge of money combinations. Click on the picture to be taken to the game:

• Become more familiar with different types of poetry while playing the following game. Please turn in (and label) at least one of each poem that you create while playing the game: 1 haiku, 1 limerick, 1 cinquain, 1 free verse. Click on the picture below to begin creating your own poetry:

October 24-28th, 2011

• Halloween Fall Festival, Monday, October 31st - parties 2:15-3:40. Students may bring a costume to school on the morning of the 31^st and will be given 15 minutes to change before the school-wide parade begins.  Please no masks. This is a school rule.
• Banana Costume and writing are due October 31^st.
• Hearing and vision: November 16^th.
• Grandparents Day, November 18^th, 10:55 to 11:55.
• Please note that the Van Arsdale PTSA (News & School Happenings) and school cafeteria lunch menu links have both been added under the “Classroom Resources” at the top left of this blog.
• November 18^th – Report Cards go home.
• Math Club: Thursday mornings from 8:00-8:45 a.m.. The first club will start this Thursday, October 27th.  These times will be used for students that need additional help and support in math.

1.  Have fun practicing your division strategies in Division Bingo! Click on the picture below to go directly to the game:

2.  Read the following story, answer the multiple choice questions at the bottom, and respond in writing (just like we practiced in writing on Thursday and Friday) to the writing prompt.

Reading Response Writing Prompt:

"In the story, The Greedy Dog, what happens to brown dog after he walks across a little bridge? Give at least 3 details from the story to support your answer."