May 14th - 18th, 2012

• WAX Museum, this Friday, May 18th. Students come to schoold dressed as their notable person. We will start our presentations at 9:05 a.m. Students need to bring a change of clothes for the rest of our school day.
• No Reaction sheet this week due to conferences.
• NO REGULAR HOMEWORK or WORD WORK (reading log is still required through the 25^th): will be given for the rest of the school year due to the fact that students need to be working on their ecosystem habitat project,   and other in class work. Some in class time is given; however, time researching, writing, revising, editing and final production also must be worked on at home.  The final project will be due Tuesday, May 29th, 2012.
• Look Out Mountain: field trip Tuesday, May 29^th. Students will need to bring a sack lunch, comfortable hiking shoes and dress for the weather.
• Early Release:  Wednesday, May 16^th at 1:10.
• Book Fiesta: Students bring in their gently used books to donate for our all school book swap. Books can be brought to school starting this Monday, May 14th. For each book they donate, they will receive a ticket to enter in a chance to win a prize.



1.  For Science:  Please watch the following video on food chains and food webs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE6wqG4nb3M

2. Practice 3 digit by 3 digit multiplication. (Example:  284 x 398 = ?)Make-up 6 problems and solve them.  Check your work with a calculator. Due Friday.

3. Study, study for your social studies test this Friday, 18th. Mrs. Russ sent home a study with you on Thursday.

May 7th-11th, 2012

• Student Led Conferences:  May 10th. A Student-led conference is a time for your child to be in charge!  These conferences highlight the most important person in the assessment process – the student. What should a parent expect at a Student-Led Conference?

1.  Your child will do most of the talking.

2.  Your child will tell you the goals he or she is working on in class.

3.  Your child will discuss his or her progress.

4.  Your child will share and explain different types of work that he or   she performs throughout the day.

5.    This conference is a celebration of learning.

We look forward to seeing you!

A confirmation note was sent home in your son/daughter's friday folder.

• Notable person Biography:  Student final project will be our “wax museum” presentation and a written biography, both due on May 18^th. Wax Museum from 9:00-9:45 a.m., students come to school dressed as their notable person. Parents are welcome to join us for this morning presentation.
• Lookout Mountain Field Trip: Tuesday, May 29th from 9:15-1:30. Students will need to wear comfortable shoes, dress for the ever changing mountain weather, and bring a sack lunch.
• Early release day:  Wednesday, May 16th, 1:10.
• Thursday, May 31st, last day of school, 1:40 dismissal, report cards go home.

1.  Spend time this week getting your Wax Musueum, notable person props and costume together.  Many of you need to continue working on your biography report.  We will not have the lap tops in our classroom, so additional work processing will need to be completed at home. 

April 30th - May 3rd, 2012

• Notable person Biography:  Students will choose their famous person from history. They are required to read a book on their notable person and complete research through the Internet and our wireless laptops. Their final project will be our “wax museum” presentation and a written biography, Friday, May 18th at 9:00-9:45 a.m. More information to follow.

• No Word work this week.
• No reaction sheet this week due to the early release day on Wednesday and testing on Friday.
• No School this Friday, May 4th.
• Field trip to Lookout Mountain Nature Center. See the enclosed field trip form in this weeks take home folder.
• Student Led Conferences:  Thursday, May 10th. Please read the note sent home regarding this special conference night. Students are excited to share all the hard work and successes from their fourth grade year.  We look forward to seeing you.

Africa Test Review Questions and Topics

Africa Region Test will be on Wednesday, May 2nd. We will review these questions in class on Tuesday.

ü Know the definition of REGION.  A region is a large area of land with similar geography.

ü Be able to create a bubble map (describing) or a tree map (categorizing) for the 3 major regions of Africa:  savanna, desert, and rain forest.

ü Be able to answer the question:  What African region is most similar to the geography of Colorado?

ü Be able to pick an African region and compare and contrast it to the Colorado region we live in (mountain region). Be ready to show your thinking using a double bubble map.

ü Be able to answer the question:  How does the geography of where you live affect how you live?  Your answer should be specific and detailed. A possible question may look like this…Jebrilla is part of the Taureg tribe.  He lives in the Sahara Desert in the country of Niger in Africa.  How does the geography of where Jebrilla lives affect how he and his family live?

ü Be able to compare and contrast your life as an American child living in a suburb of a metropolitan area located in the mountain region of Colorado to a child who lives in one of the three major geographic regions of Africa.

ü Be able to identify positive and negative human interactions with different geographical regions.  For example:  Clear cutting the rain forests of Cameroon to make room for more palm oil plantations is a ___________________ interaction. 

ü Be able to look at a set of pictures and identify the African region.

Have a great weekend, see you all Monday!

April 23rd - 27th, 2012

• Notable person Biography:  Students will choose their famous person from history. They are required to read a book on their notable person and complete research through the Internet and our wireless laptops. Their final project will be our “wax museum” presentation and a written biography, Friday, May 18th at 9:00-9:45 a.m. More information to follow.

• No Word work this week.

• Assessment Day: Friday, April 27th. Students will attend school by appointment only. Students only with a testing time will be required to attend on the 27th. Testing takes about one hour.
• Early Release Day:  This Wednesday, 25th, 1:10 dismissal.
•  Friday, May 4^th, no school, furlough day.


1.  The Wax Museum and completed biography report deadline is fast approaching, Friday May 18th. Many students are on target with gathering information and working on first drafts of their notable person writing.  Several students need to spend extra time at home with  completing more on-line research and gathering props and costume items.  First drafts will be due on Thursday, April 26th. 2.  Writing Assignment:  Please write a paragraph answering and giving examples of the following: Would you rather go an Arctic adventure or an African safari?  Explain.
3.  ALL SCIENCE Students:   Play the following game to reinforce our studies on ecosystems: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/producersconsumersgame.htm 4.  Read the following article about African Rainforests and be prepared to discuss this in class on Thursday, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/rainforest/rainforest_overview_lo.html

April 16th-20th, 2012



• Notable person Biography:  Students will choose their famous person from history. They are required to read a book on their notable person and complete research through the Internet and our wireless laptops. Their final project will be our “wax museum” presentation and a written biography, Friday, May 18th at 9:00-9:45 a.m. More information to follow.

• No Word work this week due to acuity testing.

• Assessment Day: Friday, April 27th. Students will attend school by appointment only. Information to follow.  If you have any questions please call me.

• Special pricing for movie theatre snacks! For just $4.00 students may buy a kids pack that includes a drink, popcorn and fruit snack candy. We will need to let the theatre know about how many students will be interested in this special offer.

• Chimpanzee Movie Field Trip:  Friday, April 20th! The remarkable story will be a treat for our students. Special showing celebrating Earth Day and correlating with our ecosystem science unit. Buses will depart at 9:15 a.m. and return for lunch.
• Early Release Day:  Next Wednesday, 25th, 1:10 dismissal.
•  Friday, May 4^th, no school, furlough day

• Young Writer’s Conference, April 20^th 8:00-8:50 a.m.: Student’s will share a published or polished piece of writing including small moments, short stories, poems, essays, or other writing pieces.  A light breakfast will be served, a certificate of participation, a journal and pen will be given to each student participating.  All students in my class are encouraged to attend and share a selection of their writing.

1.Social Stuides:  Follow the lilnks to Culture Grams and explore the amazing continent of AFRICA! JCPL Home page:   http://jeffcolibrary.org/index.html

2.  Access the internet and print infomation on your notable person.  Be prepared to bring this information to class in order to continue our work on biographies. 

3.  Design two Thinking Maps.  One Bubble and one Flow (time line of important events) on your notable person.  This is due Friday.

4.  Writing Prompt:  Imagine that you are a small pet, such as a hamster, goldfish, or lizard. Describe a perfect habitat for you to live in.  Please include paragraph describing your habitat and why it's perfect for you as a small creature.