Week 24

It was a rainy and damp day but we had a nice visit to the Museum of Chinese in America. We want to thank our parent chaperones for taking the time out to get make sure we have the best learning experience possible!

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We will have Dance Class on Monday. Please remember to dress for movement and to wear socks that can be easily removed (instead of footed tights) 
• We are going to the Armory on Tuesday. 
• Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday. Students will be dismissed by 11:30 am. Your appointment time is to be found in your child's homework folder on this week's homework sheet. 

Have an amazing weekend!

Week 23: Mid Winter Recess

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Mid Winter Recess and that it gives you time to rest and recharge for the big months ahead of us. While student did not receive a homework packet, there are some things your child could do to keep their minds active and ready for learning. Students are also working on the reading response from this week's reading and will turn in a response on the Monday when we return.

• Read books! Students were advised to take home books to read over the break. Some students have books at home to read and are looking forward to having free choices in their materials during the week instead of having to focus on the genre we are studying (mystery). 
• Practice multiplication/ division facts. It would be helpful to students to practice the multiplication facts so that they can recognize patterns in fractions. 
• Play math games on the lower right hand side of this blog. Please check out the IXL link for games that require the skills and knowledge that we are studying in class this month. Games W.1 to W.12 along with W.16 to W.19 under the Understand Fractions section will be the most relevant. 

Here's what to expect when we return: 

• We will have Dance class on Monday. Please have your child ready to participate by dressing him/ her in clothing for physical activity. Girls should not wear footed tights so that that they can easily go barefoot during class. 
• On Wednesday, we will head to MOCA for our workshop on Cultures and Traditions. A museum educator will take us through the exhibits and teach us about symbols and traditions from the Chinese culture, especially focusing on the Lunar New Year. 
• We will start our Reading unit on Biographies. While this genre is different from mysteries, the weekly reading response assignment will stay focused on writing about character traits and themes. 
• On Friday, we will have our Unit 8 Math test. The Mid Chapter Review went home today. Please review it with your child. 

Have a warm and restful week! Happy Valentines Day to all!

Week 22

Family Friday was a great success thanks to you! Many of you came to help us with our lantern activity and were well prepared. Paper crafts can be tricky but the lanterns turned out beautifully. The kids were very proud of their work and we are grateful for your help!

Here's what to expect next week:

• Schools are closed on Monday due to the Lunar New Year. 
• On Tuesday, we are invited to watch the Fourth Grade's performance of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. 
• We have started a new math unit on Fractions this week. We spent most of the week understanding the concepts of the numerator and the denominator. To help support your child with this, there are games on the IXL Math Games link below that provide visual practice. Games W.1 to W.8 under the Understand Fractions section will be the most helpful. 
• We have also started our writing unit on Opinion Writing. Here we will learn how to make a claim about a topic we care about and convince others of its validity by providing supporting evidence. Students will present their case in a five paragraph essay.

Have a wonderful weekend!