Mrs. Patti Harris - Grade 4
Welcome to the Division 7 webpage! I hope that you find this to be a useful tool in keeping track of what is happening in our class and what homework needs to be done.
I am allergic to all chemical scents, especially cologne or perfume. Yesterday one of the students was wearing a cologne that caused me to have a headache, plugged sinuses and a raspy throat. Please do not let your child wear scented products to school. With the cleaning and painting that is occuring downstairs, I am already taxed to the nth degree and can not deal with any additional scents. Thank you!
HOMEWORK
The children are expected to write two detailed sentences about something they learned at school that day in two different subjects. I do not want to read that they learned a particular activity but what specifically did they learn, giving examples so that you can understand the learning that has taken place. If your child can retell what he/she learned, then you know that it has been learned. When you are checking your child's work before you sign it, please go over it with them and have any messy or incomplete work redone and completed properly. It is human nature to only do as much as you need to get it done, however I want to instill a sense of pride in the children so that they always put their best efforts on the page.
Some of the children are not taking responsiblity for their homework. Each night they should be writing a reflection, reading for 20 minutes then recording it on the Reading Log sheet, studying spelling and reviewing math facts. Your child should set aside two 30 minute sessions after school to complete this work. If we start now setting good study habits, your child will do well in later years.
In Language Arts we have been focusing on writing detailed paragraphs using non fiction material. The children now have the knowledge of the steps to follow when writing research paragraphs. They have learned how to write an informative topic sentence that states what the paragraph will talk about, followed by detailed sentences that explain about each of the topics in the opening sentence and how to close the paragraph by pulling the information all together. In Reading the children have completed the reading of "Fatty Legs" and are working in co-operative reading groups to ask and answer some thin and think questions about the stories ending. Thin questions are the kind where the answer can be located in the story while thick questions require the reader to reflect on the information and make inferences in order to answer it.
In math, we have studied the 6 through 9 times tables. We are now doing a daily sheet with 60 mixed questions that the children are given 2 minutes to complete. Your child should have accurate recall of all of the number facts in multiplication fom 0 x 1 to 10 X 10. Daily practice is recommended for those students who continue to have difficulty with these facts. The children have been learning about measuring area using cm2 and m2. They know that the area is the surface that is inside the shape and that it is measured using square centimetres. They have drawn shapes and determined their area, drawn shapes for classmates to determine the area, determined the area of shapes by counting the squares and when measuring a rectangular item, multiplying the length times the width. They are looking at determining the area of irregular shapes this week.
This week the children have their spelling word lists to study. They are expected to copy the words into their planners on Monday and to study their words each night for the test on Friday. The children in Blue spelling are studying homophones so they need to know the meaning of each word in order to spell the correct word. White spelling has a review test and should be studying the words in lessons 11, 12 and 13. They will have a 30 word test on Friday.
In Socials we are studying "The Inuit". The children have been learning how to take notes from non fiction information about dog sleds and snowmobile and were asked to decide which was a better form of transportation, giving at least three reasons for their choice. They were asked to write a detailed paragraph that would make the reader think about their opinion. They learned about the three different types of housing that the Inuit used, comparing them and determining when and where they would be constructed.
In Science the children are learning about sound. They learned how sound is made, how it travels through the air and how the ear collects it and enables us to determine what the sound is. The children brought in their sound instruments and over a few days all were able to present to the class. The instruments were very creative, showing careful thinking and master craftsmanship. Everyone was amazed at the 29 new instruments that were created. The children also gave a presentation to the grade 3 classes who walked around and asked questions about how the instruments worked, how they were made and what they were called. What a great way to celebrate our knowledge of sound.
In gym the children are using their basketball skills to play bucketball. It is interesting to watch as the children learn the necessary strategies to score baskets and to stop the opposition from scoring. Those teams that are playing strategically are finding it easier to score points as they are able to keep control of the ball. The children need to focus on careful, quick passing, moving into empty spaces and keeping track of one player on the opposing team so that they are unable to get out in the open. We are beginning to have some very active games. The children are also learning and practicing two dances that they will perform at our dance celebration on Feb. 29th. It is amazing how quickly some of the children have picked up the routines. I have definitely seen a big improvement in all of the children as they continue to practice the dances twice a week.
In Art the children used their creative talents to decorate a paper frame that will hold a photo of them with their sound instruments. What a great way to celebrate their achievement!
Just a reminder for those of you who would like to make donations to the orphanage "NINOS DE LA LUZ" of any sports equipment, sunglasses, ball caps, decorative pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners. All of these can be gently used, they do not need to be purchased new. Please send in any items you have by March 10th.
Reading Comprehension websites:
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/4th-comprehension.html
http://www.havefunteaching.com/reading-worksheets/reading-comprehension/fourth-grade
Writing websites:
http://www.gamesgames.com/game/Worder.html
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_4th_original.htm
