Feb. 10-15

Congrats to Phillip, our January PRIDE! 

Winner for Improvement!

The mythology projects were a huge success! It was fun to watch students work together to 

create their presentations.

FYI...

2/6-2/12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Focus on math)
2/13 - Valentine's Day Celebration - 1:30
Our Valentine's Day celebration is scheduled for the afternoon of 2/13. The format of our party will include a service project. Students will be making Valentine's Day cards for the veterans at Hines Hospital. Students may bring Valentine's Day cards to exchange with their classmates. I am requesting that they do not write individual names on cards to keep things simple. 
2/14 - No School
2/17 - No School - Presidents' Day
W. 2/19-Prairieview McTeacher Night at McDonald's in Darien on February 19. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGCkmWNhXJwTqkVCZzpndDQSvh?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2


Spelling -  Unit 17 - Words with the Suffix "-tion"
This week's list includes words with the suffix "-tion". Students will learn that when the suffix "-tion" is added to a verb, the word becomes a noun. When "-tion" is added to a word that ends in an "e" or "t", the "e" or "t" is dropped. The final TEST for this lesson will be on Thursday, 2/13.


Reading - Unit 1 - Courage
Students will work on their Profile in Courage project in class next week. Please refer to the rubric on Google Classroom to see how they will be assessed.


English - Explanatory Writing
The handwritten rough draft of the hero essay is due on Tuesday, 2/11. Students will spend time in class proofreading and editing. The final typed copy is due on 2/18.


Social Studies - The Midwest-The Badlands of South Dakota
We will continue our study of the amazing geography of the Badlands.

Science - Energy Conversions
Our focus in Science will be on investigating energy sources via digital simulations and text.


Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - Avoiding Jumping to Conclusions
The topic for this week's SEL discussion will be how calming down strong emotions can help you think clearly about a situation so you can avoid jumping to conclusions. This lesson will help students to identify emotion-management strategies, to demonstrate assertiveness skills, and to identify/demonstrate positive self-talk statements. The Home Link activity will give your child the opportunity to explain and to practice what they have learned with you.


Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 4:Addition, Subtraction & Measurement

The UNIT 4 Math TEST will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11th!  The study guide went home Fri. 2/7 and is due on Tuesday.  I will attach the link to the Jeopardy game we played in class, in case you want to review with them at home.  I am also attaching the IXL practice.

Jeopardy Game Unit 4

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/unit-4-bridges-review#.XjnFCmxJYzo.gmail

IXL Skills Practice related to Bridges-Unit 4

https://www.ixl.com/math/skill-plans/bridges-4th-grade#section-4

Feb. 3-7

Spelling Bee

Our very own Eliana won the 4th grade Spelling Bee.  She will be competing in the district spelling bee on 2/11.  We wish you luck, Eli!

Winter Projects

Energy 

Our field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry was very fun!

The students and chaperones had a great time.  

Thanks to the chaperones for going and taking some great pictures!

See the link to see more pics from our trip:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/at7AssyFDZRgz1YW7

Coding

CODING is the new passion in our homeroom classroom. Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to. Students have had a ball creating dance parties and working with Star Wars and Minecraft figures. Ask your child about it...they're completely absorbed with this mind-stretching activity, as you can see below!

FYI...

2/6-2/12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Focus on math)
2/13 - Valentine's Day Celebration - 1:30
2/14 - No School
2/17 - No School - Presidents' Day
W. 2/19-Prairieview McTeacher Night at McDonald's in Darien on February 19. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGCkmWNhXJwTqkVCZzpndDQSvh?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2


Spelling -  Unit 16 - Greek Roots
This week's list includes words with the Greek Roots micro, mega, hydro, astro, hydra and path. Students will study the meaning of these roots and words that contain them. The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 2/7.

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage" - Profiles in Courage Culminating Project
After presenting our Mythology projects, students will begin the research and the slideshow for the Profile in Courage project. They will be given time in class to work, however, they should expect to also work on it at home. The tentative due date for the slideshow is Monday, 2/10. Presentations will begin that day.

We have completed Unit 1 (Courage) in Reading, so it is time to take the unit posttest. On Wednesday, students will take the informational text portion of the unit posttest, and on Friday, they will take the literary text portion. These tests are simply a data-gathering tool for teachers in order to measure student growth. They will not be entered in the grade book.


Social Studies - Chapter 8-The Midwest
We will study how the Badlands were formed.


Science - Energy Conversions
The next two lessons in Science focus on the topics of energy past and present & energy in the system. Students will discover what happens when too many electrical devices are added to an electrical system.


Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - Managing Anxiety
This week's lesson focuses on how effectively managing your anxiety makes it easier to focus and succeed in social and academic situations. The objectives are that students will be able to identify situations that cause anxiety and to apply what they've learned about calming down to anxiety-provoking scenarios, including academic challenges.

We will continue to have the "Home Link" part of your child's homework. The Home Link typically includes a conversation or short activity that your child will complete with an adult or another family member. My hope is to continue to increase awareness of language and techniques that your child learns about at school regarding their social-emotional learning and health.

Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 4:Addition, Subtraction & Measurement

Here is an overview of Unit 4.  

I've attached some links that might be helpful to you during this unit.

I hope it helps.

Module 1

Unit 4 Pre-Assessment

Work Place Guide 4A Target One Thousand

4A Target One Thousand Record Sheet

Unit 4 Work Place Log

Tiny Squares Grid

Unit 4 Pre-Assessment Student Reflection Sheet

Work Place Guide 4B Add, Round & Compare

4B Add, Round & Compare Record Sheet

Addition Algorithm Practice

Think Before You Add

Addition Strategies Work Sample

Place Value & Addition Checkpoint

Module 2

Subtraction Algorithm Practice

Think Before You Subtract

Subtraction Strategies Work Sample

Work Place Guide 4C Roll & Subtract One Thousand

Roll & Subtract One Thousand Record Sheet

Module 3

Subtraction Checkpoint

Record Measures

Distance Challenge Flyer

Work Place Guide 4D Target Five

4D Target Five Record Sheet

Module 4

Fourth Grade Arm Spans

Arm Spans in Ms. Wu’s Class

Unit 4 Post-Assessment

Family Unit 4 Overview: 

https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/sites/default/files/documents/family/PAR-BR4-U4.pdf

Student Book Link:

https://4.files.edl.io/8fe1/08/17/18/130050-c98644a4-a251-4160-8d96-c4e16ee7bd8a.pdf

Home Connections Link:

https://www.sonomaschools.org/cms/lib/CA01802775/Centricity/Domain/484/4th%20Home%20Connections.pdf

Home Connections Answer Key:

https://www.ahschools.us/cms/lib/MN01909485/Centricity/Domain/4158/br4-hckey.pdf

IXL Skills Practice related to Bridges:

https://www.ixl.com/math/skill-plans/bridges-4th-grade#section-4

Jan. 20-24

Congrats to Eliana and Moxi for winning our class spelling bee.  They will be participating in the 4th grade level bee on 

Monday, 1/27!  Good Luck!

Coming Up:

• W. 1/29 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:00
• Th. 1/30 - Museum of Science & Industry Field Trip
• W. 2/19-Prairieview McTeacher Night at McDonald's in Darien on February 19. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGCkmWNhXJwTqkVCZzpndDQSvh?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2

Spelling -  None
There will be no spelling lesson due to the short week.


Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage"
The Greek Mythology Project will be worked on this whole week during our ELA block.  The project will be due next week on Friday, Jan. 31st!  Students will present their projects that day. It's been a pleasure to see their excitement over this project. I'm looking forward to seeing their final products.

Time for Kids - We will be reading an issue of this magazine that reviews the events of 2019. Students will reread the magazine at home to prepare for related activities during the week of 1/27.

English - Explanatory Writing
Work will continue on the explanatory essays.

Social Studies - The Midwest
The Midwest map QUIZ is scheduled for Monday, 1/27.  

Science - Energy Conversions
During our last lesson, we made the claim that something went wrong with the electrical system and that’s why the blackout occurred.  This week we will study about energy converters.  To better understand what happened with the electrical system, we are going to investigate the electrical devices that are part of the system.  The essential question for this chapter is: What makes the devices in Ergstown output energy or fail to output energy?

January 13-17

Congratulations to our December PRIDE! Winner!

Math Stations this week.  How did you solve your problems?

Visitors from our Class Party this last Friday!

Coming Up:

During the week of 1/13, our class will take two reading common assessments and one math common assessment. The purpose of these tests is to provide data for the teachers that will help to drive instruction. The results will not be entered into the grade book. Students are encouraged to do their best and to NOT stress!

• M. 1/20 - No School - Martin Luther King Day
• W. 1/29 - Early Dismissal - Students dismissed at 11:00
• Th. 1/30 - Museum of Science & Industry Field Trip

Spelling -  Unit 14 - Soft "g"
This week's list will consist of words that contain the soft "g" sound like fragile and giant.  The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 1/17

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage" 
I will introduce a mythology project that focuses on personalized learning. Students may choose to work individually or in a small group to complete a project from a given list. Each group will be assigned a different myth. The project will include a written piece and a presentation. Project details will eventually be posted on Google Classroom if you are interested in viewing the details.  


English - Explanatory Writing
We will begin our study of explanatory writing with a look at "hooks". Students will learn about different types of hooks and look for examples of hooks in literature. I will model how to write an original hook while writing a "whole class" essay on why 

Lou Gehrig is considered a hero. I will also introduce how to write key ideas. Students will then begin writing their own explanatory essay about who is a hero in his/her life.


Science - Energy Conversions
Our focus in Science this week will be on how to support a claim with evidence. We will look at how to gather evidence through a simulation activity and with a reference book. Then, we will work to write a design argument to help Ergstown solve its blackout problem.


Social Studies-Midwest
We will be studying the Midwest next, but we will take a break from SS for a week or two to do some science catch-up.


Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - Managing Strong Feelings
Managing strong feelings is our topic for the week of 1/13. Students will learn that staying in control of your emotions and actions helps you get along better with others and be successful at school. My objective is that students will be able to demonstrate the ability to interrupt escalating emotions, determine a personal "signal", and identify and name strong feelings as they occur.

Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-Unit 4:Addition, Subtraction & Measurement

Here is an overview of Unit 4.  

I've attached some links that might be helpful to you during this unit.

I hope it helps.

Module 1

Unit 4 Pre-Assessment

Work Place Guide 4A Target One Thousand

4A Target One Thousand Record Sheet

Unit 4 Work Place Log

Tiny Squares Grid

Unit 4 Pre-Assessment Student Reflection Sheet

Work Place Guide 4B Add, Round & Compare

4B Add, Round & Compare Record Sheet

Addition Algorithm Practice

Think Before You Add

Addition Strategies Work Sample

Place Value & Addition Checkpoint

Module 2

Subtraction Algorithm Practice

Think Before You Subtract

Subtraction Strategies Work Sample

Work Place Guide 4C Roll & Subtract One Thousand

Roll & Subtract One Thousand Record Sheet

Module 3

Subtraction Checkpoint

Record Measures

Distance Challenge Flyer

Work Place Guide 4D Target Five

4D Target Five Record Sheet

Module 4

Fourth Grade Arm Spans

Arm Spans in Ms. Wu’s Class

Unit 4 Post-Assessment

Family Unit 4 Overview: 

https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/sites/default/files/documents/family/PAR-BR4-U4.pdf

Student Book Link:

https://4.files.edl.io/8fe1/08/17/18/130050-c98644a4-a251-4160-8d96-c4e16ee7bd8a.pdf

Home Connections Link:

https://www.sonomaschools.org/cms/lib/CA01802775/Centricity/Domain/484/4th%20Home%20Connections.pdf

Home Connections Answer Key:

https://www.ahschools.us/cms/lib/MN01909485/Centricity/Domain/4158/br4-hckey.pdf

IXL Skills Practice related to Bridges:

https://www.ixl.com/math/skill-plans/bridges-4th-grade#section-4

Jan. 6-10

I hope everyone had a nice winter break!

Welcome Back!

Spelling  - Unit 13 - Homographs

This week's list will consist of homographs. Homographs are two or more words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations. For example, the word pitcher is a homograph. A pitcher is a player who delivers the ball to a batter or a large container with a handle used for holding and pouring liquids.  The final TEST for the homograph lesson will be on Friday, 11/10.

Reading- Greek Mythology

We will begin our study of Greek Mythology with a look at the myth of Hercules.  We will also focus on the skill of summarizing. A summary is a shortened version of a story that retells all the important parts of the story in sequence. We will work as a team to summarize the Hercules myth. 

After this, I will introduce a mythology project that focuses on personalized learning. Students may choose to work individually or in a small group to complete a project from a given list. Each group will be assigned a different myth. The project will include a written piece and a presentation. Project details will eventually be posted on Google Classroom if you are interested in viewing the details.  

English - Explanatory Writing

We will begin our study of explanatory writing with a look at "hooks". Students will learn about different types of hooks and look for examples of hooks in literature. I will model how to write an original hook while writing a "whole class" essay on why 

Lou Gehrig is considered a hero. I will also introduce how to write key ideas. Students will then begin writing their own explanatory essay about who is a hero in his/her life.

Social Studies - The Southeast - "The Cherokee"
We will finish our study of the Native Americans of the Southeast, The Cherokee. We will take a look at how their culture and traditions began and how they continue to keep them alive in modern times.

An open book/note QUIZ on the Cherokee is scheduled for this week.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

We do not have a specific Second Step lesson this week. We will read the book A Girl with a Cape which is the story of a child whose act of kindness spreads throughout a community. The book will be the springboard for activities that focus on kindness.  

We will also look at the SEL Wheel and see how this relates to our life as a child and student.



Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class
Unit 4:Addition, Subtraction & Measurement
Here is an overview of Unit 4.  

This week the students will take the pretest and start on Place Value & the Standard Algorithm and The Standard Subtraction Algorithm.  I've attached some links that might be helpful to you during this unit.

I hope it helps.

Module 1
Unit 4 Pre-Assessment
Work Place Guide 4A Target One Thousand
4A Target One Thousand Record Sheet
Unit 4 Work Place Log
Tiny Squares Grid
Unit 4 Pre-Assessment Student Reflection Sheet
Work Place Guide 4B Add, Round & Compare
4B Add, Round & Compare Record Sheet
Addition Algorithm Practice
Think Before You Add
Addition Strategies Work Sample
Place Value & Addition Checkpoint

Module 2
Subtraction Algorithm Practice
Think Before You Subtract
Subtraction Strategies Work Sample
Work Place Guide 4C Roll & Subtract One Thousand
Roll & Subtract One Thousand Record Sheet

Module 3
Subtraction Checkpoint
Record Measures
Distance Challenge Flyer
Work Place Guide 4D Target Five
4D Target Five Record Sheet

Module 4
Fourth Grade Arm Spans
Arm Spans in Ms. Wu’s Class

Unit 4 Post-Assessment

Family Unit 4 Overview: 
https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/sites/default/files/documents/family/PAR-BR4-U4.pdf

Student Book Link:
https://4.files.edl.io/8fe1/08/17/18/130050-c98644a4-a251-4160-8d96-c4e16ee7bd8a.pdf

Home Connections Link:
https://www.sonomaschools.org/cms/lib/CA01802775/Centricity/Domain/484/4th%20Home%20Connections.pdf

Home Connections Answer Key:
https://www.ahschools.us/cms/lib/MN01909485/Centricity/Domain/4158/br4-hckey.pdf

IXL Skills Practice related to Bridges:
https://www.ixl.com/math/skill-plans/bridges-4th-grade#section-4