Mrs. Spakausky's Blog Sept.9-13

Mon 9/16 & Tues 9/17 - PV Beginning Band Sign Up Conferences 4:00-8:00pm
Fri 9/27 - PV Movie Night 6:30-8:45pm
Wed 10/2 - Early dismissal at 11:00am
Mon 10/14 - No school (Columbus Day)
Tues 10/29 & Wed 10/30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Mr. Pagel came to Visit on Friday!  Group HUG!!!

Another Team Building Activity-Marshmallow Challenge

If you missed our Summer Snapshots, here they are! Enjoy!

Name Art

Our Class Family came up with some wonderful class expectations for this year!

Spelling -  Week 2- Words that End in Suffixes "-ible" and "-able"

This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -ible & -able. We will study the word pattern and how the suffix impacts the meaning of the base word. We will also study at synonyms for many of the words on the list. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/13.

English - What is a Sentence?
The first lesson in this chapter looks at the difference between sentences and fragments. Students will recognize that a complete sentence contains a subject and an action. We will also review punctuation and capitalization as it relates to writing sentences.

Reading - Close Reading- "Casey at the Bat"

Our close read of Casey at the Bat continues with a look at using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words, author's perspective and text to text comparison. 

Students' first exposure to close reading in fourth grade involved "close reading" an Oreo cookie. For their "first read" they were given a cookie and were told to eat it quickly. This simulated reading text for the "gist". Then we shared words to describe the cookie. For their "second read" they took their time eating another cookie. They ate it with their eyes closed, thinking about the texture, ingredients, taste, uniqueness and other attributes of the yummy treat. This simulated what a close read of text is like. Students then listed words to describe their second read. Below is a picture of the poster we created during the activity. Please note the difference between what was observed in the first and second "read". Also included are some pictures of students close reading their Oreos I think they enjoyed the activity!

Social Studies - The Beautiful Northeast 

We have begun our journey across the United States...first stop is the Northeast! Students will label and color their own maps of the region in preparation for a map quiz scheduled for the week of 9/16. The Northeast region is tricky with a lot of small states. I highly encourage students to be well prepared for the quiz. They will each receive a blank copy of the map that they should use to practice with. We will also take a look at the geography of the Northeast. 

Mrs. Spakausky's Math Class-

This week we talked about Math Expectations and brainstormed what a great math class would be like.  (See Poster Below)
We also talked about what math might look like and sound like in 4th grade. (see below)

Unit 1:  Expressions, Equations and Volume

In Unit 1 we will focus on :

Module 1-Models for Multiplication and Division-The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.  

Module 2-Primes and Composites

Module 3-Multiplicative Comparisons and Equations

Module 4-Measurement Experiences (linear measurement, mass/weight, volume and capacity)

There will be a nightly homework assignment.

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.

Mrs. Spakausky's Blog for Sept. 2-6, 2019

Our 4th Grade Class

Important Dates:

Week of 9/2-MAP tests -Math- Thursday, 9/5 and Reading-Friday, 9/6 

Our classroom motto for MAP testing is "Don't stress...just do your best!" 

Tuesday, September 10th-Picture Day-An order form will be sent home with your child. 

Wednesday, September 4th  from 6:30 to 8:00-Curriculum Night-

You will have an opportunity to visit our classroom, and to meet your child's math teacher. 

Did you get your personalized video invite?

Our first week included "Getting to Know You" activities, team building and learning classroom procedures. 

The students and I have been getting to know each other, sharing some laughs and working hard.  Enjoy the pics!

The Toilet Paper Activity

The M&M Activity

Team Building with our Cup Stacking Activity

The Human Knot-

Can we work as a team to get out of our knot?

Academics

Spelling -  Prefixes: un-, non-, dis-
This week's spelling unit focuses on spelling rules for words that begin with the prefixes
"-un", "-non", and "-dis". We will also study word roots and how the prefixes change the meanings of the words. In addition to the spelling list, students will learn several vocabulary words that follow the same prefix pattern.  The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/6.

English: Writing a Friendly Letter
Students will learn the format for writing a friendly letter and write one to share with you on Curriculum Night.

Reading - Close Reading- "Casey at the Bat"

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...!!! Close reading is the careful, sustained interpretation of a piece of text, and one of the cornerstones of the Common Core State Standards. On Wednesday we will review this skill with an activity in which students will close read Oreo cookies...as you can imagine this activity has been quite popular in the past! Then, we will begin a close read of the poem, "Casey at the Bat". Students will read and reread this piece of rich text, dissecting it to gain an understanding of the author's words. 

Science  - Energy Conversions

We will study ENERGY during our first unit!

Social Studies  - Chapter 4-"Land and Water in the Northeast"

Fourth grade Social Studies is the study of regions of the United States. This week, students will become familiar with our Social Studies text by working with partners on a "textbook scavenger hunt".   

Then we will begin with chapter 4.  There will  be a quiz of the Northeast States on Mon. 9/9. The students will be given a blank map and will need to  label the states and water areas. I will be sending home a study guide and practice one on Monday.  This first quiz will have a word bank for the students to use.


Lesson 1-The Beautiful Northeast-incredible scenery and magnificent natural formations
Lesson 2-Resources of the Northeast-products for the world
Lesson 3-The Plentiful Sea-Chesapeake Bay and other bays in the NE

Mrs.Spakausky's and Mrs. Nino's Math Class-

Unit 1:  Expressions, Equations and Volume

In Unit 1 we will focus on :

Module 1-Models for Multiplication and Division-The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.  

Module 2-Primes and Composites

Module 3-Multiplicative Comparisons and Equations

Module 4-Measurement Experiences (linear measurement, mass/weight, volume and capacity)

There will be a nightly homework assignment.

PDF copies of the Bridges workbooks are always available via Google Classroom. Pages from the workbooks may be printed using a Chromebook, a desktop or laptop computer.

We ended our first week with an all school assembly!

Panthers are crayons in a crayon box this year and we will all work together at PV!