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Upcoming Events
11/24/2008 - Early Dismissal-Conferences
11/25/2008 - Early Dismissal-Conferences
11/26/2008 - Early Dismissal
11/27/2008 - Happy Thanksgiving
11/28/2008 - No School
11/25/2008 - Early Dismissal-Conferences
11/26/2008 - Early Dismissal
11/27/2008 - Happy Thanksgiving
11/28/2008 - No School
Welcome to 4th Grade
Jennifer McMahon
BLUE BELL EL SCH
Contact Jennifer McMahonPage Last Updated Oct 28, 2008
Number of Visits: 185
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Favorite Links FlashCards
FOURTH GRADE HAPPENINGS~
The lab coats are on and the investigations have begun, for the fourth grade team of chemists, as we’ve begun to delve further into our curriculum areas. In Science we are busy discovering the identities of 5 unknown white substances. Our chemists started by predicting what they believed each of the substances were based on initial water mixture tests. Soon they moved on to test the substances with vinegar and iodine. Along the way they stopped to conduct a filtration and evaporation test on all of the unknowns, which helped them to make more predictions. As we look to finish up our testing, we’ll conduct experiments using cabbage juice and heat to discover some last properties of our substances. If you bump into a 4th grade chemist, make sure you ask about our exciting chemical reactions, and what our unknown substances are!
In Social Studies, now that we’ve discovered how the United States became a nation, we’ve packed our bags and will journey through Pennsylvania’s landforms and regions. There we will discover the regions that Pennsylvania is broken into. There are five regions in Pennsylvania, just like the major United States regions. We’ll then take a trip back in time to our early life in Pennsylvania to talk about the early settlers and the rich history. It will be an exciting time as we learn why our state is unique.
We continue to explore our different concepts and ideas in Everyday Math. We just finished working on reading and writing numbers into the hundred millions and beyond. We’ve also challenged our thinking and routines by exploring how to add and subtract multi-digit numbers using some new methods, such as the partial sums and trade first. Students have worked to write numbers in all different ways using name collection boxes. The students are beginning their next unit on multiplication, division number stories and logic puzzles. We have also added some new games to our classroom, which help in reviewing key facts. All the games that we play are in the SRB, and we would encourage you to try at home. Some of our favorite games are: Multiplication Baseball, Name that Number, High Number Toss and Addition and Subtraction Top-it. Remember, students should be online at either Everyday Math or First In Math each night.
In Language Arts we continue our read alouds by exploring text features that are found in nonfiction text, as we discuss different expository texts. During our read alouds, we’ve been focusing on asking questions by making “I Wonder” statements. To help us build our community and encourage thinking we’ve been working on sharing our thoughts with partners to help us comprehend what we are listening to. Keep up the great reading and thinking.
Informational writing is flowing from the students’ pencils, and they work to research, investigate and inform us about different items of interest. We are working on the PSSA criteria in our writing, so students are encouraged to write with a focus, which is backed up with concrete details, organization and great style. Conventions are also important as we work in word study to review and expand the ideas of how vowels and consonants work together to form word patterns, which help with our spelling and reading.
As our work continues please make sure to check your child's agenda book daily and help by returning signed tests, and making sure your child is completing his/her work. As we expand our word study program, be on the look out for new homework involving word sorts and word hunts to help practice our patterns of the week.
Thank you to all of our families who volunteered to bring in a snack. If you have not, and would like to, there are still weeks available, especially after the new year. If you are interested, please let me know.
Thank you for your continued support in helping to make this a successful year for all.
A FEW REMINDERS:
- Absent notes are required when a student has been absent. If a note is not sent in, the absence will be unexcused.
- Please make sure to practice on First in Math each day and try to play games on Everyday math online.
- Wednesday Folders - go home Wednesday and come back Thursday. Please make sure to sign and return forms.
- Birthdays are celebrated in our room by sharing a favorite book. Please remember that we are not celebrating with a snack.
- Flashcards above have most frequently used words.
The lab coats are on and the investigations have begun, for the fourth grade team of chemists, as we’ve begun to delve further into our curriculum areas. In Science we are busy discovering the identities of 5 unknown white substances. Our chemists started by predicting what they believed each of the substances were based on initial water mixture tests. Soon they moved on to test the substances with vinegar and iodine. Along the way they stopped to conduct a filtration and evaporation test on all of the unknowns, which helped them to make more predictions. As we look to finish up our testing, we’ll conduct experiments using cabbage juice and heat to discover some last properties of our substances. If you bump into a 4th grade chemist, make sure you ask about our exciting chemical reactions, and what our unknown substances are!
In Social Studies, now that we’ve discovered how the United States became a nation, we’ve packed our bags and will journey through Pennsylvania’s landforms and regions. There we will discover the regions that Pennsylvania is broken into. There are five regions in Pennsylvania, just like the major United States regions. We’ll then take a trip back in time to our early life in Pennsylvania to talk about the early settlers and the rich history. It will be an exciting time as we learn why our state is unique.
We continue to explore our different concepts and ideas in Everyday Math. We just finished working on reading and writing numbers into the hundred millions and beyond. We’ve also challenged our thinking and routines by exploring how to add and subtract multi-digit numbers using some new methods, such as the partial sums and trade first. Students have worked to write numbers in all different ways using name collection boxes. The students are beginning their next unit on multiplication, division number stories and logic puzzles. We have also added some new games to our classroom, which help in reviewing key facts. All the games that we play are in the SRB, and we would encourage you to try at home. Some of our favorite games are: Multiplication Baseball, Name that Number, High Number Toss and Addition and Subtraction Top-it. Remember, students should be online at either Everyday Math or First In Math each night.
In Language Arts we continue our read alouds by exploring text features that are found in nonfiction text, as we discuss different expository texts. During our read alouds, we’ve been focusing on asking questions by making “I Wonder” statements. To help us build our community and encourage thinking we’ve been working on sharing our thoughts with partners to help us comprehend what we are listening to. Keep up the great reading and thinking.
Informational writing is flowing from the students’ pencils, and they work to research, investigate and inform us about different items of interest. We are working on the PSSA criteria in our writing, so students are encouraged to write with a focus, which is backed up with concrete details, organization and great style. Conventions are also important as we work in word study to review and expand the ideas of how vowels and consonants work together to form word patterns, which help with our spelling and reading.
As our work continues please make sure to check your child's agenda book daily and help by returning signed tests, and making sure your child is completing his/her work. As we expand our word study program, be on the look out for new homework involving word sorts and word hunts to help practice our patterns of the week.
Thank you to all of our families who volunteered to bring in a snack. If you have not, and would like to, there are still weeks available, especially after the new year. If you are interested, please let me know.
Thank you for your continued support in helping to make this a successful year for all.
A FEW REMINDERS:
- Absent notes are required when a student has been absent. If a note is not sent in, the absence will be unexcused.
- Please make sure to practice on First in Math each day and try to play games on Everyday math online.
- Wednesday Folders - go home Wednesday and come back Thursday. Please make sure to sign and return forms.
- Birthdays are celebrated in our room by sharing a favorite book. Please remember that we are not celebrating with a snack.
- Flashcards above have most frequently used words.
Favorite Links
Blue Bell Elementary
Wissahickon School District
Internet Resources through Blue Bell
School Calendar
First in Math
EDM
Play our favorite math games online
Math Playground
Try some of the logic puzzles, or math games for fun.
Language Arts Practice
http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interact-LA.htm
Site for interactive websites in a variety of areas including LA