Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Week of February 26th

Hello everyone! We have had a busy month this February and can't believe it has gone by so quickly. We had an awesome last couple of weeks with our Valentine's Day party and Engineering Extravaganza Night. Thank you to everyone that helped out and attended!


Things Happening at TCE:



  • Jump Rope for Heart- If the weather permits, this Friday will be our Jump Rope for Heart. We hope you are able to stop by at your child's specials time, which is 9:30-10:20 for 4th grade.
  • Book Fair- TCE's Spring Book Fair will be next week, March 5th-9th, and we are looking for parent volunteers to help host! Please visit tinyurl.com/spring18bfv if you are interested in helping out.



  • Open House- We will have our annual Open House on Thursday, March 8th, from 5:30-7:00. We hope you all will have a chance to stop by and see the amazing things your learners have been up to this year!

Curriculum Tidbits:


Math:

In math, we have begun our unit over division. We will be learning how to represent the quotient of up to a four-digit whole number divided by a one digit whole number using arrays, area models, or equations, As well as use strategies and algorithms, including the standard algorithm, to divide up to a four-digit dividend by a one-digit divisor. The learners will work to solve one and two-step problems involving multiplication and division, including interpreting remainders.


Science:

In science, we will be exploring our local weather. The learners will be recording weather data all week. They will also be learning how to use a wind meter, a barometer, and a hydrotherm. We will also be exploring different fronts and how they help us predict what weather we might see coming our way.

Language Arts:

In reading, we have been reviewing skills such as using text features to locate information and using a dictionary to learn more about a word. The learners are dictionary pros! We will continue to review skills and strategies to help us navigate and understand the text.


In writing, the learners recently wrote an expository essay about their favorite subjects. We are also finishing up a piece about our families! The learners are becoming experts at going through the writing process!

Social Studies:

In Social Studies, learners are beginning to explore their new unit, Texas Government. Students will explore the people and events assisting Texas in its quest to become a state.

We really appreciate you taking a few minutes to read our blog post. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your son or daughter's homeroom teacher. 

Monday, February 5, 2018

Week of February 5th

Hi 4th grade families! We have a few updates to share with you all. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog!


Things Happening at TCE:



  • The learners will be given the chance to participate in the Six Flags Reading Log Challenge to earn a free Six Flags ticket. The reading logs are due February 23rd. 

  • The learners will be able to celebrate Valentine's Day with their class on Wednesday, February 14th, at 2:00We will exchange Valentine’s before our party. Your child may make or bring Valentines cards for each person in the class. Your child's homeroom teacher will send out class names to help ensure that no one is left out. In addition, students may decorate and bring their own bag or box from home to hold their valentines.  They may decorate it however they would like! Please be sure that their box/bag will fit inside their cubby. We can’t wait to see how creative they get!

  • At our Winter Party, we gave the students a coupon book as their Holiday Gift. The coupon book has one coupon for each month. We will be letting them redeem the February coupon on Friday, February 23th. To accompany their coupon they will be able to bring a non-electronic game from home.


Math Homework: 
The learners are still expected to complete Reflex Math 2-3 times a week. 

In addition, we have started sending home weekly math packets again. The math homework packet will go home every Friday, and will be due the following Friday. 

Reading Homework: 

Learners will be expected to login to Raz-Kids and read for at least 15 minutes twice a week. The learners may read any book that is available to them when they login. It is not necessary for parents to sign off on a log because we are able to see their activity when we login to the app. 

In addition, we will be starting a passage of the week. Each Friday, learners will receive a short passage, and they will be expected to complete a short activity with the passage each day. You can see the instructions below.

Curriculum Tidbits:

Math:

In math, we are continuing our unit over multiplication. The learners will use strategies and algorithms, including the standard algorithm, to multiply up to a four-digit number by a one-digit number and to multiply a two-digit number by a two-digit number. Strategies will include mental math, partial products, and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties.


Science:

In Science, we will be beginning our unit on Earth's Weather. The learners will be exploring the following topics:  air masses have different characteristics based upon temperature and humidity, the boundary between different air masses is called a front, different weather conditions are associated with different types of fronts.

Language Arts:

In Reading, we will continue to work on making inferences using text evidence. Learners will also be working in guided reading groups to make inferences within their Raz Kids texts. As a reminder, learners have new reading homework expectations including an Article of the Week and 15 minutes of reading on Raz Kids twice a week.
In writing, we will be continuing to respond to new prompts and work through the expository writing process. We’ll be working on writing more descriptively and improving our opening and closing paragraphs.

Social Studies:

In Social Studies, we will be wrapping up our study on the Texas Revolution. We have been learning about the events leading up to the Revolution and important people of the Revolution. We will send out more information on our end of unit assessment when we get closer to the date.

We really appreciate you taking a few minutes to read our blog post. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your son or daughter's homeroom teacher.