Mrs. Shigemasa's Updates

Please note . . .

Our class will be going on a field trip to the Wells Fargo History Museum this Friday. There, we will learn more about the California Gold Rush, and we will be introduced to a time when the stagecoach and telegraph were popular. Field trip permission slips were sent home last week. Please fill them out as soon as possible. We have two requests: 1. Bring a sack lunch on Friday; 2. Please donate $4.00 to help cover cost of transportation. THANKS VERY MUCH!!

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, we will begin writing a narrative from the point of view of a pioneer child crossing the Sierra Nevada. The focus traits are word choice and voice. Students will rely on their knowledge of the overland journey as well as their skill in the Six Traits of Writing. The children are enjoying a new core literature book called By the Great Horn Spoon.  It is filled with historical information about the gold rush. It is an excellent example of good word choice and voice.

MATH

I will be testing students on decimals (ch. 18) on Tuesday as well as next week (ch. 19). In the next few days, I will be finished with our study of fractions and decimals and will move on to geometry. If possible, pease monitor your child's progress with math. Fractions and decimals and geometry are very important standards, and it's difficult to catch up if one falls behind. Thanks!

SOCIAL STUDIES

We are forging forward with the California Gold Rush. Next week, your child will be working on report writing to share what he or she learned about the gold rush.

SCIENCE

I will be giving an important chapter test (ch. 7) on Thursday. Hopefully, your child has been busily reviewing since last week.

That's about it! Please do not forget to send the field trip permission slips back to school! Thank you!!

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:31

Thank you very much for helping your child reflect and set goals this past week during Student-Led Conferences. It is an important process that helps children improve and make progress.

Please note . . .

Our class Web site has been updated. There are many new photos and examples of student work. Please check it out at: www.ausd.net/baldwins

On Thursday, we're looking forward to watching a Brass Music Assembly here at school. Our professionally produced music assemblies are always a delight, so be sure and ask your child about the Thursday assembly later in the week.

Today, we celebrated Read Across America. All students gathered in our courtyard to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday by silent reading. Later, I will post a few photos of room 23 doing something they love: reading!!

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, students will practice summary paragraphs. They will work on identifying big ideas and supporting details. Then they will practice using their own words to write a paragraph using topic and concluding sentences with supporting details.

MATH

We will finish up with fractions and move on to decimals this week. Please continue to monitor your child's homework; some students have found these to be tough concepts. Ch. 16 will be tested on Wednesday. It covers standards such as: comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers, equivalent fractions, simplest form, mixed numbers and improper fractions, renaming improper fractions, and adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Fourth grade will complete ch. 5 this week. I plan to assess students next week. We have been working on the chapter for several weeks, so there is much to review. Students should begin rereading and reviewing this week.

SCIENCE

Room 23 is learning about types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They will continue to work on a PowerPoint presentation. The children enjoy looking at a variety of rock types while reading about this fascinating subject.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 08:34

Welcome to Student-Led Conference Week! I want to tell all of you how much I appreciate the time you are taking to attend conferences. Not only does it show your child how much you value education, it is a good opportunity to see your child's progress and help him or her to set goals. Thank you!

Other than a Lesson 1 science quiz and the usual spelling and geography quizzes, there will not be anything else in the way of tests. We are busy with summary writing, rocks and minerals, and the Bear Flag Revolt.

I am looking forward to seeing you at your child's conference. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to bring them up at conference time. Thanks again!

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 13:23

Hope you had a wonderful long weekend. Thank you to Amanda's mom and the PTA for providing a tasty treats for our classroom Valentine's party last Thursday. Also, I wish to express "Happy New Year" to those who celebrate. I hope everyone was able to spend some extra time with family over the extended weekend.

I imagine that the children who will be going on the overnight brig Pilgrim field trip are very excited. Please make sure they carefully pack their belongings for drop off at the multipurpose room before school begins. "Overnighters" will be busy with class work until it’s departure time. It should be a wonderful, unforgettable experience! Students going on the day time field trip on Thursday need to pack a sack lunch and arrive at school at 6:30 A.M. Please help by making sure your child arrives at school by 6:30. We appreciate your support!

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 17:45

For the next two weeks, we will have 4-day school weeks: This week, Friday is a holiday, and the following week, Monday will be off.

FIELD TRIP permission slips for DAY TIME TRIPS ONLY have been sent home. Under the "Special Instructions from Teacher" area of the permission slip, please note that students will need to bring a sack lunch and that a donation of $30.00 is requested since the Orange County Marine Institute and our district school bus charge fees. In addition to our usual permission slip, please fill out and return the Risk and Waiver form. Your child will not be able to board the docked ship if this form is not returned. In addition, please read the two letters that were sent home: one is an informational letter from me and the other is a general letter that includes clarification about the Risk and Waiver form. If your child is going on the OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP, all necessary paper work to be returned was passed out at the parent meeting. If you have not yet returned the large brown envelope with paper work, it would be great if you can do so as soon as possible so that we can continue to organize the overnight trip and assign crews.

STUDENT LED CONFERENCE reminder notes were sent home today. Please email me at: Lshigema@ausd.net if you need to change the date/time.

VALENTINE'S will be celebrated here on Thursday afternoon with a fun little party. Students are welcome to bring Valentine's cards. Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning cards: 1) To avoid bruised feelings, please ask your child to bring in a card for (a) all students (30 in all), or (b) all the boys (14 in all), or (c) all the girls (16 in all); 2) Do not address cards with student names since it will take way too long for each student to pass out personalized cards; simply sign your name on the Valentine card so that the recipient knows it's from you; 3) Mrs. Hillman and our school district ask that we respect the "Health and Wellness Policy" by limiting sweets and junk food. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE A CANDY TREAT IN THE CARDS. If your child wishes to add a special "treat," here are a few alternative ideas to consider: pencil, sticker, book mark, drawing, or a healthier alternative to sugar laden candy. Mrs. Hillman and I thank you for understanding that, in consideration of good health and nutrition, we wish to limit sugary snacks.

LANGUAGE ARTS

As we gear up for the end of trimester two, I will be administering the DIBELS reading fluency/comprehension test and SRI reading comprehension test this week. Fourth grade teachers will be testing DIBELS all day Wednesday, so we will have substitutes teachers for the whole day. Mr. Mora will be in to oversee class on Wednesday. Fortunately, Mr. Mora is very familiar with my routines as he was my student teacher last year. :o) We are busily preparing for the Pilgrim field trip by continuing to read Two Years Before the Mast. Our latest writing assignment is requiring students to stretch their imagination and do their best to to use VOICE as they draft a pourquoi tale. (Be sure to ask your child about the Kipling pourquoi tales we read in class.)

MATH

Ch. 14 math test will be Wednesday instead of Tuesday (as indicated on the Homework Packet calendar). We are well into ch. 15. It involves graphing on the coordinate plane, ordered pairs, negative numbers, length of line segments on the coordinate plane, perimeter of quadrangles on the coordinate plane, etc. Much of this is new to 4th grade, so please continue to monitor your child as best as you can. Don't forget, the online eBook has intervention links to help students review (via a virtual tutor). Look for the life saver icon in the eBook located at: https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do   By now, all students should know how to sign in because I have been assigning math activities from the eBook.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The students are continuing to read about the westward movement in their Literature Circles. There is so much to learn, and everything is so interesting.

SCIENCE

Minerals and rocks have been the focus of science. It's gratifying to see how much fun children have just by looking at mineral samples. Our class overflows with excitement when it is science time.

So please remember . . .

. . . due to the shortened week, Homework Packet and Weekly Work Envelope will be due on Thursday instead of Friday.

. . . field trip permission slips (two forms from students going on the day time trip) are due this week along with a much appreciated donation of $30.00 for the day time trip (payable to AUSD).

. . . Valentine cards are welcome this Thursday, but sugary snacks placed inside envelopes are not invited.

. . . and last but not least, a special thanks in advance to Amanda's mom and our wonderful PTA who will be providing snacks and drinks for our class Valentine's party on Thursday. I know that the children will have a great time. I'll be sure and snap photos (sharing the smiles and fun) to post on our class Web site.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:34

Gosh, can you believe that it's already February? We're only a few short weeks away from Student Led Conference time (beginning the week of February 22). I will send reminder notices as we get closer to the date

Tonight (Monday) at 6:00, there will be an informational meeting for parents of students who had requested to go on the overnight brig Pilgrim field trip. The meeting will be held in room 25.

CLASS WEB SITE has been updated. Browse to see new photos, new work samples, etc. It's at www.ausd.net/baldwins

Tomorrow, the students will be enjoying a wonderful musical assembly called "Africa Tap." We are fortunate to have assemblies where professionals can share their love of music as well as their customs and culture.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We began Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana. It is an autobiographical account of Dana's experience aboard the brig Pilgrim, so it is a wonderful source to support the upcoming field trip. Students are also working in Literature Circles to learn more about the westward movement. Ask your child about lit. circles and what his or her job is. We are wrapping up the final lessons in our comprehension practice program. Although we will continue to use the various comprehension strategies that have been taught, the formal classroom "program" will come to a close this week. It's a good time to talk to your child about the anchor charts that are coming home tomorrow in the Weekly Work Envelope.

MATH

Please look over the ch. 13 math test (coming home tomorrow) together with your child. Chapter 14 continues with data and graphing standards, so much of what has been taught in ch. 13 appears again in ch. 14. There will not be a math test this week.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week, the focus is on the westward movement. I will be quizzing students on big ideas and details of what they are reading in Literature Circles. I do not plan to enter their scores in my grade book, but please keep an eye on the westward movement/literature circle quizzes to check for understanding. Thanks.

SCIENCE

We began the Earth science unit today. It should be an engaging one. This afternoon, students observed minerals and circle mapped their own ideas about the properties of minerals. Soon, they will utilize scientific tests to identify rocks and minerals. Eventually, room 23 students will be able to recognize differences between the three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. In a few short weeks, they will learn a lot, so keep asking your child about rocks and minerals. I think you'll be impressed when you find out just how much they know. But give them a few weeks!

HEALTH

I reminded my students that the health quiz is tomorrow (Tuesday) and that they can review the health textbook pages via our LTX board capture from last week. It's only a few pages long.

That's it for now.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:11

Sorry I didn't post the "Updates" yesterday. Your child probably told you I was absent. Unfortunately, I was ill and spent the day resting so that I could recuperate. I will keep this week's blog brief.

DISTRICT WRITING ASSESSMENT was today. Luckily, all children were present today, so no one missed the test. Tomorrow, all 4th grade teachers will be out of the classroom to assess the writing tests. Therefore, a substitute teacher will be teaching tomorrow (Wednesday), but I will be on campus. :o)

MATH TEST for ch. 13 is this Thursday. Some students are still unsure about scale and interval. Other concepts, such as range, median, and mode, are challenging to a few. These are important concepts to master, and they will come up again in chapter 14, so please support your child understanding the difference between interval and scale, median and mode, etc. Thanks!

BALDWIN STOCKER TALKER was sent home today. Our class contributed an article; in fact, each student (unless he or she was absent on the day we wrote the article) is represented in the article about our classroom, so be sure to ask your child to share the Baldwin Stocker Talker with you.

WEEKLY WORK ENVELOPE did not get sent home today. Each week, I have an abundant number of eager volunteers who come in after they eat lunch to help distribute Weekly Work Envelope materials, but for some reason, I only had one helper today. It was tooooo big of a job for one person, so hopefully, I'll have more helpers who volunteer next week Tuesday to facilitate the process of Weekly Work Envelopes. Although I could have chosen to use after lunch time, I shuddered to think that I had to give up teaching time for a task that we had, at least in the past, always been able to take care of. Thanks for your understanding.

Try to stay dry in this rainy weather. "Talk" to you next week.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 16:11

Yesterday's holiday might have possibly provided an opportunity to spend extra time together as a family, so I'm hoping you enjoyed special time together, perhaps snuggling together to read a good story while keeping warm and dry. At school, we will be busy remembering how Martin Luther King, Jr. represents fair treatment and respect for all people. This week, students in room 23 have been assigned an online homework activity that will teach them more about the man who has influenced us and will educate children with important life skills.

Weekly Work Envelope - Due to heavy rain, I decided I will not be sending home the Weekly Work Envlope.

Holiday Program DVD - If you have not yet filled out the order form and sent in the money for a copy of the holiday program DVD, please do so. It is due this week.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, fourth grade will practice narrative writing which will be evaluated in My Access, a software program that uses intellemetric scoring to help children improve in the six traits of writing. Students will be able to receive immediate online diagnostic feedback and revise as appropriate. In the meantime, I will be overseeing the assignment and encouraging careful attention to the focus traits for this assignment: word choice and fluency. Talk to your child about the various techniques we show good word choice here in room 23.

MATH

Although you did not have a chance to see your child's ch. 13 math test, I am, on the whole, pleased at how well the students performed. However, a couple of kids did not show proficient understanding. This is a reminder: If your child still struggles with factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers, (or any other math concept from past lessons), please take advantage of the Extra Practice pages at the end of each chapter in the math textbook, Review Key Standards pages towards the end of the textbook, and perhaps most effectively, allow your child to use the practice and review activities available in the online eBook as this seems to be a fun and way to engage children's attention. It would be great if you and your child can spend time reviewing the many eBook activities available for each chapter.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We are starting a new chapter this week and will spend the next six weeks delving deeply into the history of trailblazers, the westward movement, and the westward growth of the United States. Reports, projects, and a plethora of educational activities are planned.

SCIENCE

Students should be well into programming by now. We do robotics right after lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I stay in my classroom during lunchtime so that students who wish to work on robotics may get an early start. It is optional, but some kids who are falling behind can use the extra time. Please ask your child about how he or she is progressing.

HEALTH

We finished Lesson One on "Nutrition." The children are working in class to complete a study guide. Next week Tuesday, I will capture the textbook pages to our LTX website for your child to use as review for the following week's health quiz (scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 2).

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 07:58

Our class enjoyed an educational field trip experience to Mission San Fernando last Friday. Thank you to Julius’s mom and Ocha’s mom for helping to chaperone. Our docent was very impressed by the depth of knowledge the students had. She was full of compliments and said she had never led a public school class that showed such understanding. I was very proud of my students, for many of them raised their hand to answer questions about the mission period. It was obvious that they had recalled much of what they had learned. You, too, should be proud of the children in room 23.

Math eBook: Last week, I told my students that they may check out the DVD version of our California edition math eBook if they bring in a parent note requesting that I lend the DVD to them. Currently, your child has access to a version of the online math textbook that does not exactly correlate with our California edition. For most students, this should not present a problem because for the most part, all the lessons are available, but they might not follow the same order as our edition. However, for a few who struggle with math, they may prefer to use the DVD eBook which is an exact copy of our textbook. If your child checks out a DVD, he/she can keep it at home until the end of the year, so it is important to keep track of it so that it isn’t lost. Once again, I will not send home the DVD unless I receive a parent note.

Thank you to those of you who returned the Pilgrim field trip survey slip that was due last week. As soon as I have met with my grade level colleagues to discuss just whom we will be able to include in the overnight field trip experience, I will let your child know. The main purpose of the survey is to fill the limited spots available for the overnight field trip. Any child who wishes to go on the daytime trip may do so as there will be room to accommodate them.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, the children are wrapping up journal stories and reports and focusing attention on writing activities related to the rancho project. We will practice letter writing based on the facts learned in social studies.

MATH

In preparation for this week’s math test, please monitor your child’s understanding of prime and composite numbers and prime factors if you can. Although most everyone understands the concept of prime factors, I can see that some students are careless when expressing factoring. I do not plan to give a multiple choice test, so it is especially important that children are not careless in order to demonstrate understanding. Also, this week’s online homework will encourage students to practice for the math test. In case your child forgot how to go to the eBook, here is the URL: https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do    I have taught my students how to login and given them their username and password which they should have made note of.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week, we are not reading from the textbook but are, instead, focusing on the rancho project. We will resume textbook reading next week when we begin ch. 5.

HEALTH

We will continue our study of nutrition. This is a good time to talk to your child about healthful foods and the valuable nutrients our body needs. It’s a perfect opportunity to make sure your child is eating nutritious foods. Breakfast is essential, so please start your child’s day with something healthy. Oatmeal with berries and milk or eggs and whole wheat toast with a banana or grapefruit is a wonderful way to fill your youngster’s tummy and help him to be alert in school.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 18:45

Happy New Year! Welcome back to the school routine! I'm sure everyone enjoyed a wonderful break filled with family time. Thank you so very much for your holiday well wishes and gifts. I am touched by your kindness and generosity and want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughtful gifts.

I want to give special thanks to Amanda and Lienard's family for having provided holiday party snackson the last day before winter break! The children enjoyed tasty treats and healthy fruit salad which gave them the energy to spend Friday afternoon playing "Disney Grooves" a Dance Dance Revolution WII game. What a fun way to exercise, listen to happy music, and practice good rhythm. We had a great last day before break!

You will find photos of our holiday party, including kids happily dancing on WII dance mats, at our updated Class Web site: www.ausd.net/baldwins

Our first day back went very well. I wish we had time for the children to share what they did over winter break, but we were just too busy. So I posted an optional blog if your child wishes to "journal" how he or she spent the winter break.

FIELD TRIP

This Friday, fourth grade classes will be going to Mission San Fernando for an all-day field trip. We will eat on the mission grounds, so please plan on sending a sack lunch (no glass containers; everything disposable so that it can be tossed). Also, a $6.00 donation to cover bus expenses and admission to the mission is requested. Permission slips will be distributed on Tuesday. If possible, send your child to school with a clipboard on Friday so that notetaking about mission facts will be easier.

Today, your child brought home a letter about an upcoming field trip to the Orange County Marine Institute. We discussed the daytime and overnight field trip today in class. Please talk to your child and decide whether the daytime or overnight experience is a better option. Then return the survey portion (indicating day or overnight preference) of the letter as soon as possible. More details will be sent home as the field trip date approaches.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, we will be practicing the ideas of FANTASY and REALISM as we read a humorous story called the "Heat Wave." Now that the children have completed their rough draft mission report, they will put it into a final draft newsletter format. Next, room 23 will be writing a journal story from the perspective of a Native Californian to share what they have learned about Native life in the missions. Later in the week, I will be giving another IBD vocabular quiz.

MATH

Factors and multiples, prime and composite number along with finding prime factors are the big ideas in chapter 12. It would be helpful if you could monitor your child's math homework to ensure understanding of these important concepts.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will spend the next two weeks working on the California Mission project. Most of the work involves writing activities, such as reports and journals, and is expected to be completed in class. It is an involved project and should prove to be an effective way to promote understanding of the California mission period. In addition, the children are working on a rancho project which relates directly to the mission period, so we're very busy with California history.

SCIENCE

Robotics keeps us busy here in room 23. Problem solving, critical thinking, and hopefully a feeling of reward are common experiences when dealing with robotics.

HEALTH

This week, we will begin a nutrition unit. We will begin with a lesson called "Getting the Nutrients Your Body Needs," which focuses on protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

DON'T FORGET . . .

• There will be a field trip to Mission San Fernando this Friday, so please return completed permission slip along with $6.00 donation (slip to be sent home on Tuesday) by Thursday.
• Pack a sack lunch on Friday; therefore, children will not be allowed to purchase lunch this Friday.
• Students are encouraged to bring a clipboard on Friday to take on the mission field trip.
• Pilgrim field trip survey to indicate if your child wants to go on the day or overnight field trip in February. Please do not send cash or checks yet. More info. will follow including a parent meeting for children going on the overnight field trip.
• Visit our updated class Web site!

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:38

HOLIDAY PROGRAM will be this week Thursday (for last names A-L) and Friday (for last names M-Z). We are looking forward to entertaining you with a skit based on a book called The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. By now, I imagine that you have heard your child practice singing "Walking in the Air" and "I Have a Dream" a thousand times! Come to the holiday program and watch how we put it all together. :o)

REPORT CARDS will be sent home on Wednesday, December 16th. This is a new, standards based report card for third, fourth, and fifth grades. You will notice that we are now using the following marks to indicated progress: L (limited progress towards year end standards), P (adequate progress towards year end standards), M (meets or exceeds year end standards). Please keep in mind that your child is assessed according to year end standards. Therefore, I am evaluating my students on what they can presently do in comparison to what they are expected to be capable of by year's end. In addition, there are life/learning/effort marks to indicate level of effort. (Enclosed in your child's report card envelope will be a letter from the district that clarifies the new standards-based report card.)

GRADING SYSTEM: Beginning this trimester, the system of grading student work will no longer be communicated using numbers as we had done up until now (1, 2, 3, 4) but will rather reflect the new report card grading system. Writing assignments and projects will be given a grade of L, P, or M and may also have life/learning/effort marks to indicate effort level. These marks indicate level of proficiency/mastery according to expectations unique to each assignment, so your child can earn M's for demonstrating, for example, good word choice in a writing assignment based on what has been taught thus far in the school year but not yet receive an M on the report card if year end standards for word choice have not yet been met. Tests and quizzes will be scored using percentage.

WEEKLY WORK ENVELOPES

This is something new for second trimester: I have asked my students to return ONLY papers that require a parent signature or papers that need to be corrected. ALL OTHER WORK MAY BE KEPT AT HOME including conventions practice packets, geography quizzes (unless there is a parent signature stamp on it), projects such as timeles and maps, etc. Only send back papers that are stamped, thereby requiring a parent signature.

GEOGRAPHY QUIZZES: I already spoke to my students about the new changes in geography quizzes. A 1/2 point will be deducted for each misspelled answer, so the grade will reflect accuracy in spelling. RSP kids and ELD level 1 and 2 students who are learning English will not be penalized for misspelled words.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week, the children will begin their second mission project report. Now that they have completed the Father Serra Journal assignment, their focus will turn to reporting about the California mission that they had requested a brochure from. The focus traits will be organization and fluency.

MATH

We will complete ch. 11 and assess learning on Friday.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We finished reading ch. 4 last week, so I will be giving a test on Thursday. Students will continue to share their knowledge through our mission project which will continue after school resumes in January.

SCIENCE

Nearly all students have built their very first roverbot and are working on programming it. They are showing me that they are able to make their robot go forward and reverse and complete various turns. Soon, our student programmers will be utilizing sound and touch sensors to demonstrate different ways that their robots respond.

Reminders . . .

Geography homework answers are captured on our LTX website for ease of reviewing.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:17

This week's Blog Updates will be brief.

CLASS WEB SITE has been updated. Several new photos have been added for you to see what keeps us busy. Also, enjoy newly added student work samples at: www.ausd.net/baldwins

Please note that there will be a MATH CHAPTER 10 TEST on Friday. We will begin ch. 11 later this week. It, too, focuses on division.

Students have been busy with their SOCIAL STUDIES/LANGUAGE ARTS REPORT on Father Junipero Serra. Each child is creating a Thinking Map together with partners, groups, and with the teacher. The Thinking Map is used to write a draft. We have been capturing a basic tree map on our LTX website at: http://bs23ltx.ausd.net/   (Today, however, we did not add any new info to the Thinking Map; therefore, there is no capture today but several have been saved to the LTX website in the weeks that have passed.) It is to be expected that your child's tree map may differ from the "captured" one because of additional information he or she added.

Other than that, the children are making progress with ongoing assignments that were started in previous weeks.

Please note: Report cards will be sent home next week Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 16:42

Welcome back from a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I enjoyed Thanksgiving up in San Francisco where I was able to spend time with my whole family. I managed to squeeze in time to correct all the tests that I had planned to complete over the holiday weekend because it is important to your child and to me that you and your youngster spend time together looking through all the work that is sent back in the Weekly Work Envelope. So please take some quality time to help your child to review any concepts that might still be confusing (based on the assessments that have been sent home).

FAMILY FUN NIGHT will be tomorrow evening (Wednesday). It will be a continuation of a draw-along assembly held in the morning here at school. Ask your child about the assembly. It sounds like it will be a fun one!

HOLIDAY PROGRAM is around the corner, so I've been asking my students to practice their songs and their lines in the skit. Hopefully, your child is practicing, practicing, practicing (and hopefully, their repetitive practices are a source of joy and holiday cheer). Thanks for your encouragement and patience as our sweet children sing and recite!

LANGUAGE ARTS

We will begin a series of report writing assignments  beginning with one on Father Junipero Serra. Report writing focuses on organization, so your child will be getting plenty of practice in the next few weeks. Students who fall behind will be asked to work on reports at home. Your child has been reminded that there will be an IBD vocabulary quiz tomorrow.

MATH

This week, we began a chapter on division with one digit divisors and remainders. Since it is mostly a review from last year, many students earned differentiated math work (challenge activities). If your child is doing differentiated math, then he/she is excused from participating in class lessons, so it is important that careful attention is paid towards homework since the chapter test is based on class work and homework.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week, we will finish reading ch. 4's textbook lesson. However, we have two big class projects planned, so we will continue to work with ch. 4 concepts until winter break. Our first project relates to California missions; the report about Father Junipero Serra will integrate language arts and social studies. Our second project is about rancho life. I'll let you know when we begin this fun project.

SCIENCE

Robotics is ongoing. Students are still building their roverbots, but hopefully, they will finish building this week. A good website to look at is JPL's located at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/   There is a "Kids" link and many other interesting links within the website that provide information about roverbots and other robotic devices. Please take time to explore with your child.

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 13:25

This will be a short week, so I will not be sending home Weekly Work Envelopes this week.

Also, due to the shortened week, fourth grade teachers are not assigning Homework Packets this week.

I plan to give the following tests this week (in addition to the weekly geography quiz on Wednesday):

• Chapter 8 math test on Tuesday
• Chapter 9 math test on Wednesday
• Health quiz Wednesday

Chapter 8 and chapter 9 math are very similar. Both chapters involve estimation and multiplying with a 2-digit factor. The main difference is that ch. 8 limits the mulitplication problems to 2-digit factors only; for chapter 9, one of the factors will be 2-digits and the other factor will have 3 or 4 digits. So the tests will be similar.

There are no spelling words this week (since there is no Homework Packet). Therefore, I will not give a spelling test this week.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Don't forget--there will be no school on Thursday, Friday, and the following Monday (due to Staff Development Day).

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:28

This week will be busy a busy one of testing: Chapter 7 math test will be Tuesday; Chapter 2 science test will be Wednesday; Chapter 3 social studies test will be Thursday. I want to make sure I complete all testing before we break for Thanksgiving. So in addition to our regularly scheduled geography quiz and spelling test, I will be administering three chapter tests this week. I have been reminding the kids about this for the past few weeks, so they are well aware and have hopefully been reviewing.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

Fourth grade has already begun practicing for the annual holiday program. We're looking forward to performing in a few short weeks. With your permission, I've asked my students to view our holiday songs in "You Tube," an Internet website located at: www.youtube.com  Once in, they can type the following into the search window: "walking in the air connie talbot" AND also "i have a dream connie talbot." You Tube can be a great resource to help practice our songs, but I warned my students that they should not be browsing the website without asking you first. It is a place where the public can post personal videos, and although it is loaded with educational resources, your child needs to be monitored if you choose to allow him or her to access this website. I appreciate your help. And of course, please use your best judgment when it comes to allowing your child to use this website resource.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We will practice the use of inference this week as we read a mysterious story about a "stranger." Inference is an important strategy that helps with strong reading comprehension. In addition, we will continue to read more of Island of the Blue Dolphins. I will continue to give vocabulary quizzes every couple of weeks. Last week's vocabulary quiz will be sent home in the Weekly Work Envelope. Please check to see if your child had prepared for the quiz, and if not, perhaps you can help by reminding your youngster to review the vocab. words for ch. 5-10. Thanks!

MATH

Chapter 8 math involves multiplication and estimations skills, so it is mostly a review. We will actually begin chapter 9, which involves multiplying greater numbers, this week. Once again, please encourage your child to practice math facts. It's painful to watch kids kids struggle with simple facts when they should be adept at them.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We started chapter 4 today. It is filled with information, so help your child to understand by asking what he or she learned in social studies. Ask about the Mexican War for Independence. See if your child can tell you why the Spanish colonists wanted freedom. Check if your child can name any of the important individuals involved in the war.

SCIENCE

Today, the children began building a simple robot to test their sound sensor. It won't be long before they build a roverbot and begin programming it to do various tasks.

That's it for now!

Posted by Mrs. Shigemasa at 15:14