Monday, April 30, 2012

Early arrival Friday 8:00 AM!

Reminders:
  • Students must be at school at 8:00 a.m. this Friday, May 4  for our field trip to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma!  Please make a note in your calendars and get ready to come to school early that day (and plan for a late return around 4:30).
Homework:

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group

Option 1: Finish Runner's log if you didn't in class, then complete TERC Unit 6, pages 54, 55, 59
Option 2: Handout

4th Grade Blue Group Homework:  Equivalent Fractions


5th Grade Math: Fifth graders are practicing division strategies – multiplying to divide, creating a list of multiples until you arrive at the dividend, and other – in class. They will do ERB practice for homework each night this week. Here's the packet for the week in two parts: 1 and 2
 
Triskaidekaphobia:  Today we discussed Greek and Latin roots in the morning, and played a game with roots as part of word study.  Your child should know how to explain the word, "triskaidekaphobia," as it was our example word in the morning.
Fourth grade math

Blue Group: Today we analyzed a multi-step word problem to practice using given information and solutions to solve successive questions.  Students also wrapped up assessments from last week and practiced finding common denominators to add fractions.

Purple group:  We reviewed addition of fractions again today.  Students found adding fractions with like denominators easy, but had a more difficult time when fractions had different denominators. We explored ways to make equivalent fractions, so that the denominators are equal, for example, by multiplying both the top (numerator) and bottom (denominator) numbers by the same factor.  We will continue to practice this week. 

Then students worked on addition of decimal numbers with the game  Fill Two, and students estimated and the calculated the sum of different distances in miles, tenths of miles, and hundredths of miles.  Students added up decimal distances in the Runner's Log; we will discuss their strategies and answers tomorrow.

A small group worked on ways to calculate percentages, to allow more easy comparisons when the denominator of fractions would be very different.   They looked at the free throw shot percentages of two pro basketball players; handout is
here.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Planting with our buddies

Reminders:
  • Field trip Friday, May 4 to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.
  • Step Up Day, Wednesday, May 9.
  • Standardized Testing:  May 14-May 17, make up day May 18.  See Zaq Roberts' letter.
  • Strawberry Creek Spring Performance Wednesday, May 23rd; Rehearsal 3:30-6:30 pm, Performance 6:30-8:00 pm in the Depot.
  • Walk-a-thon, Thursday, May 24See News Notes article for details.  
No homework--enjoy the weekend!
 
Planting seeds and playing in the sun with our K/1 buddies


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Supporting Haiti / Walk-a-thon

Reminders:
  • Field trip Friday, May 4 to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.
  • Step Up Day, Wednesday, May 9.
  • Standardized Testing:  May 14-May 17, make up day May 18.  See Zaq Roberts' letter.
  • Strawberry Creek Spring Performance Wednesday, May 23rd; Rehearsal 3:30-6:30 pm, Performance 6:30-8:00 pm in the Depot.
Homework:
Writing: Character story  assignment.  Due tomorrow. 

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group
Option 1: Finish JUMP packet
Option 2:  Handout

Blue Group:  No homework tonight.


Walk-a-thon & Haiti:  The Strawberry students voted to use the money raised during the walk-a-thon on May 24th to support an organization working for the people of Haiti.  Today a friend of Kate Klaire who is an active member of an organization working in Haiti came to the classroom to share about what efforts are currently underway in Haiti.  The kids had great questions, and it was great to have this connection made.

Fourth grade math
Purple group: 
We practiced a variety of math problems for skill review in our warm up.  Pairs of students enjoyed playing two games requiring comparison of decimal numbers:   the strategy game Deci-Mill Dunk or the game of chance Decimal Compare (like War).  Students practiced adding and subtracting decimal numbers, and pointed out the importance of lining up the correct place values and decimal points.  The other group worked on problems dividing fractions (handout here).  They found that drawing pictures helped figure out the answer and helped determine an algorithm for doing other problems. 


Blue Group:  Students played a decimal comparison game today and continued working on the fraction and decimal review assessment.  

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Puppet crafting & scratch presentations

Reminders:
  • Field trip Friday, May 4 to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.
  • Step Up Day, Wednesday, May 9.
  • Standardized Testing:  May 14-May 17, make up day May 18.  See Zaq Roberts' letter for more information about testing at our school.
  • Strawberry Creek Spring Performance Wednesday, May 23rd; Rehearsal 3:30-6:30 pm, Performance 6:30-8:00 pm in the Depot.
Homework:
Some students have been asked to catch up on their chapter study work for By the Great Horn Spoon.  Otherwise, no additional homework tonight.
Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group

Option 1:  JUMP Handout, pages 1-4
Option 2: Handout
Blue Group:  Complete second page of homework sent last night   Decimal tenths and hundredths.
Fifth grade math
5th grade reexamined the many ways to multiply. Tonight's homework is ERBs + a TERC worksheet.

Fourth grade math
Purple group: 
Our warm up today practiced multiple choice geometry questions.  Students were reminded or some geometry terms, like perpendicular (lines at right angles to each other) and pyramid.  Then we continued work with decimals and fractions.  One group worked on a JUMP packet comparing decimal numbers, converting them to equivalent fractions like tenths, hundredths, and thousandths, and placing them on number lines.  The other group worked on multiplication with fractions; the problem is here.
Blue Group:  Today we reviewed fractions and began the first part of an assessment covering fractions and decimals.


Scratch presentations of games & animations
Wow, what an inspirational show of creativity today at the conclusion of our Scratch unit!  Half the class showed their Scratch creations to the other half, then we switched, and students captured 3 things they learned from classmates about Scratch and programming on index cards.  There was use of conditional statements, sensing other objects and changing the looks and sounds in response to key strokes and mouse clicks, music and other recorded sounds, and many other ingenious effects.  

Below are links to each student's project if they would like to show them to their family at home, or continue their work there. You can download Scratch for free--it is very quick to download.


Amelia
Anika
Anne
Aya
Caroline
Charlotte
Gwen
Hannah
Isaac
Jesse
Luka 1
Luka 2
Max
Meg
Mia
Milo
Nora
Riley
Sam
Selihome
Shunyata
Sophie
Tyrrell
Vivian

Puppet characters for By the Great Horn Spoon








Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Student advice posters available at auction

Reminders:

  • Please return signed the permission slips for the Marshall Gold field trip (download here).
  • CORRECTION:  Step Up Day is Wednesday, May 9, not May 2.  All fifth grade students will spend the morning in Wildcat Creek with the sixth grade teachers, and fourth grade students will be hosting third grade students.  It will be important for students to come to school on time at 8:30 am that day.
  • Standardized Testing:  May 14-May 17, make up day May 18.  See Zaq Roberts' letter for more information about testing at our school.
  • Strawberry Creek Spring Performance: Wednesday, May 23rd; Rehearsal 3:30-6:30 pm, Performance 6:30-8:00 pm in the Depot.
Homework:
Chapter notes for the Great Horn Spoon due tomorrow!
Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group
Option 1: Finish JUMP packet
Option 2:  Handout; answer questions on a separate sheet of paper


Blue Group Homework:  Decimal tenths and hundredths.  Students should finish both sides of the first page.


Student Advice Posters
At this year's Art Show, some of you may have seen the advice posters fourth and fifth grade students made in art class with Julianne Hughes. She is printing some of these for the 2012 TBS Auction this coming Saturday, April 24, including the pieces above by Isaac and Ethan.  We hope you will consider buying one of these prints to support our school!

Fourth grade math
Purple group: 
Our warmup this morning was a multiple choice coordinate grid problem set, in preparation for standardized testing in a couple of weeks.  Students in the plum group reviewed mixed and improper fractions with a JUMP packet, and learned ways to flexibly move between them.  Periwinkle students worked on brownie pan problems to explore multiplication with fractions; you can download the problems here.



4th Grade Blue Group:  We began today with a brief look at multiplying with decimal numbers.  We used our work with fractions as a basis for looking at multiplication with decimals, being primarily focused on problems using 0.5 as a factor to take half of a number.  For example, 0.5 x 12, or 1/2 of 12.  We tried a few problems with decimals in both factors, and discussed counting the digits behind the decimal point to know where to place the point in the answer.  We followed this by beginning tonight's homework to further their comfort with identifying tenths and hundredths.

Fifth Grade Math:  Fifth graders spent the morning examining baseball standings and statistics. They worked with fractions, decimals, and percentages to figure out just how far out of first place are the Giants and the A's. More ERB practice for homework along with a TERC page. Download from yesterday's blog.