Post #23

Spirit Week..... And we did have Spirit!!

Dressing up like the decades on Thursday

Now on to the curriculum highlights. We are moving along in math. The girls took a unit assessment. Each girl reviewed her errors with me and had a chance to make corrections and improve her grade. The fraction units involve some tough skills and the girls are making great strides. Ask your daughter about the importance of turning up her focus dial (it's what we say before beginning a math lesson).

The girls were introduced to adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. More on this next week. 

We've entered the Roaring Twenties in History4Fourthies and practiced the Charleston. The girls learned about the Harlem Renaissance. We started a new novel study, A Song for Harlem by Patricia McKissack. The setting is 1923 in New York City. This novel gives the girls a taste of life during the Harlem Renaissance. We explored entertainment popular in the '20's by watching a clip from The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin. The girls got clever and rewrote the  captions so a seven year old could understand what was happening in the movie.

Spelling memes and Star Wars rolling credits were included in spelling and Wordly Wise review. The girls picked up a seashell and imagined it was from another universe. They wrote the rolling credits- Star Wars style. Be ready to read quickly!

cae	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_HS4M5M
Cate	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_aBhPU2
Lydia	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_69f88E
Alice	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_PQAaU7
Ali	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_3Xg63X
Camden	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_cFJFPJ
AnneClare	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_R6FRE2
Ava	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_cSFSLE
STELLA!!!!	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_SbkD3H
Lu	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_CEWBSM
McKenzie	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_cYcm2d
Laila	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_JYLHYm
Eliza	http://www.classtools.net/movietext/201801_Ab2dAH

Sarah's meme

The Fourthies are in the Friendship Business. The girls are writing about their "businesses." Each business sells a product or provides a service that fosters and promotes friendships. This is just the beginning- detailed pictures and business cards are happening next week.

If you get a chance, please email me a few Snowball Dance pics. I'll use them for some fraction math problems:)

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* Homework- Posted for family planning.

* Friday field trip to VMFA-details here (hard copy is in work folder)

* Valentine's Day is around the corner. Time to decorate a collection box for all the valentines you will receive. 

* Special Week Girl-Eliza 

* Carpool Helpers-Laila and McKenzie

Class Leadership Week of 1/29 

Ambassadors- Ava and Laila

Photographer-Ali

Girls-Your blog question is....... When is our next field trip? Post your answer here. 

Award winning author, Carmen Agra Deedy, is coming to St. Catherine's on February 21, 2018 to speak to our lower school students. Born in Havana, Cuba, Carmen came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1964. Her children's books have won numerous awards and reflect her unique life experiences.
We are offering the opportunity to purchase an autographed book for your child through our local children’s bookshop, bbgb books. You may go to bbgb's website, http://bbgbbooks.com/book-buzz/?book_list=st-catherines, and add your book(s) to the cart.  At check-out choose school delivery, select St. Catherine's, then indicate your child's name, teacher and to whom the book(s) should be signed.  Please place your order by Monday, February 5th. The books will be delivered to school for Carmen's visit. You may call bbgb with any questions at 804.353.5675. 15% of the proceeds will come back to St. Catherine's!

Post #22

But first a little about our short week. We managed to wrap up the math unit. The girls reviewed and will be assessed on Tuesday. They decided on video clips (Paddington 2 and The Greatest Showman) for our EdPuzzle problem solving section on the test. Should be fun. 

We are getting ready to move into the Roaring Twenties next week. The girls learned that crossword puzzles were entertainment for folks in the 1910's. They created a Wordly Wise crossword puzzle. We used the puzzles as part of our WW assessment this week. We looked into the causes of World War I and discussed why this war was different from other wars.  

We dabbled with haikus and winter was the inspiration. The girls are reading an animal book and taking notes. A project will be completed in class.

Many girls are finishing up their personalized learning projects. They will present next week. 

Second semester started on Tuesday so now might be a good time to take a look at your daughter's Google Drive, The Quiz, Quia, and Spelling City to see her digital portfolio.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

World Language Letter (a hard copy went home with the girls today)

* Letter from the PE Department about Fitness Week (Fitness Calendar is below)

* Spanish Family E-Books

* Homework- Posted for family planning.

* Special Week Girl-Lydia 

* Carpool Helpers-Lydia

Class Leadership Week of 1/22 

Ambassadors- Stella and Caelan

Photographer- Grace

Girls-Your blog question is....... What should you wear on Friday? Post your answer here. 

First Day of Chinese!

Fitness Challenge Calendar

Post #21

Snow Day #3

What to do on this snow day?

#1 Stay safe.

#2 Enjoy time with your friends, siblings, parents, etc.

#3 Measure the snow at your house. Use the tool you took home yesterday, and remember to measure in inches.

#4 Look at the homework for the week and keep up to date. I know you can't do spelling "Let's Make a Deal." No worries just practice in Spelling City.

#5 Where are you in your Buncee fairy tale? Work on that.

#6 Read your animal book. I've posted the note worksheet in Google Classroom.

#7 Complete the math scavenger hunt.

#8 Post on the Padlet. All posts should include a WW word fro this week. Get creative!

Post #20

What is the best way to eat an Oreo cookie? The girls pondered this question. History4Fourthies has us in the 1910's- the decade when the first Oreo was enjoyed. Our writing lab focused on using transition words while explaining a process. The girls wrote about their favorite way to eat an Oreo. Their writing is shared here:

The girls read about the unsinkable Titanic. They studied the data and were appalled at the treatment of the third class passengers. They calculated the differences (1st class vs. 3rd class) in survival numbers and we had some deep discussions about the way people were viewed and treated during that time in history. 

We have been talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and how different life was when he was a boy. The girls acted out a reader's theater and really got into the story of a young MLK Jr. I'll be sure to include more reader's theaters as we move ahead in the decades. 

The girls checked out an animal book and will be reading at home. A note-taking handout will come home on Tuesday. We will work with the library databases and add to their notes for this mini research project. 

The girls are adding and subtracting mixed numbers, simplifying improper fractions, and explaining their understanding by journaling. They continue to impress me with their determination. 

The second semester starts on Tuesday. Yes, we are half way finished with fourth grade! The girls spent time reflecting on the first half of fourth grade. They wrote a goal for the third quarter and have signed up for a Teacher/Student conference. I'll be conferencing with each girl during the next two weeks

Thanks for guiding them to our blog for classwork during our snow days. I gave them next week's homework plan today. We talked about the importance of being proactive and prepared especially when the weather causes changes. I will always add something to the blog on snow days to keep the proverbial "Lamp of Learning Burning." Snow next week?

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* Homework- Posted for family planning.

* Chinese starts next week.

* Special Week Girl-Lydia (1/22) 

* Carpool Helpers-Grace

Class Leadership Week of 12/18

Ambassadors- Stella and Caelan

Photographer- Grace

Girls-Your blog question is....... What language do you start next week? Post your answer here. 

Post #19

Snow Day..... Second Edition

Good thing we put Monday's schedule on the board, right? 

What to do.......

* Check out the Newsela articles about polar bears, sea ice, and all things winter related. (The articles are also in Google Classroom.)
* Practice your facts with Frosty.
* Build a Buncee that explains the perfect snow day.
* Keep adding to the class Padlet. Challenge yourself to include a WW word in your post.
* Work on your fairy tale Buncee.
* Solve this snow day EdPuzzle.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needed a parent response is highlighted.

* Homework- Posted for family planning.

* Special Week Girl-Lydia (1/22) 

* Carpool Helpers-Camden

Class Leadership Week of 12/18

Ambassadors- AC and Lydia

Photographer- Lydia

Girls-Your blog question is....... How many factor pairs does the "number of days to spring" have? Post your answer here. 

Post #18

Our first snow day! Let's keep that Lamp of Learning Burning! 

Looking for something to do? 

* Check out the Newsela articles about polar bears, sea ice, and all things winter related. (The articles are also in Google Classroom.)
* Practice your facts with Frosty.
* Build a Buncee that explains the perfect snow day.
* Add to the class Padlet. Challenge yourself to include a WW word in your post.