Weekly Update 12/15

Last week of school in 2014!  Whoo-hoo!  We made it!  There is a lot of fun things planned this week, for starters it is Spirit Week here at Hansen:

Monday ~ Crazy Hair Day
Tuesday ~ Dress As Your Favorite Character
Wednesday ~ Wacky Sweater Day
Thursday ~ Favorite Sports Team Day
Friday ~ Hansen Spirit Day, wear your green and gold!

Math

Last week we finished up with learning the standard algorithm for multi-digit addition.  Now we are comparing it to other strategies we have learned.  I will collect a work sample this week that tells me what strategies they prefer when it comes to addition.  On Tuesday there will be a checkpoint that will go over place value and multi-digit addition.

On Wednesday we will shift our focus to subtraction.  Problem strings and story problems will help students deeper their understanding of and flexibility with subtraction strategies, including difference versus removal and constant difference.  We’ll end the week by going over the standard algorithm for subtraction so that after break we can compare it to the other strategies we have discussed.

Social Studies
We start chapter 5 this week in Washington History.  We will discuss the coming of Protestant and Catholic missionaries to the area and what effect they had on the Native Americans.  The bulk of the week will be spent discussing the Oregon Trail and its importance to Washington.  There will be a quiz on Friday.

Reading
Your child is reading “How to Babysit an Orangutan” by Kathy and Tara Darling.  look at the Reading tab for vocabulary and activities to do with your child.

On Friday there will be a short comprehension and vocabulary quiz.

Homework
Due to break, homework will be slightly different this week.  Math will be sent home as a packet on Monday and is not due until Friday.  Your child may turn it in a page at a time or all at once, as long as their name is on it.  Some students have earned ‘no homework’ passes.  They may only use it for one page of the packet.

On Friday, a ‘Winter Break’ Journal will be sent home for your child to complete over the break.  Instructions will go home with the journal.

There is a spelling test on Wednesday, and we will be doing it on the computer again.  This gives the students more practice on their typing skills as well as being able to finish at their own pace.  A new list of spelling words will not be released until the Wednesday after we return from break.

Other Notes
On Wednesday, we will be having our Winter Assembly.  The Fourth Grade will be performing!  

Have a great week and a fantastic break!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B

Weekly Update 12/8

My goodness, I can’t believe it’s December already!  Let me give you an overview of this week as we start our countdown to break.

Math
We’ve finished fractions and decimals and had a lot of fun!  Make sure to help your child recognize these concepts, just because we’re no longer studying them in school doesn’t mean they disappear until 5^th grade.

We are now changing our focus to addition, subtraction and measurement concepts.  This week we are looking at place value to 1,000,000 and multi-digit addition strategies.  We are bringing back our Great Wall of Base Ten to develop understanding of place value to 10,000 and then build a model showing 1,000,000 units.  These activities help students see patterns and relationships in the base ten counting system.  They will use what they learn about place value to investigate and review addition strategies for larger numbers.  We round out the week by learning the standard algorithm for addition and compare it to other strategies they have learned. 

Social Studies
Now that we’ve studied a little about the Native peoples that first lived here, we’re now moving onto American and European explorers who came to the area.  We will look at explorers who came by sea and by land, most notably Lewis and Clark.  We will also discuss about the fur trade.  The Chapter 4 quiz will be on Friday.

Reading
This week you child is reading “The Garden of Happiness” by Erika Tamar.  In this story, a girl learns about different cultures, community pride, and helping others when she takes part in a neighborhood garden.

The vocabulary words for this week are:

inhaled

mural

skidded

lavender

haze

Please check the website for a fun activity to help your child with this week’s vocabulary.

On Friday, there will be a short quiz on vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Other Notes
Here are some events going on this week:

Coin Drive for Doctors Without Borders!  Mr. Samson’s class is doing a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders.  Please bring any spare change this week to help this amazing cause!  The last day to bring change in is Friday, December 12th!

Thursday, December 11: Orchestra Concert!  7:30 pm at Marshall Middle School.  Tuning begins at 7 pm.

Friday, December 12: Family Movie Night!!  6:30 pm in the Cafeteria.  See The Hansen Herald for more information.

Just a head’s up, Spirit week is coming!  December 15 – 19, please see The Hansen Herald for details.

Have a great week!

Excelsior!

~Ms. B

Weekly Update 12/1

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the break!  Here’s what we’re working on this week.  As a reminder, the daily activities will be listed in your child’s planner.

Math
We are finishing up on our unit on fractions and decimals this week.  We will be looking more at the relationship between fractions and decimals and play some games to help develop a sense of those relationships.  We will also look at their relationship on a number line.  

Social Studies
This week we are learning about the Native people that first lived in Washington.  This chapter ties in with what they learned during Of Cedar & Salmon. 

Reading
Your child is reading “Nights of the Pufflings,” a nonfiction article that is written and photographed by Bruce McMillian.  The selection describes how puffins, which are small sea birds, come to shore on an island near Iceland to raise their chicks.  It also tells how, on the nights when the young birds leave their nests and attempt to fly out to sea, the children of the island help by rescuing baby birds that crash-land on the island.  These children later release the rescued birds into the sea. 

Other Notes

Just a reminder, there is Late Start on Wednesday and Friday is a Half Day.  

Many of you may have noticed there were no spelling words in the planner on Wednesday.  In all hullabaloo that was the day before Thanksgiving, it simply was glossed over.  There will not be a spelling test this week, but a new list will go out on Wednesday.

We start going to the computer lab on a weekly basis this week.  We will be working on our keyboarding skills every Wednesday.  Speed is not our focus, but more the ability to type a story in one sitting.

Have a great week!

Excelsior!
~Ms. B