Lemur’s Log

Week ending 8/28/15

MATH: Chapter 4 on multiplication will be our topic for the next couple of weeks. The students MUST have their multiplication facts memorized. Understanding of the multiplication process will be severely encumbered if automatic retrieval of the basic facts are bogging down their thinking. Please practice them daily!

You will see a method called partial products (very different from the way you and I were taught) used as a way of solving multiplication. It involves breaking down factors into their place value parts.

LANGUAGE ARTS: The students selected historical fiction books to read in small reading groups. We are working on summarizing with two of these books; while Moki has a variety of tasks associated with it. The upcoming due dates for the books’ tasks are: The Corn is Ripe and Pedro’s Journal Job#2 (Character Analyses) on Tues., 9/1/15; Corn and Pedro Job #3 (Detailed summaries) Moki Job #4 on Fri., 9/4/15.

Morning work consists of a packet of skills to be worked on each morning at a self-directed pace. The students have a week to complete it,but we will be checking it each Tuesday and Thursday of a normal week. Please make sure that if you remove the packet from their take home folder that it gets put back in there for your child to work on at school. The current packet will be completed on Thursday, and there will be a quiz on Friday, 9/4. It will be comprised of about 5 sentences to correct and some of the math skills practiced in the packet. You may have noticed some grading on the geography portion of the packet in this week’s Friday folder. These grades WILL NOT be recorded for the remainder of this quarter.

For writing, we are working on summarizing by finding main idea and details.

SOCIAL STUDIES: The students will begin our first social studies unit on geography of the United States. Landforms will be examined. Placement of important cities that will apply to our future studies will be located on a map. Natural resources will be identified to connect later to reasons why Native Americans settled in particular areas and how those resources helped them survive.

SNACK PARENTS: ForFriday9/4, snack will be provided byBlake family; for 9/11 it will be the Buchanan family; and for 9/18, the Crawford family. For planning purposes, we have 25 students. Your child may select something that they think the class would enjoy. There are 2 students with nut allergies, so if your snack has nuts, please send in 2 alternate items for them. You may send in the snack with your child on the assigned morning, or bring it in at your convenience during the day.

HELPER PARENTS: Upcoming helpers are as follows: For Thursday, 9/3/15, a helper will be from the Crawford family; and for 9/17, the Davis family.

PVS: This stands for Parent Volunteer Subs. For those who are new to Sope Creek, this is a chance for you to be a substitute in the classroom for a couple of hours on the mornings of 4th grade team meetings. You will need to attend a mandatory training session which will be offered on Thurs., 9/3 at 8 A.M.; OR Wed., 9/9 at 5 P.M.; OR the final choice is Thurs., 9/10 at 11:30 A.M. All sessions are held in the Leadership Lodge. It is ideal to have two parents in the classroom on these days. The days that you might be needed in the classroom are: Fri., 9/18; Thurs., 10/15; Thurs., 12/3; Fri., 1/22/16; Fri., 3/4/16; and Thurs., 4/28/16. The time will always be from 8 – 10 A.M. Further coordination of these days will be upcoming.

FORMS:I am missing many Medical Release Forms. I have attached one to my blog as a separate item. It needs to be notarized (Corky, in our front office is a notary) and returned before your child can go on off campus field trips. Our first one will not be until March of next year, but you might want to cross that off your “To-Do” list as soon as possible.

Performing Arts forms need to be signed and returned also. This enables your child to attend any in-school arts presentation, including the very popular Art Day.

UPCOMING EVENTS:Picture Day is this coming Friday, 9/4/15. All orders are to be placed on line. A form came home in your child’s Friday folder outlining how to order pictures. No money will be collected on the day of the pictures.