Math Test Tomorrow

Here are the thinkcentral.com games that go along with our division unit:

The Number Games
     Up, Up, and Away
          Levels L, M, N, Q, P, J


The children have user names and passwords in their assignment notebooks for this website.

The test will include the following concepts:

• Dividing with 1-digit divisors and up to 4-digit dividends (any method)
• Estimating to check quotients
• Making sense of remainders
• Mixed problem solving (word problems with multiple steps) 

Prepositions!

Here is Ms. Cavanaugh's class singing "The Preposition Song" to the tune of "Dashing Through the Snow".

Wacky Hair Day

Congratulations to Makaiya who was awarded star student this week for demonstrating self control!

It's hard to believe that there is only one more week until winter break! We have a lot of fun activities planned for next week including a pizza party on Friday. The entire fourth grade won this pizza party (sponsored by the PTO) for having the most students in attendance at the run walk.

We are also wrapping up many of our unit studies before break begins. There will be a chapter 3 math test on Wednesday, a chapter 4 social studies test on Thursday, and a prepositions test on Friday.

There are two band/choir/orchestra concerts next week that we will be attending. One is at 1:30 on Tuesday, and the other is at 1:30 on Friday.

Here is a "wacky" picture from wacky hair day!

Lights

Congratulations to Niyonah for being awarded star student last week for being kind!

We had an eventful week last week. The holiday cards have all been mailed to classrooms around the United States and Canada. The children addressed them themselves. We are looking forward to receiving letters this upcoming week (we have already gotten about seven!). In writing this week, the students will be working on book summaries and reading goals.

This will be the final week of our division unit in math. We will be doing several review activities and games next week. The test will most likely be next Wednesday the 17th. I will post review videos for the methods before that time. I will also post the Thinkcentral games that match the topics in the unit to use for studying. The students do not need to know every method for the test, but they should understand more than one method. They will be allowed to use the method of their choice for most problems.

Here are a couple of pictures of the students working on their holiday cards. The theme this year was "lights".

Class Picture

Our class picture that was taken today!

Second Trimester

It's hard to believe the second trimester has started! Report cards will be sent home on Thursday. We are deep into our division unit. As some students continue to struggle with the methods, I will be working with many small groups and individuals to get them caught up. Please make sure your child is putting adequate effort into homework assignments each night. Remember that this blog is here to help with math concepts as well!

We are working on a very cool project in writing. The students are making 29 holiday cards to send to 29 different classrooms all over the continent. In turn, our class will be receiving 29 holiday cards from 29 classrooms all over the continent. The theme is lights and will focus on many different holidays. Each student is making at least one card, while some students are making two. We will send them out on Friday. We will be mapping the locations of the classes as their cards arrive.

More Division!

Congratulations to Anneliese who was awarded star student this week for being patient.

We are having some fun in writing this week. The kids are writing a letter from the perspective of a turkey. They are trying to persuade the public to eat something different for their Thanksgiving feast.

I was pleased to see that almost everyone in our class has passed the 100 multiplication fact benchmark test! That means that they correctly completed at least 95/100 basic multiplication facts in 5 minutes! Next, we need to work on passing that division test. Please make sure that your child is practicing his/her basic division facts at home.

We are continuing on with our division unit. The children should know all three methods at this time. Here is a reference sheet with a demonstration of each method.

From Math Expressions Common Core, Grade 4, Student Activity Book, Volume 1

Place Value Sections Method of Division

Here is a demonstration of the Place Value Sections Method of Division:

Division

Congratulations to Zion who won the star student award last week for being courteous.

We are done with our Rocks and Minerals unit in science. The rock projects were great! I think a lot of the students enjoyed putting time and effort into this creative project.

We are now studying the traditions of early people from Wisconsin in social studies.

The chapter 2 multiplication tests turned out very well! Remember that anytime a student scores below a 70% on a test, he or she can retake it.

We are now into our division unit. It is set up in a similar way to the multiplication unit. There are three different methods for division; place value sections, expanded notation, and digit by digit. As of today, the children should know only the place value sections method. There is no math homework tonight. I will post a video example of place value sections method of division tomorrow.

Multiplication Test Tomorrow

The kids will take the chapter 2 multiplication test tomorrow. They will have time to work on the review pages in their workbook during class today, while I pull groups for review sessions. They should bring home their review pages tonight, even if they finish. This will give you an idea of what will be on the test, and what they should practice for tomorrow's test.

The following games on thinkcentral.com will be helpful in preparing for the test. I sent home a yellow sheet of paper with these games on it, as well as the student log ins and passwords.

Follow this link: 

https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do

Log in to Wisconsin, Glendale-River Hills School District, and Glen Hills, type in the username and password from your assignment notebook. Click on My Library and go to MegaMath.

These games all relate to multiplication and chapter 2:

Country Countdown

         Counting Critters

                  Level W

The Number Games

         Up, Up, and Array

                  Levels C, J, K

The Number Games

         Tiny’s Think Tank

                  Levels K, F, G

Numberopolis

         Carnival Stories

                  Level S

Congratulations to Lauren for earning the star student award this week for being sincere.

I hope that the kids have been working hard on their science projects over this long weekend! Please remember that they are due on Tuesday of this week (the 11th). The children will present their projects to the class. There is no final test for the rocks and minerals unit, this project with be their culminating assignment. We will be switching back to social studies near the end of the week.

We are also wrapping up chapter 2 in math. The final multiplication test will be on Thursday.

There is a parent math night on Wednesday. An invitation went home in the Thursday folder last week. We will be covering different methods of division.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

2 Digit x 2 Digit Multiplication

Some students are struggling with 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication. There are so many different ways to do this, I think sometimes the children combine methods and get confused. They may choose to use the place value sections method, expanded notation method, algebraic notation method, shortened expanded notation method, or shortcut method to solve. I urge them to choose whichever method they are most comfortable using. They do not need to do all methods.

Here is an example of the shortcut method:

Rocks, Rock!

I forgot to mention that Aidan won our star student last week for setting a good example, and Jack won star student the week before for being trustworthy. Congratulations boys!

We are finishing up chapter 2 in math. The final test will be sometime in the middle of next week. The next chapter will be on division. It is so important that students know their basic facts in order to be successful in these more difficult math units.

This is the last week of our Rocks and Minerals unit. The students will be assigned a rock project tomorrow, and it will be due on Tuesday, November 11th.

The children are currently in the process of typing their final personal narrative essays.

Please remember there is no school for students on Friday!

The students made their own "rocks", by using heat and pressure to combine minerals.

Upcoming Math

We did not get through lesson 2.13 in math today because it is quite complex. The students need to use the same methods for multiplication that they have recently learned, but now with 2 digit by 2 digit problems. It is proving to be a challenge for many students. When I send home the homework tomorrow, I will include this workbook page for reference.

From Math Expressions Common Core, Grade 4, Student Activity Book, Volume 1

News & Updates

Hello!

It was great to see many of the kids from class at the Y.A.C. on Friday! I know many of them had fun trick or treating this past weekend as well.

There is one more evening for parent teacher conferences this Thursday after school.

The boys are swimming on Friday in P.E.

We are still collecting box tops and "Socktober" items throughout the week.

Our reading strategy for the week is "Reading Good Fit Books". The children are learning how to choose books that are interesting to them. The books they choose need to be "not too hard" and "not too easy" in order for the students to improve their reading skills.

Here are some pictures from last week!

Halloween Y.A.C.

Rock Experiments

Observing rocks

It is interesting how different rocks smell when they are wet!

3 Multiplication Methods

Hello! The math homework for tonight asks students to solve several multiplication problems using a method of their choice. I would encourage students to try more than one method. I have sent home a copy of this resource page from the student workbook with each child.

From Math Expressions Common Core, Grade 4, Student Activity Book, Volume 1

Congratulations to Telliona who won start student this week for being considerate!

This week, we began our science unit. The kids had fun observing and experimenting with their rocks. They learned about properties of minerals including color, luster, and hardness. 

Our reading strategy this week is "Voracious Reading". We already have some voracious readers in the class, and we are trying to develop more of them!

In math, we are continuing to work on different methods of multiplication.

The North Shore Fire Department came to visit yesterday. They talked to the children about fire safety.

Thank you to all of the parents who came to conferences these past few days. It was great to sit down and chat with you about your children!

Expanded Notation and Algebraic Notation Methods for Multiplication

The children have learned the Place Value Sections Method, and are moving on to the Expanded Notation Method for multiplication. In this video, Jack is explaining how to use the Expanded Notation Method to multiply a one-digit number by a two-digit number.

We are also working on the Algebraic Notation Method for multiplication. Here is a demonstration of this method. (Note: This video is a bit louder, so you may want to turn the volume down.)

Area Models for Multiplication

Makaiya is demonstrating the Place Value Sections Method of Multiplication using an area model. Students should now know how to multiply a one-digit number by a two-digit number using this method.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

Congratulations to Aniya who won "star student" of the week this week for being responsible.

The school is starting a fall Box Top competition. The student who brings in the most Box Tops for Education will win a gift certificate. The classroom that brings in the most Box Tops will win a pizza party! Keep collecting those tops. Please bring them to school in a zip lock bag with your child's first and last name, as well as my name (Ms. Cavanaugh).

Next week, we have parent teacher conferences. The children will be released at 11:20 on Thursday, and there will be no school for students on Friday. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you!

The students researched one physical region of Wisconsin with a small group. They presented their findings to the class.

Socktober!

The 5th grade classes have created "Socktober" for Glen Hills! Please donate any new socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, deodorants, etc. to give to the homeless in our community. The Kid President started this idea. Watch his (funny) video here:

Hello Internet! It's #SOCKTOBER! Love, Kid President - YouTube

Welcome Back!

Hello, and welcome back! This has been an eventful week.

We finished our first math unit and had our final test yesterday. Overall, the class scored well on the test! Great news! It is my policy that anytime a student receives a grade lower than a C (or 70%), they may make corrections or retake the quiz or test. This goes for quizzes and tests in all subjects. Next week, we will being chapter 2, which is on multiplication of whole numbers.

We are also finishing up our second chapter in social studies. The final quiz will be next week. After that, we will be switching to our Rocks and Minerals unit in science. It is a very fun, hands-on unit that the students will love!

In language arts, we will continue to work on recognizing literacy elements. This past week we studied genre, next week we will study plot and theme. The students will also pick their topic for their personal narrative essay and begin prewriting.

We used the iPad apps GOMath4 and Doodlecast to prepare for the math test this week.

Welcome!

Welcome class of 2014-2015 students and parents! I am so glad that you have taken the time to visit my blog. The children really enjoyed working on this as a class last year. If you scroll down, you can see some of the fun learning activities that we did during the previous school year. I have given the children a preview of my blog during class, so many of them will recall seeing some of these posts! I always welcome comments... all you need is a google email account and then you or your child can make a post.

In math, we have been working on finding place value, rounding, estimating, adding, and subtracting. The Unit 1 final test will be either Wednesday or Thursday, October 1st or 2nd. The date depends on when the students seem ready to take it. I will have the students write the date in their assignment notebooks once it is finalized.

In Social Studies, we are learning about where Wisconsin is in the world. The children are also learning about the physical regions of Wisconsin and the Ice Age.

In Language Arts, we will begin our Personal Narrative writing unit at the beginning of October. The children will continue to work on their CAFE reading strategies of "checking for understanding" and "cross checking". They will also be working on their 40 book challenge where we will discuss different genres of literature.

In district news, the "Run for the Hills, a Walk in the Park" run/walk will be held Saturday, October 11th at 9am. I will be there volunteering as a course marshall! You can sign up on the district website or through Nicolet Rec. It is a fun event that raises money for our schools!

Countdown

We are counting down to the last day of school using the alphabet!

We are studying matter in science.

We are studying geometry in math.

We are going to the Milwaukee Art Museum on Friday morning.

Project Fashion is tomorrow, and I will be walking in the show! I hope you will join us!

We measured mass in science.

Fancy Day!

Fancy Day!

Lauren's Aunt was our mystery reader!

Guess Who... Baby Picture Day.

Oranges on Color Day!

Lime Greens on Color Day!

Madison

We had a great time in Madison last week! Thank you to all of the parent chaperones who came with us! The kids really enjoyed the tour. Here are a couple of pictures from the day at the Capitol and the Historical Society:

News

We have been working on fractions and decimals in math class. The chapter 7 test will be next week Tuesday or Wednesday.

In social studies, we just finished learning about Wisconsin and the Civil War. Now, we are learning about industries in Wisconsin. Our Madison field trip will be on April 23.

Next week, Wednesday, we are going to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. It is a short field trip. We will be back before lunch.

In language arts, we are working on prefixes, root words, and suffixes. The students are continuing to enjoy the listening to reading station as well. 

Here are some photos from the past couple of weeks:

The kids dressed like the teachers!

 Mr. Hill was one of our mystery readers. We celebrated Owen's birthday as well!

Krisjanis's grandparents came in to talk to us about immigrating from Latvia.

Keira's mom was another one of our mystery readers!

Fraction Pizza

It has been another eventful week! We had Art for Youth, a nutrition program, an Irish dance performance, and a mystery reader. Due to our busy schedule, the chapter 6 math test has been postponed until this Tuesday (March 18).

We made fraction pizzas in math this week.

Here is a photo of our poetry bulletin board. The students voted on how to present their poems, this was a group effort. It turned out great!

Aneliese's father, Mr. Kennedy, was our mystery reader!