Wednesday, March 28, 2012

March 28

Good day to you!  Spring break is upon us, but before we head off for a week, I wanted to share with you LOTS that is going on here in the classroom. 

Field Trip Note- You will find a note with all of the details about our spring trip to the zoo.  You are encouraged to pay using the mealpay online payment system.  All of the details can be found on the sheet as far as the date, payment, lunch, etc.

CRCT-D scores- Your child was given a letter to take home on Wed. night.  This letter gave the scores your child earned on the D test.  This is a predictor test for how well your child might perform on the real CRCT.  This letter was supposed to be signed and returned.  I received most but not all with a parent signature.  If you have not seen this letter, please talk to your child.  Also, if you did sign it and return it, I have sent them back with your child now that I have seen the signature.

CRCT- Don't forget that we will have 2 (yes, just 2) full weeks when we return from the break, and then we will take the CRCT.  In the 4th grade, your child is expected to pass all subject areas. There are many things you can do to help your child review.  Study Island and the OAS tests online are great ways to review.  The social studies book and the math book are also online, so you can reread topics we have studied in those two areas if you choose to do so.

"Boot Camp"- For the two weeks after spring break we will not have our normal schedule.  We will be doing a rotating schedule where students will travel to the other 4th grade teachers reviewing skills that have proven to be a great weakness for our grade level. They will go to their normal math class and they will have social studies and science for a short block of time, but everything else will be sort of mixed up.  It should be a fun way to review lots of different skills. 

Social Studies- Our topic of study is the Reform Movement.  We do three biography studies that include Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I don't know the exact test date, but it will either be at the end of the first week after spring break or early the following week. I will let you know as the date gets closer.  Fourth grade does not provide a study guide for this test.

Reading Incentive Program- The media center is doing an Olympic themed reading program.  Please see the reading log and directions in your child's folder.

Math-  In my math class we will be finishing up 3-D figures when we return from spring break.  The plan is to test the Tuesday after we return.  We will review that Monday.  There is not a study guide for this, as the students also studied this topic in the second and third grade, so the concept is more of a review.  Here are some of the skills that will be tested in case you would like to discuss them with your child: identify vertices, edges and faces, knowing what solid figures look like in their 'net' form before they are folded into a 3-D figure, being able to sketch a net of a rectangular prism, and knowing what edges on solid figures are parallel or perpendicular to each other.

I think I have covered everything.  If not, I will be back to type more :-)