December 8

Can you believe there are just 5 more school days until we get out for Christmas break?  WOW!

This last week is a busy one.

For starters, we have benchmark testing next week.  We will take one test per day.  We will be testing from 10-11:00 each day.  These tests will cover all fourth grade material up to this point. These tests are issued by the county, and no study guides are provided.

My math group will take their first division test on Wednesday.  Please work with your child before the test. Some students had not really mastered basic division, which of course is causing a delay in learning long division.  If your child is struggling with basic division or with the steps of long division, I would suggest you practice multiple problems this weekend.  We will continue with with division after the break.

Students will test on The Road to the Revolution/Colonies Unite next Thursday. A study guide has already gone home and should be studied each night.  Students are also coming home with a weekend social studies assignment.  They are to reread chapter 8 and complete two workbook pages.  Thiis is due Monday.

Our holiday party is Friday from 1-2:15.  If you would like to check your child out after the party, I will have a sign out sheet in the classroom.  A huge thanks to Savannah's mom (room mom )for planning all of the festivities.  A thanks also to parents for sending in the items that were requested via email.  Your help is always appreciated. 

There will not be a spelling test next week, so there is no homework in spelling.  Please do look for homework in other subject areas.

Enjoy the weekend.

Please excuse any typos.  Thanks!



Math Test Moved

In my latest blog, I stated that our math test would be Thursday of this week for my math group.  This is being moved to Friday, as I failed to realize that our Colonial speaker would interfere with our math time.

Multiplication Test #3 is on Friday.

Week of Nov. 28

I hope each of you had a very happy Thanksgiving break.  The time between now and Christmas break will go by very quickly.  With that said, there is a great deal of curriculum to cover between now and the end of this nine weeks.

What's happening this week?

We will have a pronoun quiz on Thursday We are reviewing in class Wednesday.  Students will be bringing home a couple of workbook pages to use as a study guide this evening.  Pronouns are also taught in third grade, so hopefully each of the kids will do well.

In social studies, we are starting with the French and Indian War and will learn about the "Road to the Revolution" before we get out for Christmas break.  This is a LOT of information, so you will see more homework coming home in social studies in order to review and reinforce what we have talked about in class.  Most students find this very interesting.  We will not test on this until the middle of the week the last week before we break.  

This week on Wednesday we will have a guest speaker in the media center.  He will be speaking on Colonial America. 

In reading we are studying steps in a process.  A fun project at home would be to bake something with your child.  Let them follow the steps.  Talk about why we follow the designated order.

Our Christmas party the last day before we break (Friday).  More information will come from our room mom.  I know the kids will have lots of fun.

In math we are  finishing up our studies of two and three digit multiplication.  We will test on Thursday of this week.  This will be our third multiplication test.  We will then move onto long division.  We will not be spending a lot of time on basic division, as kids are supposed to have mastered that in third grade.  If you know your child struggles, please spend extra time at home working on basic facts.

Benchmark tests will be the last week before break.  We will take one test each day just like we have done in the past. 

Have a super week!

Please excuse any typos.  Thanks!



13 Colonies Study Material

Yesterday, we went over a lot of study material in class.  Your child is also bringing home a 'parent signature' sheet for you to sign each night showing that your child studied. I will be checking this daily on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Please have them bring their study packet back each day to school and we will be adding to it.  They will then bring it back home in order to study for that night. Below is some more study information that will go along with a sheet we will be working on in class today.  You can print this off and work with your child.  Also, this will be good incase your child leaves their study materials at school.

Study Material:

You need to know what state makes up each colony!

The reasons Europeans migrated to North America:

1. Religious Freedom- They wanted to be able to practice their own beliefs

2.  To search for a better life, job, and own land- Life was hard in Europe, and many people wanted new opportunities

3.  The King of England wanted to control the new land in North America- He wanted to have more power

The following examples helped model our government today:

1. The Iroquois League

2.    The Mayflower Compact

3.    House of Burgesses

Things to know about the colonies:

New England (Colonies: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island)

• Tried to remain a part of the Church of England
• They followed the Mayflower Compact and celebrated Thanksgiving
• Poor, rocky soil not good for farming
• Long cold winters and short summers
• The economy included whaling and fishing because they lived near the ocean.
• Had many forests, so they had shipbuilding in order to be able to fish in the ocean.
• Produced wood from the forest & furs from many of the animals with thick coats for the harsh winters
• The Puritans’ first settlement in North America was the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Middle (Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania)

• Were known as the “Breadbasket Colonies” because they grew a lot of grains.
• Had the best climate and soil that was perfect for farming
• The Delaware River and Philadelphia were very important to this colony. They had good harbors.
• Religious Toleration and cultural borrowing were celebrated in this colony
• Mostly grew staple crops for them and their communities to eat.
• Trading was very important and they had many shops

Southern (Colonies: Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland)

• Had large farms or plantations where they grew tobacco as well as food. Had mostly cash crops that they sold for profit.
• Had “buffer zones” to protect the other colonies from the Spanish in Florida.  
• This colony was made for debtors who could not pay their taxes in England.
• The Virginia Company of London helped create the House of Burgesses. Only white free men who owned property were allowed to vote for representatives in the House of Burgesses.
• Had the longest growing season, mild winters and fertile soil for growing crops
• Economy included cash crops like wheat, tobacco, rice & cotton
• Rural life (opposite of living in the city) was most common in the southern colonist
• The first permanent settlement in Georgia was Savannah

James Oglethorpe was the man that started the Georgia colony.  He brought debtors (people that owed a lot of money and were in jail for it) from England to begin the Georgia colony.

William Penn was a Quaker who started the Pennsylvania colony.

The Mayflower Compact was a list of rules made by the first colonist to help them get along.  It helped the Puritans and strangers establish rules. This helped lead to American self-government.

Jamestown was the first successful English settlement in America.

Squanto was a Native American that helped the fist colonists survive.

The colonist stole the Native Americans’ land and gave them many diseases.

The Iroquois League was when 5 Native American tribes gathered together to solve disputes among the tribes without violence.

The Toleration Act gave religious freedom to all Christians in Maryland.

The Plantation System was a large farm broken into many pieces. Slaves worked and farmed the land.

The Halfway Covenant provided limited membership in the Puritan Church.

The House of Burgesses was the legislature in Virginia where colonists elected members to represent them

Penn’s idea for government was called the Frame of Government It said all citizens are to be treated fairly. It also gave people freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Since many colonists moved to the colonies for religious freedom, many of the things they created had to do with religious issues. Some of these are:

1.       Toleration Act in which all Christians in Maryland were given religious freedom.

2.       Frame of Government which was written by Penn and gave citizens freedom of religion.

3.       Halfway Covenant that provided limited membership in the Puritan Church.

You also need to be able to tell:

• The similarities and differences between Jamestown and Plymouth Colonies in terms of location, government, and economy.
• How the lives of Native Americans changed as people moved to the 13 colonies

 Thank you!

Week 14

This is a busy week at Burnette!

For starters, we will be completing our studies of the Colonies.  Students will test on Thursday, November 17th. This is going to be a test that includes LOTS of information.  I will be very forward and say that if your child does not study EACH night this week for this test, they will not do well.  Your child has a copy of the thirteen colonies in their journal.  They were already supposed to be bringing this home to study.  They need to know which states make up each of the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.  They will start bringing home study material tomorrow night (Monday, November 14th).  They are going to need a parent to quiz them on the material.  The study materials sent home are taken directly from the test, so please use these materials to help your child study.  Each night, more study material will be sent home, so that by Wed. night, you will have all materials for a final review before Thursday's test.  Once again, it is going to be important that your child study each night.

In math we are moving on to two digit by two digit multiplication.  For those few students that still have not completely mastered their basic multiplication facts, you will most likely see a decrease in your child's math grade this nine weeks.  It is imperative that your child have these mastered, as this is a second and third grade AKS.  They need to be reviewing them each night.  I have some great websites linked under the 'educational websites' on the blog where your child can go practice each night.  They can also practice division, which is the next topic.  We will not test on two digits until shortly after we return from the break.

The students will take a short quiz on pronouns on Friday. There is not a study guide for this, but we have worked on this in class for the past two weeks.  Feel free to review pronouns with your child at home.

Please look back at last week's blog posting for all of the extra events going on at Burnette this week. 

Have a super week, and don't forget to help review the material for the social studies test. 

Please excuse any typos.  Thanks!

Math Test Moved

The test in Mrs. Phillips' math class has been moved to Friday, November 11th.

Plymouth Webquest

Plymouth
(By Gonzalo Gonzalez & Fitzgerald Richardson)
Used for Educational Purposes

In the 1620,the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth (Present day Massachusetts Bay area). They came from England to seek freedom of religion. Before setting foot on land they drew up the Mayflower Compact. The compact stated that 41 signers would agree on how to make the colony successful and would agree on laws for the colony. The colony later grew too large for them to consult each other, so they chose representatives.

During the first winter many weren't prepared. It was too late to plant crops, so they had to feed on whatever wild game and food they had left from the voyage. Many pilgrims had sod houses that were poorly built. Others sought shelter in caves that were cold and damp. Nearly half of the pilgrims had died of disease or starvation after the first winter, and the others carried on as best as they could.

During the spring, a Pemaquid Indian came to the colony. His name was Samoset. He knew English from sailor he had worked with before. He introduced the pilgrims to a local Wampanoug chief, named Massasoit. The pilgrims and the chief made a treaty of peace. An indian named Squanto was the one who helped the pilgrims the most. He knew english well. In the fall, they had a good harvest, so they set aside a day to give thanks to God. From then on, they celebrated Thanksgiving.

Click HERE to watch the story of Squanto