Newsletter: January 27-February 18

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Fiction Unit of Study
Our next Schoolwide reading unit will focus on reading fiction. In this unit, students will learn to identify the characteristics of different types of fiction- traditional literature, myths, fairy tales, etc. The students will also be reviewing the elements of a fiction story. The beginning presents the setting, characters, and conflict or problem. The middle of the story includes the plot. The ending reveals the resolution to the conflict or problem. In addition to identifying story elements, students will infer the mood or theme of a story and analyze how characters change over time.

Writing Workshop: Expository Nonfiction
In this unit, students will be learning research skills, such as taking notes, categorizing information by subtopic, and conducting effective Internet searches. They will take the information they gather and write an expository text with features such as a table of contents, an engaging introduction and thoughtful conclusion, a glossary, a bibliography, and an author biography section.

January Genre of the Month: Realistic Fiction
During Reader's Choice time, students have been reading their selected novel with their book club. All book club books are realistic fiction and share a common theme of empathy. Each group's reading schedule can be found on KidBlog. Book clubs will be meeting every Tuesday to discuss that week's reading assignment. The final meeting dates are January 28 and February 4. All work should be posted to KidBlog by the start of school each Tuesday in preparation for these meetings. 

February Genre of the Month: Science Fiction or Fantasy
During the month of February, students will use their Reader's Choice time and home reading time to read their selected books. We will be selecting books in the LMC on Thursday, February 6. Reading responses in their Reader's Notebook are due no later than Friday, February 28.

Math

Unit 7: Decimals to the Hundredths
Students will be learning about decimals to the hundredths. They will be comparing and rounding numbers, and learning about the relationship between fractions and decimals. They are asked to continue to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes.

Advanced Math

Unit 6: Area
In this short unit, students will be learning to find the area of rectangles with fractional sides. Students will also be taught how to identify the base and height of a triangle in order to calculate its area. There will be a test on Unit 6 on Thursday, January 30.

Unit 8: Decimals to the Thousandths
Students will be learning about decimals to the thousandths place. They will be comparing and rounding numbers, and rewriting decimals as fractions.

Social Studies: Midwest

We begin our study of the Midwest this week. In this unit, the focus of our lessons and discussions will be on analyzing geographical, cultural, and environmental changes over time, and investigating and explaining historical events. We will begin with a look at industry throughout the Midwest and how changes in industry affect the people and economy of an area.

Upcoming Events...

January 27 Happy 1/2 Birthday, Alexander!
January 28 VIP/Book Talk: Alexander
February 4 Mr. Haefke presents on renewable energy projects
February 4 ICTM Math Contest #2 for Individuals
February 4 VIP/Book Talk: Jake
February 5 World Read Aloud Day/Skypes with authors Mariane Malone and Lisa Schmid
February 6 ICTM Math Contest #2 for Teams
February 7 Mr. Zohar presents on wind energy
February 7 Patton PTA Fun Fair from 6:30-8:30 PM
February 11 Mrs. Donahue presents Erin's Law @ 1:15
February 11 Energy Debates in the LMC!!!
February 11 VIP/Book Talk: Claudia
February 12 Valentine's Day party @ 2:30 PM
February 13 Happy Birthday, Claudia!
February 13-14 No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences
February 17 No School: Presidents' Day

Newsletter: January 8-21

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Content Area Reading
(See Science below)

Writing Workshop: Expository Nonfiction
In this unit, students will be learning research skills, such as taking notes, categorizing information by subtopic, and conducting effective Internet searches. They will take the information they gather and write an expository text with features such as a table of contents, an engaging introduction and thoughtful conclusion, a glossary, a bibliography, and an author biography section.

January Genre of the Month: Realistic Fiction
During Reader's Choice time, students have begun to read their selected novel with their book club. All book club books are realistic fiction and share a common theme of empathy. Each group's reading schedule can be found on KidBlog. Book clubs will be meeting every Tuesday to discuss that week's reading assignment. Meeting dates are January 14, 21, and 28, and February 4. All work should be posted to KidBlog by the start of school each Tuesday in preparation for these meetings. 

Math

Unit 6: Adding and Subtracting Fractions
Students will conclude their work with fractions with a focus on problem solving. Students are asked to continue to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes. The Unit 6, Part 3 test will be on Friday, January 17.

Advanced Math

Unit 5: Algebra
In this next unit, students will learn about variables. They will learn to simplify algebraic expressions and to solve inequalities and equations. There will be a test on Unit 5 on Friday, January 17.

Science: Energy Transfers

We will be wrapping up our Energy Transfers unit in these next three weeks. Students are designing experiments to test theories about energy transfers and drawing conclusions from their data.  The final performance task will have students inventing machines using multiple energy transfers to complete a simple task, much like a Rube Goldberg invention.

As part of our science unit, we have been focusing our reading on content area reading. Through our mini-lessons we have been building our technical vocabulary and adding to our schema about energy. Students continue to read about different forms of energy in order to compare and contrast, understand big ideas about energy usage, and formulate opinions of their own. The science/reading unit will conclude in January with our renewable energy debates. With the help of Mrs. Melamed, we will be teaching the students how to form an opinion supported by fact, formulate questions, and brainstorm possible solutions for problems that exist with current renewable energy resources.

Upcoming Events...

January 8 Happy 1/2 Birthday, Drew!
January 9 Happy 1/2 Birthday, Max!
January 14 VIP/Book Talk: Drew
January 20 No School: MLK Jr. Day

Newsletter: December 2-20

Literacy

Whole Class Novel Study: Project Mulberry
All 4th graders will be participating in a cultural novel study during the month of December. Our class will be reading Project Mulberry. We will be learning about cultural differences, perspective, character development, and crafting realistic fiction. Students will be asked to blog throughout the unit to share ideas and to practice communicating responsibly and respectfully in this type of forum.

Writing Workshop: Fictional Narrative
In this introduction to fictional narrative, students are learning to use knowledge gained through research to make a fictional story more realistic.  On Thursday, December 5, I will be sending home the directions and student-generated rubric for a writing project that will accompany Project Mulberry. Students will be asked to research a topic and write their own short story in the style of realistic fiction incorporating facts about their topic. Class time will be given for part of this project, but students will be expected to complete some of the work at home. Both parts of the assignment can be accessed through Google Classroom. A planning sheet will come home to help the students set goals and manage their time. Some may choose to do the whole project before winter break, while others may choose to use the time over break to work on it.  Task #1: Research will be due by Friday, December 13 and Task #2: Short Stories will be due when we return from break on Tuesday, January 7. 

December Genre of the Month: Historical Fiction
In December, students will be expected to read and summarize at least one historical fiction book as part of our Forty Book Challenge. During the month of December, they are asked to use their Reader's Choice time and at-home reading time to read their selected book and complete a brief summary/reader's response in their Reader's Notebook. All entries should be completed in their Reader's Notebook and turned in to Mrs. Cioni no later than Friday, December 20. 

Math

Unit 6: Adding and Subtracting Fractions
Students will continue to work with adding and subtracting fractions, and renaming whole numbers when adding and subtracting fractions. They will also learn how to rename improper fractions and mixed numbers. Students are asked to continue to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes.

Advanced Math

Unit 5: Algebra
In this next unit, students will learn about variables. They will learn to simplify algebraic expressions and to solve inequalities and equations.

Science: Energy Transfers

Our next science unit will focus on exploring energy in action and stored energy. We will be learning about the many forms of energy that exist all around us and how energy transfers are used to make machines work. Our first test will be on Thursday, December 19.

Upcoming Events...

December 3 Reading MAP Testing at 9:10 AM
December 3 ICTM Math Contest #1 for Individuals
December 4 Happy Birthday, Oliver!
December 5 Happy Birthday, Anthony!
December 5 ICTM Math Contest #1 for Teams
December 10 Math MAP Testing at 9:10 AM
December 10 VIP/Book Talk: Oliver
December 17 VIP/Book Talk: Anthony
December 18 Math Club during lunch recess
December 19 Hour of Code
December 19 Math Day guest speakers
December 20 Reading Buddies
December 23-January 3 No School: Winter Break
January 6 Classes resume

Newsletter: November 13-29

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Unit of Study
We will wrap up these last few days before break with continued practice of summarizing big ideas, identifying cause and effect relationships, and using evidence from the text to support our thinking in written responses.

Writing Workshop: Personal Narrative
We are in the process of publishing our personal narratives with a series of mini-lessons on revising and editing our stories. We will be looking at examples of strong openings, sensory details, transitional phrases, and closing statements as we complete the various revision assignments. All work will be published before break and we will hold our next Writing Celebration on Friday, November 22. During the celebration, students have the opportunity to read and enjoy each other's work and provide peer feedback to one another.

November Genre of the Month: Biography
In November, students will be expected to read and summarize at least one biography as part of our Forty Book Challenge. During the month of November, they are asked to read their selected book and complete a brief summary/reader's response in their Reader's Notebook. All entries should be completed in their Reader's Notebook and turned in to Mrs. Cioni no later than Friday, November 22. 

Math

Unit 6: Adding and Subtracting Fractions
In this next unit, students will learn to add and subtract fractions, and to rename whole numbers when adding and subtracting fractions. They will also learn how to rename improper fractions and mixed numbers. Students are asked to continue to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes. There will be a quiz on lessons 6.1 and 6.2 on Wednesday, November 20.

Advanced Math

Unit 4: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Mixed Numbers
Students will learn to multiply and divide proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers. They will be asked to apply these computational skills as they practice solving real world, multi-step problems. There will be a test on Unit 4 on Friday, November 22.

Social Studies: A Tour of the Northeast and Southeast

Over the last few weeks we have traveled throughout the Northeast and Southeast to learn how geography, climate, and resources help to shape the cultures of a region. No matter where we are or where we go, we've learned that people will adapt their way of life to their surroundings. They will use the land and its resources to create goods and provide services in order to make a living.  We will conclude this unit next week by looking at threats to the natural resources here in Illinois, and take action to protect those very resources we rely on to live.

Upcoming Events...

November 14 ICTM Team Contest practice during lunch recess
November 15 Report cards emailed home
November 15 Author visit: Laurie Wallmark
November 15 Class Reward: Pajama Day for 4-3!
November 19 VIP/Book Talk: Lauren
November 20 Math Club during lunch recess
November 25-29 No School: Fall Break/Thanksgiving

Newsletter: October 30-November 12

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Unit of Study
We will be finishing our Nonfiction Unit of Study next week. We have spent the past month learning about the different styles of nonfiction, author's purpose, text features, and the different text structures authors use to present information including description (main idea/supporting detail), chronological order, problem-solution, cause and effect, and compare and contrast. We continue to practice summarizing big ideas, and will finish our study by learning to use evidence from multiple texts to support our thinking in written responses. We will have an end of unit assessment on Thursday, November 7. We have been doing a lot of practice in class with these skills through mini lessons, small group, and independent reading tasks. Students may do additional practice of these skills at home on IXL if they choose. The skills have been "starred".

November Genre of the Month: Biography
In November, students will be expected to read and summarize at least one biography as part of our Forty Book Challenge. During the month of November, they are asked to read their selected book and complete a brief summary/reader's response in their Reader's Notebook. All entries should be completed in their Reader's Notebook and turned in to Mrs. Cioni no later than Friday, November 22. 

Math

Unit 3: Whole Number Multiplication and Division
In this unit, students will be learning to multiply by a 2-digit number. They will also be learning to divide by a 1-digit number. Students are asked to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes. There will be a quiz on long division on Monday, November 4, and the Unit 3 test will be on Friday, November 8.

Advanced Math

Unit 3: Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Mixed Numbers
In this unit, students will be learning to make equivalent fractions, and how to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers. Students can access additional practice of these skills on Matholia. The skills will be available on a "Unit 3 Task List" as we learn them in class. There will be a test on Unit 3 on Tuesday, November 5.

Unit 4: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Mixed Numbers
Students will learn to multiply and divide proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers. They will be asked to apply these computational skills as they practice solving real world, multi-step problems.

Social Studies: A Tour of the Northeast and Southeast

This week, we conclude our tour of the Northeast by learning about life in a cotton mill, and how goods and services are produced using available resources. Next week, we will travel to the Southeast to learn how geography, climate, and resources help to shape the cultures of a region. There will be a map quiz on the 12 states in the Southeast on Tuesday, November 12.

Upcoming Events...

October 30 Math Club during lunch recess
October 31 Halloween parade and party
November 4 Happy Birthday, Matt!
November 5 VIP/Book Talk: Matt
November 11 Veterans Day Assembly
November 12 VIP/Book Talk: Anna
November 12 ICTM Individual Contest practice during lunch recess
November 14 ICTM Team Contest practice during lunch recess
November 15 Report cards emailed home
November 15 Author visit: Laurie Wallmark
November 19 VIP/Book Talk: Lauren
November 20 Math Club during lunch recess
November 25-29 No School: Fall Break/Thanksgiving

Newsletter: October 16-29

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Unit of Study
We continue to examine the different text structures authors use to present information. The five text structures we are focusing on are description (main idea/supporting detail), chronological order, problem-solution, cause and effect, and compare and contrast. We continue to practice summarizing big ideas, and will begin to work on using evidence from multiple texts to support our thinking in written responses.

October Book Clubs will come to end next week. We will have our final meeting on October 23 to discuss each book's ending, how characters changed throughout the story, and lessons we have learned from the choices characters made.

October Genre of the Month: Literary Nonfiction
This month, students will be expected to read and summarize at least one literary nonfiction book as part of our Forty Book Challenge. During the month of October, they are asked to read their selected book and complete a brief summary/reader's response in their Reader's Notebook. All entries should be completed in their Reader's Notebook and turned in to Mrs. Cioni no later than October 31. Be sure to take a moment and ask your child how this style of writing differs from September's Genre of the Month, reference nonfiction.

Writer's Workshop: Personal Narrative
We had a wonderful celebration of student writing last Friday. There was a lot of variety in story types the students chose to write- personal narrative, literary nonfiction, reference nonfiction, fantasy, and adventure, and we loved the creativity of each piece. The students had a chance to read each other's stories and provide feedback to each writer. They are hanging in the hall for you to enjoy next week at conferences.

This week we begin the personal narrative unit, writing stories about our own experiences. We will model our stories after two memoirs- Childtimes: A Three Generation Memoir and The Moon and I.

Math

Unit 3: Whole Number Multiplication and Division
In this unit, students will be learning to multiply by a 2-digit number. They will also be learning to divide by a 1-digit number. Students are asked to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes. There will be a quiz on multiplication on Friday, October 18, and a tentative quiz on division on Wednesday, October 23.

Advanced Math

Unit 3: Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Mixed Numbers
In this unit, students will be learning to make equivalent fractions, and how to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers. Students can access additional practice of these skills on Matholia. The skills will be available on a "Unit 3 Task List" as we learn them in class.

Social Studies: A Tour of the Northeast

We begin our tour of the United States in the Northeast. This week we have been learning about the climate, geography, and landforms in this region. We have been discovering how people have adapted over time, and  how their culture, or way of life, developed based on the climate, landforms, and resources that surround them. Next week, we will be learning about life in a cotton mill, and how goods and services are produced using available resources. There will be a map quiz on the 11 states in the Northeast on Tuesday, October 22.

Upcoming Events...

October 18 Pumpkin Patch
October 21 Bus evacuation drill
October 22 Happy Birthday, Kalyna!
October 22 VIP/Book Talk: Kalyna
October 23 Friday Schedule
October 24-25 No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences
October 28 One Book, One School Skype with authors of Bob
October 29 VIP/Book Talk: Max
October 30 Math Club at lunch recess
October 31 Halloween parade and party

Newsletter: October 2-15

Literacy

Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Unit of Study
We continue to examine the different text structures authors use to present information. The five text structures we are focusing on are description (main idea/supporting detail), chronological order, problem-solution, cause and effect, and compare and contrast. Understanding these text structures helps readers sort through information and determine what is important.

October Genre of the Month: Literary Nonfiction
This month, students will be expected to read and summarize at least one literary nonfiction book as part of our Forty Book Challenge. During the month of October, they are asked to read their selected book and complete a brief summary/reader's response in their Reader's Notebook. All entries should be completed in their Reader's Notebook and turned in to Mrs. Cioni no later than October 31. Be sure to take a moment and ask your child how this style of writing differs from September's Genre of the Month, reference nonfiction.

Writer's Workshop: The Writing Process
We continue to work through our second unit, The Writing Process. In this unit, students have selected a piece of writing they wrote in our first unit, and are learning about the process of editing and revising their work for publication. All stories are expected to be published by October 10, and we will be have a writing celebration in class on October 11.

Word Study: Words Their Way
With the initial spelling placement inventory complete, we are ready to begin Word Study. Word Study practice will take place in class on a two-week rotating schedule. Students will spend two weeks practicing their words through various word sort and word meaning activities. There is no required weekly homework for Word Study, unless a student does not finish the day's activity in class. A copy of the words will be sent home in case you choose to do additional practice with the words at home. Each day of the week, I will be working with a different group assessing what they've learned and modeling new sorts. Each group will have their word study test on their assigned day with me. Tests will occur every other week, which will be indicated to you on the home copy of their word list. For the assessment, students will not only be asked to spell the word correctly, but will be expected to sort the words correctly by sound, spelling pattern, or word meaning depending on the sort. We will be modeling this routine in class this week, and expect to start groups next week.

Math

Unit 3: Whole Number Multiplication and Division
In this unit, students will be learning to multiply by a 2-digit number. They will also be learning to divide by a 1-digit number. Students are asked to practice their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes.

Advanced Math

Unit 2: Whole Number Multiplication and Division
In this unit, students will be learning to use rules and strategies to multiply and divide multi-digit numbers. Students will also learn to use order of operations to evaluate numeric expressions. Students should be practicing their basic facts every night for 5-10 minutes. There is a test scheduled on Unit 2 on Thursday, October 10.

Unit 3: Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Mixed Numbers
In this unit, students will be learning to make equivalent fractions, and how to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.

Science: Our Geosphere

Students have been busy learning about plate tectonics and what happens at convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries. We have learned how mountains form, as well as analyzed data to look for any patterns in volcanic and earthquake activity related to plate movement. We will finish the unit this week by exploring fossil formation. There will be a quiz on these concepts on Friday, October 4.

Our unit will culminate with our National Park project in the LMC. This project will have students researching national parks in the US, the processes that formed them, and the landforms that can be enjoyed there today. They will share what they learn by creating a broadcast (with green screen technology) from their national park. This project will conclude with a Mystery Skype with a park ranger from one of the national parks we study.

Social Studies: Diversity in the United States

Next week, we will begin our first social studies unit, exploring diversity in the United States. The remainder of the year we will be going on a tour of the US by region starting with the Northeast, moving onto the Southeast, then to the Midwest, and finishing the year with the Southwest and West. The focus of our lessons will be to learn about how climate, geography, and natural resources influence the way people live from the different life styles and recreation to the varying economy and jobs of a region. As we go on this tour of the US, we will be taking some time to explore our own way of life right here in Illinois.

Upcoming Events...

October 8 VIP/Book Talk: Ally
October 10 Happy Birthday, Ally!
October 14 No School: Columbus Day/SIP Day
October 15 Monday Schedule
October 15 VIP/Book Talk: No VIP scheduled
October 18 Pumpkin Patch