Update 12/15/2016

Parents,

This is a reminder to please send your child to school with a gift to exchange with another student. A note went home about this a few weeks ago and it was described in earlier posts. The gift should be something silly or an object that your child doesn't use anymore. If you must buy something, please don't spend more than $5.

Thank you and have a great holiday break!

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 12/13/2016

Parents,

Students have to complete math pg.413 on adding and subtracting fractions. It was a similar lesson to last night but the focus was on subtraction of fractions. Again, if they remember to subtract the numerators and leave the denominator the same, they will get the right answer.

Just a friendly reminder to bring in a gift to exchange for Friday.

Thank you parents who helped out bringing in items for the gingerbread house and to those who helped the students build it today.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu        mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 12/12/2016

Parents,

Tonight students have math homework on pg. 401 on adding fractions. It is very basic as long as the students remember to add the numerators and leave the denominator the same.

In math this week we will also be subtracting fractions with like denominators and then decomposing them on Thursday.

In social studies, we are finishing up the project that includes some math review skills on perimeter and area along with mapping concepts on making a compass rose and map key.

In writing we are determined to finish up the persuasive writing pieces before the holiday break.

We will be building the gingerbread houses tomorrow morning from 8:45 to about 10:45.

Reminder that we will do the silly gift exchange this Friday so a present needs to be brought in by then. If you need information on this, please look at our posts last week about this.

Have a good week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 12/8

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is page 377 in the text, excluding problems 6, 9, 10, and 17.  This is in preparation for the Chapter 6 test tomorrow.  Please look over this practice test and, if your child seems to be struggling, refer them back to the lesson videos, previous homework assignments, etc. We will be going over the homework before the test, as well, so students will be able to ask questions and get help if they need it.

Also, please don't forget the activites we have planned for next week.  We still need a few awesome parents to make icing for us, so if you're willing, please let us know ASAP.  We could also use some helping hands on Tuesday for the actual gingerbread house construction, so please consider joining us.  It's going to be fun (we promise!).  Also, keep in mind the silly gift exchange next Friday.  Students may bring a wrapped gift at any time next week.

Thanks in advance for all your support, and we hope you have a great evening!

Update 12/6/2016

Parents,

The students have to complete pg. 375 in their math book on ordering fractions. We taught them three different strategies for ordering them. The first strategy had them comparing each fraction on a number line with 1/2. They will classify them as either larger or smaller than 1/2 and then go from there. The second strategy had them comparing fractions using the fraction strips. The third strategy had them using cross multiplication for the different fractions so they could compare which fraction was the largest, second largest, and smallest. 

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu        mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 12/5/2016

Parents,

The students were comparing fractions in math today for lesson 6.7. They were taught three different strategies to find the answer when comparing fractions. The one strategy will be tough to accomplish unless you have fraction strips at home. There are two other good strategies students may do. They can find an equivalent fraction with one fraction so that the numerator or denominator matches the other fraction so they can compare them easily. You can see this in the lesson. Or they can cross-multiply to see which fraction is larger. For example, if you are comparing 1/3 and 2/5, you can multiply the numerator of the first fraction by the denominator of the second fraction to get 5. Then multiply the denominator of the first fraction by the numerator of the second fraction to get 6. So 2/5 would be larger than 1/3. The homework is on pg. 369 in their math book.

We will work on ordering fractions tomorrow and they will have a review of chapter 6 on Thursday with the test on Friday.

In science, we are still gathering information on our animal project.

In reading we are looking at building reading skills in making predictions.

For grammar, they are still learning about possessives.

Students are still working on their rough draft for their persuasive writing piece.

A few things went home last Friday. Students can buy a full size candy cane for friends/family for only $0.25 each. They will be distributed on December 15th. If you choose to buy some, the due date is this Friday.

We also sent home a note that has the following information. ( I copy and pasted it below if you didn't see this come home.)

Parents,

During the week of December 12th, there are a few special activities that fourth grade would like to do.

1. Gift Exchange: This is an activity that is meant to be silly and fun, so gifts don’t need to be special or valuable. Your child can just wrap a toy or item that they already own and that they don’t use or play with anymore.  Please don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a gift!  (If you really can’t think of anything and plan on buying something, please don’t spend more than $5.) We will do the gift exchange on Friday December 16th, which is the last day before the break. Please bring the wrapped gift anytime that week.

2. Gingerbread House STEM Project:  We will also be doing a STEM project that involves building a gingerbread house. We begin the planning for our structure on Monday December 12th, and we will be building it Tuesday December 13th from 8:45 to 11:00.

For this project, we need:

**Volunteers!  Our student groups always benefit from having an adult assistant :-)(Remember, in order to volunteer, you must have a completed background check form and Anti-terrorism training completed. Check with the office if you need to have this done.)

**Supplies! In order to construct the houses, we need a lot of materials. We are asking you to bring in one or some of the following items.

Graham crackers

Marshmallows

Pretzel sticks

Lifesavers

Vanilla wafers

Twizzlers

Candy canes (small)

Gumdrops

Jelly beans

M & M’s

Skittles

Smarties

Red Hots

Gallon sized freezer bags

Plastic bowls

We are also asking for some confident parents to put together some icing. We will need about 8-10 bags.  Please let us know if you’re willing to help out with this and we will send you the stiff icing recipe.

Thank you so much for your support and for making these activities successful and fun for the students. If you have questions, please let us know.

The 4th grade team

Update 12/1/2016

Parents,

The students learned about writing a fraction as an equivalent fraction in simplest form. Their homework is pg.343 in their math book. They simply need to find a factor that goes into both the numerator and denominator and divide to get the smallest equivalent fraction. For example, if their fration was 6/10, they would divide the numerator by 2 and the denominator by 2 to get 3/5.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 11/29/2016

Parents,

Students have to complete homework on pg.337 in their math book. We went over equivalent fractions using multiplication. For example, they might have to decide if 3/4 is equal to 6/8. They would think about the numerators in each fraction and decide what times 3 (the numerator in the first fraction is equal to 6 (the numerator in the second fraction). We know that 3 X 2 is 6. Whatever we multiply on top, we multiply the same factor on the bottom with the denominators. When we do this we multiply 4 X 2 which is equal to 8. Since we used the same factor (2) to multiply and get the answer, we know the fractions are equivalent. You can also look at the previous pages for this lesson on 6.2 or the lesson on Think Central for additional assistance.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 11/28

Hi Parents and families!  Welcome back to school.  We hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

In math we are beginning Chapter 6, which focuses on fraction equivalency and comparisons.  Today, we modeled finding equivalent fractions, and tomorrow, we will continue working on other strategies to identify and generate fractions that are equal to one another.  Homework tonight is page 331 in the textbook.  Please encourage your child to use Think Central for help.  You might also find this video helpful:

In Language Arts, we are continuing to work on our persuasive letter.  At this point, students should be completing their pre-writing graphic organizers and, later this week, students will begin creating their rough draft.  In grammar, we will be discussing possessive nouns (singular and plural), and in vocab, students were given their "December" list. The December words are:  continuous, conversation, nonliving, swimming, valuable, forgotten, and unpleasant.  Students will be responsible for decomposing these words, understanding the meanings, and spelling these words correctly.

In Reading, we are working with a new story:  The Houdini Box.  Our focus will be on making and evaluating predictions and on answering text dependent questions.  Students will be reading this story all week during their small reading group and will take a selection test at the end of the week.

Finally, we are continuing to work on Science for one more week.  Students will be researching a specific type of animal and a specific type of habitat. Later, they will be using their research to create a lapbook to present to the class.  Stay tuned for more details!  We will transition to Social Studies next week, during which we will have a special holiday-focused map activity :-)

We hope you all have a great evening.  Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.

Update 11/21/2016

Parents,

Students have math homework tonight. We completed the even numbered problems on the chapter 5 review today. They will complete the odd numbered problems on pg. 317 - 322. This will prepare the students for the math chapter 5 test tomorrow.

Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving break after tomorrow.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 11/17/2016

Parents,

Students have to complete pg.303 in their math book for homework on factors and multiples of numbers. They need to remember the difference between them. A factor is a number that is multiplied by another number to get a product. For example, 5 is a factor of 10 since 5 X 2 = 10. A multiple is a number that continuously doubles in size. For example, multiples of 10 would be: 10, 20, 30, 40, etc.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 11/15

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is in section 5.2, page 289.  Students will continue to work with factors and use the strategies we covered in class today to determine if a given number is a factor of another number.  As always, if your child is having trouble, please use the Think Central resources that are provided with our curriculum.

Also, please don't forget our school Thanksgiving Dinner, which will be on Thursday of this week.  Families were asked to return the RSVP form if you planned to attend.  If you haven't yet done so, but want to participate, please let us know by tomorrow.

Have a great evening!

Update 11/14

Hi Parents!

Tonight's math homework is page 283 in the textbook.  We have begun Chapter 5, where students will focus on factors, multiples, and identifying number patterns.  Tonight students will need to be able to find all the factors of a number.  For help, please be sure and use Think Central.  You may also find this video helpful:

In Reading this week, we're beginning a new story entitled Coyote School News.  Students will work with this story to learn new vocabulary, examine the story structure, and practice drawing conclusions and answering text-dependent questions.

In Writing, we are continuing to work through the writing process to produce a persuasive letter.  At this point, students are brainstorming good reasons to support whatever argument they are making.  On Thursday, we will begin drafting a rough draft.

Finally, in Science, students are beginning a new unit focusing on Living Organisms.  This week, we're classifying animals and plants, and will begin talking about the types of adaptations animals use to survive in their environments.

Don't forget that picture re-takes are tomorrow.  Your child's pictures were sent home last week.  If you'd like to purchase all or part of the package, please send in the money and any remaining photos. If you do not want to purchase the photos, please send the entire package back.  If you want retakes, please just let us know!

Have a great evening!

Update 11/19

Hi Parents!

I know we don't typically have math homework on Wednesdays, but to prepare for tomorrow's test, we have assigned some practice problems.

Students were asked to complete page 271 - 276, numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 22.  The odd numbered problems were completed and reviewed in class.  

Also, Ms. Kaminski, our guidance counselor, has asked us to pass along the following message:  

Dear Parents:
 As the school counselor at Heroes Elementary, I am offering an informal
small group session during lunch for our 4th grade girls in order to support
and enhance the development of personal and social skills. This time will
not only provide additional social-emotional learning experiences but will also be
a chance for students to express themselves and to benefit from the support
of group members.  Your child's teacher and I believe this opportunity would be beneficial to your child. Participation is optional and the importance of confidentiality
will be stressed throughout all sessions.  If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. 

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

Daily Update 11/8

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is page 251 in the textbook.  Students will be drawing models to help them divide with and without remainders.  Don't forget to check Think Central if your child is having trouble!

Also, students will have a quiz tomorrow on using the division strategies of repeated subtraction and partial quotients.  If you want to help your child review for this quiz, these are sections 4.7 and 4.8 in the textbook.  We will have an overall chapter review tomorrow, as well, and a chapter test on Thursday.

Have a great evening!

Daily Update

Hi Parents!

Happy Monday!  This week in math, we're continuing to work with different strategies for division. Tonight's homework is page 245.  If you need help, please watch the lesson video on the Think Central website.  We are wrapping up Chapter 4 and will have a review on Wednesday, and then a test on Thursday.  If your child is struggling, please continue to help him/her work toward mastering the basic math/division facts.  This will be important all year!

In Reading, we are continuing to work with the story Antarctic Journal.  We've been discussing the structure of this non-fiction text and how to use text features to aid in comprehension.  In Writing, students are working on writing a persuasive letter.  We are in the planning stage of the writing process right now, but hope to publish our work before Christmas break.

In grammar, students are finishing up a study of adjectives, and students received new vocabulary words for the month of November.  These are:  beautiful, community, communities, classify, electricity, happiness, and prettier.  Students will be responsible for know the meanings, spellings, and word parts (prefixes, root words, and suffixes) of these words.

Finally, in Social Studies, students are currently researching Native American tribes from each of the 5 regions of the United States.  This project should be wrapping up this Thursday, and we will switch to Science after the Veteran's Day holiday.

In other announcements...

• HES will host a family Thanksgiving Dinner on November 17.  Further information will be coming out shortly, but please save the date.
• Picture retakes are on November 15.  If your child needs a retake, please let his/her teacher know ASAP.

Thanks so much for your support.  Have a great evening!

Update 11/1/2016

Parents,

The homework tonight continues with division on pg. 225. They had to take what they learned yesterday one step further. They have to find a compatible number to divide and then do the calculations. For example: 568/9  They were told to ignore the 8 for a second and focus only on the 56. Then count by multiples of 9 until you get a multiple that is close to 56. When they count their multiples of 9, they know that 9 X 6 is 54 which is relatively close to 56. They take the 54 and add a zero to it to get 540. They must add only one zero since there are three numbers in 568. Now they will do the algorithm the way they did it for homework last night. 54/9 is 6. There is a zero in 540 so add one zero to the 6 to get 60.
You may also look over the lesson before pg. 225 or watch the video on Think Central for further review of the lesson.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu           mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/31/2016

Parents,

The students do have homework tonight on pg.219 in their math book. They will have to work it around all the Treat-or-Treating. We are still working on division and feel it is important for students to get practice on it. If they know their multiplication facts, the homework tonight should be completed somewhat quickly. For example, a problem on tonight's homework could look like: 1,600/4. They can ignore the zeros for a second and figure out how many multiples of 4 go into 16 or 4 X ___ = 16. When they figure out that it is 4 then they need to add the zeros to it to get 400. They should check it mentally or on paper, as well. 4 X 400 = 16 + 2 zeros is equal to the original dividend of 1,600. So it checks.

We will continue the week looking at division using compatible numbers and using the distributive property.

In reading, we are reviewing text features, new vocabulary, and comprehension with the story called, Antarctic Journal, which is written as a daily journal on the author's experience in Antarctica.

In writing, students will be introduced to persuasive writing later in the week. They are exploring adjectives and were introduced to the November Nifty-Fifty-Thrifty words.

In social studies, students will be working on a Native American research project.

Reminder: If you have not confirmed your child's conference time for this Friday, please let us know if you are able to come during your scheduled time. The times were posted on this blog last Friday so you can check your child's time there.

Thank you and have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu           mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Conferences for 4th Grade as of October 28th

Conferences

Utter's Homeroom

7:45 - Aidan
8:00 - Aaron
8:15 - Jocelyn
8:30 - Jacob
8:45 - Noah
9:00 - Gianni
9:15 - Adison
9:30 - Abby
9:45 - Diego
10:00 - Gabriela
10:15 - Kaitlynn
10:30 - Andrew
10:45 - James
11:00 - Irma
11:15 - Sandy
11:30 - Elijah
11:45 - Lincoln
12:00 - Sadie
1:15 - Alexx
1:30 - David
1:45 - Cali
2:00 - Jayden
2:15 - Ava
2:30 - Taryn
2:45 - Breanne
3:00 - Gabriel
3:15 - Connor
3:30 - Mikey

Thompson's Homeroom

7:45 Kendal

8:00 Janellie

8:15 Adriana

8:30 Julia

8:45 Gwyneth

9:00 Jordan

9:15 Eli

9:30 Hunter

9:45 Grace

10:00 Luca

10:15 Camila

10:30 NyKale

10:45 Elijah

11:00 Ian

11:15 Tino

11:30 Chris H.

11:45 Tanoa

12:00 Reagan

12:15 Lauren

1:30 Carrie

1:45 Chris C.

2:00 Cade

2:30 Kai

2:45 Mac

3:15 Natalie

3:30 Exavier

Update 10/25/2016

Parents,

The students have math homework on lesson 4.3 on division on pg. 213. They should be using the normal algorithm that was taught to us as students. We told them some acronyms to help them remember the steps. The steps are Divide, Multiply, Subtract, and Bring up/down. They can also use Does McDonald's Serve Burgers and Daddy, Mommy, Sister, Brother to help them remember the letters D, M, S, and B.

Reminder there is no school this Thursday and Friday due to teacher professional development.

We have noticed that many students are having difficulty remembering their multiplication facts. This is essential in division. We ask that you have your child practice their multiplication facts.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/24/2016

Parents,

There is no math homework today due to the chapter 3 test.

I want to remind you that there is no school for students this Thursday and Friday due to teacher professional development days.

In language arts, students are learning about text features. They are reviewing last week's vocabulary words and had a quiz today on October words.

In math we are starting chapter 4 on dividing by 1-digit numbers.

In social studies, they are learning about Native American tribes and culture in the different regions of the United States.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/21/2016

Parents,

I just wanted to remind you that we are having the chapter 3 math test on Monday. Students did some review problems in their math book today in preparation for the test. I told them they could prepare more for it by doing the odd numbers on pg.189-194 if they desired.

Have a great weekend.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/20/2016

Parents,

The students have to complete pg. 187 in their math book on problem solving. It is a two-step method where they will have to multiply two sets of numbers and then subtract or add depending on what the problem is asking.

Reminder that the Fall Festival is from 4:00 - 6:00 tomorrow.

Reminder that box tops are due tomorrow.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/18/2016

Parents,

Students have math homework on pg. 181 which is more multiplication problems for them to solve. They can use any of the three methods we have taught them to solve the problems. They can use Area Model Boxes, Partial Product, or Multiplying With Regrouping. The Multiplying With Regrouping is the original algorithm that you learned when you were a child. They can pick the strategy that is most comfortable for them. I have found many students like the Area Model Boxes.

This is a reminder that pictures are this Thursday.

The Fall Festival is this Friday from 4:00 to 6:00.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/17

Hi Parents and Families!

Welcome back to another week in 4th grade!

This week in math, we're continuing to work on multiplication strategies.  Today, students learned the "old-school" method (we call it multiplication with regrouping) that all of you parents probably learned when you were in school! Homework tonight is page 175 in the textbook.  Students may elect to try out the new strategy they learned today or may use another strategy that works better for them. We'll be finishing up Chapter 3 this week, will have a review on Friday, and then will have the Chapter 3 test on Monday.  If your student is still shakey on his/her multiplication facts, please work on these at home.

In Language Arts this week, we're continuing to work on using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, figuring out an author's purpose for writing a given piece, and using text evidence to answer text-dependent questions.  Students are also continuing to work toward publishing their personal narratives.  Please ask your child where he/she is in the writing process.  Personal narratives will be due next week.  Additionally, in grammar, students will be practicing with regular and irregular verbs.

In Science, we're continuing to work on our Weather unit.  This week, students will learn about weather instruments and will get the chance to collect some weather data with our own assistant principal, who was once a weather forecaster in the Air Force.  Next week, we'll transition to Social Studies and begin our study of Native American tribes.

Finally, don't forget that next week is ony a 3 day week.  Thursday and Friday (10/27 and 10/28) are teacher workdays, so we hope you get to enjoy that extra long weekend!

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 10/13

Hi Parents and Families!

Tonight's homework is page 167 in the math textbook.  In today's lesson, we worked on multiplying using partial products.  This is related to the area model strategy that we learned on Tuesday, but is more abstract.  If your child is having trouble, please look back over the lesson materials section 3.4, check out the lesson video on Think Central, or watch the "Math on the Spot" tutorial (also on Think Central).  If your child prefers, he/she may also choose to use the previous area model strategy to solve tonight's problems.

Also, we wanted to make you aware that our school will be conducting a food drive to benefit the Food Back of Central and Eastern NC.  These organizations have been hard hit and are struggling to provide for all the flood evacuees, so our HES family has decided to pitch in.  If you'd like to donate food items, please send them in with your child.  For details, click here.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the families that came out to curriculum night last night.  We enjoyed seeing all of you and particularly enjoyed watching your children teach you math!  :-)

We hope you all have a great evening!

Update 10/11/2016

Parents,

The students have to complete pg.161 in their math book on using an area model and partial products to multiply 2-digit numbers. If you watch the video below, it will describe how the students are expected to multiply and solve the problems. You can also look on think central or the lesson that falls before pg.161.

We will continue this week with multiplying using partial products and there is a quiz on Friday on the first 4 lessons of chapter 3. 

In writing, we are working on a rough draft for their personal narrative. 

In reading, we are working on the story, The Horned Toad Prince. We are looking at context clues, voabulary, and the comprehension. We will be testing on this story next week during reading stations. 

In science, we are looking at natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, etc. 

Reminder that tomorrow is Curriculum Night from 5:00 to 6:30. We hope you can make it.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu        mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/6/2016

Parents,

We started the first lesson in chapter 3 and the homework is pg.149 on multiplying by tens. They can solve the problems in one of two ways. Lets say the problem is 30 times 16. They can break apart 16 into 10 and 6 using the distributive property and multiply 30 times 10 to get 300. Then multiply 30 times 6 to get 180. Add them together and you get 480. This is also the expanded form method. They can also use the partial product strategy. They will ignore the zero in 30 and multiply 3 times 10 which is 30. Then they multiply 3 times 6 to get 18. They add 30 and 18 to get 48. Then add the zero to get 480. I hope this helps. If not, please watch the video on think central or review the lesson in the previous pages before their homework page in their math book.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 10/4/2016

Parents,

The students took the chapter two test today. We decided they could do some review problems from chapter 1 for homework in their math book on pg. 28.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 10/3

Hi Parents!

Happy Monday!  Tonight's homework is pages 137-142 in the textbook, problems 6, 10, 12, 14, and 18 only.  These are review test problems meant to get students ready for a math test tomorrow.  If your child is struggling with these problems, please feel free to help them work through them.  You can find additional resources throughout Chapter 2 in the textbook and on your child's ThinkCentral account.

In ELA this week, students are working on creating a rough draft of their personal narrative.  Additionally, for our weekly grammar skill, they will be working on correctly using quotation marks.  We also started working with a new set of vocaublary words today.  Students will work with these words all month and will be responsible for knowing how to spell them, use them in a sentence, and decompose them into prefixes, suffixes, and root words.  The words for October are:  expensive, governor, impression, independence, submarine, transportation, and unfinished.

Finally, we began a new science unit today that will last for the next 2 weeks.  Students will be studying clouds and the water cycle and will learn about extreme weather and storms.

Have a wonderful week, and please let us know if you have any questions!

Update 9/29/2016

Parents,

The students have math homework on pg. 111 of their math book. This lesson had students using mental math and strategies that are very difficult for the majority of the students. So Mrs. Thompson and I had them pick a strategy that we used this week like Partial Product or Expanded Form to solve the problems. For some of them, they may have to break them apart before multiplying them using a strategy. If this is confusing, please refer to think central and watch the video or look back in their math book on pgs. 107 - 109.

Thanks and have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu         mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 9/27/2016

Parents,

The students have math homework on pg. 103 in their math book. It is multiplying using the partial product strategy which is basically expanded form only they are lining up the numbers vertically by looking at each place value. For example, lets say the problem is 563 times 4. They would multiply 4 times 5 in the hundreds place which is 4 times 500 to get 2,000. They write that down. Then they multiply 4 by the 6 in the tens place which is 4 times 60 to get 240. They write that down and line it up underneath the 2,000. Then they multiply 4 by the ones place which is 4 times 3 to get 12. They write 12 underneath the 240 and add all three numbers together to get 2,252. I hope this helps and not confuses you. You can look at the process on www-k6.thinkcentral.com with your child's log in and watch the video. You can also look at pg. 99 and 100 in their math book to see how the process works, as well.

No school tomorrow due to a teacher workday.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 9/26

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is page 97 in the textbook.  Students are using expanded form to help them multiply multi-digit numbers by a single digit.  If your child is having trouble, please don't forget that help is available through your child's Think Central account.

In Social Studies, your child is working on researching one of the regions of the U.S. and creating a poster to show what he/she has learned.  We're hoping that these will be finished by Friday, and then we'll transition back to Science to begin studying weather.

In Language Arts, students are finishing up their novel study of Love That Dog.  We'll start learning in our differentiated reading groups next week.  Students will also begin writing the rough draft for their personal narratives this week.  The grammar skill this week is punctuating titles.

Finally, don't forget that Wednesday is a "no-school" day for students. Enjoy your extra day with the kiddos this week :-)

Have a wonderful evening!

Daily Update 9/22

Hi Parents!  Happy Friday-eve :-)

Tonight's homework is page 85 in the math textbook.  Students are using their rounding skills to estimate and determine the reasonableness of an answer.  If your child needs help, please be sure to check out the ThinkCentral website, which provides instructional videos, tutorials, etc. (log in instructions are in a previous post).  Also, if your child is still struggling with his/her basic multiplication facts, please make it a priority to help him/her memorize those.  Much of 4th grade math depends on it!

Also, don't miss tonight's PTO Family Night/Book Fair!  There will be some great deals on books and other fun activities.  Our fabulous PTO gives our students and teachers so much support, so please consider stopping by.

Finally, progress reports were sent home today.  These should be signed and returned.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's homeroom teacher.

Have a great evening!

Update 9/20

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is page 79 in the textbook.  Students are practicing multiplying single digit numbers by multiples of 10, 100, and 1000.  If your child seems to be having trouble, please encourage him/her to practice the basic multiplication facts.  Quick recall of these facts will be crucial to math success this year in 4th grade. Students should also be reading for at least 20 minutes each night.

Also, please keep in mind that our PTO will host a Book Fair Family Night on Thursday night.  Our school goal is to sell at least 1200 books.  Please consider supporting our PTO fundraiser!


Have a great evening!

Update 9/19/2016

Parents,

Students had a math test on chapter 1 that they started last Friday and finished today. We will be starting chapter 2 tomorrow. Their homework today is to complete pg.54 in their math book which is review of topics we completed in the past chapter.

For math this week we will be moving into chapter 2 which is on multiplication. Students will multiply tens, hundreds, and thousands. They will estimate products and multiply using the distributive property.

They will continue the writing process on a personal narrative. They are being introduced to new vocabulary words this week.

In reading we are continuing to read, Love That Dog, and use close reading strategies as we read it. We will practice answering more questions with text-based evidence, looking for features that make up a poem, writing the gist, and summarizing text.

In social studies, the students will be studying landforms.

Reminder that the book fair is this week. The Pirate Pizza Party/Family Night is this Thursday from 4:30 - 6:30.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 9/15

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is page 55-60 in the textbook; even numbered problems only.  Most students had the opportunity to work through the odd numbered problems during class.  We will have a test on the Chapter 1 information tomorrow, so please help your child review.

Also, tonight is our PTO's Chick-Fil-A night.  Please plan to drop by, enjoy some delicious chicken, and support our HES PTO.

Finally, next week is the HES book fair.  We will preview the fair as a class tomorrow afternoon, and then students who bring money will be allowed to visit the fair next week.  Our school goal is to have 1,200 books sold!

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 9/13/2016

Parents,

Tonight's math homework is on problem solving using comparison problems with addition and subtraction on pg. 53. During the lesson students were taught to look and see what they need to find, what information they need to use, and how to use the information. You can refer to this on pgs. 49 and 50 in their math book. You can also look at the lesson through www-k6.thinkcentral.com with your child's log-in information.

Have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu         mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 9/12/2016

Parents,

The students have math homework to complete on subtracting whole numbers on pg. 47 of their math book. They should continue to read every night to build on their comprehension skills.

For math this week, we will be finishing up chapter 1 with problem solving and will start chapter 2 which is on multiplication and estimating products.

For reading, we will continue to read Love That Dog. While reading it, we will be citing text-based evidence, finding the main idea, answering close reading questions, and summarizing text.

For writing, students are brainstorming ideas to work on a personal narrative.

For science, we are studying qualitative and quantitative data and students will be completing some experiments to practice the scientific method.

Please support our PTO by going to Dining-to-Donate at Chick-Fil-A between 4 and 7 this Thursday.

The Heroes Scholastic Book Fair will be next week.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 9/8

Hi Parents!

Tonight's homework is a worksheet (double-sided) that requires students to rename numbers.  For instance, the number 2,300 may be renamed "two thousands and three hundreds" or "twenty-three hundreds."  If you need some help, we did a practice sheet in class, and students were asked to take that home to use as a model.

Math help is also available on the interactive GoMath website.  Follow this link (Go Math/Think Central Website) and have your child log in to replay the day's lesson, access video tutorials, and have your child practice basic skills.

Also, don't forget that tomorrow is the HES Freedom Walk.  Parents are invited to join our school in a remembrance walk for the victims and heros of 9/11.  Please be sure and sign in in the office.  The walk begins at 8:45.

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 9/6/2016

Parents,

Students have homework tonight to complete on the math lesson we did today on renaming numbers. For example, 1,400 can be written as 14 hundreds or 140 can be written as 14 tens. They are to complete pg. 35 in their math book.

This week students will be writing personal narratives. In reading, we are beginning a study on a book called, Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. They will continue to find document based evidence in answering questions and citing their evidence with a sentence starter and their choice of quoting the text or paraphrasing.

In math we are continuing chapter 1 where students will learn about adding and subtracting whole numbers. This is a review of concepts from past grades but with larger numbers.

We are starting science this week and next learning about the scientific method.

Reminder this Friday is our Freedom Walk. You are welcome to come to school and walk around the school with your children.

I hope you have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 9/1/2016

Parents,

The math homework tonight is a review on today's math lesson 1.3, comparing and ordering numbers. They will need to complete pg. 21 in their math book. We set students up with their account online that connects with Go Math. They can log into www-k6.thinkcentral.com and complete practice problems and review today's lesson.

There has been some students bringing in Pokemon cards. Please tell your child to keep them home and not to bring them to school. We don't want them getting stolen, lost, ruined, etc.

Thank you and have a good night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 8/31/2016

Parents,

We did not give the students math homework today. Due to early dismissal on Wednesdays, we don't get a chance to teach a regular math lesson so sometimes there will be homework on Wednesdays and sometimes there will not be math homework.

Thank you so much to the parents who helped out making salt dough for our elevation maps that students created today.

Reminder that if your child wants extra math practice, they can go to the student blog at hes4thgrade.blogspot.com. There are videos, practice, and games on different concepts that we have taught last year.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 8/30/2016

Parents,

Tonight's math homework has students completing a review math worksheet on standard form, expanded form, and written form. Most of the time, their homework will be out of their math book. However, today we did not do the next lesson since we were reviewing place value. Your child should continue to read every night, as well.

PTO forms went home recently so if you would like to join or buy a popcorn pass, please get the completed forms and monies in.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu         mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 8/29

Hi Parents and Families!

Tonight's homework is page 15 in the math textbook.  A number of students struggled with the lesson today, so please feel free to give you child some support, if necessary.  Encourage your child to look back into section 1.2 for additional help.

In reading, students are working on answering text-dependent questions by locating and citing evidence from the text.  We are also beginning a writing unit focusing on writing a personal narrative.  Students also received their monthly vocabulary words today.  They will work with these words all month and will have a quiz in about 4 weeks.  The words are:

composer
discovery
encouragement
hopeless
impossible
musician
richest
unfriendly

In Social Studies, students will be reading about the 5 regions of the U.S. and taking notes.  We'll also be learning about major geological features of the U.S.  by creating a 3D elevation map using salt dough.  After this week (week 2 of Social Studies), students will begin working on their first science unit.

Finally math, we are learning to read and write whole numbers, compare and order numbers, round numbers, and rename numbers during Chapter 1.  All of these share a focus on place value.  Since some students have struggled with this, here's a resource you may want to use with your child:

Kahn Academy Place Value

Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of any additional help.  Thanks so much for your support!

Update 8-25-2016

Parents,

We have been testing students with the BOY (Beginning of Year) math assessment to see where their 4th grade math skills fall. They have been working on a "My Life and Numbers" assignment where students were asked to pick numbers that were significant to them and draw pictures with them. Some students have not finished it yet. If this is your child, he or she will take it home for homework today to be completed. We are starting chapter 1 on Place Value, Addition and Subtraction Up to a Million, tomorrow. Expect to see regular math homework next week Monday through Thursday. We don't usually give homework on Fridays. We expect students to read regularly for at least 20 minutes each night, as well.

If you have not done so already, please click on the tabs to check out this year's classroom schedule, lunch schedule, etc. Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Welcome Parents to our 4th grade blog!

As you can see, we will be posting homework on here each night it is assigned. (We are not giving homework tonight). We also post upcoming events, curriculum concepts we will be covering each week, and other reminders. You can also click on the tabs to check out the class schedule, specials schedule, lunch schedule, and others. If you have questions, please let us know.

For math this week, we are taking a beginning of year assessment, and will be starting the first chapter of our curriculum on place value, rounding, ordinal numbers, and adding and subtracting numbers. In language arts, we are going over norms and routines for our reading stations along with an introductory writing assignment about themelves. We will rotate science and social studies for two weeks at a time. We are starting with introducing the regions, longitude and latitude, and mapping the regions of the United States.

Thank you.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu       mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 6/13/2016 (Last Blog of School Year 15-16)

Parents,

This is a reminder that students do not have to wear their school uniforms on the last day of school tomorrow.

It is game day so students can bring a board or card game to play with friends.

We are also having a party so feel free to bring in something if you would like.

Have a great summer.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 6/6

Good afternoon!  There is no math homework for tonight...or for the rest of 4th grade!  We are still working with problem solving this week, but we know that students have one foot into summer vacation already :-)

We still need a few volunteers for Monday afternoon's games.  If you're free from about 12:30--2:00, please let us know.  We also welcome any and all party food contributions for Tuesday afternoon.  Thanks!

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 6/2/2016

Parents,

There is no math homework tonight. We decided against it since tomorrow is the Eagle Run with festivities all day.

A notice went home today reminding students what to bring. They must wear sneakers or closed toed shoes. No flip flops or slides. Students may wear a bathing suit under their clothes. They should use sunscreen, if needed. They must bring a change of clothes consisting of: dry socks, extra pair of shoes, underwear, shorts, and a shirt. They should bring a plastic bag for their wet clothes. They should have their name on the tag on their towel.

The Eagle Run is from 9:00 - 11:20

Heroes' Family Picnic is from 12:15 - 1:00

Dancing with the DJ is from 1:00 - 2:00

We have also made plans for the last two days of school. We sent a notice home today about it. We could use parent volunteers from 12:30 - 2:00 on Monday, June 13th to supervise some "Minute to Win It" stations. The note that went home said 1:00 to 2:30 but we made a mistake.

We will have a party on Tuesday, June 14th and if you would like to contribute snacks like cookies, chips, etc. that would be great.

Thanks and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 5/31

Hi Parents,

Our focus in math for the remainder of the year will be problem solving.  Today's lesson required students to use their knowledge of area to decide how to divide a large sheet of paper into equal 25 squares with the least amount wasted. We saw some really great thinking!  Tonight's homework is a worksheet that reinforces the formulas for finding area and perimeter.

In Language Arts, we are in the home stretch of finishing our 5 paragraph reports.  All students should be in the publishing phase of the writing process.  Reports are due by Friday.  Please ask your child if he/she is on-schedule with this assignment.  Students have been encouraged to work at home, if necessary.

We have completed Science for the year and have switched over to Social Studies for the remainder of the year.  Our focus is regional economies and how they are affected by the available natural resources.  We will be working on this topic this week and next.

Finally, please don't forget the Eagle's Run on Friday.  Students may wear bathing suits under their clothes, and they MUST wear appropriate footwear--no flipflops or shoes with buckles.  Please also send in a complete change of dry clothes, and don't forget to pack your child a lunch unless you ordered one from the cafeteria.  The cafeteria WILL NOT be serving at all that day, so there will be no recourse if students do not have a lunch.  The picnic will be at 12:15.  Parents are welcome to join us for some or all of the festivities!

Have a great evening, and please let us know if you have any questions.

Update 5/26/2016

Parents,

Due to having the students take the Math End of Year Assessment today, we did not give the students homework today.

If you did not hand in your Eagles Fun and Fitness Day Picnic form, please do so tomorrow.

Tomorrow Camp Lejeune District Schools will be sending home the Terra Nova results explaining how your child did on this assessment that we took back in March.

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 5/24/2016

Parents,

The students have a review math sheet (front and back) on concepts we have covered this year in preparation for the End of Year Assessment on Thursday.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 5/23

Hi Parents!

This week is going to be all about EOY testing, so our normal routines are a bit disrupted.  Today, students began taking their Reading EOY test, and some of them have already input their answers into the online program for a score.  Students who haven't yet finished the testing will do so tomorrow.  Wednesday will include our final SRI test, and then, on Thursday and Friday, we will complete our Math EOY.

In light of all that, students will NOT have a blog entry this week, since there will not be time to work in class.  Math homework tonight, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night will include math review problems.  Please work through these with your child to help him/her earn the best possible score on Thursday's test.  For your convenience, here's an online link to the review problems document:

Math Review Problems

Also, students SHOULD have brought home a form allowing you to order lunch for your child and/or family on the day of our Eagle's Run Event.  Unfortunately, things got super hectic in Mrs. Thompson's class at the end of the day, and she completely forgot to pass them out (sorry!).  Hard copies of the form will go home tomorrow, but if you have a printer and would like to print one in the meantime, here's a link:  HES Eagle's Run Lunch Form

Thanks so much for your support!  Have a great evening!

Update 5/19/2016

Parents,

Students have a math worksheet on today's lesson where they have to calculate money amounts mentally. On the other side of the sheet are review problems on concepts that we have covered this year. We are reviewing material today and next week in homework in preparation for End of Year Assessments.

The reader response entry on their student blog is due tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the last day for the book fair. It is Buy One Get One free!

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 5/17/2016

Parents,

The students have a math worksheet converting centimeters to meters. They did this in class and it should not be difficult. For example, 25 centimeters is equal to .25 meters. They don't have to convert meters to centimeters since we didn't cover it in the lesson. However, they can try to complete it if they want to. All they have to do is move the decimal point over two places. For example, 2.3 meters would equal 230 centimeters.

They need to also work on their reader response this week which is due on Friday.

Reminder this week is the book fair. It is "Buy One Get One Free."

Thanks.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 5/16

Hi Parents!

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend!  In math we are finishing up our study of decimals.  For homework tonight, students have a worksheet that requires them to write decimal amounts in a variety of ways and to express those amounts in money form.  All students were encouraged to take their practice sheet from today's class activities home for help.  On Wednesday, students will take a pre-assessment for Unit 8, and on Thursday, we'll begin our final math unit of the year!

In Language Arts, students have several class activities in the works.  For reading, students are working on an independent book project to show off their reading skills.  There are a wide variety of projects to choose from...be sure and ask your student what he/she is working on.  In writing, we continue to work on our "Career" report.  Students should have completed their research note-taking and, this week, are using that information to fill out a graphic organizer to help them plan.  Next week, we'll be writing rough drafts, editing, and finally publishing.

In Science, students are still working on space Science.  Today, we discussed the moon phases, and later this week, students will learn about the tides and shadows.  After we finish this Science unit, we will work on Social Studies for the remainder of the year.

Please don't forget that our 4th grade music performance is tomorrow at 2:05.  Students have worked very hard and can't wait to show off their singing skills!  We hope to see you all there :-)

Finally, this week's Reader Response Blog is:

Pretend a character in your book has written a "Dear Blabby" letter asking for advice about a BIG problem.  Put yourself in your character's shoes.  What would the letter say?  Write from the point of view of your chosen character.

Have a great evening!

Update 5/10/2016

Parents,

Students have a math sheet with a front and back to complete on a lesson covering tenths and hundredths. They completed a problem set today that looks very similar to the homework. Hopefully they brought the problem set home if they need assistance on the homework.

Reminder the students do not have school this Thursday or Friday due to teacher workdays.

Progress reports will be going home tomorrow.

Thanks.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 5/9

Hi Parents!

This week in math, we're continuing to work with modeling decimal fractional parts and accurately writing and reading those decimal fractions.  Tonight's homework requires students to shade a given fractional part of a model and to write a fraction as a "number bond," separating the fraction into tenths and hundredths.  For example, you would write 89/100 as 0.89 and 8/10 + 9/100.  If students have trouble in part 2 of the homework, you may want to have them draw a model similar to that in part 1.

In Language Arts, students will not have a Reader Response Blog this week, since we have a very short week.  We are finishing up our small group novel studies and are continuing to work on reading, analyzing, and finding evidence in text.  We are also in pre-writing stage of our final writing assignment for the year.  Students will choose a career that they are interested in, research that career, and write a five paragraph report about what they find.

In Science this week, students will begin studying the moon and moon phases.  That will continue next week, as well.

Progress reports will go home on Wednesday, so please be on the lookout for them.  Of course, students still have time to bring grades up before the final report card :-)

Also, don't forget the 4th grade music program next week.  It will be 5/17 at 2:05.  Parents are invited and encouraged to attend!

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 5/5/2016

Parents,

Tonight's math homework has students demonstrating how fractions are equal to decimals. The worksheet has a back to complete, as well. If your child hasn't completed the reader response entry on their blog, it is due tomorrow. If you need to check what the prompt is, you can look on the reader response tab on this blog.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 5/3/2016

Parents,

Their math homework is a review on arranging decimals from smallest to largest. They also have a reader response to complete that is due this Friday. If you don't know what it is, it is posted on the reader response tab. This week's doesn't have them writing about a book they read.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 5/2

Hi Parents,

This week in math, we're learning to compare decimal values and place them accurately on a number line.  Tonight, students should complete a worksheet with two word problems that require them to compare given decimal values.  Students should also write a sentence or two explaining their thinking.  We've worked on this for a few days now, so hopefully your child is developing a pretty solid understanding of the concept.

In Language Arts, we are reviewing the writing process and the elements of a well-developed paragraph.  Later this week, students will begin working to plan, draft, and write a 5 paragraph report. The assignment will require students to research a career of their choice.  More info to come!  In preparation for this assignment, this week's blog prompt is:

**After working with Ms. Kaminski and participating in STEAM week, what type of career appeals to you? Why?  Write a paragraph with a good topic sentence, 3-5 supporting details, and a conclusion sentence.

Also in ELA, students will continue working on their editing skills--we've moved from sentences to paragraphs--and will begin a study of poetry analysis.  This is always a fun unit, and many students find that they really do love poetry!

We've wrapped up Social Studies for the moment, and students will be focusing on space science for the next few weeks.  Specifically, students will study the lunar phases, affects of the moon on the tides, and the reason for seasonal changes.

Finally, we've decided to devote the last 20 minutes of ELA each day to "Genius Hour,"which gives students a daily time to investigate topics that they are interested in.  While this will not be graded, students will be given the opportunity to present what they've learned during the last two weeks of school.  Our goal is for this to be a fun, engaging activity that makes students exciting about learning.  We can't wait to see what our students come up with!

As you can see, we have a lot going on for the last 6 weeks of school!  We appreciate your support and we welcome your questions.  Have a wonderful evening!

Update 4/28/2016

Parents,

The students have a math homework sheet on comparing decimals. Reminder they didn''t have a reader response entry this week due to STEAM activities and the field trips.

Please make sure you pack and bring your lunch if you said you were bringing your own lunch. If you noted that you were buying one from the school, your child will pick it up from the cafeteria in the morning. Make sure your child has sturdy shoes or sandals as there will be a lot of walking on this trip.

Hopefully you can make it to Curriculum Night tonight anytime between 5:00 and 6:30.

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 4/26/2016

Parents,

Students have a math worksheet where they need to look at each decimal grid and write down the fractional and decimal amount. They can also simplify their fractions when needed.

A reminder there is no reader response in their blog this week due to STEAM week activities and the field trips.

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 4/25

Hi Parents!

Today in math, we worked with decimal numbers between 0 and 1.  Students learned to write the number as an equivalent fraction, represent the number on a number line, write the number in expanded form, and draw a visual model using base 10 blocks and/or decimal grids.  For tonight's homework, students should choose 2 numbers with values in the tenths and hundredths places and, using the graphic organizer we used in class, show that they can represent their number in the 4 ways listed above.

Because this week is STEAM week, we will be using our usual Language Arts for some fun, hands-on, standards based science and engineering activities.  For that reason, there will not be a blog entry this week.  We will pick up with our Reader Response Blog next week.

Please don't forget that our classes will be going on study trips on Thursday and Friday.  If you haven't yet sent in your permission slip and money for the Hammocks Beach trip, those are due tomorrow.  Also, unless you signed up for a sack lunch from our cafeteria, please remember to send your child a sack lunch on Friday.  If you have any questions, please let us know!

Finally, also don't forget our Donuts for Dads event on Friday morning at 7:45.  Please come out if you can and support our fabulous PTO.

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 4/21/2016

Parents,

Tonight students have a math worksheet that they have to complete where they are multiplying a whole number by a fraction which is review of what we have done this week. They can choose to solve the math problems with an area model, by drawing fraction strips or by using the algorithm. The algorithm is the quickest if they can remember the steps. Watch the video for a review of it.

The students response journals on their blog is due tomorrow. If you don't know what the prompt was, please click on the tab that has it on this blog. 

Reminder that the Static Display is this evening where families are welcome and should have a great time. 

Reminder some students still have not handed in their field trip permission slip and/or money for it. 

We could still use parent volunteers for the field trip next Thursday to the Engineering Fair on base. You must have completed a background check and anti-terrorism training per Camp Lejeune regulations. 

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 4/19/2016

Parents,

Students have one math problem to complete. The problem in case your child didn't bring it home is: Another recipe calls for 2/3 cup of peanut butter. If I make 4 batches of that recipe how much peanut butter is needed? Write an equation to represent the situation. Explain how you found out how much peanut butter is needed. They must include the equation, a picture or diagram using an area model or fraction strips and an explanation. 

The reader response on their blog is due this Friday. It is the same one that was assigned to the students before Spring break.

Reminder that we sent home a field trip form to Hammocks Beach. Please return the permission slip with the $1.00.

Reminder if you haven't returned the permission slip to attend the field trip on base to the Engineering Fair, please send this in.

Please send in the permission slips ASAP. The trips are next Thursday and Friday the 28th and 29th.

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 4/18

Hi Parents!  We hope you all had a safe and restful spring break!

Today in math, we began learning to multiply fractions by whole numbers.  For now, we're using an area model to build conceptual knowledge, so students will be drawing fraction models to show how to solve equations.  Later, we'll be moving toward using the multiplication algorithm.  Tonight's homework can be found in your child's math journal; students need to solve 3 problems using an area model and answer a brief short answer question explaining their thinking.

In Language Arts, students were given new vocabulary words today.  We will work with these words for the next 3-4 weeks, decomposing them into prefixes, root words, and suffixes, practicing correct spellings, and using word parts to determine meanings.  We will also be working with "cause and effect" this week, and will continue with our Literature Circle novel study.

In writing this week, we'll be discussing journal writing, and students will be asked to create 3-4 journal entries, written from the perspective of a child traveling west during the 1800s.  Both a Social Studies and a writing grade will be earned during this assignment.

**Please remember that our study trip to the base Engineering Fair will be on April 28.  If your child hasn't yet returned the permission slip, please do so ASAP!

**We just received approval for an additional study trip to Hammock's Beach State Park on April 29 (Yes, two study trips in two days!).  Permission slips will go home tomorrow, and need to be returned as soon as possible!  We will need 5-6 chaperones/class, so please check your schedule and let us know if you can help out.  Thanks!

Have a great afternoon!

Update 4/7/2016

Parents,

The students have a math worksheet on fractional parts of a set (both sides). This is a review from earlier in the year and concepts they learned last year. We just started unit 7 last Tuesday on multiplying fractions and comparing decimal fractions. We will get into the bulk of the unit the Monday we come back from Spring break.

The reader response where students complete a prompt on their student blog is due the Friday we come back from Spring break so they will still have almost a week to complete it if they don't do it over the break.

The permission slips for the field trip are not due until April 25th but just wanted to remind you since it will sneak up quickly and be here before you know it.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 4/5

Hi Parents!

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend!  We're kicking off Quarter 4 by beginning a new unit in math.  In this unit, we will be working with multiplying fractions by whole numbers and finding fraction/decimal equivalencies (for example:  6/10 = 0.6).  Students took a pretest today, and new math groups will begin tomorrow.

Tonight's math homework is a short worksheet requiring students to compute dollar amounts and use estimation to get as close as possible to a given amount.

Students did get a new Reader Response Blog prompt today, but because it is a short week and we anticipate a number of absences in the days before and after spring break, the blog will not actually be due until Friday, 4/22.  Students may go ahead and do it if they'd like, but they will also have time to complete it after spring break.  The prompt is:

**Good authors help readers make an emotional connection to their stories.  How does your book make you feel as you read it?  Happy, angry, amused, frustrated, uncomfortable?  Be sure and explain why you feel the way you do.**

In science this week, students are wrapping up their study of electricity by completing a Problem-Based Learning activity.  Be sure and ask your child to tell you about the problem they're trying to solve and the ideas they have for solving it!  We'll be picking up with Social Studies after spring break--we're moving on to Westward Expansion!

Finally, the 4th and 5th grade classes have been invited to attend the 2D Maintenance Battalion's Engineering Fair.  This will take place on April 28, and permission slips have been sent home for you to sign.  Each class is looking for 4 parents to accompany us on the trip.  If you're interested, please make a note on your child's permission slip or send an email to your child's homeroom teacher.

Have a wonderful evening, and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions!

Daily Update 3/22

Hi Parents,

Tonight's homework is NOT a worksheet, but a "simple" math challenge :-)  Your student has been asked to create at least 3 different number patterns using a specific rule.  This can be expressed as an input output chart or as a list.  Examples:

Using a chart:  If my rule was "add 4,"  then my input might be 3 and my output 7; input 7, output 11; etc.



Using a list:  2, 6, 10, 14, ____, 22, ____, 30  ________   Rule: _______________________

Students will be swapping with a partner tomorrow, so make sure to leave the rule and a few of the "outputs" blank so the partners can solve.

Also, tomorrow is the due date for our Reader Response Blog.  Students have had two weeks to do this, since both weeks were short.  Please check with your child to make sure that this assignment has been completed and submitted.

**Don't forget that students DO NOT have school on Monday.  Tomorrow is the end of the quarter, and Monday is a teacher workday.

**The "Girls on the Run" club at HES is holding a pet food drive to benefit the Onslow County Animal Shelter.  Classes that donate the most food to the drive win prizes, so please consider participating.  A "wish list" will come home tomorrow.

Have a wonderful evening!

Update 3/29/2016

Parents,

I hope you had a nice Easter weekend. Since some of the lessons in the math unit are on patterns, including today, they have a homework assignment where they have to figure out the pattern and write the following numbers on the lines. Last week's reader response in their blog is due this Friday. We gave them two weeks to complete it since they had off from school Friday and yesterday. If you don't know what the blog was, please refer to last Monday's blog or the reader response tab on this blog.

In reading, we are continuing our literature circles where students are responsible for completing their "job" such as Word Wizard, Summarizer, Discussion Leader, etc. and for reading the assigned pages in their book. In writing, students are working on metaphors and similes.

In math, we are finishing up unit 6 on geometry by the end of this week. We will start unit 7 next week on multiplying fractions and comparing decimal fractions.

In science we are finishing up electricity next week and in social studies the students are finishing up their lapbook on the Civil War.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 3/24/2016

Parents,

There is no math homework tonight due to the Easter break. This week's reader response that is completed on their student blog is due next Friday. Thanks and have a great long weekend.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 3/22/2016

Parents,

The students have a math worksheet to complete on complementary and supplementary angles. Just a reminder that complementary angles equal 90 degrees and supplementary angles equal 180 degrees. I wrote this across the top of their math homework. They have to find the missing angle based on whether they are looking for a complementary or supplementary angle.

The reader response on the student blog will not be due until next Friday April 1st due to the days off from school this Friday and next Monday.

Jump Rope For Heart is tomorrow.

Spring Picture Day is March 29th.

Have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 3/21/2016

Parents,

The students have a double sided math worksheet to complete for homework. The one side is a review of supplementary angles where the top has to equal 180 degrees and the bottom has to equal 180 degrees. The other side has them finding "x." If they get the total, they have to subtract the given angle from the total to get the other angle. If they give two angles, they have to find the total of the angles.

Their reader response is: Explain how the story, or a part from the story you are reading, reminds you of an event that happened to yourself, someone else, or someone from another story. Be specific with your connection with at least 5 sentences.

In language arts, we continue to work with our literature circles where students are reading a book and choosing a job where they complete reading work for the group and share it each week. In writing, they will be learning about similes and metaphors.

In math we are still working with geometry specifically at complementary and supplementary angles, patterns, right angles, etc.

In social studies, students are finishing up their Civil War project where they had to research specific criteria and then display it on a lapbook.

Have a great week.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu      mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 3/17/2016

Parents,

Students have a math worksheet to complete that is double sided on complementary and supplementary angles. With complementary angles, a right angle is provided where they are given an angle and have to subtract from 90 to get the other angle. With supplementary angles, a straight angle is provided where they are given an angle and have to subtract from 180 to get the other angle. The reader response is due tomorrow, as well. Thanks.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Update 3/15/2016

Parents,

Students should have two parts to complete for their math homework. The first part has students measuring four angles and the second part has them completing a review on lines of symmetry. The reading response is also due on Friday.

A reminder that Spring pictures are coming up and a notice went home about it. You can purchase pictures with the forms that went home with your child.

A reminder tonight is Wendy's Night where some monies will go to support out wonderful PTO.

Thank you and have a great night.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu     mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu

Daily Update 3/14

Hi Parents,

Happy Monday!  I think we're all a bit relieved that Terra Nova is over and we're back to our regular routine!  Today in Reading we began a new novel/book study that students seem very excited about.  Students were assigned a book on their reading level and, over the next 6 weeks, will read the book and complete various tasks in conjunction with their reading.  We hope to provide a bit of a challenge for students who are already reading novels and, for those who aren't yet, to convince them that they're ready to make the leap :-)

In math, we're still working in our Geometry unit.  Tonight's homework asks students to measure angles.  Paper protractors are provided, but if you have one at home (or are able to get one), those are always a bit easier to work with.  As we go through the week, students will have a short test focusing on geometric figures (specifically identifying types of angles, quadrilateral figures, and lines of symmetry), and will begin working with additive angles.

In science, students will wrap up their work with electricity by Wednesday and will jump back into their Civil War project.  Students will be using the research they completed earlier in the quarter to design their own unique "lapbook."  A secondary goal is for students to continue working on writing good, coherent paragraphs.

The reading response this week due on Friday is: Write a book recommendation. Would you recommend the book you're reading to a friend? Why or why not? Give specific reasons (not just, "it's good") Write at least 5 sentences.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time.  Have a wonderful evening!

Update 3/10/2016

Parents,

Tomorrow is the last day for Terra Nova testing. If your child was absent any of the days this week, they will be doing make-ups next week. Thank you for your support during the testing.

Another reminder that Mrs. Thompson's class is doing a project with their reading buddies and needs boxes, toilet paper rolls, etc.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

charles.utter@am.dodea.edu    mindy.thompson@am.dodea.edu