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