Room 204 Update December 15, 2013 Spring Street School Mrs.

Liportos class

General Information This week we will be doing our Secret Snowflake exchange. A list of what is due on each day went home over a week ago. If you need an extra copy, please let me know. Our classroom party will be on Thursday at 1:45. At that time, students will exchange a small gift, no more than $5 to $7, with their secret friend. Here is a reminder of what is due each day this week: -Monday, December 16th, make a bookmark with your Secret Snowflakes name on it -Tuesday, December 17th- create a piece of writing for your SS, such as story starring them, or a poem -Wednesday, December 18th- free choicefor example, make a craft, draw a picture, write a top ten list for your SS -Thursday, December 19th- bring in a gift that costs no more than $5-$7 that you think your SS would enjoy (no food, please); a book is always nice! We will exchange gifts and make guesses as to who the Secret Snowflake is at our holiday party on 12/20 at 1:00. Only five more days until vacation! I have heard from the kids that many of you have big plans for vacation such as visiting relatives, skiing, museums, etc. Whatever

you do, I hope that you enjoy the holidays and time with your kids. IMPORTANT DATES *Holiday Party- Friday, December 20, 1:002:15PM *Winter Break- Monday, December 23Wednesday, January 1 *MLK Jr. Day, No School Monday, January 20 *MCAS Long Composition Tuesday, Mar. 18 *MCAS English Language Arts Wednesday, Mar. 26- Thursday, Mar. 27 *MCAS Math Tuesday, May 13Wednesday, May 14 Homework Reading logs will be due again this Friday. Students should have them signed and ready to go for Friday, as we will not be counting minutes over vacation. I will provide the kids with new reading logs when they return in 2014! Also, spelling packets are going home this Monday. Please remind your fourth grader that they should be completing 3 DIFFERENT activities for the week, not the same thing three times. Language Arts This week we will work on determining importance. We will begin by categorizing information from text into

two categories: important to know, and nice to know. We will be reading the book Snowflake Bentley about the man who first learned how to photograph snowflakes and learned that they are all unique. In guided reading we will continue to focus on inferencing skills and identifying the schema from our heads that help us to make inferences. Writing I was impressed with the narrative writing the students completed as a class about sledding down a hill. We took the heart (climax) of the story and stretched it out. Here it is:
I carefully climbed into the sled and tucked my legs inside the plastic rocket. A long slide stretched out below me as my heart stopped, imagining how fast we were going to go down the monstrous incline. My hands grasped tightly to the rope as my brothers hands tightened their grip on my shoulders. At first, it was strange having my big brother practically hugging me but then I noticed he was trembling with anxiety. But somehow his fear comforted me because I knew I wasnt on this scary ride alone. We took one last glance around us then I felt my brothers body shift forward, tipping the sled just enough to have it start sliding over the peak. I leaned back, having second thoughts and hoping to stop the sled, but it was clear we were on our way. As the sled started picking up speed, I realized there was no turning back now. Suddenly, it was as if a blizzard was blowing against my face, the snow was hitting it so violently. The world around me was blurry so I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. My fingers, I realized in horror, were as cold as ice, still gripping the rope to the point where I thought I might end up with rope burns when all of this was over. In a moment of bravery, I opened my eyes just in time to see a horrible sight coming my waythe jump we had built earlier! The sled was moving faster and faster, the jump loomed closer and closer. I tried to shift my body so the sled would turn away from the terrifying lump of snow on the track but it was no use. The jump was upon us! In a matter of moments, the sled suddenly tipped

up towards the sky as we soared over the summit. Our bodies lifted into the air and feeling the wind all around me, I realized that I was flying. There was no sled below me, no brother behind me, no rope in my hand- just me and five feet of air under me. As my body started its descent back to Earth, I couldnt help but worry about tumbling down the hill. As it turned out, I didnt have to worry about rolling down the hill because I landed with a hard thump onto what I thought was the ground. But as I heard a groan from below me, I realized that my brother was my pillow, cushioning my fall from the heavens. That wasnt so bad, I said to no one in particular. Umph. Not for you, maybe! I was your landing pad, you can thank me for that later when I get home from the hospital, my brother groaned with half a smile.

This week we will focus on revising the extended endings of our narratives. Math

We will be finishing with unit 5 in math this week. We will spend some time looking at the powers of ten and rounding with large numbers. Math Club this week will focus on multiplication using larger numbers and anything else the students dont feel confident with from unit 5. (Students, the secret number this week is 12, the number of days of vacation we have starting next week!) I would also like to preview long division. All students are welcome to attend from 8:00am to 8:30am on Tuesday mornings. EVERYDAY MATH FAMILY LETTERS on-line address:
http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/4 th-grade/view-family-letters/

If you cannot access them, please let me know. If your student forgets to bring home the Study Link for homework, they can be printed from the following site:

http://www.mrnale.com/StudyLinks_Grade _4.htm They can also print the Study Links from the Everyday Math Online site: www.everydaymathonline.com Social Studies On Tuesday, the Family Traditions and Artifacts Museum materials will be going home. Our Museum will be open for family and friends to visit on Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 9:15 10:00 AM. This event showcases different items from our diverse cultures. This week we will continue learning about different groups of people and what traditions and holidays they brought to the United States. Groups of children will soon present their research to the class. We will also finish our virtual tour of Ellis Land with ipads! After the December break, our focus will be the Family Traditions Museum and rights & responsibilities of citizens via the Constitution, and specifically, the Bill of Rights. Science Weve continued our exploration of the six simple machines in science. So far we have experimented with the lever and inclined plane and next week well learn about the wheel and axel and the screw. There has been a great deal of excitement in the classroom during these times! After vacation we will experiment with wedges and pulleys. Hopefully the students will be looking for

examples of simple machines in their daily lives over vacation. Happy Birthday!!! December Birthdays:
There are no student birthdays in December.

*Specials*
MUSIC: Tuesday 10:45-11:25 AM ART: Wednesday, 11:25-12:05 PM Health: Thursday 9:15-9:55 AM CHORUS: Friday 10:45-11:25 AM PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Friday 2L25-3:05 PM MEDIA: Every Other Wednesday, 2:45-3:00 PM

As always, your questions/comments are welcome. Please send me an email or a note to school. Kristen Liporto