Dear Parents, There are only 4 days this week but we have a lot of big lessons, from AZMerit prep to the beginning of our geometry unit. Keep encouraging your kids and make sure you are asking if they feel lost or confused in class. If they are, tell them to feel confident to speak up! Also remember that next week is our field trip to the Arizona State Capitol Museum. Your student must have their field trip permission form in by Thursday (the 29th). This Week...Science - Water and Erosion In Science scholars will learn about the how water affects the world around us. We will learn about the water table that exists under our feet (further down in Phoenix than in other places…) and about how water erodes and shapes the landscape from the smallest hill to the Grand Canyon! Math - Farewell Decimals, Hello Angles We will see the end of our experience with decimals this week. We will have a Unit 7 Test on Tuesday, March 27. We will then begin our learning experience with Geometry. Scholars will explore points, lines, and angles this week. It would still be very helpful for you child to focus on all math facts. Literature - The Princess and the Goblin In Literature, on Tuesday we begin reading The Princess and the Goblin. We will continue our journey into George MacDonald’s wonderful world. We will be following her as she explores her country home. Lyceum - The Beauty of the Fraction We will finish this short week in Lyceum by reviewing adding and subtracting mixed numbers as well as the multiplying fractions. Scholars will still benefit by their daily review of their math facts in all mathematical facts. Language Arts - Writing Week In language arts this week, students will continue their study of grammar through a new week of fix-it grammar sentences. Students will also begin the construction of their persuasive essay They will begin by creating a keyword outline and then from that a rough draft and spend the rest of the week editing and rewriting their draft to form a complete five-paragraph essay.
Dear Parents, We are finally in the 4th quarter. We have had our ups and downs (that third quarter is always rough!) but we are closing in on the finish long and have to buckle down to finish strong. This is a very busy quarter, full of tests and labs and essays...but each of us has the ability to challenge ourselves and succeed. Keep it up encouraging your students to do their best! Each of you is doing an amazing job, and I see the fruits of your labor every day in class. This Week...Science - Meteorology In Science scholars will learn about the four different layers of the atmosphere, how clouds are formed and the water cycle. We will solidify this learning with three experiments throughout the week and a quiz on Thursday. Please ask your scholar what wonderful new things they learned about in Science this week. Math - Dividing a Decimal As we come to the end of our experience and practice with decimals students will be learning the necessary skill of dividing decimals and the power of estimation in division of the decimals. Please have your scholar focus on studying their multiplication and division math facts. Literature - The Princess and the Goblin In Literature, on Tuesday we begin reading The Princess and the Goblin. We will begin our journey into George MacDonald’s wonderful world. We will be introduced to the charming princess and the begin the investigation into the mysteries surrounding her heritage. Looking ahead, in the following week on Tuesday, March 27 we will have a reading quiz on the first four chapters. Lyceum - The Beauty of the Fraction As we continue with our studies in Lyceum our scholars are revisiting the recent concept of fractions. This is a great opportunity for our students to freshen up on this aspect of Math as well as get clarification on anything they are not sure about. Language Arts - Writing Week In language arts this week, students will continue their study of grammar through diagramming their fix-it grammar sentences. Students will also be continuing the construction of their essay on courage. They will begin by reviewing their rough draft from the week before break and spend the week editing and rewriting their draft to form a complete five-paragraph essay. Poetry - Paul Revere’s Ride This week we will be reciting Paul Revere’s Ride on Thursday and Friday. Upcoming AssessmentsMonday, March 19th- Tuesday, March 20th- Wednesday, March 21st- AZMerit Practice Test Thursday, March 22nd ~ Recitation of Paul Revere’s Ride, Meteorology Quiz Friday, March 23rd~ Recitation of Paul Revere’s Ride, AZMerit Practice Test Monday, March 24th- Tuesday, March 25th- Literature Quiz on chapters 1-4 Field TripOur field trip to the Arizona State Capitol is coming up on April 4th! Permission forms are coming out tomorrow so make sure you sign them and send your student in with 10 dollars so they can go. If you are interested in being a chaperone for the field trip, please email me to confirm your availability and that you have been fingerprinted.
Dear Parents, This is the last week of our third quarter. Ahead of us lies a much deserved break, and then the final push to finish out the year as fourth graders. Each of your students has grown tremendously over the past three quarters, and each has a lot of learning to do yet. Continue to encourage and support your students as they keep growing as both scholars and men and women of virtue. This Week...Science - Natural Disasters In Science we will be exploring the causes and consequences of several natural disasters this week. From earthquakes and tsunamis to hurricanes and tornadoes, human civilization must live with the reality of natural disasters of massive scale. We will focus on understanding the causes of these disasters from the perspective of physics, and discuss what can be done to mitigate the damage caused by them. There will be a quiz on Thursday reviewing what we have learned. Math - The Wonderful World of Multiplication Decimals have been a powerful tool that our students have been given to put into their Mathematics Toolbox. Learning how to add and subtract decimals has been quite an adventure for our clsses Literature - Carry on, Mr. Bowditch In Literature, on tuesday we will have quiz on the chapters 21-22. We are continuing to read the story of Nat in Carry on, Mr. Bowditch. In this week we will finish the melancholy story of Nathaniel Bowditch. In this weeks chapters we will witness Nat gain a masters of arts and Harvard and remarry. On Friday of this week we will have a seminar on the book as a whole. We will begin fourth quarter with The Princess and the Goblin. Lyceum - Arrays and Area Models We are moving deeper into the concepts and the vocabulary of Division. Students have explored the term partial quotient to learn how to break down a division problem. In addition, looking at the use the divisor to regroup the dividend into the quotient. You can assist in your scholars preparation by having them review their Multiplication and Division Math Facts. Language Arts - Writing Week In language arts this week, students will continue their study of grammar through the daily use of fix-it grammar. Students will also be working on the construction of a keyword outline from three sources, all three concern the virtue of courage. The first is drawn from a passage of The Book of Virtues, the second is one of Aesop’s Fables entitled, The Hunter and the Woodsman and the third is the seventh chapter of Wizard of Oz. From these passages scholars will create a keyword outline, which they will use to write five-paragraph essay. Poetry - Paul Revere’s Ride This week we will be focusing on practicing stanzas the entire poem as we move toward reciting the poem in the week following break. Upcoming AssessmentsAssessments Monday, March 5th- Tuesday, March 6th- Literature Quiz on chapters 21-22 Wednesday, March 7th- Thursday, March 8th~ Seminar on Carry on Mr. Bowditch Science Quiz on Unit measurement Lyceum Assessment (not for a grade) Friday, March 9th~ NO SCHOOL SPRING BREAK Curriculum Message: ScienceOver the course of the year we have worked to invest in our scholar’s scientific understanding through intensive units like the circulatory system. In the month of March, we will be working through another intensive science unit as we study geology. We are excited to explore with our scholars the wonder of the earth and look forward to all we will learn together through that exploration.
Homework through March will consistent of mathematics, science, literature, and writing/grammar, to include some literary and historical writing assignments. |
AuthorBurk Ohbayashi is a husband, a father, and an educator. Archives
March 2018
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