Science Fair Project Presentations

Our fourth graders did such a great job preparing and presenting their science fair projects! The class enjoyed listening to the presentations of their classmates and asking them questions about their experiments. Here are a few snapshots of our presentations from Monday:

Recycling Fun!

A special part of being in fourth grade at PES is helping with the school's recycling. December is our month to help recycle, and despite today's chilliness, we had a lot of fun! 

Sometimes the wind got the best of us. ;)

December Important Dates

It's so hard to believe December is already here! In the coming weeks we have quite a bit going on, with science fair projects, our holiday concert, tests, and other winter festivities. Here's what December is going to look like for our fourth grade class:

Monday, December 7th - Science Fair Projects Due

Tuesday, December 8th - Holiday Concert (6:30 pm at the high school)

Wednesday, December 9th - Vocabulary Quiz 
                                                 Santa's Workshop

Thursday, December 10th - Human Body Test (Study guides will be given on 12/7)

Friday, December 11th - 11:05 Dismissal

Tuesday, December 15th - Northeast States & Capitals Quiz

Friday, December 18th - Northeast Region Test

Tuesday, December 22nd - Holiday Party! 1:35 Dismissal

December 23rd - January 4th WINTER BREAK

School resumes on Tuesday, January 5th. :)

Science Fair Projects

Science Fair projects are due next Monday, December 7th!

Here are some important reminders:

• This week should be spent putting the final touches on the project. Use computer skills if you can! Include color photos and drawings, and mount them on a tri-fold poster board. Also include a 3D model if applicable. Glue the rubric to the back.

• Please do not send your child to school with their project before Monday, December 7th. All students will be presenting their projects on the 7th. On Tuesday morning we will bring them over to the high school and there will be an open house that evening at the high school following the concert on Tuesday, December 8th. Please make arrangements to bring your child's science fair project home immediately following the open house. 

• Students should write or use the computer to type all information in their own words.  Please do not include text that has been photocopied, printed, or copied by hand. Students should only include their own original work in their own fourth grade words.

• Be prepared to present your project and experiment process to the class. Practice at home!

• Before bringing your project to school on Monday, look over the rubric and make sure all of the necessary information is included!

Please let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Midwest States & Capitals

In social studies we are learning about the Midwest region of the United States. This week we learned all of the state names and capitals of the 12 states located in our home region. Students will be quizzed over the states and capitals next Wednesday, November 18th. They are responsible for knowing the name of each state, the abbreviation for each state, as well as the capital of each state. We spent time in class making flashcards with all of this information. Students are to be bringing these flashcards home to study!

New Vocabulary Words

Our new vocabulary unit and our new science vocabulary words have both been added to our accounts on Spelling City. Vocabulary comprehension is an integral part of achieving high scores on exams and assignments. For every vocabulary unit and science unit we study, students create flashcards to use throughout the duration of the unit to help them study. In addition to flashcards, students may also practice their vocabulary words on Spelling City. This website has games to help students practice their vocabulary words. 

Click here to view a brief tutorial on how to help your child log in to his or her Spelling City account. We visit this website often in class, so students should be familiar. 

Our next vocabulary quiz will be on Friday, November 20th. Students should continue studying science vocabulary until it is time for our chapter test later this month. 

To study on Spelling City, here are our current lists:

Vocabulary - Unit 6 Vocabulary

Science - Human Body

Halloween Festivities

We had a great week celebrating Red Ribbon Week and Halloween! What a fun week full of goofy outfits, crazy hair, and spooky costumes. Here are some pictures from our Halloween party:

Our class decorated a pumpkin for the school-wide pumpkin decorating contest. Families voted for their favorite pumpkins at our Blue Ribbon Bash and at the Halloween parade. Monetary donations were used as votes, and the money donated will be used to purchase socks and underwear for this year's Secret Santa. 

We turned our pumpkin into an aquarium and each of us decorated a fish. We have a "fintastic school!" :)

A big thank you to everyone who voted for our pumpkin, and to all of the parents who brought supplies and treats for our Halloween party!

Math Resources

There are many math resources available for your child to receive extra practice at home, and for help with homework. 

On the homepage of our district website, there is a CURRICULUM button located on the left side of the page. 

On the Curriculum page, there are Eureka Math resource links. Eureka Math is the curriculum we use for math instruction. These links can be of assistance when working on the homework packets with your child. 

In addition to the Eureka Math resources, there are also a few websites the fourth grade teachers use to help students practice math facts and concepts. Students have usernames for all of these websites and should be able to log on at home without any trouble. I would be happy to send you your child's log in information so they may practice at home. 

Xtra Math allows students to practice multiplication and division facts.

Front Row is an individualized program that allows students to practice Common Core concepts in all areas of math by gauging their areas of strength and weakness. Students also have access to reading practice through their account with this website.   

Prodigy is an individualized program in a "video game" format that allows students to practice Common Core concepts in all areas of mathematics. We played this for the first time in class last week and the students loved it! A letter was sent home in last week's communicator with your child's log in information.

These are all fantastic websites that I encourage students to utilize at home if technology is available. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these resources! 

Animal Adaptations Test

Our science test over animal adaptations is this Friday, October 23rd. 

Students have the following resources from which they may study:

- Study Guide

- Guided Notes

- Vocabulary Flashcards

(Vocabulary is also on Spelling City)

While we will be reviewing in class, it is important students study at home as well. Please help your child prepare for the test by demonstrating positive study skills! 

*We also have a vocabulary quiz on Friday over the Unit 4 words from our orange vocabulary workbooks. Students have flashcards for these words as well and may practice using Spelling City.

Bird Beak Lab

Students have been studying animal adaptations and the different ways animals adapt to their environments. Today, we completed an experiment where we learned how different bird beaks affect the type of food birds eat. 

We used different tools as models for bird beaks, such as tweezers, clothespins, and chopsticks. Students tried picking up different foods with each bird beak to determine which kind of beak was best for each food. As a result, we were able to conclude that a bird's beak can tell us about a bird's size and what it eats. 

Here are some photos from today's experiment: 

We will be concluding our animal adaptations unit next week. Students will receive a study guide next week, and in the meantime should be studying their science vocabulary. They may use their flash cards, or can find games with our science vocabulary words on Spelling City.

Science Test

Students have their first science test this Friday, September 18th. The test is over Chapter 3, Plant Growth and Adaptations. We have been focusing on this chapter since the first week of school and are on our way to becoming plant experts. :)

Students have the following resources to help them study:

- Vocabulary Flash Cards (We made these the first week of school)

- Chapter 3 Guided Notes

- Study Guide (Students will be completing the study guide in class on Monday and reviewing the answers on Tuesday so it may be used as a study tool for the remainder of the week)

In addition to these resources, students may also use Spelling City to study for the vocabulary portion of the test. Students have used Spelling City at school and are able to access the website at home.

Go to www.spellingcity.com

Click on "Login" in the top right corner.

Under "Student Login" students should enter their username and password. Their username is their school ID number, and their password is the password they use to access the computers at school, which is the same password they use for any of our website logins.

Once they are logged in, any assignment I have created for them is listed. When they click on Plant Vocabulary, a menu drops down with the games they can play to help practice their vocabulary.

Hint: If they click on Unit 2 Vocabulary, they can also practice their vocabulary for our vocabulary quiz on Friday! These are our Unit 2 words from our orange vocabulary workbook.

Though we will be reviewing in class this week, studying at home is so, so, so important! As a grade level we emphasize the importance of studying daily and not leaving all studying the night before a big test. 

If you or your child has any questions about the upcoming test or how to access Spelling City from home, please do not hesitate to ask!

Garden Fun

On Thursday we had the opportunity to pick vegetables from our school's garden! Vegetables from the garden will be donated to the food pantry. Our class picked carrots and green beans! The hands-on exposure tied in perfectly with our plants unit. :)

We are looking forward to planting vegetables in the spring!