3^rd Grade

        The third grade is looking forward to their choral reading presentation on Wednesday, November 26, 2008.  All parents are invited to join us, so save the date and watch for further information from the classroom teacher.

        During the month the students will be working on subtraction facts and and subtraction with regrouping.

4^th Grade

The fourth graders have been busy reading their novels in guided reading groups, as well as listening to Dan Gutman’s The Kid Who Ran for President as a shared reading. They love the chance to discuss all the exciting events happening in the books. Students will soon be starting their second guided reading novel and will continue to learn new strategies which help make them better readers.

          In writing, the fourth graders have been learning about strategies that make their writing pieces more interesting. Adjectives and transition words are two examples of what makes writing worth reading. After writing mini-lessons, students have had the chance to revise previous writing pieces, adding adjectives and transitions to improve them. Now that the students know how to write a great paragraph, we will be looking forward to seeing many masterpieces!

          Addition and subtraction has been the focus in math. The students have learned several strategies for adding and subtracting and are able to use what they feel comfortable with. Using place value blocks has been a great way for the students to see what it means to “borrow” and “carry.” They have applied these addition and subtraction skills to algebraic expressions and word problems.

          In social studies, students have been using their map skills to locate the oceans and continents. They are studying the compass rose and know the cardinal and intermediate directions. They have also learned the difference between longitude and latitude and they are able to use them when looking at a map.

          Our fourth grade scientists have been studying matter, mass, volume, and density. They have been able to use graduated cylinders and pan balances in experiments and demonstrations. The students have incorporated math into science by using division to find the density of a liquid or a solid. They will continue to build and use their science vocabulary in future experiments and activities.

          5th Grade

        All 5th Graders participated in Kindness Week.  We made "Key of Kindness" and "Locked Ourselves in Kindness".  The students wrote why kindness is important to them on each of the keys which are on display in the main hallway outside of the office.

        In Science, 5th graders have completed their Deciduous Leaf Project.  They shared their findings about two different species of trees with their classmates.  The students will begin their units on CELLS this month.  Microscopes, micro-slides with projectors, and internet sights will be used to investigate various kinds of cells.

        Mrs. Tannen's class is reading the historical fiction novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  Literature Circles, reaction's to literature, and "Pizazz Words", vocabulary study are being used on our journey through this exciting book.

        In Social Studies, we continue our study of the American Revolution.  The students created "Little Books" about the events leading up to the American Revolution.  Next up...The Short Heard Around the World!

        In Math we are continuing our work with fractions and decimals.  The students made fraction strips to help compare and order fractions.