Thursday, October 6, 2016

                                                             

	Happy October!  Conferences are beginning next week and ending at the end of October. If you have not heard from me to sign up, please let me know asap. Thank you!
Subject	Learning Targets and Activities for week of:  10/10-10/13
Reading	Please check in with your child about their 30 Book Challenge. If they are keeping track of their book challenge at home, please have them  bring it to school. Many students are keeping track at school, therefore, there is no need to bring anything in. Thank you! I have checked with all students about their reading project. Students seem to be enjoying creating their diorama. Their presentation should take 30-60 seconds about the setting. Please refer to the green paper that came home with the project for guidelines.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at gvoinovich@aurora-schools.org. This project is work 16 points of their reading grade. You will see a Time for Kids quiz in your child’s weekly folder next week. We read an article about how dangerous noise can be to our ears. Students will also have an assessment tomorrow covering inferring, character traits, setting, and vocabulary. Next week, we will be inferring using nonfiction texts. We will have one last final assessment next Thursday, October 13. Dioramas due Monday, October 10. We will present in class that day.
Writing	I have enjoyed seeing each child’s writing improve this quarter. They have gone from simple telling sentences (The dog howled.) to showing sentences (Last night, the neighbor’s enormous dog, howled outside my window). Their use of sensory details, bold beginning, and exciting endings are prevalent in their writing pieces. Students are also starting to understand how important it is to know who their audience is as they write. They have a solid understanding of the difference between revising and editing as they do this with their writing partners. The final copy will be completed next week.
Word Study	No word study homework next week. Students will be tested on the 25 Fry words for the quarter. A paper with the words is coming home today. The test will be Tuesday, October 11, 2016.
Flynn Math	Students had a great time sorting their prime, composite, and square numbers into 4 different houses. They had to figure out the rules of the houses and then they came to the conclusion about the different types of numbers. We will be taking a summative over prime and composite numbers, finding factor pairs of numbers, and solving 1-operational multiplication and division word problems. Students will be bringing home a study guide tomorrow to begin preparing for the summative next Thursday, 10/13. Please see attached a definition sheet of prime, composite, and factor pairs that will help support studying at home. prime - Numbers that only have 2 factors, 1 and itself. Examples: 2, 3, 5 composite - Numbers that have more than 2 factors. Examples: 6, 8, 10 factor- The number you multiply together factor pair - the numbers you multiply together product - the answer to a multiplication problem difference - the answer to a subtraction problem sum - the answer to an addition problem quotient - the answer to a division problem dividend - the number you are breaking apart divisor - the number of groups in a division problem Mrs. Gagel and I have a Google Classroom set up in which students have access. We will be using the Classroom for online assignments, blogging about math, etc. They can access the Google Classroom by clicking on the link on my blog or going to: classroom.google.com. Students can sign in from there with their Aurora Schools gmail account. I will be posting the paper/pencil hw there so that if the hard copy gets lost, they can access it. Also, Mrs. Gagel has expressed that if your child is struggling with a math skill, then the Math Flynn HW could be used as an optional assignment for additional skill practice. HW for Flynn Math is due: Thursday, 10/13
Content Areas	Science - Students are learning how the gradual processes of weathering and erosion formed Arizona’s Grand Canyon over a period of 5-6 million years. These forces are still at work today changing the canyon’s features. We will also be learning how glaciers form and what causes these “rivers of ice” to move. We will end next week with a glacier simulation. Students are also keeping vocabulary notecards of key science words such as: erosion, weathering, basin, glacier, moraines, and more. Please see attached vocabulary words and definitions as a summative will be coming up near the end of the 3rd week in October. Now is a good time to begin reviewing these words to help prepare your child. A study guide will also be coming home later to help prepare.

Reminders & Important Information

*Please send in any extra shoe boxes you might have at home.

Please see the message below from our wonderful PTO!|
October is anti-bullying month and the counselors at each school would LOVE if parents could chalk positive messages on the school sidewalks throughout the month! Please bring your own sidewalk chalk after school hours and chalk away!! Feel free to share your pics! Or send them to the PTO and we will post them for you. We'd love to see them!

Donations Needed:  One of our Leighton teachers, Linda Proctor, is in the process of designing some activities to help children learn more about the environment and become more in tune with nature.  If you have any of the following items at home that you would be willing to donate, it would be greatly appreciated.  Binoculars, large magnifying glasses, any type of identification books (trees, plants, bird, insect etc), bug viewers, bug catchers, butterfly nets etc.  Thank You!

Important Dates:

Monday, 10/10-Diorama Project due

Thursday, 10/13-End of 1st Grading Period

Friday, 10/14-No School

Tuesday, 10/18-Fire Safety Assembly-3rd and 4th grade

Friday, 10/28-Fall Festival-1:15-2:00 pm

Tuesday, 11/8 - No School - Election Day

Wednesday - Friday- 11/23 - 11/25 - Thanksgiving Break