Week of January 8th

                                 

Important Dates

Fri., 12/22 - 1/7 - Winter Break
Mon., 1/8 - Classes resume
Thurs,. 1/11 Reading MAP test
Wed. 1/17 Math MAP test

Reading: We will read a biographical piece about baseball player Lou Gehrig. While studying this text, we will continue to work on our close reading skills and focus on identifying statements that are facts and statements that are opinions. There will be vocabulary work in Google Classroom.

English:  We will focus on Explanatory Writing this week. We will review how to write a good lead. The students will also be writing about their winter break.


Spelling/Vocabulary:    Unit 14  Soft "g"
This week's list will consist of words that contain the soft "g" sound like fragile and giant. There will be a test Friday, January 12th

Social Studies:  We will begin our study of the Midwest. In lesson one we will read and learn how the Great Lakes link the Midwest region to the Gulf of Mexico and to the Atlantic Ocean. A quiz on the states on the Midwest is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17th.

Science:   We will begin Chapter three,  Adaptations  in Science next week. We will read and learn how the bodies of animals help them meet their needs.

Mrs Bucklin's Math Class:   We will begin Unit Four Addition and Subtraction.  The students will complete activities designed to help them understand some of the relationships between hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, and millions.  We will also complete  a problem string that focuses on the give and take (compensation) strategy for adding multi-digit numbers. 

Week of December 18th

Important Dates
Tues., 12/19 - All school trip to see WONDER
Thurs., 12/21 - 4th grade bowling
Fri., 12/22 - 1/7 - Winter Break
Mon., 1/8 - Classes resume

Reading:  We will complete our mythology unit. The students will continue to  present their projects this week.  All projects are due on Monday.  We will also read together the Time For Kids magazine. We will focus on how to go back into the text to locate answers and use clues to make inferences about the topic. These skills will help the students in taking the weekly quiz.

English: We will continue to work on our writing skills through narrative writing.

Spelling/Vocabulary:   There will not be a spelling test next week.

Social Studies:  We will read and learn how the Cherokee have contributed to the history of the Southeast.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.  We will complete Unit 3, Fractions and Decimals. The Unit test will be given on Wednesday, December 20th.  A practice test was sent home on Thursday. We will review for the test Monday and Tuesday.

Week of December 11th

Important Dates
Fri., 12/8 - Gym Night
Tues., 12/19 - All school trip to see WONDER
Thurs., 12/21 - 4th grade bowling
Fri., 12/22 - 1/7 - Winter Break
Mon., 1/8 - Classes resume

Reading:  We will continue with our mythology unit.  A mythology project that focuses on personalized learning was introduced last week.  Students may choose to work individually or in a small group to complete a project from a given list. Each group will be assigned a different myth. The project will include a written piece and a presentation. Students will be given time in class the week of 12/11 but should expect to do some work outside of class as well. The mythology project will be due on 12/18. The project has been posted in Google Classroom  if you are interested in viewing the details.

Spelling/Vocabulary:   We will continue to work on spelling and vocabulary from our Mythology unit. There will be a test Thursday, December 14th

Social Studies: Southeast Scrapbooks are due Tuesday,  December 12th. Presentations will begin on Thursday.

Science:  We will complete a unit on  Life Cycles of Plants and Animals. . The chapter test is  Wednesday, December 13th. A study guide to help prepare for the test was sent home on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.  We will complete Unit 3, Fractions and Decimals. A checkpint quiz for Module three will be given on Monday. The students have a review sheet to help prepare for the quiz. They may use the review and notes while taking the quiz.  The Unit test will be given on Wednesday, December 20th.  

Week of December 4th

Important Dates:
December 5-- Early Dismissal
December 7-- Bowling permission slips are due
December 21-- Bowling

Reading:  We will continue our unit on Mythology. This week the students will become familiar with all aspects of a given myth (characters, setting, events, theme, etc). Students will work in a small group or individually to complete a project that summarizes a myth in a chosen format. After reading and researching a myth, they will create a project that will be presented to their classmates.

Time For Kids: The students will be given a TFK magazine on Monday. There will be a quiz on the cover story on Thursday. 

English:  We will continue to work on writing skills this week.

Spelling/Vocabulary:   We will complete a two week spelling/vocabulary unit on Mythology. There will  not be a test this week. The students will learn that many English words have Greek roots and many of them come straight from the names of myths of certain gods, titans and mythological characters.  We will also focus on allusions. An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place or literature. The students will find there are many allusions to Greek Mythology.

Social Studies: We will complete our study of the Southeast. The students have been assigned a state and will create a scrapbook using their chromebooks. Class time will be given for this however some may be homework. The Scrapbooks are due Tuesday,  December 12th. 

Science:  We will continue a unit on  Life Cycles of Plants and Animals. We will begin learning about animal life cycles. We will read and learn how some animals grow and develop. We will also learn  about the different stages in the human life cycle. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 13th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.   We will continue Unit 3, Fractions and Decimals.  The students will be introduced to decimals.  They will use the base ten pieces as a visual anchor to comparing decimal numbers and to investigate the relationship between tenths and hundredths.

Week of November 20th and November 27th

                                                                   

                                                                        

Important Dates:
November 17 End of Trimester
November 20- Scholastic book orders due
November 22-27 Thanksgiving Break

Reading:  We will finish up with the biography of Gloria Estefan.  There will be an open book quiz on Monday. The students will also be writing a newspaper article called "A Star with a Heart."  The following week  the students will be introduced to the world of mythology.  The first myth they will read is The Myth of Hercules. They will compare and contrast their views of a hero and evaluate whether or not they feel that Hercules has the traits to consider him a hero.

English:  We will continue to work on writing skills this week. The students have chosen a topic and are working on good leads to introduce their topic. We will then focus on sequential order and adding details to our writing.

Spelling:   No spelling this week. Unit 13  the following week will focus on Homographs. Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings. 

Social Studies: We will continue our study of the Southeast. We will learn how the Southeast is rich in different resources.  These resources are used in different industries throughout the region. The chapter 6 test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 30th.

Science:  We will continue a unit on  Life Cycles of Plants and Animals.  We will learn the stages in a plants life cycle and how plants reproduce. The students will be creating a diagram of the Life Cycle of a Plant.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.   We will continue Unit 3, Module 2.  Students name fractional parts of the geoboard and describe the parts’relationships to one another. Their observations are then extended into comparing fractions with unlike numerators and denominators, and adding fractions with like denominators. There will be a checkpoint quiz on equivalent fractions on Wednesday, November, 29th.

Week of November 13th

Important Dates:
November 17 End of Trimester
November 22-27 Thanksgiving Break

Reading:  We will continue our Courage theme with the biography of Gloria Estefan. The students have been busy learning how to answer text dependent questions.  We have been focusing on how to turn the question around and support the evidence with information from the text. There will be an open book quiz on the story on Friday.

Time For Kids: The magazine will be sent home on Monday. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

English:  We will continue to work on writing skills this week.

Spelling:   Unit 12 - Homophones
 A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different spelling and meaning, for example,  bear and bare.  The final test for the homophone lesson will be on Friday, 11/17.

Social Studies: We will continue our study of the Southeast. We will  learn how the mild climates of the Southeast bring many tourists, but the area has some natural hazards. We will also read and learn how the Southeast is rich in different resources.  These resources are used in different industries throughout the region.

Science:  We will begin a new unit on  Life Cycles of Plants and Animals.  This week we will conduct an experiment to find out if seeds need light to sprout.  We will be placing radish seeds in damp sponges. One pan will be placed in the light and another in the dark. The students will write a hypothesis on whether the seeds will need light to sprout.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.   We will begin unit 3. The students will review fraction skills and concepts and extend their understandings to mixed numbers, improper fractions and more sophisticated strategies for generating equivalent fractions.

Week of November 6th

Important Dates:
November 17 End of Trimester

Kid with a Cape on the Go! - We've gotten some response from students with pictures of themselves spreading kindness. This initiative was the result of a visit from the author of A Girl with a Cape,  Amy Logan.  Her message to us was that WE ALL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by spreading kindness. Students can take a picture of  spreading kindness, with or without their "Kid with a Cape." A photo, drawing, or a written paragraph of the student and the event are alternative activities that can be turned in to the teacher. While this is optional, students have had fun posing with his/her "Kid!

Reading:  We will continue our close read of Gloria Estefan. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Thursday. The students should be reviewing their vocabulary slides and the Quizlet in Google Classroom. We will also work on Text Dependent Questions this week as we do our second read of the story.

Time For Kids: There will not be a quiz this week in Time For Kids.

English:  We will complete a unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. This week's focus will be on Titles and Quotation Marks. There will be a test on Friday.  The students will have a review sheet sent home on Wednesday. They also have the review they have been working on in Google Classroom.

Spelling:  Unit 11 will focus on the vowel letters e and i.  They can be combined in 2 ways: ie and ei.  Usually, ei has the long a sound and the ie has the long e sound.  The rule generally is "i before e except after c or when sounded like a as in neighbor and weigh. "  The students will also practice using the context of a sentence to understand the meanings of words. The test will be on Friday, November 10th.

Social Studies: The Southeast map quiz will be given on Tuesday.  We will then continue our study of the Southeast. We will learn about the major landforms in the Southeast.  We will then compare and contrast landform elevations. We will alsolearn how barrier islands are formed.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.   There will be a Unit 2 test on Thursday, November 9th. The students will be given a practice test on Monday to help prepare for the test. We will review on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Week of October 30th

Important Dates:
October 31st  Halloween Parties

The Halloween celebration will be on Tuesday, 10/31. Students will change into their costumes at 12:45, and the parties will begin at 1:00. The traditional PV parade will begin at 1:55. Students must be able to put on their Halloween costume in 5-10 minutes by themselves. Fourth grade will have designated classrooms for girls to change in and for boys. They will NOT be allowed to change in the bathroom. No props that resemble a weapon should be brought to school. THANK YOU to all the parents who are helping to make this a special afternoon for our classroom!

Kid with a Cape on the Go! - We've gotten some response from students with pictures of themselves spreading kindness. This initiative was the result of a visit from the author of A Girl with a Cape,  Amy Logan.  Her message to us was that WE ALL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by spreading kindness. Students can take a picture of  spreading kindness, with or without their "Kid with a Cape." A photo, drawing, or a written paragraph of the student and the event are alternative activities that can be turned in to the teacher. While this is optional, students have had fun posing with his/her "Kid!

Reading:  We will  begin to read and work with a story about the singer, Gloria Estefan. We will focus on close reading, text-dependent questions, vocabulary and the concept of making judgments.

Time For Kids: On Tuesday the students will be given a Time For Kids magazine. The magazines will start to come home weekly. Part of the nightly homework will be to read the articles. They will be given an open magazine quiz on Thursday of the cover story. Your child should keep the TFK in his/her binder so they will have it for the quiz on Thursday. 

English: In English,  We will continue a unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. This week's focus will be on commas and quotation marks. There will be homework in Google Classroom this week.

Spelling: Unit 10 - Suffixes -ment, -tion and -ly
This week's list contains words with the suffixes -ment, -tion and -ly.  Students will study the definitions of the suffixes and how they change the root words that they are attached to. We will also look at antonyms of the spelling and vocabulary words. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 11/3.

Social Studies:  We will begin our study of the Southeast. The students will learn the Southeast states and label them on a map. There will be a quiz for the Southeast states on  Tuesday, November 7th. 

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.  We are working on division with remainders this week.  The students will learn how to divide a 2-digit number by a one digit number with remainders. The Unit 2 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th.  

Week of October 23rd

Important Dates:
October 24-26 Parent teacher Conferences
October -27--No School Parent Teacher Conferences
October 31st  Halloween Parties

Reading:  We will continue our Courage theme. We will finish up working on our extended response question for Malala and Jackie Robinson.  We will then read the biography of Gloria Estefan.  Skills we are working on are cause and effect and responding to text-dependent questions.

English: In English,  We will continue a unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. This week's focus is on  Abbreviations and Commas. We will learn how to use commas in a series along with using commas correctly in our every day writing. There will be homework in Google Classroom this week.

Spelling:  Unit 9 : Prefixes pre-, re- and mis-
Words on this week's list will include the prefixes pre-, re- and mis-. We will study the definitions of these prefixes and how they change the meaning of the root word that they are attached to. The final test is scheduled for Thursday, 10/27.

Science:  We will continue  a unit in Life Science. The students are busy working on their Invertebrate projects. Presentations will be on Tuesday.  The test on this lesson has been changed to Thursday.  

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:.  In math this week we will continue Unit Two, Module Three, Multiplication Stories and Strategies. Students investigate the effect of doubling and halving factors in multiplication combinations. The students should also be practicing their multiplication facts nightly. Friday's quiz will be sent home on Monday. The students will be given an open note Multiplication checkpoint on Thursday.

Week of October 16th

Important Dates:
October -27--No School Parent Teacher Conferences

Reading:  We will continue our Courage theme.  The students will read an article on Malala Yousafzai and watched a video clip of  Jackie Robinson. They will then complete a Venn diagram comparing the two showing how they showed courage. After viewing the video of Jackie Robinson, reading the Malala  passage, and completing the compare/contrast Venn diagram, the students will write a response to the essential question  "Can courage be shown in more than one way?"

English: In English, we will continue with paragraph writing. We will also continue a unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. This week's focus is capitalizing names of places and things along with learning how to write abbreviations.

Spelling:  Unit 8 : This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include a variety of words that are appropriate for 4th-grade students. Instead of studying a spelling rule, we will focus on the definition of these words and how they might be used in reading and writing. Part of this week's lesson will also highlight how to use reference materials such as a dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and encyclopedia. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 10/20.

Science:  We will continue  a unit in Life Science. This week we will learn about invertebrates. The students  will begin working on their Invertebrate Slideshow. There may be homework in this.We will also learn more about the five classes of vertebrates. There will  be a test on Tuesday, October 24th covering this lesson. 

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math this week we will continue Unit Two, Module One, Building Multiplication Arrays.  Skills and concepts we are working on are multiplying and dividing products to 100 using strategies. We will learn that in a multi-digit number each digit represents 10 times what it represents to the place to its right. We will also work with rectangular arrays and apply the area formula to solve problems. There will be a Checkpoint quiz on Friday. A study guide to  help prepare for the quiz will be sent home on Wednesday.  

Week of October 9th

Important Dates:
October 9-- No School Columbus Day
October -27--No School Parent Teacher Conferences

Reading: We will continue our Courage theme. This week we are continuing to close read an excerpt from the "I Have a Dream" speech. We will then focus on a writing activity answering the question,  What lesson about courage was Martin Luther King trying to teach through his actions?  The students will use ideas and direct quotes from the text to support their answer. We are also focusing on how to determine cause and effect in the story.

English: We will  begin a unit on Capitalization and Punctuation. This week's focus is capitalizing names of people and pets along with correcting run-on sentences.

Spelling:  Unit 7 - "Suffixes "-ness", "-less",  and "-en"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -ness, -less, and-en.  We will study the definitions of these suffixes and how to determine the meaning of unknown words by breaking the words into base words and suffixes and by using context clues. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 10/13.

Science:  We will begin a unit in Life Science. We will learn that animals are grouped into different categories. We will also read and learn which animals are vertebrates and which animals are invertebrates,

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math this week we will begin Unit Two, Module One, Building Multiplication Arrays. Students should be practicing their multiplication facts nightly to help prepare for this chapter.  Students will determine the area of base ten pieces in square centimeters and discuss the idea that the area of each piece represents its place value.

Week of October 2nd

Important Dates:
October 5 -Box Top turn in
October 9-- No School Columbus Day


Reading: We will continue our Courage theme. There will be a  vocabulary QUIZ on the words from Happy Birthday Dr. King on Thursday 10/5. The resources for preparing for the quiz are found in Reading section of Google Classroom and include a Quizlet and their word work pages. Then, we will be digging into an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech".

English: In English, we will work on paragraph writing.

Spelling: Unit 6 - "Suffixes "-ed" and "-ing"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -ed and -ing.  We will study how adding these suffixes to base words changes their spelling. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 10/6.

Social Studies:    We will complete chapter 5 lesson one. We will read and learn how the Narragansett lived in the Northeast region before European settlers came to North America. We will learn key events that affected the Narragansett way of life once the European settlers arrived. We will celebrate our study of the Northeast with a Resource Day on Thursday.  We will be having waffles with maple syrup along with cranberry and grape juice. 

Science:  We will begin a unit in Life Science. We will learn that animals are grouped into different categories. We will also read and learn which animals are vertebrates and which animals are invertebrates,

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math this week we will begin Module 4 in Unit One. This module provides hands-on experience with measurement as students explore linear measurement, mass, weight, and liquid volume. They will review the definitions and units of measure for each category.

Week of September 25th

Important Dates:
Sept 27- Early Dismissal

Reading:  This week we will continue the fourth grade Courage unit. We are working with a story called Happy Birthday, Dr. King written by Kathryn D. Jones.  This text will help us work on answering text-dependent questions as well as understand cause and effect.  The students will also be doing vocabulary assignments in Google Classroom.

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English: In English, we will complete  Unit One. The Sentence. There will be a chapter test on Wednesday. The students have a review assignment in Google Classroom that is due on Tuesday. They will also be bringing their English book home to help review for the test.

Spelling: Unit 5  - "Greek Roots"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the Greek roots "graph", "auto", "photo", "tele", and "rupt".  We will study the meanings of these roots and how to use them correctly. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 9/29.

Social Studies:    The chapter 4 test will be given on Friday, September 29th. The students should review their notes and worksheets from class. They should be able to explain how Niagara Falls was formed and how the Niagara River is important to the people in the Northeast region. We will review for the test on Thursday.

Science:   The students will complete a group activity using the Scientific Method. They will need to figure out how to make the longest chain from one piece of paper.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math this week we will take a closer look at multiplicative comparisons, working to understand what it really means when we say something is twice as big, three times as tall or four times as much. The students will make a comparison statement to match a multiplication equation. They will solve story problems involving multiplicative comparisons. There will be a test on Unit 1 Modules 1-3 on Thursday.  The students will be given a practice test to complete for homework on Friday. It will be due on Tuesday. Please look over your child's checkpoint quiz that will come home on Monday.  These concepts will be covered again on the test.  We will also review for the test on Tuesday.

Week of Sept.18th

Important Dates:
Sept 27- Early Dismissal

Reading:  This week we will begin the fourth grade Courage unit. The unit revolves around the essential questions of "What does it mean to show courage?", "Can courage be shown in more than one way?" and "How can one person make a difference?" We will also focus on how to determine the theme of a story.

English: In English, we will continue  Unit one. The Sentence. We will focus on finding the subject and  predicate along with run-on sentences.

Spelling: Unit 4 - "Frequently Confused Words"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include homophones such as to, too and two & their, there and they're. We will study the meanings of these words and how to use them correctly. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 9/22.

Social Studies:   This week we will continue chapter 4, The Northeast.  In Lesson 3  we will read and learn how Chesapeake Bay and other bays in the Northeast provide seafood for millions. The students have an assignment in Google Classroom which is due on Tuesday. The chapter 4 test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 28th.

Science:   We will continue the introduction chapter of "Getting Ready for Science".  We will learn how the scientific method helps scientist gain knowledge. We will complete several experiments this week to learn how the Scientific method works.  There will be an open book quiz on lessons two and three on Thursday. 

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week, we will begin Unit 1, Module 3 on multiplication comparisons and equations.  There will be a checkpoint quiz on Friday. I will send home a study guide on Wednesday. The students should know how to list factors and multiples of a given number, They also need to be able to determine whether a number is prime or composite.
 The Home Connection and Student book can now be found in your child's  Math Google Classroom under the About section.  This can be used if your child  forgets to bring home their workbook.The pages may be printed out from this file. 

Week of September 11th

Dear Parents,
 Just a reminder our Brookfield Zoo  trip is Wednesday. The students will  need to bring a disposable sack lunch and dress for the weather.

Important Dates:
Sept. 13- Brookfield Zoo Trip
Sept. 15 Scholastic Book Orders due

Reading:  In reading this week we will continue with the close reading of Casey At the Bat. This week the students will compare and contrast two texts: the song Mighty Jackie the Home-run Queen and the poem Casey at the Bat.  We will also understand perspective and point of view.

English:-In English, we will continue  Unit one. The Sentence. We will review the four types of sentences and later in the week  focus on the subject and predicate of the sentence. 

Spelling:  This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the sounds "ou", "aw", "au" and "ow". We will study the word pattern and review antonyms as they are related to the vocabulary words.  The final test is scheduled for Friday, 9/15.

Social Studies:  We will continue our study of the Northeast.  We will read and learn about the different resources.  Grapes and cranberries are two important products grown in the Northeast. We will also learn that Vermont is a leading producer of maple syrup.

Science:   We will  learn about different inquiry skills this week. The students will be constructing a model of a building using paper clips and straws.  They will find out how scientists use models to better understand how parts work together. 

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  The students will investigate factors and factor pairs for numbers between 1 and 100. They will multiply using the commutative property.They will determine whether a whole number between 1-100 is a prime or composite number.  The students will also review the strategies they used to solve basic multiplication facts.

Have a great week!

Week of September 4th

Dear Parents,
I am looking for a parent volunteer who may be interested in coming in every other Tuesday from 8-9 to make copies. Please email me if you are interested.

Important Dates:
Sept. 4--Labor Day. No School
Sept. 13- Brookfield Zoo Trip

Reading:  In reading this week we will continue with the close reading of Casey At the Bat.  We will work through the vocabulary by sorting the words into categories based on the context of the sentence.  We will also write the story from a different character's perspective.

English:- What is a Sentence?
We will begin a short unit on writing sentences. Students will review the rules for writing a complete sentence and study the four different types of sentences this week.
 The students will also continue to work on their  "Summer Memory"  writing assignment.

Spelling:  Words that End in Suffixes "-ible" and "-able"
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -ible & -able. We will study the word pattern and how the suffix impacts the meaning of the base word.  The final test is scheduled for Friday, 9/8.

Social Studies:  We will continue our study of the Northeast.  We will read and learn about  Niagara Falls, and the three main mountain ranges in the Appalachian Mountains. 

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:   In math, the students investigate the relationship between multiplication and division using a number line, ratio table, and the area model.  We will then focus on finding factors from 1-36. A quiz over module one is tentatively scheduled for Friday.  The students will have a review sheet to help prepare for the quiz.

Have a great week!

Week of August 28th

Dear Parents,
We have had a great first week of school! I have enjoyed getting to know the students and am looking forward to a wonderful year. Just a reminder…Curriculum Night is Wednesday, August 30th at 6:30 at Prairieview. I look forward to seeing all of you!

MAP testing will take place on Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Important Dates:
August 29-- Reading MAP test
August 30-- Curriculum Night  6:30-8:00
August 31-- Math MAP test
Sept. 4--Labor Day. No School

Reading:  In reading this week we will work on Close reading   We will read the poem, "Casey at the Bat". The students will read and reread this poem, dissecting it to gain an understanding of the author's words. They will also compare it to other texts  and try to understand the author's perspective.

English: In English, we will begin a writing activity.  The students will choose  one summer memory to write about. We will review writing in complete sentences and using correct punctuation.

Spelling:  This week's spelling unit focuses on spelling rules for words that begin with the prefixes
"-un", "-non", and "-dis". We will also study word roots and how the prefixes change the meanings of the words. In addition to the spelling list, students will learn several vocabulary words that follow the same prefix pattern. The test is scheduled for Friday, 9/1.

Social Studies:   We will begin our study of the Northeast. There will  be a quiz of the Northeast States on Thursday. The students will be given a blank map and will need to  label the states and water areas. I will be sending home a study guide and practice one on Friday.  This first quiz will have a word bank for the students to use.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will have our first day of math on Monday. Our first module is Models for Multiplication and Division. The students will  learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.  There will be a nightly homework assignment.

Have a great week!

Week of May 22nd

Important Dates
Monday, May 29-Memorial Day, No School
Tuesday, May 30- Bowling
Thursday, June 1 - Field Day
Friday, June 2- Last Day of School Early Dismissal, 11:35

Reading: "Journeys" - We will complete the book Love That Dog. The students will also continue to  work on  their own poetry books. They will write a Cinquain poem, concrete poem and a color poem. We will also work on finding poetic elements within our reading.

Spelling:   Unit 31 will focus on kn, gn, and wr words. The test is Friday. 

Social Studies: We will  continue our study of the West.  This week we will read and learn how the West is rich in resources. The students will also choose a national park in the west and create a slide show describing their park.

Science: We will complete chapter 17, Simple Machines.   There will be an open book and note test on Wednesday. The students should still review the chapter for homework. Just a reminder catapults  are due on Thursday. They may bring them in earlier.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 7, Patterns and Problems.  We will continue to    focus on using standard algorithm for multiplying 2 and 3 digit by 1 digit numbers. We will also learn the standard algorithm for division. There will be a checkpoint quiz on Friday. The students will be able to use their notes  and workbooks during the quiz. It will cover equations and 2 digit multiplication.

Week of May 15th

Parents,
On Tuesday our class will be having an ice-cream sundae party. I will be supplying the ice-cream along with a variety of toppings to choose from.  We will have lunch in the room and a special movie on that day. This party was an item in the PTO auction. Thank you to Alex and her family for bidding on this item.

Six Flags Read to Succeed tickets were sent home on Friday to those who participated in the program. Please ask your child about this.

Just a reminder bowling permission slips and  are due on Wednesday. If ordering food please make sure to send in the exact amount. Thank you!

Important Dates
Monday, May 29-Memorial Day, No School
Tuesday, May 30- Bowling
Thursday, June 1 - Field Day
Friday, June 2- Last Day of School Early Dismissal, 11:35

Reading: "Journeys" - We will continue with the book Love That Dog.  As we read  we will learn how the character Jack changes his feeling about poetry and starts writing many of his own poems. The students are also working on  their own poetry books. The students have been given a rubric to follow as they create their poetry books.

There will also be a Time For Kids quiz on Thursday. 

Spelling:  Unit 30  will feature 16 spelling words and 9 vocabulary words, with a focus on the “ought” and “ound” rules.  The quiz will be on Friday, 19th


Social Studies: We will  continue our study of the West.  This week we will read and learn how the climates in the different areas of the west vary greatly. We will also learn how the rain shadow works.

Science: We will continue chapter 17, Simple Machines.  The students were given an assignment to construct a catapult.  Please ask your child about the specific instructions in building their catapult.  We will have our marshmallow contest on  Thursday May 25th .   We will also read and learn about other simple machines, which include the wedge, screw,  and inclined planes.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 7, Patterns and Problems.  There will be a checkpoint quiz on Tuesday covering patterns.  We will then  focus on using standard algorithm for multiplying 2 and 3 digit by 1 digit numbers.  We will explore what kinds of combinations are best solved with the algorithm. We will also be reviewing expressions and equations

Week of May 8th

Important Dates
Tuesday May 9- Math MAP Test
Wednesday May 11-Reading MAP test
Friday, May 12- Early Dismissal 11:35
Monday, May 29-Memorial Day, No School
Tuesday, May 30- Bowling
Thursday, June 1 - Field Day
Friday, June 2- Last Day of School Early Dismissal, 11:35

Reading: "Journeys" - We will begin a novel study of the book Love that  Dog, by Sharon Creech. Love that Dog is a free verse poem written in a diary format. It is written from the perspective of a young boy who resists poetry assignments from his teacher. Throughout his journey, he learns to appreciate, and to even enjoy, the art of poetry. As we read this book, we will continue to examine the literary elements of poetry, and students will create their own poetry book.

Spelling:  Unit 28 This week's list contains words pertaining to Greek Mythology. We will study the definitions of the words as they are used in myths and also look at several myths and their messages. The test will be on Friday.

Social Studies: We will  begin our study of the West.  There will be a Map quiz of the states on Thursday.  A study guide was sent home on Friday. More practice maps will be sent home on Monday to help prepare for the quiz.

Science: We will continue our unit on Simple Machines. This week the students will learn what a scientist means by work, what a simple machine is and how a lever changes the way work is done.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will begin Unit 7, Patterns and Problems.  In this unit, we will focus on using standard algorithm for multiplying 2 and 3 digit by 1 digit numbers.  We will explore what kinds of combinations are best solved with the algorithm. We will also be reviewing expressions and equations

Week of May 1st

Important Dates
Friday, May 12- Early Dismissal 11:35
Monday, May 29-Memorial Day, No School
Tuesday, May 30- Bowling
Thursday, June 1 - Field Day
Friday, June 2- Last Day of School Early Dismissal, 11:35

Reading: "Journeys" - This week the students will listen to the story The Velveteen Rabbit and compare the Rabbit in that story to Edward Tulane.
We will review how to use quotation marks correctly in their writing and they will write a dialog between the characters in the story applying what they learned.

Students will also read a Time for Kids magazine. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

Spelling:  Unit 29 - Contractions and Figurative Language
This week's test will  consist of contractions. We will also focus on figurative language. Idioms, similes,  metaphors, and adages will  be part of the vocabulary work  this week.

Social Studies:  Our  study of the Southwest finishes with a look at the Native Americans of the region, The Navajo. We will focus on their culture and how they work to continue their traditions in present day society.

Science: We will begin our unit on Simple Machines. This week the students will learn what a scientist means by work, what a simple machine is and how a lever changes the way work is done.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will complete Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions.   We will continue to learn strategies for division using a ratio table. The test will be given on Thursday. The students will be given a  practice test to help prepare for the test on Monday.

Week of April 24th

Important Dates
April 27-- Spring Open House

Reading:  We will complete the story of Edward Tulane. The students will complete a journal entry on Edwards final journey. We will then read The Velveteen Rabbit and compare and contrast the two stories. 

Spelling:  Unit 27 - Latin Roots: port, form, trans & flex
This week's test will contain words with the Latin roots listed above. We will learn the definitions of the roots and words that contain them. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 4/28.

Social Studies:   We will complete our study of the Southwest.   We will  read and learn about oil and technology in the Southwest. The Chapter 10 test has been changed to Thursday, April 27th. 

Science: Inventions are due on 4/25. Students will present their inventions on 4/26 and 4/27. They should be able to speak about their invention and to demonstrate how it works. All inventions will be on display for Open House on 4/27.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions. This week we will shift from multiplication and division to collecting and representing data measured in fractions of a unit on a line plot. The students will solve problems that involve addition and subtraction of fractions using the line plot data.

Week of April 17th

Important Dates
April 14- No School
April 17- No School Institute Day
April 27-- Spring Open House

Reading: The students will continue to read The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane.  They will continue to complete journal responses in their Chromebooks. There will be an open book quiz on Chapters 15-18 on Wednesday. We will also complete some activities focusing on setting and character traits this week.

Spelling:  Unit 26 - Words that end in "-el", "-al" and "-le" The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 4/21.

Social Studies:   We will continue our study of the Southwest.   We will  read and learn about oil and technology in the Southwest. The Chapter 10 test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 25th. 

Science:  We will complete chapter 4,  The Human Body. This week we will read and learn about the muscular and the skeletal systems. The chapter test is scheduled for Friday April 21st.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions. This week we will focus on area and perimeter of rectangles. The students will learn how to find the unknown dimension of problems where we know the perimeter and one dimension is given. There will  be an open book checkpoint quiz on Thursday. A review to help prepare for the quiz will be sent home on Wednesday.

Week of April 10th

Parents,
PARCC testing will continue this week. Please remind your child to have a fully charged Chromebook each day.

Important Dates
April 11-13 Math PARCC test
April 14- No School
April 17 No School Institute Day

Reading: The students will continue to read The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane.  They will continue to complete journal responses in their Chromebooks. There will be an open book quiz on Chapters 11-14 on Monday. It is important the students make sure they refer back to the pages referred to on the quiz to help answer the questions. This is a skill we have been working on in class.

We will also have a Time For Kids next week. The quiz will be given on Thursday.

Spelling:  Spelling packets for this week were sent home on Friday.  The prefixes "im-", "in-", and "un-" are the focus of this week's spelling lesson. In addition to the list of words to spell, students will study the meaning of these prefixes and how they change the meaning of the root words that they are attached to. The final test is scheduled for Thursday, 4/13.

Social Studies:  We will continue our study of the Southwest.  The students will continue to work on a travel brochure for one of the southwest states. The brochure is due on Wednesday, April 12th. We will also read and learn about the climate of the Southwest.

Science:  We will continue chapter 4,  The Human Body. This week we will read and learn about the nervous system and the skeletal system.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions. The students will be taking the Math PARCC test on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Week of April 3rd.

Parents,
PARCC testing will begin this week. Please remind your child to have a fully charged Chromebook each day. They will also need their earbuds for testing.

Important Dates
Mon, Mar 27th - Fri, Mar 31st - Spring Break ~ No School
Mon, April 3rd - Classes resume
April 4-6 ELA PARCC test
April 7 Math PARCC test

Reading: The students will continue to read The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane. They will understand the meaning of the word persevere as it relates to the story and a poem entitled Try, Try Again.  They will describe a time when they have had to persevere and how they handled it.

Spelling:   We will not have Spelling this week due to PARCC testing.

Social Studies:  We will continue our study of the Southwest.  The students will  be making a travel brochure for one of the southwest states.  They will use a variety of resources for their brochure.

Science:  We will begin chapter 4,  The Human Body.  We will learn how the digestive and respiratory systems work. I am asking that each student bring in an empty plastic water bottle for an investigation we will be doing later in the week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions. The students will also take the Math PARCC test on Friday.

Week of March 20th

Important Dates
Mon, Mar 20th - Roller Skating Party 3:30-6:30 pm
Mon, Mar 27th - Fri, Mar 31st - Spring Break ~ No School
Mon, April 3rd - Classes resume

Reading: The students will continue to read The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane. They will understand the meaning of the word persevere as it relates to the story and a poem entitled Try, Try Again.  They will describe a time when they have had to persevere and how they handled it.

Spelling:   Unit 24 - Greek & Latin Roots
This week's words each contain the root "auto", "homo", "tract" or "phobia". We will study the meaning of these roots and how to determine the meaning of a word that contains them. The final Test is scheduled for Friday, 3/24.

Social Studies:  We will begin our study of the Southwest. There will  be a map quiz on Thursday. 

Science:   I will be introducing  our "Invention Convention" project. The students will be asked to identify a problem in their lives and come up with an invention that helps to solve this problem. Think simply...this does not have to be a complex invention. An informational letter, project timeline/calendar, rubric and contract will be handed out in science class on Monday, March 20th. All students are expected to complete this assignment. The contract, or plan, for the invention is due in class on Thursday, March 23rd. I will then review each contract with students, to make sure they are on the right track. Once I confirm that they are moving in the right direction, students will be free to begin constructing their inventions. Inventions aren't due until after spring break; April 25th. The construction of the invention will be done at home.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will continue Unit 6, Multiplication, Division, Data and Fractions. This week we will focus on multiplying  a 2 or 3-digit whole number by a 1-digit whole number and two 2-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. The students will learn how to use equations or rectangular arrays to explain strategies for multiplying with multi-digit numbers. There will be a quiz over module one on Thursday.

Week of March 13th

Important Dates
Mon, Mar 20th - Roller Skating Party 3:30-6:30pm
Mon, Mar 27th - Fri, Mar 31st - Spring Break ~ No School
Mon, April 3rd - Classes resume

Reading:  We  will continue to read The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane.  The students are completing journal response questions as we read through the chapters. The focus is making sure text evidence is provided in their response as well as answering the question completely.

English:   We will focus on adjectives in our writing this week. We will also learn the correct way of ordering adjectives when describing a noun. 

Spelling:  Unit 23-  Words with "oi" and "oy" & Proverbs
 This week's list includes words with the letters "oi" and "oy". Students will learn that these letter combinations make the same sound and are both diphthongs. "Oy" is usually found at the end of a syllable and "oi" is usually found in the middle of a syllable. We will also study proverbs - what they are and what some of them mean. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 3/17.


Social Studies:    We will complete our study of the Midwest.  There will be an open book quiz on Monday covering what we have learned about the Ojibwa.  The students will also  share their "Just Look" State books this week. On Tuesday we will have our Midwest Resource Day and enjoy some of the foods from the Midwest.

Science:   We will complete chapter 3,  Adaptations.  The chapter test is Friday.  The students should review their notes and reread the chapter to help prepare for the test.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will complete Unit Five Geometry and Measurement.  The unit test is  Tuesday, March 14th.  Please make sure your child is reviewing the pretest which we went over in class on Friday. We will review for the test on Monday.

Week of March 6th

Important Dates:
March 3--End of Trimester 2
March 27--Spring Break begins

Reading: This week we will continue our "Journeys" Unit. We will begin reading the novel The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This story tells the tale of a china rabbit who goes on an adventure and learns how to love. We will begin by close reading an excerpt from the first chapter.

English:   We will focus on adjectives in our writing this week. We will also learn the correct way of ordering adjectives when describing a noun. 

Spelling:  Unit 22 - An adjective is a word that describes a noun. This week's lesson consists of a collection of adjectives and a review of similes and metaphors. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 3/10.

Social Studies:   Just Look State books are due on Tuesday. Students will present their books on Thursday and Friday.  We will also read and learn how  the Ojibwa have maintained cultural traditions and have contributed to the Midwest.

Science:  We will continue chapter 3,  Adaptations.   We will  read and learn how instinctive behaviors and learned behaviors can help animals survive. Animals can migrate or hibernate to avoid severe weather. We will also learn how fossils form and how animals of the past compare with those of today.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class:  We will complete Unit Five Geometry and Measurement.  The unit test is  Tuesday, March 14th.  A practice test will be sent home on Friday. This will help the students prepare for the test.

Have a great week!