Course: Benchley Weinberger

◄ Previous monthNovember 2009Next month ►

Events Key

Class Needs
fine and extra fine black sharpies
pencils
scissors
bound carpet squares

Design Time Needs
AA batteries
extra legoes

Garden Wish List
Red or purple flowers for the Hummingbirds
Rocks to divide the mulch from the dirt (Size of large potato)
Additional log seats (@18" high)
Hummingbird mix
Purple coneflowers
Natural bark mulch

Please remember that we are a NO PEANUT zoned school. So if you are sending in a treat for birthday or otherwise check that there are no peanuts and remember that we have 32 students.

Please know that I have looked at each site I have linked to but not every part of every site so let me know if any issues arise. As always adult supervision should be a part of every internet usage whether at home or school. Keep in mind that we are all needing to learn different things so select activities that are the appropriate skill and level for you.

Skip General Links

Benchley Weinberger Elementary

Mrs. Shelley
Grade 4
sshelley@sandi.net

shaunashelley@sbcglobal.net

In This Classroom...
Imaginations Rule!

Gearing up for a Great Year

Access Websites to Help You Learn

Students should be reading at least 20 minutes per night. They have nightly word study homework (see under word study below). There is also a math assignment every night (except for when we just took a math test).

News Flash	Come join us at Halloween Happenings Saturday, October 24th. Our class Halloween Party will be on Friday, October 30th around 1:00.

We are working on a unit in literacy called "Motives Make the World Go 'Round" and we will be talking a lot about what motivates characters in texts to act in a certain way.

In writing we will be drafting, revising, editing, publishing, and sharing several response to literature pieces and narratives.

Word Study

Word Study in Grade 4 is more than a spelling program. It is a 2 week program each time. Students are pretested on some of these new words the Thursday or Friday before the actual unit starts.

The first week their work involves all the words as they do the pages of the Word Study packet each night for homework.

Monday: page 2

Tuesday: page 3

Wednesday: page 4

Thursday: catch up on or correct any pages/items missed

The second week they focus in on their own individual 20 words.

Monday: Write words 3 times in cursive

Tuesday Write words in sentences – if they do not know the meaning of the word they can look up and write the definition instead.

Wednesday At least 6 words written in a story

Thursday Study for word test.

Friday: Students take their word test and hand in all homework

Be sure:

You are spelling the words right as you write them.
When you use words in a sentence we should know what the word means by what you write. Do not simply list them.
Underline your 20 words in the sentences and story.
You may use more than one word in a sentence if it makes sense.
Since you know what this homework is for the 2 weeks you may do it as possible as it is not turned in until Friday of the second week. There is no excuse for not having it done.
All Word Study work must be complete and handed in to go to Design Time.

We are continuing our work with multiplication and division. If your child does not know their multiplication facts well, please spend some fun time trying to learn them.

Our study of science in 4th grade will begin with the Solid Earth Unit where we will be thinking about the properties of rocks and minerals, effects of weathering, and basic land forms on the earth's surface.

California is the main focus of 4th grade social studies and we'll begin our work with a better look at the four main regions of the state itself. Students will be making their own state maps in the process.

California Missions Resource

Our Physical Education time is the end of the day on Monday. Students will be bringing their backpacks to PE and being dismissed by Coach Tucker from PE. Our running program starts Monday morning this week and I will be walking with them every morning I don't have a meeting. Feel free to come and walk with us....In that regard no student should be standing by the classroom. They are suppose to put their backpacks on the map, get their cards, and start walking or running. If you are on campus please help me direct the students to the right location.

We will be doing our first art project on Monarch butterflies. All 4th graders will be participating in a Symbolic Migration of their butterflies to Mexico in a program called Journey North. We will also be doing a mixed media monarch for the room.

Museum Madness Resource

Music is coming soon!!!!!!

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
7:45	Announcements	Announcements	Announcement	Announcements	Announcements
7:55	Math	Math	Math	Math	Math/Word Study - Fri.
9:00	Literacy	Literacy	Literacy	Literacy	Literacy
9:45	Recess	Recess	Recess	Recess	Recess
10:05	Interactive Reading	Science	Comp./Lib	Interactive Reading	Interactive Reading or Music
10:30	Writing	Writing	Comp./Lib.	Social Stud.	Workdown
11:30			Dismissal
11:45	Lunch	Lunch		Lunch	Lunch
12:30	Social Studies	Independent Reading		Independent Reading	Independent Reading
1:20	P.E.	Social Stud.		Science	Design Time
2:20	Dismissal	Dismissal		Dismissal	Dismissal