Hello My Name Is...
Ms. Webb
Please make sure to read the "Figuring Out 4th Grade" flyer. Mrs. Fuller, Mrs. Moore, and I are consistent in our rewards as well as discipline programs.
All homework that is sent home, will only be review. Your child should be able to complete several assignments independently and will need assistance with memorizing multiplication facts, spelling and vocabulary words. We do not sent home assignments that we haven't practiced at school.
Knowing/memorizing the multiplication facts is the foundation of 4th grade math. Memorizing the basic multiplication facts 0-12 is a must in order for students to be successful. These facts will be reviewed regularly at school and will need to be memorized at home. Some of these facts should be a review from 3rd grade.
Homework
All students have been assigned and given a math textbook. Each student and parent/guardian have or should have signed and returned the half yellow sheet that provides the assigned textbook number and the replacement fee should it be lost, stolen, or vandalized. These books stay at home until otherwise notified. Homework should be completed in section 3 of each student's math notebook. The problems will be solved in pencil in the notebook and the notebook needs to be returned each school day. Work MUST be shown to receive full credit. A maximum of 4 problems are given nightly and those assigned are in addition to memorizing multiplication facts.
Multiplication facts need to be memorized at home as well. Each child received a print out of the facts through 12 and these are also located in each planner. The Dollar Tree also sells flash cards and you can make some using index cards.
You may also want to review with your child the vocabulary section of the notebook which contains key terms, rules, and steps to problem solving.
The multiplication facts quiz will usually be administered on Friday's and will be a graded assignment. At the time of the assessment, your child will have been exposed several times to the layout of the quiz as well as the multiplication facts. The quick review at school is not enough for your child to memorize them.
Study guides are sent home with each unit/SOL and students will be given extra credit for those signed by a parent/guardian. Keep those at home once the due date has passed for review.
Ways to help your child be successful:
1. Check the planner daily for assignments, quizzes, projects, etc.
2. Make sure your child completes his or her homework. Homework is a portion of your child's grade. Homework assignments will come from the Envisions math textbook.
3. Have your child memorize their 0-12 multiplication facts. The facts are located in the back of the planner and a copy was sent home the first day of school.
4. Encourage your child to come to class prepared with the math notebook, glue, scissors, coloring tools, planner, homework folder, and plenty of sharpened pencils and erasers.
5. Keep the lines of communication open between home and school. I check my email before school, in the afternoon, and again after school. You can also call the school and leave me a message and phone calls will be returned before or after school.
6. Go to You Tube and search for multiplication facts songs and the place value song the kids love.
7. Go to the GES website and school links and have your child go to IXL math. The username is their lunch number and the password is ges. This information was sent home in the August 23rd Wednesday folder. Multiplication.com is another site the students enjoy.
8. Review study guides as well as key terms that are located in the vocabulary section of the notebook. Study guides are always returned after it has been signed by an adult on the due date.
9. We will offer a sample homework schedule to plan homework. If your child is having a difficult time completing in a timely manner, set a timer for each subject he or she is working on and when the timer goes off, put that subject away into the backpack and move onto the next subject.
11. Using a deck of cards, play multiplication war. Each player turns over 2 cards which are the factors and then name the product. The person with the largest product takes all the cards of that round. The person who runs out of cards first, loses.
12. Buy or make flash cards up through the 12's. Cut the product off of the factors, turn the cards face down and have the child play memory.
Ways to help your child prepare for the Math SOL retest which will take place on Tuesday May 15th
1. Review all study guides
2. Review vocabulary section of the notebook
3. Have your child create Tool Kits - your child can explain these to you
4. Review work from the classwork section of the notebook
5. Refer to the EnVisions math book for examples and additional problems
Monday May 14th - Fun Day Shirt order form and money are due. VA Studies retakes
Tuesday May 15th- Math SOL retakes
1:30 Kindergarten performs
Wednesday May 16th - 1:30 Black Belt recorders performance
Thursday May 17th -
Friday May 18th - Reading retakes
Monday May 21st - Fun Day
Tuesday May 22nd - 11:00 - 4th grade awards assembly
Friday May 25th - last day of school and the talent show
Those students who still have not memorized their facts by then will need to memorize them over the break. We have begun division and those who know their facts will have an easier time then those who don't know them.
The students will spend time recognizing and understanding that with basic multiplication facts, division facts can be made. Multiplication fact review is a daily homework assignment. Memorizing these facts from 0-12 is the foundation of 4th grade math.
When you are studying multiplication facts with your child and you notice that he or she is still solving for the product using his or her fingers, then he or she needs to spend more time at home memorizing these facts. There are school web sites that can provide additional practice.
In order for students to solve larger multiplication and division equations with ease, they should be fluent in their basic multiplication and division facts.
Homework for my homeroom:
Science - Review notes in science binder that we discuss each day. Daily homework assignment to review notes. This week, the focus is on the planets unit.
SOL 4.7 - The student will investigate and understand the relationships among Earth, the moon, and the sun. Key concepts include
a) the motions of Earth, the moon, and the sun;
b) the causes for Earth’s seasons;
c) the causes for the phases of the moon;
d) the relative size, position, age, and makeup of Earth, the moon, and the sun; and
e) historical contributions in understanding the Earth-moon-sun system.
- Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) have rings.
- Uranus is seventh from the sun. Uranus is a gas giant.
- Neptune is eighth from the sun. Neptune appears blue through telescopes and is a gas giant.
- The eight planets sorted by size from largest to smallest are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury.
- Pluto is no longer included in the list of planets in our solar system due to its small size and irregular orbit. Many astronomers questioned whether Pluto should be grouped with worlds like Earth and Jupiter. In 2006, this debate led the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the recognized authority in naming heavenly objects, to formally reclassify Pluto. On August 24, 2006, Pluto's status was officially changed from planet to dwarf planet.
- A new distinct class of objects called "dwarf planets" was identified in 2006. It was agreed that "planets" and "dwarf planets" are two distinct classes of objects. The first members of the dwarf planet category are Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313, given the name Eris. More dwarf planets are expected to be announced by the IAU in the future.
- What differentiates a dwarf planet from a planet? For the most part, they are identical, but there is one key difference: A dwarf planet has not "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit, which means it has not become gravitationally dominant and it shares its orbital space with other bodies of a similar size.
- Pluto is smaller than seven of the moons in our solar system and cannot be seen without a telescope.
Science SOL 4.6 - The students will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted: Key concepts include:
a. weather phenomena
b. weather measurements and meteorological tools
c. use of weather measurements and weather phenomena to make weather predictions.
·
Temperature is
the measure of the amount of thermal energy in the atmosphere.
·
Air pressure is due to the weight of the air and is determined
by several factors including the temperature of the air.
·
A front is the
boundary between air masses of different temperature and humidity.
·
Cirrus, stratus,
cumulus, and cumulo-nimbus clouds are associated with certain weather
conditions.
·
Cumulus clouds
are fluffy and white with flat bottoms. They usually indicate fair weather.
However, when they get larger and darker on the bottom, they become
cumulo-nimbus clouds. Cumulo-nimbus
clouds may produce thunderstorms.
·
Stratus clouds
are smooth, gray clouds that cover the whole sky (block out direct sunlight).
Light rain and drizzle are usually associated with stratus clouds.
·
Cirrus clouds are
feathery clouds. They are associated with fair weather. Cirrus clouds often
indicate that rain or snow will fall within several hours.
·
Extreme
atmospheric conditions create various kinds of storms such as thunderstorms,
hurricanes, and tornadoes.
·
Different
atmospheric conditions create different types of precipitation.
·
Meteorologists
gather data by using a variety of instruments.
·
Meteorologists
use data to predict weather patterns.
·
A barometer
measures air pressure.
Science SOL 4.3 - The students will investigate and understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include:
a. conductors and insulators
b. basic circuits
c. static electricity
d. the ability of electrical energy to be transformed into light and motion, and to produce heat
e. simple electromagnets and magnetism
f. historical contributions in understanding electricity
Conductors are materials through which charges can easily flow. Examples are: metals, copper. iron, gold, water, aluminum, steel, and silver.
Insulators are materials through which an electric charge cannot easily flow. Examples are: most plastics, glass, cloth, sand, rubber, wood, wax, dry air.
A continuous flow of electrons from atom to atom to atom creates and electrical current. This current of electricity travels in a path called a circuit.
Circuits
Parts of a circuit are: the battery, the wire, the switch, and the light bulb.
The battery provides the push to keep the electrons moving in the circuit. Circuits can be changed by adding more bulbs, adding another battery, or switching bulbs around.
Types of Circuits:
1. A series circuit is a simple circuit that does not need a switch. To make a series circuit you need wires, light bulbs, and a battery. As soon as all of these parts are connected, the circuit is closed. Electrical charges all flow in one path.
If any part of the series circuit is removed, then the circuit is open and the light bulbs will go out because the electric current has stopped flowing.
2. A parallel circuit is where the electrical currents flow through more than one path. Some of the current flows through one path and the rest of the current flows through the 2nd path.
If any part of the circuit is opened, or if the bulb burns out, then the current will still flow through the closed part of the circuit.
3. An open circuit is when there is a break in a circuit, and all wires and parts are not connected, then the electricity cannot flow.
4. A closed circuit is when there are no breaks in the circuit and all parts of the path are connected.
Static electricity -
* objects that have like charges repel
* objects that have unlike charges attract
* natures example of static electricity is lightening
* electric discharge is when electrons move quickly from one object to another
Electric Energy can be transformed into:
* light or radiant energy - such as flashlights, candles, headlights, street lights, lamps
* thermal or heat energy - such as toasters, ovens, stoves, microwaves
* motion or mechanical energy - such as vacuums,
* sounds - such as radios, intercoms, telephones
Electromagnets and magnetism
Magnets are objects that can push or pull on iron without toughing the metal.
Magnets are made of iron, nickel, and cobalt.
Electrons move or flow in the same direction.
Magnets have 2 ends called poles.
North and South poles are attracted to each other
If the north poles of 2 magnets are close, then they will repel.
Magnetism is the form of energy created by the movement of electrons.
Magnetism can produce an electric current and an electric current can produce a magnetic field known as an electromagnet.
Permanent magnets where magnetic properties are always present. They have electrons flowing in the same direction and 2 opposite poles. They occur in nature but can be man-made.
Temporary Magnets while the electric current is flowing a magnet is created. As soon as the current stops, the magnetic properties stop. A solid piece of metal like a nail is wrapped with a wire that is carrying an electric current from a source such as a battery. The strength of the electromagnet can be increased or decreased by changing the number of coils, or the strength of the electric current flowing through the coiled wire.
Electromagnets are used when very strong magnets are needed.
Science SOL 4.2 The students will investigate and understand characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts include:
a. motion is described by an objects direction and speed
b. forces cause change in motion
c. friction is a force that opposes motion
d. moving objects have kinetic energy.
Energy exists in two states: kinetic and potential.
Potential energy is energy at rest.
Kinetic energy is energy in motion.
Measuring an object's position over time is motion.
Speed describes how fast an object is moving.
A force is any push or pull that causes an object to move, stop, change speed, or change direction.
The greater the force, the greater the change in motion will be. The more massive or heavy an object is, the more force it needs to move. If the mass of an object increases then the force needed to move it will increase.
Friction is the resistance to motion created by two objects moving against each other. Friction creates heat.
Unless acted on by a force, objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest.
Science SOL 4.5 - Adaptations, Ecosystems, Food Chains, and Niches. The study guide and notes in the binder should be reviewed daily.
The students will need to understand the concepts of structural and behavioral adaptations and what the differences are between them. In order for animals to survive they must adapt to their individual and environmental needs through adaptations.
Structural Adaptations or physical attributes help them meet their life needs. Structural or physical adaptations include body coverings, body coloring, claw type, beak type.
Behavioral Adaptations are certain types of activities that animals perform to help them meet their life needs for food, water, shelter, protection, and shelter. These include migrating, hibernating, huddling, playing dead, and signals to warn one another of danger or predators.
Some key terms to review are:
Habitats - the places where animals or plants live and the size of the habitat depends on the organism's needs.
Organisms are any living things.
Ecosystems are the ways that living things interact with other living and non-living things.
Community is a group of organisms that share an environment.
Life cycle is the various stages of life (egg to a tadpole to a frog).
Niches (pronounced like ditches) are the functions that organisms perform in the food web of that community. It also includes everything the organism does and needs in its environment. No two types of organisms can occupy exactly the same niche in a community. During an animals life cycle, its niche can change.
An ecosystem is a carefully balanced system where plants and animals live and work together. This is also known as a community.
All ecosystems have biotic (living factors) and abiotic (non-living) factors.
The source of all energy on Earth comes from the Sun. Plants can make their own food and can store any extra energy in their roots, stems, leaves, and flowers (seeds).
Animals cannot make their own food and depend on the plan world to do this for them. This relationship is an ecosystem. There are many different ecosystems on Earth and many habitats in each ecosystem.
Food Chains are a group of living things in which the first is eaten by the second, and the second is eaten by the 3rd, and so on.
Food Webs are several food chains together.
A producer is a living thing that makes its own food, like plants.
A consumer is a living thing that cannot make its own food, such as animals.
A decomposer is a living thing that breaks down dead plants and animals into simpler matter.
Predators are animals that hunt and eat other animals.
Prey is an animal that is hunted by and eaten by other animals.
Scavengers are animals that feed on dead plants and dead animals.
Animals that only eat plants are primary consumers also known as herbivores.
Animals that eat meat are secondary consumers and also known as carnivores.
Animals that eat plants and meat are omnivores.
Spelling - Week 12 spelling will be Friday April 20, 2018. The new list of words and of activities came home on Monday April 9, 2018.
In writing, the students have spent time reviewing grammar - nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, capitalization, and punctuation.
The "High 5 Rule" of good sentence writing that we've discussed is:
1. All sentences need capital letters.
2. All sentences need punctuation.
3. All sentences need subjects or nouns.
4. All sentences need verbs.
5. All sentences must make sense.
Nouns are people, places, and things.
Verbs are action words.
Adverbs are describe verbs and can end in -ly.
Adjectives describe nouns, can end in -er, -est, can be size, feelings, or color, etc.
Pronouns take place of a noun.
A period tells.
A question mark asks?
An exclamation point shows feelings to the max!
Students are currently working on an expository writing which is a "How To" and their topic is How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Classroom Rules:
1. Bring supplies to class each day.
2. Raise your hand.
3. No talking or whispering in the hallway.
4. Keep your area clean.
5. Respect others and be respected.
6. Walk in a straight line.
7. Keep your hands, feet, supplies, other objects and your body to yourself.
Cafeteria Rules:
1. Only go through the line one time. If you forget something you do not go back through the line.
2. Use good manners, do not play with or throw your food.
3. No sharing food.
4. Use an inside voice.
5. Once you sit down you do not switch seats.
6. Raise your hand for assistance.
7. Throw your trash away and stack your tray.
8. Push your chair under and do not leave trash on or under the table.
9. You may not take food outside the cafeteria.
10. No running, skipping, jumping, hopping, etc. be safe and walk.
SOL's throughout the year
SOL 4.1a - The students will orally and in writing identify the place for each digit in a whole number and each value for a digit in a whole number through the millions. Refer to the study guide for strategies taught at school and have your child make the place value houses in order to solve problems.
Numbers are made up of digits. Each digit has a place and a value. The place of each digit needs to be determined first then the value of that digit can be determined. A helpful way to identify and write the value of a digit is:
6,532,893 - To find the place and the value of the underlined digit.
1. Draw the place value houses, then write the number in the house - writing one digit per place
2. for the value of the 5 - write down the 5 then cover it up in the above number and count how many digits are to the right of it and that's the number of zeros you write down. This strategy has been taught at school.
SOL 4.1b - The students will compare whole numbers expressed through the millions using the symbols <,>,= and the word form.
When comparing the following numbers:
87,964 _______ 87,946 <, >, or =
If the digits are the same in the same place, for example there are 8's in the ten thousands place, then you go to the next place, the thousands place, those numbers are the same so go to the next place, the hundreds place, those digits are the same, so compare the digits in the tens place. Since they are different here that;s when the 6 is compared to the 4.
The "alligator mouth" always eats the larger number.
SOL 4.1c - The students will round whole numbers through the millions to the nearest thousand, ten thousand, and hundred thousand. Have your child make the rounding hills to review the rounding rules.
SOL 4.4 b - The students will add to 1,000,000, the students will subtract from the 999,999 and will multiply whole numbers. Regrouping is involved and you may want to have your child practice at home.
SOL 4.4 b -The students will multiply 2 digit by 1 digit numbers. The students will multiply 3 digit by 1 digit numbers. The students will multiply 2 digits by 2 digits to solve for the product. Refer to the vocabulary section of the notebook to locate steps and strategies used in class.
SOL 4.4 c - The students will solve for the quotient with 1 digit divisors and 1, 2 or 3 digit dividends. Refer to the study guide for the steps involved in dividing whole numbers.
The dividend is the largest number in a division problem and it is the number you divide by the divisor.
The quotient is the answer in a division problem.
The divisor is the number that the dividend is divided by.
Any non-zero number divided by itself equals 1.
0 divided by 0 equals 0.
Any number divided by 1 is that number.
The steps used in solving long division problems are:
1. divide (Do)
2. multiply (monkeys)
3. subtract (steal)
4. compare (cold)
5. bring down (bananas)
So in order to remember those steps we say:
Do monkeys steal cold bananas?
SOL 4.3 a - The students will read, write, and identify decimals through thousandths.
SOL 4.3 b The students will round decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth, or hundredth.
SOL 4.3 c- The students will compare and order decimals.
SOL 4.5 a - The students will determine greatest common factors of numbers 2 through 12.
* The students will make Brace maps for each of these to show the whole number and the factors that make up parts of the number or product.
* Consecutive fractions are written in simplest form. They are 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 6/7, 7/8, 8/9, 9/10, 10/11, 11/12.
* If the numerator is a 1, then the fraction is written in it's simplest form.
* If the numerator and denominator are odd numbers, they are usually written in their simplest form except for 3/9, 3/15
* If both the numerator and the denominator are even numbers, then they can both be divided evenly by 2. However, refer to factors to make sure that 2 is the GCF or greatest common factor.
SOL 4.5 b - The students will add and subtract fractions having like and unlike denominators that are limited to 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 and simplify.
* The students have been taught to first ask themselves:
Are my denominators the same? If not, they refer to their multiples that are located in their math notebook.
* For example, if adding 1/3 and 2/6, look only at the multiples of 3 and 6 and find the least common multiple - which is 6.
* 1/3 needs to become and equivalent fraction and 2/6 stays as is.
* 1/3 becomes 2/6.
* 2/6+2/6=4/6
* The students will recognize that 4/6 is an even fraction and that the numerator and the denominator can be divided by 2.
* It is reduced to 2/3
SOL 4.5 d - The students will solve single-step and multi-step problems including addition and subtraction of decimals.
SOL 4.9 - The students determined elapsed time in hours and minutes within a 12 hour period.
SOL 4.2 a - The students will compare fractions. We use cross multiplication to solve for <,>, or =.
*The students will need to know that a fraction is a part of a whole or a group.
*A fraction is used to name a part of one thing or a part of a collection of things.
*The denominator tells how many equal parts are in a whole or a set.
*The numerator tells how many of those parts are being counted or described. Refer to the study guide as to how your children learned to compare fractions.
*When comparing fractions, if the denominators are the same, then students just compare the numerator.
SOL 4.2 b - The student will represent equivalent fractions. The students can identify that the higher the number of the denominator is, the smaller the number of equal parts.
SOL 4.2 c- The student will identify the division statement that represents a fraction. For example if the students see 2/3 they will be able to state that 2 is divided by 3.
SOL 4.5 b - The students will add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators and simplify the fraction using common multiplies and factors.
It's very important that the students memorize their factors of 2-12 to help with simplifying fractions:
2=1,2
3=1,3
4-1,4,2
5=1,5
6=1,6,2,3
7=1,7
8=1,8,2,4
9=1,9,3
10=1,10,2,5
11=1,11
12=1,12,2,6,3,4
It's also important that students know their multiples so that they can find the least common denominator for adding and subtracting fractions:
2=2,4,6,8,10,12,
3=3,6,9,12,
4=4,8,12
5=5,10
6=6,12
7=7
8=8
9=9
10=10
11=11
12=12
SOL 4.11 - The student will recognize the images of figures resulting from geometric transformations such as translation, reflection, and rotation.
A translation is a slide left, right, up or down.
A reflection is a flip or a mirror image.
A rotation is a turn.
SOL 4.13 The student will predict the likelihood of an outcome of a simple event and represent probability as a number between 0-1.
SOL 4.10 a - The student will identify and describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, angles, endpoints, including endpoints and vertices.
Lines - go on forever in 2 directions. Lines have 2 names.
Line segments are part of or a portion of a line and they have endpoints and 2 names.
Rays - go on in one direction forever and they have one name. The name begins with the letter at the endpoint.
Points have one name.
Angles are made up of 2 rays that meet at the endpoint. Angles have 2 names.
Types of angels are:
1. acute
2. right
3. obtuse
SOL 4.12 a - The student will define polygon.
Polygons are closed shapes with at least 3 sides. The sides of polygons are made up of line segments. The number of sides tells the name of the shape, the number of sides, and the number of angles it has.
SOL 4.12 b - The student will identify polygons with 10 or fewer sides.
* Triangles have 3 sides, 3 angles, 3 vertices
*Quadrilaterals have 4 sides, 4 angles, and 4 vertices. Types of quadrilaterals:
-rhombus - has opposite sides that are parallel. All of its sides are the same length
-trapezoid - has only 1 pair of parallel sides
-parallelogram - has 2 pair of parallel sides, opposite sides are parallel
-rectangle - has 4 right angles and it is a parallelogram because the opposite sides are parallel
-square - has 4 right angles and all of its sides are the same length. Squares are parallelograms, rectangles, and rhombus.
*Pentagons have 5 sides, 5 angles, and 5 vertices
* Hexagons have 6 sides, 6 angles, and 6 vertices
* Heptagons have 7 sides, 7 angles, and 7 vertices
* Octagons have 8 sides, 8 angles, and 8 vertices
* Nonagons have 9 sides, 9 angles, and 9 vertices
* Decagons have 10 sides, 10 angles, and 10 vertices
SOL 4.11 a - The student will investigate the congruence of plane shapes after geometric transformations such as reflections, translations, rotations, using mirror images, paper folding, and tracing.
Congruent shapes are the exact same size and the exact same shape.
SOL 4.11 b - The student will recognize the images of figures resulting from geometric transformations such as translations, rotations, and reflections.
Begin reviewing vocabulary terms as well as study guides to prepare for the SOL test.
Working together provides your child with a greater chance of success. The fourth grade team has high expectations for the students. Students are accountable for being responsible and for always putting their best foot forward. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Students can go to the GES web site and then to school links to SOLpass to review Science and VA studies. The students can access these sites from the GES web page and the GES links. They will click on SOL pass 4th and 5th grade science. To log in, the username is Stewartsville ES and the password is ses.
Spend the extra time memorizing any unknown multiplication facts, reviewing vocabulary terms and study guides, and practicing problems learned this year. Refer to the math notebook for most of these items.