Onions, operations, and opinions!

Another fun week is upon us!  Here is what's going down in Room 25 this week:

Social Studies/Science
This week we complete our Northeast Region Social Studies unit with our news broadcasts.  Due to time constraints, some groups will present on Tuesday, and others will present on Friday.  Check out our Twitter feed for videos of the broadcasts.

Starting on Wednesday, we will begin our first Science Unit - Calssifying Animals and Plants.  This unit begins with the students observing a plant cell (an onion) under a microscope to see what the "building block" of all life looks like.  On Thursday we will look at some pond water to see the small organisms only visible with a microscope.  Beginning Friday, we will begin building our cell models (this project will come home and be due the following Thursday).

Math
Last week we finished up covering all the strategies for solving 2-, 3-, and 4-digit multiplication problems.  This week we will tackle solving these problems in real-world situations (word/story problems).  Along with these word problems, we will practice multi-step problems using the order of operations.  Most of us learned this through the memorization strategy of "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally".  I will use this same strategy, but 4th graders will not be exposed to exponents at all this year.  Here's a video we watched in class.

Language Arts 
Word Study
Our words this week can all be sorted by the sounds /u/, /oo/,  and /yoo/.  The words were passed out on Monday and will part of the Reading Workshop throughout the week.  A "take-home" list was also given for spelling and synonym practice at home.  The quiz will be next Monday, October 3rd.  Here are the words for the week.

Reading
Our focus for the week is theme!  Theme is the message or lesson the author wants the reader to walk away with.  Identifying themes, comparing themes, and finding evidence to support inferred themes will be our purpose for reading this week.  Taking in-class notes, connecting through guided reading, and practicing their strategies with partners will lead us to an awesome understanding of this important standard.  We'll also be exploring different types of traditional literature while identifying theme.

Writing
Last week was a little hectic, so we are continuing our discussions over presidential elections and if 4th graders should have a say in the process.  After Monday's debate, many of the students have very interesting views of the process and are forming some involved opinions.  These persuasive essays should be fun to share!


Have a great week!  If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call.  Thanks for your continued support!