School Management Team Notes/September 2006

In reading we have been learning how to increase our comprehension and fluency when we read.  We are learning many strategies that we can use when we encounter difficulties while we are reading.  We have chosen just right books and we are practicing using these strategies independently.  The first reading unit introduces us to fables and fantasies.  We will be identifying the characteristics of these genres and using example texts to solidify our use of reading skills.  In math, some classes are reviewing place value concepts including writing numbers in standard form, word form, and expanded notation.  We are learning numbers to the millions.  To practice our problem solving skills, we are using our knowledge of number concepts to figure out number puzzles.  This unit also includes analyzing data from a variety of graphs such as line plots, bar graphs, line graphs, and stem and leaf plots.  We are using data to calculate mean, median, mode, and range.  In other math classes, students are using their multiplication skills to learn how to find the least common factor and greatest common multiple of a given number.  Unit 1 focuses on factors, multiples, greatest common factor, lowest common multiple, patterns in multiples, graphing function tables, and prime and composite numbers.  Quizzes will be on Friday of each week unless notified otherwise.  Review packets and test dates for Unit 1 test will soon be distributed.  In Language Arts we are reviewing cursive letters to prepare students to complete work in cursive.  In social studies we are learning about the elements of a map and used a pneumonic device (green and blue kissing toads) to remember these elements.  Using our mapping skills, we have compared physical, political, and thematic maps as well as the types of information they display.  We will be reviewing our vocabulary from third grade by identifying everyday examples of natural and human characteristics as well as human, capital, and natural resources.  Our next focus will be on applying these skills while learning about the Native American Cultures.  In Science, students will be constructing, observing, discussing, and reading about land and water ecosystems.  Throughout the unit we will explore the concepts of living things, their basic needs, how organisms are classified, the relatedness between living organisms, and the features that make organisms well-suited to their environment.