Mrs. Alabakoff's 4th/5th GradeDearborn Public Schools

Jan 14th Week of January 13-17

This Week:

Field trip to Cranbrook on Thursday!  We will be leaving around 9:00.  Students should bring a bag lunch with a drink.  No glass bottles please.  Looking forward to a great time!

Good News!  Many of the students have earned the top money amount in the classroom!  On Friday, I will be having lunch with those who are spending their money.  I will provide the lunch, drink and a treat that day, so students do not need to pack a lunch.  Ask your child if they will be participating for this round.  Other students still have the opportunity to earn this reward.

Students who earned their money also get a day in my comfy chair!

We are learning:

Spelling:  Students are working on their own individual lists and then should be able to use these words in their everyday writing.   In the next couple weeks, we will move on to words with similar spelling patterns.

Daily 5/Cafe:  Our focus this week is character traits.  Students are identifying the traits using evidence/clues from the text.  We are also starting to learn about cause/effect.  This strategy carries over to Social Studies as we study human geography in fourth grade and Michigan history in third grade.

Writer’s Workshop:  We finished up our opinion pieces and now will focus on narrative writing.  We will be learning about word choice for this piece of writing.

Math:  Third grade is currently working on multiplication and division.  Students have learned how to represent these operations using pictures, arrays and number sentences.  We are learning about fact families as well as solving word problems using multiplication and division.   Please be sure to complete home links when they are assigned to reinforce concepts taught in class.

Fourth grade is working on multiplying larger digits.  We have learned a couple different strategies for multiplying.  A favorite of the students is the lattice method.  Have your son or daughter teach it to you!  Students may use whatever strategy works best for them.  We will then move on to estimating with multiples of 10 and solving word problems using larger multiplication.

Science:  Before the break both grades took the Science test.  Due to issues with the computer, I cannot send home the paper copy of your child’s test.  I had the students write down their test score in their planner, so you would know how they did.  Overall, the grades were really good!  If you have questions about your child’s test, please feel free to contact me.

Social Studies:  We have now moved onto Social Studies for the next couple weeks.  Students in third grade are learning about Michigan history.  Fourth grade is learning about human geography.

We are continuing with Michigan Made Fridays.  If you are interested in donating a Michigan item for the both classes please let me know!

Have a sunny week!

Jan 10th Camp Information–4th Grade

Parents,

It is always fun for the students to get mail when we are at camp. Below is the address where a letter or card can be sent to your child at Camp Wolverine. Since we are only there a short time, you will need to mail it before we go, most likely.

Wolverine Camps

(Your Child’s Name)

DuVall Elementary School

P.O. Box 217

North Old US 27

Wolverine, MI 49799

Please remember to pack your child a snack and a lunch for the bus ride. We don’t eat dinner until 5:00 PM! Also, remember NO ELECTRONICS. Cameras are welcome if they have your child’s name clearly written on it.

We are traveling to northern Michigan so we could see anything from rain to snow, please help your child pack appropriately. They should pack WITH YOU so that they know what is in their bag. It is very important that your child bring more than pair of mittens if possible. We will dry them as much as we can as needed, but it helps to have an extra dry pair.

winter packing list

If you would like us to hold your child’s money for the Trading Post, please place it in an envelope or Ziploc bag with your child’s name clearly written on it and give it to Mrs. Ranka Monday morning.

Trading Post

The students need to be at school at 7:45 Monday morning. Please be sure to hand carry snack, lunch, trading post money and medication. Mrs. Ranka will collect the money and medication before boarding the bus.

We are looking forward to a great week! Your child will have an awesome time!!!!

Dec 19th Holiday Party

Our Holiday party will start at 1:15 ish.  The school sing-a-long begins at 2:15.

Happy Holidays!

Dec 10th Holiday Clothes for Friday

Please have your child wear red or green or some form of holiday clothing if possible.  We are doing a special activity.

Thank you!

Dec 9th Camp Information

Camp money and paperwork is due by Wednesday, December 11 at the end of the day.  We have to get everything sent in so please make sure you have everything sent in.  Thanks!

Dec 9th Week of December 9-13

Reminders:

As snow arrives, so must boots and snowpants.  If students would like to play in the snow during recess and lunch times, they must have the proper attire.  If your child is wearing boots in the morning, please be sure they pack shoes as well.  The should not be wearing their boots all day.

Thursday, Dec. 12th–Holiday concert at Stout–

Friday, Dec. 13th–field trip to IMAX to see Polar Express.  We will be leaving at approximately 9:00.  Students may  bring money for pop and popcorn.

We are learning:

Spelling–Students are working on their individual lists.  Some students have completed the high frequency words lists.  Next week we will move on to words with a common pattern.

Daily5/Cafe–Our focus this week is Compare/contrast.  We are using our Science knowledge of animals along with text to compare and contrast creatures in the Coral Reef.  We will then work on summarizing.

Writer’s Workshop–This week we will be finishing up with our persuasive/letter writing.  Students are working with a partner to write letters.  Then each student will be writing their own opinion piece with supporting details.  We are working on using transitional words in our writing.

Math–Third grade will be working on perimeter and area.  We will be learning about how to calculate perimeter and the two different ways to find area.

Fourth grade is working on multiplication and division.  We have discussed fact families and will focus this week  on equations and using parentheses in equations.  We will also do some review with measuring using a map and map scale.

Science–This week Fourth grade will focus on food chains and food webs.  We will also learn about fossils and how they help us understand the past.

Third grade will be finishing up with animal adaptations .

Both grades will be assessed on Living Things on Friday.  Look for their yellow Living Things folder to come home to help with studying.  Your child should bring it back to school each day so we can also review in class.

Have a good week!

Dec 6th Field Trip (Movie) — December 13th

Attention Parent Chaperones—

Please make sure your information for driving is in the office.  If you have chaperoned in the past, you still need to make sure your information is current.  It needs to be done every year.

Thanks in advance!

Dec 3rd Camp Meeting

Dec 3rd Week of December 2-6

Welcome back!  I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends with good food!  The holidays will be here before we know it!  We will be planning our holiday party — details to follow.

This Week:

Spelling–Students are working on individual lists.  Remember that if your child spells a word wrong on his/her test, the word will become part of the next week’s list.  We are focusing on students spelling the words correctly in their writing.

Daily 5/Cafe–Our focus this week is using main idea and details to summarize the text.

Writer’s Workshop–We have finished our narrative stories and will now move on to opinion writing.  Students are using think, pair, share to develop ideas.  We will then write a letter stating our opinion with reasons and details.

Math–Third grade students are beginning Unit 3.  We are measuring using various units.   Students will be estimating and measuring objects to the nearest 1/4 inch and cm.  We will also develop a list of personal references to estimate lengths of objects.  It would be very helpful if your child practiced measuring the lengths of various objects at home in inches and cm. As mentioned at conferences, we are also starting with practice of multiplication facts.  I am giving some practice sheets, but it is important that your child practice their facts at home.

Fourth grade focus for Unit 3 is Multiplication.  We are working on identifying factors, multiples and prime numbers.  Students should be sure to practice their facts for multiplication and division.  We are taking timed tests that are 6 minutes now.  Many of the fourth graders need to still master these facts.

Science–Both grades are working on the study of animals.  We are discussing characteristics of vertebrates using our lapbook.  We will also focus on animal adaptations.  Finally, we will be moving on to food chains and food webs.

Keep Warm!

Nov 21st Camp News!