I hope you are all well and that you and a relaxing weekend. We are already more than half way through the first quarter. This week will be a normal one, with no special events or changes in schedule.
We do have a science test on graphs coming up on Thursday. Most of the students have done well with all the graphing we've taught so far, but I have included a short study guide on graphs beneath my signature line on this post.
This week in math we will have a short review of column addition on Monday. Several students have asked me questions about column addition that will be more efficient to answer in front of the whole class, so we are having an extra class on it. That way everyone will be on the same page. We will do more word problems on Tuesday, and then we will spend the rest of the week working on column subtraction and borrowing. We will have a math test next week on addition and subtraction.
I mentioned in a recent email that the fourth grade team was considering sending graded work home to students on Mondays instead of Fridays. That change has now become official. From now on, we will send your students home with manila folders of graded work every Monday. We still ask that you sign and date them to acknowledge that you have received the graded work and that you send them back with the you students on Tuesday. We will start calling the folders "Monday folders" in order to reflect the change.
I would also like to take a few moments this week to discuss the purpose of the missing assignment bin as there has been some confusion in that regard. Some day, much sooner than you may realize, your students will not have the option to replace a lost homework sheet, a missing homework sheet, a homework sheet turned in without a name. Certainly in sixth grade, but possibly even as early as fifth grade, teachers will not reprint assignments or give extra copies to students. Right now, many students are used to getting teachers to reprint extra copies of assignments they have lost, which reduces their sense of responsibility for the assignments. The missing assignment bin is intended to be a bridge that will help students develop responsibility for their work while still offering them a chance to fix their mistakes when they occasionally lose assignments.
I have had a number of students approach me and ask me if I can give them the assignments or help them find the assignments in the bin. The answer, as graciously as possible, is no. The students need to go through the bins and find the assignment themselves in order to take responsibility for their work. So far, most students who have made the effort to look have successfully located their missing assignments and handed them in. A lot of students have come in with notes about the assignments they are missing, which helps them remember what they need to find. I am also trying to make it easier for them to find assignments by numbering or titling all assignments. I hope this clears up any confusion regarding the missing assignment bin.
These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Wycklendt
Science Study Guide on Graphs
1. A line graph is used to track one thing that changes over time. (For example, one might use a line graph to track the profits of a business over the course of a year, or the weather conditions of a city over the course of a season.)
2. A bar graph is used to compare several things at the same time. (Bar graphs are often used to compare how different opinions on a general subject, such as favorite snacks, movies, etc.)
3. Students should memorize the above descriptions of line and bar graphs and be able to apply them to decide whether to draw a line graph or a bar graph for a given data set.
4. The sides of a graph are called "axes" (singular axis).
5. All graphs should have a title that explains what they represent, and the axes should be clearly labelled so that we know what the numbers on them mean. (Inches? Weeks? Degrees of temperature?)
6. Students should be able to answer questions about the information presented on graphs. Particularly with line graphs, students should know that a line pointing up and to the right indicates an increase, while a line pointing down and to the left indicates a decrease.
7. Students should be able to draw line and bar graphs based on given sets of data. Particularly with line graphs, students should know that they have to connect the points on their line graph with a line and that the line they draw always starts from zero.
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