Summer!

Dear Parents,

Thank you for the lovely gifts for teacher appreciation week. From the beautiful baskets to the delicious treats to the gift cards for fun places, I truly felt your appreciation. It seemed like every time I turned around there was another student holding a gift and saying, “Here you go Miss Wycklendt!” I have enjoyed getting to know my students this year, and guiding their academic progress, but I am touched by this extra display of gratitude.

Since we had our math test last week the only test for my classes this week is a science test on Wednesday. I wrote a review sheet with the kinds of questions students will need to be able to answer for the test. In addition to the questions on that sheet, they will need to be able to draw the path of blood through the heart using arrows. They will need to identify where the path starts (that is, where blood from the body returns to the heart) where blood leaves the heart to go to the lungs, the path blood takes through the heart after it comes back through the lungs, and where it leaves the heart to return to the rest of the body. They will also need to be able to label the blood vessels and chambers of the heart. This may sound complex, but we have spent the last two weeks reviewing it, including drawing a heart freehand and labeling it. They should have their heart drawings in their notebook to help them study.

This will be my final blog post before summer, and there are a few things you should keep in mind for summer:

1.       If your student is leaving on any day before Thursday, please let us know. We need them to take all their final tests and also to clean out their lockers and desks.

2.       Your students’ RM accounts will still work until August 1. If you wish them to spend a little time reviewing math this summer, they can log in at any time and continue working.

3.       When your students finish the last lesson of the RM curriculum (Dividing a Decimal by a Decimal) the system will automatically send them back to redo lessons which they passed but on which they did fully understand all of the concepts presented. If your students says, “Mom, Dad, I DID finish the last lesson, but then it sent me back!” that’s probably why.  The review is beneficial but it is not part of the required curriculum. If you want to confirm that they finished, you can also contact me.

4.       Please, before your students leave on Thursday please make sure they return any books they may have borrowed either for class or for fun from our student libraries. Since all students had borrowed copies of “King Arthur” that book in particular would be one to look for. If a book is not returned or was returned in a damaged condition, the front office will be charging families for the books. In order to avoid those please return any books! If you have any questions about whether a book was returned, please feel free to contact any of the teachers.

5.       For next year please be sure to label all your students uniform clothes with their name, but especially their jackets and sweaters. Almost everyone has the same few jacket and sweater styles in the same few sizes, and without labels it is impossible to tell them apart. All a student has to do to lose their unlabeled jacket or sweater is to put it near another student’s unlabeled jacket or to leave  it in a public area like on a picnic table or lunch table, or in a specials classroom. Without a label, there’s no way to know whose it is when it inevitably gets left behind or picked up by the wrong child. I cannot tell you how many jackets and sweaters I have had to put in lost and found even when I was 100% sure they belonged to one of my students because no one claimed the jackets or sweaters and they had no labels. I know these uniform items are not cheap, so please, label them!

6.       Last but not least, have a great summer!

These are all the notes I have for you this year. If you do need anything, please contact me through my Jupiter Ed account before this Friday, May 26.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Arts Week!

Dear Parents,


Thank you to the classroom coordinators and parent chaperones that made our field trip such a success!Thank you to Mrs. Copeland, Mrs. Cantu, and Mrs. McCloud, our 4A chaperones. From my classroom, 4B, I would like to extend a special thanks to our 4B chaperones:
Mrs. Neal, Ms. Andrews, and Dr. Beckwith. An extra thanks goes out to Dr. Beckwith for her hard work as 4B classroom coordinator for this field trip and throughout the year.

During our field trip 4A had the amazing opportunity to watch our Arizona house of representatives in session. We got to watch them call the session to order, give opening remarks, pass one law, and than discuss and amendment on the law they had passed. The students sat like scholars, silent and attentive. Afterward we went outside and the students discussed the insights they gained form what they had just seen. However, I was most proud of the students at the very beginning of the law-making session when we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. With no prompting from teachers all the students stood up, put their hands on their hearts, and said their Pledge of Allegiance loudly and clearly. All in all, we had an excellent time!

This week we have our annual arts week where we celebrate our students’ hard work throughout the year on visual and performing arts. On Wednesday, May 10, we have our drama club performance of “Fiddle on the Roof” in the MPR. The time is 6:00pm.

On Thursday, May 11 we have our fourth and fifth grade music concert at King of Kings church in Goodyear. Students should be at the church by 5:15 to practice. The concert starts at 6:00.

On Friday, May 12 we have our second annual art walk fundraiser! From 5:30-7:30, you can come and view your students’ masterpieces on our school’s walls during the art walk. You can give a donation to our fundraiser in order to take your student’s masterpiece home. You can bid at our silent auction on the excellent baskets donated for our fundraiser. (One of the baskets includes a Kindle tablet;  another includes a power board!)  There will be a dunk tank, a bouncy house, and craft projects. Snacks will be available to purchase from food trucks. All proceeds will go toward purchasing an American flag and flag pole for the school. Join us!

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

Week 34 Notes

Dear Parents,

 

Hurray! Fourth grade has finally finished AZ Merit! We will not have any more full class testing sessions in fourth grade. Students who have missed one or more of the state tests will be taking them this Monday and Tuesday.

Unfortunately, other grades are still working on their state tests, so we will have some slight differences in our schedule. Mainly, we will not be getting little or no math lab time until Thursday because the other grades will still be working on their state tests in math lab. This makes it all the more important that students complete their RM homework in order to avoid falling behind their classmates.

On a happier note we have another field trip planned for fourth grade. On Thursday May 4, we will be going to the state capitol! This will fit in nicely with the study of Arizona state history that occurs at the end of the fourth grade history course. In order to go students must have their permission slips and bus fare in by Friday, April 28 (this Friday). We handed out permission slips in class today. Bus fare is the usual $10, and they do not need to pay admission to get into the capitol. Students should bring their bus fare in a sealed envelope attached to the permission slip with a staple. Otherwise, they risk losing it or having it mistaken for another student’s fare. They should turn in permission slips and bus fare to their teachers. Students who do not have permission slips and bus fare in by this Friday will become honorary third graders while the rest of the class in on the field trip.

We will also need chaperones for the field trip. We need three chaperones for 4A and three chaperones for 4B. 4B parents can contact Dr. Karen Beckwith, our classroom coordinator to volunteer. They can also contact me. 4A parents can contact Mr. Ohbayashi or the 4A classroom coordinator. The restrictions on capitol field trips require that we have only 4 chaperones, so we cannot guarantee all interested parents a spot, but we appreciate all of you who offer your support.

In math this week, students will be working on multiplying and dividing with decimals. In science we are beginning a new unit on heart and blood. Due to AZ Merit, little progress was made in math lab next week, but students who are not yet working on “Subtracting Decimals” in RM are far behind their class and should be doing extra RM in order to catch up.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, please contact me through your Jupiter Ed account.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 33 State Tests and Science Test

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a happy Easter and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. This week at school we will have some schedule changes due to testing. For this reason my blog post this week will focus mainly on the schedule.

Monday and Tuesday are normal days; that is, students have no state tests on those days and will have their normal classes on those days. On Wednesday students have their first in-class science test of the quarter. This is not a state test, just a normal test that will count toward their fourth quarter science grade. I know I have sent some emails about this test, but as a reminder, the topics on this test will be weathering, erosion, deposition, resources, pollution, and the greenhouse effect. This sounds like a lot of topics, but each of those individual topics were relatively short, and we have been studying and reviewing this material for weeks.

Students should use their notebooks to study the topics mentioned above. I gave extra copies of the notes to students who were absent on note-taking days, so all the students should be well-equipped to study for this test. Additionally we worked on a practice test in class, and I am sending students home with copies of the practice test tonight. If they did not finish in class, they can finish as part of their test study time.

On Thursday and Friday we will have the last of our state tests. We will take the first halves of the AZ Merit Math and ELA tests on Thursday. We will take the second halves of the AZ Merit Math and ELA tests on Friday.

Please make sure that your students get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast before their state tests. Arizona’s standardized tests are unusually long and stressful compared to the tests most adults remember taking when they were children. Sleeping and eating properly, therefore, are even more crucial to students’ well-being on state tests days than on other days. Please take the time to make sure your students are prepared for these stressful days by having them go to bed early on Wednesday and Thursday and by having them eat a nutritious breakfast on Thursday and Friday. We will NOT be assigning homework on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in order to support students in getting plenty of relaxation and sleep before their state tests on Thursday and Friday.

On a different note please remember that students need to finish the RM curriculum in order to pass into fifth grade. We have missed some math lab time because of state tests, but we budgeted for this missed time at the beginning of the year, so the class as a whole is not behind. However, a few individuals are behind. Right now all students should be working on the lesson “Subtracting Decimals.” If they are not in this lesson, then they are behind. If your student is behind please have them spend a little extra time on the RM program in order to help them catch up. Even 10-15 extra minutes a night will be useful.

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

Week 32 State Tests and Science Test

Dear Parents,

Thank you to all of you who got together and made our field day such a success! Unlike last year’s event, which was rained out in the afternoon, we enjoyed a sunny, warm afternoon with lots of planned water activities to cool us off. The favorite activities seemed to be the bouncy house obstacle course and the tug of war over the baby pool. We certainly had fun.

This week will begin our state standardized testing. We have not been discussing the dates of testing because we want our students’ focus to be on what they are learning not on how well they do on a test. We have worked hard to make sure they have the tools to be successful on state tests, even though we have not been making it a focus in our students’ minds. On the evenings right before testing days we will have minimal homework so that students can be sure to rest for the next day.

The first test fourth grade will be taking will be the writing portion of AZ Merit. They will take this on Tuesday. Given the intense focus on writing and typing they have had with Mr. Ohbayashi recently, they should be confident in their abilities for this exam.

This Wednesday fourth grade students will be taking their state science test. The topics we have studied in third quarter and in the early part of fourth quarter— such as the water cycle, resources, pollution, and global warming—are the topics most likely to come up on state tests. I planned this deliberately so that the important material would be fresh in students’ minds.

Next Tuesday we will also be having our first science test in class for the quarter. I intended to have it this Friday because many of the topics on this unit test will also be on the state science test. However, we have this Friday off, so we will have the test next Tuesday instead. It will be a comprehensive test, so I will be putting out a study guide this week, especially since I don’t expect them to study on Easter weekend.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always, please send me a message with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 31--Field Day

Dear Parents,

This week on Friday we have our schools annual field day! Students will spend a large part of their day participating in and celebrating physical activity. They will also have a chance to learn about nutrition form Coach Brinson. All students will have schedule changes for the day in order to accommodate field day activities. However, during the times when students are not on the field we will stick to our normal schedule as closely as possible.

A number of our fourth grade students have a brother or sister in fifth grade. Fifth graders will be having their field day at Trivium West. Fifth the grade students should be dropped off at Trivium West in the morning and picked up from Trivium East in the afternoon. Please keep this in mind when thinking about travel arrangements to school on Friday morning.

Of course, we don’t expect students to come in their ordinary uniforms for a day of physical activity. They can, of course, but they can also come in more casual athletic clothing. Please consult the family handbook for guidelines on how students may dress for field day. If students are not dressed according to the guidelines they may be sent back to change before they can participate in any activities. Also, please keep in mind that the usual ban on clothing with large brand names, large brand logos, and words or sayings of any kind still remains in effect. Students should bring hats, water bottles, and sunscreen as they will be out in the heat of the day for two or more hours at a time. Thank you.

In math students will continue their study of decimals. In RM they should be on “Adding Decimals” by this Monday evening. If they are not there, they are behind the rest of their class and they may be assigned extra homework to help them catch up. Please remember that students must finish the RM curriculum in order to pass into fifth grade. If they are behind, it is important that they spend a little extra time on RM in order to catch up.

In science we will continue our study of resources, pollution and global warming. We will continue to prepare for the state science exam. It is scheduled for two Wednesdays from now, on April 12.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always please contact me through your Jupiter Ed account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 30

Dear Parents,

I hope you are well. This week should be an uneventful one as we continue our sprint toward summer. The only major difference this week is that Friday will be a half day for students. This will allow time for professional development meetings for faculty. Because the half day is not in honor of a holiday, the weekend will NOT be an R and R weekend. In other words students will have homework this weekend.

In math students are working on decimals, including rounding decimals, in RM. We will also begin studying decimals during our in-class math time this week. Decimals can be viewed from many perspectives mathematically speaking, and not all of them are covered in RM. Because we have the benefit of online and in-class math time we will have more time for students to explore decimals.

If your student is not already in the lesson “Comparing Decimals” on RM, they will be assigned some extra RM homework to help them catch up with their class. It is very important for them to complete this homework. In order to pass into fifth grade, students do need to complete the RM online curriculum. If you have any questions, please let me know.

As we enter fourth quarter, state standardized tests are approaching. In general we do not “teach to the test.” We strive to present our students with material that is true and good in itself, not merely material that is relevant to a test. At the same time, we feel it would be unfair to our students expect them to take a test that contains material with which they are completely unfamiliar. For this reason we will be spending some time in all classes studying material that will likely be on state tests even if some of that material is outside our usual curriculum.

On that note one of the upcoming topics we will study for state standards is global warming/climate change. This topic has been highly politicized and emotionally charged, so it can be a difficult topic to cover. I will do my best to present a fair and balanced view of this issue in science class.

On a different note the fourth grade team is changing its policy regarding homework. From now on late homework will only be accepted within one week of the original due date. For example if a worksheet is assigned on Wednesday a late copy of that homework will only be accepted through the next Wednesday. The exception, of course, would be students who are very ill. If this is the case please contact us so we can help your student make arrangements to complete their homework.

 I realize I did not send out my customary email last week to remind you all of my new blog post, and perhaps some of you missed reading it as a result. I have, therefore, republished a few of the most important notes from that post in this current post to make sure everyone is caught up.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 29--Fourth Quarter!

Dear Parents,

I hope you had some extra time to relax with your students over their spring break. I know some families chose to take trips over break, and I hope the trips were peaceful and relaxing.

As we enter fourth quarter, state standardized tests are approaching. In general we do not “teach to the test.” We strive to present our students with material that is true and good in itself, not merely material that is relevant to a test. At the same time, we feel it would be unfair to our students expect them to take a test that contains material with which they are completely unfamiliar. For this reason we will be spending some time in all classes studying material that will likely be on state tests even if some of that material is outside our usual curriculum.

On that note one of the upcoming topics we will study for the state science test is is global warming/climate change. This topic has been highly politicized and emotionally charged, so it can be a difficult topic to cover. I will do my best to present a fair and balanced view of this issue in science class.

In math, we are finishing up our study of fractions in class and starting our study of decimals online. If your student is not already in the lesson “Decimals” on RM, they will be assigned some extra RM homework to help them catch up with their class. It is very important for them to complete this homework. In order to pass into fifth grade, students do need to complete the RM online curriculum. If you have any questions, please let me know.

One final note: the fourth grade team is changing its policy regarding homework. From now on late homework will only be accepted within one week of the original due date. For example if a worksheet is assigned on Wednesday a late copy of that homework will only be accepted through the next Wednesday. The exception, of course, would be students who are very ill. If this is the case please contact us so we can help your student make arrangements to complete their homework.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 28 Science Test and Math Quiz

Dear Parents,

I’m sure the students are all looking forward to spring break. I hope you are also looking forward to spending a little extra time with your children as well. I know a number of you have family trips planned, and I hope you enjoy them!

In case any of you are planning on leaving for trips before spring beak officially begins, please be sure to let the fourth grade team know your students will be absent. We have a number of assessments planned for this week, and we want to make sure your students take them before they leave. Otherwise we will have to give zeros for any incomplete exams.

In science we will be having a test on Wednesday. The topic will be the water cycle. I am not giving a study guide. Students should study the pages of their science notebook on the water cycle and the various steps of the water cycle. They should also study the page on sources of water on earth. They should review the information on ozone which will be in their notes on the stratosphere. They should also review the parts of the atom which will be early in their notebook at the beginning of their notes on electricity.  

In math we will have a quiz on Thursday. I do not normally pre-announce quizzes and I will not be giving information on topics ahead of time, but I want you to know there is a quiz on Thursday so your students can take it ahead of time if need be.

One last important thing: although we had our jump rope for heart contest last Tuesday money for donations is still being accepted online and by P.E. teachers through March 9, this Thursday.

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,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 27 Math Test

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all well. This will be a short blog post as there is not much going on this week. In math we are having a test on Friday. The topics are drawing models of mixed numbers and improper fractions, finding fractions equal to whole numbers. I will get a thorough study guide out to you all by Wednesday evening.

Also important for math class right now is where students are supposed to be in RM. Students should be starting the lesson “Adding Mixed Numbers with Like Denominators.” This comes right after the lesson “Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Like Denominators” so you will have to read those lesson titles carefully. I will be assigning extra RM to students who have not yet reached this lesson. However, it is often more helpful if students spend a large amount of time on one or two evenings catching up rather than spreading out the agony of extra homework! Any extra RM your students can do to ctach up with their class will  certainly benefit them.

Next week marks the end of the quarter, so there will be more going on next week. Students will have a test in science and a quiz in math. I don’t want to overload them with tests next week, which is why I am choosing to have the math test this week. The science test next week will be largely in the water cycle.

Also, please remember that students have next Friday, 3/10 off. Usually you are all good at remembering these things, but I wanted to remind you because it’s not a holiday or any other known date. Rather students have off of school for two reasons: One is to give families who are leaving over break an extra day for their trips. We have found that many families will take their students out of school the day before a break, and we are trying to help them out by simply giving their students that day off. The other reason is to help teachers wrap up all the grading, classroom cleaning and evaluation writing that naturally comes with then end of the quarter. We do appreciate your flexibility and support in this matter!

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please contact me through your Jupiter Ed Account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

The following is the study guide for the math test:

1.       Students should be able to draw models of improper fractions. For instance if they are asked to model 16/5, they need to understand that the denominator, 5, tells us how many parts make one whole. Since there are more than 5 parts in the numerator, they will need to draw more than one whole. They should start by drawing one whole, splitting it into 5 parts, and shading 5 out of 5 parts. Since that’s not enough they should draw another whole, split the second whole into 5 parts, and shade all the parts. They should keeping drawing wholes, splitting them into 5 parts, and shading the parts until they have 16 parts shaded. In this case, they will need 3 whole and 1 extra fifth of another whole shaded.

2.       When students model improper fractions, they should know what mixed number the improper fraction equals. In the above example, their model also shows 3 and 1/5.

3.       Students should be able to draw models of mixed numbers. For instance, if they are asked to model 2 1/3, they should draw and shade two wholes. Then they should draw another whole, split it into thirds, and shade one of the thirds.

4.       Students should know how to convert fractions to division problems and division problems to fractions. The rule is that the dividend = numerator and denominator = divisor. For instance, 3 divided by 7 = 3/7.   19/5= 19 divided by 5.

1.       Students should be able to draw models of improper fractions. For instance if they are asked to model 16/5, they need to understand that the denominator, 5, tells us how many parts make one whole. Since there are more than 5 parts in the numerator, they will need to draw more than one whole. They should start by drawing one whole, splitting it into 5 parts, and shading 5 out of 5 parts. Since that’s not enough they should draw another whole, split the second whole into 5 parts, and shade all the parts. They should keeping drawing wholes, splitting them into 5 parts, and shading the parts until they have 16 parts shaded. In this case, they will need 3 whole and 1 extra fifth of another whole shaded.

2.       When students model improper fractions, they should know what mixed number the improper fraction equals. In the above example, their model also shows 3 and 1/5.

3.       Students should be able to draw models of mixed numbers. For instance, if they are asked to model 2 1/3, they should draw and shade two wholes. Then they should draw another whole, split it into thirds, and shade one of the thirds.

4.       Students should know how to convert fractions to division problems and division problems to fractions. The rule is that the dividend = numerator and denominator = divisor. For instance, 3 divided by 7 = 3/7.   19/5= 19 divided by 5.

5.       Students should be able to find fractions equal to whole numbers by multiplying by whole numbers by fractions equal to one. Students must have the multiplication problem written correctly and completely in order to get credit for their work. For example, how many fourths equal 12? 12 x 4/4 = 48/4. Students must write the entire multiplication problem in order to get full credit for their work!

6.       Other ways of asking students to find fractions equal to whole numbers include: What improper fraction with a denominator of 4 equals (the whole number) 12?  12 (wholes) equals how many fourths? How many fourths are in (the whole number) 12?

Week 26 Science Test!

Dear Parents,

This week we have a short week but a fairly eventful one. Tuesday will be a normal day, but the Trivium East Bard Competition will occur on campus from 6:00-7:00. The winners of the competition will go on to compete at Great Hearts-wide competition. Families and friends of all Trivium East students are encouraged to attend. Please come to cheer our on our brave competitors and show your school spirit!

On Friday we have our science test on the atmosphere and the water cycle. Students will be expected to know general facts about air and the atmosphere, specific facts about each layer of the atmosphere. There will also be some questions on the first two steps of the water cycle, precipitation and collection. This includes facts about the specific kinds of collection, namely, surface runoff and groundwater. I will not be including a study guide for this test. All students have very thorough notes on these topics and I will only be including questions on the test which students can learn/review by studying their notebooks. However, this is NOT AN OPEN BOOK TEST. I don’t mean to yell, but I don’t want there to be any confusion on this point. J Students who wish to get a good score on the test will need to study for it!

Remember, jump rope for heart is still going on. Students can collect money for heart research and turn it on to their P.E. teacher, or they can collect donations on line. At the same time, whether or not students are collecting donations, they should be sure to practice their jump-roping skills for our jump rope competition next week!

In math, we will continue to study fractions with a special focus on the relationships between whole numbers and improper fractions and also on the relationship between fractions and division.

This week students should be on the lesson “Adding and Subtracting Fractions” in RM. Students who are not there will begin to be assigned extra RM homework to catch up.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please be sure to message me through your Jupiter Ed account.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 25 Fractions Test

Dear Parents,

I hope your students enjoyed the half day last Friday. This week, we have a full week of school on our normal schedule, but next week we do have Monday off for President’s Day, so mark your calendars!

This week in science, we will be having a quiz on the stratosphere and the troposphere. We will review states of matter and then start studying the water cycle. I am particularly excited for our discussion of condensation because we have an experiment on his topic that should provoke lots of interesting discussion. Of course, I can’t say too much here so that students don’t find out ahead of time, but it should be fun!

In math we will continue our study of mixed and improper fractions. We do have a math test on Tuesday for which the topic is proper fractions and mixed numbers. The information contained on the test should largely be a review of information learned in second and third grade, so students who study for the test should be confident of earning a good grade. I am still including a short study guide below. Please note that we will be using mainly vertical fractions on the test. I have  use horizontal fractions here because vertical fractions don’t work well on the blog’s interface.

Definition of fractions: A fraction is a number written with a numerator and a denominator.

Numerator: The top part of a fraction

Denominator: The bottom part of a fraction

Proper Fraction: A fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator

Improper Fraction:  A fraction in which the numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator

Whole number: One of ordinary numbers we have been using to count, add, subtract, etc. since kindergarten

Mixed Numbers: Quantities which are compose of a whole number and a fraction such as 5 1/3 or 2 3/5. The whole number is called the whole part, and the fraction is called the fraction part.

Students should be able to read fractions correctly, and they should be able to correctly identify numerators and denominators. NOTE: Some students assume the numerator must always be smaller than the denominator because most of their previous experience has been with fractions less than one. Thus, when presented with fractions like 8/5 they will say the numerator is 5, the denominator is 8, and they will read it as “five-eighths.” These answers are, of course, incorrect.

Fractions equal to 1: Students should recognize that improper fractions in which the numerators and denominators are equal are the same as the whole number one. Such fractions are, therefore, equal to each other, and students should also recognize this fact. Students should be able to pick fractions equal to one from a list and give examples when asked.

Comparing fractions with numerators of 1: Students should understand that the greater the denominator, the more pieces a fraction has, but the smaller each piece is. Thus, 1/3 >  1/5  > 1/6 > 1/7 > 1/19 > 1/257. A good example is sharing a cake. You want to share a cake with the smallest number of people as possible because the less people you share with, the bigger your piece is!

Fraction Models: Students should be able to draw models of proper fractions, fractions equal to one, horizontal fractions, and mixed numbers. Fractions models should have equal pieces. The whole shapes sued to model mixed numbers should be equal to each other. When modeling fractions equal to one, students may NOT merely draw a single shape and shade it. They need to divide it into the correct number of parts and shade all the parts.

Students should be able to correctly read and identify numerators and denominators of horizontal fractions.

There will be at least one column multiplication problem and one long division on the test.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 24 Jump Rope for Heart!

Dear Parents,

On Friday afternoon, we had the exciting kick-off to our school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart event! Hopefully most of your students have told you about it by now, but we are encouraging  all our students to get involved. Jump Rope for Heart has two components. One is a fundraiser for the American Heart Association to aid in their research on heart defects, especially for kids’ hearts. Students will be asking their families, relatives, and friends for donations for the American Heart Association. The second component is a jump rope competition that will be held near the end of the month. All students should be taking care of their own hearts by practicing for this event!

 Regarding the fundraiser, our school has a goal of raising $6,500. Last year we raised over $6,000, so this is a very achievable goal.  If every student raised $5 for heart research, we would already be very close to our goal. There are quite a few prizes students can earn for raising anywhere from $5 to $150. However, the first two prizes are extremely easy for students to earn. The first prize is a lanyard with a zoo animal students can earn for bringing in a single $5 donation. The second is another zoo animal for their lanyard students can earn for getting one donation online. They should print the coupon they receive after the online donation is complete and bring it in to school.

Anytime students have donations or coupons; these need to go directly to the P.E. teachers at the beginning of the students’ next P.E. class. Neither the other teachers nor the front desk staff will be accepting donations or coupons. Last year, there was a great deal of confusion regarding which students had earned which prizes. By having only P.E. teachers accept donations and coupons, the matter will be simplified, and students will receive their prizes more quickly.

This week on Wednesday, deficiency notices will be sent to parents whose students are averaging C- or in any class. The deficiency notices are intended to help parents are understand where their students are struggling and to give students an opportunity to improve. Most of you should have a pretty good idea where how your students are doing in my classes. I have been sending their graded homework, quizzes and tests home on a regular basis, and I have also sent regular emails when students are missing assignments. If your student has received a lot of low scores and tests, quizzes, or homework, or if you have received multiple emails regarding your student’s missing assignments, there is a good chance they are in the deficiency range. However, if you have any doubts about your students grades, please feel free to contact us.

In math we will continue our study of fractions. This week we will place a special focus on mixed numbers, improper fractions, and the relationship between fractions and division. We will be having a math test next week. I will follow up with details by next weekend, at the latest. In science we will continue our study of the atmosphere, and hopefully the lab will be free for us to perform at least one experiment related to air this week.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 23

Dear Parents,


This last week during our Friday assembly, we had a special time together dedicating our school's new friendship bench. One of our very own fourth grade students had the idea for the friendship bench as a place where anyone in need of a friend could go and sit. Others, seeing someone sitting on the bench, would know they needed a friend and would come and sit with them. The fourth grader who had this idea presented it to Ms. Washburn, who liked it so much that she put the plan into action. And so, our beautiful friendship bench came to be. Congratulations to the student whose idea has enriched our campus so much!

This week in fourth grade, we are having some changes in our schedule of classes. The idea is to cut down on the transitions between classes that steal valuable learning time while still giving our student the benefit of preparing for middle school by switching between multiple teachers and classes throughout the day. As a result of this change, I will be teaching 4A science now in addition to 4B science and math, but I will no longer be teaching 4B literature, Please direct all future questions regarding literature to Mr. Ohbayashi and all future questions regarding science to me.


This week in science, we will continue our study of meteorology by discussing the various layers of the atmosphere. We will also be working on the water cycle. In math, we have finally started our study of fractions! This is very exciting as fractions will be our major topic for the rest of the year.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.


Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Week 22

Dear Parents,

This week we have a normal week with school occurring at normal days and normal times. The only slight modification to our normal routine is the Athenian Spirit Day on Friday. Students may wear their Athenian t-shirts in lieu of their ordinary school polo shirts. All other aspects of the dress code remain as usual that day.

In math, we are working on some geometry for state standards. Our focus in geometry is angles, but we will also study parallel and perpendicular lines and shapes that contain them. After we finish with geometry and angles, we will spend more in depth time on problems which require students to find the number of possible unique combinations out of a group of choices. For example, if there is a menu with roast beef and chicken for the main course, salad and fries as side options, and water, milk or juice to drink, how many possible combinations of main course, side dish and beverage are there? Students need to accurately answer such questions and be able to prove their answers. They can prove their answers by creating lists of possible combinations, charts, and tree diagrams.

Also in math, we will have a slight change to our homework structure. All students should have a pretty good grasp of their multiplication facts by now, so they should no longer need math facts and parent supervision to study them. Instead, they will start taking home multiplication fact worksheets and filling out half a worksheet on nights when math facts are assigned. When the worksheets are full, the students will turn them in, as math facts will continue to be a part of their grade.

Hopefully you also remember that students’ math notebooks are being graded as part of their math homework this semester. This will comprise a major portion of their math grade, and it is very important for students to do well on these notebook grades. Below I have included a screen shot from the RM system on what the notebooks should look like. Some main features to note: The problems should be numbered and arranged in a single, neat, vertical row. Each page should have a proper heading with the student’s name, the date, and the title of the lesson on which they are working. If any student gets a problem wrong, they should cross it out neatly, and underneath it they should record the correct steps and answer provided by the computer. This makes the student think about what they did wrong and gives them a record of how to perform similar problems correctly next time.

In science, we are continuing our study of the atmosphere. We will place a special emphasis on atmospheric pressure this week. In addition, we are changing the homework structure slightly in science. In order to be good scientists, students need to be familiar with various units of measurement. They need to know the relationships between units of measurement in order to understand scientific arguments and in order to perform experiments. For this reason, they are going to start spending some time a few nights each week memorizing the relationships between units of measurement. I have selected units of time to start with because they should be familiar and easy. Students should spend 5-10 minutes memorizing these units on nights when memorization is assigned. They will be given a sheet of paper with the units they are required to memorize. Attached to that sheet will be a log, similar to their math fact logs, which parents should sign in order to confirm that students completed the required memorization for science class. The students will turn in these logs at the end of the week for credit.

I will only be assigning science memorization on nights when math facts are NOT assigned. In this way, the students will not increase their homework time but merely change some of its focus.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. As always, please message me with any questions, comments or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wycklendt

Week 21 Long Division Test

Dear Parents,

I hope you were able to spend some extra time with your children on our recent R&R weekend. I know how excited they all are to have an extra day off, especially without homework!

This week in science class we will finish our study of natural disasters and begin studying meteorology. While many people think of meteorology as weather, it is actually a broader topic. Meteorology is the study of earth's atmosphere. Since the motions of the atmosphere play a large part in creating weather, meteorology includes the study of weather, but it also includes other topics related to the earth's atmosphere, such as the water cycle.

In literature, we are excited to begin some new routines for the new semester. We will continue reading in class, of course, but we are going to structure our discussions differently. We will frequently be giving the students worksheets with questions about the reading to use in class. These questions will be on points that students may struggle to understand individually but which they will be capable of understanding when they work together as a group. Questions about words used metaphorically or incidents in a story that are implied but not directly stated can be difficult for many students. By using structured questions and working as a team to find answers, we hope to deepen our class discussions.

In math, we are finishing our study of numerical expressions and word problems. We will also have our test on long division on Friday. While our previous test included a few long division problems, the topic was not thoroughly covered on the previous test. Although the basic steps for long division are always the same, slight variations can occur when dividing by two or three digit numbers, or when the digit in the first place value of the dividend is too small to divide with the divisor.

Students should all be able to perform long division accurately, and they will need to be able to do so for the test. The topic was first introduced in the middle of second quarter and they have had plenty of time to practice. For this reason, we will spend very little time reviewing long division in class. However, please note your student's performance on our long division quiz. The results should be in the Monday folders we sent home this week. The quiz should give you a good idea of whether they understand long division or if they need some extra review.

I am not going to include a formal study guide for long division. The process would be difficult to describe through a blog, and I'm sure you all know long division from grade school anyway. In case students are stuck, here are some pointers you can give them:

1. The steps for long division are: Divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. In each place value students must perform all these steps until they have no more digits to bring down. The last three steps are sometimes confusing. We multiply to check our division. We subtract to find remainder. By bringing down, we regroup are reminder so that we can including ti in our next division step, 

2. Students should always start performing the steps of long division in the highest place value first. When they have performed all four steps in the highest place value, they should move to the next place to the right and repeat.

3. Students should be able to perform basic long division, long division by a two digit number (252/12) long division in which they first place of the dividend is too small to divide (304/4) long division that ends with a remainder, and long division in which one or more of the digits in the answer will be zero (721/7).

4. In case any student's long division skills are rusty, you can easily help them find a good explanation on the internet.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please email me with any questions, comments, or concerns you have.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt