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?