Fourth Grade Classroom Happenings

Week of November 17th, 2008

********PARENTS*********Due to safety reasons, we have been informed that we can no longer heat up student lunches in the classroom or cafeteria microwaves. We apologize for any inconvenience! Again, it is for the students’ safety. Thank you for your understanding!

***We are continuing our participation in the Channel 7 coat drive, and we are still looking specifically for mitten sets and hats. Thanks to those who have donated. Please make sure these are freshly laundered and in good condition. We are in competition with the other Charter area schools and this will benefit many people. Please pin or bag the mittens so they don’t get separated. We may even get some publicity through Channel 7 through this competition. Let’s win this one!!!!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

November 21^st Deadline for Art club-Information will be going home in this week’s Friday Folders.

Friday, November 14^th –Progress reports are now available for viewing in Infinite Campus. If you haven’t received your username or password please see the office.

Tuesday, November 25^th-Field trip permission slips due (these came home in this week’s Friday folders)

Thursday, December 4^th-Fourth grade field trip to the Colorado History Museum!

CALANDAR CHANGE-Please note that the testing day originally scheduled for January 16^th has been changed to January 9^th. Please change the date on your ACS school calendar. January 16^th will be a regular school day.

BOX TOP FUNDRAISER - Don't forget to cut your box tops and place them in a baggie or envelope with your name, grade and teacher on them.  Give them to your teacher, because we are having a competition between with all the other classes to see which class can collect the most! ACS receives $0.10 for each box top! What an easy and fun way to raise money! Let the competition begin!

Parents, you are now able to view your student's lunch money balance in the Parent Portal. Below is a screen shot of what you will see. This information will be updated nightly.

Language Arts

We will end our second Treasures lesson in Unit 2 next week. The students have been working on CCIRA (Colorado Council of International Reading Association) writing pieces. Ask your child what they are writing about!

Book reports will be due Tuesday, November 25, and is a Flip Book on the Mystery genre! The information about book reports is at the bottom of this newsletter. If you have any further questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

Reading: Reminder your child should be reading a total of 120 per week.

Math

It is imperative that your child knows their multiplication facts. We are continuing to ask that you help your child memorize and/or reinforce math facts; specifically, memorizing nines through twelves in multiplication. Remember to be checking your child’s math teacher’s webpage along with their home teacher for important information.

Social Studies/Science

We began our unit on Geology this week. We ended the week with a very interesting video regarding the “ring of fire” located in the Pacific Ocean. Ask your child what they learned

The Fourth Grade Team:

Kari Vier

Becky Larkins

Brian Delimont

Book reports:

Dates due:	Genre:	Project:
September 25	Historical Fiction - Made up stories that take place during a specific period in history.	Cereal Box
October 31	Animal Fiction - Stories in which an animal plays an important role in the plot.	Book Jacket
November 25	Mystery or Detective Fiction - Stories in which the characters have to figure out something unexplained or secret.	Flip Book
January 30	Biography - The nonfiction telling of a person's life.	Biography dress up and worksheet
February 27	Realistic Fiction - Stories that take place in the present and include a social or personal problem.	Story Sack
March 31	Adventure Fiction - Action packed stories of heroes fighting villains and/or nature.	Windsock
April 30	Humorous Fiction - A funny story.	Scrapbook

    Rubric for Literacy Project

/10	AR test score
/20	Directions were followed according to project guidelines including the correct genre.  All components are present.
/10	Thought and creativity are present, making the project detailed, organized and accurate.  Quality and neatness are exhibited in the project.
/10	Writing includes quality word choice, ideas, and conventions.
/10	Oral presentation-Good eye contact, projects voice, and thoroughly discusses book and project.  Not too short or too lengthy
/60	Total
	Grade Was project turned in on time?   Yes    No

Make a Book Jacket

INSIDE REAR COVER FLAP About the Author. List the author’s name and something about him or her, education, where he/she Lives, etc. Write this in your own words and in complete sentences. Include the publishing company’s name and place of publication.

BACK COVER Title             Author            Barcode Publishing Company Name Reading Level (if known) Any awards the book has received Write a summary of the book from the viewpoint of someone important or from a book review company. Give hints about exciting events which will happen, but don’t give the answers!  Use the form we have practiced in class. Write quotes you or your friends might have said about the book. Draw a barcode and ISBN number. Draw the logo from the publishing company.

FRONT COVER Book Title Author Draw a Cover Picture

INSIDE FRONT COVER FLAP Write interesting information about the story which will make readers want to open the cover and keep reading! This is a short summary which is designed to be highly interesting to the reader.

Directions:

1. Look at 5 examples of book jackets before beginning this project.

2. Using construction paper of whatever color you wish, design a book jacket which will be folded like the picture above. Cut the paper any size you wish. Fold it like a real book jacket (see sketch above).

3. You may use the computer or create your book jacket by hand or use a combination of both.

4. Design your book jacket so it includes the information generally found on a book jacket (see information above).

5. Be original! Be creative! Use color! Use your imagination! Have fun! 

Cereal Box

1. Use a cereal box (or other box – Wheat Thins, Ritz, etc.) as the frame for your book project.

2.  Use paper to cover up the box so that the original writing and pictures do not show through.

3.  Using the illustration below as an example, complete each panel with the information required. 

4.  Be creative and do your neatest work!  Make sure you spell everything correctly.

	Top Name and Date
Side Panel 1 “Ingredients” List the main characters of the story with a description of each. List the minor characters.	Front Panel Author Illustrator (if applicable) (Original Illustration)	Side Panel 2 Describe your favorite part of the story. Describe why you would recommend or not recommend the book to your friends	Back Panel Write a detailed summary of the book.  Be sure to include the problem and solution – what was the major mystery??, plus the setting (where and when).
			Bottom Genre: historical fiction

Flip Book

Title of Book

Author

(Insert Picture)

Retold by (your name)

Date

Setting

Characters

Problem and Solution

Problem and Solution

Interesting Information and/or Timeline

Directions for Making the Book:

Use three sheets of blank, white paper. Holding them together vertically, fan the sheets out, placing one on top of the other, approximately 3/4 inch apart, from the bottom of each sheet. Hold them in that fanned position, and fold down all three papers from the top, so there are equal sized sections. You should end up with a wider title page on top and five sections below. Place two staples on the fold line.

Directions for Book Information to be Included:

Label the page edges as in the picture above.

Title Page (top section): Include the title of the book, the author, your name and date, and the genre of the story. Draw a picture to represent the title of the book.

Setting: Tell where and when the story took place. Include any details to help the reader learn about the time period and setting.

Characters: Tell all about the main characters, who they were, and a little bit about them. Are they related? Did anyone do anything interesting, special, or courageous? Draw sketches of the characters.

Problem and Solution: Choose four problems from the story and the solutions to each problem and tell about them. You can put two problems in each section. Include a sketch if it helps the explanation.

Interesting Information or Timeline: In this section tell interesting things you learned from your book. You can draw or create a timeline of events if it is appropriate to the story you read.

Project idea from Mrs. Renz

Biography Dress-up

For this fun book project you will be dressing up as the person that your book was about.  Try to think about how this person would act and dress.  Then design your costume from things that you have from around your house.  Please do not go out and rent a costume because I really want to see your creativity!  Also you may make props to show us so we will understand whom your person is/was.  Remember!  The key to this is to convince all of us that you have become your character.

Definitions:  find 5 words to define and write a complete sentence about it.  Make sure you underlie the word being used.

Word	Definition	Sentence
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Answer each question by restating the question.  Make sure that each is a correct sentence.

1. Who was your biography about? ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

2. When and where were they born? ____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

3. What was the most fascinating thing you learned about them? _______________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Would you recommend this book to another?  YES   NO    Why? ______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Story Sack

Book Project

Choose items to represent different story elements in your book.  For each element, give a brief description.  Then list the object you chose to represent the story element and tell why you chose it.  Put the items you chose in a bag/sack of any kind (grocery bag, lunch bag, etc.).  You will use the items in your bag to retell the story to the class.  Fill out the grid below and turn in.

Story Elements	Sack Object	Why you chose the object (Complete sentences, please.)
Character(s)
Setting
Problem
Main Event(s)
Solution

Windsock

DIRECTIONS:

1. Use 12” x 18” white construction paper.

2. Measure down 4” from the top of the paper and draw a line. Cut out strips the width of the ruler up to the line. Leave a ruler space between each strip, cutting out every other strip.

3. Write the name of the book and the author on the top 4” of the paper. Draw a picture of the setting, the main characters, or an event in the story in this top part. Be artistic and creative!

4. Label each strip with the category heading (setting, main characters, main event, problem or solution). Write the setting, characters, the main events, problems or solutions sideways on the strips, saving the first strip for glue and the last one for the genre (Adventure Fiction).

5. Form a circle with the first strip glued under the last strip.

6. Punch two holes for string and tie with string or yarn together.

As always, take pride in your work and create a masterpiece you will be proud of!

Project idea from Mrs. Renz

Scrapbook

Create a SCRAPBOOK for one of the characters in the novel you read.

The 6-10 page scrapbook should include the following elements:

• Cover
  (Please include character name and a colored picture.)
• Inside cover
  (Please include novel title, novel author, and your name, and date.)
• Diary entries (at least 2)
• Letters (at least 2)
• Tickets showing where the character has been
  (with labels as to their significance)
• Pictures
  (with labels as to their significance)
• Quotes (at least 2)
• Trinkets/objects representing the character, setting, and/or events

    (at least 5)

• Other
  (be creative and come up with some of your own ideas for what your character would include in a scrapbook)

Your goal with this scrapbook is to demonstrate your understanding of the novel, so make sure to include enough “items” to prove you read the book.

You can make your scrapbook out of any colored paper that your character would choose. Bind the scrapbook in a manner that would be done to represent the setting of your novel. The appearance of the scrapbook will also help to show the character and your understanding of the novel.

As always, take pride in your work and create a masterpiece you will be proud of!