End-of-Week Update, 10/24

Read about our Mix-It-Up Publishing Party below!

What we've been up to:

We laughed our pants off reading The Sisters Grimm this week as Sheriff Hamstead lost his pants on a barbed wire fence!  We've really been enjoying our read aloud and we've been working hard trying to identify the theme (important lesson, overall message) in both The Sisters Grimm and our own Readers Workshop books.  We've been trying to use characters, the problem and solution in the book, and other events in the plot as clues to help us determine the themes of the books we're reading.  We're even trying to think of themes as we watch movies!

In writing, we worked hard to finish revising and editing our second personal narratives!  We met with our writing partners and reflected on the goals we set at the beginning of these stories.  We re-read the advice we got from Mrs. Adams and from our families and made sure that these final copies were our very best!  The best part of the week, by far, was having a Mix-it-Up Publishing Party with our friends from Room 21 on Friday!  Check out the photos below.  First, we met in small mixed-up groups to share our stories aloud.  We made sure we read our stories with expression and pride (not like bored robots!) and we listened respectfully.  Then, we got to "pop" around from room to room and read all of the other personal narratives we didn't hear in our small groups.  We also left specific compliments for the authors of the stories we read.  Then, at the end, we enjoyed a page full of compliments for our own stories!  It was an awesome way to wrap up personal narratives.  Mrs. Adams and Miss Farrell told us that next week we're starting fiction - we're so excited!

In math this week, we wrapped up our study of place value, including rounding.  We took our Topic 3 quiz and already started in on Topic 4, which is all about addition and subtraction of BIG numbers!  We have been creating a "WATCH OUT" list of all of the common mistakes that fourth graders typically make when adding and subtracting including lining up the place values wrong, making fact errors, making regrouping (carrying) errors, doing the wrong operation, and making copying mistakes.  We didn't make the list to make ourselves feel badly, just so we can be on the look out for mistakes we can avoid!

In social studies this week, we learned about the 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada as well as some important cities.  We saw photos of some cool places in Canada and are excited to learn more in the coming weeks!

In spite of some rainy weather this week, we've had some fun times during indoor recess!

Conor and Jeremiah with their mammoth creation!

Check out Joey's cartoon of everybody's favorite "pear shaped" sheriff - Sheriff Hamstead!

Tyler, Liam, and Cameron are aspiring cartoonists!

Check back in at the end of next week for some more fun (and spooky) updates!

What's coming up:

• Thursday and Friday (10/30 and 10/31) are half day for students due to parent / teacher conferences.  Please be in touch or check in Sign-Up Genius if you forgot your date / time.
• Topic 4 math test will be on Thursday.  Please see the purple study guide in your child's take home folder for more information on what will be covered!