Saturday, March 2, 2013

MARCH 2013 NEWSLETTER


Dear Parents/Families of Students in Room 209,
It’s been a hard working January and February in our class!  Let me tell you about what’s in store for March!
Field Trip to Fort Vancouver on Thursday, March 28th 10:25 am - 2:20 pm:  We will be heading to Fort Vancouver for a field trip to learn about the fort’s role in the early growth of our state and the city of Vancouver.  We will need at least 4 parent chaperones.  Want to join us?  Please email me, send a note in your child’s planner, or give me a call at 604-6650.  As always, you will need a cleared background check on file to head on this trip with us.  It takes about 2 weeks to get your background check cleared so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to join us and do not yet have a background check filled out.  Permission slips for this trip will be coming home this week.  Students will need a completely disposable sack lunch and warm, weather appropriate clothing (we go rain or shine).  It is optional for the students to bring money (up to $20) to spend in the Fort Vancouver gift shop.
Writing: We’ve learned that expository writing has DEARFD (details, examples, anecdotes, reasons, facts, and definitions) and we are learning how to add those to our writing to accurately explain our topic.  We are working hard on an appreciation letter to someone special to explain three ways that person is appreciated or is special.  We will use DEARFD to help support our ideas in this letter.  These letters are basically our first five paragraph essays.  These letters will be sent out with students in a few short days.  After we complete the appreciation letters, we will use DEARFD to write a research report about a fur-bearing animal that we choose to research.  Please continue to reinforce the importance of good editing skills at home.  Encourage the use of dictionaries and checking ALL written work carefully after completion.
Reading:  This month will be continuing our focus on inferencing.  To make an inference, we use text clues and what we already know (our background knowledge) to make conclusions about what the author wants us to know or learn from the text.  Our reading equation for this is TC (text clues) + BK (background knowledge) = Inference.  We are focusing on inferring the big ideas the author wants us to know but doesn’t tell us directly.  The winter book report is due March 8th. Encourage best writing on the book report including strong supporting details, then erase any pencil marks that remain.  The book report should be final copy/published quality work with full coloring on any sketches.  Please keep encouraging your child to be reading their chapter books to reach their goal of reading at least 500 pages by the end of the trimester, March 15th. Their reading should be a mix of silent reading and reading aloud with some feedback from you.  Reading silently helps students think deeply and visualize the events in the book and reading aloud with feedback improves reading rate and fluency.  At the end of each book, your child should be filling out a High Five Book Club summary by writing a short summary of the book to demonstrate they have read the book entirely and then turning it into me for credit.  Ask your child where they are with this goal for the trimester.  Students are welcome to write up their book report book as well.  High five Book Club Summaries are due by March 15th.  Mid-March, we will move into learning about how readers ask questions as they read and that questioning pushes a reader through a text. 
Math:   We are working hard on understanding fraction concepts such as identifying fractions, adding and subtracting with like denominators, finding fractions on a number line and drawing them with pictorial representations, finding equivalents, writing and identifying mixed numbers and improper fractions, and moving interchangeably between decimals and fractions.  We are also moving into working with finding the area of irregular and regular shapes using an array/multiplication to solve for the total area.  Of course, knowing your math facts for multiplication is vital for learning more advanced concepts for fractions (simplifying and finding equivalents) and multiplying to find area so students who have not “passed” their facts through their 12s by March 15th ( a revised date) will stay in one recess each day after that to practice their facts.  Students who haven’t learned their facts will study with other students who haven’t learned their facts (using flashcards and other means) to help both students improve.  Daily practice for 10-15 minutes is important to ensure progress.  I can’t stress enough that knowing these facts are instrumental to learning more advanced concepts and feeling confident in math. Thanks again to all math fact parent helpers for their help with math facts weekly
Social Studies/Science:  In Social Studies, we will begin to learn about fur trapping and trading’s role in the development of the Pacific Northwest.  Students will choose a fur-bearing animal to research more about.  In science, we have been learning about different environments and the factors that influence them.  We have also learned about Food Chains and the passing of energy through food chains.  Students will also learn about different biomes.
MSP Released Test Items:  These released items give our class important practice for the upcoming MSP (Measure of Student Progress) test.  These released test items are used to give students an opportunity to build confidence with the test and practice important skills.  Students will complete some of the released test items in class and some at home.  Most of the time I will check and ask students to correct missed questions/problems.  I occasionally have parents sign the released items so that you are informed as to how your child is progressing toward state standards. 
MSP (Measure of Student Progress):  The MSP testing window is April 24th- May 16th.  Please do what you can to ensure that your child is well rested, relaxed, fed a healthy breakfast, and in school (please do not plan family vacations during the testing window) during those weeks.  Students who are not, have to make up the test on the alternate days in a different location in the building and often don’t do as well because they are testing in an environment that is not comfortable to them.  Thank you in advance for your support with this!  J
4th Grade Pride/MSP Night:  Please join me with your fourth grader in our portable classroom (room 209) from 6:30-7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 19th to see some of our best work, learn more about the expectations for the MSP this year, and engage in some activities with your fourth grader.   This is an event for fourth graders and their parents.
I so enjoy working with your students!  They are such a kind and special group! 
Warmest regards,
Karri Allen

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