From Mrs. Collins' Desk....

Thank you for your generosity!  Our fourth grade mitten tree is full of a variety of mittens and gloves!  ALso, the fourth grade hallway is stacked with can foods!  

In class, students have been busy reading their books for book reports that are due next Wednesday, December 14th.  Because the book reports are due on Wednesday, there will be no Word Wall next week.  This will enable the students to focus on the reports.  It is important for us to wrap this reading unit up prior to leaving for the holidays.  So, we will begin reading the short story "Twisted Trails" on Friday and the story quiz will be next Tuesday the 13th..  Finally, students will have their Reading Vocabulary Test next Thursday, December 15th.

Upcoming Dates in Reading:

Tuesday, Dec. 13th: "Twisted Trails" story quiz

Wednesday, Dec. 14th:          Book report with illustration due

Thursday, Dec. 15th:  Reading Vocabulary Test

Math News from Mrs. Drake:  In math the students are learning to use a variety of strategies and models to divide whole numbers up to 3 digits by 1-digit divisors both with and without remainders. The students are discovering the relationship between multiplying and dividing. I am so glad they have conquered the multiplication facts so well, as it has made the dividing of numbers so much easier on them. This Tuesday the students will have a division fact quiz. The format will be the same as the multiplication fact quiz. We will be unable to finish chapter 6 before the holidays. We will continue division after Christmas Break. 

Our class Christmas party will be on Friday, December 16th at 9:30 and it will last about an hour.  Mrs. Parrish has volunteered to organized this for the children.  If you can help in any way, please let her know.  

From Mrs. Collins' Desk....

This week I read a picture book to the students called The Mitten Tree. In the story, an elderly woman knits mittens and hangs them on a blue spruce tree for the needy children in her neighborhood. It is a very sweet story with a touching lesson. The fourth grade students will have their own mitten tree to help the needy. If your child would like to participate, please send mittens or gloves to school the week we return from Thanksgiving Break. The mittens or gloves can be any size, color or design. This will be a special project for our students to share many mittens and gloves with needy children this winter season. Thanks for your help.

I have been so impressed with the Book Talks given by the students during the past weeks!  Students have shown such enthusiasm for the books that they have read.  Their excitement is contagious.  Other students are wanting to read the books they are hearing about or read other books from the same author that they have enjoyed.  

Speaking of books, the Scholastic book order has been shipped and will be given out tomorrow.  Thank you for ordering from Scholastic, because of our order I was able to receive close to 100 free books for our class library!  Many of the free books were presented in the Book Talks.  I have asked students to return all of my classroom library books by today.  During Thanksgiving, I want to reorganize it to make it more user friendly.  Please look around your home and ask your child to look in their backpack and school desk for my books.  

Lastly, students are reading the story "Pat Cummings:  My Story".  The skills taught this week are fact/opinion, summarizing, and suffixes.  The story quiz will be on Friday.  There will be no new word wall stems, definitions, and words given out this week.  We will pick back up on the Wednesday we return from break.  

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with lots of family, fellowship, and food!

From Mrs. Collins' Desk....

The students are doing a fabulous job on their Book Talks!  The students are really getting interested in many different books.  We will be finishing them up next week.


Social Science News from Mrs. Baugh:  This week, in science, we had a fun time as we tried to simulate different bird beaks using spoons, forks, straws, and toothpicks.  The students worked in pairs as they tried to pick up rice, foam packing peanuts, and water.  It was an interesting way to introduce a lesson on animal adaptations.  Ask your child about the "Blubber Glove," and why we did that experiment.  Science is so much fun!

Keep clipping out those Box Tops for our Box Top Bonanza in November!  The grade level who has collected the most Box Tops receives a pizza party.  Plus we are earning money for our school.

From the Mrs. Collins' Desk

Students will begin presenting their Book Talks next week.  For the past two weeks, they have been given a large part of their reading class to read their book.  Many have finished their books and preparing for their Book Talk.  Each student knows what is to be expected and the calendar of when they will present.  It is key that students practice their Book Talk several times, preferably in front of someone.  Here is the schedule of who is presenting next week:

Monday:                No school

Tuesday:              Hannah & Dorian

Wednesday:        Caleb & Lydia

Thursday:            Corynne & Westin

Friday:                 Eli & Harrison

Next week, we will be starting a new unit by reading The Hatmaker's Sign.  The skills we will be working on are making judgments/decisions, using context clues, summarizing, and learning suffixes.The new unit's theme is how we can use our talents to communicate ideas.  

Even though we won't have school on Monday, Word Wall will still be on Wednesday and the story quiz will be on Friday.

On Tuesday, I sent home November's Scholastic book order.  If you would like to order books for gifts and keep them secret from your child, you can send me an email to hold those books and I will keep them in my classroom for you to pick up.   Book orders are due Friday, November 11th.

From the desk of Mrs. Collins'....

We have had a busy week!  We had the flashmob promoting anti-bullying which aired on Channel 2 news. Students also, enjoy foods from Biblical times at our Bible tasting.  Many of the students tried foods that were unfamiliar to them.   Today, students who earned the reward of the Games-to-You were able to enjoy time playing video games.   


On Monday,  we will have a Halloween snack.  I only needed two parents and Mrs. Tomlinson and Mrs. Burkeen were the first to reply. I appreciate all the parents who volunteered to send items. Students may bring individually wrapped candy or other trinkets to place in the goody bags.


Social Science News from Mrs. Baugh:  We concluded our study of Tennessee Indians with a chapter 3 test yesterday.  Next week we will begin the "Age of Exploration," with the Europeans arriving in the Americas.  It's a great study that I know the classes will love.  In science we are talking about life cycles and metamorphosis.  In class, each student will be partnering up as they research and draw either a complete or incomplete metamorphosis.

From Mrs. Collins' Desk....

If you haven't returned your child's pictures for the yearbook, tomorrow is the last day.  Also tomorrow, students who sold 3 or more books will have an ice cream party after lunch.  Any students who sold 5 or more books will get to enter and enjoy the "Game Trailer" on Friday, October 28th.  Thank you for making this fund raiser such a wonderful success.


Reading News:  On Monday, October 31st the elementary will be having a Book Character dress up day.  Students may choose their favorite book character (picture or chapter book) to dress up as.  The Book Character dress up day is an alternative to the traditional Halloween dress up.  Mrs. Merritt wanted to implement this as an elementary activity.  However, it is an optional activity.  Students do not have to participate.  There will be no grades given in any academic subject area on the student's participation.  Please be mindful that is will be a regular school day, so students must be able to sit and pay attention through out the day.  Any costume that is uncomfortable or distracting may need to be left for trick-or-treating.

The students will be preparing a Book Talk in the month of November.  Details will be sent home next week, but a Book Talk is similar to a oral book report.  Students should be choosing a book that is fiction, included in SR, on grade level, and they have't read before.  I will be approving the books through next week.  Once their book is approved by me, they can begin to read it.

Next week, the students will be reading "Will Her Native Language Disappear" which is a short magazine article.  Therefore, the word wall assessment and the story quiz will both be given on Wednesday.  Also, the Unit 2 Reading Vocabulary test will be given next Friday, October 28th.  Students have the list of words and definitions in their reading section of their three ring notebook.  Students should not only know the words and definitions but how to use them.  For example, can they write an original sentence with the word, list a synonym/antonym, or draw an illustration of the word, etc.?

From the Desk of Mrs. Collins'....

Tomorrow will be our first field trip and looking at the weather, I think it will be a beautiful day!  If you are driving in the morning, please be at school by 9:20am.  We will leave at 9:30.  The students should bring their sweatshirt, sack lunch, and leaves.


Report cards will be coming home tomorrow.  Please sign and return those on Monday.


During morning announcements this month, students from our class are reading the scripture.  They are doing a fantastic job and I am so proud of them!


Science & Social Studies News:  In science we have begun a chapter on "Continuing the Species."  The class has already learned some fascinating facts.  In social studies we are continuing our study of Native Americans.  We will be concentrating on the Indians of Tennessee, beginning next week.  


Math News:  On Friday, October 21, the students will have a math test over chapter 3. The students completed a mid-chapter review on Wednesday, and an entire chapter review will be completed next Thursday. I believe these reviews will help them to recall the skills from this chapter. With the last chapter, I had the students take an online test that was very helpful to most students. I will again place an online test for this chapter. It will be ready for the students to take next week, but keep in mind additional skills will be taught through Wednesday.