This past week held a lot of fun for 4th grade - as I continue to get to know each of your chidren individually, I love teaching them more and more! We started playing ultimate frisbee at recess (and I play too, because I love it!), and on Friday we made cookies in math to help students see a real-world example of how fractions are used. The students first had to cut the recipe in half and then select the correct measuring cups and notice how the half-cup was half of 1 cup, and that 1/4 cup was half of a 1/2 cup, etc. It was a fun-filled but meaningful experience for them. Many of them requested the recipe, so here it is!
Preacher Cookies (a.k.a No-Bake Cookies, but this is what we call them in my part of Virginia)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups quick oats
Mix the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the butter and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling. Boil for 1 min. 20 sec., then remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir until melted. Add quick oats and stir to combine, then quickly spoon onto waxed paper.
This Week in Class
Some of the students began MAP testing this past week in science, and this next week all of them will be tested in math, scienc, reading, and language. These are tests we use at the beginning of the year to determine their current levels and guage their progress throghout the year. Please encourage your child to do his or her best, but help them understand it is not for a grade and not something they need to stress over.
Once again, remember that we will be taking a field trip to the State Fair on Friday. I need to know as soon as possible if your student will need a school lunch that day, and if you are willing to be a chaperone, please let me know!
In writing, many students have finished drafting their first personal narrative and will this week begin drafting a second one. They will then choose one of those stories to revise, edit, and publish. Many of them have expressed interest in publishing both, and I have told them that would be a great thing to do at home, so once we reach that point, you can support them in this by helping them read over their drafts at home. Also, I will introduce writing notepads this week that the students will be able to take home with them if they choose so they can write at home without having to take their school notebooks home (because I need to take them home and read them!).
In math we will continue working on fractions this week, along with the MAP testing. In Science, we are learning about the moon, so if you would like to go out with your child at night and observe the moon and discuss the phase it is in, that would be a nice enhancement. In Socal Studies we will continue learning about Utah's geography. For reading, we are continuing to discuss story elements, and this week the focus will be on character. Please continue to encourage your child to read each night!
From Mrs. Bird:
Dance - Students will further explore the four elements of dance which include Body, Space, Time, and Energy. Students will discover and discuss the following questions: "Who is a dancer? Can everyone dance? Lastly, students will learn the "body dance" and recognize how special and unique their own body is.
Health - Students will further their understanding of how food is grouped into the 5 different food groups by playing a game of Nutritition Go-Fish.
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