Weekly Updates for December 5th

We are counting down the days until the end of the semester! We are working hard to end this quarter on a great note.  Please help your child to look through all papers and get things turned in as soon as possible.  Here is what is happening this week:

Math- This week we will continue with factors, multiples, composite and prime numbers.  Please check with your child for daily assignments.

Science- We are finishing our mini unit on weathering, erosion and deposition.  Mrs. Fortson will give a quiz on this material on Wednesday.  A study guide will be given on Tuesday.  Check with Mrs. McCoy and Mr. DeBolt for specific assignments this week.

Reading- The students are reading Johnny Tremain. 

ELA- subject/verb agreement and irregular verbs.

Writing- This week we will continue our focus on informational writing. We will be using text evidence from two sources.

Social Studies- Our objective this week is to explain the causes, course and consequences of the American Revolution and the foundations of the future of Tennessee.  Our main focus this week is the following: Continental Congress, John and Abigail Adams, Patrick Henry, Liberty or Death, Paul Revere-Midnight Ride, Lexington and Concord and the Shot Heard Around the World.

We are excited to host our holiday parties on December 21st.  Please look for information from your child's teacher and coordinating parents.  We appreciate all that you do for us!

Weekly Updates for November 14th

Here is what is happening this week:

Reading:  This week, we will continue reading Johnny Tremain.  The students are really enjoying this book and the connections to our social studies curriculum are wonderful.  We will focus on character analysis, setting and event story drama.
**Mrs. Johnson's classes will have a test this FRIDAY over the Greek and Latin words from weeks 5 and 6. **

ELA/Writing:  Our grammar focus is on linking verbs. Last week, opinion drafts were due to Mrs. Derry.  Mr. DeBolt's class is working on this in class.  Please check with your child's teacher for additional details. Our next focus is informational writing.

Social Studies:  We will begin our next module- The War for Independence.  This covers 1760-1789.  Please see the SS page for additional information about standards covered in this period. Students should be able to explain the cause, course and consequences of the American Revolution and the foundations of the future state of Tennessee.

Science:  We will finish our first mini unit of Earth Science- moon phases this week (or by next Tuesday at the latest).  Mrs. Fortson's class will test on moon phases on Friday, November 16th and Mr. DeBolt's class will test next week.

Math:  This week, we will focus on division with regrouping in the tens place and will use strategies to help them solve 2 and 3 digit numbers by a one digit divisor.  Please check your child's agenda nightly for homework assignments.

Weekly Updates for October 31st

We are well into our second quarter!  Please note the following:

Social Studies- Today, Mrs. Derry's classes had the opportunity to participate in a mock election!  We are excited to see the results.  The students loved having the opportunity to voice their opinions!
In Social Studies, we will continue with our colony study.  Mrs. Derry will be testing next Monday. Students in all classes will be expected to locate and identify all 13 colonies. This will NOT be a an open-note test, so students should be studying this material.

Reading/ELA/Writing- This week, we started our new novel, Johnny Termain by Esther Forbes. Students will be reading this in class and will be completing learning activities.  Please check the agenda weekly for assignment due dates.
This week's grammar focus is singular and possessive nouns.
Writing- opinion focus- we will be writing an opinion rough draft

Science- This week, DeBolt and Fortson classes will be completing the Life Science unit.  Mrs. Fortson will test on Wednesday of this week and Mr. DeBolt will test on Friday.  A study guide will be provided.  Mrs. Fortson's Feature Creature mini project is due on Friday. There is in-class time provided daily but students are allowed to bring home their posters this week to help complete them if necessary.  We also have a lab this week in which students can dissect an owl pellet. This is always a super fun activity for our students.

Math- After assessing students, we feel that we need to continue our focus on multiplication but will also move into our division unit.  We will be laying a foundation in division for understanding and meanings.  Our lessons will continue in Module 3.  Common Assessment #3 will be given back and for redo work this time, students must do a reflective analysis, not just redo the problem.  Please check with your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Make sure to check out our DoJo stories!  We have posted quite a few pictures from the activities we are doing here at school.

Weekly Updates for October 24th

Happy last week of October! Here is what is happening this week:

Math- We will continue and finish out Topic C Module 3 (Fortson/Maestri) that includes multiplication of two, three, and four digits by one digit.  Students have learned several strategies that include place value modeling, partial products, area model with partial products and the standard algorithm.  Please check for homework assignments in your child's agenda.

Reading- This week's reading selection is from our Reading Street series and is "So You Want To Be President".  We will be working on possessive and plural nouns and we are still working on opinion writing. All classes are working on this reading content this week.

Social Studies:  Update on Mrs. Derry's class- we will not be studying the colonies this week. In her classes, students will be learning about the election process and will have an opportunity to vote in a mock election on November 1st.  All other classes will continue with the formation of the 13 colonies.

Science:  We are wrapping up our Life Sciences unit this week by learning about animal adaptations.  Students in Fortson's classes will receive a Feature Creature Adaptation mini project on Tuesday.  There will be in-class time to do some research and the page will be provided to students once the research note sheet is completed.  This will be due on Friday, November 4th.  Fortson's class is planning for this unit assessment next Wednesday.

Looking for some great Halloween themed math resources?  Mrs. Maestri found a great site that provides interactive games that reinforce our math standards.  You can access it here: Halloween math games.

Fortson/Derry Genius Projects

Students have enjoyed their first genius project in Mrs. Derry and Mrs. Fortson's class.  If your child has not completed the first project- please do not worry!  We would like to have everyone finish at least one before mid November.  Here are just a few:

 Zachary has a passion for airplanes!  Great research

 Cora taught us all about dogs

 Brycen explained the science behind baseball

 Vance gave us all a lesson in the science behind flying a plane-loved his model

 Ethan shared his love of hover boards- and the future

 We all learned some new facts about the Constitution

Jack is our Rubiks Cube whiz kid

Weekly Updates for October 17th

Welcome back! We hope that every family enjoyed a time of rest and relaxation this past week. We cannot wait to hear the stories of the adventures of Fall Break. There some important reminders for this week:

Chicken Change Spirit Week- please check the PTA websites for specifics.
*Please note the information that was provided about our participation on Field Trip days*

Field Trips! Please note the days: (Please make sure to have your child wear his/her tshirt!)
Tuesday- Maestri/Johnson/DeBolt and Thursday- Fortson/Derry/Russ/Stansberry

Report Cards will go home on Friday.

Math: This week we will continue our focus on multi digit multiplication.  We will specifically work on two, three and four digit by one digit.  We will also increase rigor through the use of real world application problems.

Science:  We will continue with the last mini unit in our Life Sciences Unit- Biodiversity, change and heredity.  Students will receive notes and other items for the interactive notebook specifically for complete and incomplete metamorphosis/ inherited traits/ adaptations.  We hope to finish this unit by the end of October.

Social Studies:  This week we will begin our study of the building of the 13 colonies.  Students will receive notes as well as maps to help them locate and understand not only the geographical features each colony, but also connect this understanding of how the local resources impacted the people and their way of living (and making a living).  They will be responsible for being able to locate and identify all 13 colonies on a map.  This section of the assessment will not be open book.

Reading/ELA: We will be using our reading textbooks to read a excerpt from "Letters to Yosemite". For writing, we will begin our understanding of opinion writing.

Field Trip-Important Updates!!

Important!  We will be going on our fall field trips on the following dates:

October 18th- DeBolt, Johnson and Maestri
October 20th- Derry, Fortson, Stansberry and Russ

Please note that we need students to wear their class t-shirts on this day.  We also understand that it is Spirit Week with Hoedown on that Friday.  We ask that you NOT send your child to school in PJs (18th classes) or Wacky Hair (20th classes) as we will be representing HVES and this will be a distraction for our students when they participate in the activities at the Great Smokey Mountain Heritage Center.  We appreciate your understanding and enforcement of this request.  Any students who come to school unprepared for the field trip will have to remain at school for their safety.

Weekly Updates for the week of October 3rd

There are some great things happening this week-the week before FALL BREAK!!!

Please note the following dates:
October 6th- parent-teacher conferences
October 7th- Coupon Book Dance Party
October 10-14- Fall Break Week

Reading:  This week in reading we will finish up "Little House in the Big Woods". We will be testing on the story on Wednesday and will not start a new story this week due to break week next week.  The next story that we will be reading is from our Reading Street reading book:  "Letters to Yosemite".

Writing:  We will start writing an opinion piece this week. Students will learn new strategies such as OREO, and UNRAVEL (prompt understanding). This is a major content focus, so we will spend the next weeks working on this type of writing.

Social Studies:  Unit Focus: Settling the Colonies to the 1700s.
In this module, students will be able to describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among American Indians, Indian nations and the new settlers.  Students will begin to understand the political, religious, social and economic institutions that existed during the Colonial Era.  Please remember that we use Social Studies Weekly newspapers as one of our major resources for this unit.  Students should keep these during our unit studies.  

This week we are on SS Weekly #9:  We will summarize the failure of the lost colony of Roanoke and theorize what might have happened.  

Math:  This week, we will continue with Module 3. Students are building understanding of multiplication meanings using the place value chart and arrays. Students are building on base 10 knowledge by decomposing multiples of 10 into smaller units to multiply.  We will be teaching the standard algorithm for 3 and 4 digit numbers by single digits.  We are teaching students several strategies for this type of multiplication, but students are required to be able to use the standard algorithm for these types of problems.  The Math Page of the blog will also be updated with the latest resources if you need additional help.

Science:  This week we will wrap up our mini unit of Interdependency and the Flow of Energy through an ecosystem.  Students in Mr. DeBolt and Mrs. Fortson's science class will be taking a test over this unit.  We have one more mini unit in Life Science that we will begin when we return from the break week.  Please remember that students in Mrs. Fortson's class will have a notebook check on Monday and Tuesday and the test will be on Wednesday.

We look forward to a great week!

Weekly Updates for September 26th

There are many things happening this week! Please note the following:

Upcoming:
September 27 -Tuesday- Parent/Teacher Conferences
27- Coupon Book Sales end
28- Picture Day
28- Enrichment begins
28- Dine out with the Hawks- Chipotle!
29- Box Top collection

URGENT NEED!  We need a room parent for Mrs. Maestri's class!  If you could help fill this vital role, we would greatly appreciate it!  We also need a Hoe Down basket coordinator for that class. Please contact Mrs. Maestri as soon as possible if you are able to help.

If you have not returned your field trip form and money, please do so by the end of this week if possible. Please make sure to communicate with your child's teacher if you want to chaperone. 

Science- We have started our next Life Science unit- Interdependence and the Flow of Energy through ecosystems.  Students will be taking notes this week.

Social Studies - Explorer Test Tuesday for Mrs. Derry's class.  Please check with your child's teacher for exact dates of testing in other classes.  We will begin Module 3: Settling the Colonies to the 1700s. Overview:  students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among Americal Indians and between the Indian nations and the new settlers.  Students understand the political, religious, social and economic institutions that evolved in the colonial era.

Reading- Little House in the Big Woods chapters 9-13
Writing- This week we will begin our opinion writing focus.

Math- Maestri and Fortson have started Module 3- Multiplication meanings and understandings. Students will continue with area and perimeter this week and then move into multiplication by powers of ten.  Please check the agenda nightly for homework assignments. You can locate resources on the math page of the blog.

***Students need to practice multiplication facts each night!! It has been a few months since most students have thought about the facts that they memorized in third grade.***

Please remember that the end of the nine weeks is rapidly approaching.  All redo and missing assignments need to be turned in before the end of the nine weeks.

Weekly Updates for September 19th

There are many things happening this week! Check out the information below:

Upcoming:

• Coupon Sales continue- Please note the following information from Dr. Poe: 

"We aren’t quite to our 5,000 coupon book goal...if a child sells 3 coupon books on Tuesday 9/20, they will get to participate in a “Candy Crawl” in the gym on Friday. They will be given a bag and a limited to time to crawl around to grab as much candy as possible. We will do these for each grade level."    Please note that coupon book sales end on Tuesday, September 27th. 

• September 27th and October 6th- Scheduled parent-teacher conference days.  Please see information provided to you by your child's team for how this will take place.  

• September 28th- Picture Day and Enrichment classes begin.

• September 29th- Box Tops Pickup (Thank you for sending these in!)

• September 30th- All Pro Dads (please make sure to RSVP when information is sent out!)

Here is what is happening in our classes this week:

Math:  We will be finishing our addition and subtraction units with focus on applying and fluently using the algorithms in word problems and there will be an unit assessment in Maestri and Fortson's math classes on Tuesday. A study guide was given out on Friday and we will continue this on Monday. It will be an excellent study and reference point for the assessment. We will begin multiplication meanings and understandings (building a solid foundation for multiplication) this week. Make sure to check out the math page for great resources!

Science:  This week, we will finish our cell unit. Students have received a copy of the study guide and have notes in their interactive notebook that they can study from for the test. Please check with your child's homeroom teacher for exact assessment dates.  

Reading/ELA: We will continue reading Little House in the Big Woods.  This week's focus is chapters 5-8. Students have classwork that is given out and put into their reading notebook each week and any assignments given in class are expected to be completed and turned in by the end of the week.  Students are given time in class to complete these assignments.  Any assignments not completed in class should be completed at home. 
Writing- We will be drafting our historical narrative this week. Our grammar focus this week is compound and complex sentences. 

Social Studies:  Explorers!  Students have been actively engaged in learning about our major explorers.  The Fakebook page project is due at the end of this month.  You can find out more information about this project along with downloading additional templates and other resources under the SS page.  Please remember that students only choose one Explorer for the project.  
Mrs. Derry's class will have a quiz over Social Studies Weekly #6 (small newspaper) this week.  They have been reading through this in class.  She wants to remind students that they can complete these for extra credit when not assigned as homework!  

The fourth grade team hopes that you have a wonderful week!

Oops! The SS downloads are corrected!

Oops!  We apologize that our uploads to the blog (Fakebook Project)  required access, but this has since been corrected. If you tried to download the Fakebook project information and template, please try again and let us know if you have any further issues!

Weekly Updates for September 6th

September is here!  Please check out what we are doing this week:

Mark your calendars!  

• Next Tuesday, September 13th, is our first PTA meeting. This is a great way to get involved in our school and to also find out the great things we are doing!  
• Box Tops collection will be this month!

Math: This week we will begin using our place value understanding for adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers.  We will model this standard (which was introduced in 3rd grade) with our place value charts, tape diagrams and with our standard algorithm.  Please take a moment to check out the math page of the blog to get the latest resources for the standards we are learning.  

Reading: We finished up Because of Winn-Dixie and will take a test tomorrow over what they have learned. There will also be a skill check to see if they are mastering the skills we are teaching each week. We will begin  Lewis and Clark this week before our next novel which will begin on Monday, September 12th. 

Writing: We are continuing working on Narrative Writing. 

Social Studies: We finished up Module 1 and did an open book/notes test today. We did not finish test so we will continue to take tomorrow. We will begin studying  Explorers for the next few weeks. Our first project will go home tomorrow and will be due Friday, September 30th.

Science:  We will begin Life Science this week.  Our first unit will be on cells.  Our science page has some resources that will help students and families understand what students will be learning in this unit.  

Weekly Updates for August 29th

Happy last week of August!  One month of school down...Here is what is happening this week:

T-Shirt order forms are due this week! We need to get these ordered as soon as possible because we would like to have them back in time for our first field trip in October.  If you haven't sent in your money, please do so soon!  We use these shirts for field trips (3 x this year) as well as field day in May.  Thanks to all who have sent in a little extra!

Math:
We will continue with place value fluency and building foundations in place value to begin looking at addition and subtraction using an algorithm in a few weeks.  Mrs. Maestri and Mrs. Fortson will be giving a mid-module assessment on Friday.  Topic C newsletter was posted last week and is available under the Math page for reference.

Reading:
This week we will continue with Because of Winn Dixie.  
In writing, we have been working on writing and identifying topic sentences and relevant details.  We are also constructing narratives this nine weeks.

Science:
We will finish up our first unit on scientific method, tools and data collection this week. Fortson/Derry classes will have a science test on Wednesday.  A study guide will be given on Tuesday. DeBolt will announce his assessment date this week. Students should take home their interactive notebooks to look over material and to help complete the study guide.

Social Studies:
This week we will finish learning about the Mississippian Indians and how they compare to the Woodland Indians. Next, we will learn about the Cherokee Indians and their culture.  There will be an assessment over Indian Groups next Tuesday.  Students should take home their interactive notebooks to study the material.

UPDATED!!! Math newsletter for Maestri and Fortson math classes

We apologize for the link issues that were posted to the original blog post.  You should be able to access the math newsletter below without having to request access.  We are sorry for the mixup!

Here is a copy of the newsletter for our new topic that began with lesson 7. You can download a copy here  .  You can also download a copy on the math page!

4th Grade Tshirt order forms

Parents,
The fourth grade tshirt order form is going home this week.  Some students have already received this. The cost for this shirt is $6.  We want every child to have a tshirt!  Please let us know if there are any issues.  We would like to have these back by next week if possible. It will take a few weeks for these to be ordered and produced.  Thank you!

All Pro Dad update for this week!

Weekly Updates for August 22nd

Here is what we are doing this week in fourth grade:

Reading: 

Students will continue to read  Because of Winn Dixie. We will focus on character analysis and summarizing.  Students will work in small groups to answer comprehension questions about our story.  These questions and related materials are stored in their ELA binder which is kept at school. 

Writing:

This week will focus on paragraph writing in preparation for narrative writing.  

Social Studies:

This week we will work on the Paleo, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippi Indian groups.  Students are practicing taking notes in their Social Studies notebook.  A test will be given over this mini unit and will be announced. 

Math:

This week continue our study of place value and building number sense and fluency.  Students are taking timed tests/sprints to increase their fluency of concepts.  Please check with your child's math teacher for specific homework assignments each night.  Don't forget to check the Math page on the blog for additional information. 

Science:

We have been studying the scientific method and will begin learning about and using various science tools.  Your student will get hands on experiences to deepen understanding of how these tools work. 

Don't forget that Blue Folders go home on Tuesday.  Please sign and return the Dojo behavior report. 

Weekly Updates for August 15th

Welcome Back!  

We are looking forward to seeing everyone tonight at 5pm. We will start in the gym.  Team Derry-Fortson will be in the classrooms (start in your child's homeroom); Team Russ-Stansberry is planning to meet in an alternate location-this will be announced tonight; Team Maestri-Johnson-DeBolt will be meeting in the library.  You don't want to miss this opportunity to gain valuable insight into fourth grade and our content.  You will be able to ask questions!  If your child comes with you tonight, please make sure he/she has a book, work or something else quiet to do while we meet.
Here is what is happening this week:

Reading/ELA:
This week we will focus on writing good sentences and how to set up and write an outline.  We will also be starting our novel, Because of Winn Dixie.  Because we have limited copies of these books, your child will be reading this in class.  If your child has his/her own copy, he is welcome to use it.  You are also welcome to read along with us at home if you have your own copy.  This is a great way to reinforce what we are reading in class.

Social Studies:
This week we are working on geography-land forms.  Your child will have a notebook for this class.

Math:
We have started our math curriculum and our first unit is Place Value.  This concept builds on previous grades and is creating a foundation of number sense that will help your child be successful in fourth grade.  The MATH page on the blog is filled with great resources for each unit.  Please check it out if you have any questions!

Science:
We began our science content talking about the Engineering Design Process, inventions and innovators.  We are working on the importance of understanding and planning before we actually start to create or design.  This carries over into all of our subject areas!  We will be moving into the scientific method, how scientists collect and record data and science tools.  Students have a science notebook that they can use to review before quizzes and assessments.

We have LOVED getting to your know your child this past week.  We have an amazing group of kids this year and we know that there are many memories to be made.  Please remember that your child's teacher(s) are available any time via email to answer questions or concerns that you might have.

Harmony Hawks

Parents, tomorrow is the last day to sign up to audition for Harmony Hawks.  Please see the information we received below from Ms. Whitson:

1) These are sign ups for the AUDITION.  Just because they sign up does not mean they are a Harmony Hawk member. 

2) Audition date(s) and audition requirements will be set when I see how many students are signed up.  To give you an idea...last year, we had 84 sign up, 55 auditioned, and it took almost 4 hours.

3) We do NOT have a set number of singers that we take each year.  I will try to stay around the 30 range.  Some years it will be a little more, some a little less.

4) Practices will be on Mondays until 4:00 pm in room 100.

If your child plans to audition, he/she must sign up with the homeroom teacher by tomorrow.  Please pass the word to any 4th or 5th grade parent.  Thank you!

Weekly Updates for August 8th

Welcome back!  Today was a fantastic first day! We hope that your student had good things to tell you about his or her first day in fourth grade. We know that this year will go by very quickly.  Just a few things to note:

Please return all signed papers as soon as possible.  You can also send in school fees.

Sign up for Class Dojo and follow the blog by email.  Our students are already earning points for exceeding expectations.

Blue folders go home on Tuesday.  Please check this each Tuesday night and return on Wednesday. Starting next week, you will need to sign the behavior report and return also.

Check your child's agenda and red folder nightly.  Homework assignments should be written down each day and homework stored in the red folder.  These are to go home each night.

TUESDAY, August 16 from 5-6pm is our Parent Night. Please come prepared to receive good information about your child's classroom and curriculum.

We are off to a wonderful start....

Wonderful Meet and Greet Night

It was an amazing night!  We loved meeting all of our new fourth graders! Please take this weekend to go ahead and complete all necessary paperwork and return with your child on Monday.  Don't forget that Monday is a half day.  By fourth grade, we expect students to know how they are going home on the first day of school and for the remaining days.  Please make sure you have communicated with your child about this.  See you on Monday!

Meet your new Fourth Grade Teacher Teams!

This team is located in the learning cottages. These can be accessed through the Yellow Wing!
(from left to right)

Mrs. Angie Stansberry- Reading/ELA/Social Studies
Mrs. Kerry Russ- Math/Science

*Each teacher will teach one block of 120 minutes

(from left to right)

Mrs. Melissa Fortson (ROOM 502)- Math/Science
Mrs. Kalea Derry (ROOM 504)- ELA/Reading/Social Studies

*Each teacher will teach one block of 120 minutes

(from left to right)

Mrs. Catherine Maestri (ROOM 501)- Math
Mr. Brian DeBolt (ROOM 505)-Writing/Science/Social Studies
Mrs. Kristy Johnson (ROOM 503)-ELA/Reading

*Each teacher will teach one block of 90 minutes-see below

Mrs. Maestri/Mrs. Johnson/Mr. DeBolt

7:45-9:15 Block 1

9:15-9:45 HawkEye

9:45-10:10 Recess

10:10-11:40 Block 2

11:40-12:20 Encore

12:25-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Block 3

Summer Updates from your 4th grade team!

We hope that you are enjoying your summer and cannot wait to hear about the many adventures your child has been on over the past few months.  Our teachers are already preparing for your child!  We will continue to post updates over the next month, so check back often. If you follow us by email, then you will be able to have the latest information posted sent to you via email.  Great feature!  Looking forward to meeting our future 4th graders!

Weekly Updates for April 4th

Happy first week of April!  We are counting down the days and it has really flown!  We will continue working toward completing our standards over the next month and half.  Please note the important dates coming up this week and next (long term dates were sent home via Dr. Poe's email).  A great word of THANKS to all of our families that help to collect and made donations during our Hawk Walk!  Congratulations to Mrs. Derry's class for winning the entire school competition.

Friday, April 8th- Mrs. Derry's Birthday!!
Saturday, April 9th- Tentative Garden Build Day
Monday, April 11th- Smokies Baseball Game
Thursday, April 14th- HVA to perform play at HVES in the morning

Here is what we are doing this week:

Math:  Derry - will continue and complete decimal unit this week. There will be homework assignments.  Please check the agenda daily for specifics.
Fortson- We will have a metric unit assessment on Monday and then move to lines, rays and angles unit for the next few weeks.  There will be homework assignments this week.  Please check the agenda nightly.

Fortson HawkEye- we will continue our Bridges Unit. Make sure to check out the bridges unit page on the blog for some great pictures and updates on our toothpick bridge challenge.

Reading/ELA:  This week will continue our Social Studies integration focus. We will be reading articles as well as looking at primary sources about the northern and southern economies of the 1850s.  Students will be using the SS Weekly #29 this week.  Please check with your child's agenda for specific assignments for this week.
*Fortson will have a Status of the Class on Friday.  Chapter book required!

Grammar focus this week is prepositions.

Social Studies: Life in the North and South. Weekly 29. We are also still discussing leaders Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. We will also be taking a vocabulary quiz. Derry's class is Tuesday and Fortson's will be Wednesday. They worked on the vocab last week and can use this as their study guide.

Science:  This week, we will continue our energy unit.  We will be creating some items for our interactive notebook and adding several different types of energy sources that we haven't discussed as of yet.  We will not have a science assessment this week. However there will be an assignment this week.

Smokies Baseball Game update

Parents, in an effort to give you the most up to date information please note the following:

-We NEED to know no later than Friday, April 1st if you are attending the game.  We must turn in our numbers to them by tomorrow.

-Update on cost:  $5 to park and $9 for the ticket at the stadium

-PLEASE plan to meet us at our section.  It causes much confusion if you try to meet us at our entrance.

-Remember that every fourth grader in the county will be attending this.  Think:  bus traffic jam!!! You might want to plan accordingly on arriving/parking. Your parking spaces are located in a different location than bus parking.

-concession and souvenirs- students are allowed to bring money for this.  However, it is their responsibility to keep up with this money and they must purchase and consume food before boarding the bus.  There will be long lines.  Students can only go with a chaperone.

Thank you as always for your flexibility and understanding!

Weekly Updates for March 28th

Welcome to 4th Quarter!  It's amazing how quickly our school year flies.  We are really talking to our students over these next few weeks about endurance and the importance of finishing strong.  They have grown so much over the past few months and we are so proud of all they have accomplished.  Please note the following:

Important and Upcoming:

• Report Cards went home on Thursday/Monday.  Please sign and return these by Wednesday for no penalty.  If you have any questions about your child's grade, please do not hesitate to contact us.  Don't forget that the last quarter will be mailed to you if you choose this option or will be available for pickup after we get out of school.  
• April 8th- Mrs. Derry's birthday!
• April 9th- Tentative garden build day- we are looking for any parents that have skills!  The more parents that we have the quicker we can get our four new beds built. I will be sending out a flyer soon.  
• April 11th- Smokies Field Trip-We sent home a note asking parents to to let us know if you are planning to attend with your child-thank you for letting us know! We have turned in our numbers based on this. Hope for great weather!
• April 19th- Fortson/Derry/Clauss/Maestri Field Trip
• April 26-29-TN Ready testing

Math:

Derry- We will continue with decimals.  This week we will continue with hundredths.  We have been working on creating a foundational understanding of decimals as they relate to tenths and hundredths. There will be some homework assignments.  Please check your child's agenda daily. 

Fortson- We will continue this week with metric conversions.  There will be several homework assignments and a quiz this week to determine understanding of this new unit concept.  

Fortson HawkEye class:  We have started our bridge challenge. If you have some time during 9:45-10:15 on any day, we would love to have you!  A email will go out to all our families with information about this opportunity.  Please pass the word!  Bridge Breaking Day- TBA.

Reading:

This week we will focus on integrating our reading standards with our Social Studies content.  Students will learn about the New Madrid earthquakes, early abolitionists in TN and other famous people.  We will be using the SS weekly.  Please check the work plan (Fortson) and agenda for Derry's weekly assignments.  Fortson will have a Status of the Class on Friday.  Please make sure that your child has a chapter book on that day at school!

ELA:

This week we will continue our focus on adverbs and TN Ready test questions. 

Social Studies: We are working on the Westward Expansion and will be focusing on several leaders. This week we are discussing Frances Wright, Elihu Embree, Virginia Hill, and Sequoyah.  

Science:  This week we will continue with our energy and light unit.  Students will have a chance to experience hands on activities with light.  The energy packet that was due last Thursday is due by Tuesday (Fortson) and Wednesday(Derry) for no penalty. Late points will begin after this date.  

Arbor Day Fun Pictures

 

 

Weekly Updates for 3/7

Testing is complete...for part 1!  Our students were amazing and we are thankful and appreciate you having your child here to test on those days.  We know that some students had to reschedule appointments, so thank you! Here is what is happening this week:

Wednesday-Friday:  We will be back on normal schedule this week.
Thursday 3/10: Russ/Malone/Johnson/Stansberry will be going on the field trip
Friday 3/11:  Hawk Walk

Math:  This week we will continue with decimals in Mrs. Fortson and Mrs. Derry's class.  Please check your child's agenda each night to determine what if any homework has been assigned.  Fortson math class will have a unit assessment on Tuesday.

Reading:  This week we will have a new reading selection.  Students will complete a flapbook for this selection.  There should be plenty of time at school to complete this.  If it is not mostly completed by Thursday, it will become homework.  Please check agenda for specific assignments for each class.

Science:  This week we will continue our focus on matter and physical changes.  We are planning a few hands on activities.

Social Studies: We will focus on the Trail of Tears and the War of 1812.  Students will receive a new SS weekly to help supplement and provide a resource.

Derry Feb 29th-March 4th updates

Hey all we have a short week and we begin our testing. A few dates that you need to know for this week are the following:

Monday: Regular School day
Tuesday: Inservice: Super Tuesday
Wednesday: Testing begins: First part ELA
Thursday: Testing: 2nd part ELA
Friday: Math/ Also we will have our Hawk walk pep rally
Monday: Social Studies

If your wanting to send in anything for testing, please do this by Tuesday. Also, make sure to get those kiddos rested and fed before testing each day. We will begin in the morning so try to be on time. Thanks for all you guys do to help ensure a smooth process.

This week in class...

Junior Achievement : We will be having Junior Achievement Monday morning. This is a great program that last five weeks. Mr. H has already been by once and talked about being an entrepreneur. This is the theme for the class.

Reading: We will be working on a character analysis all week. The students are going to pick a character out of one of the stories we have read and do extensive research. All of this will be done in class.

Math: We are working on decimals and fractions. This will be our unit for the next week. We will only have Math 3 days this week do to our testing schedule.

Social Studies: We are doing a review Jeopardy style game. We will be reviewing what we have learned from beginning of the year to now. We will only have Social Studies one day this week.

Science: We will be working in stations one day this week.

Field Trip Rescheduled!

Derry and Fortson will go to the Great Smokey Mountain Heritage Center on April 19th.  If you are interested in chaperoning this trip, please let us know. Thanks!

Updates for Feb 22-26

Hey all, we have a lot of important events coming up. As you guys know, we will begin testing next Wednesday, March 2nd-March 7th. Make-ups will be on Tuesday, March 8th. We also are still in the process of rescheduling our field trip. The cost is the same but you will get a new field trip form. I will let you know when these go home.

This week are studying:

Reading: Smokejumpers. I have my brother, who is a Knoxville Firefighter, coming in on Wednesday to talk to the class. I think the kids are really excited. Make sure to ask them how the presentation goes.

Writing: We will do a timed writing this week.

Math: In math this week, we are still in our fraction unit. We are adding, subtracting, and comparing fractions with whole and mixed numbers. At the end of the week we will be introducing decimals and how they compare with fractions.

Science: This week Mrs. Fortson will be starting a unit on Matter (physical change). The students will be using their interactive notebook and their will be homework assignments.

Social Studies: This week in Social Studies we will be studying Week 24: The Louisiana Purchase.
We will be taking notes and using interactive notebook. The students will be reading two articles: Lewis and Clark and Sacawagea. The assignment is due Friday.

Fortson weekly updates for February 22nd

We have a great happenings in the next few weeks!  Please check your email for the update of the new testing dates.  We have also rescheduled our field trip as well.  The price should remain the same, so at least that part is unchanged and already taken care of by most of our students.  Here is what is happening this week:

Math:  Fortson math class is working through decimal comparison and ordering.  We will also add and subtract decimals. We took a quiz on Friday over what we have learned so far. These will go home this week.  As always, redos are available on any graded work through the last week of the nine weeks.  There will be homework this week.  Please check your child's agenda.

Reading/ELA:  This week we have a new weekly work plan.  We are reading expository text on Smoke Jumpers.  We are very fortunate to have Mrs. Derry's brother, a local firefighter join us on Wednesday to talk about what he does here in Knoxville.  The work plan should be completed in class, but is due on Friday.

Writing: This week we will be doing a timed informational writing this week.

Science: This week will start our new unit on Matter (physical changes). We will be taking notes in the interactive notebook. There will be a homework assignments.

Social Studies:  This week Mrs. Derry will be focusing on the SS Weekly #24.  Some parents have asked me how they can help support Social Studies.  One way to do this would be to read through the articles with your child.

Mid Week Updates for February 10th

By now, we have had a snow day and a delay and a cancel of our TN Ready testing (for now) and we will hopefully get back on schedule by tomorrow.  I know that the kids enjoyed their day off whether or not they were able to play in the snow!  Here is what is happening this week:

Important Dates:
Friday 2/12- Valentine's exchange; Progress reports go home;
Monday 2/15- Teacher InService Day (student holiday)

Math:  Fortson math class will continue with decimal foundations through this week.  There will be at least 2 homework assignments this week. Please check your child's agenda.

Reading:  **Take Home Quiz** went home on Monday. I asked every student to put his/her reading textbook in his bag to take home!  This is a quiz and open book.  Students will need to use the textbook.  It is still due on Friday.  (there is some time in class that has been available for students to use).  We also have a new story this week with story packet.  It is part of our Work Plan this week.

ELA:  Students will work through this week's work plan in small group. They are also given time in the morning to catch up on any unfinished work. There was a practice sheet for homework on Monday that was due on Wednesday.

Writing:  This week we will work on creating a Colonial Commercial. This is an in class, small group writing activity.

Science: **Please note that we have made a schedule change!!*** I will see Mrs. Derry's class on Wednesday/Thursday as normal this week. I will make up science with my class on Friday. We will have our weather / erosion test on Tuesday (Fortson) 2/16 and Wednesday (Derry) 2/17.  This is a change from what was previously scheduled.  It is a very small unit and will cover the notes that students were given last week.

Social Studies:  Students had a SS weekly test on #20.  This was given last Friday.  Tests were given back and required a redo if below 100.  A few students have already returned this, but many have not.  Please check in with your child. This grade also counts toward reading.
*One thing we are noticing, is that students are not putting notes and resources into a SS folder or into an interactive notebook. Students should be doing this every week.  If you find SS related material, please send it back in and I'll be happy to help students organize this information.  Students have needed this material this week!

TN Ready Testing Dates

Parents that time is upon us...TN Ready testing.  One of the positives about this year's testing is that we will be able to continue with our daily instruction with minimal interruptions!  The fourth grade will be testing as follows:

Thursday- February 11th (SS)
Thursday-February 18th (ELA part 1)
Wednesday-February 24th (ELA part 2)
Monday- February 29th (Math)

Please help us by scheduling doctor's appointments at a later time in the day (toward the end of the day) or not at all on these four days!

Mid Week Updates for Fortson February 1st

So sorry for the delay on updates! Here is what is happening in our class this week:

Math:  Fortson math class is working with decimals.  Students will have several homework assignments. Please check the agenda for specifics.  All other classes are working on fractions.  This is a foundational skill and one that we need our fourth graders to master.  Please check with your child about homework assignments. Most students are assigned homework during the week.

Reading: Status of the Class will be Friday. Students should be reading nightly.  We have a weekly work plan that is due on Friday. This week's plan is heavy on comprehension activities, so students should use their time wisely to complete this by Friday. They have the option take any work home on Thursday night if they feel they need additional time to stay on track.

ELA: (see Reading update)
Writing: We are doing daily Quick Writes this week.  Our focus will be on Social Studies related content to review.

Science:  We started our new unit, weathering and erosion.  I will be updating our page this week.  There will be many helpful resources there for you to use.  We are doing center rotations one day this week in each class. Students have the opportunity to finish any centers by Friday when free time allows.

Social Studies:  Students are using the SS weekly 20 each day in my reading class. They will have a comprehension test over this on Friday. It will count for SS and for Reading.  It is open book.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
-Valentine's exchange will be on Friday, February 12th.  Lists were given to each student.
-TN Ready testing begins next week.  We will test over SS, ELA (writing this part) and math.  We will test one morning each of the next 3 weeks.

Derry Updates for January

Hey all,
I have not updated the blog in a few weeks. Please check each subject for homework assignments. I will be updating periodically. Also parents be checking your child's agenda. If there is nothing written at all then they are not taking the time to update their day. There should always be something in their agenda written even if they do not have homework.  Here is what our week has looked like.

Writing: In writing this week, we have been working on informational writing. They are really work hard to train their brain on what strategies to use.

ELA: We have been reading "Encantando: The Pink Dolphin. Ask your child how they like doing the book talk questions!

Math: We are working on Fractions: This unit is huge so we will be here for awhile. Right now your child is learning equivalent, improper fractions, how to make a multiplication sentence with fractions, and how to draw out tape diagrams.

Science: Refer to the Science page for updates

Social Studies: We are working on Branches of Government, The Bill of Rights, and memorizing the Preamble. Both classes will be getting directions and the preamble today and Friday. They will also have directions attached. Please be aware they have 2 weeks to memorize. Derry's class will be tested on Tuesday, February 9th and Fortson's class will be Thursday, February 11th.

Fortson Weekly Updates for January 25th

BRRRR!!! I hope that you enjoyed your snow days and you have plenty of new memories of fun in the snow! It is always fun to have an unexpected day (or days!) off, but we now know that we have to be even more focused as we work over the next few months.  Here is what is happening this week:

Fortson Math:  This week we will spend a few days reviewing our fraction concepts.  We took an assessment last week and this was given back on Monday.  Students have the option to redo as always.  The redo on this test will be a little different. Please talk to your child as they explain about our "reflective analysis" redo for this assessment.  I am planning to complete the fraction unit this week and then move into decimals by the end of the week or the beginning of next week.

**All other math classes are also working on fraction concepts.  Please check in with your child for daily assignments!**

Reading:  Students are required in my class to have a chapter book. They must complete at least one chapter book each nine weeks.  Most students complete more than 3.  It would be a good idea to check in with your child to see what he/she is reading.  I check books on Friday and this counts as a homework assignment.

ELA:  This week we are focusing on pronouns and informational writing. There will be at least one ELA homework assignment this week.
Writing:  We will be doing a writing piece this week.  It will be timed and we will use it as a teaching piece throughout the rest of the week.  I will be sending home your child's writing this week.  Writing is one of our most important concepts and it is definitely our weakest.  Many have asked how to help your child.  Writing definitely needs to be the focus for the next few months!

Science:  We will take our Weather and Climate assessment on Tuesday for Fortson's class and Thursday for Derry's class.  We will begin our new unit Weathering and Erosion next week.  Students have a study guide that was actually due last week. We will review this before the test.

Social Studies:  Please check in with Mrs. Derry's blog posts and SS page for up to date information.

Upcoming Events:
1/26- Enrichment sign ups before 8am
1/28-Box Tops collection

Fortson Weekly Updates for January 11th

Welcome Back and Happy 2016!  We are half way through our year and it's amazing how quickly this time will go.  Here are some things for you to know:

Math: Fortson math class will continue with fractions.  There will be homework assignments this week, so please check the agenda for these.  For all other math classes, please check your child's agenda.  Students should be practicing the concepts they are learning in class.  Fractions is a major part of the curriculum for our grade level.  We want to make sure that students have a good foundation.

Reading: Starting this quarter, students are required to have a chapter book at all times.  On Fridays, I will conduct a Status of the Class.  Students should have communicated with me on that day (should have their book!)  what they are reading.  It's important that we get this reading practice in each night. This will count as a homework assignment.

ELA:  This week we are working on contractions and singular/plural pronouns.  I will be uploading a copy of the contractions we are working on this week as well as sending a copy home.  There will be an assessment over these on Friday.

Writing:  We will write an informational piece using our TIDE organizers.

Science:  This week we will continue Water Cycle and finish with weather and climate this week.  Next week, I will be giving a study guide with plans to test on this material in the next few weeks. Please look in the agenda for dates.

Social Studies:  Please check Mrs. Derry's posts about what is happening in SS.  You can also visit her page for additional resources.

Upcoming events:
January 18- MLK Holiday

Derry Updates for the Week of January 11-15

Hey all, I totally dropped the ball last week and did not update the blog. I hope everyone had an amazing few weeks off. I know that it was great to reenergize. This week we will be having a Spelling Bee on Friday. Last week was very short so we did not finish everything and will continue on with last weeks lessons.

ELA: In ELA we are going to continue to read Paul Bunyun and work on Figurative Language. Last week we focused on Similes and will go into Metaphors and idioms.

ADW Study: We will also stay with the same words for this week. They are possessives and we will continue to put into our writing.

Math: We are working on fractions. This week we will continue working with equivalent fractions, simplest form, and improper fractions. For the student's that are in my math class, we are working on a different technique. We are working more in small workstations. The students are responding and working really hard.

Social Studies: We are finishing up with the Revolutionary War. We are having a vocabulary quiz on Monday. The students will be working on questions from their Social Studies Weekly.

Science: Refer to Mrs. Fortson's science icon

Please feel free at any time to email or call if you have any questions.