New Things

It sounded like everybody in room 19 enjoyed their three day weekend in honor of Presidents' Day.

We started reading By the Great Horn Spoon! as our main reading this week.The previous emphasis at our district level on using the Open Court Reading series - and pretty much only that curriculum - seems to have diminished significantly, so until our hands are slapped we will be using texts which I think will be much more interesting and meaningful to students. It is a good bit more work for me, but frankly it is worth it. By the Great Horn Spoon! is a story about the California Gold Rush so it also helps the students master key history concepts as well.

In math we are learning to convert decimals into fractions and vice versa. Not really that hard a concept after a little practice, but it does require the fourth grade minds to jump through a few unfamiliar hoops. Although many of the students may say they are done with their work by the time they come home, it would be a good idea for an adult to spot check it to see if the concept was really mastered.

Homework:  (1) Write the spelling words 10 times each in cursive and write a sentence in cursive for each word. The words are slake, imperative, suspicious, inundated, dire, cholera, and anxious. These are taken from the novel we are reading. (2) Do the By the Great Horn Spoon! chapter one study sheet. Students may need a dictionary to help with the vocabulary section. Be sure to answer in complete sentences. (3) Do "Fractions and Decimals," pages 276-277 in the math book. Also do "Shady Spot" on the back of the answer sheet.