Classroom Update - Week of March 4th

Updates & Reminders:

• Third Quarter Interims reports went home with your child in Friday Folders this past Friday. Please take the time to review them.

• Read Across America Week/Seuss Week – We are celebrating reading the week of March 4th. Please see below for the themes for the week.

• ​March 4th – Wocket in your Pocket Day – Bring a small stuffed animal in your pants pocket.

• March 5th – Thing 1 & Thing 2 Day – Find a friend and dress like twins.

• March 6th – Fox in Socks Day – Wear Crazy socks

• March 7th – Cat in the Hat Day – Wear Red, White, and Black

• March 8th – Sleep Book Day – Wear Pajamas or a comfy outfit​

• Thursday, March 7th is our field trip to the North Carolina Symphony. We do not need chaperones for this field trip. It is asked that your child dress nicely for this event. They can bring a change of clothes (if they wish) to change into upon returning to school.

• Friday, March 8th is an Early Release Day. School will dismiss at 1:15PM. Please send me an email if your child's transportation will be different that day.

• Fourth grade students will take the NC Performance Task on Wednesday, March 13th.

• Track four 4th graders will take their third NC Check In on Wednesday, March 20th.

• Track Out Day is Friday, March 29th.

• Fourth Grade Beach Field Trip is scheduled for April 26th. Reminders and packing checklists will be resent closer to the date.

• Mark your calendar - MES 5th Annual Stampede 5K is coming soon! This is a time for community, family, fitness and fun… and warmer weather! Join us for the 5th Annual Stampede 5K on Sunday, May 5 from 2-5pm. The proceeds from this fun family and community event will go directly to the MES PTA to fund educational resources, programs, and school improvements.

E.L. Education:

This week, the students will finish reading the drama Divided Loyalties. They will continue to practice writing first person narratives from the perspectives of the characters and will be expected to share how narratives and dramas are similar and different. Later this week, the students will move into unit 3, where they will be exploring opinion writing and how it can be used to both inform and persuade readers. They will focus on reading broadsides (posters announcing news, information, events or proclamations, advertisements, or calls for help or support to a certain cause) from the Revolutionary War, which will help them as they write their own opinion papers later this quarter.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Read stories and informational books about the American Revolution.

• Encourage your student to tell you the main idea and to provide supporting details of informational texts you read together.

• Encourage your child to summarize informational texts you read together.

• Watch documentaries about the American Revolution.

• Discuss words that writers use when sharing their opinion on a topic and words that they use to persuade.

• Have your child share with you what the Loyalists and Patriots believed and what they were trying to convince other colonists to believe.

Math:

This week in math, the students will be working on multiplying a whole number by a fraction. They will be using number lines and fractions bars to visually represent how to multiply these numbers. The students will focus on solving a variety of word problems, where they will practice this strategy. They will especially focus on the real world problems of doubling, tripling, and quadrupling recipes. They will take a multiplying fractions assessment on Monday, March 11th.

Questions to Ask Your Child at Home:

• What are some ways that you can multiply a whole number by a fraction (ex. 3 x 1/4)?

• Can you create a real world problem involving the equation 5 x 2/3?

Science:

This week, the students will begin their third quarter science unit with Mrs. Wade, which will focus on the different types of landforms. Then, they will look closely at how rivers form and change the earth's surface.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

Encourage your child to visit the links for landforms on the "Learning Links" page above. Also, students can use the resources at Discovery Education to begin a "Landforms" content folder (practiced with Ms. Minton).