November 26-December 7

November 26-December 7

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are thankful for our school, our students, and their supportive families. Thank you for all the support with my recent microfracture surgery of my torn meniscus. The surgery went as planned and I am following doctor's orders of staying off it until further notice.  I keep in daily contact with Mrs. Tomlinson and I have heard the students are doing well behaviorally and academically. I am doing a lot of the behind the scenes work and she is executing the plans. If there are any concerns please contact one of us. Her email is: carol.tomlinson@ccsd21.org

Report cards will be sent home Friday, November 30th. Please sign and return the envelope as soon as possible.

Language Arts

Our next focus skill in reading is cause and effect. We will be developing this skill through reading stations, differentiated small group instruction, and whole group lessons.

In writing, we are working on developing realistic fiction; specifically, we are creating believable characters by imparting to them struggles and motivations. We hope to end these two weeks by developing a plot with a story arc.

Book Talks are due on Friday, November 30th. We are looking forward to this second round of presentations. Please continue to have your child practice at home. It makes a big difference! Also, the signed November RAH is due that same day. Here is a link to the Book Talk Organizer in case you need another one.

The next set of spelling and vocabulary words are taken from our Social Science Unit (see section below). The test will be on Friday, December 7th.

Math

For the last half of Unit 3, we are focusing on decimals (to the hundredths) by comparing them, exploring their relationships with fractions, and applying them to measurements such as meters, centimeters, and millimeters. Our Unit 3 assessment will be around December 10th. Please be on the  lookout for a study guide to help review for this test.

There will be many multi-digit multiplication problems and new algorithms introduced in Unit 4. At this point in the year, it would be ideal for all students to have automaticity with their multiplication facts. While we provide some time in class for our Reflex Math program, it is not always possible to do a complete session. Please consider implementing this effective and engaging program as part of your child's weekly homework routine.

Social Science

We started our Colonial America Unit by studying the three early English settlements.  This was especially enlightening for the students during the Thanksgiving season. We will continue this unit by studying the three colonial regions: New England, Middle, and Southern. Within each region of study, students will be comparing and contrasting the following characteristics: reasons for settlement, geography, natural resources, economy, and way of life.

*We will resume science after Colonial America.

Social Emotional Learning

For the past few weeks in SEL, we have been working on cultivating a spirit of thankfulness. The students worked on various projects to help them reflect on the people and things for which they are thankful. Even though we are moving on to our next project, we hope that this will be a lifelong lesson.

Our next project is a secret, which will be unveiled during the upcoming winter holidays. It will incorporate writing, art, and family.

Important Dates

• Tuesday, November 27 and Wednesday, November 28: PTO Kids Holiday Craft Shop (optional opportunity for students make crafts for holidays), 11:30-1:00 PM each day in LMC and 3:30-5:00 PM on Tuesday
• Friday, November 30: Report Cards sent home, Book Talk & RAH due
• Friday, December 7: Spelling and Vocabulary Assessment
• Thursday, December 6: PTO Meeting, 7:00 PM
• Monday, December 24 - Friday, January 4: Winter Break
• Monday, January 7: Welcome back!  Longfellow resumes in 2019!

The fourth graders at Longfellow were very busy last week. We enjoyed a spectacular Halloween afternoon and had our first successful book talks of the year. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who planned and executed a wonderful Halloween Party.

The fourth graders at Longfellow were very busy last week. We enjoyed a spectacular Halloween afternoon and had our first successful book talks of the year. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who planned and executed a wonderful Halloween Party. 

Here is a peak at the next 2 1/2 weeks:

Reading

We have finished our main lessons on author's purpose and perspective but will continue to use this
skills during the year as we read different types of texts.

We will not start a new focus skill for the next 2 weeks since our main focus will be on writing. (see information
about writing below)

Additionally, we will start our new list of spelling and vocabulary words on Monday and finish introducing the
words on Tuesday. The list for home will go home on Monday and the assessments will be on November 16.
Below are the words for Lesson 5.

I was very impressed on the first book talk! I loved the wonderful eye contact that so many students showed. This month's book talk is on the genre of fantasy. Many students have already chosen their book. If your child still does not have a book, the local libraries (and Longfellow's) are wonderful resources. Here is a helpful list from Indian Trails Public Library. Please help your child pick a "good fit" book. We continue to use the IPICK strategy to help us find a good fit book. Also refer to the lexile levels I will share with you at conferences. The procedure will be identical to the first book talk. Hopefully, the students will not be as anxious as they know what to expect and improve upon. The book talk organizer will be sent home this week.

In writing, students are working on developing realistic fiction stories. The students are learning how to develop believable characters by giving and showing the struggles and motivations of the characters.  We also hope to plot out our stories with a story arc. A story arc will help students brainstorm ideas for the beginning, middle, and end of the story. It will also have them think about the main problem and resolution to the realistic story.

Math

The students were very successful on the Unit 2 Math test. They showed a good understanding of the concepts
presented in Unit 2. In Unit 3 they will learn about equivalent fractions through fraction circles and number lines.
They will also be comparing fractions and ordering fractions. Here is the link to Everyday Math website for your
reference (great place to download and print forgotten home links!)

http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/4th-grade/em4-at-home/unit_3/

In unit 3, students explore fraction equivalence and compare and order fractions using different representations. They then extend their understanding of fractions to decimals, comparing and ordering decimals using the same methods as they did for comparing fractions.

Science
We are ending our Life Science unit with the animal senses project. The students have been hard independent workers on this project and I'm proud of their work. Tomorrow the students will give a brief presentation (we completed the presentation in class already) and share their creative animal. They will then be on display in the LMC for everyone to see! Feel free to stop by during conferences to look at the animals. 

On November 13 we will have Crabtree Nature Center from Barrington come for a presentation to culminate our unit on Life Science. They will bring some live animals so the students can learn more about special adaptations.

Social Studies
Later this week we are kicking off our Colonial America unit by studying the three early English settlements: Jamestown, Roanoke, and Plymouth. We will discuss the reasons for colonizing the New World, what the main outcome of the colony was, how relationships with Native Americans helped or hurt each group of settlers, and the hardships the colony faced. This is very appropriate timing with Thanksgiving around the corner!

Social Skills

During social skills, the students are learning about complex feelings and understanding different perspectives.   
When discussing complex feelings we will name different feelings we might have about one situation. The goal is
to learn that people can have different perceptions about the same situation and this has the potential to lead to
conflict if not handled the correct way!  We will then discuss correct ways to handle these situations.

Important Dates

November 5 and 7: Conferences-see the sign up genius for details
November 6: No School-Election Day-please get out to vote
November 13: In-house field trip: Crabtree Nature Preserve
November 16: Spelling/Vocab Assessments
November 20: Education Exploration Fair