5-21-15
Hi Folks,
Wow! It is the end of May already! How is that possible???? We have been talking a great deal
about being ready for 4th grade and working to be as 4th grade-like as we can. We have been SUPER busy
here at school. This week we completed both the Reading and Math MAP tests on the iPads. Everyone
handled the testing situation well.
We are preparing for our Biography presentations in Reading Workshop.
We have read and
researched our biography subjects. The students wrote biography speeches and will take on the identity
of their subject next Friday, May 29th. Your child should have given you a paper explaining what he or
she needs to do at home to be ready for Friday. Here at school we will prepare by practicing our
speeches and creating formal timeline. At home your child should be working on his or her paper doll.
This is due Tuesday, May 26th. I have asked the kids if they are having trouble completing it at home, I
can help to finish it here at school. If you help a little at home and I do some here we will get it done!
During math we have been working on exploring temperatures across a day in various cities around
the world. We have learned to calculate the temperature across zero adding negative and positive
numbers. We are looking at the overall shape of a graph and how the data collected and reported can be
described. We are also working on representing a constant rate of change. We are learning how to use
charts and tables as well as multiplication to understand the relationship between two variables.
In Writing Workshop we are crafting adaptations of fairy tales. We have looked at creating our
own versions of classic tales with a twist or two. Now we are revising and editing these to make them
more powerful. We are taking out tired words, revising for different sentence types, attaching an
object to a character (like a glass slipper to Cinderella), and finally, we will be working with the magic
and pacing of our stories next week. The children are showing their creative sides.
In science we were sad to see our chicks go… they were a huge hit! I hope you all enjoyed hearing
about them and got a chance to check out our photo galleries on the website. Our next unit is the Solar
System. We have quite a few experts already so this will be a great unit as well.
Next Thursday we will travel to Penncrest High School to see the Emanon students put on a play.
We will be eating lunch in our rooms at around 11 and then we will head to Penncrest around 12:20.
Our Biography presentations will be May 29th at 9:30. The kids are excited to become their
biography subjects. If you will be attending don’t forget to RSVP with the red slip. We would love to
have you come to hear them. We will go in chronological order by birth of our subjects. I anticipate the
entire presentation taking 45 minutes to an hour. I will tape it in case you are unable to make the show.
Our trip to the Franklin Institute is scheduled for June 9th. We have invited any adult who would
like to attend with us to do so. Please note there is a new chaperone policy in place. To attend the trip
you will need to complete the new background checks for chaperones. Please don’t wait any longer to
start the process. It takes at least two weeks to get everything back and then it needs to get approval
from the district. The full chaperone policy can be read by clicking on the link on the Indian Lane
Website. If you have questions or concerns, please let me know right away!
If you have any questions or concerns…ever… please do not hesitate to contact me!
Thank you for all of your help and support. Have a great long weekend!
Stephanie Herman