Off And Running!!

The 2012-2013 school year is underway!  Grade 4 is off to a great start and ready for our learning experiences to begin.  Thank you to all the parents who helped make sure their children were ready with all the materials necessary to start the year.  Thank you as well to the parents who have already turned in their class room money.  If you have not done so though, please send in your 600 lps or 30 USD this week.  This is a one time fee that covers all of the special materials we will use over the course of the year.  

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Our annual Open House is scheduled for this Thursday, August 16 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.   Come and meet your son or daughter's new teacher.  We will be discussing what you can expect in terms of homework, classroom activities, field trips, and another important information.  We look forward to seeing you then.  If you can't make it though, please feel free to contact either Jordan or Karen via their Discovery School email addresses:   

jrose@discoveryschool.edu.hn   or kraudales@discoveryshcool.edu.hn

THIS WEEK'S CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:

Math:  This week we will be deepening our understanding of place value in order to lay the foundation for the rest of the number work we will do throughout the year.  The students will learn to put numbers into standard form, expanded form, and word form.  They will also practice comparing and ordering numbers, and rounding numbers to the nearest thousand and ten-thousand place value.

Reading and Writing:  This week we will be introducing our literacy program to the students.  We will have students begin their 'self-selected reading' program and commence our 'guided reading' program with the first class novel of the year, "Stonefox".  The students will also participate in our 'writer's workshop' program for the first time this week.

Social Studies:  This week we will begin our 'Maps and Globes' social studies unit.  The students will be labelling a world map with the major oceans, continents, and hemispheres.  We will then be learning about population and area, and comparing the continents using this criteria.

Spelling:  The focus of this week's words will be the Long A sound.  Each work the students will receive their words and phonics lesson on MONDAY, they then have the rest of the week to complete their spelling homework and prepare for their quiz on FRIDAY.  

Here's to a great first full week!  Thanks again to all the parents out there, and to everyone who took the time to check up on us here in grade 4.  

All the best,

Jordan and Karen