This Weeks Happenings- December 7-11

Good Afternoon:

Please remember that we are doing spelling a little differently now. Since students are no longer doing the 50 point spelling contracts and are now doing Spelling Tic Tac Toe, please look for the tic-tac toe boards and your child's list of Spelling words on Monday's.

These next two weeks will before the Winter Break will be very busy!

In Reading we will be working on Poetry and Biographies.

In Language Arts we will be reviewing for the Benchmark, which is December 14th and 15th.

In Math, we will be reviewing all material that we have learned up until this point to prepare for the Benchmarks.

In Social Studies, we will begin our Colonial Unit. Students will be switching classrooms and learning about different Colonial Jobs. This is all in preparation for our Colonial Village.

In Science, we will finish up our unit on weather.

What is going on this week? 11/30/09-12/4/09

I hope everyone had an enjoyable week off! We have three more weeks left this quarter: Make sure your child is working on his/her AR goals. There is a new AR and directions are on this page to get to it so you can keep up with your child's progress.

Spelling from now on will be a little different. We will not be continuing spelling contracts, but we will have spelling tic-tac-toe. On Monday's students will receive a Spelling tic-tac toe worksheet (they will be different activities each week) and they will have to complete three activities with their spelling words in a row.

Language Arts: We will be working on reference skills this week as well as finishing up our expository non-fiction writing about explorer's.

Reading: We will work on biographies this week- I am looking forward to hearing what students have to say about the biographies they read over the break.

Science: We will be finishing up our Weather Unit.

Math: We will be continuing work with fractions.

This Weeks Happenings- November 16-20

Spelling Words
Prefixes: re-, un-, non-
1. reuse
2. restart
3. retell
4. resend
5. replace
6. uncork
7. nonexistent
8. unannounced
9. unpleasant
10. unchain
11. unfit
12. nonprofit
13. nonmetal
14. recall
15. nontoxic
16. unwelcome
17. reprogram
18. retrace
19. uninvited
20. reapply
** unchanging
** unyielding
** refinish

This Weeks Happenings- November 9-13

Spelling this week:
1. begin
2. vanish
3. bonus
4. legal
5. event
6. moment
7. motive
8. native
9. suburb
10. mimic
11. paper
12. pilot
13. raven
14. rival
15. relish
16. silent
17. solar
18. spider
19. super
20. virus
Challenge:
enemy
balance
chemical
fiber

Subject Area Happenings:

Reading: We will be working on mysteries this week and next

Language Arts: We will be integrating LA and SS. Students will write an expository paper on a explorer

Science: We will kick off our weather unit

SS: Explorers and we will have a Native American test on Wednesday

NEW!!! Online Version of AR

We have switched to a new on-line version of Accelerated Reader. Although the new version is on-line, the program will only allow students to take quizzes when they are logged into a computer on the school network. Because the new version is on-line, parents can check on their child’s quiz results and see his/her progress toward quarterly goals. The home login web address is https://hosted99.renlearn.com/50633/HomeConnect/Login.aspx. Once at this site, you simply enter the child’s user name and password. (If they don’t know it, email mfitzgeral@rockdale.k12.ga.us.)
From the homeconnect site for AR . . .
· You’ll be able to see your child’s accuracy for the quarter. We are aiming for the accuracy to be 80% and above.
· You can see your child’s progress towards his/her goal. This will show the number of points they’ve earned from all the books they have quizzed on for the quarter. Most upper grade classes don’t count points from books read aloud or by the class as a group, so check with your child’s language arts teacher for clarification on which points count towards independent reading/AR goals.
· You’ll also see the average book level students are reading. On the right side of the screen you’ll see the cover of the book they have most recently quizzed on and the results.
· “My Bookshelf” is a link located below the most recent quiz information. If you click on that, it will show a bookshelf showing the cover of all the titles your child has taken quizzes on since they began using the AR program.
· “AR Bookfinder” is a link at the bottom right on the homeconnect site. This link will allow you to search for a specific title, to see if there is a quiz available for that title, and to see what the reading level and point value are for that particular book. (NOTE: Hightower Trail does NOT have every book for which a quiz is available! However, if you obtain the book from another source, your child will be able to take that quiz.)
We used to have 10,000 quizzes. Now, with the new on-line version, we have 100,000 quizzes! Please visit the Hightower Trail Elementary Media Center website at http://www.rockdale.k12.ga.us/personal/mfitzgeral/media/default.aspx

What is going on this week? 11/2/09-11/6/09

Spelling this week:

1. castle
2. handle
3. ruffle
4. icicle
5. fable
6. soccer
7. appear
8. hollow
9. classic
10. college
11. accent
12. service
13. jersey
14. mother
15. problem
16. subject
17. complete
18. mattress
19. purchase
20. luncheon
Bonus: 1. mystery 2. alibi 3. detective 4. suspect

Reading: This week we will continue reading Bridge to Terabithia and work on our mystery books. We will be completing an in-class project on the mystery book that students have checked out.

LA: We will continue to work on our persuasive piece of writing

SS: WE will be moving into our unit on Explorers

Math: We will be continuing long division.

This Weeks Happenings- October 26-30

Spelling Words: Homophones (20 words & 2 bonus)
forth- (move forward)
fourth- (number four in line)
flu- (a virus which make you have a bad cold)
flew- (past tense of fly)
dew- (wetness or moisture on the ground in the morning)
due- (a time to finish or pay for something)
dear- (a greatly loved person/greeting in a letter)
deer- (an animal)
piece- (a part of something)
peace- (no more war or calmness)
heard- (past tense of hear/ when you have already listened)
herd- (a group of animals)
die- (to not live anymore or a type of stamp)
dye- (to color something)
stair- (steps you walk on)
stare (to look at something for a long time)
their- (when something belongs to a group of people)
they’re-(they are /called a contraction)
there- (tells direction or where)
rain- (water that falls from the sky/precipitation)
*rein- (straps used to hold back a horse)*reign –(when a king or queen are in charge)

This Weeks Happenings- October 19-23

Spelling This Week:

1. monster
2. complete
3. hundred
4. exchange
5. sandwich
6. surprise
7. applause
8. although
9. conflict
10. mattress
11. purchase
12. merchant
13. pumpkin
14. angry
15. Thursday
16. ostrich
17. punctual
18. address
19. chestnut
20. luncheon
Challenge: 1. extraordinary 2. chief 3. arrowhead 4. Seminole

Reading: This week we will continue Bridge to Terabithia and Monday we will get to see everyone's Bag It project.

Language Arts: We will be working on a persuasive piece of writing. On Tuesday we will take a Mock Writing Assessment to help prepare for that 5th grade writing test.

Social Studies: We will continue our Native American discovery baskets.

Math: We will continue working on 3 digit by 2 digit multiplication and we will work on relating division to multiplication.

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a safe and restful Fall Break! Monday will be the start of 2nd quarter, and that means new AR goals! I gave students a grace period this first nine weeks on meeting their AR goals, but second quarter it will definitely be part of their Reading grade.

Spelling for this week:

Words with the long e sound:

1. steam
2. reason
3. honey
4. shield
5. treat
6. screech
7. least
8. beetle
9. sweet
10. breathe
11. field
12. beast
13. valley
14. species
15. monkey
16. mean
17. capacity
18. degree
19. median
20. oxygen
CHALLENGE:
1. definitely
2. different
3. temperature
4. average

Math: For math this week we will have a Benchmark Review (review of first quarter) and begin two digit by two digit and three digit by two digit multiplication.

Social Studies: We will begin out unit on Native Americans. Students will discover the Native American regions/tribes through discovery baskets containing items that represent each region

Reading: We will continue Bridge to Terabithia and remember that Book Reports are due this Friday. I am excited to see the kids hard work!

Language Arts: We will continue our Daily Language Review with Caught YA! and we will also be reviewing the benchmark tests.

This week will be a very busy one, but it will be great! Please encourage your child to use our new computer program First in Math. They have the website and log-in information in their agendas. This is a great way for students to practice basic math facts.

This Week...

Tuesday and Wednesday we will have Benchmark Testing in Language Arts and Math.

Spelling: Due to the 3-day week, we will have no spelling this week!

Language Arts/Reading: Benchmark Testing, 1st Quarter Review: synonyms, sentence types, nouns, verbs, subjects, predicates, and narrative elements. On Wednesday I will be assigning a book report-students must chose a realistic fiction chapter book-it will be due October 16th.

Math: 1st Quarter Review: PLace Value, Multiplicaiton, Division, Decimals, Rounding, Order of Operations, and Properties of Multiplication.

Science: Ecosystem Review

Social Studies: Map Skills

This Weeks Happenings...

Spelling Words:

1. steak
2. plain
3. agent
4. weight
5. amaze
6. danger
7. brain
8. bacon
9. brave
10. escape
11. paper
12. neighbor
13. trace
14. cable
15. behave
16. scale
17. eighth
18. radius
19. table
20. eight
Challenge: international, potatoes, ordinary, incredible

Reading: We will begin reading Bride to Terabithia

Math: We will be reviewing all the skills we learned this quarter including order of operations and the properties of multiplication.

Social Stuides: In preperation for our USA cookie Friday, we will be learning about the regions and geographic features of the United States

Language Arts: We will be finishing up our How To paragraphs and focusing on grammar skills, especially the parts of speech

Science: We will have our Ecology test this Wednesday, Septemeber 23rd!

This Week's Happenings...

Spelling Words:
1. bunch
2. cheese
3. hunch
4. shift
5. charge
6. perch
7. ranch
8. pinch
9. cherry
10. sheep
11. punch
12. cheap
13. shelter
14. chief
15. chance
16.chilly
17. shrub
18. branch
19. research
20. publish
Challenge: 1. surprised 2. banana 3. popular 4. reference


Reading: We will being reading our first chapter book: Bridge to Terabithia

Math: We will be working on the properties of multiplication and the Order of Operations

Science: We will continue our Ecosystem Unit

Social Studies: Regions of the United States in order to prepare for our USA cookie September 25th

Language Arts: Parts of Speech

What is going on this week?

Spelling Words:

1.capital
2. natural resource
3. human resource
4.market
5. shopping list
6. harvest
7. wheat
8. ingredients
9.island
10. world
11.napping
12.accent
13.making
14.delicious


Reading: We will be reading the book, "How to Make An Apple Pie and See The World" We will be tying this into our unit in SS on geography.

Science: We will continue our unit on Ecosystems.

SS: Geography skills

Math: Properties of Multiplication, review subtraction, word problems, and rounding

LA: We will take a test over Types of Sentences and then move into the Parts of Speech.

August 31- September 4th Happenings...

Happy 5th week of school! Curriculum Night is this Thursday at 7:00 PM, I hope to see you all there.

Spelling Words this week:
Spelling: Words with Inflections
-ed and –ing
1. counting
2. craned
3. seemed
4. burned
5. chopped
6. cracked
7. begged
8. moving
9. slipped
10. sailing
11. trimmed
12. shopping
13. returned
14. watching
15. pushed
16. visited
17. cringed
18. screamed
19. scratching
20. flapping
Challenge:
1. hovered
2. accusing
3. grabbed
4. nudged

Reading: This week we will be studying Historical Fiction and how to compare and contrast. Our reading selection this week will be Kai's Journey to Gold Mountain.

Math: We will conitune to work on place value and rounding, but we will also be moving into 2 by 3 digit multiplication.

Language Arts: We will be finishing up our Narrative Poem, "Where I'm From" and our unit on Types of Sentences.

Science: We will continue our unit on Ecosystems and create a bullfrog habitat. We will also be conducting a Potato Experiment so be sure to ask your child about that on Wednesday!

SS: We will be finishing up our unit on Maps with Longitude and Latitude and conducting an Atlas Search. There will be a Map Skills Test Friday!

This Weeks Happenings- Aug. 24-28

Spelling List for this week:

1. throne
2. stretch
3. squirm
4. throw
5. strap
6. through
7. scream
8. streak
9. squeaky
10. strength
11. thrill
12. scrape
13. threat
14. string
15. ecosystem
16. habitat
17. scale
18. cardinal
19. intermediate
20. direction

Happenings by Subject Area:

Math: This week we will begin our unit on rounding. We will continue our work with place value as well.

Reading: This week we will begin working on a Readers Theatre entitled, "Germs" this will also tie into health and science, because we will be conducting an experiment with potatoes.


Science: We will begin our unit on ecosystems.

Social Studies: We will be finishing up Map Skills

Language Arts: We will be finishing up our writing piece entitled, "Where I am From..." as well as continuing with Caught Ya! for DOL.

This Weeks Happenings....

The spelling words for this week are as follows:

1. exit
2. bottom
3. electric
4. suggest
5. polish
6. until
7. river
8. closest
9. victim
10. inspect
11. possible
12. distance
13. umbrella
14. landform
15. resource
16. conservation
17. pollution
18. equator
19. geography
20. Antarctica
Challenge Words: Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa


Reading: This week in Reading we will work on Alliteration and Biographies (Mighty Jackie will be our story for the week). We will also continue to work on skills of good readers. We will be doing a reader's theatre play about germs and also do a science experment about germs using potatoes).

Math: We will continue our work with place value and reviewing basic mathematical skills.

Social Studies: We will begin map skills and learning about capital, natural, and human resources.

Language Arts: We will continue to review the Types of Sentences and we will also continue with our writing piece entitled, "Where I'm From..." I will begin conferencing with students over their work.


We are looking forward to another great week in Fourth Grade at Hightower Trail!

Week Two Happenings...

We are off to a great start this year! Thank you all for purchasing agendas, school supplies, and filling out paperwork- it really makes a difference.

Weeek Two will be a very busy and exciting week. We will begin to switch classes for Math and for some students Reading.

Our Spelling words for the week are as follows:
1. pact
2. brand
3. brick
4. crop
5. broad
6. tread
7. film
8. else
9. gram
10. gum
11. dread
12. spend
13. past
14. plot
15. check
16. split
17. sting
18. strap
19. task
20. twin
Challenge Words: gingerly, penguin, ditch, lecture, pleasure
Vocabulary Words: pact, quesy, foisted, venture, annoyed, depriving

Subject Area Happenings this week:

Reading: Each week your child will bring home a comprehension story of the week, the story will come home on Monday and will be due on Friday. This week look for "School Days Rap"- with these stories parent tips are included so that you and your child can work on them together. There is also a place for you to sign off that you worked with your child on the story. We will also be reading "The Hot and Cold Summer" by Johanna Hurwitz. The Big Idea this week is Characters and events in realistic fiction are like people and events in real life.

Writing: This week we will review the writing process. We will also begin working on a personal narrative piece entitled "Where I'm From..."

Language Arts: Synonyms/Antonyms, Types of Sentences

Science: We will continue learning about things scientists have/do: Tools, Inquiry Skills, and the Scientific Method. We will be conducting more experiments this week--be sure to ask your child about the experiment we conducted last week (Fake Snow!)

Math: We will begin switching this week for math. In my math class we will begin our unit on Place Value.

Again, I am looking forward to an excellent school year!

Welcome To Fourth Grade!

Dear Parents,

My name is Katie Hawkins and I would like to welcome you to the 2009-2010 school year! I look forward to an exciting year together. We plan to have a fun-filled, progressive year, and we will need your support to make it even better.

About Me & My Teaching Philosophy
I was raised and educated in the great state of Georgia and received a bachelor’s degree from The University of West Georgia in Carrollton. This will be my second year teaching fourth grade at Hightower Trail and I look forward to getting to know you and your child. I consider you to be THE most important people in your child’s life, and an essential part of our success this year. As a team, we will make our time together a positive and valuable experience.

Attendance
Regular school attendance is important. A written excuse is required from you each time your child is absent. I also ask that you send written instructions if you need to make a change in the way your child leaves school (bus, car, etc). If you need to pick your child up early, please visit the office and they will call me to dismiss your child.

Classroom Blog
All of our classroom newsletters will be online. Every Sunday, I will post a weekly update and include the upcoming week’s events. You can access our blog by going to Hightower’s homepage, clicking on Directory (on the left hand side), and then scrolling to find my name. Next to my name you will find a link that says Web Page/ Blog click on that and it will take you to our blog.

You can also access the blog directly at: http://mrshawkinsfourthgrade.blogspot.com/

Parent Conferences
If, at any time, you feel the need to meet with me, please feel free to write a note, e-mail or call to schedule a conference. Please remember to leave the best telephone number at which to reach you so I can return your call promptly.

Classroom Discipline
Please take a moment to review the forms attached to this letter. Please sign and return the bottom portion of our classroom discipline plan to me as soon as possible.

Reading
Reading is essential at all grade levels. Students should read items of their choice for at least 30 minutes each night. I have included a list of questions to ask your child as they read. These questions can help your child build reading comprehension throughout the year. Meeting their Accelerated Reader Goal each quarter is part of their reading grade, incorporated with the overall percentage correct on all tests taken (two 100-point grades).

I am very excited about starting this school year. I hope this letter answered some of your questions. Please feel free to contact me with any additional concerns at (770) 388-0751 or at khawkins@rockdale.k12.ga.us Your child’s education is a team effort, and I am glad to have you as such an important part of the team. Together, we will have a great year.

Sincerely,
Katie Hawkins