Order of Operations

Here is the acronym we use for the order of operations. We will not use exponents in fourth grade. I encourage them to write out the steps on their papers.

P

E

MD

AS

Weekly Happenings

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! This is the last full week before winter break!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will continue writing their personal narratives. We will work on adding effective dialogue and writing endings. Their pieces need to be completed before we leave for break.

Word Study: The students got new words today. Because of the craziness of the next couple weeks, they will take their spelling test after break. As of now, it will be January 10.

Social Studies: This week the students will learn about pilgrims and the first colonies. They will learn the differences between the American colonies.

Math: We will wrap up chapter 7 this week. The students will learn how to use the order of operations. We will also work on multi-step word problems. The test will be this Friday, December 15.

Reading:  We will wrap up their second research project early this week. For the remainder of this quarter, we will work on a variety of reading skills such as sequencing, supporting ideas with evidence from the text, and finding author's purpose.

Important Dates:

12.20 - Winter Parties, 2:00-3:00
12.21 - No school, Winter Break Begins

Buddy Meeting

We met with our first grade buddies last week. The buddy pairs compared and contrasted their winter traditions. 

Morning Message

Much to my surprise, long division was most student's favorite topic!

Underwater Archaeologists

The students studied artifacts found on a sunken ship. They researched what the item was and why explorers brought it on their ship.

Deck the Halls

The little elves are Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree! 

Wonder Movie

We had a great time watching Wonder! It was an amazing movie with an even more amazing message!

Weekly Happenings 12.4-12.8

Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. Hopefully, this isn't the last of the warm weather!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students are writing personal narratives. Today, they chose their small moment story idea. This week we will focus on creating a story arc and writing with specific details.

Word Study: The students will take their spelling tests this Wednesday.

Social Studies: This week the students will learn about specific explorers. They will learn why those explorers came to the New World, which routes they took, and what impacts their explorations had.

Math: We are moving onto a new math chapter this week! This chapter covers numerical and nonnumerical patterns. They will learn how to write the rule for the pattern using words and an equation. Order of operations will also be covered in this unit. Because the students will be working with patterns using multiplication and division, it is important they know their facts. Please continue working on these at home (flashcards, QuickTables, use a deck of cards, math applications...).

Reading: The students will begin a new research project. Each group will be assigned a new natural disaster that is related to their original natural disaster. For example, the earthquake group will begin researching tsunamis and vice versa. The students will compare and contrast the two weather events. 

Important Dates:

12.6 - Early Release, Buddy Meeting (wear maroon, Concord shirt)
12.7 - Strings Rehearsal
12.21 - No school, Winter Break Begins

Wonder Wall

We are all WONDERful in our own way! 

Terrific Tuesday!

Everyone had a lot of fun events planned for Thanksgiving break! 

Weekly Happenings 11.27-12.1

Hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed some well deserved time off! I am looking forward to a full week of learning!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: Because we are attending two field trips this week, we will only have a few days of writing. We are moving onto a new writing unit. The students will spend a few days this week generating writing ideas.

Word Study: Because of how crazy the schedule has been the last couple weeks, I am postponing the spelling test. Their tests will now be next Wednesday, December 6.

Social Studies: We are moving back to Social Studies this week. The students will learn how and why Europeans came to America. To make the information more exciting, students will work in partners to complete an investigation. They will take on the role of underwater archaeologists to examine objects from an explorer's sunken ship and categorize them as navigation tools, motives for exploration, or new products from the Americas. 

Math: We are still plugging away with long division! We will spend this week reviewing for the test. All of the fourth graders will be split into different groups based off what concepts they need extra help with. Each fourth grade teacher will be in charge of teaching each concept. This will help every student review exactly what they need! The test will be this Friday, December 1.

It is essential that the students know their multiplication facts. Please continue working on these at home (flashcards, QuickTables, use a deck of cards, math applications...).

Reading: Each group will present their slideshows this week. After everyone has presented, the students will begin a new research project. Each group will be assigned a new natural disaster that is related to their original natural disaster. For example, the earthquake group will begin researching tsunamis and vice versa. The students will compare and contrast the two weather events. 

Important Dates:

11.28 - Music Field Trip 9:15-11:30
11.28 - Academic All-Stars 6:00
11.28 - Cookie Dough Pick Up 4:00-6:00
11.29-12.2 - Book Fair
12.2 - Winter Festival
12.6 - Early Release, Buddy Meeting (wear maroon, Concord shirt)

Writing Celebration!

To celebrate our writing, the students were given awards! They worked in groups to decide who would get each award. The awards were for the best lead, best conclusion, best transitions, best evidence, and best supporting reasons. I am so proud of how well everyone worked together!

Brain Break!

After working on some challenging word problems, our brains needed a break! We enjoyed the nice weather by running some laps outside!

Weekly Happenings 11.20-11.21

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We have a short, 2 day week!

Here is what's happenings this (short) week:

Monday: Students worked to finish their persuasive essays. We also reviewed for the Rocks and Minerals quiz. In math, the students learned how to divide with zeros in the quotient. In reading, the students spent time working on their research presentations. Each reading group will take their natural disaster research and form a Google Slide presentation.

Tuesday: We will celebrate our writing pieces on Tuesday. We will also take the science quiz. In math, we will work on multi-step word problems. With that, we will continue reviewing the steps of long division. In reading, we will continue working on their presentations.

Important Dates:

11.22-11.24 - NO SCHOOL , Thanksgiving Break
11.27 - Wonder Field Trip 9:00-11:30ish
11.28 - Music Field Trip 9:15-11:30
11.28 - Academic All-Stars

Warm Hearted Wednesday

The students wrote thoughtful notes to each other this morning! They had some great things to say about each other!

Rocks and Minerals Lap Book

The students are using all of their knowledge about rocks and minerals to make a lap book! They get to show off what they know and be creative! 

Weekly Happenings 11.13-11.17

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I am looking forward to a full week of learning!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will continue to work on their persuasive essays. We will work on adding quotes as pieces of evidence. We will also work on acknowledging counterclaims. Their pieces are due Tuesday, November 21.

Word Study: We are moving back to spelling. The students will get new words early this week. Their tests will be Wednesday, November 29.

Science: This week, the students will work on a lap book. This book will have information on what we've learned about rocks and minerals. Here is a picture of what it will look like:

Math: We've jumped into long division! This week we will continue working on solving long division problems. We will also work on solving division word problems. Below is a chart with the steps of long division. I encourage them to write out the steps before each problems and check them off as they work.

It is essential that the students know their multiplication facts. Please continue working on these at home (flashcards, QuickTables, use a deck of cards, math applications...).

Reading: We will continue researching in our reading groups. This week, we will work on organizing our notes. They will focus on taking notes that fit under specific subtopics, such as causes, effects, and how to prepare for a natural disaster. We will also focus on synthesizing when taking notes.

Important Dates:

11.13-11.17 - Helping Hands Campaign -paper products

11.17 - Picture Retake
11.22-11.24 - NO SCHOOL , Thanksgiving Break

Buddy Activities

We had a great time with our buddies! During the assembly, we saw examples of student leadership. Kate B. shared what leadership qualities she used when creating an instrument. Katie Beth shared how she shows leadership in the district play! 

With our buddies, we discussed how to spread kindness to those around us! 

Veterans Day Assembly

Jingles for Jammies!

Weekly Happenings 11.6-11.10

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! It seems like we are officially in Fall.
We have a crazy week, so check out the Important Dates section! 

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will begin writing a persuasive essay. Their last essays were over a personal topic. This essay will have a thesis that can be debated. We will focus on creating a thesis statement and supporting reasons.

Word Study: We are continuing working on grammar concepts this week. We will focus on clauses and how to punctuate clauses.

Science: We will conduct an experiment that shows how the rock cycle works. We will also review how weathering and erosion change Earth's surface.

Math: We've moved onto a new chapter in math. The students will learn long division in this chapter. They will also learn how to estimate quotients. It is essential that the students know their multiplication facts. Please continue working on these at home (flashcards, QuickTables, use a deck of cards, math applications...).

Reading: We will continue researching in our reading groups. This week, we will work on organizing our notes. They will focus on taking notes that fit under specific subtopics, such as causes, effects, and how to prepare for a natural disaster. We will also focus on synthesizing when taking notes.

Important Dates:

11.6-11.10 - Helping Hands Campaign -food items
11.7 - Jingles for Jammies! 
11.8 - Early Release/Buddy Meeting (WEAR MAROON T-SHIRTS)
11.10 - Veteran's Day 
            Assembly: 9:00-10:15

            Breakfast will immediately follow the assembly

11.17 - Picture Retake

Starburst Rocks

We used different colored Starburst to recreate the rock cycle! The students first created sediments and then cemented the sediments together to form a sedimentary rock. Then they applied pressure and the heat of their hands to create a metamorphic rock. Lastly, they heated up the rock to turn it into lava. Once it cooled they had an igneous rock.

Helping Hands Campaign

Our Helping Hands Campaign has begun! Thank you to those who have already contributed. The items collected goes to Concord families in need. This week is the food week.

Halloween Festivities

We had an amazing day celebrating Halloween! The students had a great time at the class party. Thank you to those who were able to help coordinate! It was a huge success!

Halloween Schedule

Here is the schedule for the different Halloween activities:


11:15-11:35 - Pumpkin Run
11:35-12:00 - DJ (by playground, under the pavilion)
1:40-2:00 - Parade (parents can set up for party at this time)
2:00-3:00 - Class Party


*Please remember the students cannot wear masks or anything with fake blood*

Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Weekly Happenings 10.30-11.3

Hello! I hope everyone had a great long weekend!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will finish drafting their essays this week. They will also revise and edit their pieces. Their essays will be due this Friday. They do not need to be completely published. We will begin new essays next week. They will write the next essays with greater independence.

Word Study: We are continuing working on grammar concepts this week. We will focus on conjunctions, independent clauses, and dependent clauses.

Science: We will work to finish the webquest this week. We will also complete a virtual lab which teaches them more about rocks and minerals. The students will also explore the rock cycle with an experiment.

Math: The students will learn how to multiply two, two-digit numbers today! They will also work on solving multiplication word problems this week. Their test will be this Friday, November 3. Please continue working on multiplication facts with your child.

Reading: We will continue our non-fiction unit. The groups will be researching tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. The students will continue taking notes using text structure.  We will focus on finding the main idea and supporting details. For your child's nightly reading, they can continue reading fiction at home or spend some time reading non-fiction. It is up to them!

Important Dates:

10.31 - Halloween Parade, parties, and Pumpkin Run

11.3 - Chapter 5 Math Test
11.8 - Early Release/Buddy Meeting

Work Hard Wednesday

Weekly Happenings

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students are continuing to work on their essays. This week, we will work on adding transitions to piece together their evidence. We will also write introductions and conclusions.

Word Study: We will begin a grammar unit this week. The students will start by learning the different parts of speech.

Science: We have moved onto a new science chapter. This chapter covers the properties of minerals and teaches about the different types of rocks. They will also learn what weathering and erosion are. This week, the students will work on a webquest. They will complete different online activities that teach about rocks and minerals.

Math: We will start chapter 5 this week. In this chapter, the students will learn how to multiply two, 2-digit numbers. We will start by learning how to estimate products. They will also learn how to use the distributive property to find products. Their test will be next Friday, November 3.

Reading: We will continue our non-fiction unit. Their reading groups all have a different natural disaster they will become experts on. The students will continue taking notes using text structure.  We will also work on using context clues to find the meaning to unfamiliar words. For your child's nightly reading, they can continue reading fiction at home or spend some time reading non-fiction. It is up to them!

Important Dates:

10.23/10.25 - Conferences

10.27 - NO SCHOOL 

10.31 - Halloween Parade, parties, and Pumpkin Run

11.3 - Chapter 5 Math Test

Rocks and Minerals Webquest

The students are learning about the properties of minerals and the different types of rocks. To expand their knowledge, they are completing different online activities. 

Brain Break!

After taking the Galileo test, our brains were in need of a break. We decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and get a little exercise. 

Talented Tuesday

We have a room full of athletes, artists, and musicians! 

we 

Box Top Collection

BOX TOP COLLECTION

Our Box Top Collection will be next week. Please send in any box tops to support the Concord PTG. Each box top clipped is worth $0.10 each. Thanks for collecting these!

Weekly Happenings 10.9-10.13

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will choose their essay idea. They will form a thesis statement and begin developing pieces of evidence.

Word Study: The students will use their words to complete different spelling activities. Their tests will be October 18.

Science: We will spend this week discussing plant adaptations. They will explain how a plant's adaptations help it survive. We will also look at different types of seeds and how they are able to spread.

Math: We will continue chapter 4 this week. The students will learn how to use the traditional method to multiply with regrouping. We will also work on using multiplication in word problems. Their test will be Wednesday, October 18.

Reading: We will continue our non-fiction unit. The students will spend this week learning the different text structures. Text structure is how an author organizes their information. For your child's nightly reading, they can continue reading fiction at home or spend some time reading non-fiction. It is up to them!

Important Dates:

10.10 - Fundraiser Collection Day
10.11 - Book Orders Due
10.13 - 1/2 Day, End of 1st Quarter
            Fundraiser Collection Day
            Buddy Meeting - WEAR MAROON SHIRTS

Animal Creations!

The students created their own animals! The animals had adaptations that helped the animal survive in a particular ecosystem.

Text Feature Hunt

After learning about text features, the students found examples in Time for Kids magazines. 

Weekly Happenings 10.2-10.6

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: This week, the students will start the next unit by setting writing goals. They will also learn different strategies for generating essay ideas.

Word Study: The students will use their words to complete different spelling activities. Their tests will be October 18.

Science: We will finish creating their animals this week. They will also explain how their animal's adaptations help them survive in the ecosystem they chose. Once we finish animal adaptations, we will look at how plants have adaptations to help them survive and reproduce.

Math: We've started chapter 4 today. This chapter dives deeper into multiplication. They will learn how to estimate products. They will also learn how to multiply a one-digit number by a larger number. Please continue to work on their multiplication facts!

Reading: We also started a new reading unit! This week we will look at the different types of non-fiction texts. We will talk about the importance of reading non-fiction carefully, not just flipping through pictures. They will start working on non-fiction texts during guided reading as well.

Important Dates:

10.4 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser Kick-off
10.11 - Book Orders Due
10.13 - 1/2 Day, End of 1st Quarter

Enjoy S'MORE Great Writing

To celebrate finishing their realistic fiction stories, the students read their classmates pieces. They left compliments on pieces of a s'more. 

Reading Celebration

To celebrate the end of our first reading unit, the students created items representing the main character of our read aloud book. In the book, the character kept his feelings and emotions zipped up in a suitcase. To represent this, the kids put their items in a suitcase.

PICTURE DAY!

Tomorrow is 
Picture Day!

Weekly Happenings 9.25-9.29

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Hopefully, we start seeing some fall weather soon!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: Their final piece is due this Friday. We will also celebrate on Friday! I am so impressed with everyone's writing! We will begin a persuasive unit next week.

Word Study: All groups will test tomorrow! The students will get new words on Thursday. After the next spelling test, we will start a grammar unit.

Science: We are moving onto science! Our first science unit covers animal and plant adaptations. This week we will learn the different categories of adaptations, behavioral and structural.  They will get to create their own animal with adaptations that would help it survive in a particular ecosystem.

Math: We will wrap up chapter 3 this week. This chapter covers the basics of multiplication and division. The test will be this Friday. Completed study guides will go home tomorrow. If you have any extra time at home, please work on their multiplication facts at home.

Reading: We will wrap up our fiction unit this week. The final skill we will focus on this week is theme. We will work on finding the theme of a story and supporting it with details from the text. Our next unit will be a non-fiction unit.

Important Dates:

9.27 - Picture Day
9.27 - Grant's Farm Night

Adaptation Sort

In science, we are learning about behavioral and structural animal adaptations. Today, they worked on sorting different adaptations into those categories. They also determined how the animal used the adaptation. Everyone did a great job! 

Native American Posters

Everyone was working hard on their social studies posters! They all learned a lot of great information about each region and the tribes that lived there! 

Weekly Happenings 9.18-9.21

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We have a short, four day week ahead of us!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will continue drafting their realistic fiction story. We will work on punctuating dialogue and using paragraphs correctly in our writing. They need to be ready to publish by the end of this week. Their final pieces will be due next Friday.

Word Study: We will continue to work on learning our words during word study. All groups will test Wednesday, September 27. Please study with your child before each spelling test.

Social Studies: We will be looking at the different regions of America and discuss how the region affected the Native American cultures. The students will create a poster in class highlighting the different cultures and tribes. We will work on the posters this week.

Math: The students did great on their math tests! They will get them back tomorrow. They will have time in class to fix their mistakes and earn some points back. We moved on to chapter 3 today. This chapter covers the basics of multiplication and division. If you have any extra time at home, please work on their multiplication facts at home.

Reading: We will continue to focus on reading fiction books. This week we will notice how characters have different traits and personalities around different people or in different settings. We will also develop ideas about our books that are debatable. Please make sure your child is reading at home each night. They will use their independent books to practice a lot of these new skills. Feel free to have your child tell you about the characters in their book!

Important Dates:

9.22 - No School
9.27 - Picture Day
9.27 - Grant's Farm Night

Counseling

During counseling, the students learned how to respond when someone makes you angry. They learned better ways to phrase their feelings. They got to act out a few scenarios to practice.

Grant's Farm Night

CONCORD ELEMENTARY'S GRANT'S FARM NIGHT 

Date: Wednesday, September 27 

Time: 5:00-9:00 pm

Information:

• Cost is $15 per vehicle, parking passes must be purchased by September 20!
• Parking passes will be emailed to you after you purchase via the PayPal button here.  You must print the pass and bring it with you,  no parking passes will be sold that night! 
• Please make sure to include family last name and number of guests prior to clicking the Buy Now button! Please enter your familiy last name and number of guests in the following format:  "yourlastname, number" for example:  Smith, 4
• We will have a DJ and glow sticks for kids in the courtyard,  food and beverage available for purchase.
• Free adult beverage samples available for those 21 and older.
• Any questions please email kristikienzler@yahoo.com

The First Buddy Meeting

We had a great time getting to know our new buddies! They shared their strengths and talents with each other! 

Early Release

Don't forget tomorrow is an early release!
Dismissal is at 1:40

Weekly Happenings 9.18-9.21

Hello! I hope everyone had a good weekend! It was great hearing about all the outdoor activities our class did this weekend!

Here is what's happenings this week:

Writing: The students will continue drafting their realistic fiction story. They will get some time to draft and revise their work. We will also work on writing an ending that wraps up the story and shows the character learning a lesson.

Word Study: The students received their words today. They will get a copy to keep at home tomorrow. During word study, the students will either meet with me to practice their sort or work on different spelling activities with their words. As of now, all groups will test Wednesday, September 27. Please study with your child before each spelling test.

Social Studies: We will be looking at the different regions of America and discuss how the region affected the Native American cultures. The students will create a poster in class highlighting the different cultures and tribes.

Math: This week, the students will learn how to subtract across multiple zeros. They will also practice addition and subtraction word problems. Their chapter 2 test will be this Friday. Expect the study guide to come home Wednesday.

Reading: We will continue to focus on reading fiction books. The students will work to build ideas about their characters, such as character traits, change, and point of view. Please make sure your child is reading at home each night. They will use their independent books to practice a lot of these new skills. Feel free to have your child tell you about the characters in their book!

Important Dates:

9.13 - Early Release, dismiss at 1:40
          Buddy Assembly and Meeting
9.22 - No School

Painting Day

The students used a key to paint the five different Missouri regions! They also labeled the major rivers and our capital.