Graduation Day

Graduation day is quickly approaching!! :( The time has gone WAY too quickly for me!!! I would LOVE to keep your kiddos longer!

I just want to give you all a heads up as to what the last day of school will look like so that you can plan accordingly.

June 5th Schedule:

7:30-8:15 Class awards (Ms. C and Mrs. M) in Mrs. Milot's room
8:30-9:30 Graduation ceremony in cafeteria
9:30-10:30 Grade level yearbook signing party
10:30-12:20 Pizza and ice cream party on the playground
12:30 Dismissal :(

A PACK time may be thrown into this schedule, but WILL not impact the graduation ceremony time. I will be sure to let you know when I am informed of the time for our PACK rotation.

Over the next two weeks, your kiddo will be bringing home items from the classroom. Our Science and Math textbooks are consumables and therefore will be going home with your kiddo. These are GREAT resources to use over the summer to keep all the content fresh. Please let me know if you have any questions about these. I will be checking email over the summer and will get back to you as soon as I can.

Fractions on a Number Line and Board Game Project

This week will be our last week covering fractions.

Look at the number line below. The green fractions (1/2) are shown by the whole (1) being broken into two pieces, the purple (1/4) is shown by the whole being broken into four pieces and the red (1/8) is shown by the whole being broken into eight pieces.

Homework will have your kiddo looking at number lines and determining the fraction based upon how many pieces each whole is broken into. They will also be practicing counting by quarters to help cement their knowledge of this benchmark fraction.

We will begin a project starting next week where kiddos will create a math board game. There has been wonderful success with this in past years, especially when parents point out the importance of producing work that the students are proud of. Your kiddo will work in partners and be given four class periods to complete the assignment. They will draw on Monday to determine what concept their math game will cover. Most supplies (construction paper, glue, tape, etc.) will be provided, but some students may want to furnish other supplies from home to the game. Games will be due on Monday, June 1. I think your kids will really enjoy doing this project, but may need some parental assistance to get their thoughts and supplies organized. The project guidelines are listed below.

Project guidelines:

• Game must revolve around the math concept given.  
• Game must include directions and all needed supplies. 
• Game must be neat 
• Game must be playable; students will “test” their game before the final due date to work out any issues.
• Game must be turned in by Monday, June 1st. 
• Students will write critiques of other students’ games, using constructive criticism. 

Here are some examples of previous years projects:

     

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Subtracting Fractions

This week we are focusing on subtracting fractions with like denominators. It is similar to adding fractions in many ways. However, just like in subtraction of whole numbers, regrouping is sometimes needed.

Here are some non-regrouping examples:






Here are some subtracting fractions with regrouping examples:







Homework this week will have your kiddo practicing both of these skills. Please let me know if you have any questions.

What a Whirlwind!

While many events are behind us, several more are just around the corner! Our trip to Fort Worth yesterday was enjoyed by all and will be a lasting memory. Thank you to all who made this day happen for us, your hard work is greatly appreciated!


Please make note of the following dates:


Thursday, May 14th-  Progress Reports
                                    Science Fair (evening)


Friday, May 15th- Career Day


Friday, May 22nd- Field Day (Shirt orders are due no later than Friday 5/8,  $5 - checks to Cox Elm.)


Wednesday, June 3rd- Talent Show


Friday, June 5th- Fourth Grade Graduation
                            End of Year Celebration
                          **Early Dismissal




Our final units in Language Arts will be combined to allow for exciting projects to occur. Our Research and Media Literacy units will address the features of each, yet activities that will incorporate both skills. Hint- ask your child about his/her commercial. I am excited to see their creativity!

Thank you for making Teacher Appreciation Week so wonderful for us! Your support, encouragement, and generosity have been extremely uplifting!

Week of 5/4/15

We have another busy week this week!

Monday we have our EOY (end of year) Science test.

Tuesday is our Harrison field trip. We will leave campus around 9 am and return around 11 am. Ice cream can be purchased at Harrison for $0.50. If you would like for your kiddo to have ice cream while we are there, please be sure to send them with money.

Wednesday is our Fort Worth field trip. Please be sure to have your kiddo at school by 6:30am in comfy clothes with two drinks for the day. We will arrive back to school around 6:30pm. I will post on the Cox Elementary Facebook page when we arrive and when we leave Fort Worth.

Thursday and Friday are normal days! :) We will continue our deeper exploration into fractions in Math, Science has us looking into more adaptations, and Social Studies has us striking oil!

Homework this week will have your kiddo looking at fractions on a number line and adding fractions with like denominators. Please check out the "Adding Fractions" post from December if you need a reminder.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week of 4/27/15

Homework this week will have us continuing to practice our work with fractions. Your kiddo will work on comparing fractions and finding equivalent fractions. Look back to my "Fraction Fun" post from November and my "Comparing Fractions" post from December if you need some reminders of what to do to solve these problems.

Track meet is rescheduled for Thursday this week (4/30/15). Please be sure that your kiddo wears their track meet shirt, tennis shoes, has a lunch, and brings a water bottle. Hopefully we will have a rain free day on Thursday!

Please be sure to remind your kiddo that they still have lots of learning to do this year. Some kiddos were shocked to learn that we still have multiple unit tests to take. :) On Monday (5/4/15), your kiddos will take an end of year science test. The data from this test will be given to Harrison to use in many different ways. I know we are doing MANY fun activities that get us off our routine, but it is important that your kiddo does their best throughout the rest of the year.

As always, thank you so much for your support and let me know if you have any questions.

Week of 4/20/15 - 4/24/15

This week is going to be CRAZY!!!!!

Monday we are doing our final review for the STAAR test. We will be playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire and will have a campus pep rally to show our support to our kiddos.. :) WE ARE READY!!!

Tuesday will be the Math STAAR and Wednesday will be the Reading STAAR. Please remember to send a sack lunch with your kiddo if you did not send in the form to order one from the cafeteria. Kiddos can bring a snack and a water bottle if they want. They will need books to read when they are finished with the test, but they do NOT need to bring their backpack those two days (if they don't want to). Please be sure they get plenty of sleep AND KNOW THAT WE ALL BELIEVE IN THEM!

Thursday we are planning a fun celebration stations day to reward everyone for all their hard work thus far.

Friday is 4th Grade Track Meet. Please be sure to send a sack lunch with your kiddo (unless you ordered one from the cafeteria) and have your kiddo dress in tennis shoes and comfy pants/shorts. A matching shirt will be provided for them that morning.

Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great weekend!

Camp Calculate in Action!

We are coming into our second week of Camp Calculate and your kiddos are doing great! I am enjoying watching them work through problems and share the strategies that they used to get them! We will continue Camp Calculate this week to help us be prepared for the Math STAAR next week. Thank you to all that contributed "goodies" for camp. Those are the kids favorite stations! :)

Camp Calculate

Camp Write Along was a huge success! To continue our camping theme, math camp (Camp Calculate) will begin on Monday next week! We will be reviewing all of the new concepts we have learned this year to make sure that we are ready for the Math STAAR on April 21st. Some of the activities will include fishing for fractions, diving into division, and cavernous conversions. In order to make these activities more fun, I would love to have some snacks along the way for our campers to enjoy. I know that a great deal of you already contributed to our last camp adventure, but one last "camp contribution" would be greatly appreciated! Here is a wish list for Camp Calculate:

• Plain M & Ms
• Chex Cereal
• Pretzels
• Cheeze Itz
• Goldfish
• Teddy Grahams
• Large Marshmallows
• Boxes of Graham Crackers
• Hershey Bars (mini or regular size)
• small bottled water

These supplies would be used to have trail mix, goldfish, and s'mores at a couple of stations. The kids really enjoyed this perk at Camp Write Along and I am hoping to be able to provide it again at Camp Calculate. Any donation would be greatly appreciated! You can comment on this post any item you are willing to contribute. That way we can keep track of what has already been supplied. Thank you for your continued support! We are going to have a blast at camp! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Measuring Angles with Protractors

We are finishing out our geometry unit by using protractors to determine the measurement of angles. We have really been having fun with protractors!






Here is a website that will walk you through the steps if you need a refresher: Use-a-Protractor

Kiddos will also need to be able to determine the degree without having a ray line up with the zero line. To do this, you need to skip count from one ray to the other to see the rotation degree. The angle below would measure at about 125 degrees.




They will also need to be able to draw an angle using a protractor.



Finding the missing angle is also a concept we have worked on. Angle COA is a straight angle and therefore measures 180 degrees. We know that angle BOA measures 44 degrees. We can subtract the known angle from the large angle to determine the missing angle (180 - 44 = 136). Angle COB would measure 136 degrees.



Here are some games where kiddos can practice using a protractor:

http://www.mathplayground.com/measuringangles.html

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-5/measure-angles-with-a-protractor

http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/protractor-using.html

https://learnzillion.com/lessons/2973-measure-angles-to-the-nearest-degree-with-protractors


Homework this week will have students drawing angles to a given degree and reading a protractor to determine the degree. It will be due on 3/30. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Quadrilaterals and Triangles

We have been studying different geometric figures. Our main focus has been on classifying quadrilaterals and triangles.

A quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon with four angles. There are many kinds of quadrilaterals. The five most common types are the parallelogram, the rectangle, the square, the trapezoid, and the rhombus.

Here is how they relate to each other:

We have been looking at triangles based on their angles. 

The right triangle has one 90 degree angle and two acute (< 90 degree) angles.

Obtuse triangles have one angle that is greater than 90 degrees. Obtuse triangles have only one obtuse angle.

Acute triangles have NO angles greater than or equal to 90 degrees -- all their angles are less than 90 degrees. Acute triangles have three acute angles.

Homework this week will have kiddos classifying each of these geometric shapes. It will be due Monday March 23. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Auction Basket

A paper went home with your kiddo a few weeks ago regarding the Spring Carnival Silent Auction Baskets. The classes that bring in the highest bid on their basket will win a sonic drink for everyone! Our classes are putting together a "stationary" themed basket. We are asking for donations to fill our basket. So far, we have only had two items donated and are in need of more!

Please consider donating something to our "stationary" basket. Some donation ideas include notepads, pens, thank you notes, paper, stamps, envelopes, sticky notepads, labels, pencils, and stickers. We need all donations turned into us by April 1^st. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Meet Mrs. Baker

Hello Parents!                                                                                                                  

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Baker and I am a student teacher from Western Governors University. I will be joining Ms. Christian and Mrs. Milot in working with your child over the next 8 weeks or so. I am so excited to be at Cox and in 4^th grade!

I am getting my dual certification in Special Education and Elementary Education. My background is in Special ed; I worked as an instructional aide over the last five years and decided a couple years ago that I wanted to be a teacher. I absolutely enjoy children and am very passionate about the teaching profession.

I am married to a very supportive man and have a 9-year-old son, who is in the third grade. We stay busy with soccer, as I help coach his team. Go Shockers! We also have 3 adorable dogs that are very much a part of our family!

I’m very excited to see what the next few months have in store for us! Please let Ms. Christian or Mrs. Milot know of any questions or concerns you may have!

 

Thank you,

 

Stephanie R. Baker

Bachelor of Arts, Special Education 6/1/2013

Sbake21@my.wgu.edu

Angles

We have begun our geometry unit and the kiddos are loving it! We have learned all about angles so far.

An  angle  is the intersection of two rays with a common endpoint.

There are four types of angles that we have learned about.

An acute angle is an angle whose measure is less than 90°.

A right angle is an angle whose measure is 90°.

An obtuse angle is an angle whose measure is more than 90°,
                            but less than 180°.

A straight angle is an angle whose measure is 180°.


Remember that an angle is named using three letters, where the middle letter corresponds to the vertex of the angle.  The angle below is <ABC or <CBA.   If it is perfectly clear which angle is being named, an angle may be referred to by its vertex letter alone, such as <B.


Here is a fun website that allows you to play around with angles:
Angles

Homework this week will have kiddos identifying types of angles. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Elapsed Time

We have just finished out our unit on measurement. This included calculating elapsed time. Elapsed time is the time that elapses while some event is occurring. We learned a few different strategies to calculate this, including using a number line and a t-chart.

Here is an example of solving an elapsed time problem with regrouping of time:

Follow this link if you need a video refresher:

Elapsed Time

Homework this week will have your kiddo practicing this skill. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week of 2/16/15

We have a busy, busy week coming up! Here is a look at what we will be doing:

Monday 2/16- No School

Tuesday 2/17- Math Benchmark;

• This will be similar to the writing benchmark that Ms. Christian blogged about at the beginning of the month. It will be similar to the Math STAAR. I will use the data from this assessment to help guide me in reteaching, tutoring, and small group instruction. I want your kiddo to be as prepared as possible and this assessment will help me accomplish that. :)

Wednesday 2/18- Symphony Field Trip:

• Be sure to have your kiddo wear their "best" dress. It is SO much fun to see everyone dressed up! This will be a morning trip. We will be back in time for our regular lunch.

Thursday 2/19- Reading Benchmark

• This will help your kiddo and Ms. Christian prepare for the Reading STAAR.  

Friday 2/20- First regular day of the week! :)


Because this coming week is so hectic and the kiddos will be working so hard on the benchmark assessments, I am NOT assigning homework this week.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great week!

Converting Metric Units of Measurement

The metric system is a comprehensive system of measurements used all over the world today. One of the biggest advantages that the metric system offers is that conversion between its units is simple and logical, as its units scale by powers of 10. Because of this, converting within metric measurements is usually as easy as multiplying or dividing a given measurement by a power of 10 to find the new value, or, as a shortcut, simply moving its decimal point.

The basic metric units are meters (for length), grams (for mass or weight), and liters (for volume).
There are many metric-unit prefixes, but the usual ones required in school are these: kilo-, hecto-, deka-, deci-, centi-, and milli-.



We are calculating metric conversions using the same basic conversion rule we used for the Customary System. Homework this week will have kiddos converting with both the Metric and Customary Systems. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Converting Customary Units of Measurement

We have been working on converting Customary Units of measurement this week in Math. In problems which involve measurements such as width, length, height, weight, capacity or temperature, it is often necessary to convert from one measurement unit to another.

Basic Conversion Rule:

To convert from a LARGER unit to a SMALLER unit...MULTIPLY

To convert from a SMALLER unit to a LARGER unit...DIVIDE

We have a rhyming saying that helps us remember this rule:

Complicating matters a bit is the fact that in the United States we have two different sets of measurement units.

Our basic system is the "customary" or "English" system.  In this system units include: inch, foot, yard, mile, ounce, pound, pint, quart, gallon and the Fahrenheit scale for temperature.

However, as we do business in the global community, the metric system is also a necessary system to understand. This system uses units such as: meter, centimeter, kilometer, gram, kilogram, liter, milliliter and the Celsius scale for temperature. We will delve into working with the metric system in the coming week.

Homework next week will consist of practicing these conversions. Here is a video you can watch if you want to see an example of a conversion.

Conversion Example

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Benchmarks Next Week

The time has come for our District Benchmark Tests in Reading and Writing. We will administer the Writing test next Tuesday and Wednesday. Reading Benchmark will be administered in a couple of weeks. Please have students get to bed early and have breakfast so they may be at their best! Thank you for your support!
Tuesday- 50% editing/revising and prompt 1
Wednesday- 50% editing/revising and prompt 2

***Early Release on Wednesday, February 4th. Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm. 

Perimeter and Area

Last week we worked on perimeter and area. We focused quite a bit on the formulas that are used to find both.

Perimeter is the distance around a two-dimensional shape.

We focused on three formulas to find perimeter:

P = s + s + s (perimeter = side + side + side) - this formula can be sue on any shape

P = 4 x s (perimeter = 4 x side) - this formula works for squares

P = (2 x l) + (2 x w); perimeter = (2 x length) + (2 x width) - this formula works for rectangles

Area is the size of a surface or the amount of space inside the boundary of a flat (2-dimensional) object.

We focused on one formula to find the area of a rectangle:

A = l x w (area = length x width)

Follow this link if you want more clarification on calculating perimeter and area:

Perimeter and Area

Homework this week will have your kiddo calculating perimeter and area. I expect them to write down the formula that they choose to use before they solve. Ask them about the three F's in math.

Please let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to help in any way I can!

Data Representations

This week we have learned about three new ways to represent data. We have learned about dot plots, frequency tables, and stem-and-leaf plots.

A dot plot is a graphical display of data using dots. It is very similar to pictographs.

A frequency table is a table that shows a set of numbers/scores and their frequency (how many times each one occurs).

A stem-and-leaf plot is a plot where each data value is split into a "leaf" (usually the last digit) and a "stem" (the other digits). For example "32" is split into "3" (stem) and "2" (leaf). The "stem" values are listed down, and the "leaf" values are listed next to them. This way the "stem" groups the scores and each "leaf" indicates a score within that group.

Here are the basic steps to creating a stem-and-leaf plot:

Last week, we created these three data representations using data from final scores of the Dallas Cowboys games. They did a great job on this assignment and really seemed to enjoy it!

Homework this week will consist of something similar. Your kiddo will need to research some data (height of people, scores of game, age of friends, etc.) and create a dot plot, frequency table, and stem-and-leaf plot to represent this data. They will then need to come up with three questions that can be answered using this data. An example question might be: How many more students scored 80% or greater on the test than 70% or lower? This assignment will be due on Monday, January 26th. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!