Adding Fractions

This week we worked on adding fractions with like denominators. The equation below shows the rule for addition. So, if your are dealing with the same (common) denominator (b), the answer is the sum of the numerators (a and c) over their common denominator. Remember that a fraction refers to the number of parts in a “whole”, and the WHOLE that we are talking about is always the number in the denominator (on the bottom). So, all we have to do is add up the parts and keep our same point of reference.

Here are some ways your kiddos have seen this:

Homework this week will have them practicing this concept. Homework will be due on Monday, December 15th. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Have a great weekend!

The Countdown is On!

There is a chill in the air and a twinkle in our eye! I can cannot believe our next holiday is just around the corner, as we just celebrated Thanksgiving. As I counted my blessings over the break, I especially counted my kiddos and you! Thank you for making my just so enjoyable by raising fantastic children. Each bring their uniqueness to the classroom and make me smile. In fact, today I wore my new "sparkle" sweater and was told I was beautiful, stylish, and...oh yeah...that I look like a disco ball. LOL Gotta love 'em! 

The Cox Santa Shop opens next week and we are excited. I have scheduled our classes (both my homeroom and Mrs. M's homeroom) to visit on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9th at 11:15. Please look over the info in the Coyote folder to see lists, opportunities to visit, and payment options. Students are able to bring money on Tuesday to shop. Items will be wrapped and taken home that same day. Thank you for your support!

Our Wax Museum 

One of the highlights of Fourth Grade Language Arts is the Wax Museum and believe me, they are chomping at the bit to begin this project! This week began our journey into the genre of biography/autobiography. As we learn about many significant and influential figures in the upcoming weeks, students will choose one person to research and introduce to us at the wax museum. More details will follow for sure and more specific instructions will be sent home and posted as we move through this unit. For now, the timeline is as follows:

- Friday, Dec. 5th- Each student will make a final choice on the person each would like to research.

-Monday, Dec 8- Friday, Dec. 12- Students will conduct research in the classroom during Language Arts block and prepare our speech. 

-Friday, Dec 12- A Home Project will be assigned and due on Friday, December 19.

-Monday, Dec. 15- Thursday, Dec 18- Students will be perfecting their speech in class and completing their home project, obviously, at home.

-Friday, Dec. 19- Wax Museum- Parents are invited to join us at 8:00am to tour the 4th grade classrooms and learn from our research. Please mark your calendars!

*Class parties will also be held on this day, as it is the last day before the holiday break. 

IT IS AN EARLY RELEASE DAY! 

We can't wait!

Fraction Fun!

We are full swing into our unit on fractions. Right now we are working on composing equivalent fractions and identifying fractions in pictorial form. Here are some examples of how we are finding equivalent fractions.

Homework this week will be having your kiddo practice this concept. This will be due on Monday 12/8. Remind your kiddo that in order for the fraction to be equivalent, what you do to the numerator MUST be done to the denominator as well. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Have a great week!

Interpreting the Remainder

The remainder is the amount left over after division.

Example: 19 cannot be divided exactly by 5.
The closest you can get without going over is 3 x 5 = 15, which is 4 less than 19.
So 4 is the remainder

So the answer of 19 ÷ 5 is 3 with a remainder of 4, usually written "3 R 4".



There are four ways your kiddo has learned to interpret the remainder. They are drop it, add it, share it, and use it.

The way you interpret the remainder has to do with what the word problem is asking. Homework this week will have your kiddos solving word problems with division and interpreting the remainders. They need to tell what they did with the remainder (drop it, add it, share it, or use it) and explain their logic behind their choice. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Book Fair Family Night

Don't forget...Tonight (Tuesday) , Cox will be hosting Family Night in the Book Fair. Please join us in the library for wonderful literary selections and our Silent Auction for better teeth! Everyone wants a healthy smile, right? Yes! 

Our Reading focus this 9 weeks is non-fiction yet we are tackling a historical fiction novel as our primary tool. Please ask your child why we would do such a thing? Wink wink. 

Answers should resemble this response: 

- Historical fiction uses an actual setting in our history and provides accurate information within the text. 

-While the characters in the novel are fictitious, they represent families that were present during these historical events and show thoughts and feelings these events evoked. 

Reading Corner

Our novel is I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912.    

While we are enjoying the format of a novel, we are focusing more on the non-fiction information including, but not limited to:

-ship dynamics

-geography

-icebergs

-social class

-technology (lack thereof)

In fact, check us out completing our Titanic Web Quest:

Input/Output Tables

Input and output tables are diagrams used to teach the basic concepts of functions. They are based on the rule of the function. When the table is filled in, it produces the pairs of coordinates that are necessary to construct the graph. The input is the value of x that is applied to the function. The output is the f(x), or the answer that is received as a result of putting x into the function.



Here is a link to a clear explanation with examples if you or your kiddo need some extra guidance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_aaOS6Q2qo

Homework this week will be practice with input/output tables. It go home on Monday and be due the following Monday (11/17).

If your kiddo wants some extra practice, here are some links to some games:

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/math4/d/functiontable4l.cfm
http://www.mathplayground.com/functionmachine.html
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/stop-creature/
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/3-
4/activities/functionmachine/functionmachine3_4.html
http://www2.smarttutor.com/player/swf/Algebra_Functions_L3_V1_T4a.swf

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Can Drive and Silent Auction

Christian Care Center Can Drive

The annual Christian Care Center Can Drive is in full swing! This year, Cox is making it into a grade level competition. The grade level that collects the most cans by Friday, Nov. 14th will get 30 minutes of extra recess. Let's see how much 4th grade can collect for a worthy cause during a time of showing our thankfulness.

4th Grade Silent Auction

Silent Auction that will make you SMILE!!

Help 4th grade go to the Fort Worth Stockyards by participating in a silent auction that will make everyone smile. You will be able to grin with pride by helping the 4th grade Cox students AND your own smile will literally get an upgrade at the same time! 

We will be auctioning off amazing gift cards to Hwy 78 Dental and Orthodontics in Wylie. Check them out at wyliesmiles.com 

Up for auction will be two $500 gift cards towards orthodontics or Invisalign, one free whitening gift card, and three $200 gift cards for dental or orthodontics.

The silent auction will begin on Tuesday, November 11 at the evening book fair (4-6pm). It will end on Wednesday, November 12 after the last Thanksgiving lunch (1:00pm). Email bids will be accepted up until the time indicated.

Please help us continue our education of Texas History with this amazing trip and save some money on your smile!