Help, my child does not understand rounding!

ROUNDING GAMES
http://www.funbrain.com/tens/index.html


Rounding Hint:
I have students circle the number in the place they are rounding to, then underline the digit to the right. If the underlined digit is 5 or more, the circled number is increased by one. If the underlined number is less than 5, the circled number stays the same. All the numbers to the left of the circled number stay the same; the numbers to the right become zero.

Bully Numbers Hint:


If the "bully" number is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, then the bully "kicks" its neighbor up "one" number. If the "bully" is 1,2,3,or 4, then the neighbor gets to remain the same.

The same procedure is used for 100 and 1,000.

Rounding Rhyme

1 through 4 stay on the floor

5 through 9 climb the vine

 

 

Rounding Song: Chant the Army Chant

1,2 round down 3,4 round down---1234 round down---

5,6 round up 7,8 round up 5678 round up and 9 also.

Use a number line:

I used a number line so they could see which number the number to be rounded was closer to. This helped them see it visually. It worked for many who were not understanding why we round up for 5 and greater and down for less than 5.

EXAMPLES:

Round the following numbers to the nearest thousand.

45,657 - 46,000

1,232,001- 1,232,000

52,856 - 53,000

3,498 - 3,000

How Do I Order Scholastic Books Online?

Orders Due September 8th!

Online Ordering Information



Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs


Class Activation Code: FPZDY


Dear Parent,


Now it's easier than ever to find the right books for your child — and help us earn FREE books for our classroom library at the same time!

With new online ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs, you can choose from a much wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card.

Best of all, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent places their order online.

It's so simple! Here's how it works:

SIGN UP at www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Don't have a User Name and Password?" link, then register for your own username and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.

SELECT the books you'd like to order from over 500 titles available online...and take advantage of online-only specials and discounts.

SEND your order to me online by the due date. Books will be delivered directly to our classroom, as always.

Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer. But why not experience for yourself how convenient it is to order online?

Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure. Plus our whole class benefits thanks to the FREE books we'll earn with every parent online order.

Go to www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs now to get started.

Thank you,

Christina Phillips

Science Resources

Today we we begin talking about erosion and weathering. Here is a little quiz to do with your child and see what you know! Please leave a comment and let me know how you did! Have fun!

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/science/weathering_and_erosion/quiz448.html

Week 2

We had a busy, productive, awesome, super, second week of school! Thanks for the great turn out at Curriculum Night!

Math

This week we took our first math test over Chapter 1! Overall I was happy with our test results. Chapter one is challenging because it is very "wordy" math.  You will soon find out that our math chapter are short, and we test frequently. Today we began Chapter 2, Compare and Order Whole Numbers.
Keep practicing those multiplication facts at home!
The new extra credit packet should come home tonight, as should the graded math test.

Word Study

This week we learned the ins and outs of Word Study. The students  practiced the routines and were introduced to the word study contract. The students have time to work on word study every day in class. I want most of the work completed in class. Of course they may always bring it home to work on and study, but they are also expected to be working on it in class.


Reading

This week we had our first trip to the library. The students were  very excited to complete the library orientation and check out books. Students are allowed to go to the library on an as-needed basis to check out books.

This week we discussed the importance of a commitment book. A commitment book is a book that you are dedicated to finishing. So many times student jump from book to book and never finish any! Students will be required to write book letters (more on this later) to me about their independent reading commitment books.
Ask your students how Frindle ended!
Book groups start soon!

Writing

This week we finished working on the "writing ideas" section of the journal. This is a section that we will continue to revisit throughout the year. We are gearing up to begin personal narratives!
Science

This week we investigated soil. Students had the opportunity to see first hand that soil is not just dirt. Some people were even lucky enough to see some wiggly worms in their soil samples!

Writing Contest

The 2010 Big Write! I am posting this information in case any students are interested. The contest ends September 3rd! Good Luck!

http://www.culturalfestivals.com/images/big%20read%20images/Big%20Write%20Official%20Guidelines%202010%20Final.pdf

Math Test Tomorrow

Our first math test is tomorrow! I assigned the multiple choice version on the test as a study guide for tonight's homework. Many of the students finished the study guide in class. They should still bring home the study guide to review and study. Remember the lesson quizzes (half blue sheets of paper) are also a great resource for studying!

Math and Science Online

Reminder: Our Math and Science books are online!
http://www.eharcourtschool.com/
Login in: tfourth
password: pass

In Science we are studying Chapter 6, Lesson 4 What is Soil?
In Math we are finishing up Chapter 1

Please let your child know if you are able to access these websites from home. It will help them keep their book bags light!

First Week of School

What a great first week! Here is what what we've been doing...

Math

Our math book in online! http://www.eharcourtschool.com/

login: tfourth password: pass


This week we began chapter 1, place value. We are learning about place value to the millions, the value of a digit, the names of the periods, and how to write numbers in standard, expanded and word forms. Next week we will have our chapter 1 test on Thursday. The extra credit packet will also be due on Thursday.
We will also continue our work on multiplication facts. Please be sure to continue practicing facts at home!


Word Study

This week we took a word study pre assessment to determine our needs as spellers. Next week we will begin learning the routines and procedures of our word study program, Words Their Way. We will learn these routines by using all of the student names in our classroom. This is a great way to learn the ins and outs of our word study program and also learn the names of our classmates.


Reading

Last week we talked about choosing "just right books." Each student had the opportunity to book shop in our classroom and fill his/her book box. I also began individual conferencing with students. In our conference we talked about books they have read in the past, what type of reading material they enjoy, and how they think of themselves as a reader. Next week I will continue conferencing and we will have our first trip to the school library.

Writing


This week we talked about the importance of personalizing our writers' notebooks. It was fun to see all the unique things the students added to their notebooks to give them pizazz! We also took some time to read from a book by Ralph Fletcher about keeping a Writer’s Notebook. We began working on methods to generate ideas for our writing. Ask your students about some of their "I wonder..." ideas!

Science

This week we explored our science books with a fun A-Z scavenger hunt!  Next week we will be investigating soil.


Upcoming Events:

Next Thursday, August 26th is Curriculum Night. I hope to see you all there. If you can not attend please call or e-mail me. I will be glad to send home a packet of information.

Our Caring Community

We have had a great start to our year. We are working hard on establishing routines and setting our classroom norms.

The class worked together to write our class rules. We made a community contract that everyone agreed to follow. Each student added a unique fish and their signature to our contract.

What a great looking group!

Who are you?

Please feel free to introduce yourself below in a comment. If you are new to blogging, here are a few points to remember.

• Always ask your parents first. 

• Use FIRST NAMES ONLY if you choose to put your name in your comment .

• Everything that goes on this blog is "moderated."  I will recieve an email to let me know there is a comment that someone wants to post, and I must approve it before it is posted. This is a security measure to ensure all the comments are appropriate.

• If you are new to blogging: To comment, click on the words "comment" and you will see other people's comments. On the right, you will see a box where you can type in your comment. You can put your first name in the box as well, if you like. You can then click the circle for "annonymous".

• When your comment looks the way you want it, click on the "publish" tab at the bottom.

 I can't wait to read your introductions!

Who is Mrs. Phillips?

Hello fourth grade families! I am so excited to be your teacher this year. Let me tell you a little about myself. First meet my family!

This is my son Nicholas he was born May 5th. He is almost 3 months old. Nick loves to eat, sleep, and have people sing to him. Nick also enjoys tummy time and looking in the mirror. He just learned to roll over!

This is my son Charlie. Charlie is almost 2 years old. He loves watching Elmo and Toy Story. He also enjoys doing puzzles and reading books (especially about animals). Charlie's favorite animal in the whole world is a cow! One of Charlie's favorite activities is going to Monkey Joe's!

Here is our first family picture!

We will talk more about our class blog on the first day of school. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I will see you soon!