Over Winter Break:

-Reading: Read an "on-level" chapter book over the break. Bring the book into school with you on Monday, January 3rd to write a Book Review about it in class.

-Math: If you still haven't made it into the prestigious One-Minute Club, then keep on practicing those multiplication facts using flashcards, websites, and worksheets.

-Reminder: 4th graders ski and snowboard for FREE at Sipapu! Just bring a copy of your first marking period progress report for verification. See www.sipapunm.com or call 800-587-2240 for more info.

-Geo-Bee: Our class Geography Bee winners and alternates should study and prep for the TCS school-wide bee on January 7th. The Friends of TCS have generously provided some EXCELLENT prizes for the finalists and school-level winner. Our school winner will go on to compete in the state-level bee in Albuquerque on April 1st. The New Mexico winner and their parents get an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to participate in the national bee May 24-25! Last year's National Geo-Bee champion won a $25,000 prize and a trip to the Galapagos Islands!

What can you do to get ready? Study an atlas, globe, world almanac, or use the Geo-Bee website to take the Daily Quiz and play the Geo-Spy game. There are also two books available at the NG online store that are very helpful for students to use in their preparation. The titles are "Afghanistan to Zimbabwe," and "National Geographic Bee Official Study Guide." They cost $10 each. See the link for more info.

-Have a fun, safe winter break! Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

For Friday:

-Spelling: Study for the quiz.
-Math: SL 5-2 (p. 97)
-Swimming: We'll be swimming at the TYFC from about 10:00 to 11:00. Parents who would like to join us can meet us there, or walk down from school with us at 9:30. We're expecting snow tonight, so students should wear warm clothes and snowboots for the walk. They'll need a swimsuit, towel, and $2 for pool admission. In the event of a 2 hour delay, swimming will be postponed to a later date.
-Secret Santa gift exchange is Friday.
-Our TCS Holiday Talent Show is at 1:30 in the Embler Gymnasium. 4th graders will regale the crowd with their well-rehearsed jokes (they ARE well-rehearsed, right?). Parents are invited to join us for the fun.

For Thursday:

-History: Revolutionary Biography Reports are due. Complete steps 5, 6 (optional extra credit), 7, and 8 on the checklist. Don't forget to include the bibliography.
-Spelling: Study for the practice quiz.
-The pool is now fixed, so swimming is ON for Friday morning. I'll give you more information tomorrow.
-Congratulations to Isaiah, Sophia, Elijah, Fallon, Charlie, and Carmen for winning our class Geo-Bee today in a very close, tough competition (Quinn and Leandro were the Runners-Up/ Alternates). Those 6 students will participate in the School-Level Geo-Bee on January 7th. . The winner of our TCS Geo-Bee will be invited to compete in the State-Level Bee in Albuquerque on April 1st.

For Wednesday:

-Geo Bee: The class-level National Geographic Bee will be held on Wednesday. The top 6 geographers from 4th grade will advance to the Semi-Final round to compete with the winners from grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 at our TCS School-Level Geo-Bee on January 7. The class-level bee will focus on US geography.

-History: Complete Step #4 from your checklist, writing your final draft of the Revolutionary Biography Report.

For Tuesday:

-History: Complete step #3 on your checklist. Edit and revise your rough draft. Look for errors in spelling, capitalization, and grammar and fix them. Ask a parent or an older sibling to help you proofread. Expand your paragraphs. Say more. Add more supporting details.

Spelling List 12/13/10

1. guerilla
2. timeline
3. victory
4. treaty
5. indent
6. adjective
7. Winter Solstice
8. revolve
9. rotate
10. axis
11. Prospero Año Nuevo! (Happy New Year!)
12. regalos (gifts)
13. It is better to give than it is to receive.

Ms. Erin's List 12/13/10

x = /ks/

con/vex
ex/pel
in/dex
ex/pand
con/text
ex/pect
ex/pert
ex/tent
ex/tend
next
sixth

Over the Weekend:

-History: Finish the five paragraph rough draft of your Revolutionary Biography.
-Homework is a joke: Come up with one or two jokes to tell for the Holiday Talent Show. Write them down and bring them into school on Monday to practice.
-Secret Santa: Students drew names today for the Secret Santa gift exchange which we'll have in class next Friday, December 17. Kids can bring in wrapped, un-named gifts any day before then. There's a suggested $10 limit on gifts.

For Friday:

-Math: Review Unit 4 material for the Unit Test (decimal value to the thousandths, adding and subtracting decimal numbers, metric units of length, converting mm to cm, cm to m, m to km).
-Spelling: Study for the quiz.
-History: Use your outline to start writing the rough draft of your biography report (due Monday).
-Taos Feeds Taos: Thank you to everyone who has brought in items for the food drive! Friday is the last day to donate in class.

For Thursday:

-History: Finish the outline for your biography report.
-Spelling: Written work is due.
-Thursday Tutoring is from 3:00 to 3:45. We'll review for the Unit 4 math test and get started on the rough draft of the Revolutionary Biography reports.

For Wednesday:

-History: Read and take notes for your reports. We'll start outlining your essays in class on Wednesday.

For Tuesday:

-History: Continue to read and take notes about the life of the person you're studying for the Revolutionary Biography Report.

Spelling List 12/6/10

1. monarchy
2. democracy
3. outline
4. rough draft
5. paragraph
6. topic sentence
7. supporting details
8. conclusion
9. edit
10. revise
11. bibliography
12. biblioteca (library)
13. tarea (homework)
14. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Ms. Erin's List 12/6/10

/i/ = igh

bright
fight
flight
fright
light
might
night
right
sight
tight
high
thigh
sigh
mid/night
in/sight
light/ning

Contractions
he is = he’s
she is = she’s

Over the weekend:

-History: Find information, read, and take notes for your Revolutionary Biography Report.

Friday Fun:

-As a reward for the class hitting their goal of 80% accuracy on a three minute, 50 problem multiplication fact test, I've planned a different kind of Friday for the kids. At about 9:30, we'll walk down to the TYFC to go swimming from 10-11. Then, we'll walk back up to school, have lunch and some popcorn, and watch a DVD in the afternoon.

Students should bring a swimsuit, towel, a signed Town of Taos waiver form, and $2 for pool admission. Parents are welcome to join us at the pool. You can walk with us, or just meet us at the TYFC at 10:00.

-History: Students should begin to research, read, and take notes for their Revolutionary Biography Projects. A checklist with all the report guidelines and due dates went home with students today.

For Thursday:

-Math: SL 4-8 (p. 85)
-Spelling: Written work due. Take a practice quiz at home tonight.
-History: Decide on your top 3 choices for the Revolutionary Biography Report.
-Thursday Tutoring is from 3:00 to 3:45. We'll be doing library research for the biography reports.