During class meeting this week, we focused on responsibility.  Responsibility means being the boss of our behavior and our belongings.  Students shared ways in which they showed this trait including returning homework, practicing reading and math facts, taking care of pets, helping with younger siblings, and more.  We discussed that showing responsibility at age 10 can help us earn bigger responsibilities as teenagers.  Students are looking forward to babysitting, starting jobs, and driving in a few years!

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• Monday, January 18th
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School 
• Tuesday, January 19th
• Book Drive for Caroline Mission continues through February. Please donate new or gently used books appropriate for kids ages 2-5 (picture books, counting, alphabet, board books, etc.)
• Ms. Kempfer begins student teaching our classroom!    
• Jump Rope for Heart assembly @ 2:00 pm
• Variety Show practice after school 
• Wednesday, January 20th
• 4th Grade Girl Scouts after school 
• Thursday, January 21st 
• Choir @ 8:00 am 
• Variety Show practice after school 
• Dad's Club @ 7:30-8:30 pm, Smugala's 
• Friday, January 22nd 
•  Spelling Bee @ 2:00 pm 
• Movie Night @ 6:30 pm

• ..to parents, teachers, and PTO board members who voted to fund Crestwood's Makerspace! We will add iPads, robot kits, Lego sets, and more to our library and provide opportunities for kids to explore and create using science and technology.

Reader's Workshop

Students studied nonfiction features this week. We included examples of these features and their uses in our Reading Journals. A glossary can teach us new terms from the text, and a table of contents helps us to locate specific information we are looking for. Photographs are real-life pictures of something, and captions explain exactly what the photograph shows. Maps show us exactly where something takes place in the world. Using theses features help authors make the most important information stand out to the readers.

Writer's Workshop

We started our Informational Text unit this week by studying previous fourth graders' Google Slide presentations. We brainstormed topics that we are experts on and have interest in (which means we'll be willing to do the research). Students wrote their on demand piece, or starting point, for this unit. We look forward to learning about informational text structures next week to make our writing even better.

Math 

We did so much work this week with function tables! Students studied patterns and created equations that involved all four operations. We also studied the Order of Operations. This explains that mathematicians have to solve parentheses first, then multiplication & division from left to right, and finally addition & subtraction from left to right.

Social Studies

We honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by learning a little about him. Through a few books and BrainPop, we learned that Dr. King was a brave and courageous man who believed in civil rights. He did not think segregation was the best way for us to go through life, and we thank him for standing up and helping to end it. King delivered the famous "I have a dream" speech and led many peaceful marches. Students also listened to the book The Sweet Smell of Roses and learned that authors sometimes use an item to represent something else. In this book, the writer uses the sweet smell of roses to symbolize freedom.