February is Black History Month, so we spent some time talking about a few famous African Americans and the contributions they made to our society. We discussed the various character traits they possessed and how they made a positive difference in America. We also talked about what it means to show integrity. We reviewed the importance of doing the right thing even when no one is looking and being honest.

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• Monday, February 29th 
•  Reading Celebration Week: Hats off to Reading; wear hats!
• Tuesday, March 1st  
•  Reading Celebration Week: Author Visit Jackie Polys comes to Crestwood; wear Cards gear to welcome her to St. Louis! 
• Yoga after school until 4:30 pm 
• Wednesday, March 2nd 
•  Reading Celebration Week: Reading is great exercise; wear workout clothes! 
• Thursday, March 3rd 
• Reading Celebration Week: Snuggle up with a good book; wear PJs! 
• Choir before school @ 8:00 am
• Friday, March 4th 
• Reading Celebration Week: Flashlight Friday; bring a flashlight for independent reading! 
• Flyer Families; wear t-shirts 
• Half Day; students released @ 11:50 am 

• ...to parents & Crestwood adults who were able to make it to our Writing Celebration. We love sharing our work with you and appreciate your attendance and support.  

Math 

  We practiced adding and subtracting like fractions (fractions with the same denominator) and mixed numbers. We learned that we operate with the whole numbers and numerators, but the denominator stays the same. We even created an Egyptian pyramid foldable to help us remember this procedure.

Reading

We reviewed how to answer literal and inferential questions after reading a passage. Students reviewed using F.U.N. and we came up with some sentence starters to answer these reading comprehension questions. Students had a great time making inferences about various pictures. We talked about using the text and our background knowledge to make an inference about a story or a picture.

Science

  Mrs. Branding introduced students to a new unit last week: Electricity. They studied protons, neutrons, and electrons, then completed an investigation about static electricity.

Our focus for class meeting this week was respect. Students brainstormed ways to show respect to classmates, adults, acquaintances, and family members.


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• Monday, February 15th 
• No School, Presidents' Day 
• Tuesday, February 16th  
• Science Fair projects due for those participating 
• Major Savers collection day 
• Yoga after school
• Wednesday, February 17th  
• Major Savors collection day (last day) 
• Thursday, February 18th   
• Choir @ 8:00 am
• Science Night @ 6:30 pm 
• Friday, February 19th 
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• ...to parents who donated items and time to help make our Valentine's Day party a success.  We had so much fun! 

Writer's Workshop

  Students continued publishing their Informational Texts using Google slides this week. They used a checklist to assess various components of the piece, selecting "Not yet," "Almost," and "Yes." Students used this data to set a personal goal to work toward as they continue publishing.

Math 

  We spent time reviewing for our fractions assessment and really rocked the test! We also used valentine heart candy to review a variety of Math skills. Students wrote the amount of hearts they had in standard, word, and expanded forms. They created arrays and equations using the candy and also created a bar graph to reflect their colors.

Social Studies & Science
  Students completed their Oregon Trail simulation as they navigated a river, disease, and other challenging circumstances. 
Mrs. Branding introduced students to a new unit this week: Electricity. They studied protons, neutrons, and electrons, then completed an investigation about static electricity.

This week our character word was self-control. We talked about what self-control is, and Sanni defined self-control as the word backwards; having control of ourselves. We discussed ways to show self-control in the classroom, the hallway, special classes, and when we have a substitute teacher. We ended the week by watching the Marshmallow Test and talking about how the little kids had to show a lot of self-control resisting eating the marshmallow.

• Please review, sign, & return your child's Weekly Reflection on Monday.
• Students should create a Valentine box for our party on Friday, February 12th.  

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• Monday, February 8th 
• Midterm Reports will come home today; please review with your child, sign, and return to school on Tuesday.   
• Tuesday, February 9th  
• Service Team after school
• Yoga after school
• Parents can screen the health & development video and ask questions at Lindbergh's Administration building in the P.D. South room.  4th grade's session begins @ 5:00 pm.  
• Wednesday, February 10th  
• Flyer Families; wear your t-shirt 
• Early release @ 1:40 pm  
• Thursday, February 11th   
• Choir @ 8:00 am
• Friday, February 12th 
• Jump Rope for Heart during P.E.
• Valentine parties @ 2:00-3:00 pm 

Reader's Workshop

  Students selected an article from NewsELA, a great current events website for kids. Students can choose an article based on interest and adjust the reading level as needed. They can even take a 4 question quiz to ensure they are comprehending. After picking a favorite article, kids wrote a news article review. Their review required them to summarize the article, share their opinion about it, and give two specific facts.

Writer's Workshop

We continued researching our Informational Text topics using books from the library as well as Google Junior. Students incorporated the compare & contrast structure into one chapter of their book. First, they created a Venn Diagram to plan their chapter, then used specific transition phrases to organize their ideas into a paragraph. They also added important terms to their glossaries along with appropriate definitions.

Math 

  We continued our fraction study this week and practiced comparing and ordering parts of wholes. We can do this in a variety of ways. We can draw a model or number line to represent the fraction. We can compare each to a the one-half benchmark and decide if one is greater, less, or equal. We can study the numerators and denominators. If the denominators are the same, the one with the greater numerator is the greater fraction. If the numerators are the same, the one with the smaller denominator is greater. Students also practiced naming mixed numbers and improper fractions.

Social Studies

This week in social studies we finished up Chapter Five: Missouri Becoming A State. We spent a lot of time working cooperatively in small groups to explore the Gold Rush, Oregon Trail, and Santa Fe Trail. We worked to learn about various famous pioneers and the different contributions they made. Friday, we began our Oregon Trail simulation! Be sure to ask your student what their role is in their wagon!