Week of December 14th

Good Morning!

We certainly have a very busy week!  See everyone at the Christmas Shows!  And remember we have an early dismissal on Friday (12:00) after our class parties!

This week in...

Reading:  After reading Chris Van Allsburg's The Stranger last week, we are going to look at a few other books he has written:  Two Bad Ants and The Polar Express.  We will still be trying to find out what makes a story a fantasy and how to draw conclusions using what the story says and what we know about that topic.  No reading test this week and no new vocabulary.

Religion:  We will take our Chapter 5 open book test on Wednesday

Spelling:  No spelling lesson this week!

4th LA: Working on diocesan required poem.  Our topic will be about Christmas

5th LA: Working on diocesan required poem.  Our topic will be about Christmas

4th SS:  We will begin our Southeast region tour and will continue it when we get back from break

5th SS:  We will finish chapter 5 on Monday.  I will not see the 5th graders on Tuesday due to show practice.  On Wednesday they will turn in their final numbers for the Stock Market Activity and I will give them the chapter 5 test.  This test will be a take- home, open book, open note, test that will be due Friday Morning.  If the students get it done Wednesday night I will accept it on Thursday!

Scholastic Book Order

Hi Everyone!

Tomorrow is the last day for any book orders to be turned in so we can get books before break.  If you would like to order online you can by using our grade level code 1FQVA.

All books orders that were turned in yesterday or before were already ordered!

If you need to place an order and then pick it up in secret, please send an email to your classroom teacher and we can make an arrangement!

Thank you!

Week of December 7th

Good Afternoon!

This week the children will have Reconciliation on Wednesday morning.

We will also have a special practice on Friday afternoon for our Christmas concert.  Next week the fun really begins with out of the ordinary schedules!  But we are looking forward to the concert and can't wait to see all of you at it!

This week in...

Reading:  The Stranger.  This is a GREAT story!  We will have a test on Friday

Religion:  Chapter 5

Spelling:  Lesson 14- test Friday

4th LA:  Still working on verb unit.  No quiz this week

5th LA:  In the middle of verb unit.  Quiz on Wednesday

4th SS:  Chapter 6 test on Thursday!

5th SS:  We will continue with Chapter 5- we will have a test next week (Tuesday or Wednesday)

Week of November 30th

Good Morning!

Tomorrow, Firefighter TJ will be in to complete the Downers Grove Presentation "Learn not to Burn"

This week in...

Reading:  Firestorm.  We will have a normal comprehension test and vocab test on Friday

Spelling:  Lesson 13- Practice due Thursday Menu and Test due Friday

Religion:  Advent, Chapter 5, and St. Nicholas

4th LA:  Quiz Thursday on Possessive Nouns

5th LA: No quiz this week, we are working on verbs

4th SS:  Chapter 6 (test will be next week Wednesday??)

5th SS:  Chapter 5 Lesson 2 and 3 this week

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!

This week was a very simple week and we got a lot done in class!

For homework over the break the students:

• May have to finish up some math (time will be given to get it started)
• May have to finish up their spelling packet (time was given in class)
• May have to finish up their vocabulary (time was given in class)
• May have to work on Extended Response for Baby Loggerhead Sea Turtles (due today!)
• WILL have to independently read :)

Also HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to all the fourth graders for their Northeast Region Tour Letters and Scrapbooks- first year that they are all in on time- wow!!  I cannot wait to read them!!

Also do not forget that Advent begins on Sunday, November 29th.  We will spend our first week back discussing Advent in religion class.  

Have a wonderful extended break!

Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter

Book Fair

Hi Everyone!

Both 4th Grade Classes will be going to the book fair on Friday, November 20th from 10:50-11:30.  They will be able to buy books this day!

If you would like to take them after school on Friday or over the weekend then they will be able to preview what books they are thinking about purchasing on Friday during the school day.

Thank you!

Week of November 16th

Good Morning!

Our first book report of quarter 2 is due on Friday!

This week in...

Reading:  We are finishing up our Sea Turtle Extended Response this week and then will be looking at experiences from the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags.

Religion:  We will have our test on Chapter 4 this week on Thursday (open book)

Spelling:  Review Lesson 12- no menu!

4th LA:  Finishing up possessive nouns and abbreviations.  No quizzes this week

5th LA:  Starting verbs and they will be creating a "how to poster" using verbs.  No quizzes this week.

4th SS:  Our tour has finished!  We will begin the introduction to chapter 6.  Letter and Scrapbook for the Northeast Train Tour is due on Monday, November 23rd

5th SS:  We will begin chapter 5 this week.

Week of November 9th

Good Afternoon!

We are looking forward to conferences this week- see you all either Thursday evening or Friday morning!

If your student hasn't turned in their report card envelope yet, please sign and have them turn it in!

We are also looking for volunteers to help out with our Hershey Candy Assembly Line Project for our Northeast Train Tour in social studies.  Both classes will be combined down in the school hall from 10:10-11:00 on Wednesday, November 11th.  If you can help during that time that would be great!  We need "plant managers" to oversee production lines.  Please send Miss Winter an email :)

This week in...

Reading:  We are working on our Sea Turtle Extended Response.  Ask your student about what they are doing each day- it is pretty neat and we have some advanced thinking going on :)

Religion:  Chapter 4- test will be next week

Spelling:  Lesson 11- Practice, Menu, and test will all be due and competed on Thursday

4th LA:  Chronological order activities about Thanksgiving

5th LA: Diocesan writing test

4th SS:  We will finish our tour this week!  Letter and Scrapbook pages will be due Monday, November 23rd.  Students can start handing their projects in Wednesday, November 18th.

5th SS:  We will have our chapter 4 test this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  Tuesday we will have a review game in class.

Week of November 2

Good Afternoon!

Happy November!

This week we will have an out of uniform day on Friday for bringing in over 500 box tops!

This week in...

Reading:  We will be reading the reader's theater: Emerald's Eggs.  This is one of our favorite stories about sea turtles.  We will only be taking a test on our 10 new vocab words this week.  Instead of testing comprehension, we will be completing a "close read" with an extended response of an informational text article.  This is a great skill to begin with the fourth graders and will be something that they will be using during the rest of their educational career.  Most of this one will be done in class to learn the process.

Religion:  We will finish up learning about Moses and then begin chapter 4

Spelling:  Lesson 10.  Practice sheet due on Thursday, Menu due on Friday, and test Friday

4th LA:  This week we are completing the Diocesan Writing Test.  They may research their animal at home and were given websites to look at.  All the writing must be done in class.

5th LA:  Finishing up noun unit, quiz on Wednesday

4th SS:  We will continue with our region tour this week on the Northeast

5th SS:  Chapter 4 lesson 2 and 3.    We should be planning a test for next week Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday

Week of October 26th

Good Afternoon!

We hope everyone had a good weekend!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will go on our field trip to the Symphony!  We will leave school around 8:45 and should return around 11:00.  We will wear our uniforms and be back in plenty of time to have our normal lunch.

Also this week we will have our Halloween Party on Friday afternoon.  Thanks to everyone to getting the proposed snack list back last week so our wonderful room parents had time to plan!

This week in...

Reading:  We will be reading Cyber Pigs this week.  This is a fun, rhyming, play that is another version of The Three Little Pigs!  This week we will look at different versions of The Three Little Pigs and work on Author's Purpose for writing.

Religion:  We will continue to learn about The Ten Commandments and how Moses received them on Mt. Sinai.  We will be reading out of the children's bible this week and watching an animated video depicting the story.

Spelling:  Lesson 9.  Practice page due Thursday.  Menu due Friday and Test will be on Friday

4th LA: Finishing up plural and singular nouns, quiz on Friday

5th LA: Frog essay is due on Wednesday and then they will begin possessive nouns

4th SS:  We will be in our region tour this week of the Northeast Region.  There will not be much daily homework while we are on tour and there is no test at the end.  Instead we have a final project that is due at the end of the tour that consists of a letter and scrapbook pages.  Each time we go to a different "stop" we take notes and learn about the site.  The students will use these notes to help them create their scrapbook picture and one-two sentences about each stop and then they will pick their top three stops to describe in a letter to a family member or friend.  Please know that I am explaining this process almost every day, so the students should know exactly what to do.  They already have the sheets in their blue SS folder.  It can be a little confusing for the first project, but once they get the process down it will be very easy for the rest of the tours!

5th SS: Chapter 4- How Spain builds an empire over in North and South America.  Lesson 1 and possible starting lesson 2 this week. 

Week of October 19th

Good Morning!

A few reminders...

1. Please make sure your child turned in their Symphony Concert Field Trip Permission Form- we go next week!
2. Also please turn in the ORANGE Halloween party proposed snack list ASAP
3. Picture day is on Thursday :)

This week in...

Reading:  We will be reading the informational text piece Mimicry and Camouflage.  We will have a test this week on Friday over the comprehension, skill, and vocab

Religion:  We will finish chapter 3 this week and will most likely have an open book chapter 3 test on Thursday or Friday.

Spelling:  Lesson 8.  Practice sheet is due on Thursday and Menu and Test will be due on Friday

4th LA:  No quiz this week, we will continue to work on nouns (singular and plural and common and proper)

5th LA:  Quiz at the end of the week on nouns and then will begin main idea and detail

4th SS:  We will begin our first region tour this week!!  We will be taking a train tour of the Northeast!  We will have lots to talk about at home so please ask us what we are learning about! 

5th SS;  We are learning about Latitude and Longitude this week and taking a short beak from our textbook.  We will have a short quiz over these concepts on Thursday or Friday of this week depending on how we are doing, then we will start chapter 4

Week of October 12th

Good Afternoon!


This week in...

Reading:  No reading test this week but we will have a vocabulary test on our 8 new words.  The week will be spent looking at the reading strategy of questioning.

Spelling:  Lesson 7- practice, menu, and test all due and taken on Friday

Religion:  Lesson 3- Moses and the flight out of Egypt

4th LA:  Starting nouns: single, plural, common, and proper. We will be focusing on spelling plural nouns correctly

5th LA:  Start nouns and possibly begin diocesan writing test

4th SS:  Chapter 4 test Wednesday.  On Thursday and Friday we will get all of our papers necessary for our FIRST northeast tour!

5th SS:  Chapter 3 test Wednesday and Thursday.  On Friday we will start chapter 4 which is on our Spanish Explorers.

4th and 5th SS test Update

Hi Everyone,

Next week both fourth and fifth graders will have SS tests.

Fourth grade is on schedule, we will have our Chapter 4 test on Wednesday

Fifth graders originally had the Chapter 3 test scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, I am going to change that to Wednesday and Thursday.  We just have a few loose ends to wrap up before the review game that we will complete on Tuesday.

Thank you!

4th Grade LA

Fourth graders will have a LA quiz tomorrow.  They have notes in their yellow notebook and did a review lesson today!

Week of October 5th

Hi Everyone!

We had our first day of full uniform today.  Everyone looked great!  We had a few gym shoes, but we understand that things are still getting ordered for our growing feet :)

Our last book report for the quarter is due on Friday, October 9th

This week in...

Reading:  We will read the story Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World.  We made some predictions today as to what we think this story will be about.  Our comprehension test and vocab test will be on Friday.

Spelling:  This is our first REVIEW LESSON and things are a little different this week!  First their is a spelling practice packet that your child should complete, this will be due on Friday.  Second there will be a spelling test on Friday and the students should be studying the words that are given in the packet for each lesson (there are about 10 or so from each lesson).  The test is a little different this week, the students will have to choose the word that is spelled correctly for each number.

For example number one might read:  A. Froge  B. Frouge  C. Frogge  D. Frog

The correct answer would be D.  This is the correct way to spell Frog

Also there is NO MENU this week!  But they should practice those words and make sure their packet is complete :)

Religion: Chapter 3 is all about Moses and the Ten Commandments.  We will be learning about the Ten Commandments even more this year and this will give us a good start.  

4th LA: TBA

5th LA: TBA

4th SS:  We will finish up chapter 4 this week.  On Friday we will review in class and learn a little bit about Christopher Columbus.  On Tuesday (no school Monday) We will play our chapter 4 review game and will be taking our test on Wednesday, October 14th.  This also means that this is the day that vocab is due!

5th SS:  We will finish chapter 3 this week.  We will review on Friday and take our test on Tuesday (no school Monday) and Wednesday of next week.  We will learn about Christopher Columbus in Chapter 4, so we will wait to talk about why we get the day off till then.  However they should know about him!  

Week of September 28th

Hi Everyone!

IOWA testing is over and we are back to our normal schedule!  We did not update the blog last week because everything was pretty much done in class, but we are back to it!

This week in...

Reading:  We will be reading an excerpt from "On the Banks of Plum Creek".  The skill this week is plot, conflict, and resolution.  Our reading strategy is re-reading to help understand the selection better!  Our reading test and vocabulary test will be on Friday.

Religion:  We will finish chapter 2 this week and begin chapter 3.  Our chapter 2 test will be on Thursday.

Spelling:  Lesson 5

4th LA:  Simple and complete subject AND Simple and complete predicate.  Their FINAL most favorite memory writing piece will be due on Friday and may be written or typed.  We started these last week in their yellow notebooks.  There are no quizzes this week!

5th LA:  Simple and complete subject AND Simple and complete predicate.  There are no quizzes this week!

4th SS:  Chapter 4- The Beautiful Northeast lessons 1 and 2

5th SS:  Chapter 3- Life in the Eastern Hemisphere.  We will be traveling on the Silk Road tomorrow (Tuesday) in class- please ask your student how they did!

Week of September 14th

Good Morning!

Today our first book report was due.  The book report sheets went home on September 1st so please ask your student if they turned their first one in and/or to see the sheet.

Don't forget a healthy snack for snack time!

This week in...

Reading: We will read Kai's Journey to Gold Mountain.  This is a historical fiction piece about Angel Island.  We will have a comprehension test and vocabulary test on Friday.  Please check out the Reading Resources Pages to find some more information including a vocabulary review video!

Spelling:  Lesson 3.  Practice sheet due Thursday, Menu due Friday, and Test is on Friday

Religion:  Chapter 2.  This chapter explores the covenant that God made with Abraham and how God will fulfill his promises

4th LA:  We will review the four types of sentences and will have our quiz over that on Wednesday

5th LA:  We are working on an informational writing piece about Stink Bugs.  This is due on Thursday

4th SS:  This week will be our first test which we will take over Chapter 1 on Wednesday.  The Vocabulary words (10 of them) are due on Wednesday.  These words can be found on the back of the Chapter 1 Study Guide which is in their blue social studies folder.  They can choose to make index cards for the words and definitions or they may write the word and definition on a piece of loose-leaf paper.  They need to have them completed and with them in class on Wednesday.

5th SS:  We will have our Chapter 1 test on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  Study guides were given at the beginning of the chapter.  Vocabulary words are due on Wednesday as well. 

Week of September 8th

Good Afternoon!

Whole class pictures, where we stand outside on the stairs, for the yearbook will be on Thursday.  Students wear their UNIFORMS for these pictures.  (Individual picture day will be later where we can be out of uniform.)

This week in...

Reading: Character Traits and Motivations.  We will be comparing and contrasting characters and seeing how a character's traits and motivations can change over a story.  We will have a vocab test on Friday over the words from The Hot and Cold Summer (Lesson 1).

Spelling: Lesson 2.  Due to the short week the practice sheet and menu will all be due on Friday.  We will also have our test on Friday.  The students took a pretest today and should know what words they really need to study!

Religion:  We will finish up Chapter 1 this week and will have our first test on Thursday.  The test is open book but the students still need to look over the material

4th LA:  Types of Sentences

5th LA:  Types on sentences and they will be looking at an article all about stink bugs!

4th SS:  Chapter 1 Lessons 2 and 3.  Our test will be next Wednesday, September 16th.  That means the vocabulary will also be due on Wednesday, September 16th.

5th SS:  Chapter 1 Lessons 2 and 3.  The students will have their first test on Tuesday, September 15th and Wednesday, September 16th.  Multiple choice and vocab will be taken on Tuesday and the short response will be taken on Wednesday.  The test isn't long but I like them to have time to complete it and not feel rushed.  Chapter 1 vocab words are due on Tuesday, September 15th

New Way to Access Reading Book

Hi Everyone!

We are always finding ways to make life a little easier! We hope.... :)  Through our searches we came across another version of our reading book, StoryTown, online.  This link below has the whole book online and, to us, looks a lot easier to use.  We have not tried the link on an iPad or tablet, but it looks promising.  Hope this works on your computers at home, it is working here at school!

We also updated the Reading Page above and added this link in:  Full Book

We made it through our first full week of school!  We are getting there and still organizing ourselves and getting use to switching classes and knowing what to bring home for homework.  We will update the students and you via Teacherease of any missing assignments ASAP.

Have a great Labor Day weekend,

Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter

Week of August 31st

Good Morning!

This week the students will learn about the band program at SJS.  Everyone will get to try a few instruments out on Wednesday and if they would like to sign up our band director will be here Thursday evening or you can sign up online.  Students will be bringing home information.

Thank you for going out and getting an extra folder for Spanish/Computers.  We think we have everything just about organized!

We will see everyone at Curriculum Night tonight- starts at 6:30.

This week in...

Reading: Mighty Jackie.  Vocab due Thursday and we will have a test over Mighty Jackie Story and Vocab on Friday.

Spelling; lesson 1. Spelling practice sheet due Thursday.  Menu due Friday and test Friday

Religion: Chapter 1- Providence and God's Plan

4th LA: Four types of sentences

5th LA: Four types of sentences

4th SS:  Chapter 1- introduction to the regions of the United States.

5th SS:  Chapter 1- Life in the Western Hemisphere.  This chapter will explore ancient civilizations living in North and South America.

Welcome Fourth Graders!!!!!

We would like to welcome all of our Fourth Grade students and families to our blog!  We all survived our first week and it was great to get to know our new fourth graders!

We had a very busy first week learning most of our procedures and we even started switching classes on the second day of school.  It seems that we have a great group who enjoys learning and enjoys asking questions and adding comments- with their hands raised of course :)

We are looking forward to meeting everyone at curriculum night on September 1st.

Feel free to take a look around the blog- on the side there is a link to the 5th grade blog.  This is where you will be able to read information about 4th grade science and math.

Just a few reminders:

• Make sure to get book covers over the weekend.  We need four covers and they have to be JUMBO size!
• Each student needs a folder for Spanish and Computers.  We only need one folder- one side will be Spanish and the other side will be Computers.  Some students had an extra folder and some did not.
• If any forms needs to be returned to the office please send them with your student
• And don't forget we have GYM on Mondays and Tuesdays- bring your gym bags!  

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Rest up :)

Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter

Notes for Friday

Hi Everyone,

All 4th and 5th graders will have time to sign yearbooks tomorrow- please bring them if you have them!

Also tomorrow is our trip to Every Days a Sundae- if you haven't brought back the pink permission slip please do!

Week of May 25th

Good Morning!

Happy Tuesday!  We hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and Weekend.  We are back to enjoy our last few days of school!

If everyone could also check around their house and see if your students have any extra textbooks, independent reading books that belong to a classroom or our library, or anything at all that would be great.  If we could have anything extra in by Wednesday or Thursday that would be wonderful!

Don't forget a 1 inch binder (if you would like) to put our entire USA Tour in for a special keepsake!!

Social Studies West Region Tour letters and scrapbooks are due tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27!

In reading this week we will continue with Edward Tulane- He has gotten far on his journey and the students do not want to stop reading!  Unfortunately we will not have time for another vocab quiz- but we will continue to learn our words and they can tell you all about them at home!

There is no spelling this week!

Our class schedule will remain pretty normal this week until Friday.  On Friday we will have our last switches :( and turn in textbooks.  The students will also be taking a lot of items home this week.  We will stagger the items so their backpacks aren't heavy.

We will keep everyone updated with any new information!

Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter

End of the Week Notes

Good Afternoon!

Just some notes as we finish the week.

• Today in the students' Friday Folders they have a pink piece of paper for our excursion to Every Day's a Sundae- please return by next Friday
• Our West Region Letter is due Wednesday, May 27th in social studies
• Next Tuesday is the graduation mass for our 8th grader

Have a great weekend and we will see everyone on Tuesday!

Week of May 11th

Good Afternoon!

Happy VIP Week :)

We did get rained out for baseball today at Washington Park- we will try tomorrow.  We told the students to bring any sort of hoodie/jacket in case it is a little cold.

This week in...

Reading:  We will continue with Edward Tulane

Spelling:  Yes!  We do have a spelling lesson this week and it's a tough one!  The students received a packet today- it says Lesson 20 but we are calling it Lesson 31.  All of the words follow the "ie" or "ei" pattern.  Please study using Spelling City- Lesson 31

Religion:  We will finish family life and work on our Ten Commandment books

4th LA:  Pronouns

5th LA:  Adverb quiz Tuesday and then will start prepositions

4th SS:  West Tour- Keep bringing in 1 inch binders :)

5th SS:  Chapter 11 quest tomorrow (very short- review blue study guide).  Then we will start Chapter 12 and will complete "Chapter 12 In a Day"  the students will find out on Wednesday- no Chapter 12 test :)

Week of May 4th

Good Afternoon!

This week in...

Reading:  We are starting our 4th grade novel:  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.  One of Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter's favorite books- ever!  There will not be a lot of homework- maybe finishing a question from their packets once in a while.  The will have 3 vocab quizzes over these words (and they are challenging!) so make sure they are being studied at home.  The novel will be read in class and we are really hoping that the children will not get a copy of the book to read ahead at home.  Most of them have not read the story and it is such a great story full of suspense that we want them to be surprised and excited together!  Also if they read ahead they will not practice the skill of predicting that we will do in class because they will know what happens!  I am sure they will want you all to read the book s well when we are done :)

Spelling:  Lesson 30- Review Lesson

Religion:  Family Life Unit.  We will be discussing why rules are important, how to be healthy, why to get a goods night sleep, and how to handle emotions.

4th LA:  The students are working on a SURPRISE poem- if they need help maybe Dads can help them ;) but they shouldn't have a lot of questions

5th LA:  Adverb posters and starting prepositions

4th SS:  We are starting our West Tour.  The students can start to bring in a 1 inch binder of their choice to organize all of their letters from all of our tours in.  The binder can be any color and 1 inch is the perfect size to fit everything and it does not take up much space.

5th SS:  We will almost finish Chapter 11 this week.  We will have a QUEST sometime next week.  The blue study guide explains everything they should know.

Thursday Notes

Hi Everyone!

We had a busy afternoon today!  We had a lot of students in and out due to ensemble practice for VIP so we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page.

If your student needs a few extra days to complete the 2nd book report that is fine- turn in next week

Reading:  Tomorrow we have a reading test which is only the vocab words for Lesson 29 (John Muir) and a passage with four questions on figurative language.

Spelling:  Menu is due tomorrow but we will not be able to fit in a spelling test tomorrow.  We have St. Joseph the Worker prayer service tomorrow afternoon.  We will have our spelling test on Monday

Religion:  Chapter 8 test will be tomorrow.  If they didn't finish their Chapter  Review (p. 171) they need to complete it

Math:  The students have a math test tomorrow.  The only homework is to study quizzes, how to study sheet, and the Extra Credit in your PB

Science: NONE

LA:  They had a WS today but almost everyone finished

SS:  No homework today.  Tomorrow we will finish up lesson 3 notes and take our 4 question quiz.  Monday will be our Chapter 12 Quest- it is much shorter and only matching and multiple choice

Also progress reports will be going home in Friday Folders tomorrow :)

Week of April 27th

Good Morning!

Our last book order of the year is due this Thursday, April 30th.  If you would like to order flyers went home a couple of weeks ago or if you would like to order online you can, our class code is 1FQVA

Summer uniform starts this FRIDAY, MAY 1ST!  We will be reminding students about the correct socks... we have been noticing some colors peeking through our shoes, remember socks can be blue, black, or white.

This week in...

Reading:  John Muir (Our last textbook story!)  Vocab and Figurative Language test only on Friday.

Religion:  We will finish Chapter 8 this week, Open book test on Friday

Spelling:  Lesson 29

4th LA:  Pronouns

5th LA:  Adverbs

4th SS:  Chapter 12- the West.  Our test will be on Monday.  It is a shorter "quest" and the students have a blue study guide that will be very helpful.  I am not taking vocabulary for a grade but they still should know those 11 words- we came up with ideas on how to study them in class.

5th SS:  We will review Tuesday afternoon for Chapter 10 an our test will be Wednesday and Thursday

Week of April 20th

Good Evening,

This week has flown by!  Today in music class we combined all of the 4th graders to practice our songs for VIP and we were really impressed with their singing abilities- they are going to be great!

This week in...

Reading:  Today we had our test on The Bunyans.  We spent a lot of time discussing figurative language and will continue to do so.  For the rest of this week we are going to begin our vocabulary and  background knowledge for our last story in the textbook John Muir.   

Spelling:  Lesson 28 this week!

Religion:  The students need to finish their cards for Father John.  We will have our Pastor Appreciation Mass this coming Tuesday.  Cards are due on Friday.  We also are continuing to learn about Virtues- Charity and Hope in Chapter 8

4th LA: 

5th LA:

4th SS:  We are officially on the West!  We have begun reading Chapter 12 in our textbooks.  For Chapter 12 there will be NO vocabulary due but the students saw that there is a suggested list of 11 words to know for our test.  We discussed many ways that the students could study these words.  We came to the conclusion that just because we are not getting a grade for writing out the vocabulary words doesn't mean that we can't do that- it is still a great way to study!  Our Chapter 12 test will either be late next week or very early the week after next.  Our Southwest Letters and Scrapbook pages are due Thursday, April 23rd.

5th SS:  We are in lesson 3 of Chapter 10.  We have taken a lot of notes and completed a graphic organizer on the three branches of government.  Our Chapter 10 test will probably be Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday of next week. 

Week of April 13th

Good Afternoon!

This week we will practice a lock down drill with the Downers Grove Police Department.  It is scheduled for Thursday.

Also this week we have Mrs. Waterman in to our class from the Downers Grove Township.  She is leading a program called Bully Busters and we will be learning about the skill of empathy.  There is no homework for this class!  But they need to bring their packet and name card to her class everyday- no leaving it at home!!

This week in...

Reading:  The Bunyans.  One of our favorite stories :)  Our test will be next week (possibly Tuesday or Wednesday).  Also we will continue to work on our Burmese Python extended responses.  We will edit them in school and our final copies will be due on Monday 4/20.  We hope the students shared this project with you- they had some very advanced writing going on :))))

Religion:  We will begin Chapter 8 this week

Spelling:  Lesson 27, wkbk pages due Thursday.  Menu and Test Friday

4th LA: Working on Personal Narratives

5th LA: Finishing personal narrative and beginning adverbs

4th SS:  We will finish up notes for our last stop and complete the summary.  Letters for the Southwest Tour will be due on 4/23.  We will be starting

5th SS:  Continuing in Chapter 10 Lesson 2 and we may start lesson 3 this week but we have a lot of material to cover in lesson 2!

Friday Folders

Good Afternoon,

4th grade will not be sending home Friday Folders today.  We have 2 papers and both grades are on teacherease.  We will send them home next week.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Week of April 6th

Welcome back!! Abraham Lincoln (our 4th grade friend) is very excited to be back in the classroom! He can't wait to learn :)

We hope everyone had a nice break and a wonderful Easter.  We have just a short time left and we have lots to do!

There is a book report due this Friday, the book report sheets went home in the Friday Folder right before break.

This week in...

Reading: we are completing an extended response this week. We have a pretty cool, but challenging, topic.  Don't worry most of this will be done in class. We pick the text apart and really try to understand what the author is trying to tell us.  Our topic this week is on the Burmese Python and how it has taken over the Everglades. Tonight's homework is to finish reading the article "Snakes on the Glades" and circling interesting words-comprehension is not critical tonight, it will be comprehended  tomorrow!

Religion: chapter 7 test on Friday 

Spelling: lesson 26- wkbk, menu, and test all due/taken on Friday 

4th LA: quiz on comparative and superlative adjectives Friday

5th LA: quiz on Thursday over pronoun agreement and possessive pronouns 

4th SS: southwest region tour, we will finish the tour next week, letters and scrapbook pages will be due on April 23rd

5th SS: we will start chapter 10.  Mostly about the constitution, so it is a big topic.  We should be reviewing notes every night  once we get started tomorrow! 

Week of March 23rd

Good Morning!

At least the snow today wasn't the first day of spring break!  Fingers crossed for beautiful weather for next week :) 

Report cards will be going home on Thursday which means we are officially in the 4th quarter!

This week in...

Reading:  We will read Dragons and Dinos this week.  On Friday we will take a vocabulary test over this week's vocab and a quick test on the skill which is Main Idea and Details.

Spelling:  No spelling this week!!!

Religion:  We will discuss Easter and continue in chapter 7

4th LA: Comparing good and bad, better and worse.  Also writing a letter and addressing an envelope

5th LA: Pronouns

4th SS:  We will begin our Southwest tour this week!  We will not finish it before break :(  But that is okay, maybe over break the students can work on the scrapbook pages for as far as we get

5th SS:  We will finish the American Revolutionary War this week and Chapter 9.  The 5th graders will be receiving a take home test on Friday to complete at home.  If your student will not be here on Friday please send an email if you haven't already!  I do not want them to miss the test :)

Week of March 16th

Good Morning!

The students did such a great job on Friday reading and acting out the Stations of the Cross.  They were excellent!

We will have Mass on Thursday of this week to celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph.

This week in...

Reading:  Mangrove Wilderness.  Test Friday

Spelling:  Review lesson 25

Religion:  Chapter 7 and we will learn about St. Patrick and St. Joseph this week

4th LA:  Starting pronouns- no quizzes this week

5th LA:  Starting pronouns- no quizzes this week

4th SS:  We will complete our diocesan assessment this week.  On Thursday we will start out Southwest Region Tour!

5th SS:  Chapter 9.  We will find out how the war ends and spend some time learning about the Declaration of Independence.    We will have a test next week- Wednesday/Thursday or Thursday/Friday

3rd Book Report

Hi Everyone,

Since this was such a busy week, we are extending the deadline for the book report until Wednesday, March 18th.  If your student finishes the book report early please have them turn it in!

Mid Week Notes 3/11

Good Afternoon!

Let's hope that this weather stays around- outside recess has been soooooooo great!

Just a few notes/reminders:

Reading test this week will be on Friday.  We are only taking the vocab and the main idea and detail section.  We did read the story but it was more for information to help us learn more about the Grand Canyon

Religion:  We will have an open book Chapter 6 test on Friday

4th SS:  Our Chapter 10 test is tomorrow (Thursday)!  Study blue study guides, lesson quizzes, and worksheets!

Also 4th and 5th grade will be leading stations this Friday, the 13th in the church at 1:15.  Everyone has a speaking or "acting" part.  We practiced on Tuesday and will practice again on Thursday.  If you are able to attend on Friday please join us!

This Sunday (3/15) at the 9 AM mass at St. Joe's is 3rd and 4th grade mass with my class. 

Thank you for all the donations for our Lent Food/Personal Item Drive and for the 2nd grade brownie troop!

Week of 3/2 and 3/9

Good Morning!

Next week- Friday, March 13th, the 4th and 5th graders will be leading stations in the church at 1:15.  Everyone will have a speaking part or an "acting" part.

This and Next week in....

Reading:  We will take our test on The Cricket in Times Square on Friday.  Next week we will be reading the Grand Canyon.

Spelling:  This week Lesson 23; next week Lesson 24

Religion:  Chapter 6- choices and consequences

4th LA: Comparative and superlative adjectives and beginning to think about the diocesan narrative writing

5th LA:  We started pronouns this week, next Wednesday there will be a quiz

4th SS:  We will have a test next week on Chapter 10.  Tentatively scheduled for Thursday

5th SS:  Our Chapter 8 test will be Monday and Tuesday of next week.  On Wednesday we will start Chapter 9.  Their journal projects will be due Tuesday, March 17th.

Week of February 23rd

Good Morning!

Remember no school on Friday!

This week in...

Reading:  We will finish Winn Dixie this week.  Our test will be on Wednesday.  On Thursday in reading we will enjoy a Scholastic News

Spelling:  Lesson 22- Workbook, Menu, and Test all due on Thursday

Religion:  Lent activities and Chapter 6

4th LA:  Adjectives, quiz on Thursday

5th LA:  Diocesan Writing Assessment

4th SS:  We will finish our IL unit this week.  We will have a test on Thursday.  Study guides went home early last week

5th SS:  Keep working on your journals!  This week we will read and review Chapter 8 Lesson 2

Week of February 16th

Good Morning!

Don't forget to bring in box tops- the entire 4th grade could win an out of uniform day!

This week in...

Reading:  Because of Winn Dixie (excerpt).  Our reading test will be next week (Wednesday?)

Religion:  Lent activities and Chapter 6

Spelling:  Lesson 21- workbook, menu, and test will be due and taken on Friday

4th LA:  Adjectives

5th LA:  Adjectives and quiz on Thursday

4th SS:  IL unit.  There will be a packet of information we will be working out of.  There will be a test at the end.  Study guides will go home today.

5th SS:  Unit 4:  The Road to War.  We will be starting Chapter 8 where we will learn what made the colonists so angry with Britain.  Chapter 8 Lesson 3 will begin the American Revolutionary War.  We have a side project that the students will be working on individually while we read Chapter 8.  Information will go home today.  

Week of February 9th

Good Evening!

We will not have a Valentines Day party on Friday at school but we will give the students some time to pass out Valentines to their class, if they choose to. Only rule is they need to have enough for every member in their classroom only- they don't need to bring in something for the entire 4th grade!  There are 27 students in Mrs. Carbone's room and 26 students in Miss Winter's room. 

This week in...

Reading: the rest of the week will be spent working on our famous person fact and opinion flip book.  

Spelling: lesson 20- review lesson

Religion: chapter 5 test on Wednesday. 

4th LA: they will complete their diocesan writing assignment 

5th LA: working on comparative and superlative adjectives and will have a quiz on Friday 

4th SS: we will finish our Midwest tour this week on Wednesday! Thursday and Friday will be spent reviewing some map skills.  The Midwest letter and scrapbook will be due in Tuesday, February 17th. Next week we will start our IL unit :)

5th SS:  we will take our chapter 7 test this week on Thursday and Friday. Next week we will start Chapter 8 and learn why the British Colonists get angry at Britain 

Week of February 2nd

Good Morning!

Each student will need a biography book on a famous person of their choice.  We recommend a picture book type so they can easily read it and look at the pictures and the captions.  They will need to be pulling facts out of the text so a longer text might be harder to find.  They will need their book by Tuesday- maybe a trip to the library this weekend!

This week in...

Reading:  Juan Verdades: The Man who Couldn't Tell a Lie.  One of our favorites!  We will take the test on Juan next Monday.  It is a longer story so it will take us some time to get through.

Spelling:  Lesson 19 Menu, Wkbk, and Test will all be due Friday

Religion:  Chapter 5:  Community and Trinity

4th LA:  Persuasive essays

5th LA: Working on Adjectives

4th SS:  Midwest Region Tour!!

5th SS:  Chapter 7- The French and Indian War

*Sorry this took a few days to get up- blogger kicked us out of our accounts!! 

Week of January 26th

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

We had such a fun, bright day today! Remember uniforms tomorrow with crazy socks.  We can also wear crazy hats after Mass :)

This week in...

Reading:  Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life.  We will have a test on Friday

Spelling:  Lesson 18.  Workbook due Thursday.  Test and Menu due Friday

Religion:  Chapter 5- The Trinity

4th LA:  We will finish verbs and begin adjectives this week.  We will also begin persuasive writing

5th LA:  We will have a quiz on adjectives on Wednesday

4th SS:  We will have a Chapter 8 test on Tuesday.  The rest of the week will be beginning our region tour of the Midwest!

5th SS:  We will have an open note chapter 6 multiple choice test on Wednesday.  On Thursday we will begin Chapter 7.  Chapter 7 sets the stage for the American Revolutionary War.  We find out what France and Spain are doing at this time in terms of expansion and we learn about the French and Indian War. 

Week of January 12th

Good Morning!

This week in...

Reading:  So You Want to Be an Inventor.  The skill is fact and opinion which can be tricky as we gain grade levels.  We will be practicing our skill a lot this week.  Due to timing, we are going to give this test as a take home.  The students will receive it Thursday and it is due Friday.

Spelling:  Lesson 16

Religion:  We are discussing human dignity, soul, and God's image.  We looked at good ways that we can show God's image through us.  Later this week we will discuss sin and what that does to our image.

There is a great life insurance commercial from Thailand that shows a man portraying God's image in his everyday life. Here is the link:  Unsung Hero -some of the 4th graders may have been talking about it last night!

4th LA: Quiz on Friday

5th LA:  Persuasive essays

4th SS:  Chapter 8 lesson 2 and our graphing skill on bar graphs

5th SS:  Presentations Monday and Tuesday in Mrs. Stillo's room.  On Wednesday we will continue with Chapter 6.

Assignment/Project Update

Hi Everyone!

We just wanted to give an update on what is due when:

Social Studies:  Southeast Letter and Scrapbook pages are due on Monday 1/12

Spelling:  Menu, Test, and Workbook will be due Monday 1/12

Writing:  A few students need to finish their Catholic School Importance/What I like about St. Joe's/History and Interview papers.  They were told they are due on Monday 1/12

Reading: Test on So You Want to be an Inventor will be on Thursday 1/15

Math:  They did receive PB and SE work today

LA:  They had homework today (a lot finished)

We think that is it!  They did a great job today getting back in the routine- they are pros now!

Have a great weekend :)

Mrs. Carbone and Miss Winter

Update to the week

Hi 4th grade families!

We will not take a spelling test or reading test this week.  Spelling workbook and test will be due on Monday.  

We will be rearranging our reading schedule to take the test on So you Want to be an Inventor on Thursday of next week. Hope this helps and hope everyone is staying safe and warm! 

Week of January 5th

Welcome back!  We hope everyone had a nice and relaxing break!  And now we brace for the cold weather this week!

Mr. Baldwin is teaching a tennis unit for the next couple of weeks and if the students would like to bring in their tennis racket from home that would be fine.  If there is a way to put a piece of masking tape or initials on the racket that would be most helpful- they will stay in the classrooms but sometimes we end up with some at the end that no longer have a home and it's like they walked in to the classroom themselves!

Mrs. Porcelli, our picture mom, has done a fabulous job with the 4th grade bulletin board outside of the gym!  If you get a chance stop by and see the 4th graders "TOASTin" in the new year!

We are going to begin a vocabulary program with the 4th graders.  They will need a folder- any color, design, pattern.  Some have extra folders here so we will check and then they will know what they need.

This week in...

Reading:  So You Want to Be an Inventor.  Test Friday

Spelling:  Lesson 15- Review lesson.  Wkbk due Thursday, Menu and Test- Friday

Religion:  Epiphany and Chapter 4.  Chapter 4 test next week

4th LA: Working on helping and linking verbs

5th LA: Working on possessive persuasive essay

4th SS:  Chapter 8- The Land and Water of the Midwest

5th SS:  Native American projects are due Friday with the exception of the PowerPoint which will be due on either Monday or Tuesday depending on their presentation day.  We will be deciding the order TODAY and I will send a Teacher Ease message out.  Tuesday and Wednesday we will be starting Chapter 6, Thursday will be their last in class work day, Friday are their practice presentations, and Monday and Tuesday of next week will be their final presentations.  I am very excited to see the final projects and presentations- I know they have been working hard!