Adam's Angels & Porter's Platoon

What's Next In Language Arts?

The focus for the next nine weeks in Reading and Language Arts is an Author Study and Persuasive Writing. 

Persuasive Essay 

Essential Question

How do I convince you?

Author Study 

Essential Question

How do I read and understand the work of a particular author?

Use the information you gathered about this author and your knowledge of persuasive essay to convince the committee to award this author.

 

Coming Up In Math

Dear Parents:

The objectives listed below will be used to lead your child to mastery of the concepts covered in the 4th Nine Weeks Unit of study. 

Decimals (through hundredths)

• Model multiplication and division of decimals by whole numbers
• Multiply and divide 1-digit and 2-digit decimals by whole numbers
• Compute using commutative, associative, distributive property
• Mental math and estimation/determine reasonableness

Algebra

• Represent unknowns using symbols such as □ and ∆

• Write and evaluate mathematical expressions using symbols
• Understand and apply patterns and rules to describe relationships and solve problems

Data

• Represent data (bar graph, pictograph, line graph)
• Compare a given set of data using different types of graphs
• Identify missing information and duplication in data

Geometry: 3-D figures and the Coordinate System

• Compare and contrast cubes and rectangular prisms
• Understand faces, edges, vertices
• Describe parallel and perpendicular lines in connection with rectangular prisms
• Construct/collect models of solid geometric figures to include cubes, cylinders, and prisms
• Understand and apply ordered pairs in the first quadrant
• Locate a point in the first quadrant and name the ordered pair
• Graph ordered pairs in the first quadrant

Here are some suggestions as to what you can do at home to help your child:

                                                     

Multiplication and division of decimals by whole numbers can be practiced using money story problems: 

If Jim works 8 hours at $5.56 per hour, how much will he earn?

Lee was paid $240 for 5 days of work.  He worked 8 hours each day.  How much does he earn per hour?

To practice problem solving skills, use a map with a distance key to plan a simple route to an interesting location or vacation site.  Estimate the distance to the destination using the map.  Estimate how long it will take to travel each way at an average speed of 50 miles per hour. Plan a travel budget including the cost of a motel, meals, admissions and souvenirs.

Help your child investigate mean, mode, median, and range using quiz grades.

Jules has taken 5 quizzes in math.  Her scores are 98%, 89%, 79%, 86%, and 90%. Find the median (the number in the middle if you list the scores least to greatest) and range (the distance between the lowest and the highest score) of her quizzes.  What is the mean (average) score?

Do the same with Tim’s scores: 89%, 83%, 59%, 79% and 82%.  And Amy’s scores:  78% 99%, 89%, 79% and 93%.

What is the mode (the number that occurs most often) of these test scores?

Plan a party together for a family of 4.  Using the following information estimate and then calculate the cost of the party supplies.  Then calculate the cost per guest.

Paper plates	12 for $1.98
Paper cups	8 for $1.50
Lg. Pizza serves 8	$ 7.99
2 liters of soda  serves 6	$ .99
½ gallon of ice cream – serves 4	$ 3.50

Now, plan a party for a class of 20 using the same information.

To help your child continue understanding of the coordinate system, play the following game together.

Grid Search

Materials: Grid paper

               2 red pens and 2 blue or black pens

Each player draws two grids, label the vertical axis and the horizontal axis on both grids (see example).

Step 1  Players sit so that neither player can see what the other player is doing.  

            Each player secretly marks one point in red on grid 1.  These are the “hidden”   

            points.

Step 2  Player 1 guesses the location of Player 2’s hidden point by naming an

            ordered pair. For example, to name (1,3), a player would say, “1 comma 3”.

Step 3  If Player 2’s hidden point is at that location, Player 2 wins.

If the hidden point is not at that location, Player 2 marks the guess in blue or black on his or her Grid 1.  Player 2 counts the least number of “square sides” needed to travel from the hidden point to the guessed point and tells the number to Player 1.

Step 4  Repeat steps with Player 2 guessing and Player 1    

            answering.

Step 5  The first player to identify the other player’s hidden

            point wins. 

Alternative version:  “Battleship” ©

  

English/Language Arts Instructional Materials Review March 9-27

Cobb County School District is offering citizens an opportunity to review textbooks and materials being considered for use in K-8 English/Language Arts.

The K-8 English/Language Arts textbooks and materials will be available for public review from March 9th through March 27th, 2009. Review of materials will take place at the Central Administrative building, 514 Glover Street in Marietta during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Let's Get Fit

Dowell Health and Fitness Night

Do you want to become healthier and fit? Well, now is your chance. Dowell is having its first ever Health and Fitness Night on March 20th.  Many businesses will be providing important information on health and fitness. Gold's Gym, the Kennesaw State University Physical Education Department and Dowell students will be here providing several fun activities. Healthy snacks and water will be available for purchase to support our Relay for Life team. So bring the family for a night full of fun and fitness!

Career Awareness

Attention Parents!!  March has been designated as "Career Awareness Month".  The Professional School counseling staff will be focusing on careers in March through classroom guidance.  We would like to provide a "career resource list" for our teachers.  Please let your child's teacher know if you are willing to share your career with our students.  The teacher will contact you and schedule a time for you to speak to their class.  We are also planning a "Career on Wheels" for grades 2-5 for March 31.  If you are interested in participating, please let your child's teacher know.  Grades  K-1st will also have appropriate activities planned.

"Read In" Hosted by Cobb Public Library

Cobb Public Library hosts African American authors 'read-in'

In celebration of Black History Month and African American authors, the Cobb Public Library System will participate in the 20th National African American Read-In. Main activities will be held 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, at South Cobb Regional Library. The event will open with a family storytime, including special activities for children 5 and older such as singing songs and enjoying literature written by Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni. Deane Bonner, president of the Cobb County chapter of the NAACP, will be the keynote speaker at 3 p.m. Following her presentation, attendees are invited to stay for refreshments and join the read-in at 4 p.m. The read-in provides a chance for community members to support literacy and recognize contributions made by African American authors.

Stratton Library in Marietta hosts an African American authors book club that meets every second Monday at 7 p.m. while the Powder Springs book club is held every Monday at 7 p.m. Stratton Library will host a special book discussion led by award-winning local author Margaret Johnson-Hodge 7 p.m., Monday,
Feb. 9. She will discuss her newest book, "Red Light, Green Light." No registration is required for this free program. For more information, visit www.cobbcounty.org/Library.

It's A New Year

It's hard to believe that we are in the second half of the school year! With the second half of the year brings the CRCT, and we will be working hard for the next three and a half months to prepare for it!  Below is the link to the student CRCT study guide from the Georgia Department of Education. Please review this with your child as the questions are a great review and will help your child tremendously.   Please be aware that it is 80 pages if you are going to print it!

http://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/CRCT%20Grade%204%20Study%20Guide.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F69F3F3B7C035D484DCF6100C77230D37B54CA9BB2AE13053E&Type=D

These 9 weeks we will work with decimals, fractions, and weight in Math.  In Language Arts, we will study informational texts and informational writing.

Students will be dismissed 2 hours early the week of January 26 - 30th to allow for parent teacher conferences in the afternoon.   You should have received a conference form from your child with the conference date and time on it. 

Below are some great ways to help your child at home!

Read with your child each night and discuss what was read.

Check your child's agenda each night and go over any homework that was assigned.

Go over work that is sent home.

Practice double-digit multiplication problems and long division problems as these are two of the most important and most difficult skills learned this year.

Practice math word problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Study multiplication facts. ALL students need to know all of the multiplication facts 0-12.

Here is a website for a game that practices multiplication:

http://www.bigbrainz.com/index.php

There is an online version of the School Improvement Plan Survey open to ALL families.  Parents may go to 

http://www.cobbk12.org/sisurvey/ 

Remember, we welcome donations of healthy snacks and tissue at all times.  Thank you for your participation in PTA.  If you have not joined PTA, there is still time to join.

~Thank you for your continued support!  Please contact us should you have any questions!

http://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/CRCT%20Grade%204%20Study%20Guide.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F69F3F3B7C035D484DCF6100C77230D37B54CA9BB2AE13053E&Type=D

These 9 weeks we will work with decimals, fractions, and weight in Math.  In Language Arts, we will study informational texts and informational writing.

Students will be dismissed 2 hours early the week of January 26 - 30th to allow for parent teacher conferences in the afternoon.   You should have received a conference form from your child with the conference date and time on it. 

Below are some great ways to help your child at home!

Read with your child each night and discuss what was read.

Check your child's agenda each night and go over any homework that was assigned.

Go over work that is sent home.

Practice double-digit multiplication problems and long division problems as these are two of the most important and most difficult skills learned this year.

Practice math word problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Study multiplication facts. ALL students need to know all of the multiplication facts 0-12.

Here is a website for a game that practices multiplication:

http://www.bigbrainz.com/index.php

There is an online version of the School Improvement Plan Survey open to ALL families.  Parents may go to 

http://www.cobbk12.org/sisurvey/ 

Remember, we welcome donations of healthy snacks and tissue at all times.  Thank you for your participation in PTA.  If you have not joined PTA, there is still time to join.

~Thank you for your continued support!  Please contact us should you have any questions!

2nd Nine Weeks

End of One Period

The first nine weeks are over and we're into the second nine weeks.  Report cards went home on Friday.

We began the 2nd nine weeks period with an exciting field trip to Red Top Mountian.  Students, as a preview to the unit on the colonists, saw how the pioneers lived and played.

Topics of Study

• Math: Long Division and Ordered Pairs
• Language Arts: Traditional Literature and Response to Literature
• Social Studies: Early Americans and Explorers
• Science: Weather, Forces and Motion, and Light

Continue to practice multiplication facts and to read 30 minutes every night.

Upcoming Events

Check out Our Classroom Calendar on the left side of the page for upcoming events.

Student Holiday -- November 4

High-Touch High Tech, an in-house field trip is scheduled for 11/6-7.  The cost is $8 for an exciting hands on experience with an upcoming science topic, light.

Please Help!

Our class is in need of healthy snacks.  Please send in a box of Cheerios, Kix, or other healthy cereals.  Other healthy snacks we would greatly appreciate are crackers (Ritz, Saltines, Club), Goldfish, pretzels, or Chex Mix.

Busy Month

September has been a busy month.  We have had Cobb County Firefighters presenting Fire Safety.  Next week is our last week of Fire Safety.  Be sure that all assignments have been completed in the workbook in order to participate when the fire trucks visit.

Mrs. Gobbi has been with our class this week for guided reading.  We really enjoyed it!  She worked with us on how to summarize.  We will continue narrative reading and comprehension.

Fall Festival is Friday, September 26.  PTA will host our annual Fall Festival here at the school.  There will be all kinds of fun, and food. Also, we will have a fitness night along with the fall festival. There will be PE student teachers from Kennesaw State University who will do fun activities with the students.   Gold's Gym and Wellstar will have representatives in attendance.  It is going to be an exciting evening for everyone!

Please consider joining PTA.  It is only $5.00 and the PTA has wonderful benefits for you and our school.

Why Join PTA:

--Get Connected:  Know what’s happening in your school.

--Discover Great Resources:  PTA offers various programs designed for both parents and students.

--Tap into a Network: Great way to share ideas, concerns and experiences with other parents and teachers.

--Watch Yourself Grow: you gain valuable experiences and put your skills and hobbies to good use by volunteering.

--Witness Improvement:  Be part of the solution and help make positive changes in your school and community.

--Be a Role Model: You’ll be demonstrating to your child the importance you place on education.

PTA Membership Benefits:

--Alliance Theatre: 20% Discount

-- Atlanta History Center: 10% Discount

-- Atlanta Spirit: Various Discounts through the year

--Chattahoochee Nature Center: 10% off Family Membership

--Fernbank:  10% Discount on Membership

--Georgia Force:  Promotes Family involvement

--HoneyBaked Ham:  10% Discount

--Zoo Atlanta: $10 off Memberships

--Barnesandnoble.com:  5% off online Purchases

-- Liberty Mutual:  Special Group Rate Discounts

--Sharp Electronics Corporation:  Special Purchse Opportunities

--Southwest Airlines Vacations:  5% Savings of Vacation Packages

--T-Mobile:  Special Discounts on Selected Promotional devices& Monthly discounts

Hats off to those who donated playground balls and healthy snacks.  Donation of any items are appreciated.  Thank you to our volunteers who have been busy copying and helping out in the school.

Topics of Study

• Math: Estimation, Problem Solving, and Multi-digit multiplication
• Language Arts: Narrative reading and comprehension strategies; Narrative writing
• Social Studies: U. S. Regions and Early Americans
• Science: Scientific Method and Weather

Upcoming Events

Check out Our Classroom Calendar on the left side of the page for upcoming events.

Fall Festival is Friday, 9/26.

   

Math Night at Publix on Dallas Highway is October 9th.

Please check and sign the agenda everyday. 

Assessments Are Done

It has been a "testing" two weeks!  We have completed assessments for reading, language arts, and math.  The students put forth their best efforts.  The assessments are used to guide instruction.

The children were excited about our first writing activity--a friendly letter.  They read USA Olympic wrestler Ben Askren's blog and wrote a letter to him.  Unfortunately, Ben did not earn a medal.

The classroom rules and rountines are in place.  We have spent the first weeks on learning the classroom and school expectations.  The students have done well.  This week, we will begin using the check registers to track earning/deductions.  Money may be spent on Market Day at the end of the nine weeks.  If you have any extra check registers that you can donate to the class, it would be helpful.

A huge thank you to all for providing needed school supplies.  Also, the donations of snacks and playground equipment are greatly appreciated.

Topics of Study

• Math: Place Value & Number Sense; Add & Subtract Whole Numbers
• Reading: Narrative reading; reading strategies
• Writing: Narrative writing; writing process
• Social Studies: Our Land and First People
• Science: Scientific Method and Weather

Upcoming Events

• Mellow Mushroom Pizza Night--August 27
• Holiday--September 1
• Picture Day--Wednesday, September 3
• Breakfast of Champions
• Fire Safety--September 9, 11, 18, 19, 23, & 25
• Early Release--September 16 Student dismissed at 12:20
• PTA Fall Festival

Please check and sign the agenda everyday.