Month: April 2019

We finished Number the Stars, last week…and WOW! What an amazing novel. If you haven’t heard yet…you better ask somebody! 😀 Seriously though…have a chat with your child about this book if you haven’t as yet. Get him/her to recall important events and summarize for you…being sure to point out a overall favourite part!

Also, ask your child how we recreated part of the novel and who played a Nazi solider! Have a look at the photo below and tell me if we did a good of hiding the Jews! 😀

Yay! We’ve made it to the end of another term. Congratulations!

For literacy, I’m sending home two Terra Nova booklets for your child to work on over the break. This is not mandatory, but with Terra Nova testing quickly approaching, it may help not only to keep those cobwebs away during our no-school days…but can also help to keep him/her occupied and off those tablets and iPads for a little.

Please also have have your child commit at least 30 minutes to reading every day. Either you reading to him/her, or him/her reading to you. Never underestimate the power of reading. 🙂

I believe that’s it for now. Please do enjoy your break…everyone has certainly earned it and we definitely have so much to be thankful for this Easter…the top being that Jesus died and rose again. 🙂

As a way for students to review some topics in math they had to go ‘hunting’ with their groups to solve math problems. Everyone did a great job searching for their eggs and working together to solve the problems! There were even some special golden eggs! Here are some photos of our afternoon (:

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Literacy:    

• Students are finishing their Fictional Narrative this week and plan to complete with final pieces by Wednesday. Please check that your child is completing their work and proofreading. 
• Students will be finishing Number the Stars this week! So they will begin a book review in class. 
• Spelling: Students were given spelling words this week, please be sure to review and study!

Numeracy:

• Students are finishing their study on elapsed time and then take a test on converting time and solving practical time word problems.
• We are reviewing previous topics covered in Numeracy and will be completing a packet for homework the next couple of weeks.
• Continue to challenge your child outside of school, by having them estimate how long it’s taken for activities to be, will be or learn to manage their time and how they organize themselves within that period.  

Science:

• Students are finishing their study on Earth’s Resources and reviewing their vocabulary, diagrams, bodies of water and characteristics.  

Homework/Terra Nova Prep

• Numeracy: Review packet that started on Monday. Students will do a section each night and bring to class the next day for review. If they do not finish, then the homework policy will continue by writing their name in the black book and finish at break. It is important that they review methods and read questions carefully.
• Literacy: Terra Nova practice packet to complete and review each day. 
• Literacy: Fictional Narrative, due Wednesday at the latest!

Tests

• Numeracy: Wednesday on ‘Time’  (elapsed time, word problems and converting time) 
• Science: Thursday on Earth’s Resources (minerals, rocks, natural and human-made resources, watershed and bodies of water)
• Spelling test: Friday 
• Social Studies: NEXT WEEK open book test on Monday and Wednesday. 

Bible Verses 

Can you believe it’s already that time of year?! We are approaching term 3 and that means testing. This can be a positive or negative experience for students. We really hope that students use this as an encouraging time and build skills in comprehension, test taking, endurance and slowing down. 

We’ve sent out a letter giving tips and reminders about testing, but here is another space to check out for reminders and ideas for testing week. 

April 2, 2019

Dear Parents,

As you are aware, First Baptist Christian School will be administering the ACSI edition of the TerraNova Third Edition Achievement Test starting on May 6th-10th, in grades K-6. In preparation for this, each week Grade 4 has been reviewing concepts and completing practice papers in the classroom, which will help to better prepare your child to complete the TerraNova. Please be on the lookout for any completed papers that your child will bring home. During the TerraNova Week, your child will be tested on the following:

• Reading
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Vocabulary

• Language Mechanics
• Spelling
• Mathematics Computation
• Bible
• Sequences
• Analogies
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Verbal Reasoning – Words
• Verbal Reasoning – Context

Often times, with testing comes anxiety or apprehension. To help make this week easier, we test only in the mornings, leaving the afternoon free for some lighter schoolwork or revision time. As a parent, you can also help by providing a healthy breakfast before school and assure an early and good night’s sleep. It is very important to remember that standardized testing is only one indicator of your child’s ability. Other assessments, homework, and projects are all vital ways of determining the growth of your child.  
I am also attaching some test taking tips for you to review with your child, before the TerraNova testing week.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. 
Sincerely,

Mrs. Jorge and Ms. Suckoo

Last-Minute Tips 

It’s that time of year again. Kids are sharpening their #2 pencils and sweating in nervous anticipation. Whether your child has a standardized test coming up in a few days or a few weeks, these last-minute, test-prep tips and strategies will help him relax and do his best. 

How to Prepare 

Remember, your child’s teacher has most likely been doing some test preparation in school, so don’t worry — your goal is not to cram a year’s worth of learning into a few days, but to familiarize your child with the test. At this point in the test-prep game, the most you can really do at home is help your child become familiar with the format of the test he’s going to take and prepare for the day. Here are some prep activities you can try: –  Buy a practice book or download some practice tests that imitates the actual test as closely as possible. Most practice books indicate which tests they imitate on their covers. –  Have your child take one or more of the timed practice tests in the book so that she becomes comfortable with the length and design of the actual test. –  Go over the answers with your child. If time and patience allow, go over all the answers — right and wrong. Have your child review some of the questions so he understands why he got the question right, or what he needs to do to get it right the next time. 

–  Look for weak spots in your child’s test and then concentrate on those areas in the test prep book. 

If your child’s test is less than a week away, forgo reviewing his answers in detail and concentrate on helping him learn some test-taking strategies. 

Test-Taking Strategies 

Here are the answers to kids’ most common questions about test-taking strategies: 

Q: Should I guess if I don’t know the answer? 

A: In many cases, the answer is yes. Most tests don’t take off points for answering incorrectly; they just don’t add any! However, there are tests that do penalize students for giving a wrong answer. One such test is the SAT1 College Boards. 

If you aren’t sure about whether this applies to your child’s test, ask her teacher, school counselor, or principal. It’s a good idea to know this before the test is given and to make sure your child knows as well. 

Q: What should I do if I’m stuck on a question? 

A: Skip it. Your child can always return to the question once he’s answered those he’s more sure about. But advise your child to be careful about filling in the answer sheet. It may seem obvious to skip that line on the answer sheet when you skip the question, but in the more intense atmosphere of a testing situation, it’s easy to forget to do this. 

Q: How can I avoid skipping a line on the answer sheet? 

A: Too often, kids find themselves at the end of a test, with two or three answer choices left to fill in on the answer sheet! It can be a nightmare for kids to go back and see where they went wrong, while keeping an eye on the ticking clock. 

Here’s how your child can avoid this situation: If your child is given blank pieces of paper to use as scrap, she can use the straight edge of one of those papers to keep her place on the answer sheet. Have her practice bubbling in an answer sheet before the test, so she can get used to moving the paper down a line with every question answered. If your child is not given scrap paper, she can use her extra (unsharpened) pencil to perform the same task. 

Easing Pre-Test Jitters 

It’s normal for kids to get nervous before a significant test. This is actually a good thing. That adrenaline boost can be helpful, but it can be hard to obtain and maintain that perfect level of nervousness. If your child is overly worried in your opinion, try these tips: 

Reassure your child

Tell your child that the test will be used to evaluate how well a school or school district is educating its students. It’s important for kids to have a sense of the broader context. 

Put the test in perspective

Explain that test scores are looked at along with many other pieces of information in determining your child’s achievement level. Her grades and progress over time, for example, are also very important. This may be a big test, but it is still just one test! 

Take a deep breath

If your child is a very nervous test-taker, have her do deep breathing exercises before the test. She can take a deep breath and count to ten. Then have her take shorter deep breaths in between passages or sections of the test — counting to three only. This exercise is fast and simple, but it really works! 

Discuss what to expect

Go over with your child when and where the test will be given. Make sure she knows what will generally be covered on the test and roughly how long it will take to finish it. Your child’s school will probably send home a letter before the test with much of this information. 

Make sure he gets his rest

Make sure your child will be comfortable and alert on the day of the test. He should get a good night’s sleep the night before and a light breakfast the morning of the test. (A heavy breakfast can make you sleepy.) 

Send a Sweater

In case the classroom is a bit chilly that day, make sure your child has a sweater so he/she can use if they get cold. 

Pack a snack

Even if your child doesn’t normally have a snack time during the school day, he may be allowed to have one if there’s a break during the test. Pack him a light nutritious snack, but avoid salty foods that may make him thirsty later in the testing session. 

Finally, tell your child that the test will have some difficult questions on it. All of the questions are not supposed to be easy. Explain that he may not be able to answer all of the questions, and that’s expected. All he can do is try his best, and that’s okay!

Reading

Number the Stars – Here’s a quick summary of the utter greatness that you can expect from this book:

As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.Winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal.

Be sure to ask you child/children what they think of the book, and to summarize  what we’ve read of the book each day.

Some of the learning objectives (or WALT as we refer to them in Grade 4; We Are Learning To) that we will cover while reading are:

• Describe the characters’ traits, feelings, and motivations in Number the Stars.
• Refer to the text for evidence to support answers.
• Form an opinion about a character’s trait based on the character’s actions, feelings and motivation.
• Explain how the characters’ actions contribute to the sequence of events.
• Engage in discussions sharing their ideas and listening to others.
• Use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words or phrases in Number the Stars.
• Distinguish literal and non-literal language and determine its meaning.
• Gain information about the past.
• Build upon their background knowledge of World War II.
• Explore themes of friendship and bravery during the times that scare us the most.

Grammar
– Pronouns test on Monday
– Terra Nova Practice

Writing                                                                                                                   We’re still working through our rough drafts this week.
– Sentence Fluency                                                                                                           – Continue to revise writing for sentence fluency, including sentences that flow and a variety of shorter and longer sentences to add impact to their writing conventions.                                                                                                                       – Students will use CUPS to go through and edit their rough drafts.
–  Peer Editing                                                                                                                  – Students will review and edit each others work

Spelling
No spelling test this week due to Inter-Primary Sports Day

Numeracy                                                                                                          Students will be finishing their graphs and class survey, then moving on to time and money! They were exposed a little in term 1 and will review and learn more this week and next!                      

CHALLENGE: With time and money being a focus, there are many practical ways they can practice this at home!

•  Money: Go grocery shopping! Have them estimate cost of items and what the total will be of your shop. This supports their mental math skills and addition.
• Time (elapsed time): Have them keep track of various activities to understand elapsed time and how long it takes to do things. (morning routines, dinner, sports activities, tv shows)
• Predict when something will end or begin after elapsed time.
• Ex. The movie starts at 1:30 and an hour and a half long, when will it end? 
• Ex. I have a soccer game at 2:30 and it’s 9am, how much time do I have till my game? when should we leave the house to be on time? how much time do I have for lunch before my game? 

Science                                                                                                                          We are finishing our topic of watersheds. We are making diagrams of how watersheds work and how some ‘live downstream’, we’ve discussed how this doesn’t work in Cayman and why. Then we will continue Earth’s resources by looking at forests, soil and land.  There will be an assessment next week on Earth’s resources!

Social Studies                                                                                                      Explore Caribbean culture. Choose on aspect of Caribbean culture, create poster, and write a paragraph on it. Find out where and when it began, how it has spread through the Caribbean, and what form it takes today.

HOMEWORK

Monday – Friday:                                                                                                           > Reading for at least 30 minutes each night. * (4B should really focus on reading to complete their AR goals!)
Tuesday – Thursday:                                                                                                      > 3 pages of handwriting                                                                                              > Students should be focusing on their Science Fair projects                              > Some will be assigned mathletics to improve scores on some tasks.                   > others will be getting work on time and money 

STAR testing: Tuesday and Wednesday for Numeracy 

Bible Verse

God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. – Revelations 21:3