Ms. Hodges' Class

Summer Practice

Did you want some extra summer practice to maintain your skills and stay ready for 5th grade?  Remember these websites!

 

Study Island - This is for Math practice.  Keep in mind that once the subscription is up, it will not be renewed.  Use it as long as it is there!  (first lastname, pw=comp #)  If it is no longer accepting your information, try IXL (listed below) for math practice.

Arcademic Skills Builder - Play alone or with someone else (interactive with others on the Internet, but no information is exchanged).

IXL - This is a free site, but it does have a time limit per session.  EXCELLENT practice!

Check with the Milford website for Media Center links - Book Flix, etc.

Homework Help - Line Plots and MMR

Here is a mini lesson video on line plots and how to find median, mode, and range (MMR).

Line Plots - Median, Mode, Range

This is a quick lesson for those who will need homework assistance tonight.  I will try to record a "cleaner" video (i.e., not as many dialogue errors!) as soon as I can.

Here is a website that has some great math skills practice - IXL - Line Plot Practice.  Keep in mind that because we do not have a paid subscription, there is a time limit on this website each day. 

As always, please leave a [comment] if you view the lesson!

Thanks,

Miss Hodges

 

 

Homework Help - Metric Units of Weight

Here is another mini lesson video to help review for homework.

Converting Metric Units of Weight

(There is a small mistake in my dialogue on one of the last problems. If you can identify it, you will receive a small prize!)

Again, I ask that if you view the video, please leave a [comment]!

Homework Help - Converting Customary Weight

I have found a fabulous new app for my iPad that will truly enhance our learning experience. Hopefully this newest one will be beneficial immediately! Are you having troubles with homework?

Here is a little video of a whiteboard lesson on converting customary units of measurement. Perhaps it will refresh your memory of the the steps. Or maybe it will help Mom and Dad learn how we are learning it in school these days. :)

Converting Customary Units of Weight

Please leave a [comment] if you find it useful, or if you have any questions!

Homework Help - Long Division

Here is some GREAT homework help for those who are still struggling with long division (especially division with 2-digit divisors!).  This is a video lesson recorded by Mr. Coley , a former 5th grade teacher in California. He has been kind enough to not only share his resources, but to leave them online to use as he has moved out of the classroom and into administration.  Way to go, Mr. Coley!!

Here is a direct link to his video for LONG DIVISION.

Please make sure to leave a [comment] if you stopped by the blog, even if it's just to say hello!  :)

 

Thanks,

Miss Hodges

 

 

This Week in the Speedway - 2/13/12

Did you know that this week marks the half-way point of the 3rd quarter?  I can't believe how quickly this school year has gone!  We still have so much to learn to prepare for moving on to 5th grade.  It's not time to slow down now; let's keep up the speed so that we can cross that finish line!  (Yes, every time I get a chance to apply things to racing, I will!)  :)

Math - We will be moving forward with fractions by learning about proper vs. improper fractions, mixed numbers, and adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers.  We will also review decimals because decimals and fractions are related!

Reading - It's going to be an exciting time for reading as we begin a reader's theater project on "The Sneetches", by Dr. Seuss.  The students will have an opportunity to be involved in reading something in a play format that has rhyme and rhythm, and then they will perform it in front of each other.  I am hoping to record it and play it on the morning news on the morning of March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday.  I'm very excited! 

Writing - The students have chosen an important person from the Revolutionary War to research.  They will write about that person for their informational writing this quarter.  I can't wait to see how the students have grown in their writing!  Oh, and ask your child about POWER writing...

Social Studies - Why did early explorers travel to North America?  We will answer that question and more as we study about six famous explorers - Columbus, Cartier, Hudson, Ponce de Leon, Balboa, Cabot, and even Marco Polo!  We will be moving very quickly through this unit, so it's important to come to school every day ready to learn!

Science - Forces, motion, and simple machines are the topic of this week's lessons.  We will be learning more about these and why they are important through guided reading groups.  Mrs. Brown has done a fabulous job in the Science Lab with the hands-on experiences. 

Sort 21 Spelling Words - ending -s, soft c and g

 police, sentence, distance, office, science, princess, practice, actress, address, compass, express, possess, midget, gadget, surgeon, challenge, arrange, garbage, manage, luggage, package, village, message, courage

 

Fabulous Fraction Practice

In math we have been studying fractions - what they are, how they are represented, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and adding/subtracting fractions and mixed numbers.   That's a lot of information, but the students have been doing a fabulous job1

Equivalent fractions are fractions that name the same amount.  Here is a fabulous way to practice those!

Equivalent Fractions

Also, don't forget that practice can be done at Study Island and with the online math textbook.  Usernames and passwords should be on a label in the agendas.

This Week in the Speedway - 1/30/12

It has been a whirlwhind four weeks since Christmas break!  We are back into full swing in the Speedway!  There is so much learning go on!  Have you asked your child what he or she is learning in school lately?  They should be able to share a lot!

Math - We continue working on fractions - equivalent and mixed numbers; adding and subtracting fractions, etc.  We have learned what it "looks" like, and now we are going to apply our skills into real-world situations.

Reading - Independent reading (and AR) continues to be an important part of our classroom.  Along with IR/AR, we will be working on non-fiction questioning and research as we begin our research on important people of the American Revolution.

Writing - The students will be starting their research on important people of the American Revolution, taking notes, and organizing their notes to prepare for their formal informational writing this quarter.

Spelling - This week's words are Things People Do - (er) dreamer, swimmer, voter, driver, jogger, farmer, shopper, writer; (or) editor, juror, creator, visitor, director, sailor, governor; and Words That Compare - smaller, fresher, smoother, older, younger, later, sooner, stronger, brighter.  Our words for the week can be found at Spelling City.  Play games, practice words, do activities with this week's words!  Also, the students are doing a GREAT job of finding words that fit our spelling patter While We Are Reading and putting their words on the sorting chart.  Great job, racers!

Social Studies - We begin our unit on Explorers!  Where in the world did they all start?  Why did early explorers even want to make the dangerous journey across the oceans to find the "unknown"?  We will be answering these questions in our studies of Early Exploration.  Marco............ Polo!

Science - As we focus on Social Studies, our Science will consist of Daily Geography and Science questions, which this week are focusing on space.  Please study that every night so you can do well on the quiz on Friday!

I look forward to a great week at the Hodges Speedway!

This Week in the Speedway - 12/5/11

Can you believe only two weeks are left before Christmas break?  Me either!  Time goes by quickly when you're having fun, and I think we're having fun in fourth grade!

Math - Students (for the most part!) are enjoying learning long division with TWO-digit divisors.  Yes, I said TWO!  There's some guess-and-checking, but the students are well on their way to mastering this vital (that mean's important) skill.  We will continue to review and practice this week.  Lines and angles are coming next week!

Reading - Independent reading (and AR) continues to be an important part of our classroom.  Along with IR/AR, we are continuing our discussions about fables and will include tall tales and folk tales soon.  The students are still enjoying the adventures of Mr. Jupiter and his Fabled Fourth Graders at Aesop Elementary during the teacher's read aloud time.

Writing - The students have finished their five-paragraph  personal narratives on their fabulous Thanksgiving break.  We will soon be writing a letter to Mr. Jupiter (a character in our read aloud book) as a reader's response to literature.

Spelling - This week's words are Things People Do - (er) dreamer, swimmer, voter, driver, jogger, farmer, shopper, writer; (or) editor, juror, creator, visitor, director, sailor, governor; and Words That Compare - smaller, fresher, smoother, older, younger, later, sooner, stronger, brighter.  Our words for the week can be found at Spelling City.  Play games, practice words, do activities with this week's words!  Also, the students are doing a GREAT job of finding words that fit our spelling patter While We Are Reading and putting their words on the sorting chart.  Great job, racers!

Social Studies - We are continiuing our Native American unit.  We've talked about the Inuit, Kwakiutl, and Nez Perce.  Ask your child how these tribes are alike and different.  What natural resources did they use for clothing, food, and shelter?   We will continue with the Seminole, Pawnee, and Hopi tribes.  Our unit test will be next Thursday, December 16th.  **Please make sure that your child is in attendance.  I don't want them to have to wait over two weeks (the break) to make up the test!

Science - As we focus on Social Studies, our Science will consist of Daily Geography and Science questions, which this week are focusing on space.  Please study that every night so you can do well on the quiz on Friday!

I look forward to a great week at the Hodges Speedway!

This week in the Speedway - 11/15/11

Here we are in the last week before Thanksgiving break.  Where has the time gone?  Our racers have been keeping good pace as they move from subject to subject, and unit to unit.  There is certainly a lot to learn in 4th grade, but if they keep working hard, they are going to see that finish line! 

This week in class:

Math - We will be moving from 1-digit divisors to 2-digit divisors.  Division is a multi-step skill that takes a lot of practice, which means a lot of patience!  Please make sure to ask me any question you have regarding division.  There is no shame in asking for help, my friends!  It is also VERY important to master your multiplication (and division) facts!  I can't say it enough: If you don't have those facts mastered, it makes everything else more difficult.  Keep working hard!

Reading - We start our Fables/Folk Tales/Tall Tales unit this week.  To begin the unit, we will be starting a new read aloud story, The Fabled Fourth Graders at Aesop Elementary. It is a fun adventure that we will be taking with an unruly class of fourth graders, tamed by a new teacher, Mr. Jupiter.  Through this story we will be revisiting some old fables told in a new way - same morals, new stories. 

Writing - As our monster stories have concluded, we will focus on a response to literature for our finshed read aloud, Rascal.  We read the book.  We watched the movie.  Now we will create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two, then write an essay in response to that. 

Language - We will continue practicing our simple/compound subjects and predicates, pronouns, contractions, and simple/compound/complex sentences.

Spelling - Our words this week come from Sort 14 in our Words Their Way book.  The patterns this week are words that end with le (saddle, couple, angle, needle, bundle, struggle), el (level, angel, novel, vowel, cancel, jewel), al (total, metal, signal, pedal, local, journal), and il (April, fossil, evil, stencil, pupil, council), and 2 oddballs - special and fragile.  Be sure to be looking for our spelling words AND words that fit the patterns to add to the "While We Are Reading" poster! 

Social Studies - We will continue mastering landforms and the regions in which they appear.  Our unit on Native Americans will also begin this week.