Famous Missourians

Famous Missourian Living Museum

Famous MO History Museum - students will present their Famous Missourian "skits" in our living museum - Tile Floor Gym, Friday, April 30, from 11:25 - 11:55. Bring your cameras/recorders!

S.S. Chapter 8 Study Questions

1. A person who starts a business is :
2. Which department (in a business) tells people about the product or services a business offers?
3. Give an example of a service business:
4. How are supply and demand related?
5. Taxes that come out of the money a worker earns are called:
6. How are public goods and private goods different?
7. What is a budget?
8. A consumer is someone who:
9. An example of opportunity cost is:
10. Savings refers to money that:
11. Interest (in regard to money) means:
12. Invest means to:
13. How is import different from export?

This Week

We have our Chapter 26 Math Test on Tuesday.

Our S.S. Chapter 8 test is planned for Friday. Students do have study guides for this chapter on economics. Also, Junior Achievement will be here Thursday to further enhance our economics unit.

The Big Grant Win!

I am very pleased to tell you that I have won a grant through donorschoose.org. A donor is supplying my classroom with 3 Apple iPod Touch handhelds, which students will use "in the field" to collect data and run experiments during our ecology unit, "Nature Unleashed," which is part of another grant our fourth grade won through the Dept. of Conservation.

5th Grade Placement for 2010-2011

Dear Parents,

Over the next few weeks, the staff will be working to design class lists for next school year. A note is going home today to explain the process.

I would very much like to receive an email from you concerning placement of your child. I prefer, however, that requests for particular teachers to not be named, as I cannot honor those requests. But, if there is a particular style of teaching that works better for your child, please do let me know.

Thank you,

M. Kuhn

Big Events

Upcoming dates to add to your calendars:

1. Famous MO History Museum - students will present their Famous Missourian "skits" in our living museum - Tile Floor Gym, Friday, April 30, from 11:25 - 11:55. Bring your cameras/recorders!

2. Arch Field Trip - The cost is $16.50, and that includes a full-day trip to the Old Courthouse to watch a reenactment of the Dred Scott case, a ride up the Arch, an IMAX movie about Lewis and Clark, and time to explore the history museum. Students will bring sack lunches and dine on the Arch grounds. Tuesday, May 18.

3. Poetry Day Event - Friday, May 7, 1:45 - Visit our classroom to hear each student recite 1-2 poems from their poetry anthologies. After, we'll serve refreshments in the cafeteria.

Ah, Back to Normal!

MAP testing is now over, and we get to breathe a collective sigh of relief. My students worked very hard on their MAP tests and took it very seriously. Thanks for your hard work!

So now that we're back to normal, here's the weekly outlook:

Spelling- Unit 23 - We're studying the /qu/ sound.
Math - Chapter 26 - Decimals
Social Studies - Chapter 8 (Economics) - we will have Junior Achievement joining us next week to learn about entrepreneurship.
Science - Earth Science - Rocks, Landforms, Changes on the Earth's Surface - We are using a rock tumbler to observe weathering, and we are studying horizons of soil and the rock cycle affects our soil.
Reading - Book Clubs continue into the month of May. We will focus on fifth-grade curriculum, so students are prepared for the beginning of their fifth grade year.
Writing - We are creating lines to read at our Famous Missourian History Museum. Date TBA.

Online Science Book

Our science book is available online, just like our math book. Here is the LINK.

The login (tfourth) and password (pass) are the same as Harcourt math.

Science - Rocks Study Guide

Here is a list of things to know, concerning our recent Rocks Unit in Science:

1. There are three kinds of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary
2. Weathering is the wearing down of rocks into smaller pieces (sediment).
3. Erosion is the movement of sediment, and deposition is the collection of sediment.
4. Each of the three kinds of rock can turn into each other through heat/pressure or weathering.
5. Rocks contain minerals which become part of our soil - vegetables absorb these minerals, and animals eat those vegetables, so rocks are a part of our diet!
6. Mountain building is caused by movement of the Earth's tectonic plates (earthquakes).
7. Islands can be formed by volcanic explosions that build up land mass so it is above sea level.

Free Stuff for Kids

Gino asked for the link, and here it is. Make sure to get a parent's permission before giving any personal information online.

http://www.bestfreestuffonline.com/kidstuff.htm

Andrew Henry's Meadow

I always share my favorite childhod books with my kids. My all-time favorite is Andrew Henry's Meadow, by Doris Burns. Here's a picture, and some links, as well, if you want to purchase your own copy:

To purchase: http://www.sanjuanbooks.com/

Author Doris Burns: http://www.sanjuanbooks.com/aboutdorisburn.htm