Can you say this number out loud?  $247,856,423

The trick is knowing when to say hundred, thousand, and million. 

1. When you see 23, you know to say "twenty three."  It's the same in 6,423.  The last part is twenty three. 
2. When you see 423, you know that after you say "four" you say "hundred."  So you say "four hundred twenty three."
3. When you see 6,000 you know that it's "six thousand."  Since 6,423=6,000+423 you say, "six thousand, four hundred twenty three." 

Notice that the comma is where you say "thousand."  The comma in the millions place works the same way!

Look at the poster, and try saying the words written under the number. 

What kind of person would you you want to meet? 

How do you think your classmates describe you?

What are you trying to get better at in order to "Be the kind of person you want to meet?"

Here is the first piece of creative writing you did at the beginning of your 4th grade year.  You told me that you already learned to do a lot of things when you write, and I could see that when I checked for them (your checklist is on the back of the papers so you can't see them in the photo).  You showed me you can:

1.  Write about an assigned topic
2.  Write in complete sentences
3.  Tell things you saw
4.  Tell where the story happened
5.  Write neatly
6.  Check for spelling after you finish writing
7.  Check for periods after you finish writing
8.  Check for capital letters when you finish writing

Over the next 2 months, you are going to learn how to make your stories even better.  What kind of stories do you like to write about? 

You can easily summarize a story by answering 5 short prompts.

In the excerpt from Because of Winn Dixie, a summary sounds like this:












* Opal and Miss Franny Block
* wanted friends. 
* But the problem was, Opal was new to town, and Franny was the oldest lady in town, so she didn't have any surviving friends. 
* So they decided the three of them (including the dog, Winn-Dixie) should all become friends. 
* Finally, none of them were lonely anymore. 

It tells you the most important things that happened in the book in order, without giving away ALL the details to your reader. 

This month in calendar math we are learning to:

1.  Multiply quantities of money and add them up
2.  Describe geometric figures
3.  Look for patterns
4.  Talk about multiples

Some students each day will have a chance to complete one of these tasks.  Watch the task list each morning so you can pick one to do!

In third grade you started to learn about recording your thinking when you were reading.  Keep up the good work when it comes to checking your understanding when you're reading! 

Remember that when you choose a fictional book to read as your "Choice Book" you should choose a book that is interesting AND "Just Right" for you (not too hard, and not too easy).  If you get stuck on 2 words on a page, the book is probably not too easy for you, and it will challenge you a little to think about what those new words mean.

Post a comment to tell everyone what book you've picked that is "Just Right" for you!

In the front of the room we have 3 white boards, and the one on the left is where nightly homework assignments are written. 

At the end of the day (2:45) you will have 10 minutes to copy these into your agenda before lining up.

You will usually have 2 homework assignments every night.  Some kids also have a couple math fact or regrouping problems.  On Fridays you will always have the same homework assignment:  Book Circles.  Since you have to read for 10 minutes every day, fill them out so we can share what you're reading on Monday morning.

This year we will continue our Student of the Month incentive program to encourage you and your classmates to build character.  If you have good character, you demonstrate that you care about other people, and you care about doing the right thing.  If you work on building character, you fill see that your classmates as well as adults have more respect for you.

The acronym we use for our monthly character building goals is JEMS CARES.  JEMS stands for John E McCarthy School!  Here are those same letters written vertically:

Jumping off to a good start
Effort (academic effort, that is)
Manners
School Spirit
Cooperation
Assertion
Responsibility
Empathy
Self control

Your goal for the month of September is to What are some ways you have tried to "Jump off to a good start" so far this year?  What will you do next week to "Jump off to a good start?"

Do you remember what to do as soon as you come into class every morning? 

When you come in at 8:50, you have about 10 minutes to get settled until the start of class begins at 9:00. 

I will check your homework right away, as well as do attendance and the lunch count while you complete your Morning Work.  Once everyone has gotten credit for their homework, we'll start Morning Meeting.

Fourth graders, you had some great ideas for rules!  I think they will help you and the other kids. 

Most of your rules fit into 4 different categories.  In writing we call each of these the main idea.  The main ideas you wanted for classroom rules are:

1.  Respect other people.
2.  Keep yourself and other people safe. 
3.  Learn as much as you can. 
4.  Let other people learn.

Your main ideas each have more specific rules. In writing, those specific rules are called the details.  Here are all the rules you thought of, and how we organized them so they fit in the correct categories: