Mr. Arredondo's 4th Grade Class

Posts Tagged ‘How You Can Help at Home’

There’s a fairly new web browser called Google Chrome, similar to Firefox or Internet Explorer, except that you can download and install free applications (apps) that are similar to those found on Apple’s iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone. Some of the applications allow kids to practice their muliplication facts through playing a game. Best of all, many of these apps are free! So is the download!

Download Google Chrome: http://www.google.com/chrome/

Search the Chrome Web Store, once the application launches, to search for multiplication games. Need help finding some helpful applications? Contact Mr. Arredondo.

There’s more than one way to hold a pencil for handwriting. In fourth grade, we are learning cursive and are asking ourselves how we hold a pencil. Kids sometimes hold a pencil in a way that it is uncomfortable. They may also be pressing so hard that their writing causes “bumps” on their paper and possibly even a bump on the finger that the pencil rests on. Parents, please ask your child to take breaks from writing when they need it. They can “shake it off” or do finger push-ups and then refocus, not pressing as hard. Pencil grips are a great things for developing penmanship without the pain.

Samples of some ways to hold a pencil:
Click here

Now, I think summer vacation is a well deserved break for kids but I also know all too well that some kids fall years, and yes I do mean YEARS, behind their peers if they aren’t reading or studying a little each week over vacation. This article proves what too many teachers and parents know to be true and what the solutions are (hint: it’s not sticking the kids in a regular classroom for even more hours of studying).

The August 2, 2010 TIME article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2005863,00.html

Students, parents, teachers…what do you think? Voice your comments below!

Today in class we made a corn starch model of the ground.

Have your child “teach you” how to make the object so that they have to explain how the model explains how the ground works.

You need 3 cups or bowls, corn starch, some water, a spoon, and newspaper. The newspaper needs to be spread out on the surface to keep the area clean. Fill up a cup with a small amount of water. In another cup pour a small amount of corn starch.

In the third cup put 5 spoonfuls of corn starch and 3 spoonfuls of water. Mix together. Pour the mixture into your hands. It should appear as a solid at sometimes (when you squeeze it) and as a liquid when your hand is flat. The ground works the same way, it is a mixture of substances (corn starch and water in this case) and it can be liquid-like when it rains but solid when the ground’s contents are mixed together and receive pressure. Kids should explain all of this and use words such as “substance,” “solid,” “liquid,” “soil,” and “minerals.”

• If possible, read to your child every night. This may seem unrealistic but reading to your child, or having your child read to you, can improve their vocabulary, reading fluency (speed), and reading accuracy (how many words they pronounce correctly). Reading picture books are okay, but chapter books are much more effective because they have larger vocabulary words for kids to learn. Reading 20 minutes together can make a huge difference in your child’s reading abilities.
• Take your child to the library! Teachers were surprised last year to find out that most of our students had never been to the library and never received a library card. Make monthly visits and encourage your child to check out chapter books that are at their reading level. Librarians can help you select books that are great reads and that your child can like.
• I found a great list of more tips of how to help at home: The National Education Association