Mr. Blanc's Class

How the World Works To further our understanding of our how the world works central idea, which is, people use scientific knowledge to respond to a changing Earth, we will have two days with guests next week! On Monday, 12/16 a representative from the Red Cross Pillowcase Project will join our class to talk about being prepared for natural disasters. Then on Thursday, 12/19 we will have an expert panel of community members visiting our school. Andrew Phelps - Director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management Mike Mumaw - Emergency Manager City of Beaverton Paul Jewell - Emergency Coordinator Beaverton School District Scarlet Valentine - Principal West TV This panel will give the students a chance to speak with leaders from their school, school district, city and state communities and see the work they do to prepare for natural disasters. Math Last week students learned what makes a number prime or composite. Have your child tell you the difference between the two....

How the World Works Our inquiry unit with the central idea that people use scientific knowledge to respond to a changing Earth is off and running. This week students learned about tectonic plates and how their movement can cause earthquakes. Next week we'll study volcanoes, landslides, and wildfires.  Reading Students have learned that knowledge of text structures can help readers determine the main ideas and supporting details from nonfiction text. The structures we have studied are chronological, problem/solution, cause and effect, compare/contrast, and description. Ask your student to tell you about the different text structures we've studied. Another way you can support your student in their nonfiction reading is to highlight everyday examples. Whether it's reading recipes, instructions on assembling furniture, street signs, or the back of cereal boxes. Idiom of the week : sit on the fence Math   To get started with our multiplication and division unit we'...

Short Week There will only be two days of school next week because of Thanksgiving Break. Monday, 12/2 is a Staff Development day, so students will not be in school then either. Students will return to school on Tuesday, 12/3. Inquiry The Innovation Fair was a great way to finish our How We Express Ourselves inquiry unit. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Our next inquiry will be under the theme of How the World Works. The central idea is people use scientific knowledge to respond to a changing earth. Some of the content unit students will learn about include plate tectonics, weathering, and erosion. Reading Students will not be assigned new vocabulary words or a reading log over Thanksgiving break. Instead, they will be given an optional reading log and anyone who brings it back when we return to school on Tuesday, 12/3 will get on the class Wall of Fame.  Idiom of the week: hit the road Library Cards Today students were given Washington County Cooperative Lib...

Innovation Fair On Thursday, students were sent home with information about the 4th Grade Innovation Fair. This will be our culminating activity for our How We Express Ourselves inquiry unit with the central idea that people innovate using creativity and knowledge of energy. It will take place on Thursday, November 21st, from 1:40-2:20 in the school Library. Students have been given a design map and been put in charge of coming up with a creative idea that they can share at the Innovation Fair. This idea will solve a problem by improving an existing object, or by inventing a new one. If your child needs anything other than their Chromebook, Micro:Bits (a computer coding device), or basic school supplies, it is their responsibility to bring those items to school. Reading  A big focus for our class going forward will be having each student select books at their just right reading level. This is so important, because in order to grow big ideas about the books they are reading, stu...

Back at West TV! On Monday, 11/4 we'll be back at West TV! There's no place like home! Halloween Party Thank you to everyone who put together the Halloween party! The students had a great time!   Conferences  Fall conferences will take place Wednesday, 11/6 in the evening and Thursday, 11/7 from 8am-8pm. If you haven't signed up yet, please go to the link below and select a time that works for you. I look forward to meeting with everyone! https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/West_Tualatin_View_Elementary Idiom of the week : jump the gun Upcoming Dates Monday, November 4th - Back at West TV! Tuesday, November 5th - Reading Logs Due/Vocab Test Wednesday, November 6th - Conferences 3-8 Thursday, November 7th - No School - Conferences 8am-8pm Friday, November 8th - No School  Monday, November 11th - No School - Veterans Day

Last Week at Timberland Next week is scheduled to be our final week at Timberland! It's a beautiful building, but I'm looking forward to getting back to our space at West TV. We'll have a sink in our room, restrooms a one minute walk away, and lunch and specials will be at the same time everyday! Math We've completed our place value unit. Our next unit covers metric measurement. Students will work with liters, grams and meters. They'll need to know the prefixes milli, centi, and kilo. Keep up with the progress of your student by taking a look at their Seesaw activities. Reading Two of our big focuses in our current realistic fiction unit are developing ideas about characters and determining the theme or life lesson that can be learned from our books. Next week students will complete a Seesaw activity to show their progress in those two areas. On Monday, they'll be given a passage and asked to use evidence from the text to describe one of th...

Conferences Fall conferences will take place Wednesday, 11/6 in the evening and Thursday, 11/7 from 8am-8pm. You should have received an email from the office with a link to sign up for a time to meet. If you haven't signed up, please go to the link below and select a time that works for you. I look forward to sitting down and talking about your student with you.  https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/West_Tualatin_View_Elementary Writing  Now that we have studied figurative language students are noticing it in books they are reading, songs on the radio, TV shows they are watching, and conversations. On Monday, we will have our first idiom of the week. This is a fun way to help students further explore figurative language. Have your student tell you what the idiom of the week is each week. In class students are encouraged to include figurative language in their writing in order to give the reader a chance to feel like they are present in their story. Ask your student to te...