LITERATURE: The Hobbit!!!

We will leave the realm of the early Middle Ages and travel to Middle Earth as we begin the fantasy novel, The Hobbit. During the study of this incredible story, you will be asked to do several project pieces that are my choice--and several that are yours. It will be a fun, exciting study--but you have to commit to getting the reading done. I will give you lots of class time, but you must take your book home and also read at night and on the weekends, or we will find ourselves still reading The Hobbit in March!

I must mention two changes in my expectations of you as we near the top of the hill that is your 4th grade year. After Christmas vacation is over, you will begin the downward slope that will lead you into 5th grade. It is time that I "turned up the heat" just a tad. Lately, I have been giving make-up spelling tests when you don't do too well on the first test. I will no longer do that. You must study your words so that you can make a 100 (ok, maybe a 90) on the first try. That means you have to learn the words, pronounce them aloud, write them, practice them every day. I think several of you are depending on those make-up tests to improve your grade and not "getting with it" as soon as the words are posted. I promised you a make-up test over last week's words this Monday, but that will be the last one!

The second thing I need to mention that will be a little tougher is your filling out and turning in your reading logs on time, with parent signatures. Beginning this Friday, if you don't turn them in on time, I will not accept them for that week. I know all of you are reading--so write down what you are reading, and how long--you can use your reading log as a bookmark, and do it before you close the book each night. Several of you are three weeks behind on turning those in! If I don't have them by this Friday, November 12, those three weeks, and this 4th week, will not be counted. You can still make an A in Literature if you never turn in your reading log--but you would have to make a 100 on EVERYTHING else. That might mean several of you are headed for B's. B's are not bad grades at all--but each of you is totally capable of making A's.

Below is the reading schedule for the NEXT TWO WEEKS, and the spelling list for Friday, November 19.

HOMEWORK for Tuesday, November 9-Friday, November 22

MONDAY, November 8: The last make-up spelling test over the words from St. Benedict

TUESDAY, November 9: You will receive your project packet and a copy of The Hobbit. If time permits, we will begin listening to Chapter 1 on CD.

WEDNESDAY, November 10: Listen to Chapter 1 in class. [Chapters 3 and 4 will need to be read by Monday.]

THURSDAY, November 11: Finish Chapter 1 in class.

FRIDAY, November 12: Listen to Chapter 2 in class.

FOR MONDAY, November 15: You will need to have read Chapters 3 and 4 for Monday's class. We will begin Chapter 5 on CD during class. Whatever doesn't get read in class must be done for homework. It is due tomorrow.

TUESDAY, November 16: Discuss Chapter 5; begin Chapter 6 on CD during class. Whatever doesn't get read in class must be done for homework. It is due tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY, November 17: Discuss Chapter 6. FOR MONDAY, November 22--Read Chapters 7 and 8. The rest of this week will be given to you for work on your project pieces.

THURSDAY, November 18: Work on Projects in class

FRIDAY, November 19: SPELLING TEST over the words below. No make-up test will be given:

1. Hobbit

2. JRR Tolkien

3. luxurious

4. remarkable

5. depredation--with definition: a plundering or laying waste to something

6. adventurous

7. immensely

8. flummoxed--with definition: confused or perplexed

9. audacious--with definition: daring; reckless; bold

10. sorcerous--with definition: having the nature of or practicing sorcery

HISTORY: The East-West Schism

NOTEBOOK CHECKS MONDAY! TEST GRADE!

This week, the only church Christendom has known, is going to be ripped asunder. We are going to begin our lesson over the East-West Schism and be learning the differences between the Western Roman Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Monday, we will be reading from our cards The East-West Schism and completing the worksheet that goes along with it.

Tuesday, we will be discussing the differences between the two churches that form from this split and completing the worksheet The East-West Schism: Project - Church Differences.

Wednesday, we will be reading the packet:
The East-West Schism: Project 2 - The Pope the Patriarch and the Schism
From this reading we will be practicing our study skill of picking out key words in each paragraph to hone our reading comprehension skills.

Vocabulary for this assignment:
survived
strait
strategic
hierarchy
metropolitan
behest
controversies
heresies
schisms
ecumenical
ceremonies
doctrine
reconciliation

Thursday, we will be creating a giant time line and mapping out all the events that lead up to this great schism and also mapping the territories that belonged to the different popes struggling for power during this period of time.



Friday, will be spent completing our timeline in class.

BIBLE: Josiah and Daniel

NOTEBOOK CHECKS MONDAY! TEST GRADE!

We've been learning about Josiah and his restoration of the temple of God.

On Monday, we will be creating a scroll with the verse from II Kings 22:19 which sums up Josiah's character.

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.

But during this project we will be writing the verse backwards. The Hebrew language is read and written backwards compared to English.  We'll also try some of the practices of Old Testament scribes. Every time they wrote God's name, they would throw out their writing utensil and wash their hands. These practices  were out of their reverence for the holiness of God.

Tuesday, we will take some time to finish our scrolls and review for your TEST over Josiah Repairs the Temple on Wednesday.

Wednesday, Test over Josiah

Thursday, we begin our lesson on Daniel Serves in Nebuchadnezzar's Court. We will be reading from our reading cards and completing the worksheet that goes along with it.

Friday, we'll be completing the worksheet: Project 1 - Bible Reading. After reading Daniel 2, we will be able to complete the outline.

CCS Book Fair Saturday! Support CCS!

STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!

The 4th graders received their study outlines today for their big test this friday. The test will be over Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and Otto I. Its important they finish filling in their study outline, so we can go over them tomorrow in class and make any corrections.

I also gave them a list for notebook checks in History and Bible. They will be graded on having all of their papers and having them in order. This will be graded on Monday the 8th for a test grade. This is important, today the kids saw firsthand how beneficial it was to have all their papers in order when it came time to refer back to them for their study outlines.

FIELD TRIP for tomorrow, postponed

Hello, students,

I'm sorry to have to postpone our trip, but I have a touch of an infection that makes it difficult for me to go on the road! I'll try and reschedule for another time. In the meantime, please come to school tomorrow prepared to have a "normal" school day. Sorry to disappoint you!

Mrs. Horner

Math: 11/1 - 11/5

Monday 11/1 – Investigation 4 pg 251 (1-23odd)

Tuesday 11/2 – Ls 41 pg 261 (2-30 even); pass out Review for Test 7

Wednesday 11/3 – No Math

Thursday 11/4 – Test 7 (covers up through Ls 35); Performance Task 7; Math-it-up worksheet

Friday 11/5 – Ls 42pg 266 (1-29 odd)

Have a wonderful week!

~Mrs. R.~