Week 9

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

We have reached the final week of Quarter 1. Fall Break and cooler weather are quickly approaching. We are all so pleased with the growth we have seen this quarter and are very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of your child’s educational journey. This week we are kicking off our annual Read-a-Thon. Students will be bringing home their information packets with their login information on Monday. We hope you all have a restful and enjoyable Fall Break.

Book Fair Dates:

The Book Fair will be open Monday, 10/1- Friday, 10/5.  All classes will have a chance to preview the book fair on Monday, October 1st during the school day.

Book Fair Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday:  7:30am-4:30pm

Thursday: 7:30am-6:30pm

Students with money will be able to shop during the school day Tuesday-Friday.  They will be brought down 15 minutes prior to their morning special.

Upcoming Dates:

• 9/28-10/5 - Scholastic Book Fair
• 10/3 - 4th Grade Coffee Talk
• Fall Break 10/6-10/14
• Parent Teacher Conferences 10/15-10/16.

Academics this week:

Language Arts:

• Writing/Grammar: This  week,  our  scholars  will  continue  to  practice  creating  summary  paragraphs  for  informational  passages.  They  will learn different  strategies  for  when  they  are  able  to  refer  to a  text  and  when  they  are  unable  to  do  so.   

• Literature: We will begin Prince Caspian on Monday. We will discuss the background of the book and begin working on characterization of main characters.

Math: This Monday, students will take a unit test over addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. During the rest of the week, we will begin a unit introducing fractions. We will continue this unit after Fall Break.

Science: We will finish up our study of geology by learning about different kinds of rocks, weathering, and erosion.

History: This week we will continue our study of castles and take a virtual tour of a castle. We will then begin our study of medieval knights.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

4th Grade Team

Week 8

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

Another week has come and gone and it is hard to believe that Fall Break is just around the corner. Thank you to all of the volunteers who came in last week. The Wednesday groups have been a huge success and we couldn’t do it without your partnership. We are looking forward to another exciting week!

Upcoming Dates:

• 9/26 Family Fun Night @ Chipotle (Gilbert/Germann) 4:00-8:00pm. See the flyer here.
• 9/28 - Half Day of School!
• 9/28 - Annual Literacy Night 5:00 - 8:00pm
• 9/28-10/5 - Scholastic Book Fair
• 9/29 - Great Hearts Gala at Chateau Luxe
• 10/3 - 4th Grade Coffee Talk

Academics this week:

Language Arts:

• Writing/Grammar: In writing this week, we will be discussing how best to plan a summary for an informational passage. Students will turn their plans into paragraph summaries for several different informational texts.

• Literature: This week in literature, we will finish our first novel, Pollyanna. Students will do a project at home, due Monday, October 1. We are excited to begin our second novel, Prince Caspian, on that Monday. Please bring this book to school on that date.

Math: This week in math, we will finish up our unit on the four operations of whole numbers. Students will learn how to multiply a 2- or 3-digit number by a 2-digit number and will review for the upcoming unit test on Monday, October 1.

Science: We will learn about geysers and different types of mountains in geology this week.

History: Students will complete their roles of serfs and lords as we finish our manor project. We will have our quiz on Wednesday and begin learning about the role of castles in the Middle Ages.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

4th Grade Team

Week 7

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

We hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend despite the heat! If you received a performance notice for your child via email on Monday, please be sure to sign it and return it via email or paper copy as soon as possible.

Upcoming Dates:

• 9/21 - Birthday Book Club
• 9/28 - Half Day of School
• 9/28 - Annual Literacy Night
• 9/29 - Great Hearts Gala at Chateau Luxe
• 10/3 - 4th Grade Coffee Talk

Academics this week:

Language Arts:

• Writing/Grammar: This week in writing, students will be practicing how to craft a good summary. They will judge the difference between a detailed summary and a vague summary and will practice how to summarize narrative writing.

• Literature: We will continue to read Pollyanna in class, focusing on cause and effect. Our idiom of the week is “bull in a china shop.”

Math: This week in math, we will focus on long division. Please continue to review multiplication and division facts with your students at home! Fact fluency can help a child overcome their frustration in math and begin to truly find ease and comfort in problem solving.

Science: This week in science we will take the test on Earthquakes and Tsunamis on Monday, then we will learn about volcanoes.

History: We will continue our unit on feudalism and focus on the medieval manor. Students will build a manor layout with their group and then reflect on their roles as serfs and lords.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

4th Grade Team

Week 6

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

We are excited for another great week! We hope those of you who attended Singapore and Spalding Night came away with a deeper understanding of both. It is always great to see such involved parents, and we also appreciate those volunteers who have offered their support.

Academics this week:

Language Arts:

• Writing/Grammar: This  week,  students  will  be  learning  how  to  revise  and  edit  their  paragraphs.  They  will  be  learning  new  proofreading strategies  and discussing  how  to  add  effective  transitions  into  their writing  in  order  to  produce  a  polished  final  paragraph.

• Literature: We will read chapters 18-21 of Pollyanna this week. Student will recite their first memorized poem, “Afternoon on a Hill,” on Friday.
  

Math: In Math this week, we will continue to review the four operations of whole numbers. We will spend the majority of our time on multiplication. Please spend some time at home with your child practicing multiplication facts this week; they are the foundation for most of the mathematical concepts we will cover this year!

Science: This week in science, we will continue learning about earthquakes and their relationship to tsunamis. They will be getting a study guide this week to prepare for a test on these early the week of the 17th.

History: This week we will begin our study of the feudal system in Europe during the Middle Ages. Students will create their own coat of arms and learn the roles of peasants, serfs, knights and kings.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

4th Grade Team

Week 5

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend! Tomorrow we start the week with a very informative event, Singapore and Spalding Night:

Singapore/Spalding Night: Tuesday, September 4th 6:00-7:30 pm

New and returning families, please join us for a hands-on, interactive workshop highlighting the techniques and teaching strategies for Singapore and Spalding. You will get the opportunity to experience sample lessons, receive homework pointers and help, and much

more.

The evening will be divided into 2 parts:

Rotation 1:

6:00-6:40

Parents with a child in sections A or B: Grade level Spalding Room Parents with a child in sections C or D: Grade level Singapore Room

Rotation 2:

6:50-7:30

Parents with a child in sections A or B: Grade Level Singapore Room Parents with a child in sections C or D: Grade Level Spalding Room

______________________________________

Important Dates:

• September 4th, Spalding and Singapore Night 6:30-7:30
• September 4th and 7th,  MAP testing

Academics this week:

Language Arts:

• Spalding: Please continue to study the phonograms in Spalding . We will have the first Spelling test on Friday.

• Writing/Grammar: This week, students will be writing a paragraph based on informational text in class with the help of a partner. They will discuss highlighting strategies and how to find similarities between details in an informational text.

• Literature: This week, we will read and analyze the poem, “Afternoon on a Hill,” by Edna Millay, focusing on visualization and imagery. We will also continue reading and discussing Pollyanna.

Math: This week, we will start a unit over the operations of whole numbers. We’ll spend this short week reviewing addition and subtraction, discussing various methods of mental math, and using our knowledge to solve word problems.

History: This week we will continue our study of the Middle Ages. Students will review in class for their quiz on Friday.

Science: We will have our first test in geology on Tuesday. Then we will begin learning about earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

4th Grade Team