Dear 4A Families,
Happy October on Tuesday everyone! I love this time of year, and the students will be busy with some fun projects, especially the saint report and Mass preparations. I am so enjoying getting to know my new class this year. They are an amazing group of students and I know we will have a fantastic year of learning and growth.
Put these important dates on your calendar: Friday, November 1st, All Saints Day Mass 8:35 and Sunday, November 3rd at 10:30 for the Parish All Saints Day Mass. All students are encouraged to attend and participate in the Sunday Mass in their saint costumes for our broader Parish Community. In order to plan for the Masses, we do need to know which families will be able to attend the Sunday Mass. You will find a yellow sheet in your child’s filer that every family needs to sign and return by this Friday, October 4th. Thank you.
One additional date to add to your calendar is December 3rd. This is the day the 4A students will have their field trip to Pike Place Market. This is always a wonderful trip that ties into our Washington State History objectives. This is a good time to remind you to check to be sure your Safe Environment Training is up to date as it is needed to attend field trips and class parties. Permission slips for the Pike Place Market will come home Monday, October 9th.
Language Arts/Religion: Thank you all so much for your hard work at home with you child last week to read and prepare the notes for the saint report. This week the students will be completing their first drafts, editing and revising the biographies. Remember to also keep practicing the Prayer of St. Francis. All students need to be able to recite this prayer from Memory by October 30th at the latest.
Math: Our MAP testing this week is in the area of math. Our class work will continue to focus on adding and subtracting large numbers as well as some mini math lessons on geometry, probability and some math games. Thank you for signing up for Xtramath. Students should visit Xtramath at least three times from home this week. Success with fact mastery requires regular, focused practice. XtraMath helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic math facts to recalling them. Quickly recalling math facts, instead of calculating them, frees up mental resources for higher-level operations. Thank you for encouraging your child in this area.
Spelling: Spelling lists for lesson 3 (short and long “i”)were passed out last Friday. The test will be this Friday as usual.
Reading: We continue our journey in Charlotte’s Web. Our target skills while reading include vocabulary acquisition, character traits, themes, and oral reading fluency (expression, pacing and volume). We will also continue our work with figurative language and poetic devices which are abundant in this novel.
Science: Students have been working hard to gain background knowledge on wind and weather. Now, it’s time to dive in and become engineers! Students will learn all about engineering and technology. Common 4th grade misconception alert! Technology is not just for electronic devices. Technology is almost anything created to solve a problem or meet a need. Students will learn through a story about Leif, a Danish student who is trying so solve some problems involving fish and oxygen. We will be using the following words to describe Leif’s engineering experience:
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Anemometer
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Windmill
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Wind turbine
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Wind
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Beaufort Scale
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Mechanical engineer
Social Studies: We have been learning about latitude and longitude and reading maps in Social Studies. The students will apply this knowledge as they locate places using latitude/longitude coordinates, as well as read different types of maps including precipitation, population and elevation.
Homework Overview:
- Students should visit Xtramath at least three times this week (more is better). Look for math homework lessons on Monday and Wednesday this week.
- Spelling Test for lesson 3.
- Practice Prayer of St. Francis
- Read nightly for 15-20 minutes.