Dear 4A Families,
Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter
and spring vacation. Hopefully Monday is clear so we can get a glimpse of the eclipse.
We now are in the final stretch of the year—hard to believe. Hopefully the students are rested up and ready to go! As we head into these final weeks and the weather gets nicer, it can be easy to lose focus and dream of summer, but so much important curriculum remains which will set the stage for 5th grade. Thank you for your support in keeping your child focused and attentive to projects, test preparation and homework. Be sure you check your child’s filer regularly for corrected papers and remove them. Students are asked to put corrected work in the front pocket, but I often find it in other sections.
Lunches of Love: 4th Grade is signed up for Lunches of Love during the month of April. This is a cherished Holy Rosary tradition, and we are honored to continue it this month. Items that make good lunches include nuts/trail mix, fruit cups, protein bars, individually packaged chips/crackers, Vienna sausages, jerky, Ritz cheese/crackers (shelf-stable only), and a plastic spoon/fork. Water is the drink of choice. We also encourage students and families to write an encouraging and positive note with each lunch (no names, please). Students can bring in lunches whenever they are complete. Students are highly encouraged to take part in the purchasing and packing of the lunches! All students will come home with a decorated bag for their first lunch on Monday along with a list of suggested items. Thank you.
Oral Biographies: The oral biography presentations are fast approaching! Next week we will send out a form for you to sign up for the day your child will present. Students will get some class time beginning next week, to work on their projects in class. This week students are continuing to take notes, specifically with a focus on why their person is famous and how they have contributed positively to society/overcoming obstacles. Students should be making good progress with their notes as we near presentation week. They should plan to have their books, note cards and anything else they can use to work on their projects. Next week, we will be completing the bibliography in class. Make sure students have their big bio books and information on the websites or videos they used to assist them when citing their sources.
Some important reminders for Oral Biographies:
- Students need to have a costume and at least two other props that are used during their presentation.
- Note cards should be neatly written or typed, not too many words per card, and numbered. Highlight reminders like when to use a prop etc.
- Plan a brilliant beginning to catch the viewer’s attention such as a pivotal moment in their life.—No saying. “Hi my name is” or “Oh, I didn’t see you there…” We will go over ideas and look at some samples of great beginnings this week.
- The conclusion is in the student’s own words. They need to give specific examples of what they admire and why…how has this person made the world a better place? What can we learn from this person–how does this person inspire you to be better, etc.
- Remember to work to include elements of PVLEGS
- Do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Religion:This week we will be reflecting on the Easter Season and making Easter Candle Crosses to decorate our classroom and hallway as well as continue our study of the 10 Commandments. The students will need to be able to fill in missing words from the Ten Commandments for a test on April 16th
Reading: Students read chapter three in The Mixed-up
Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Our target comprehension skills are: mood, theme, summarizing. Students use the “Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?” questions to retell main events from the chapter.
Math: “Fraction Action” is our focus in 4th grade. Determining simplest form, comparing and ordering, and learning to change mixed numbers and improper fractions and the reverse. Look for homework each night.
Science: We have wrapped up Unit 3 Human Machine and completed the study guide in class. We will be reviewing and preparing for the test on April 18th.
Social Studies: This week we wrap our study of the Oregon Trail, then move into a study of the Denny Party—and some local Seattle history!.
Flat Stanley: Hopefully the flat people had a fun spring break! All students should have their journals, directions and interesting word lists (on Yellow Paper) in their filer/journal. Be sure you have your child talk with you about the directions, as well as reading the directions yourself for the homework part of the journal. Let us know if you have any questions. Students should write rough drafts before they write final drafts in their journals.
Spelling: This week’s words all have final /j/ and /s/ sounds. Lists will be in your child’s filer and the test will be this Friday the 12th.
Have a wonderful week everyone. I know I will see some of you this Friday for the Bingo Bash.
