Dear 4th Grade Families,
The BINGO Bash was great fun last Friday! The 4th graders showed some impressive dance moves. Thank you all for your support of this big fundraiser. I was not able to complete all of the goal setting meetings last week. They took longer than expected, and I did not want to rush the process. I am so enjoying meeting with the students about their math and reading goals. I will send a copy of the goal sheets we filled home this week. I will keep the original as the students will use them after they complete the spring MAP testing sessions.
Just a reminder that the 4th grade classes have been assigned to bring in Lunches of Love in April. We are asking every student to bring in at least one lunch this month. Thank you.
Oral Biography Presentations: The first of our 4A presentations will begin this week! Jackson, Addie and Charlotte will present on Thursday, and Ciaran, Laura and Phoebe will present on Friday. We are looking forward to some great history lessons this week. On Tuesday this week there will be an hour of class time set aside to work on oral biographies or Flat Stanley. Students should bring any supplies they need so they can use their time well.
Flat Stanley Journals: Just a reminder, at home the students will be writing a minimum of two additional entries in their journals (not counting the 3 we will be doing at school). Thank you for helping your child edit, remembering to include figurative language, great word choice, topic and closing sentences. The writing in the journal should be final draft quality. Pictures should be included with the entries. The picture shows the preferred layout of the picture on the back of the previous entry so that you can look at the pictures while reading the corresponding entry. Let me know if you have any questions, or need help printing pictures.
Spelling: This week’s words focus on double consonants and closed syllables. The test will be Friday as usual. Looking ahead, will not have a spelling test next week (May 1st).
Math: Last week we started chapter 9, Operations with Fractions—beginning with adding and subtracting. We have also started adding and subtracting mixed numbers, and will finish up with multiplying mixed numbers. Students have a base knowledge of fractions from chapter 8, so we will move a bit quicker through this chapter and review soon. Make sure your child is keeping up with their multiplication and division facts. MAP testing is coming up, so practicing foundational skills, showing work with details, and labeling answers on classwork and homework will be helpful.
Reading: This week, students will continue to delve into expository texts including our main selection, A Drop of Water. Students are engaged with the essential question of discovering what something looks like up close, specifically different forms of water (solid, liquid, and gas) in this main text story. They are sharing experiences, past observations, and knowledge too! The vocabulary is weaved into the story and we are reviewing this as we explore the topic and essential question.
Religion: We are focusing on the Ten Commandments this week, then we will move into our study of the Beatitudes. These two important pillars of our faith complement each other. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes direct Christians to love God and love one another. The 10 Commandments are the fundamental laws, and the Beatitudes are guidelines to finding hope for happiness in our lives. The word beatitude actually means happiness or blessing!
Science: This week we will start the last lesson where students explore the brain’s role in receiving information from the senses, processing that information, and controlling the muscles to enable movement. In the activity, Think Fast!, students test their reflexes with two very quick experiments and one more involved activity. They learn about how we process information in our brains and then respond to that information in different ways.
Social Studies: We will continue our journey on the Oregon Trail. The students are learning about the reasons people were willing to make this dangerous journey, the hardships they faced and the choices they had to make each day as they encountered obstacles. We will then focus on the early settlers of what would become Washington State.
Have an excellent week everyone!
