Fabulous Fourth
Mitchell Elementary
May 1, 2017
The Fourth Grade Scoop
- The last day of tutoring was Thursday, April 27th.
- Remember: Transportation updates MUST be made through the front office, not through email or phone calls.
- Parent Information/Orientation Meeting to discuss the Outdoor School Program - Tuesday, May 16 at 6:00 pm in the Mitchell Library.
- No visitors inside the campus on any STAAR testing dates. May 8 - 12th.
- No birthday treats to share on a STAAR testing date. Please plan on another day.
- May 12th: Summer School applications due to the Administration Building
- May 19th: Field Day
Dress Code
STAAR Testing
Math: Monday, May 8th
Reading: Tuesday, May 9th
Getting Close!
As we near the last month of school, please help remind your child to finish strong. We encourage all of the students to work hard and do their best everyday. We still have lots of learning to do!
The last day of school is June 2nd.
Reading
Next week in reading we will be reviewing the vocabulary from Unit 4 and will have a test over these words. There will also be a Unit 4 Major Evaluation for reading skills taught during this unit. The test will have some expository and narrative passages, some paired selections as well as poetry. Skills assessed will include author’s purpose and perspective, summaraization, inferencing and drawing conclusions, text structure, theme, main idea, comparisons and context clues. There will be no spelling test next week.
The week following is our STAAR tests, so we will not have a spelling test that week either. The Math STAAR is Monday and the Reading STAAR is Tuesday. We will work on persuasive writing in the days following the STAAR tests, and will also begin the end of year MAP testing.
Mathematics
In math, we are working on our Math STAAR Review. Please view the link below to review important 4th grade Math Vocabulary. The MATH STAAR test will be on Monday, May 8th.
https://www.spellingcity.com/fourth-grade-math-vocabulary.html
Science
In our next unit, students will be studying Life Science. This focuses on the living elements of our world, their interaction with each other, and how their interaction with living and nonliving things allows them to live and survive in an ecosystem. During the “Relationships” and “Structures and Functions” units, students investigate the important role of ecosystems in supporting life, how energy derived from the Sun flows within them, and how they can change over time.
Vocabulary : adaptations, food web, interaction, ecosystems, consumer, producer
Social Studies
In Social Studies, students will be examining the era of the cattle drives in the American West following the Civil War. They will learn about the tough life that the cowboys led during their journeys from Texas to the railhead cities. Classes will participate in a cattle drive simulation and create iPhone like apps that would have been beneficial for the cowboys. Students will write a diary entry as if they were a cowboy on the trail. They will discuss the dangers, trials, and tribulations they faced on the cattle drive. Finally, we will discuss the impact of the railroads or “Iron Horse” on life in Texas including changes to cities and major industries. All aboard!
Vocabulary:
stampede
roundup
branding
barbed wire
cattle industry
expansion
Summer School
Ready for Summer Learning? The deadline for registration in PAL (Plano Academy of Learning) and PEP (Plano Enrichment Program) summer learning programs is May 12, 2017. If your child is in need of a PEP schedule of classes please request one from the classroom teacher, or if your child received an invitation to PAL and you are in need of another copy, please contact your classroom teacher. May 12 is a final registration date. Thank you for considering a summer learning opportunity for your students.
Contact Us...
Jennifer Carter 469-752-2858 Jennifer.Carter@pisd.edu
Karen Maddox 469-752-2857 Karen.Maddox@pisd.edu
Denise Jenkins 469-752-2837 Denise.Jenkins@pisd.edu
Javaun Roland 469-752-2861 Javaun.Roland@pisd.edu
Madison Burney 469-752-2836 Madison.Burney@pisd.edu
Amanda Barrientos 469-752-2862 Amanda.Barrientos@pisd.edu