FOURTH GRADE NEWS
November 12, 2015
Welcome to Fourth Grade
What a wonderful week we have had in fourth grade! Our students have been learning a great deal and working hard in each of their classes. Everyone has enjoyed the fabulous Book Fair, and we are all sad to see it end tomorrow at 1:00 pm.
Thank you to everyone who has already made donations to our canned food drive! Continue bringing in canned food! All donations will go to the Plano Santas organization which collects non-perishable foods for needy families during the holidays. The teacher of the class with the most cans will wear a turkey costume and the grade level will have a popcorn party. Our fourth graders really want to see one of their teachers dressed as a turkey! Donations are due to school by Thursday, November 19th!
Language Arts
Students will practice the concepts and skills learned throughout our second unit. The spelling patterns practiced over the past five weeks will be reviewed and tested. Use the spelling patterns from your child's agenda to review. Students will practice identifying author's purpose, summarizing, identifying causes and effects, and main ideas and details in a variety of texts.
Math
Our division assessment over Topics 7 and 8 will be Monday, November 16th. Students will use strategies and algorithms, including the standard algorithm, to divide up to a four-digit dividend by a one-digit divisor on the test. Students may use pages 401-402 and 457-460 in their Envisions book to review.
During the remainder of the week, we will focus on multiplying a 2-digit number by a 2-digit number and the following questions: How can greater products be found mentally? How can greater products be estimated? Students will use arrays, patterns, and multiples of 10 to multiply 2-digit numbers. They will also use rounding and compatible numbers to estimate products of 2-digit numbers. Please continue to work on multiplication facts with your student.
Extended learning for Unit 7 is due on Monday, November 16th. Please see page 363 "Conserving Natural Resources" for more information about the assignment.
Science and Social Studies
In Social Studies, students will explain the patterns of settlement and how people earned a living in different regions. They will also make inferences from nonfiction text features about settlement patterns. Students will delve deeper in understanding how colonies were successfully managed by empresarios like Stephen. F. Austin, Martin de Leon, and other impressive empresarios.
Students will be tested on their knowledge of Social Studies on
Wednesday, November 18th.
From the Teachers
- The Skaggs Book Fair will close tomorrow, Friday, November 13th at 1:00 pm .http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/skaggs
- Science Fair is coming to Skaggs! If your child is interested in participating please send in the student letter as soon as possible in order to receive the handbook. Student Letters can be found on the fourth grade website. Projects are due to school by Wednesday, January 13th. https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
- Reading Logs: Skaggs has a new reading program that we would love to encourage your children to participate in. With this reading program, your child will read at home and record the number of minutes that he or she has read each night. At the end of the week, your child can record the number of minutes read for the week on the following web site: http://tinyurl.com/SkaggsReadingLog
- 40 Books in 40 Days: Each child has been given a challenge by Mrs. Geiler, our librarian, to read 40 books in 40 days. The challenge ends December 16th! Each week teachers will tally up the total number of books read by our classes. At the end of the challenge the grade level with the highest percentage of books read will earn a prize! Please see below for further information.
- We would like to encourage your child to bring their electronic devices. Electronic devices are being used in all subject areas along with music and art.
- Be a star for our students and write a check to our PTA. See the information below regarding the Skaggs PTA Check Writing Campaign.
- A fourth grade website just for parents! You will find links, important information, and much more. https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
Important Dates
- 11/16 Math Extended Learning due- your child should know what to do.
- 11/18 Social Studies Test- use your social studies notebook!
- 11/19 Progress Reports
- 11/20 Word Masters Meet #1
- 11/23-11/27 Thanksgiving Break
- 12/1 Math MAP testing begins