The Scoop on 4th Grade
with Miss Lejsner, Mrs. Napoleoni & Mrs. Smith
December 7, 2018
Dear 4th grade parents,
We were so excited to welcome students back to school after a long Thanksgiving weekend and extra snow day! It was so enjoyable to hear about everyone's memories and fun experiences with family and friends. Now that the temperatures have dropped, please make sure to send your child to school with coats, hats, and gloves. Please try to label these materials as well, in case we have duplicates.
Curriculum Corner
Reading & Writing
The past few weeks have been full of biographies in both shared reading and guided reading. We have been talking about Nelson Mandela and his fight to end apartheid. We read a wonderful picture book on Nelson Mandela and listened to a school teacher talk about her experiences in South Africa when Nelson was released from prison and then again when he was elected President. We discussed apartheid and how it was similar to segregation in the United States. Students are writing a five paragraph essay explaining how events in Mandela's life show his integrity. This week we focused on Cesar Chavez and how his childhood experiences led him to change the way migrant farmers were treated.
In writing the students have been going through the writing process to create a variety of opinion pieces. They are checking to make sure all of the characteristics of a opinion piece are included before taking it through the writing process. Ask your child if winter is their favorite or least favorite season!
Math
We have been working hard to master division. All of a sudden we are solving multi-step and multi-operation word problems. Wow, we grow fast!! We are so impressed with how well everyone did on their chapter 3 division test. We look forward to using expressions and equations to aid in solving word problems from chapter 4.
Science/Social Studies
Rocks Rule! Awesome scores on our 2nd science test! It sure was fun to pretend we were geologists! Now we are currently on a train, traveling through the Northeast region! Just a reminder at the end of this chapter the students will be taking 2 tests instead of 1. They will first take the standard chapter test (like always), to show their knowledge of the chapter and land. Then the following day they will be taking a matching states/capitals test that includes identifying the specific state location. Please encourage your child to take studying seriously. We highly recommend studying 2-3 states a night to learn the capital and state location in the Northeast Region. We sent home flashcards for everyone!
Books We've Read
- City of Ember
- Nelson Mandela
- Harvesting Hope
- Social Studies Alive
- Various Guided Reading Texts
DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday, December 11th - Winter Carnival Planning Meeting
Thursday, December 13th - PTO board meeting, 7:00 p.m., learning center
Monday, December 17th - Kindness Day
Monday, December 17th - Board of Education meeting, 7:00 p.m., CORE
Tuesday, December 18th - Wear Festive Hat or Headband
Wednesday, December 19th - Pajama Day
Thursday, December 20th - Book Buddy Day
Friday, December 21st - Wear Festive Holiday Clothing
Friday, December 21st - Classroom holiday celebrations, 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Saturday, December 22nd - Winter break begins
Monday, January 7th - classes resume
Monday, January 7-25 - MAP testing window
Have a festive weekend!!
-Miss Lejsner, Mrs. Napoleoni & Mrs. Smith-