CES 4th Grade News
November, 2019
Term 1 Wrap Up
Wow! The first term has flown by! Your kiddos are settling in nicely to fourth grade routines and expectations. We appreciate the continued support and encouragement you give to your children and look forward to starting the next quarter. Keep up the good work!
Feeling Like Fall
Fall weather is here! Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for this wacky weather. We do our best to get outside for recess every day, unless the weather is really nasty or it is far too cold. Be sure your child wears layers to accommodate the changing temperatures!
Supply Alert!
Some 4th grade classrooms are in great need of TISSUES.
Fun Fact: According to researchers at MIT, coughing spreads droplets as far as 20 feet, and sneezing as much as 26 feet. These droplets stay suspended in the air for up to 10 minutes. Eww. Tissues help contain some of those sneezes and coughs. Send some in. Please. Thank you!
Reading News
We are beginning our new quarter looking at extended literary texts through book clubs/novel study!
For the remainder of the month, we will be reading informational text. We will revisit main idea and details and explore the various text structures: Problem & Solution, Compare & Contrast, Cause & Effect, Sequence, and Description.
Students will always be asked to prove their point by citing text evidence.
As your child is reading at home, encourage them to cite evidence from the story/text as they discuss their reading with you. (“How do you know that? What does the author tell you? What can you infer about _____?”)
Writing News
For Quarter 2, we will use a variety of resources to guide students through the process of opinion writing. Teachers will provide daily instruction on specific strategies, such as boxes and bullets, and teach students about the tools necessary to write fluently in the opinion genre.
To begin this unit, students will develop an opinion about why they like ice cream with a focus on including evidence to support that opinion. They will write a thesis statement to express their opinion and then write a well-developed persuasive essay.
Math News
We’ve wrapped up Unit 2: Factors & Multiples along with our first round of multi-digit multiplication and division, and are now headed into Unit 3: Understanding and Applying Measurement to Solve Problems.
In this unit…
Students will understand relative sizes of units within the metric system (mm,cm, m, km; g, kg; ml, l) by developing benchmarks through hands on experiences and visual representations. (MD.A.1)
Students will solve multi-step problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit using mm, cm, m, km; g, kg; ml, l. (MD.A.1)(MD.A.2)\
Students will record measurement equivalents using a two column table (conversion table) to use as a tool for problem solving. (MD.A.1)
Students will apply area and perimeter formulas to solve real world problems. (MD.A.3)
The math experiences and instruction students received in third grade prepared them to apply and extend their understandings as we progress through the fourth grade measurement standards. You can reinforce measurement concepts by asking your child to estimate distances, capacities, and weights in everyday experiences.
*Working on basic facts will always help with math fluency.
Social Studies/Science News
Our first unit in Social Studies is called Native American Culture in Early America. In this unit students will take on the role of student anthropologists to create an exhibit that shows the culture of Native American societies living in Maryland before European colonization. The unit begins with students learning about what an anthropologist does and the different primary and secondary sources both anthropologist and historians use to learn about the past. Students then build upon their understanding of culture and bring in “artifacts” that represent their own culture. They will read about and compare two of the earliest Native American groups, the Paleo and Archaic Indians. Then they break into research groups to gather evidence about the culture of three Native American Societies in early Maryland: the Nanticoke, Piscataway, and Susquehannock. Finally, students use the information they gather to design an exhibit that highlights the culture of each society and how the environment influenced their lifestyle.
November Dates to Remember
8: Schools Closed - Teacher Work Day
18: Picture Make-Ups
19: Report Cards Issued
21: Star Award Assembly
27 - 29: Schools Closed for Thanksgiving Break
CES Grade 4 Teachers
Sandy Cafarelli
Karla Hallock
Dreda Kelley
Melissa Lasko
Jill Maenner
Caitlin Mills