Spring Creek Cardinals
4th Grade Newsletter
APRIL 2018 EDITION
Hard to believe it, but we are almost finished with the school year
with only 9 weeks of school left!
We want all our 4th graders to finish the school year strong and
be prepared for a successful start to their 5th grade year!
Look for the Austin field trip permission slip in the Monday folder!
MATH Update
The month of April will be filled with new experiences in geometry, beginning with some new vocabulary. Geometry has many terms that students need to be familiar with, including ray, line, line segment, parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting, all types of lines. Then there are the acute, obtuse and right angles. They will also be responsible for knowing the names of various 2D shapes, including the usual shapes of rectangle, square and triangle, along with new shapes of polygon, pentagon, hexagon, trapezoid, rhombus, and parallelogram. They will then use the knowledge they have gained about lines and angles to help them identify the 2D shapes they learned about earlier in the month based on the attributes of the angles and lines in those shapes. You can help your child by asking them to find shapes, lines and angles in everyday items around the house or when you are out and about the town.
The students will also be learning how to use a protractor, which, in my experience, most 4th grade students, have never seen, much less ever used. They will learn how to measure angles, and how to draw an angle of a given measurement, both using a protractor. They will also learn about how to find the measurement of an unknown angle given the measure of the overall angle and the adjacent angle. Symmetry is another geometry concept they will explore this month. Not only how to draw a line of symmetry in a shape, but to explore and discover if there is more than one line of symmetry for that shape.
If time allows at the end of the month, we will begin reviewing everything we have learned this tear to help us get ready to take the Math STAAR in May. We will take the STAAR on Monday, May 14th.
READING/WRITING Update
From Mrs. Dungan
Reading -
Students are in the midst of a new book club. They need to read their book club book every night at home in order to meet the deadlines for completing the book. The kids really enjoy having someone to discuss their book with. We will put our deadlines in student planners each week.
Book orders went home last week and are due April 6. So far this year, your personal orders have allowed me to grow the classroom library by 122 books for free. I choose titles of books that expand the different genres we study in fourth grade. It also allows me to receive multiple copies of titles, so students have a large selection of on level books to choose from when participating in book clubs. Thank you so much for your purchases.
Writing -
The STAAR Writing test is Tuesday, April 10th. Please be sure they get a good night’s sleep and a protein filled breakfast before the test.
Students have been continuing to learn more and more about writing quality essays and how to revise and edit each other’s work. They have learned how to provide structure to their essays as well as add their voice and personality to their work. I am noticing students brighten as they hear the great things they are already doing as a writer. Students are also hearing tips about a way to improve their writing and how to apply it. I am so proud of the writers that they have become this year. Every single one of your children has grown in stamina and quality. Please be sure to encourage them to do their best and that their best is always good enough.
Our next writing assignment will be student choice. Students may choose the genre they want to write and the format for publication. It will be an exciting culmination to show off all they have learned about writing and author’s craft.
Poetry -
This month is going to be a great month for poetry!! April is National Poetry Month. On April 20th 4th grade will be hosting a poetry party. During this time students will come to the mic to read a piece of original poetry. We will be sending you invitations soon, so plan to take a little time off to hear your child recite a poem. For National Poetry Month you might want to consider finding a poem to read at dinner every night. Maybe even set a deadline for each family member to write a poem. The deadline could be April 26, “Poem in Your Pocket” day. On this day, students will have their poems scattered throughout the building for all students to take, read, keep in their own pocket, and trade with others. Last year, we even had a few poems written in other languages! The younger students on campus were so excited to be included. Lastly, each homeroom class will be selecting a poem to publish and illustrate for a hardbound book. I will send their poems off to the publishing company and they will send us back a full color hardbound book. You should have received an order form already. Please return the order form even if NOT purchasing, so the classroom will receive a copy for the students to read. Deadline April 13.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES Update
In Social Studies:
We will look at Texas during the oil boom, the early 1900's and into the 20th century and look at the different cultures in Texas.
In Science,
We are finishing up looking at the patterns of the moon, sun, water cycle and the weather. Then we will look at producers, consumers, and the relationships they have with each other in food webs and ecosystems. We will also take a closer look at life cycles. We will watch meal worms in the classroom to help us investigate specific stages in life cycles.
As a reminder, Encourage your child to review the vocabulary on the website. Scroll down in the student vocabulary section to see the latest set of words we are working with. http://mann4thgradeclass.weebly.com/
Looking Ahead...
April 2- Student Holiday
April 4 - Chaperone parent meeting for Austin field trip 4th grade Pod 5-6pm
April 10 - 4th Grade STAAR Writing
April 17- Austin field trip
April 20- Fourth Grade Poetry Party
April 23-27 - Book Fair
April 24 - Book Fair Dinner/Publishing Night
Spring Creek Elementary
Website: http://sc.csisd.org/
Location: 2450 Brewster, College Station, TX
Phone: 979-694-5838
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSISDSpringCreek
Twitter: @sc_elementary