FOURTH GRADE NEWS
October 8, 2015
Welcome to Fourth Grade
We are excited to let you know that our 4th graders will be participating in WordMasters, a national vocabulary challenge offered to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students at Skaggs Elementary. The students will compete as a school against other private and public schools across the nation. Individual students with the highest scores will also be recognized.
Students will participate in WordMasters Meets three times during the year where they will be asked to answer analogy questions regarding the given vocabulary. Awards are given to winners at the end of the year.
Our first list of words has been distributed, and our first meet is scheduled for November 20th. Please encourage your child to learn the meanings of these words so they will be prepared for this competition.
Language Arts/Social Studies
Next week, students will read a wonderful biography about Martin Luther King titled, "My Brother MARTIN." Students will identify the author's main purpose and the literary language found in the story. We will also continue to work on expository writing through learning about how to write a conclusion. This week, we will have our first spelling test. The pattern of the week is prefixes.
Math
Students will continue their study of multiplication this week. We will begin by rounding to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000 or use compatible numbers to estimate solutions involving whole number solutions. Students will also apply multiplication to problems arising in everyday life, society and the workplace. The big ideas that we are studying are applying basic multiplication facts, algorithms, and properties using the Base-Ten Numeration System.
Topic 3 Extended Learning: pg. 159, Math and Science Project: Analyzing the Animal Kingdom Due October 19th.
Science
What another great week of science learning! This week students explored the idea that the mass of an object does not change based on the state of matter it is in. The volume of matter will change based on the state - a gas will have particles that are spread out farther than the particles of a solid or liquid. This week students also discovered more about mixtures and solutions in the world around us. Next week we will start friction and gravity.
Fourth grade students will complete their unit 2 assessment on Wednesday, October 21st. We have discussed that students should use their notebooks as a study guide to help them prepare for the upcoming test.
From the Teachers
- The 2015 Fall Book Fair is is scheduled for November 4-13. See the below flyer to find out more information.
- Field Day is October 30th. If you would like to volunteer for this fun-filled day, please sign up on the following link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14MRZyOOScehWn-iUT_n-djoZTOP3JNWutNJAXFoGFdY/edit#gid=0
- Skaggs PTA Drama Class – Mondays After School – See Attached Flyer for All of the Details
- Be a star for our students and write a check to our PTA. See the information below regarding the Skaggs PTA Check Writing Campaign.
- 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
- We would like to encourage your child to bring their electronic device. Electronic devices are being used in music and art.
- We have a 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
- 10/12 Parent/Teacher Conference Day
- 10/21 Unit 2 Science Test
- 10/30 Field Day - Bring a sack lunch.