The Monthly Mustang
The Official Newsletter for Wedgwood School Families
December 2016 - Fourth Grade Update
⇦ Back to December's Monthly Mustang
Fourth graders are off to a fantastic start this year! The students have become accustomed to the procedures and expectations of fourth grade. They are making tremendous strides toward becoming responsible and organized individuals.
In Language Arts this year, students will be learning many new concepts. We focus on small group instruction as well as large group lessons to reinforce skills. Our reading program, entitled “Making Meaning”, is used as a supplement and allows the students to focus on comprehension strategies using various books to enhance their reading. Some strategies include: retelling, visualizing, making inferences and summarizing. Students will be exposed to different genres of writing through various trade book examples in our Being A Writer program. They will be intrinsically motivated to write and will learn to develop their writing through practice and working through the writing process.
Students work collaboratively to develop writing topics as well as to revise and improve text. In addition, we are very excited to implement our grammar program entitled “The Fundamentals of Grammar and Conventions.”
In Math, we focus on problem solving and relating concepts to everyday life. The curriculum is very hands-on, enabling the students to grasp ideas easier. You can practice problem solving strategies at home by asking your child questions relating to everyday experiences (grocery store, paying bills, cooking, etc.). Our goal is to have math become more meaningful to students’ everyday lives. It is a great motivator in the classroom when students can appreciate the value of their efforts at home. In addition, math facts are essential this year and it would be very beneficial to have continued practice with basic facts.
Social Studies is taught during the 1st and 4th marking periods. Students will learn about the history of the United States, starting with the events that led up to the American Revolution. We will be focusing on the contributions of significant New Jerseyans who helped lead the new nation to independence! Technology is an essential part of this area of study. The students are exposed to a variety of websites to enhance their learning.
Our Science curriculum is taught during the 2nd and 3rd marking periods. The units include Systems and Cycles, Forces and Motion, and Rocks and Minerals. A constructivist approach is utilized for added reinforcement in learning the concepts. Students are asked to predict, hypothesize, and draw conclusions based on the information provided.
As we look forward to meeting these new challenges with your children, we thank you so much for your efforts at home. The signing of the Friday Folders, monitoring of homework and signing of homework books as well as the priority you give to school are some of our greatest assets.
Wedgwood Elementary School
Email: czimmerman@wtps.org
Website: wtps.org/wedgwood
Location: 236 Hurffville Road, Sewell, NJ 08080
Phone: (856) 227-8110
Twitter: @wedgwoodwtps