Homework
Homework return has been pretty good so far. Students fill out their communicator (my version of a homework planner) each day, and there is a spot for you or another adult to sign. Students have homework folders that MUST travel to and from school each day, so that they may be filled with homework, flyers, school communication, work samples, etc. Fourth graders may need a little reminder to put the folder back in their backpack each evening, but it is possible for them to handle this responsibility. Thank you for your support in building scholarly behavior! As items come home in the Left at Home pocket, please review them and then keep them at home.
Behavior
Please check on your child's communicator each evening how many positives and negatives they've earned that day, and talk about highs and lows. Please remember a negative is not the end of the world; if there is a bigger problem, you'll hear about it!
Sharing and Presenting in Class
We've started Public Speaking, which occurs every month. Your child brought home the calendar for their day of presentation, and they also have access to it in the classroom. Public speaking can be scary, and the best way to make it easier is to do it a lot!
We have also had a few Students of the Week. Each child will get an opportunity to fill our trophy case and present more about themselves to their classmates. They will bring home poster board and a craft kit the week before it is their week to present.
You can access both Public Speaking and student of the week assignment sheets by clicking here or on the Documents tab above.
Current units of study
Reading:
We are learning about traditions around the world. What are different traditions, why are they important, and how are they similar across cultures?
Writing:
Before delving into informative writing, we are reviewing a handful of grammar rules that will improve the quality of writing, regardless of content.
Spelling:
For ongoing, up-to-date spelling news, please click here, or on the tab above on the right.
Math:
We are wrapping up our first chapter: place value; greater than, less than, equal to; using place value to round numbers; writing numbers in expanded form and word form in addition to standard form.
Science:
We will begin our first unit--energy--soon! If you love science, I'd love your volunteer help! Our new science curriculum is preparation-heavy, and I'd love some extra help preparing the labs as well as executing them with the students!
Other important work
Broken Circles is a game that teaches the importance and the challenges of cooperative learning, something to which we aspire throughout the year and across the subject areas. The big goal is to help students look out for what others need, not just themselves. It was a satisfying challenge!
We also worked together to practice using place value to put numbers in order from least to greatest and make "greater than" and "less than" comparison statements.
Finally, in preparation for science, we worked with measuring items from nature using the metric system, and found that converting between millimeters and centimeters is much easier than units in the Imperial system!
Have a great week!
If you've made it this far, congrats! Tell your fourth grader that the secret password is AHOY and they will get a Marvelous Mustang if they tell it to me at an appropriate time.
