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Fourth Grade Newsletter |
Week of February 13, 2012
STEM Projects are due Tuesday, February 21. If you have misplaced the instruction sheet, it is available from our main page on this website!
Dear Parents,
Kids Empowered is our hot topic in class meetings as we continue to work with our children on problem-solving skills that are so critical on the playground, in the lunchroom, and even in the classroom. The strategies we are teaching can be used at home too! (see below)
English: This week we will continue working with adjectives. We will identify them and use them in various writing activities. The students already know not to say "gooder" or "interestingest", but we are going to practice that too!
Reading: We will read an expository nonfiction piece this week, So, You Want to be President?. Our skill focus will be identifying main ideas and details. On Friday, we will also use the SQ3R (survey, question, read, recite, review)reading strategy while reading the latest Time for Kids magazine. Students are making progress with their Reader Response project. Please check in with your child to see how they are coming along with their reading.
Science: Wow! S.T.E.M. has taken root in our school! It's fascinating to explore how relationships to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has ties in sports, careers, and everyday life! We're beginning our exploration of the layers of the earth. We'll delve into earthquakes, fault lines, and seismographs.
Religion: We're focusing on the Fifth Commandment, which calls for us to respect life and protect it. We'll discuss the life of Alfred Nobel, who had a change of heart about his invention of dynamite. Mr. Nobel worked tirelessly to recognize people from a variety of fields around the world who work for peace.
Spelling/Handwriting: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington both celebrate birthdays in February! This week we'll practice our cursive skills by writing the names of some of our presidents. In spelling we'll work on words with ear, ir, our, and ur.
Math:We should be able to wrap up ch 16 (Number Theory) this week. Our assessment will cover Fibonacci sequence and other cool number patterns, factors and multiples, prime and composite, squares and square roots. We'll also explore the topic of LINE SYMMETRY as we "create" a symmetrical heart for Valentine's Day!
Social Studies: Our skits are almost ready to "go live". We'll be inviting some of the younger classes to watch us perform! (I'll try to tape some of the skits and put them on the website for you to watch at home too)
Enjoy your week!
Mrs. Gmeiner, Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Frechette
