January Newsletter

A Look into 4th Grade-January

Here is a look at what we are working on and what is coming next.

Reading:

We are beginning
on our new unit, Reading History: The American Revolution. Students
will learn how researchers pay attention to text structures in order to
organize notes and new thinking. Students will begin to synthesize
information about a chosen topic across multiple texts, paying attention
to primary sources and teaching strategies to tackle these difficult texts.
Students will learn about multiple points of view in order to gain a more
complete picture of events in the past. Your student should continue
reading 30 minutes a night.

Writing:

We are currently working to complete our third unit, Poetry. We are
publishing our poetry collections in Bare Books and illustrating each
poem.  We look forward to sharing these with our buddy readers and our
families.

Science:

We will be switching units in a couple weeks. Mrs. Wright’s students will
be going to learn with Mrs. Swanger. They will be beginning the unit, Energy
Collisions. Through the example of bumper cars, students will be introduced
to energy transfer and conversions in collisions. Mrs. Swanger’s students will
be going to learn with Mrs. Childes. They will be beginning the unit, Energy
Conversions. Students will learn about conversions of energy as well as the
conversion of a variety of fuel sources from stored energy to usable electricity.  
Mrs. Childes’ students will be going to learn with Mrs. Wright. They will be
beginning the unit, The Human Brain. In this module, students will be introduced
to the analogy of the brain as a computer.

Social Studies:

We are beginning our next unit, which is titled Slavery, Civil War, and
Reconstruction. Students will consider the Northern, Southern, and Border
State point of view. Students will understand that Missourians at this time were
conflicted in their beliefs about the war and slavery. Students will consider that
the end of the war did not mean equality for all.

Math:

We will soon be starting our next unit on Rational Numbers. In this
unit, students extend their knowledge of fraction equivalence in
order to compare and order fractions. Students will understand addition
and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring
to the same whole. They will build fractions from unit fractions, and
will very naturally move from this basic understanding to the addition
and subtraction of fractions with like denominators. Please take any
extra time to help your student practice their basic multiplication facts.
This will continue to help them in our fraction unit!

December Newsletter

A Look into 4th Grade-December

Here is a look at what we are working on and what is coming
next.

Reading:
We are currently working on our third unit, Little Things are Big:
Making Meaning of Poems. In this unit, students will read a
variety of poems paying attention to moods, sounds, word
choice, and images. They will notice how elements in the parts of
a poem work together to create meaning. They will transfer
knowledge of word choice, figurative language, and imagery
across texts.

Writing:
We are currently working on our third unit, Poetry. This unit will
allow the young writer the freedom to experiment with physical
space on the page, to savor the sound of the words they are
writing and think of them as drum beats, and, above all, to make
universal meaning out of close observations, thoughts, and
questions about the world and personal experience. These rich
experiences will provide our students the opportunity to read
and create poetry focusing on language, form, emotion, and
message.

Science:
All three classes are coming to the end of their second units.
Study guides will be sent home soon, and we hope to test before

Winter Break!

4C News November 12th-16th

                          

Thank you all the parents that are currently serving or have served in any of the military branches. Your service makes it possible for us to be at school daily and to live free. Thank you for all you have done for our country!
_________________________________________________________________________________

November
    14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle
    20: 2nd Grade Field Trip to Arch  
 21-23: No School, Thanksgiving
    26: Safe Surf Presentations, Grades 3 - 5
          Hearing Screening
    28: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am 
    30: Last day to drop off gifts for Adopt-A-Family

December
      5: 3rd Grade String Open House
      7: EcoBuds Meeting - 8:00 am, Upper Library
    12: Parkway Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, Central Middle
    13: All Read - 3:25 pm
          PSO Meeting - 7:00 pm, Upper Library
    14: Country Western Day
    19: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Busch Stadium
    20: Winter Parties, 9:45 am
          Half Day, School dismisses at 1:00 pm                   
December 21 - January 2: No School, Winter Break

_________________________________________________________________________________

Project Lit

This year, I am participating in an amazing book club called Project Lit with students, teachers, and parents for Highcroft and Bellerive

At its simplest form, Project LIT Community chapter leaders will work with students to organize Project LIT Book Club events and engage in service & project-based learning centered around literacy. Through the process, our students become better citizens, and of course, more enthusiastic readers.

I hope that some you (parents and students) would like to join us for our next meeting. We will be meeting in January and the book we are discussing is The Parker Inheritance. I currently have two copies that students can borrow or you are welcome to order off Amazon. We might also do a bulk order from Novel Neighbors at a discounted price. If you are interested in joining, please click the link below to fill out the google form.

https://goo.gl/forms/vODcjpCpgm9iLMMA2

_________________________________________________________________________________

Reading:

This week in reading, we will be finishing up our unit on reading nonfiction. Students will start to create a new presentation on their new research topic. They will focus on a focus question when they research this week and will compare and contrast the two topics they have been assigned. We will have a post-test on nonfiction next Tuesday (if anyone is going out of town early for the Thanksgiving holiday, please let me know. I have your child take the test early).

Writing:

We will start to edit and revise our personal opinions pieces this week. If you would like to take a look at what your child has written, their writing can be found in Google Classroom.

Math:

This week in math, we will be interpreting remainders and dividing using partial product. In fourth grade, we use the 7 strategy to divide and not the traditional algorithm. Students will learn the traditional way to divide in fifth grade.

Science:

So far, student seem to be liking our new science unit! This unit is very hands-on and gives them opportunities to problem solve on their own or with a group. It is very student lead. This week we will be looking at how energy is converted into mechanical energy, we will observe different types of energy in stations, and lastly, students will choose one of the stations to create a presentation about what they learned about that specific energy conversion.

Vocabulary: 
potential energy, kinetic energy, energy conversions, energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy

Social Studies:

Our next unit in social studies will be focused around Missouri becoming a state. Students will apply their knowledge of the Louisiana Purchase to explain Missouri statehood and Missouri’s important role in Westward Expansion. First, students will outline issues of Missouri statehood and explain the significance of the Missouri Compromise in maintaining an uneasy balance of slave and free states in the Union. Students can connect attempts at compromise by the federal government with situations in their own lives where they might have had to give up something in order to get something. 

Please feel free to send me a Dojo message if you ever have any questions or concerns!

Have a wonderful week!

November Newsletter

A Look into 4th Grade-November

Here is a look at what we are working on and what is coming next.

Friday, November 9th is our Veterans Day Assembly. We ask all students to participate in the assembly by wearing red, white, or blue on this day! Kindergarten and first-grade students should wear red shirts, second and third-grade students should wear white shirts, and fourth and fifth-grade students should wear blue shirts.

Thank you all for your support in making this a great event!   

Reading:

We are continuing to work on our second unit, which is Reading the Weather, Reading the World. We will be planning for a research project, synthesizing our learning, reading various types of text, writing to grow research-based ideas, tackling complex text through small group work, and teaching one another. Please remind your students to be reading each night at home. We ask for at least 30 minutes.

Writing:

We are continuing to work on our second unit, which is Boxes and Bullets. Our focus over the next few weeks will be composing and sorting mini-stories, creating parallelism in lists, organizing for drafting, building a cohesive draft, and small group work on paragraphing, using transition words, and revising. Ask your students about their thesis statement.

Science:

In Mrs. Wright’s class, students will continue the unit, The Human Brain. In this module, students will be introduced to the analogy of the brain as a computer. In Mrs. Swanger’s class, students will continue the unit, Energy Collisions. Through the example of bumper cars, students will be introduced to energy transfer and conversions in collisions. In Mrs. Childes’ class, students will continue the unit, Energy Conversions. Students will learn about conversions of energy as well as the conversion of a variety of fuel sources from stored energy to useable electricity.

Social Studies:

We are beginning our next unit, which is titled Missouri Statehood and Westward Expansion. Students will apply their knowledge of the Louisiana Purchase to explain Missouri statehood and Missouri’s important role in Westward Expansion. Students will also outline issues of Missouri statehood and explain the significance of the Missouri Compromise in maintaining an uneasy balance of slave and free states in the Union.

Math:

We are continuing our unit on Multiplication and Division. Students will be using basic division facts and patterns to solve larger problems, breaking the dividend into easier parts, multiplying groups to reach the dividend, and using partial products or partial quotients. Please take any extra time to help your student practice their basic multiplication facts!

Orchestra: Remember to follow Strings on Twitter @HR_Strings

4C News October 29th- November 2nd

Daylight Savings is this Sunday, November 4th!

Halloween Party: We will celebrate Halloween on October 31st beginning with our annual parade at
2:15pm, followed by our class parties.  If your child would like to bring a costume to school for the
festivities, please be sure they can slip it on over their clothes.  No masks, makeup, or weapons are
allowed. We honor a food-free celebratory environment in accordance with Parkway's food policy, so
no candy or food is allowed.  If you are joining us for the celebration, please be sure to sign in before
going to your child's class.

November

5-6: No School

8: Picture Retake Day

   All Read - 3:25 pm

   Family Fun Night at Fitz's - 5:00 pm

9: Veterans Day Celebration

21-23: No School, Thanksgiving

28: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am  

Reading:

Last week students were assigned a research topic. They have worked hard taking notes in a nonfiction structure and making sure they are only including the important details about their subtopic. This week they will be share what they have learned with the class.

Here is the link to the reading log:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcMaqflPoTSE1xb74UVoydYtdjwuWeOT-5WW3NG2rUu49AQ/viewform

Writing:

We will continue working on our opinion writing. This week we will start to draft our opinion pieces. Students will have their draft on Google Classroom at any time you would like to view their writing. We will also start to craft our introductions and conclusions to get our readers interested in our writing and to leave them with lasting thoughts about our writing.

Math:

All math test should be returned to school by Tuesday, October 30th. We will be moving onto learning about division. Students will still need to be practicing their multiplication fact each night and also their division facts.

Science:

So far, student seem to be liking our new science unit! This unit is very hands-on and gives them opportunities to problem solve on their own or with a group. It is very student lead. This week we will be looking at how energy is converted into mechanical energy, we will observe different types of energy in stations, and lastly, students will choose one of the stations to create a presentation about what they learned about that specific energy conversion.

Vocabulary: 
potential energy, kinetic energy, energy conversions, energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy

Social Studies:

Our next unit in social studies will be focused around Missouri becoming a state. Students will apply their knowledge of the Louisiana Purchase to explain Missouri statehood and Missouri’s important role in Westward Expansion. First, students will outline issues of Missouri statehood and explain the significance of the Missouri Compromise in maintaining an uneasy balance of slave and free states in the Union. Students can connect attempts at compromise by the federal government with situations in their own lives where they might have had to give up something in order to get something. 

Please feel free to send me a Dojo message if you ever have any questions or concerns!

Have a wonderful week!

4C News October 22-26

Monday - Rock Your Red! Wear red to kick off Red Ribbon Week.

Tuesday - Tie Dye & TuTu Tuesday! Wear tie-dye and/or your tutu.

Wednesday - Wacky Tacky Wednesday! Wear your crazy, or mismatched clothes.

Thursday - Be on a Drug-Free Team! Wear your favorite sports team or your own team wear.

Friday - Leaders are Drug-Free! Wear anything to show your leadership. (Ex. Scout uniform,

future career goals, Highcroft spirit wear, anything you are proud of)

October

22-26: Red Ribbon Week

 24: Halloween Safety Assembly, Grades K-2

       5th Grade Field Trip to JA BizTown

 25: Pumpkin Run, Grades 3-5

       PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm in the Library

 26: Trunk or Treat, 6:00 pm

 31: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am

       Halloween Parade & Parties - 2:15 pm

Reading:

We have been getting our feet wet in reading nonfiction. I have been encouraging students to read more nonfiction book for their 30 minutes reading at home. We talked about having a balanced reading diet of both fiction and nonfiction. Students should also complete their daily reading log every night. We will be starting our daily reading logs back up this week.

Here is the link to the reading log:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcMaqflPoTSE1xb74UVoydYtdjwuWeOT-5WW3NG2rUu49AQ/viewform

Writing:

We will continue working on our opinion writing. We are currently in the stage of writing to learn. This consist of several pre-writing activities to gather thoughts about our chosen subject to write about.

Math:

Our math test is Tuesday, October 23rd. We will be testing on multiplication. We have been using the area model to multiply multi-digit numbers. Students came home last week with a study packet. They need to continue to work on these problems as they mimic the ones on the test. Students also should be studying their multiplication facts every night for homework.

Science:

I am excited to move into our new science. This is one of the three Project Lead the Way unit we are doing this school year. Students will begin the unit Energy Conversions with me this week. Students will learn about conversions of energy as well as the conversion of a variety of fuel sources from stored energy to usable electricity. This week we will work on activity 1: What is Energy Conversions. 

Vocabulary: 
potential energy, kinetic energy, energy conversions, energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy

Social Studies:

We had our first social studies test last week. I hope to get those grade this week and sent home by Wednesday. They will need to be signed and returned by Monday, October 29th.

Please feel free to send me a Dojo message if you ever have any questions or concerns!

Have a wonderful week!

4C News October 9th - 12th

Hello 4th Grade Families,
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! I wanted to say thank you for taking the
time out of your busy schedules to chat with me about your awesome kiddo. These fourth
grades are a unique, fun-loving, and kind. Each day, I feel lucky to work with such a
wonderful group. Thank you for raising such great little people and for sharing them with
me. Here is what's happening in our classroom this week:

 11: All Read - 3:25 pm
 12: Family Fun Night at Sports Fusion, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
 17: Visit your Elementary School
 18: Vision Screening
       Flu Shots for Students and Staff
22-26: Red Ribbon Week
 24: Halloween Safety Assembly, Grades K-2
 25: Pumpkin Run, Grades 3-5
       PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm in the Library
 26: Trunk or Treat, 6:00 pm
 31: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am
       Halloween Parade & Parties - 2:15 pm

Reading:

We have finished our first unit of reading on interpreting characters. It was a fun unit. We celebrated by doing a little whittling like Rob does to wood in Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. We will be starting our new reading unit this week. Our next unit is nonfiction and it is called Reading the Weather Reading the World. We will be taking a pre-test for this unit on Tuesday.

Writing:

We will continue working on our opinion writing. We are currently in the stage of writing to learn. This consist of several pre-writing activities to gather thoughts about our chosen subject to write about.

Math:

Students should be practicing their multiplication fact every night for 10 minutes. It is very important that they are memorized. We are going to continue learning to multiply multi-digit numbers using the area model.

Science:

We have finished our first science unit and will be taking the test on Friday. Students should be working on their study guide for homework this week. I will advise them to bring home their science binder to study from also.

Social Studies:

We will be spending this week learning more about Lewis and Clark's expedition. Our books only touch a little bit on it so we will be reading a book, reviewing several articles and researching the internet.