Grade 4

Hi Boys and Girls,

It was a great pleasure to have you in my library class this year, we learned so many things. I had so much fun being your library teacher.

Our year has been ripped away from us, and I am sad because I didn't get to say a proper goodbye.

I hope you are staying healthy, happy, and remembering to take good care of yourselves!

I miss each and every one of you, can't wait to have fun in library class and see your smiling faces again.Please keep smiling and stay safe!

KEEP READING!

Love,

Ms. Ilene

June 7

Listen to this story about Splat the Cat.

Afterwards, look on your bookshelf and in your room to see if you still have any library books at home. If you find any, ask an adult to return them to the school. They can drop the books in one of the two big boxes at gate 1.

If you are not sure if you still have books checked out, send me your full name and your student ID number and I will reply to tell you what books you have.

Lesson for May 31 - June 4

This week you will finish your folktale story.

Look at the plan you made last week and use it to write your story. You can type your folktale on the computer or write by hand on paper. You can choose to write it all on a page or two and draw just one illustration for your story, or you can write just a few sentences on each page and make a picture for every page.

I can't wait to read your stories!

Lesson for May 17 - May 21

This week your assignment is to plan your folktale.

You will be writing a story that is meant to be a folktale from the imaginary country that you have created for your in-class project. You can choose one of two ways to write this story:

1. Take a real folktale and change it so that the story elements fit the natural resources, climate, wildlife, food, and customs of your country. For example, last week we looked at the European folktale "The Three Little Pigs" and then found the changes that were made in it to fit Texas (The Three LIttle Tamales) and Namibia (The Three Little Dassies). For your story you could start with the Three Little Pigs or choose another tale like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, or another folktale that you know (it MUST be a folktale). Changing an old folktale to make it fit a new place is called adapting it.

2. Create a story that is not based on a folktale that already exists. Two weeks ago we looked at "seven things about folktales." Those seven things must be true about the story that you write. Your story must also have elements in it that let the reader or listener know that it is from your imaginary country so that it would seem familiar to the people who live in that country. For example, if your country does not have forests or frogs, do not put a forest or a frog in the story.

Use the worksheet to plan your story. You do NOT have to actually write your story this week (that's for next week!)

7 things to remember about folktales.pdf

Folktale planning worksheet.pdf

Lesson for May 10 - May 14

Folktales from different countries

This week you will listen to two different versions of the folktale The Three Little Pigs. You will see that although the plot is the same for both, there are many parts of the stories that are different because of the country where they are set.

The first story, The Three Little Pigs, is one you have probably heard before. This story comes from Europe, where straw, sticks, and bricks are common building materials. People in Europe raise pigs for food, and a long time ago there were wolves in the forests who stole pigs and ate them.

The Three Little Pigs

by James Marshall

The second story, The Three Little Tamales by Jan Brett, is set in the hot dry Texas desert in North America. Many people speak Spanish there. Lobo is the Spanish word for wolf. Corn is the staple food and tortillas and tamales are traditional foods made from corn.

The Three Little Tamales

by Eric A. Kimmel

After you have listened to these first two stories, do the worksheet.

Folktale comparison.pdf

If you would like to hear an example of another version of the same story, this one by Jan Brett is set in the country of Namibia in southern Africa. A dassie is another name for the animal called the rock hyrax, and an agama is a kind of lizard.

The Three Little Dassies

by Jan Brett

Lesson for May 3 - May 7

This month we will be doing a library project to go along with the Weslandia unit in your regular classroom. The project will be to create a folktale for your new country. Each week you will do a part of the project. The first week will be about learning what a folktale is.

Week 1: What is a folktale?

A folktale is a traditional story that is passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth; that means that children learn the story from older people, who tell it to them out loud. All cultures have folktales.

Seven things to know about folktales:

1.The story usually has some kind of lesson in it about how people in that culture should or should not behave.

2. The story usually starts or ends with special words that tell the listener that this is a folktale: “Once upon a time” and “and they lived happily ever after” are examples of this. Different countries use different words for this.

3. Many times there are special phrases in the story that are repeated, like “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!” or “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.”

4. Often there are special numbers in folktales. In folktales from Europe, 7, 12, and (most often) 3 are the special numbers. There could be seven brothers, or something that happens three times.

5. The setting of the story is a kind of place like a forest or castle but it won’t take place in a real place that is named (like London or the Black Forest).

6. The hero or heroine will be rewarded at the end of the story.

7. A fairy tale is a special kind of folktale that has magic in it. A fairy tale might include a magical person like a witch or fairy, or there can be magical objects.

As you listen to these two folktales, watch for the seven things to know about folktales and then fill out the worksheet.

What is a folktale ws.pdf

Lesson for April 26 - April 30

Weslandia project

Flags of the World

The government of a country puts a lot of careful thought and effort into choosing a design for its flag. The colors, shapes, and pictures or words on the flag all represent important things about the country. This week you will look at the flags of some different countries as examples.

Watch the 6 minute video to learn how to use CIA Factbook to find information about flags. Then use information from CIA Factbook to fill out the worksheet. You will need to look up the flags of Egypt, the United States (USA), and two other countries of your choice. For each of the countries, write in the box what the colors of the flag are and what they stand for; what the shapes are and what they stand for; and any other special features on that country's flag and what they mean. You can cut and paste a picture of the flag in the first column if you are filling out the form digitally, or draw a flag if you are printing the paper.

Send your completed paper to Ms. Ilene as a document attachment or take a picture of it and send that.

flags of the world pdf.pdf

Lesson for April 12 - April 16

Kenn Nesbitt is an author who writes poetry for kids. Go to his website at https://www.poetry4kids.com. Click on the “Poems” dropdown and choose “Poems by Subject”. Choose one of the subjects and read three poems.

Which poem did you like the best? What did you like about it?

Lesson for April 5 - April 9

The Emperor and the Kite

by Jane Yolen

After the story, circle the missing word. Listen to the story again if you are not sure of an answer.

This selection is most like a __________.

A) fairy tale

B) science fiction story

C) play

D) biography

2. When does the story take place?

A) last week

B) ten years ago

C) in the future

D) in ancient times

3. Djeow Seow's name means __________.

A) the smallest one

B) the meanest one

C) the biggest one

D) the funniest one

4. The four sons help their father rule the kingdom and __________.

A) think only of themselves

B) make enemies

C) teach the ways of peace

D) make the sun rise

5. The three midnight moons are the ones who __________.

A) carry food to their father's table

B) bring their pets to the table

C) do the cleaning up after dinner

D) sew all of their own clothes

6. The kite is Djeow Seow's favorite toy because it __________.

A) is like a bush in the sky

B) is like a flower in a garden

C) is like a bird in the wind

D) helps her overcome her loneliness

7. What happens to the emperor one day when his four sons and three daughters are away?

A) Evil men capture the emperor and tell the kingdom he is dead.

B) The emperor dances and sings in the moonlight.

C) Djeow Seow builds a boat and goes sailing.

D) The sons and daughters decide to rule the kingdom.

8. Djeow Seow keeps her father alive while he is kept prisoner in the tower by __________.

A) bringing the monk to visit him in the tower

B) reading to him every morning

C) singing to him in the tower

D) tying a basket of food to her kite and sailing it up to the tower

9. What does the emperor suddenly realize about his daughter when he sees her holding the end of the kite's rope to save him?

A) She is much smaller than he thought.

B) He has never understood her worth.

C) She is a good cook.

D) She is not very clever.

10. The emperor calls Djeow Seow "loyal child" because __________.

A) he thinks that she will like that name

B) he has forgotten her real name

C) she has helped him while the others hid in safe places

D) it is his favorite name for her

11. Why does the monk sing a message to Djeow Seow?

A) He wants Djeow Seow to go back to the kingdom.

B) He wants to teach Djeow Seow that she can save her father by making a kite to help him climb down from the tower.

C) He wants Djeow Seow to fight the evil plotters.

D) He wants Djeow Seow to ask her brothers and sisters for help.

12. What great lesson does the emperor learn from his tiny daughter?

A) The emperor learns that even though she is small, she has big ideas that save his life because she is so good-hearted.

B) The emperor learns that she got help from the monk.

C) The emperor learns that his sons and daughters helped Djeow Seow save his life from the evil plotters.

D) The emperor learns that is followers are loyal to him.

Lesson for March 29 - April 2

Stone Soup by Heather Forest

Listen, then answer these questions about the story:

1. Who are the characters?

2. Setting: Describe when and where the story takes place.

3. Plot: What happens and in what order?

Beginning -

Middle -

Ending -

Lesson for March 22 - March 26

The relatives came

by Cynthia Rylant

Answer these questions about the story:

1. Who are the characters?

2. Setting: Describe when and where the story takes place:

3. Plot: What happens and in what order?

Beginning

Middle

Ending

Does your family know this game? Organize a family Rock Paper Scissors championship tournament!

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