4th Grade

What are we doing in the library?

September

📚 Exploring the Library!

Students are diving into a review of library rules and expectations as we kick off the new school year. They’re learning how books are organized, exploring different genres, and discovering how to check out and care for library materials. To make it fun, we’ll be doing scavenger hunts around the library and learning to navigate our library system, Destiny Discover. It's a great way to build confidence and excitement about using the library!

📚 Get Ready for Battle of the Books!
We’re excited to begin preparing for Battle of the Books (BoB) — a fun, quiz bowl-style competition for students in grades 3-5th Grade! Participants join a school team and commit to reading a list of 6 selected books. They can read independently, with a group, or alongside an adult!

BoB encourages teamwork, exposes students to award-winning literature, and promotes a love of reading both in and out of the classroom. While it is a competition, the heart of BoB is all about discovering great stories and sharing the joy of reading.

📖 This year’s book list includes:

• TBD

October

STEM Design Challenge – Spider Parachutes
This month, students will take on a fun STEM design challenge! Working with a partner, they will use the design process to create a parachute that can keep their spider in the air for at least 3 seconds .As they build and test their designs, students will think critically about materials, test different ideas, and make improvements along the way. This challenge supports the ISTE Standard: Innovative Designer, specifically:
🔹 1.4a – Applying the design process to solve problems
🔹 1.4b – Working within constraints to develop solutions

October 19–23, we’ll be hosting our Boulder Bookstore Book Fair! This exciting event is a fundraiser for our library in partnership with a local bookstore. 

November

In honor of Veterans Day, fourth graders will read Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld and take part in a virtual author talk.

Fourth graders will read Classified by Traci Sorell, focusing on the reading strategy of asking and answering questions to deepen comprehension and engage with the text. Then, they’ll shift into design mode—applying the ISTE Standard 4: Innovative Designer (specifically 4.c: creating prototypes) by building their own versions of a classified airplane. This blended activity strengthens reading skills while encouraging creative problem solving and hands-on engineering!

December

Students will participate in “Driving School” using the Blockly app for Dash robots. Through guided coding challenges, they will practice sequencing, logical thinking, and problem-solving while learning to program Dash to navigate a variety of tasks.

Students will also read The Lost Package by Richard Ho and complete a STEM challenge, designing their own package to withstand a six-foot drop and a simulated rainstorm. This hands-on activity encourages creativity, critical thinking, and application of engineering principles while connecting reading comprehension to real-world problem solving.

January

This month, students will be using the Common Sense Media Digital Literacy & Well‑Being Curriculum to focus on privacy and safety and information and media literacy. Through age‑appropriate lessons, students will learn how to protect their personal information online, think critically about what they see and hear, evaluate the credibility of digital content, recognize the risks of oversharing, and use strategies for safe, thoughtful participation in online spaces. 

February

Fourth grade students will take advantage of their free National Park passes by researching a national park of their choice. Students will use multiple sources to gather information about their park, including its history, wildlife, geography, and unique features.

After completing their research, students will write a persuasive essay designed to encourage others to visit their chosen park. They will then turn their research and writing into a video project. Students will create a script and use WeVideo to record, edit, and produce a video showcasing their national park.

This project gives students the opportunity to practice research, evaluating sources, persuasive writing, speaking, and digital media skills while exploring the amazing national parks across the country.