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:

• A Wolf Called Wander – Rosanne Parry

• Creature of the Pines – Adam Gidwitz

• Field Guide (Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1) – Tony DeTerlizzi

• Number the Stars – Lois Lowry

• The Secret Zoo – Bryan Chick

• Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Invention – Chris Barton

Also in September, we will be reading Growing Up Pedro by Matt Tavares. As we explore this inspiring biography of baseball star Pedro Martínez, our focus will be on asking and answering questions about the text and citing evidence to support our thinking. These strategies help students deepen their comprehension and build confidence in understanding nonfiction texts.

To enrich this experience, students will also participate in a virtual author visit with Matt Tavares, where they’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process, hear stories and insights about Growing Up Pedro, and learn what it’s like to be a children’s book author and illustrator.

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 20–24, we’ll be hosting our Boulder Bookstore Book Fair! This exciting event is a fundraiser for our library in partnership with a local bookstore. Thanks to your support last year, we were able to add over $2,000 worth of new books to our collection! Book Fair hours

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!

Fourth graders are welcome to join Ms. Andrea in the library during their Wednesday lunch period for Lunch and Listen. We will be reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sacher.

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.