Fourth Grade Newsletter 2023-2024
February 11, 2024
Important Dates and Reminders:
Wednesday, February 14th: Early Release Day and Valentine's Day!
We will kick off our day spending time with our 1st grade buddy's reading a Valentine book and helping the 1st graders with a craft.
Our 4th grade classes will have the opportunity to exchange Valentine's with their homeroom class. If your student would like to exchange Valentine's, we do ask that they give a Valentine to each student in their homeroom class. They can fill out the "from" field with their name. If they would like to fill out the "to" field, a link to your students homeroom class is below:
Ms. Slack's Homeroom Class Mrs. Kleyner's Homeroom Class
Mrs. Leach's Homeroom Class Ms. Fratcher's Homeroom Class
Report Cards and Testing Results:
Report Cards went home last week. Please sign the vanilla card and return it in the envelope.
MAPs and Benchmark testing results are going home on Monday which includes a letter from the district. The 4th grade team spent time reviewing results in our planning meeting Friday. As a team, we value this data and use it to monitor your students growth, which allows us to adjust our teaching and small groups to support your student.
Field Trip: We are excited to bring back the trip to Old Salem NC. The trip will be on May 1st. The cost of the trip is $44. Volunteer opportunities will be communicated at a later date. Permission forms will be online using Parent Square.
FRATCHER / SLACK STUDENTS CLICK HERE
KLEYNER / LEACH STUDENTS CLICK HERE
Behavior and Class Expectations:
4th grade is seeing an increase in behavior concerns. We have been reviewing our classroom and school expectations of Respect, Independence, and Integrity. During circle time we have been discussing the importance of respect in the classroom and cafeteria.
In the classroom, it is important to remind your student that if they are talking to friends or getting up without permission this is disrespectful to their peers and the teacher. It negatively impacts students learning and the teacher's teaching.
At lunchtime the students have the chance to use the restroom before and after lunch, unless there is an emergency. During lunchtime we are sharing the cafeteria with 2nd grade. Once students have their lunch, have picked up a napkin, fork, and spoon, as they enter the cafeteria, they are not allowed to move from their seat. If they have a need, they can raise their hand and the lunch monitor will assist them. There has been an increase in students getting up and moving around the cafeteria which causes a lot of disruption and noise. The admin team has been working with 4th grade to remind students of the appropriate behavior expectations in the cafeteria.
Curriculum Updates:
ELA
Students will continue to explore colonial perspectives on the American Revolution with a focus on a family divided by their perspectives. We will read and act out a play called "Divided Loyalties". We will analyze the thoughts, feelings, and actions of characters with a focus on the differing Loyalist and Patriot views.
Please remember your child should be reading at home nightly. ixl reading is also great practice for reading skills. Log in to ixl and check out the recommendations for your child.
Math
Students will begin our next Topic: Understanding multiplication concepts to Fractions. We will continue to review benchmark fractions, finding equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting mixed numbers. Continue to support your student at home by practicing math facts, finding fractions in your home, and logging in to use IXL to practice math skills. They know how to check their recommendations of skills to work on.
Social Studies & Science:
Students have completed their cultural identity map for Social Studies. They had so much fun learning about where they are from and more about their ancestors. We will be finishing our Social Studies unit by applying their culture to North Carolina and how identity of North Carolina has changed through history, specifically through the American Revolution, the Civil War and Civil Rights.
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January 19, 2024
We hope everyone is off to a great 2024! Please mark your calendars for important upcoming dates in 4th Grade:
Tuesday, January 23: ELA Quarter 2 Benchmark Assessment
Wednesday, January 24: Math Quarter 2 Benchmark Assessment
Thursday, January 25: No School for students, Teacher Workday
Monday, January 29: Field Trip is Oven's Auditorium, Freedom Train Play Pay Here under your homeroom teacher
Tuesday, January 30: ELA MAPs Test
Wednesday, January 31: Math MAPs Test
Curriculum Updates:
ELA
We have started our next module on the American Revolution. Students will build background knowledge about the Revolutionary War and the different perspectives of the colonists. Students will read and analyze short informational texts pertaining to some of the perspectives of the American Revolution. They will learn about the Patriots who fought for their independence from Britain and the Loyalists who remained loyal to Britain and King George III.
Please have your child continue to read at home nightly. Do not forget to use the parent cheat sheet, too. IXL is also great practice at home with comprehension, vocabulary, and reading strategies.
Math
We are currently working on addition and subtraction of fractions and mixed numbers. The focus is using visual models and equations to add, subtract, and decompose fraction and mixed numbers with the same denominator. The students apply these skill in solving word problems. Our next topic will be multiplying fractions by a whole number, again extending these skills in solving word problems.
Please continue to practice multiplication facts at home. Regular practice is necessary. IXL, an online program, is also available to continue practicing math skills. The login information was sent home with the Quarter 1 report card. Let your teacher know if you need another login card.
Science
We have finished our Science unit on Matter: Properties and Change. Students learned about how we classify matter by its properties and interactions. They also learned about the rock cycle and how we classify rock and minerals by their properties and interactions. Our next unit will begin in February with the conservation and transfer of energy.
Social Studies
Students are so excited to begin their Cultural Identity posters. Thank you so much for working with your child "interviewing" where they are from and learning about their ancestors. This ties in with our North Carolina Identity unit we are starting this week. The essential question is "What makes North Carolina, North Carolina?" Students will learn about all the different cultures that have influenced North Carolina over the past 100+ years and how they are also impacting North Carolina's identity.
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December 20, 2023
Thank you for all of the treats that were sent in for our holiday party. We hope everyone has a wonderful winter break! See everyone back on January 3, 2023. Upon our return, please be on the lookout for our field trip information coming home. Don't forget to have your child wear their winter clothing for recess. We go out daily.
Curriculum Updates
ELA
We are finishing up our animal defense mechanisms module. Soon we will begin our next module on the American Revolution. Please make sure your child is reading over the holidays. Refer to the parent cheat sheet as you read with your child over the break.
Math
The first half of the year has been working with whole numbers. We’ve been learning strategies for all 4 operations these past few months. We have also learned how to retell, represent and reason with word problems to help solve them easier. Your child knows to be looking and reading carefully for a hidden question when it comes to multi-step problems.
Now we are beginning to look at fractions(part of a whole). Over the next few months we will be finding equivalent fractions, comparing fractions and benchmark fractions, adding and subtracting fractions and finally multiplying and dividing fractions. Please allow your child to help you in the kitchen when baking or cooking using fractions. Hands-on learning is the best way to remember.
Please continue to practice your multiplication facts at home. Use flashcards if needed for speed. Knowing your facts automatically is so important. They should be able to complete 60 facts in 3 minutes on a fact test by end of 3rd quarter. Fact tests will be being given daily. They will have a chance to make it to 100 for a grade in PS. Play games using facts, including Carolina Clip It. Practice makes better. Math will be so much easier once facts are known.
Science
We’ve been learning about Nutrition and our 4 Body systems(Circulatory, Digestive, Skeletal and Nervous). Recently we’ve started looking at Matter and the 3 States. We will be relating this to Rocks and Minerals after break and begin our Cultural Identity unit in Social Studies soon afterwards. Be on the lookout in the new year for a home project about your culture. It will include an interview and info about your cultural background.
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Literacy
September 29, 2023
It was wonderful seeing the families at WIN night, Thursday, September 29th. Follow this link to view the WIN night presentation. WIN Night Presentation If you have any questions, please contact your student's homeroom teacher.
Many toys were purchased at the bookfair. Please ensure your student is keeping all toys at home to ensure they are not lost at school.
Progress reports will go home on Wednesday, October 3rd. You can view your students grades on Powerschool.
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September 8, 2023
Dates and Reminders:
We have MANY useful links on the "Links" tab located at the top of this page.
Parent Square is for communication and Dojo is for behavior updates. We do not always check Parent Square during the day because we are teaching. We DO check it before and after school. If there is an emergency or last minute transportation change please call the office.
Curriculum Night is September 28th Please be on the lookout for reminders and times in the weekly Parent Square email from our principal, Mrs. McKinney.
You must report an absence and upload any doctor notes to Report An Absence so your child can have an excused absences.
MAP testing for 4th grade will be next week, September 13 (reading) and September 14 (math). These tests help us determine a beginning point for this time of year. Please make every effort to have your child rested and at school on time for these days.
Early Release day if September 20th
We are planning two field trips this year (January and Spring)
Reading: We have started the year with reviewing concepts from 3rd grade and have now begun to move into 4th grade learning. To begin the year, we are starting with our poetry unit and novel study. This unit reviews and introduces important poetry reading concepts of summarizing , analysis of poems for rhyming patterns, mood, theme and imagery. The books, Love That Dog and Save Me A Seat are two novels that dig into how characters change over the course of the book and teaches us about how our own lives are impacted by others and what kind of person we might want to be in the world. This unit of study will be ongoing into October. "Homework": You can support reading at home by creating reading time where your child reads a just right book for about 20-25 minutes which should equal about 25 pages of reading. The volume or amount of reading is the most important part of reading time. Read aloud books are fine sometimes, but the act of reading a book on your own is also very important. Here is a parent cheat sheet to monitor your child's comprehension at home.
Math: We started the year with using base ten blocks to see place value. We've practiced using a place value chart through one million and see that every jump to the left is ten times bigger. When comparing whole numbers we've used the stacking method to see each place if they are =, <, >. Lastly, we've learned how to round numbers to make them easier numbers using a number line.
Please continue to practice math facts with your child. The Carolina Clip It game will be coming home and can be used all year. They should know their multiplication facts through 12 x 12. Be on the lookout each week for homework. We will be continuing using place value all year. Next topic is adding and subtracting larger whole numbers.
Science / Social Studies:
Science and Social Studies is taught in Math Block. We alternate units. We started Unit 1 this week in science. Our Essential Question is How do forces affect the motion of an object? We will be using magnets to help us understand this question. (How do magnets interact with iron and other magnets to produce motion without touching them?) Be sure to ask your child about these 3 vocab words: attract, repel, magnetite. We will continue using magnets this week.