Grade 4 Weekly Newsletter
December 3 - 7
Curriculum
Reading:
This week students will be learning how to read narrative nonfiction texts. Students will be encouraged to focus on the character’s struggles, victories, and traits. They will put all that information together and think about what the author wants them to learn about that person’s or animal’s life.
This week’s lessons:
Lesson 1: Character Inference Leading to a Big Idea
Lesson 2: Interpreting the Big Idea of a Narrative Nonfiction Text
Lesson 3: Making Connections with Text Structure
Lesson 4: Tackling Tricky Words/Decoding Strategies
Essential Questions
- How do readers know what is important in nonfiction texts?
- How can I become more complex in my thinking as I read?
Writing:
This week, writers will be focusing on revising and editing their informational writing pieces. To help them do this successfully, writers will be using their checklists as a guide. For example, students will revise their conclusions to make sure that they remind readers of their subject and that they have suggested a follow-up action or have left the readers with a final insight. Writes will also be encouraged to add their thoughts, feelings, and questions to their conclusions. When editing students will be reading their writing out loud to their partners. As they read, their partners will be taking note of any missing punctuation. By the end of the week, students should have completed their first informational text.
This week’s lessons:
Lesson 1: Ways to conclude
Lesson 2: Revising by elaborating using twin sentences
Lesson 3: Revise for precise meaning
Lesson 4: Editing to read like an expert
Essential Questions
- How do writers teach readers about a topic?
- How do the text structures and features in a book help readers?
Mathematics:
This week we will be completing Module 3: Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division
Students will be doing the End of Module Assessment on Wednesday and Thursday.
Our Grade 4 Mathematicians have been working very hard during this module.
Essential Questions:
- What strategies can be used to compare multi-digit whole numbers?
- How do patterns in our number system help in understanding mathematics?
- How can strategies be used to solve multistep word problems?
- How can the reasonableness of a solution be determined?
- How are multiplication and division related?
The lessons are as follows for this week:
Lesson 1: Multiplication of two-digit by two-digit numbers.
Lesson 2: Multiply two-digit by two-digit numbers using four partial products.
Lesson 3: Transition from four partial products to the standard algorithm for two-digit by two-digit multiplication.
Lesson 4: End of Module Assessment (2 days).
Here is the LINK to the Growth Mindset video we began to watch at Back To School Night. We suggest you watch it with your child and discuss what might create a positive math classroom at school. How can you build a positive math relationship with your child?
Social Studies: Connections with History
Essential Question:
- How do geography and people connect to build a nation?
Students will continue working on their tribal projects. They will collect information about their tribe’s region, food, homes, games/leisure activities, and clothing. This project will run for several weeks.
Students are reminded to paraphrase the information that they get (online sources or in texts). They are also writing down the sources that they use for any information.
Each class is preparing for a debate, where tribes will advocate for their tribe and tell why their tribe used their resources the best way. Students should show where they got their information. Each student will speak about information that they collected on behalf of their tribe. (1-3 minutes).
Grade 4 Homework:
Daily homework tasks will be written into student planners each day. Tasks may include reading for 20-30 minutes per night, writing for 10 minutes per night along with additional mathematics work. Homework may differ according to teachers and students. Any mathematics homework that students find challenging please advise their homeroom teacher so they can progress accordingly. Homework is not meant to be impossible, challenging for students to grow their brains, but not impossible!
Guidance News
How to Be a Helpful Bystander – Acts of Compassion
Students are hearing stories about courageous, helpful bystanders and practicing various ways to be a helpful bystander in real-life scenarios. A helpful bystander takes action when they witness someone being hurt by others. It only takes ONE helpful bystander to stop teasing and there are several direct and indirect ways a person can help. We will have lots of discussions about the role of the bystander and the power of this role in either:
- Ignoring the mean behavior and allowing it to continue, or
- taking action, speaking up and stopping the mean behavior.
They will role-play various scenarios in which they will use their words and/or actions in a way that is helpful and compassionate. Students will learn 3 ways to help someone else, which include:
Report – tell a trusted adult
Refuse – say something (using assertive words and body language)
Support – go to the person who was hurt, sit by him or her and ask if they are okay
Upcoming Events
· Monday, Dec. 4th - Early Release Day
· Tuesday, Dec. 5th - Student Council Meeting Room 42
· Week of Dec. 10 - 14th - Christmas Book Fair
· Week of Dec. 10 - 14th - Christmas Book Fair
· Tuesday, Dec. 19th - Thursday Schedule
· Thursday, Dec. 21th - Winter Assembly
Announcements
Christmas Book Fair
This year's Christmas Book Fair begins on Sunday, December 10th in the Middle School Back Courtyard! Your child will be passing by the book fair with their class between Sunday the 10th and Thursday the 14th - the schedule will be available. If you would like your child to shop during this time, please send cash (suggested: 300 LE) with them. Otherwise, the fair will stay open Sunday-Thursday after school from 3-5 so you can accompany your child or purchase for yourself. The book fair will feature 5 local book vendors with English and Arabic books for all age groups. Keep an eye out for posters about our after school book signing events ('Happy Belly' author Yasmine Nazmy on Wednesday!!) On Thursday the 14th, a Mini Christmas Bazaar will open up alongside the book fair and the Booster Club will join us with hot chili from the snack restaurant and CAC gear on Sale!
Winter Celebrations
As we are planning for the last day of school which includes a house event, winter parties and culminating in a winter assembly at the end of the day, we hope you will all be here to join in the fun! If you can’t, we would appreciate knowing if you are planning to take your child/ren away at an earlier date. Please inform your classroom teacher.
Core Value of the Month
During the months of December and January, we will focus on Integrity.
Hour of Code
The week of December 4-10, 2017 is Computer Science Education week and worldwide, students participate in an "Hour of Code" activity that promotes interest in coding. At CAC, we are promoting this activity school-wide during the week of Dec. 3-7, 2017. During that week, our ES IT lab will be open during the lunch and the third break for students in grades KG to 5, to bring their laptops and work on a fun-filled coding activity. The tech department will be supporting and guiding them through this. Students are advised to balance their time throughout the week by visiting the lab a maximum of three times in the week in order to have time for outdoor play.
- Venue: ES IT Lab (Bring your own laptop)
- Time: Lunch break & Third recess
Repeat Announcements
The International Festival is one of our main fundraising events of the year. It is scheduled to take place on March 16, 2018. If you’d like to volunteer and help us make this year's International Festival a success, please send an email to Kourtney LaGesse at cacinternationalfestival@gmail.com
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