Grade 4 Weekly Newsletter
January 28 - February 1
Curriculum
Reading:
This week students will continue reading and discussing their books with their historical fiction book clubs. Some groups are starting new books while others are finishing up their first books. Our mini-lessons will help students study characters more closely and when appropriate, students will be encouraged to apply what they learn to their own text.
The lessons for this week are:
Lesson 1: Determining Themes
Lesson 2: Deepening Interpretations through Collaboration and Close Reading
Lesson 3: Attending to Minor Characters
Lesson 4: Self-Assessing Using Qualities of a Strong Interpretation.
Essential Questions
- How does history influence the characters, setting, and events in a story?
- Who has power in the story?
- How are the books we read in our groups related?
- What makes our book club discussions meaningful?
Writing:
This week students will be wrapping up their first draft so that they can start a second historical informational report. Brainstorm possible topics for a second report would be most helpful. Students will go through the writing cycle once again to write their new report. Our minilessons will support students with planning and how to take meaningful notes.
In this historical nonfiction writing unit students learn that information texts are often conglomerates, containing a lot of other kinds of texts. These might include an all about chapter, a how to chapter, a diary, and/or an essay.
The lessons for this week are:
Lesson 1: Taking Stock and Setting Goals
Bend 2: Writing with Greater Independence
Lesson 2: Writers Plan for Their Research
Lesson 3: The Intense Mind-Work of Note-Taking
Lesson 4: Drafting Is Like Tobogganing: first the Preparation, the Positioning...Then the Whooosh!
Lesson 5: Developing a Logical Structure Using Introductions and Transitions.
Essential Questions
- How can historical events be incorporated into our nonfiction writing?
- How can research help me write historical nonfiction?
Mathematics:
This week we will be beginning Module 5 - Fraction Equivalence, Ordering, and Operations.
This module builds on students’ grade 3 work with unit fractions as they explore fraction equivalence and extend this understanding to mixed numbers. This leads to comparison of fractions and mixed numbers and the representation of both in a variety of models. Benchmark fractions (ie. ½) play an important role when students reason about fraction and mixed number sizes. Students have the opportunity to apply what they know to be true to new situations and problems.
Essential Questions:
- Why express quantities, measurements and fraction number relationships in different ways?
- How can fraction number relationships be expressed in different ways?
The lessons for this week are:
Lesson 1: Decompose fractions as a sum of unit fractions using tape diagrams.
Lesson 2: Decompose non-unit fractions and represent them as a whole number times a unit fraction.
Lesson 3: Decompose fractions into sums of smaller unit fractions using tape diagrams.
Lesson 4: Decompose unit fractions using area models to show equivalence.
Lesson 5: Decompose fractions using area models to show equivalence.
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?
Science: Where the Wind Blows
Essential Question:
This is the start of a new unit on weather and weather forecasting. Students are placed in working groups, and each group has been given a city in a climatic zone. Students have started to track the weather data of their city in computer spreadsheet. In the coming weeks, the students will use the data that they have collected and have informed discussions on their climatic zone. At the end of the unit, students will use their city’s weather data to make a weather forecast that will be filmed.
- Can weather be predicted accurately?
- How does the temperature and precipitation determine the climate?
Week 2 Focus: Air Pressure
- Lesson 7: Students will watch a video on air pressure and discuss their learning.
- Lesson 8: Students will discuss clouds high and low pressure and how it affects the weather.
- Lesson 9: Students will do an experiment related to temperature and discuss their results.
- Lesson 2: Students will continue to work on collecting weather data from their city and put it down in their computer spreadsheet. Students will then discuss the trends.
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!
Grade 4 Guidance Update:
“ No way, cliques are not okay. Everyone can play!”
In Guidance students are learning about healthy and unhealthy friendship groups. They are learning about “exclusion” and how to recognize the difference between cliques and a group of friends. We are discussing personal responsibility, integrity and the power of one to make a difference. Students will practice assertive statements for standing up for themselves and for others.
An Exclusive Clique
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A Group of Friends
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1. Members give up their uniqueness
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1. Each person feels he/she can be him/herself.
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2. Unkindness is shown to others and there is an unwillingness to solve conflicts
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2. Shows kindness to others and a willingness to solve conflicts
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3. A closed group - excludes others from joining and prevents its’ members from playing with people outside the clique
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3. An open group – anyone can join and friends feel free to play with others
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Upcoming Events
· Wednesday, Jan. 24th - Early Release Day
· Thursday, Jan. 25th - Holiday
· Sunday, Jan. 31th - Spelling Bee Written Exam (12:10pm)
· Tuesday, Feb. 6th - 4M assembly
Announcements
Spelling Bee 
It's Spelling Bee time for grades 3, 4, and 5!
What: Spelling Bee preliminary try-out written test
When: Grade 5 - Monday, Jan. 29
Grade 3 - Tuesday, Jan. 30
Grade 4 - Wednesday, Jan. 31
Time: 12:10-12:30
Where: Library classroom
Need anything: No, just courage to "go for it" and give it a try!
Top results from each grade level in the preliminary written test will be selected to join the SEMI-FINALS. This will then result in the ES FINALS (done at a later assembly), which will determine the top 3 finalists who will represent the CAC ES team at the city-wide Spelling Bee, being held on the 6th of March at BCCIS.
Student Leaders
The second team of student leaders will start their first meeting this Monday Jan.22 in room 42 during lunch recess.
The second team of student leaders will start their first meeting this Monday Jan.22 in room 42 during lunch recess.
4D
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Logan
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Paul
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4F
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Pauline
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Katherine
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4M
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Jameela
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Dec/Jan Birthday Lunch with the Principals’
Monday, January 22. Please let your students know we are excited to celebrate Dec/Jan birthdays at lunch time.
Repeat Announcements
Core Value of the Month
During the months of December and January we will focus on Integrity.
