Hello Fourth Grade Families,

Are you as in awe of this weather as I am? It was a lovely weekend for some hiking and early morning runs. I'd love to hear how you guys are taking advantage of this weather. My husband and I finally broke down and bought recliners and now it's even harder to get up and get out, but this weather is definitely a gentle nudge to the outdoors.

We have collected all of the supplies needed for some Science fun this week. Thank you for sending those in. 

We started Lit Circles back up last week. Please consider coming in and reading with us. The more volunteers, the more each scholar gets to read aloud. If you're "raptor" cleared we'd love to have you sign up and come in on Wednesdays.

This Friday is a half day and we'll be celebrating Great Hearts Day and Arizona's Birthday. Please note that we don't celebrate Valentine's Day at Great Hearts so there will be no items given to the class from an individual student, but we will celebrate being virtuous and Great-Hearted together.

Let's take a look at what we're doing this week:

Language Arts - 

    Poetry - We're learning "Paul Revere's Ride" with stanza 6 due February 12th.  This is one of our bigger stanzas, so please ensure that your child is studying daily.

   Grammar - This week we'll review comma usage and continue Language and Vocabulary review.

     Literature - We've enjoyed the first few chapters of Prince Caspian. As we continue into this book, I encourage you to talk to your child about what's happening in the story. It's packed full of adventure and virtue.

    Roots - We'll have 13 derivatives this week with a spelling test on Friday. 

Math - We've finished Unit 6 and will take a Cumulative Test on Monday, 2/8. We will then start adding and subtracting decimals to finish off our week. Math Facts should be a daily study for every scholar. They are asked to spend 5 - 10 minutes a night doing so. We want their "go to" facts to be accurate so that as they work through assignments they can rely on their recall being accurate. 

Science - We will wrap up volcanoes this week and study geysers as well. Your student should be able to tell you all about earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and geysers by the end of this week! Ask them: "If you had to describe a geologic event in detail, which one would it be?" Then ask them to do it for the one they chose using as much detail as they can.

History - Your scholars will continue learning about Arizona. Your child should be able to explain the Age of Exploration to you, including it's purpose and outcome. As we finish the week, they'll also be able to tell you about the Mexican-American War.

That's about it. We hope you're enjoying hearing about all of the wonderful things we're doing in fourth grade.

Warmly,

Mrs. Scott