Q3W6
Hello!
I must’ve blinked, as we are already halfway through the quarter. To think we are steadily approaching spring break so soon. Because of this, it is important to check in with scholars and ensure that they are showing the dedication and care necessary to conquer fourth grade. This will not only ensure that they thrive in their fourth grade, but also prepare them for their standardized tests, both this quarter and next quarter. Keep up all the great work!
News:
The fourth graders will have their final Galileo Tests on Monday, February 6th, making it an important date to not miss.
Progress Reports are this week. Be sure to check in with your scholar to ensure they are caught up on late work, resubmitting assignments when necessary, and preparing for tests. Their Paul Revere poem will have a heavy influence on ELA grades. This will prevent any surprises when the progress reports arrive in the coming week.
Our next field trip is February 16th to the Phoenix Liberty Festival. Chaperones must be cleared in the Raptor system. If you were able to chaperone our last field trip, please refrain from signing up again until you hear from us, this way everybody gets a chance to volunteer. Here is the link: https://archwaychandler.configio.com/pd/3883/22-23-4th-grade-chaperone--phoenix-liberty-fe?cid=389&returncom=productlist&source=search The sign-up goes "LIVE" this Tuesday, January 31st at 7PM. No field trip waivers are required; you handled this for your child at the beginning of the year.
Description: Students will be inspired in a unique and creative "Immersion Into 1776" learning experience. The American Liberty Festival is an educational living history event focused on the experiences of soldiers and civilians of both the American and British sides during the American Revolution. (To see a video of images from a previous Liberty Festival please click on this link.)
AASA Testing Dates: April 6th, 14th, and 21st. Please do not schedule any absences for these dates. These are important tests in which we spend a lot of time preparing.
Although our month of reading is over, scholars should still strive to be reading. Remind your scholars to be filling out their reading logs. They should be adding a new entry after reading 150 pages of a book. If they are not reading enough for entries to be made, please encourage them to do so. The goal for students is 15 pages per day. This allows them to reach the overarching 30 “books” in a year and be rewarded with a small prize. However some scholars have catching up to do.
Curriculum:
ELA:
In grammar, we continue preparing for standardized testing. We will be doing this through more practice testing packets that address areas that will be assessed for the AASA tests. Such areas include comma practice and more.
Literature continues Prince Caspian. Make sure that your scholar has their copy as we will begin reading immediately. We will be reading chapter 5-8 and using them as a source of discussion regarding figurative language, foreshadowing, and motive.
For our poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” the sixth stanza must be mastered by Friday, February 10th. It is important to note that Paul Revere’s Ride is our only poetry recital for this quarter, meaning it has a tremendous impact on ELA grade, so please ensure that your scholar is studying it every week.
In WWE, we will practice for standardized testing with reading packets that discuss different forms of narratives. We will be looking at short fables that leave a lesson to be learned. This in class practice will also include questioning that will prepare scholars for testing in the future.
Latin and Greek roots pick up next week with the following roots: skopeo-, video/visum-, and dico/dictum-. Students will be expected to spell the following words: scope, microscope, telescope, periscope, kaleidoscope, television, evidence, advise, invisible, diction, contradict, predict, dictator, verdict, and dictate.
For philosophy, we discuss the concept of belief and how belief in others can shape both your worldview and attitude. We use characters in Prince Caspian to guide this discussion.
Math:
In math, the Unit 7 math test will be on February 8th. We will be doing a review for this beforehand, but the content should already be mastered. The content includes, tenths, hundredths, and comparing numbers with such place value. Afterwards, we will be beginning Unit 8, which revolves around area and perimeter.
History:
In history, we will be putting a bow on our Age of Exploration unit. This is done through the Comprehension Check on Tuesday, February 7th. The content is entirely covered by our Age of Exploration foldable. This will allow us to continue through Arizona history, exploring such remnants as Missions and Presidios.
Science:
In science, we further learn about geologic events. We will be continuing our discussion about tsunamis and starting an investigation about volcanoes. This study will tie such events to the boundaries along tectonic plates as well as specify the different types of volcanoes.
Remember, the blog is updated weekly. Be sure to come back frequently to see any upcoming events or changes in fourth grade.