So sorry for the late post!
Dear 4th Grade Parents,
As we progress through the school year, our fourth-grade teachers have noticed a pattern: many students are turning in homework with simple, avoidable mistakes. While mistakes are a natural part of learning, many of these errors come from not reading and following directions, not using resources like notes or multiplication charts, rushing, or not taking time to check work—not always from a lack of understanding.
One of the best ways to help your child grow in responsibility and accuracy is to look over completed homework before it is turned in. This does not mean correcting it for them or giving the right answers. Instead, your role is to help your child slow down and take ownership of the process.
Here are a few practical ways you can support your child at home:
1. Review completed work briefly.
A quick scan can reveal if problems were skipped, directions were misunderstood, or careless errors were made.
2. Ask, don’t answer.
If you see an error, simply point out the problem and ask your child to try again:
“Can you check this one once more?”
“Does your answer match what the directions asked?”
“Is there a different way to solve this?”
This way, students practice correcting their own work, which builds critical thinking and perseverance.
3. Emphasize effort and accuracy.
The goal is not perfection, but learning to take care and pride in one’s work. When students know they are responsible for correcting their own errors, they begin to internalize the habit of double-checking and striving for accuracy.
Homework is a tool for practice and growth, not just a task to complete. By partnering with us in this way—encouraging your child to recheck and redo rather than rushing through—we can help them build the habits of attentiveness and diligence that will serve them well, both in academics and in life.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support in your child’s education.
Warmly,
Your 4th Grade Teachers
News from the Nurse:
If your student needs vision aids such as glasses, PLEASE ensure your child comes to school with these aids every day, and particularly during hearing and vison screening dates. We want to eliminate any false fails.
We are looking for Volunteers to help with our hearing and vision screening. Please sign up in the signup sheet in the school's newsletter if you are able to help. Thank you so much for those who have already signed up!
NEWS:
-10/2 Last Day of Quarter 1, which is a half day.
-In Quarter 2, all scholars will need a correct copy of our literature book- "Robin Hood". It is worth mentioning that it is only sold by the Core Knowledge website and may take longer to receive your copy. You may even want to have one parent order a large order to save on shipping/ensure order arrival. The link is: Robin Hood
- Parent Teacher Conferences on 10/12 and 10/13. Every parent is expected to sign up for a parent teacher conference over the break. Sign up here:
Fall Conference Sign-Up:
-10/28 Classical Character Day. Parents are encouraged to come to school and read a beloved passage, poem or story book to their child's class. Contact the classroom teacher to set up a time to come in and read. Parents may also choose to dress up as a favorite story character. Students may dress as Classical Character from a Literary selection. No popular culture characters turned into books. The Fourth Grade Team will dress from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" if you'd like to match that theme. A sign up to read and donate a snack is being created.
CURRICULUM:
ELA:
We have no new poems for POETRY RECITATION. Students will be performing the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy B. Shelley if they have not yet. The first poem of Quarter 2 will be "Beowulf". The poem is due 10/30.
The first poem of Quarter 2 is "Beowulf" and your children have received a copy to practice over break. Listen to it in Old English here.
Beowulf background- Beowulf was a Danish warrior before there was a Denmark. Written between 700-1000 AD, takes place in roughly 925 AD. Beowulf serves the king Hrothgar, and helps him get rid of an ogre who was a descendent of biblical Cain. He then defeats the ogre’s mother, a water witch, and is finally mortally wounded defeating a dragon once he becomes king for a time. Scyld Scefing (Shield Sheafson) was the great-grandfather of Hrothgar, an orphan who became king because of his skill as a Viking warrior. Vikings would have fought in plain clothes with a wooden shield and sword, meant to end a fight in one or two blows. The mead hall mention in the poem has also been found.
**Scholars will read "Beowulf" in its entirety in 8th grade at CPA.
LITERATURE continues with Princess and the Goblin. We will spend a large chunk of the week getting as far as we can so that we can wrap up the story within the quarter. This will set us up for Robin Hood for the rest Quarter 2. Be sure your students have the correct edition of Robin Hood prepared.
We continue our COMPOSITION program with learning and using compound sentences to help build our writing skills.
In GRAMMAR, scholars conclude their unit on Direct Objects with a cumulative, open-note test over Chapters 1-4 in the WOL book.
In LATIN AND GREEK ROOTS, we will be learning our next three roots; less, and able. With them we will learn the definition and spelling of the following: effortless, fearless, reckless, speechless, worthless, odorless, tireless, selfless, honorable, imaginable, detectable, laughable, renewable, irreversible, and reversible.
For PHILOSOPHY, we discuss our progress in fourth grade thus far, relating it to our goals and accomplishments thus far.
Math:
In math, we continue on Multiplication and Division, pivoting into division in which we practice dividing increasingly larger numbers and estimate quotients, all to practice mastery of the operation as it acts as the foundation for further units such as fractions.
History:
This week, fourth graders are stepping back into the Middle Ages to explore how medieval society functioned. Students are examining self-sufficiency on the manor, analyzing castle defense features, and learning about knight training and the Code of Chivalry, alongside writing an introductory paragraph about St. Benedict of Nursia. Please keep an eye out for upcoming project deadlines: the Feudal Society Hierarchy Fold is due on Monday, September 28, and the Heraldry Shield Project is due on Friday, October 2.
Science:
In science this week, fourth-grade scholars wrap up their science unit on energy transfer by stepping into the role of consulting engineers. Working in collaborative teams, students conducted self-audits and peer reviews to evaluate their device blueprints, identify potential failure points, and refine their plans. Scholars deliver and receive constructive feedback using professional engineering stems, learning firsthand that real-world innovation relies on iteration, self-reflection, and critical evaluation.
The week culminates in formal "Engineering Pitches," where teams present their final blueprints to an investment board of their peers. Taking on specialized roles—Project Lead, Energy Expert, Design Architect, and Quality Inspector—scholars confidently articulated their devices' real-world purposes, mapped specific energy transformations (such as elastic potential energy turning into kinetic energy), and showcased their revised blueprints.
Remember, the blog is updated weekly. Be sure to come back frequently to see any upcoming events or changes in fourth grade.