Q1W3
3 Steps to Help Your 4th Grader Build Resilience
1. Normalize Challenges
Remind your child that challenges are a normal part of learning and growing.
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Share a story about a time you struggled with something (like learning to ride a bike or cook a recipe) and how you eventually succeeded.
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Point out examples from books or movies where characters faced setbacks but kept going.
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When your child says, “This is too hard,” respond with, “It’s hard right now, but that’s how we learn new things.”
2. Focus on Effort, Not Just Results
Praise the process they use, not just the final outcome.
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Instead of saying, “You’re so smart,” try, “I’m proud of how you kept trying different strategies.”
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Celebrate small milestones, like spending extra time practicing multiplication facts or rewriting a rough draft.
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Acknowledge their persistence: “You worked through that even when it got tricky.”
3. Encourage Problem-Solving Independence
Guide them to find their own solutions instead of solving problems for them right away.
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Ask questions like, “What’s one thing you could try next?” or “What have you tried so far?”
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When they forget something for school, help them think through how to adapt (borrowing a pencil from a classmate, using a scrap paper).
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Let them make small, low-risk mistakes (like packing their own backpack or lunch) and reflect together afterward on what worked and what didn’t.
Agendas: Home–School Connection
Our classroom agendas are the daily link between school and home. Parents play a key role by checking and signing them each night to ensure assignments and notes are accurate. This teaches students responsibility and keeps everyone informed. Make it fun—use stickers, short chats, or small rewards for correct agendas. Consistent follow-through at home makes this system work for everyone!
Reward ideas parents can use for agenda success:
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Extra Choice Time – Let them pick the evening activity (game, show, or outdoor play).
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Stay-Up-Late Night – Earn a few extra minutes past normal bedtime on a chosen night.
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Special Job Swap – Trade one of their regular chores for a fun or “grown-up” task they want to try.
NEWS:
-Curriculum Night on 8/20 (WEDNESDAY). This event begins at 6:30 pm and acts as an amazing way to understand the curriculum and expectations laid upon both scholars and parents. This is an event dedicated to parents and will answer any questions you have with fourth grade.
-Principle Elements Quiz 8/21 (THURSDAY). Students will have their first grammar quiz in which they are expected to show mastery of subjects and predicates. They may have access to their WOL book during the quiz.
-Maps Comprehension Check 8/21 (THURSDAY). For the first comprehension check of the year, which replaces traditional tests in history and science, the students will be assessed on their knowledge of maps. They will be writing about the purposes of maps, how they have changed, latitude, longitude, coordinates, etc. They can use notes and their text books to review ahead of time.
-Galileo Testing on 8/21 (Thursday). We do take our first standardized test this week so be sure to help your scholar be prepared this Friday to do their best. This test is merely to understand where the students are currently at with the fourth grade curriculum, meaning they'll likely show room to grow.
-First Poem Recital due on 8/22 (FRIDAY). Student will be expected to memorize and recite "Afternoon on a Hill" by this date or before.
CURRICULUM:
ELA:
In GRAMMAR, we will utilize our WOL books to further understand principle elements in a sentence. This includes the subject and the predicate, and that will prepare us for our principle elements quiz on Thursday, 8/22.
LITERATURE continues with the reading of Wizard of Oz, so please ensure your student has their copy at school. We will utilize the text to learn about conflict resolution, sequencing events, and making predications.
We continue our COMPOSITION program, practicing summaries and note-taking skills through dedicated writing and dictation. Additionally, we will begin building up the tools required in essay writing, starting with topic sentences.
In LATIN AND GREEK ROOTS, we will be learning our next three roots; bi, tri, and quad. With them we will learn the definition and spelling of the following: bicycle, biped, bifocals, bilingual, biennial, tricycle, triangle, trilogy, triple, tripod, quadrilateral, quadriceps, quadrant, quadruple, and quadruped.
We also begin our first POETRY RECITATION. Students will be memorizing the poem "Afternoon on the Hill" by Edna St. Vincent Millay and will recite it in front of the class THIS FRIDAY on August 23rd.
For PHILOSOPHY, we will discuss the following question: "Are you a fair and just person?"
Math:
In math, we will begin with Chapter 2, which involves an overview of addition and subtraction. We will continue to practice our multi- digits operations and begin to engage with word problems. These will act as a basis that we will use for the remainder of the year.
History:
In history, we will complete our units on maps, adding an understanding physical maps and taking the assessment, a comprehension check (not a traditional-type test). It is vital that students are studying all the content that we have discussed thus far; what maps do, how they have changed, latitude, longitude, coordinates, etc.
Science:
Over the course of this week, students will explore how energy moves and changes in our world. They will investigate how sound can cause changes, use models to show invisible motion in the air, and discover ways energy can be transferred even when objects are far apart. Students will also compare elastic and inelastic collisions and create a Key Word Outline to summarize their learning. Attendance and participation are vital as scholars will be preparing to take a quiz and unit assessment, a comprehension check in Week 4.
Amazing Water and Sound Experiment
Remember, the blog is updated weekly. Be sure to come back frequently to see any upcoming events or changes in fourth grade.