Already into week 6! Time does fly and the end of the quarter is only a few weeks away. Now that students are used to fourth grade, it is up to them to make the adjustments necessary to truly thrive. Such adjustments might include studying more thoroughly, spending more time on homework, catching up on missed work or notes or simply taking better notes. Regardless the students are doing an excellent job getting acclimated to the testing year that is fourth grade.
Chores and Academic Success:
Research shows a strong connection between children taking responsibility at home and their growth in both character and academics. When children complete chores, they practice perseverance, responsibility, and self-discipline—virtues that carry over into the classroom. A child who learns to follow through on daily tasks, contribute to family life, and take initiative often develops stronger work habits and greater resilience when facing schoolwork. These life lessons learned at home—such as sticking with a task even when it’s not fun or working with care—mirror the skills needed for academic success. Parents can think of chores not just as “helping out” but as meaningful opportunities to train children in responsibility and virtue.
At around ten years old, children are capable of more complex household responsibilities that build independence and confidence. Appropriate chores may include: making their bed daily, keeping their bedroom clean, setting and clearing the table, loading and unloading the dishwasher, helping prepare simple meals, taking out the trash, folding laundry, vacuuming, dusting, feeding pets, and helping with yard work such as raking leaves. When students practice these regularly, they build consistency and accountability—virtues that translate directly into better time management, stronger focus, and greater ownership of their school learning.
NEWS:
-Mountains Unit Comprehension Check on Thursday, 9/11. Students will be assessed on knowing the location of key mountains and mountain ranges as well as the benefits and problems with living on a mountain.
-Poetry Recitation of Ozymandias is due on 9/19.
-The last day of the Quarter is on 10/3. It is a half day.
- Fall break is from 10/6- 10/10.
-Parent Teacher Conferences are on 10/13 and 10/14. Please do not schedule vacation during this time.
CURRICULUM:
ELA:
We have a new poem for POETRY RECITATION. Students will be memorizing the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy B. Shelley and will recite it in front of the class Friday, September 19th.
LITERATURE start a new book, Princess and the Goblin, so please ensure your student has their copy at school. This story is an engaging one that we will use to explore the genre of fantasy and analyze some virtuous behavior.
We continue our COMPOSITION program, which will spend time learning about hooks to better prepare for essay writing. We also will learn how to write compound sentences to further strengthen our writing voice.
In GRAMMAR, we enter a new chapter of our WOL book: adjectives. We learn the definition, ways to recognize, and way to diagram this part of speech to better understand their role within sentences.
In LATIN AND GREEK ROOTS, we will be learning our next three roots; re, and syn/sym. With them we will learn the definition and spelling of the following: resubmit, revive, refund, review, reimburse, synchronize, synonym, symphony, sympathy, and symmetry.
For PHILOSOPHY, we discuss the concepts of money and happiness and how the two concepts may compliment or contrast with each other.
Math:
In math, we continue on Multiplication and Division, focusing on key concepts and practicing the operation of multiplication. Such concepts include multiples, common multiples, composite numbers, and prime numbers. Furthermore, we will practice multiplication by tens, hundreds, thousands, and general two digit multiplication. It is key that students are practicing their math facts for this unit.
History:
In history, we finish our unit on mountains. We do this through a week of review that leads into a comprehension check. We review major mountain peaks and mountain ranges and their locations around the globe. Additionally we review the benefits and issues with living on a mountain. Then we will take our Mountain Comprehension check on Thursday, 9/11.
Science:
In science, we will discuss the differences between elements, molecules and compounds. We will also explore the various properties and states that matter can have. We will explore scientific terms such as mass, volume, and density. We will prove these concepts with a class demonstration of density.
Difference Between an Atom, Molecule and Compound
Vacuum as it relates to density
Remember, the blog is updated weekly. Be sure to come back frequently to see any upcoming events or changes in fourth grade.