Q4W1
“It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”―
Stanza 10 of PRR is due this Friday!
News:
Please help your child clean out their Yellow Folder over Spring Break.
Please send in "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" books.
Testing News:
AASA/AZSci State Testing Announcement:
Dear Parents of 3rd – 5th Grade Students,
I want to share with you that AZ Science (5th only) and AASA (Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment) for 3rd, 4th, 5th grade are upcoming. To learn more about these assessments, please refer to the following AZ Department of Education resources:
· Statewide Assessment Student Flyer.pdf
Testing Schedule:
Our testing window spans Monday, March 30th through Thursday, April 16th. The dates for 4th grade are: 4th Grade
Writing: Tuesday, March 31st
ELA/Math #1: Thursday, April 9th
ELA/Math #2: Tuesday, April 14th
4th graders will have on-campus practice sessions March 24th & 27th
Attendance:
Please ensure that your student is present and on time, and does not depart early on testing days. Please reschedule any appointments that conflict with your child’s testing schedule. State testing includes many restrictions that impact administration of the test. These rules include the inability to stop and resume testing beyond a single school day and the strict guidelines governing students leaving the testing environment, testing breaks, and well as test completion deadlines.
During testing, homework may not be assigned or will be significantly reduced on the evening prior to the AASA test administration. I ask that you support your student’s testing success by ensuring that (s)he arrives at school well-rested, on-time, fortified with a healthy protein breakfast and snack, and full of words of encouragement.
Practice Test Information:
Parents can help enable student success by exploring the TestNav portal at home with your student on a familiar device. The Practice Test - TestNav allows students to explore the testing portal to gain familiarity with the technological knowledge needed to truly display their academic knowledge. The goal is never to ‘teach to the test’, but testing anxiety can be lessened with exposure and encouragement.
There are sample tests available as well. 3rd & 4th graders will have on campus practice sessions with the student computers. However, additional at home practice is encouraged. Invite your student to click all the buttons to avoid that temptation on the day of testing. Explore the variety of answer formats (select one, select all, drag/drop, ordering, short answer, highlight from the paragraph, etc.). Please note that students will be using laptops with a trackpad (not a mouse), and are asked to write a rough draft of their written response before typing & are asked to utilize scratch paper to solve math problems.
To visit the sample tests, visit: https://home.testnav.com/. Select Arizona, scroll down, then click on Mic Check and Sample Tests. Select AASA TestNav Sample Tests or AzSCI (5th grade only) and your child’s grade level. Select the sample tests provided for Math, Writing or ELA.
Thank you in advance for your support,
Rachel Curtis (Dean of Academics & Testing Coordinator)
CURRICULUM:
ELA:
POETRY "Paul Revere's Ride" stanza 10 is due this Friday, March 20th. This poem spans 13 weeks (into Q4) and culminates in a grade-wide reciting of the poem in entirety for the parents.
This Poem is a behemoth of a memorization task for scholars. It should be taken seriously and can be enjoyable to accomplish such a task. In Fourth Grade, we do not have any "at-home" projects per se. Consider the memorization and recitation of this work a 13 week-long project endeavor. It can even become a family practice to memorize the weekly stanza.
Helpful Practices for Memorization:
-Listen to the poem in it's entirety, daily
-Scholars should write out the stanza memorization for the week (hang it on the bathroom mirror)
-Illustrate or act out the stanza
-Look up unfamiliar words or phrases to understand the meaning
-Re-write that section in your own words (modern language)
-Perform a word while another person says every other word until scholar can say it independently
-Practice reciting in the mirror
-Make up body or hand motions to certain lines and phraes
-Write the stanza out on a whiteboard and erase a word or phrase
-Tell yourself everyday, "I can memorize this, and so did the Fourth Graders before me!"
LITERATURE We have finished reading "Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis. In Q4W1 we will begin "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" Please sign up for the final quarter of reading groups!
In the COMPOSITION program for the week scholars will focus on mastering the structure of strong AASA-style essays. We will begin by analyzing the AASA writing rubric and scoring sample essays together so students clearly understand what earns top marks. Students will practice building a complete 5-paragraph graphic organizer, mapping out an introduction, three body paragraphs with evidence, and a conclusion. Using the “Animals in Harsh Environments” prompt, students will color-code a full model essay to identify every structural element — from hooks and three-point sentences to text evidence and detailed explanations — reinforcing that strong explanations are the heart of good writing. By the end of the week, students will independently develop one fully structured body paragraph with two pieces of text evidence and logical explanations, applying the formula: Transition and Topic → Text Evidence → Explain → Text Evidence → Explain→ Conclude.
In GRAMMAR, we will utilize the time to work on elements of the 5-Paragraph essay as well as AASA preparation.
In LATIN AND GREEK ROOTS we have 3 roots this week:
Q4W1
Mon
pro – for, before, forward, in place of (L)
prob lem (n) anything put forward to be worked on, or solved
pro logue (n) words before beginning a play or book (logos=word)
pro ceed (v) move forward (cedo=move)
pro claim (v) announce, cry out, publish
pro noun (n) word that stands for a noun (nomen=name)
Tues
ad = to, toward near, next to (L)
ad e quate (adj) even with or equal to
ad mit (v) send to; allow entrance to a place or to the mind
ad mire (v) look at with wonder or amazement (mirror=be amazed)
ad mon ish (v) give warning to (moneo=warn)
ad jec tive (n) word “thrown at” a noun to modify it
Wed
para = beside, along with
par a graph (n) an editing mark beside a page of print to show needed indentation (graph=write)
par a site (n) an organism that lives on a host to get food
par en the ses (n) a pair of round brackets used to mark off a parenthetical statement beside (or within) the main sentence
par al lel (adj) lying alongside of another line but not touching it
par a chute (n) goes along with you as you fall and slows you down (cadere=to fall
Math:
In Math, we will finish up Chapter 9 and then begin the final chapter of our texts, chapter 10. The Chapter 9 test is in Q4W1.
Our focus is on elements of measurement and conversion within both the metric and customary systems. This is a challenging unit for many scholars and at-home study of notes and supplementary aids may be necessary. Please look to the graded Open Note Classwork Quizzes to help dictate the amount of help your scholar may need.
Khan Academy Measurement Unit Lessons
History:
In History in W1 we distribute the American Revolution texts and read chapters 1, 3 and 4 in class. Scholars are assigned Chapter 2 for homework on Monday. In Q4, scholars will take a deeper look at the "Big Question" at the beginning of each chapter. The will create notecards for each chapter with the "BQ" and notes with the section headings. This is to help prepare scholars for the nightly "BQ" homework assignments in Fifth Grade.
Scholars are required to study a map of the 13 colonies of America, know their locations and correct spellings. Please monitor scholar studying diligence; ensuring ample study time. The test for the 13 Colonies is on Monday, March 23rd.
Q4W1
The Original 13 Colonies for Kids
The Founding of the 13 Colonies
The French and Indian War Explained
George Washington at Fort Duquesne
Science:
Scholars will take a closer look at the systems of the body that work together and an initial look at the structures of the heart.
W1
The Heart and Circulatory System
Remember, the blog is updated weekly. Be sure to come back frequently to see any upcoming events or changes in fourth grade.