Hello Families!
MAPS testing continues into the next few weeks. We completed the language usage and reading tests this week. The math and science tests will be next week. Please be sure that your child gets plenty of sleep and enjoys a healthy breakfast to help him/her be at his/her best for testing.
Math:
We are halfway through chapter 12 on customary and metric units of measurement. We have investigated customary units of measurement for length, weight, and mass. We made Gallon Girls/Gals/Guys to help remember the customary measures that make up a gallon. The 4th graders had fun naming their people with names that begin with G. The finished gallon people are in the hallway outside of the classroom. Be sure to check them out if you have a chance. We will be investigating metric units of length, weight, and mass next week.
Language Arts:
We continue reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. We’ve read another chapter and are watching the plot thicken and are getting to know the characters better.
The rough drafts for the biography book reports have been handed out. Many of the 4th graders are finished or almost finished reading their biographies. The next step is to complete the rough draft packet, and have it checked over by a parent and then initialed by that parent. As soon as the rough draft is returned to me, I will distribute the final draft packet for the report. At the end of this week I will be handing out the large sheets of paper for the drawing of their person. The drawing should be as close to life size as possible and can be designed with some three-dimensional parts if desired. The students must use colored pencils only when coloring the picture. All parts of the report should be returned at the same time for grading, no later than Tuesday, May 15.
This week’s Scholastic News centered on food choices and the amount of sugars in many of the foods we eat each day. The students seemed surprised at how much sugar is in foods that they didn’t think had sugar at all. We also learned a bit about labeling and serving sizes and how misleading things can seem if we don’t analyze the ingredient label carefully, especially taking serving sizes into account.
Vocabulary:
We will begin unit 16 next week. The spelling test for unit 16 will be Friday, May 4, and the vocabulary test for Unit 16 will be on Friday, May 11. Vocabulary homework for unit 16 is due Thursday, May 10.
Read Aloud:
We finished our read aloud, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. The ending had a very interesting twist that surprised most of us and that we all enjoyed. I have started reading our next read aloud book, Holes by Louis Sachar.
Science:
We continue our study earth science and fossils.
The students wrote and shared their layered clay fossil stories to the class. They then discussed how the clay fossil layers and evidence found within them can be interpreted in many ways, which is also true for scientists as they explore the earth and try to answer questions about the past and how the land has changed through time.
We also discussed what we already know and the actual definitions of many earth science vocabulary words, including processes, weathering, erosion, deposit, effect, and sediment.
Social Studies:
The students were given a review/study packet of the 50 states and their capitals. After speaking with the students, and asking how ready they felt, I decided to delay the final test of all of the 50 states and capitals until next Friday, May 4. I have told the students that this should be a review since we have studied and tested on all the regions within the US. I also told them that I will not deduct points for spelling this time as long as I can tell which state or capital they intended. I will provide a scrambled list of the 50 capital cities as a reference to help them. Hopefully, most won’t need it!
Religion:
We spent some time discussing the meaning of our new virtue, Courtesy. We made cards defining, illustrating, and explaining how this virtue applies to our lives. We discussed how this virtue is sometimes hard to follow and especially how important it is in our daily lives as we interact with family members, teachers, friends, and even people we don’t really know very well.
We have read and discussed the 10 Commandments. We wrote each commandment and its meaning in our writing journals. The students now understand that the first three commandments are between themselves and God. The last seven commandments are between themselves and their neighbors. We discussed that the definition of “neighbor” in this context means anyone that we interact with in our lives, not just those who live close to us. The students have begun working on a poster representation of the 10 Commandments to help them understand and remember each one and its meaning.
We continue to look forward to our adoration time on Monday mornings after chapel prayer. We have prayed our way through all of the mysteries of the rosary, and are currently praying the Joyful mysteries. Most of the students can recall almost all of the mysteries as we review them each week.
Our Venture this week discussed how we are part of the “vine” of God’s vineyard, and that we need to be fruitful in our love and charity toward others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves.
We ended our week at Prayer Circle, singing a few favorite songs, praying for special people/intentions, sharing the favorite part of the past few weeks, and something that we are looking forward to in the next days, weeks, or months. Many are starting to mention summer vacation which is fast approaching!!
As always, thank you so much for your continued support and prayers.
Please be sure to check the Homework and Wish List links for additional information and classroom needs.