Inspire. Challenge. Succeed.
Every Student... Every Heart... Every Mind... Happy 2018 Grade 4! Welcome back parents and students to an exciting second semester in Grade 4!
During the holidays, Grade 4 was given a reading challenge. We are inspired by the students who have succeeded in reaching their reading goal!
During the holidays, Grade 4 was given a reading challenge. We are inspired by the students who have succeeded in reaching their reading goal!
Students celebrated their achievements last Friday with a pizza party in the Student Centre!
Curriculum Corner
Literacy. We will be wrapping up our units on informational reading and opinion writing. Students are applying specific reading strategies to informational texts related to our Science Unit on Interdependence. They are collecting information about human impact in the Amazon Rainforest. Using the boxes and bullets opinion writing structure, students are developing a thesis statement, thoughtful reasons and supporting evidence that will convince their readers of their claim.
Literacy. We will be wrapping up our units on informational reading and opinion writing. Students are applying specific reading strategies to informational texts related to our Science Unit on Interdependence. They are collecting information about human impact in the Amazon Rainforest. Using the boxes and bullets opinion writing structure, students are developing a thesis statement, thoughtful reasons and supporting evidence that will convince their readers of their claim.
Parents, use the strategies below to help guide your discussions about the information your child is learning from various nonfiction resources.
In addition, please make sure your child is reading at least 30 minutes a day. You can support your child by asking him/her questions about the reading, and/or reading aloud with them.
Use the reading strategies below to help support you and your child's thinking when reading together:
Use the reading strategies below to help support you and your child's thinking when reading together:
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| Copy and print this image and create your own reading strategies bookmark! |
Math. We will begin a new unit in Math about big numbers, estimation, and computation. It is important that your child practice his/her multiplication facts on a regular basis. Please review the Unit 5: Family Letter that provides important background information, vocabulary, do-anytime activities and homework support. Additional resources, including information about all Grade 4 math units, can be found under "Math Links" on the blog.
Students, watch the videos to help strengthen your understanding of both new and old mathematical concepts. Be sure to practice your multiplication facts at home every day!
Students, watch the videos to help strengthen your understanding of both new and old mathematical concepts. Be sure to practice your multiplication facts at home every day!
Students, review the skills and concepts learned in our previous math units by rewatching the Math Antics Video Lessons. Sharpen your skills by playing the math games and watching the BrainPop videos listed below.
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| Parents, encourage a growth mindset in your child for Math! |
Units of Study. In Science, we continue to discuss concepts related to Interdependence, applying what we know about ecosystems and the factors that influence them into our opinion writing. Students are writing a persuasive essay that explores the relationship between humans and the environment, specific to the Amazon Rainforest.
Students, review the BrainPop videos about food chains and the scientific method, as well as our science vocabulary to help strengthen your understanding of the key concepts of our unit.
After Carnival break, we will be launching our next unit in Social Studies: Trade and Economy. Through reading, research, writing and hands-on simulations, students will be learning the basic concepts, from supply and demand to global economies, of what makes a system of trade work.
Students will apply their understanding of supply, demand and other market forces, in order to create their own small business in our marketplace activity. Please review the following parent letter describing the marketplace activity.
Greetings Grade 4 Parents!
You will be hearing about an exciting project in Social Studies that we are planning for after Carnival! In an effort to bring economy to life, we are having students create and implement their own business plan for a small good or service that they can sell during recess at school.
Here are the basic guidelines for this project:
- The product must be handmade by the students (with parent help and supervision if needed).
- All profits from the sale will be donated to a local charity (to be determined).
- Students will be getting a "loan" from the First Bank of Mom & Dad to cover the costs for creating their product. This "loan" will then be factored into the final profit made for their products. Parents will have the option of having this "loan" repaid using the money made from the marketplace or they can donate it back to the charity that all profits will be given to.
- Students will need to provide picture evidence of creating their product, advertising for their product, and selling their product that will be displayed in their final project presentation.
- Parents are encouraged to support their child with product costs and creation, but we ask that most of the work be completed by the students.
- Students will be allowed to work in small groups or pairs.
- Students will be assigned to sell their product either March 6, 7 or 8 during recess.
We will also be looking for a few parent volunteers to help out during the marketplace days. Please let us know if you will be available to help students set up and/or take down their stalls, as well as take pictures for the documentation process!
Kind Regards,
The Grade 4 Team
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| Last year's small business entrepreneurs! |
Students, review our Trade and Economy vocabulary words to get a better idea of what we will be learning!
Homework Expectations
Exploring our passions will teach us to be lifelong learners. With this in mind, we feel that time outside of the classroom is important in order to pursue our interests.
The following are our homework expectations for Grade 4:
The following are our homework expectations for Grade 4:
- Read 30 minutes
- Complete one Math worksheet every 2 days
- Complete unfinished class work
- Review our Grade 4 blog for additional curricular information and/or to extend the learning at home
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| Grade 4, practice and develop a growth mindset! |
Parents, make your thinking visible at home! Learning to be flexible in our thinking allows us to reflect and make meaningful connections to the world around us; therefore, a culture of thinking for active, healthy and mindful living is created!
Challenge But Don't Rescue... When we encounter challenges, make mistakes and fail at completing a task, we build a growth mindset. When your child faces difficulties in his/her learning journey, remember to ask thoughtful questions that will help him/her problem-solve, take positive action and feel successful (Ron Ritchhart, 10 Parent Applications, Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education).
One School. One Community. One Graded.
O Sítio do Carroção... We have decided to postpone our Grade 4 field to o Sítio do Carroção until April 23, 24, 25. Since the yellow fever vaccination has been recommended for travel in areas of São Paulo state, we would like to allow parents who wish to have their child vaccinated prior to the trip to do so. For more information about yellow fever, please click here. We thank you for your understanding and support and we look forward to a fantastic trip in April!
April 23-25 is o Sítio do Carroção!
News from the Library... Welcome back! 799 books checked out over the holiday were returned this week. 874 books are still out from before the break. Please remind your child to bring all the books back so they are available for others to read. In addition, your child can use Destiny Discover to access the online library resources at home!
eBooks! We added a number of eBooks over the break. Students can open them directly on their devices once they've logged into Destiny Discover. A few of the eBooks were ordered with Grade 4 in mind. There are also a few eBooks about different uses of POOP! Please ask Dr. Purcell if you have any questions about accessing the eBooks. Enjoy!
Some Grade 4 titles of interest include:
- Trash Talk! Moving Toward a Zero-Waste World
- Recycling and Waste
- Renewable Energy
- Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Important Dates and Events
February 4... Ms. Thibodeaux's Birthday!
February 9... Author Visit (10:20-11:10) and Carnival Assembly (14:00-14:45)
February 12-16... Carnival Holiday
February 19... After School Activities begin
February 9... Author Visit (10:20-11:10) and Carnival Assembly (14:00-14:45)
February 12-16... Carnival Holiday
February 19... After School Activities begin
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