Mrs. Cox's Fourth Grade Fourth Grade Newsletter
May 19, 2008
Dear Fourth Grade Families,
Well, I think the busiest time of the school year has officially begun. Every week from now until the end of the year contains some type of special event that should be a treat for us. The fourth graders continue to work hard, so they definitely deserve it. This week we will be meeting with our kindergarten buddies for the last time and enjoying a school-wide assembly that mixes yo-yo tricks with the three positive messages of never giving up, encouraging others, and doing your best. The always popular mini-courses begin next week.
In reading, we will be starting to read a series of first-person narratives about different communities throughout American history, from a whaling community in the 1840s to a suburban community in the 1950s. Each book is filled with wonderful pictures and facts from each time period and told from the point of view of a child. With each book they read, students will be practicing all the reading skills they’ve developed this year. I will also be doing end-of-the-year D.R.A.s (Developmental Reading Assessment) over the next several weeks.
We have been practicing paragraphs in writing. We will continue writing paragraphs over the next couple weeks, reviewing the writing process, and focusing on showing rather than telling in our writing.
Our last unit in math, How Many Packages? How Many Groups?, has started. We will be multiplying two-digit numbers, then solving larger division problems. Sprinkled amongst all of this will be bits of review of what we’ve learned in math throughout the year.
In social studies, we are comparing what life was like in Maine 100 years ago and what life is like now. We also have Beth Sylvester coming to teach Junior Achievement once a week. We are learning about how natural, human, and capital resources are used to run a business and make money.
As the kids see summer approaching, they are tempted to slip on their homework and reading at home. My message will be that our goal will be to work hard and learn right up until the last day of school. You can reiterate that message and help them keep going with their work at home.
Enjoy your week!
Beth Cox