Greetings Families,
It is hard to believe that the quarter only has two more weeks. These next two weeks often present challenges for students because of their growing anxiety and excitement for the break. I ask that you keep a vigilant eye on homework completing and test preparation. I hate to see students who have learned how to be successful on assessments lose ground because of the upcoming time off. In addition, these upcoming weeks will present students with the opportunity to gain some lost ground and improve their grades if they weren't as diligent in the prior weeks.
Before I get into the lessons, I do have a few quick notes about other things.
Homework Survey
Lessons
Science: Having started our life science unit with a close look at taxonomy, students will now turn their attention to the study of plants. This week will include a look at the most basic parts of a flowering plant: the roots, stem, leaves, and flower. Then, they will take a closer look at the parts of a flower and how plants reproduce. Students will then learn about respiration and photosynthesis and the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants.
Literature: Students will finish their reading of The Princess and the Goblin on Monday. On Tuesday, students will enjoy a seminar about the book and the development of the plot and characters. On Wednesday, students will turn in their notebooks, which include the STEAL sheets they should have been working on for the past few weeks. On Wednesday, each part of the STEAL sheet should have two examples. There is one STEAL sheet for Irene and one for Curdie. Students should also have a summary for every chapter of the book, starting with the fourth chapter. (Students who started attending after the start of the school year will only be graded for that which they were present.)
On Wednesday, students will have The Princess and Curdie read to them. They are not expected to purchase this book and there will be no written assignments for this book. On Friday, students will read "The Story of Cincinnatus" and discuss his virtue, with a particular focus on his citizenship.
History: Friday marked the end of chivalry week. I want to say thank you to those who emailed me or told me in person how you appreciated chivalry week. I hope our small efforts of trying to teach the boys how to treat ladies with respect and trying to teach the girls to treat men with respect is helpful. The students reported that it was a little odd for them, especially the seating and being seated, but that they liked treating others with respect and being treated with respect. Hopefully, some of the courtesy continues, though I think the boys are looking forward to only carrying their own backpacks and the ladies to only clearing their own lunches.
On Monday, students will spend time reviewing for the history test. For those who had their work completed on Friday as it was assigned, they should have completed and accurate study guides to study over the weekend and on Monday night. The test is Tuesday. I recommend that you work with them to ensure they are prepared. This will be a harder test than some prior ones because it is mostly essay and filling in some charts.
The rest of the week will be sent looking at what city life was like during the Middle Ages and the important role women played in the Middle Ages.
Spalding: Because of the short week, students will learn new words on Monday and Tuesday, review on Wednesday, and be tested on Friday.
Poetry: Students should continue to work toward memorizing "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. The students will also read "Fog" by Carl Sandburg this week, but it is not required for recitation.
Greek and Latin Roots: Students will have a lengthy review check of their Greek and Latin roots on Wednesday. It will be over roots 1-22. This is to help them prepare for next weeks quiz over the first 25. The weekly review checks they've been doing only account for 5% of their grade, but the one quiz next week will account for 10% of their grade. Thus, it has the real potential to swing a grade for better or worse.
Math: There is a test on addition and subtraction Monday. Students have a practice test to do over the weekend. Please ask to see this to ensure that they are completing it correctly. There are two tests during week nine. On Monday of week nine, students will have a test on multiplication and division. On Friday of week nine, students will have a test on two-digit multiplication.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Best,
Michael Naatgeboren
It is hard to believe that the quarter only has two more weeks. These next two weeks often present challenges for students because of their growing anxiety and excitement for the break. I ask that you keep a vigilant eye on homework completing and test preparation. I hate to see students who have learned how to be successful on assessments lose ground because of the upcoming time off. In addition, these upcoming weeks will present students with the opportunity to gain some lost ground and improve their grades if they weren't as diligent in the prior weeks.
Before I get into the lessons, I do have a few quick notes about other things.
No School Friday
Friday is a teacher in-service day, so there is no school for students on Friday.
Upon reviewing the fourth-grade homework survey data, the majority of families are finding that homework is being completed within the suggested time (61%). About twenty percent of families are taking up to 90 minutes, and about another twenty percent are taking over an hour and a half. When all of the data is averaged, it looks like the average child is spending around 75 minutes a night on homework.
One common comment was that the homework load isn’t too much, except when there are test and quizzes to study four. There are three accommodations we are proposing to help resolve this concern.
The first is a student and parent accommodation. In the history and science notebooks, at the end of each unit or section, is the study guide for the next test. We recommend that students start filling in this study guide as they learn new information. As they learn this information, their focus should be on those things. We also recommend that they make note cards with this information for a more effective study time. This way, they are working toward memorizing what is most important during the whole unit or section and not just in the last few nights before the test.
The second and third accommodation are teacher accommodations. First, instead of having the history and science study guides due the day before the test, they will be due at least two days before the test. This will provide students with more time to study the finished and corrected study guides. We will also be assigning parts of the study guide throughout the unit or section. Second, the two nights before any history or science test, students may use the 25 minutes of nightly reading time to study for the upcoming test.
For some families, these accommodations will not be sufficient to relieve the amount of time being spent on homework. If you are finding that your child is still spending more than 70-90 minutes on homework every night, please reach out to your classroom teacher.
Best,
The Fourth Grade Team
History Due Date Timeline and Acceptable Books
Timeline: A parent reached out to me with confusion about the history due dates timeline because it is by weeks, not days. The project week timeline, which is located on the second page of the packet, is meant to give families an estimated time when certain things should be done so they don't all pile up at the end.
For example, students should have gathered the necessary information text by the end of this week. However, I'm not checking with the students if they were successful in completing this. I just don't want them to wait until the fourth week of quarter two to start doing so.
The other reason for this is that the goal is for students to spend a little time, ten to fifteen minutes three times a week, working on their project. I don't want students spending eight hours on one weekend trying to complete this. I also, as I told my class, don't want families to feel like this is a fall break project. Families may use the break to work on this if they like. Many have told me that they enjoy using the break to complete this type of project. However, there is no expectation that they do so. Eight weeks, excluding the break, should be plenty of time to complete this project if the child is working regularly.
There are only five hard due dates, which are found at the bottom of the page in bold. On Monday of week five, every student should turn in their Europe Project Research Guide, three-paragraph essay, and reflective paragraph. Then, on the day of their presentation, they should bring their tri-fold poster and visual (food, clothing, or architecture).
Digital Books: Another parent asked me about digital (Kindle) books. Any published book, no matter the format (hard copy or digital), counts as a book. There are likely a number of public domain books available at Google Books that your child may use and that would count toward the book count. However, most public domain books are dated and may not be accurate for some countries. It may be a good place to look though.
Singapore Videos
The faculty at Archway Glendale has produced some helpful Singapore math videos that you may find helpful. They don't have many available for fourth grade, but I want to share them none the less. You can find these here.
Thematic Goal
Because of how important I think this message is, I would like to share Dean Mason's, the dean of academics, message that was shared in the school newsletter this week.
Thematic Goal Part I: Self-Respect
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, treat others as you would like to be treated, love your neighbor as yourself. Just as we teach (and parent) from who we are, the way children treat others is many times a reflection of how they see themselves. As we look at our thematic goal this year, to cultivate a culture of respect and dignified obedience, we must ask ourselves, What can we do to help children build respect first and foremost in their own hearts? The habits of self-respect are tricky to nail down and take time to tease out, but we would be remiss not to. Just as the consequences are heavy for children who are struggling with self-respect, the positive outcomes are weighty, as well. Children with a healthy respect for themselves are equipped to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate, and assert their own interests, desires, needs, and rights. They are leaders, they are influencers. The hope is that as students' self-respect is strengthened this year through our thematic goal, they will gain a sense of competence, pride, and self-discipline, as well as grow in their empathy for others.
Lessons
Science: Having started our life science unit with a close look at taxonomy, students will now turn their attention to the study of plants. This week will include a look at the most basic parts of a flowering plant: the roots, stem, leaves, and flower. Then, they will take a closer look at the parts of a flower and how plants reproduce. Students will then learn about respiration and photosynthesis and the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants.
Literature: Students will finish their reading of The Princess and the Goblin on Monday. On Tuesday, students will enjoy a seminar about the book and the development of the plot and characters. On Wednesday, students will turn in their notebooks, which include the STEAL sheets they should have been working on for the past few weeks. On Wednesday, each part of the STEAL sheet should have two examples. There is one STEAL sheet for Irene and one for Curdie. Students should also have a summary for every chapter of the book, starting with the fourth chapter. (Students who started attending after the start of the school year will only be graded for that which they were present.)
On Wednesday, students will have The Princess and Curdie read to them. They are not expected to purchase this book and there will be no written assignments for this book. On Friday, students will read "The Story of Cincinnatus" and discuss his virtue, with a particular focus on his citizenship.
History: Friday marked the end of chivalry week. I want to say thank you to those who emailed me or told me in person how you appreciated chivalry week. I hope our small efforts of trying to teach the boys how to treat ladies with respect and trying to teach the girls to treat men with respect is helpful. The students reported that it was a little odd for them, especially the seating and being seated, but that they liked treating others with respect and being treated with respect. Hopefully, some of the courtesy continues, though I think the boys are looking forward to only carrying their own backpacks and the ladies to only clearing their own lunches.
On Monday, students will spend time reviewing for the history test. For those who had their work completed on Friday as it was assigned, they should have completed and accurate study guides to study over the weekend and on Monday night. The test is Tuesday. I recommend that you work with them to ensure they are prepared. This will be a harder test than some prior ones because it is mostly essay and filling in some charts.
The rest of the week will be sent looking at what city life was like during the Middle Ages and the important role women played in the Middle Ages.
Spalding: Because of the short week, students will learn new words on Monday and Tuesday, review on Wednesday, and be tested on Friday.
Poetry: Students should continue to work toward memorizing "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. The students will also read "Fog" by Carl Sandburg this week, but it is not required for recitation.
Greek and Latin Roots: Students will have a lengthy review check of their Greek and Latin roots on Wednesday. It will be over roots 1-22. This is to help them prepare for next weeks quiz over the first 25. The weekly review checks they've been doing only account for 5% of their grade, but the one quiz next week will account for 10% of their grade. Thus, it has the real potential to swing a grade for better or worse.
Math: There is a test on addition and subtraction Monday. Students have a practice test to do over the weekend. Please ask to see this to ensure that they are completing it correctly. There are two tests during week nine. On Monday of week nine, students will have a test on multiplication and division. On Friday of week nine, students will have a test on two-digit multiplication.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Best,
Michael Naatgeboren