We hope that your weekend was restful and relaxing. Thank you again for sharing your children with us. We are looking forward to another great week in fourth grade.
Tutoring:
Next week, we will begin math tutoring on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tutoring will run from 2:05 - 2:40 on Wednesdays and 3:05 - 3:40 on Thursdays. Math tutoring is by invitation only. However, if you feel that your child is not meeting their potential and their test or quiz categories are below 75%, please feel free to reach out to me. Our hope is that tutoring is academically focussed support for students who really need it, which doesn't permit everyone to be in it.
Study Guides and Practice Tests:
Throughout the year, there will be many study guides and practice tests. We recommend to students that they have their parents review these items, especially math practice tests. Our hope is that we are able to grade the practice tests on the same day they are given and send them home with our students the night before the test. The goal is for our students to recognize what they need to practice before they take the test the next day. However, it seems as though they are not taking that time to practice at home because they think they have mastered it. Please, slow your child down a bit to make sure they have understood the content. We will always let you know what tests students will take each week, but the day on which they are taken is subject to change.
Studying as a Habit:
We are encouraging our fourth graders to study their notes regularly. We have created a schedule to break down the study habits that should be forming. Our goal is for our students to not have to take home those two large workbooks every night of the week.
Science: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
History: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Grammar, Poetry, and Greek and Latin Roots: Two nights per week using student's and parent's discretion.
What and How to Study:
Students should study the past five note pages in their workbooks. When studying, we recommend a parent or older sibling covering up the answer to see if the scholar can get it right without looking at it. Ambitious students might even find it beneficial to create notecards for the content or use the online flashcard provider, Quizlet. At the end of each unit or section there are study guides. Students can use those pages to quiz themselves on the content, as well.
Reading Logs and Reading Assigned Homework
There will be times where we assign a reading as homework for our students. Students may be asked to read a chapter of literature if they were absent or read an article for science or history. Assigned readings for homework may be counted toward the nightly reading expectation of 25 minutes. This may mean that our scholars are piecing together the 25 minutes using multiple subjects.
Week Three Lessons
Grammar: In grammar this week, students will review adjectives and adverbs. There will be a test at the end of the week over these two parts of speech. The test will include diagramming sentences to pick out the adjectives and adverbs.
History: We started the largest unit of history, Europe in the Middle Ages, on Thursday. This week, students will start their study of memorizing the names and locations of the countries of Europe. You may find that they come home asking when your next family trip can be to Europe.
We will cover the following topics this week:
- Barbarian Tribes that Led to the Fall of Rome
- Middle Ages Known as the "Dark Ages"
- Separation Between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
- Roles Religion Played During this Time
Their next test will be next week and will include chapters one through four. This is a great time for our scholars to get into the routine of studying their notes.
Literature: Students will continue their journey deep into the mountains as we read, "The Princess and the Goblin." Ask your child about our seminar on The King and His Hawk. The students are learning how to share ideas and discuss topics in a seminar-style format. This week we will seek to understand Narrative Perspective and have a brief fill in the blank review at the end of the week.
Math: If you only have one subject to really work on with your child at home, let math be that subject. We will begin our study of factors, this week. The key to understanding factoring is knowing your multiplication and division facts. A great resource for extra practice at home is Math Playground. We will end the week with a test on factors.
Poetry: Students will be expected to recite, "Humanity," this week. They will have the opportunity to recite the poem to their teacher or to the whole class. Every student will be expected to recite at least one poem in front of the class during some point in the year. If they feel confident, encourage them to try it. Clarence by Shel Silverstein will be our poem of study this week again, but we will not recite this one.
Greek and Latin Roots: Students will be tested on the last three Greek and Latin roots they learned. They should practice knowing what each root means and one English word that comes from it.
Idioms of the Week: The idioms of the week are "blow hot and cold," and "break the ice."
Science: Students will end their study of chemistry with a reading about solutions and a demonstration. They will have their first science test of the year this week. Students can begin to fill out their study guide as early as Sunday night. A Quizlet is available to study from, here. The question on why water and oil do not mix should be attempted, but will not be graded for accuracy. If you looking for the reason, it is due to water not being a solvent for oil and therefore the oil does not dissolve into the water.
Spalding: Students have been working hard to complete their Spalding rule pages. These rule pages are important because they give the students the framework for the English language. This week, students will be given their first spelling words of the year. On Friday, they will take their test. Here is the typical week in Spalding:
Monday - Wednesday:
- Class
Orally Review: 15-25 Phonograms
Written Review of 10 Phonograms
10 Words Taught and Written in the Spalding Book
- Homework
Review 10-15 Phonogram Cards (2-3 Minutes)
Spalding Words - The Day's Words
(Students will write the words twice with rules and markings).
- Parent Dictates Words
- Student Says Words in Syllables and Writes the Words in Syllables
- Student Adds Markings
- Parent Reviews Words for Accuracy
- Repeat
Thursday:
- Class
Orally Review: 15-25 Phonograms
Written Review of 10 Phonograms
Review the Week's Words
- Homework
Review 10-15 Phonogram Cards (2-3 Minutes)
Spalding Words - The Week's Words
- Parent Dictates Words
- Student Says Words in Syllables and Writes the Words in Syllables
(No Syllables or Markings)
- Parent Reviews Words for Accuracy
We hope you found this post to be beneficial. The posts will be lengthy until students and parents develop at-home routines to study and complete homework.
Please don't hesitate to email me regarding any questions you may have throughout the week.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Miss Kogler and Mrs. Arnold
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