4th Grade Newsletter
March 9, 2021
Language Arts
What are we learning?
We are continuing our poetry unit!
Throughout the unit we will…
- Become immersed in poems that have language to help us elicit strong feelings, tell a story, and paint a picture
- Uncover the deeper meaning of the poem, and think about how the authors perspective compares to your own perspective
- Use poetry to share our thoughts and emotions
- Understand that responding to poetry through movement, speech, or art, furthers understanding and interpretation
- Understand that the meaning of a poem is constructed by the poet and the reader interacting with the text
- Explore how poetic tools reveal images, evoke feelings, and produce sounds to create a message for the reader to interpret
- Use different poetic tools to develop meaning in poems:
- Rhyme
- Rhythm
- Repetition
- Onomatopoeia
- Alliteration
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Hyperbole
- Idiom
- Personification
Home/School Connection
- How can poetry help you share your thoughts or emotions?
- How can we make a poem come to life?
- Create your own poem that uses different poetic tools! How many can you use?!
- If a child does not know the meaning of a poetic tool, look up that poetic tool! Then, challenge yourself to use that poetic tool in a poem that you create!
- Read a poem with your child and ask them the questions…
- How does this poem make you feel?
- Does this poem make you picture anything? If so, what?
- How does the poet help me understand the poem?
- What does the poem reveal about the author/poet?
- Create a poem of your own using the same topic!
Math
What are we learning?
We will begin our multiplication and division unit (Part 2)! Throughout this unit we will...
- Estimate products (2 digit x 2 digit)
- Apply strategies to multiply two whole numbers (2 digit x 2 digit)
- Create and solve single-step and multistep problems involving multiplication and division
- Identify and use the appropriate symbol to distinguish between expressions that are equal and not equal, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
- Identify, describe, create, and extend numerical patterns involving multiplication and division, using objects, pictures, numbers, and tables
- Interpret remainders in problem solving settings
Home/School Connection
- How would you represent a remainder in different ways?
- How can estimation support the calculation of an exact product or quotient?
- How can you use multiplication or division to solve the same problem?
- How could the same model be used to represent multiplication and division?
- How might place value understanding help solve a multiplication and division problem?
- How can you show the same value using different models?
- What relationships are there between operations?
- What are different multiplication strategies you have learned? What strategy are you most comfortable using? Why?
- What are different division strategies you have learned? What strategy are you most comfortable using? Why?
Science
What are we learning?
- Energy can move from one location to another through electrical circuits; this energy can then be transformed into different forms for multiple uses.
- Have students use their understanding of open and closed circuits to explain what happens when the classroom light switch is flipped from ON to OFF.
Home/School Connection
- Ask the difference between open and closed circuits.
- Lights on = closed circuit
- Lights off = open circuit
- A circuit can be…
- In an open circuit, the flow of electricity...
- In a closed circuit, the flow of electricity…
- In order for the bulb to light,
- the circuit should be designed so that...
Social Studies
What are we learning?
We will be continuing our Revolutionary War unit. In this unit we will…
- Identify reasons why the colonies went to war with great Britain, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence
- Identify various roles of American Indians, whites, enslaved African Americans, and free African Americans in the Revolutionary war era
- Learn about the roles that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, the Marquis de Lafayette, James Lafayette, Joseph Harris and Sarah Osborne played
- Identify the importance of the American Victory at Yorktown
- Explain the reasons for the relocation of the Capital from Williamsburg to Richmond
Home/School Connection
- How do people create lasting, positive change? How do you make positive changes?
- When conflict occurs, how do people decide what to do? What would you do if you had a conflict with a friend, family member, or other?
- What have you learned about the revolutionary war so far?
- What were famous events that led up to the revolution?
- Who were famous people involved in this war? What is significant about them?
Positivity Project
- Students show social intelligence by communicating with others, listening to their thoughts and feelings!
- Talk about it! Ask your child about social intelligence!
- How does being aware of other people's thoughts and feelings help you?
- What are different ways to practice social and emotional intelligence?
- How is emotional intelligence part of social intelligence?
- How does understanding our emotions help us understand others’ emotions?
- How can recognizing facial expressions help to build relationships?
Online Learning Tip
Change can be difficult. As we move into this new chapter of our year, with many students switching teachers and classmates, it is important to help children cope with change and stress.
Ways to help support coping with change…
- Answer Questions! Your child may have a lot of questions. Do your best to answer them, even if they are repeated. Talking about the change will help them get comfortable with the new situation.
- Discuss the Changes! So many things may be changing in their lives, they may be returning to school, getting a new teacher, meeting new classmates, etc. By explaining what will change, children are more understanding about what changes will take place.
Encourage Discussion! There may be questions that you do not know the answer to. Be sure to reach out to us and ask us questions, set up a conference, or meeting. We are here to support you and your child!