Weekly Newsletter, August 26 to 30, 2013

Welcome to Fourth Grade!

We hope this blog will keep you informed of the happenings in our classrooms and answer any questions you may have.  Please send your child's teacher your email address so that s/he can add you to our weekly mailing list.  If you do not have email, paper copies of our blog/newsletter will be sent home in your child's homework folder.

Each week we will update the blog with information about what your child will be learning that week, links to practice/information websites that will assist in discussion at home, and provide important calendar updates as needed.

Please subscribe to our blog and post comments as you see fit.  You can always email or call your child's teacher directly as well.

We are looking forward to an exciting year!
The Fourth Grade Team

Diane_M_Hudson@mcpsmd.org

Tania_L_Dynda@mcpsmd.org

Bernard_P_Bidwick@mcpsmd.org

Colleen_M_Duda@mcpsmd.org (Math 4/5 compacted teacher)


This week's unifying question:  What criteria can we use to make a good group decision?

Social Studies
Our focus this week is on decision-making. Students will work together to brainstorm class ground rules and develop a list of jobs/responsibilities of all stakeholders (parents, teachers, and students).
We will also look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns.  By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.

Math
Our focus in math for the next two weeks will be to read and write numbers to the millions period.  We will study three place value periods (ones, thousands, and millions) and analyze the value of each digit.  We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers.  More information will be sent home via the math newsletter.  Math class will begin Tuesday morning.

Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
We will begin the marking period by examining the elements of the genre historical fiction.  We will read the story Freedom Summer to examine the actions of characters and how they impact the story.  We will look to use the change generalizations to find evidence of change in our own novels.  As the week comes to a close, students should be able to determine the main characters, the point of view their text is told, and be able to identify ways the character's actions impact the development of the plot. 
In writing/media students will begin to explore the impact a character has on the telling of a story.  By week 5, students will be working to draft their own historical fiction stories.  Through our flexible media center time, students will have many options for final products.  More information will come soon.
During these first two weeks, students will be given novels to read based on their guided reading levels from third grade.  Teachers will be completing reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading level to form groups.

Science
Our focus in science this week is on healthy living. Students will examine information to determine strategies for stress reduction and health lifestyle choices. 
The remainder of our science unit this marking period will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay.  We are asking for 2 Liter bottles so that we can make eco-columns to house our animals and plants for observation.  If you are able to donate, please rinse the bottle (warm water, no soap), peel the labels, and send in the bottles with your child.

Welcome To Fourth Grade

Greetings,

We are pleased to welcome you to fourth grade! This blog will serve as our weekly newsletter.  We will provide many updates with the exciting things we are learning in fourth grade.

We are eager to welcome you to visit your classrooms on Friday, August 23 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM.  You will have the opportunity to meet your teacher, visit your new classroom, practicing using the Promethean Board, and, of course, meet friends in your class. 

After reviewing feedback from students and parents from last year, we would like to request additional school supply items.  Please bring a 1/2 in binder (Bidwick & Hudson) by September 16, if you are able.  We would like to send home a monthly data notebook that is separate from the students' daily binder.

Students are also strongly encouraged to purchase their own USB drives as we will create many exciting projects on our school laptops that may need to be transferred to and from school.

We also encourage students to bring water bottle, daily snack (healthy preferred) and a beach towel/blanket (for class outside).

We are looking forward to getting to know you and your parents this year!
Ms. Hudson
Mrs. Dynda
Mr. Bidwick

Save the Date-Current Fifth Graders!

Our reef ball making campaign was a HUGE success for the Chesapeake Bay.  To thank all LES students for participating, we have been invited to a Family Campfire where our work will be displayed.  We hope to see many of you there!
Please view the information below from WSSC:

Summer may be in full swing, but it's never too early to think about fall family fun.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 28, 2013, when WSSC presents its Annual Family Campfire and Watershed Fair at Brighton Dam from 4:30 to 7:30 PM.

Learn about the environment and the Chesapeake Bay with games, music, crafts, and exhibits that highlight how we protect our watershed.  At dusk, the campfire is ready for eager s'mores makers of all ages.  We provide the fixins, you provide the sticks for marshmallow roasting.

To learn more, visit:
http://www.wsscwater.com/home/jsp/content/community-outreach.faces#green