Reading: Working from a brand new reading program this year known as Bookworms, the fourth grade students and teachers are currently reading and enjoying a biography based on the life of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. (Ask your children to tell you who she was and what important things she did to break barriers!) Our daily routines involve work on fluency and vocabulary related to the story, as well as discussions centered around the book itself.
Please make sure your child is reading at home for at least 20 minutes each night.
Writing: As we delve into the writing portion of our new language arts program, students will be learning to conduct research involving both primary and secondary sources, and they will work to complete a basic research project centered around the Eastern Woodlands Indians we will be studying in Virginia Studies.
Math: Students have been working hard in math so far. They will soon be learning about place value, various numerical patterns, and working with whole numbers. Students will soon begin a weekly spiral review homework assignment. This paper will need to be turned in each Monday.
Virginia Studies: Instruction in our first unit focused on "Setting the Stage" for the rest of the year. Students learned about the state of Virginia: its border states, regions, and waterways; the topography of the land and how that helps determine what products and industries come from each region. Next up we will begin our unit on Virginia's First People where we will learn how Eastern Woodland Indians lived and adapted to life across Virginia's four distinct seasons. Be sure to set aside a few minutes every evening for reviewing the study materials in your child's green folder.
Science: Students will be learning the fourth grade science standards in Spanish this year. Right now they are studying structures of plants and animals. After that they will complete a unit on ecosystems.
