Friday Letter

January 15, 2010.

Dear 4th Graders and 4th Grade Parents,

We’re nearly ½ way through the school year-- wow! Here is a quick recap of the past two weeks and a look forward to exciting upcoming events. Parents and 4th Graders: Please read the following together and discuss.


INQUIRY: VIRGINIA STUDIES

• We discussed the causes of the French & Indian War, watched video clips of reenactments, and acted out “new” tactics.
• We examined the “trouble with Britain” as our textbook put it. We saw how some colonists reacted to tax collectors and what they did to intimidate those who would dare take such a job-- sometimes scary, sometimes smelly and gross!
• We participated in a roll playing activity where many “colonists” expressed anger at having their M&M currency taxed. It led some to exclaim in the words of Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death!” For this special occasion, the King of England visited our classroom.
• We discussed colonial and modern economics and noticed both similarities and differences. Some colonials went into debt, but not with credit cards like modern people do! So, we asked ourselves, how did that happen?
• We examined the original text of the Declaration of Independence and did our best to decipher it.

Questions for Discussion:

• How was George Washington involved in the French and Indian War?
• What were the sides in the French and Indian War?
• Why did the British try to prevent the colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains?
• Why did the colonists have “trouble with Britain”? And why were the British annoyed with the colonists?
• How did it feel when your M&Ms were taxed? What did you want to do?
• What does “taxation without representation” mean?
• What is “credit”?
• What does it mean to go into “debt”?
• Why was it necessary for some colonists to go into debt?
• What does the word “currency” mean?
• What did the Declaration of Independence say?
• What was it like to read the Declaration of Independence?

VIRGINIA DAY/COLONIAL DAY

• Our projects are now well underway! Every day I get more exciting reports about what 4th graders are planning... I’m so excited to see the results!
• We’ve already scheduled classroom presentations-- so students know when their projects are due (on the 21st, 22nd, 25th, or 26th). On their rehearsal day students should bring their props, final poster, and their costume with them to change into before they present in front of the class. This long weekend is a great opportunity to enjoy working on the projects.
• All requirements are listed in “Preparing Your Colonial Virginia Day Presentation.” Be sure to refer to these to make your project the best that it can be! And don’t forget about the numerous resources on portaportal: Virginia Studies > Virginia/Colonial Day Research. There is information in this folder about colonial clothes and occupations, plus some fun games too!
• Instructions on how to make mob hats, cravats, shoe buckles, ladies pockets, tricorne hats etc. were given out on Thursday.

Colonial Day Mini-To-Do List:

• Develop a demonstration.
• Make/find tools and other materials to use in demonstration.
• Develop a costume-- search closet, borrow, make, etc.
• Put together final poster.
• Develop a speech/talk explaining your occupation (who you are and what you do). Note: It’s not a memorized speech. Use your bullet points on your poster to help you.
• Rehearse talk and demonstration in front of a practice audience (siblings, parents, friends, the mirror, etc.).

Questions for Discussion:

• What kinds of tools/materials are you going to need for your demonstration?
• Show me your poster design/rough draft.
• How are you going to condense your notes into bullet points?
• What are your ideas for your costume? How is your costume appropriate for your job?

INQUIRY: SCIENCE

• We quickly reviewed watersheds and natural resources. Then tested that knowledge and our plant knowledge together.
• We’ve continued our exploration of ecosystems, food webs, and adaptations with two cool online assignments: a BrainPop assignment and an online animation assignment . We worked together to create diagrams depicting food webs and the way that energy passes along the food chain.

Questions for Discussion:

• What is a food web?
• How is a food web different from a food chain?
• Where does the energy in a hamburger come from?
• What does the word “niche” mean and how do you pronounce it?
• Why are decomposers important?
• Show me the coolest science link you found on portaportal recently.

MATH

• All math classes have worked hard this quarter to successfully compute complex multiplication and division problems. This requires all the computations skills: of course, multiplication/division facts, but addition and subtraction too!
• Most students would benefit from continuing to practice and study math facts at home. Errors on tests are often caused by incorrect math facts. Parents: Please give your 4th grader the time and the encouragement to study and play math fact games at home. 4th Graders: Don’t forget about the fun games on portaportal! Go to Math > Math Facts.
• This coming Wednesday, the whole 4th grade will be taking a “benchmark” assessment on the math skills that they have been working on this quarter.

READING

• We’ve been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a read-aloud and picking out sophisticated words. Roald Dahl is quite the wordsmith! (Another fun link: Roald Dahl Museum and Story Center)
  
• We’ve begun reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen as a class.
• Our guest reader this week, Mrs. Pavela, treated us to a fabulous read-aloud of the book Listen to the Wind: the Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea. We used this engaging book with its lovely illustrations to discuss concepts of cooperation and appreciation.

Questions for Discussion:

• Do you remember any of the sophisticated words from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
• What was something that surprised you about Listen to the Wind?
• Are you interested in reading any of Dr. Greg’s other books?

WRITING

• We’ve started an exciting new writing project. We’re composing words for wordless books and modeling quality writing in the process for our 2nd grade friends.

Questions for Discussion:

• What is your wordless picture book about?
• What have you come up with so far?
• How will you describe what’s happening in the pictures so that if I close my eyes, I can still “see” what’s going on?

WORD STUDY

• We’ve been studying several related patterns. We noticed that when we add -ed to a word or -s to a word, often changes are necessary.

Questions for Discussion:

• When do you have to make changes to a word before adding -ed or -s?

ONLINE SOL PRACTICE TEST

• This is the first year TJ plans on doing the state standard testing online. There are many benefits, including immediate results. To test our systems and give the students practice with this new format, we will be holding a grade-wide practice math test on Tuesday, February 2nd. Our class will be using the computer lab.

STUDY ISLAND FOR MATH TOO!

• We’re very fortunate to now have access to the 4th grade math section of Study Island. This is another great way to familiarize yourself with the necessities of taking a math test online... And the NUMBER 1 necessity is: SCRATCH PAPER! Have fun playing the games and getting used to using scratch paper now. 4th graders can access Study Island through portaportal-- it has its very own folder.

4th GRADE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

• Mrs. Harbison has just announced that the 4th grade musical performance will be held on March 24th at 7:30pm. This is another of TJ’s fabulous traditions that creates lasting memories. Every year 4th graders impress the packed audience with their singing, playing of musical instruments, dancing, and speaking. Have friends and family members mark their calendars now. (Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend the final performance because it conflicts with my prenatal classes. But I will certainly enjoy the rehearsals!)

MS. BRAGG’S NEWS

• As most of you have already heard, my husband and I are expecting our first child around June 22nd of this year. I shared the news with the 4th graders right before the snow storm, the day after we first heard the baby’s heartbeat. I plan to be at school until the end of the year (knock on wood). This is a very exciting time for me and I so appreciate all of the well-wishes, encouragement, and understanding that have come my way recently!

UPCOMING DATES:
Please remember that the classroom google calendar is available online 24-7 and it’s very easy to subscribe to. I highly recommend using google calendars for their ease of sharing and portability.

• 1-18        NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• 1-19        2nd Quarter Math Benchmark Test
• 1-25        Math Classes Switch
• 1-27        ASSEMBLY: Michael Forestieri, storyteller
• 1-28        VIRGINIA DAY!!!! (also the end of 2nd quarter)
• 1-29 & 2-1    NO SCHOOL: Teacher Work Days

• 2-2          Online SOL Practice
• 2-5          Report Cards go home
• 2-11        Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Fieldtrip (more TBA)
• 2-12        2pm, Valentine’s Day Party
• 2-15        NO SCHOOL: President’s Day

• 3-24        7:30pm, 4th Grade Musical Performance (George Mason)

Best wishes for a fun, relaxing, and productive weekend!
-Ms. Bragg