4th Grade

Jeffers Journal

Week of January 20th – January 24th

A quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Are you ready to board the learning train for another week of excitement and adventure? Please come to school each day with an open mind, positive “I can” attitude, a friendly smile, and eager to be a member of our team! 

Important Dates to Remember:

January 20^th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observed-No School

January 26^th: Open House from 10AM to 1PM

January 27^th: Kick of Food Collection for Hope 7 Food Pantry

January 27^th: Mass with Father Ennis @ 8:50AM

January 28^th: Bounce House Day

January 29^th: Lunar New Year-No School or CASE

January 30^th: Celebrate Vocations Day

January 31^st: Pajama Day & Book Club Day

February 3^rd-February 7^th: I-Ready ELA Diagnostic

February 3^rd: Mass with Father Ennis @ 8:50AM

February 10^th-February 14th: I-Ready Math Diagnostic

Here’s a breakdown of our learning:

1. Math: Its important children learn math facts for addition/subtraction and multiplication/division with the goal of automatic recall. The theme of Topic 6 is Comparison Problems. This week, we are going to learn how to interpret comparisons in addition and multiplication equations. Next, we are going to learn how to model multi step problems by finding hidden questions and using bar diagrams and equations. Being able to solve multi step problems is extremely important and involves a lot of steps. They also need to be able to explain how they reached their answer in words. The Topic 6 Test will be on Friday, January 31^st.  Each day the students will complete an Exit ticket as a way to check their understanding of the lesson. It is a great way for me to check and see who is ready for the next lesson and who could use a re-teach of the material. We will also play different Math games to review previously learned concepts and skills. Students will also continue to work on their independent lessons in I-Ready Math each day. This is a great way to practice their skills.
2. English Language Arts:
   1. Grammar: Students will learn how to proofread their writing for subject-verb agreement, capital letters, and punctuation using the proofreading symbols.  We will continue to review complete subject, complete predicate, simple subject, simple predicate, and the different kinds of sentences. For the past two weeks, we have learned about action verbs, present tense verbs, and past tense verbs. We have also practiced subject-verb agreement in our writing. This week, we are going to learn about future tense verbs which tell about an action that has not happened yet.
   2. Vocabulary: Each week students have 12 new vocabulary words and complete different activities each day (sentence completion, synonym/antonym, matching, word meaning, and context clues).
   3. Reading: An important skill we will be practicing is reading articles or passages and answering comprehension questions.
   4. Spelling:  Each week the students will be given a list of words that contain a certain spelling pattern. They will complete activities each day using the words. They will also learn some commonly misspelled words and mnemonic devices to help them remember how to spell them.
3. Writing: Our Personal Narrative Writing train is moving along. This week we are going to spend time working on the middle, end, and conclusion parts of the narrative. Since everyone is in a different place in the writing process we are going to have “catch up days” in hopes that everyone will be at the same spot by the end of the week.  Some students will begin to conference with a teacher and/or with a classmate to get ideas about revisions to make.
4. Science: Our next unit is all about Sound! The first lesson is called, “How do you send a secret code?” Have you ever wanted to send a message to someone without anyone hearing you? How would you do it?  Is it easy to understand someone when they whisper in your ear? How far can a whisper travel?  In this lesson, students are going to learn about the connection between sound and vibrations. They will make paper cup telephones and see if they are able to improve the sound quality.  What would happen if you screamed in outer space?  Would anyone hear you?  How does sound move through the air?   What would happen to a sound if there was no air?
5. Religion: The theme of Chapter 8 is Witness to God’s Kingdom. What is a witness? Can you think of a time when God has been generous to you?  Have you ever been treated unfairly?  Have you ever treated someone unfairly? Is there a difference between worldly justice and God’s justice? How do we experience the Kingdom of God at Mass?
6. Google Classroom: Students have been using my Google Classroom to complete assignments and quizzes in English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Please check with your son/daughter to show you what they have been doing.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me an email.
7. Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Mass: Our next Mass with Father Ennis will be held on Monday, January 27^th at 8:50. Students will have the opportunity to volunteer to be an altar server and/or a lector for future Masses. If your child signs up to be a lector, he/she will receive their reading in advance to have time to practice both in school and at home.
8. Penny War Fundraiser: We will have a jar to drop pennies or bills in for positive points! The class with the most positive points wins a prize! The next day to bring in pennies and/or bills is Friday, February 14^th!!! Start collecting your change and help our class win a prize!