4th Grade

Jeffers Journal

Week of May 6th – May 10th    

Hello May!  Make this month count!  Accomplish your goals!  You can do this! Are you ready to board the learning train?  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:

May 7^th: New York State Math Test

May 7^th: Scholastic Book Fair

May 8^th: New York State Math Test

May 9^th: Ascension Thursday Mass with Father Pat @ 9AM

May 12^th: Happy Mother’s Day

May 13^th: Mass with Father Pat @ 9AM

May 23^rd: Race for Education

May 24^th: Memorial Day Observed (No School or CASE)

May 27^th: Memorial Day Observed (No School or CASE)

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. To begin the week, we will apply the problem solving strategy of Precision to word problems. We will also review what we have learned about customary units and metric units of measurement in preparation for the topic test which will be on Wednesday, May 8^th. Number sequences and Patterns is the theme of our next topic, which we will begin toward the end of the week.  The first lesson focuses on creating or extending a number sequence that follows a rule. The second lesson is about using a rule to extend a number pattern. This topic is only four lessons long, so the test will be on Thursday, May 16^th. As a way to review previously learned concepts and skills, students will spend time working on I-Ready Math each day. The New York State Math Test will be on May 7^th and also May 8^th.
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. What are titles?  Are there specific rules for titles of books, magazines, poems, and songs? Can you proofread someone else’s list of titles to see if they are written correctly?
   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.  We have been learning that reading is not just about reading the words on the page it involves so many other pieces like asking questions, making connections, using context clues to help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. We are also going to learn how to make inferences.
   4. Summary: A summary is a short retelling of a text. It only includes the most important details.  A useful strategy to help you when writing a summary is: “Somebody Wanted But So Then (SWBST).”  Who is the main character? (Somebody) What did the main character want? (Wanted) What is the problem (But) How does the character try to solve the problem? (So) How does the story end? (Then) We will practice writing summaries in class this week and students will be asked to write a summary each night and turn it in the next day.
3. Writing (Part 1): We are going to continue to use a strategy to help answer text dependent or short answer questions, which is known as RACES. The first letter of the acronym, “R,” means restate the prompt. The “A” means answer the question in your own words. The “C” means cite text evidence or examples. The “E” means explain and give details. The final letter of the acronym, “S” means summarize what you wrote. Students will practice using this strategy as they answer questions in all subject areas.
4. Writing (Part 2): Our third writing unit of the year is Opinion writing. To begin the unit we are going to identify the elements of opinion writing.  Next, we will brainstorm ideas that address an opinion prompt and expand on those ideas using evidence from a text.  Then we will learn how to quote the works of others, which is extremely important because you want to give credit to the person who did the research.  Then we will move into the Introduction. The introduction has two main parts-the lead and also the claim.
5. Science: Everyone has enjoyed learning about energy in the Energizing Everything Unit! The unit has brought a lot of energy and curiosity! The key vocabulary words throughout this unit have been: energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, gravitational energy, model, and experiment. To start the week we are going to explore heat energy and energy transfer by answering the question “How long did it take to travel across country before cars and planes?” In the final lesson of the unit, we are going to explore renewable energy and natural resources by answering the question “Where does energy come from?” There are hands-on activities that go along with both of these lessons.  The Energizing Everything Unit test will be on Friday, May 10^th.
6. Social Studies: In Chapter 9, our focus is immigration. Why did the immigrants come to the United States? What was the first thing the immigrants saw when they arrived in the United States? Who built the Statue of Liberty? How did it get to the United States? In what ways did farm life change during the Industrial Revolution? Where the working conditions in the factories similar to the conditions today? Why or why not?
7. Religion: The theme of our chapter is Sin and Conscience. Which commandments teach us to treat others in loving and unselfish ways? How can we make good moral choices?  Are there questions we can reflect on when making good moral decisions?
8. Twenty-fourth Mass of the School Year: On Thursday, May 9^th, we will be attending Mass with Father Pat at 9:00 to celebrate Ascension Thursday. All students need to be wearing their dress uniform. Everyone is invited to attend Ma
9. Scholastic Book Fair: The Scholastic Book Fair will be here on Tuesday, May 7^th! Bring your appetite for reading and find the next great book to dive into!
10. Race for Education: It’s that time of the year to raise money for our school and have some fun! It is time for Race for Education which will be on Thursday, May 23^rd! Don’t forget to send in your donations! If we reach our school goal, every student who sends in one donation will have the opportunity to try to dunk Mrs. Hoffay in a dunking booth! Our goal is to reach $20,000!