4AW Weekly Newsletter April 29- May 3

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

April 29 - May 3, 2019

Language Arts 
In our Reading unit, students will be introduced to their Historical Fiction Book Clubs. Book Clubs assist students in developing interpretations in the company of their peers, which provides a sounding board for students to clarify their thinking. Students will begin to track the setting, character, mood and theme of their historical fiction text.

We will also examine, using our mentor text, Number the Stars, how character perspectives are  by their roles. Readers are encouraged to step into characters shoes and conclude that their thoughts and actions are shaped by both their roles and the times in which they lived.
In our literary essay unit, students are discovering how to craft a thesis, honing their skills in discovering a big idea and determining what they really want to say. The students will learn to purposely angle their stories to highlight the way it supports their claim.

Math
This week students will be showing equivalent decimals and fractions. They will be using the area model as well as number lines to decompose decimals and fractions to understand their the place value up to the hundredths place. The students will also use base ten blocks and place value mats to model their work.  The students will be using their toolkit of number lines and area models to order and compare fractions.

Social Studies
This weeks sees us continue our work on products and finding out what resources are needed - in terms of natural, capital and human resources. Later in the week we will be focusing on natural resources and finding out what these are and where in the world these are found using map- starting off here in our host country of Malaysia.


Announcements
Monday, April 29th: MAPS Testing - Grade 4 students will continue taking their MAP tests.
Wednesday May 1st is LABOR day and so there is no school.
ES Dress Up Days: none this week


Resources
Quizlet: there is a lot of vocabulary connected to our Social Studies Unit of Trade and Resources. Here is a quizlet that students can use to learn these new words.

If you are interested in extending your understanding of how to think about and teach  fractions take a look at the link below:
Recovering Traditionalist

4AW Weekly Newsletter April 22-26

Grade 4 AW

Weekly Newsletter

April 22 - April 26, 2019

Language Arts

In Language Arts this week we continue to investigate historical fiction texts, paying particular attention to the mood and atmosphere of the places in which the stories are set. Students examine the blurb of their new mentor text, noting clues about where the story is set and the type of environment the characters are living in. Students will further research the key information taken from the blurb in small groups which will be collated to share with the rest of the class. When the story is taking place, where the story os taking place and more importantly WHAT is going on at that time?

Students will also examine examples of literary essays, noting the important characteristics to be included within the introduction, body and conclusion. They will use their close reading of a historical picture book and plan as a group and draft parts of the essay and put all the parts together to create a final group essay. Student’s attention with be drawn to the ‘big ideas’ or theme of the text, noting the message or lesson that the author is trying to convey.

Math

This week in math we will continue building on our decimal knowledge by working with decimals that are greater than 1. Students will be using both number lines as well as area models to make the connection between the decimal notation and the fraction notation. This week we will also be using our Base 10 manipulatives to model and draw decimals.

Social Studies

We are launching our unit on Trade and Resources this week.  The big ideas of this unit are: “Where you live impacts how you live” and “Resources impact the economy and trade in regions around the world”.  Student will begin the week tapping into their current knowledge of natural resources and how they connect with products and trade. We will then look more closely at different natural resources and their location.

This week we will also celebrate Earth Week where morning meeting will have an Earth based focus as well as having our Earth Week Assembly.

Announcements

• Tuesday, April 23rd: Blue and Green Earth Day Dress Up  
• Thursday, April 25th: MAPS Testing Grade 4 students will begin taking their MAPS test.
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details.

Resources

Big Universe is an online selection of books that our students can access- they have regularly used this as a resources. For our Social Studies unit on Trade and Resources there are a number of book resources that your child could read. To begin with, log on to https://www.biguniverse.com/ and search for tomato ketchup... we will begin by looking at several common place items and see how ketchup is made- and how it ends up on their table.

4AW Weekly Newsletter April 15th-19th

Grade 4AW

Weekly Newsletter

April 15 - April 19, 2019

This week we start two new units in Language Arts as well as starting a new unit in Math.

Language Arts 
This week in reading we will be launching our unit on Historical Fiction. Students will begin by examining the introductions of familiar books in order to analyse the setting, taking note of when and where the story takes places and what this place feels like. Students will be encouraged to be alert for change within the text, identifying clues by the author. We will start with reading shorter picture books as we look for setting - where, when and what is happening at that time as well as characters and broader themes within their books. In writing, the students will be starting our new writing unit " Literary Essay"  which build on their book review work in grade 3 where they will base their 'opinion ' writing on a book and make a claim about a character or theme.


Math 
In math this week we complete our section on multiplying fractions by whole numbers. We will then do a short recap of adding and subtracting fractions as well as using line plots before we start the end of unit test.  Keep an eye out for the tests that will be sent home later this week or early next. Please view, sign, then return.

By the end of the week we should be finished with our fraction unit and will begin our Fractional Decimals unit- building on their place value knowledge and working to tenths and thousandths.


Science
Over the next two weeks, students will be in the science lab to investigate the question:What affects the amount of rock that water can erode? Students will observe two stream tables as the Erosion Model. They will then summarise their understanding by completing two activities in the Earth’s Features Modelling Tool, one showing the effect of the speed of a river on erosion and one showing the effect of the amount of time a river has been flowing. Students also return to Rocky Wonders to read about how water can cause erosion as well as be a natural hazard. Next, students broaden their view, observing a world map to better understand patterns in Earth’s features. Students conclude the unit by returning to the Rocks and Fossils anticipatory chart to reflect on all they have learned. The purpose of this is for students to engage in argumentation as they apply their understanding of erosion.

Announcements

• School Start Time : School starts at 7:50 am. Many students arrive before then and are able to chat to their friends and play in the common area. At 7:50 am sharp classes hold their informative, morning meetings. Please ensure that your child arrives in plenty of time to get to their classroom each morning on time.
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details.  (The next Dress Up Day will be Friday, April 19th)
• MAPS Testing: Grade 4 students will begin taking their MAPS test Starting on April 25th.

Resources

Below is a link to our ES Library page filled with incredible reading resources like Big Universe (electronic books with varying reading levels), BookFlix & Trueflix and TumbleBooks which can all support our Grade 4 exploration of historical fiction.

Note: your child’s ISKL username and password is required to access these external resources. Your child should know their login information, If not just drop us an email.

https://iskl.follettdestiny.com/common/servlet/presenthomeform.do?l2m=Home&tm=Home&l2m=Home

Below is a link to Splash Math: Fraction Games for 4th Graders. There are a number of games to play to reinforce fraction concepts. A number of classes are in the process of reviewing fractions to prepare for an end of unit assessment.

Note: a free login is required to play past the demo stage.

https://www.splashmath.com/fraction-games-for-4th-graders

Grade 4AW Newsletter April 8-12

Grade 4 AW

Weekly Newsletter

April 8 - April 12, 2019

Language Arts 
This week we will be launching our Historical Fiction unit. We initially launch the unit using shorter picture books  that are read aloud and introduce how important the setting (especially time), main and secondary characters can impact the story. Knowing more about the  historical context of the  story in terms of what was happening at that time will call for  students  to do  some  guided, mini-research. The purpose of this research is to build on their knowledge of world events  so that they can understand what is happening in their historical fiction novels. In writing this week, we will be doing some work on writing conventions- especially the many, varied jobs of commas. Next week, we launch our Literary Essay unit which we can tie to our historical fiction reading.

Math 
This week sees the final bend in our Operations with Fractions unit. In math lessons this week, the students will be learning how to multiply fractions by whole numbers. The students will use visual models to show their thinking. They will initially use blocks to model the fraction equation, then move onto using visual models to show their understanding.


Science

This week we start our final chapter in science. Students are invited to consider how rock around the world is shaped, broken, worn down, and exposed.  The are introduced to a new question and phenomena: why Desert Rocks Canyon has so much more exposed rock than nearby Keller’s Canyon?  They use the book, Rocky Wonders, to learn about how rock is weathered and eroded over time. Later in the week,  students use the Earth’s Features Sim to explore what factors can cause water to erode different amounts of rock. The purpose of these lessons is to begin to explore what factors affect how much rock a river can erode.


Announcements

• WIDA Testing: EAL students have been notified and will be taking the WIDA test this week with Mr. Balsamo.
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details.  (The next Dress Up Day will be Friday, April 19th)
• MAPS Testing: Grade 4 students will begin taking their MAPS test Starting on April 25th.

Resources

Here is a link to extend students curiosity about fossils:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/fossil/