4AW Weekly Newsletter Dec 17-21

Grade 4 AW

Weekly Newsletter

December 17 - December 21, 2018

Language Arts
This week in writing we will be doing some blogposts about our class novel, "Tiger Rising" and the character changes that we saw within the novel. Last week, we drafted some writing which included some turning points that students recognised for each character.  We will also start planning another realistic fiction story, ready for when we return in the new year using the story arc or story-boarding.
In reading, many groups will be reflecting on the novels that they have just completed or will complete this week.

Math
In math we are continuing with our work on measurements and converting from smaller to larger measurement units and vice versa. We have started last week on mass and distance and this week we continue with capacity ( mL<-> L). The students are learning some important mathematical prefixes such as kilo-, centi-, milli- which all have meanings.  Many students need revision on subtracting across zeros. We hope to complete this short unit on Thursday along with the assessment. The completed, marked assessment will be sent home in the new year.

Our new math unit in January will be  Fraction Equivalence and Ordering using models to show/ prove that fractions are equivalent or not and using benchmark fractions to compare size. Here is a link to a quizlet vocabulary set that may be a good preview of vocabulary if your child has some times over the vacation to preview these words. As always with quizlet, start with flashcards and learn.

Science
In Science we will continue designing and building  simple machine/ complex machine prototype that answers a real-life situation; the situations are varied and range from dog mobility issues to recycling machines to clearing up the ocean. Using their design, trying to build and realising that they need to make changes and adapt their design is an important part of the  design thinking process.

Announcements

• Thank you Math Games Celebration/ Share: Thank you so much for coming to our share of math games. Many of you asked for copies of the games and in the New Year we will send home links to these games.
• The last day of the semester is Friday, Dec. 21. Please be sure to inform the school and class teacher if you plan on leaving for the holiday before that date.  Thank you to those that have already indicated.
• ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates. 
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

Resources

Repeat: Grade 4 Camp-In Resources
Most of our class has completed the permission form electronically. It is linked below. Please make sure that you have completed it by the 21st December.

• Camp-In Information Presentation 
• Camp-In Permission Form - completed by Friday 21 December 
• Camp-In Packing List 

Grade 4AW Newsletter Dec 10-14

Grade 4 AW

Weekly Newsletter

December 10 - December 14, 2018

Language Arts
This week, the class will be finishing up the read aloud, The Tiger Rising. Throughout the reading of this book, the children have been reinforcing their skills in growing ideas about characters and understanding how the character really is the heart of the story.  Students will be continuing to read their book club books and use ThinkMarks to show their thinking and to aide their discussions. In writing, students are continuing to draft and will focus on revising, editing  and giving feedback on their realistic fiction stories.

Math
This week the students are continuing their work on measurement. They are working on converting units for length.  They will be introduced to mm, cm, m and km. They will be converting from one unit to another as well as making connections from our previous units and adding and subtracting distances. This week also sees our Math Game Celebration/ Share on Friday at 2pm-2:45. We hope to see you there.

Science
This week in science students will continue to learn about the design cycle through solving a real-life problem for their final project. Through brainstorming, modelling, questioning, and testing, the students will be able to design and improve their prototype machines. Students will also start to learn about failure, and how it is an important part of the design process!

Announcements

• Math Games Celebration/ Share: An invitation to our grade 4 celebration share on Math Games was sent home on Monday 3rd December, the event will take place on 14 December. Please let us know if you will be joining us for this share by returning the slip to your child’s class teacher. In this share  students will teach you some of the games that they have been using this semester.
• The last day of the semester is Friday, Dec. 21. Please be sure to inform the school and class teacher if you plan on leaving for the holiday before that date. 
• ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates. 
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

Resources
Grade 4 Camp-In Resources

• Camp-In Information Presentation 
• Camp-In Permission Form - completed by Friday 21 December 
• Camp-In Packing List 

Grade 4AW Weekly Newsletter December 3 - December 7, 2018

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

December 3 - December 7, 2018

Language Arts
In reading this week, students will be finishing up their first book club book and reflecting on the stories they have read. We have time  (3 weeks) for one more round of book clubs so a new book will be started. This week in writing, students will continue drafting their scenes, focusing on bringing the scenes to life through the strategy called Show, Don’t Tell.  They will add sparkle to their writing by using figurative language such as similes, onomatopoeia and hyperbole as well as making sure that there is a balance of dialogue, description and action.

Math
Math this week  starts with us finishes off work on finding area  and perimeter of rectangles using formulas. This ties in really well to the work that students have been doing on the area model in multiplication. We then move on to measurement where we introduce the different units of measurement in the metric system for capacity, distance and mass and how we convert from larger units to smaller units such as mm., cm., m. and km. for distance.

Science
Science this week see the students continue to learn about simple machines and how simple machines make work easier. Students will also start learning about compound machines and will be introduced to real-life problems where machines have provided solutions. Students will select a real-life scenario and  will have to follow the design cycle to design, build,  test, rebuild and reflect on a prototype machine that will solve a real-life problem. This project will take us to the end of the semester.

Announcements

• Dec. 4th - Parent “Camp-in” Informational Meeting: 8:15-9:15 am in MPR 2 & 3 on the 2nd floor, above the Panther Hut.

• ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates. 

• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

• The last day of the semester is Friday, Dec. 21. Please be sure to inform the school and class teacher if you plan on leaving for the holiday before that date. 

• Math Games Celebration/ Share: An invitation to our grade 4 celebration share on Math Games will be sent home on Monday 3rd December, the event will take place on 14th December in the afternoon. Please let us know if you will be joining us for this share by returning the slip to your child’s class teacher. In this share  students will teach you some of the games that they have been using this semester.

Resources
Below is the design cycle that we will be working through for the next few weeks in science. We start by asking questions; defining the problem and researching, then imagining a solution and planning; creating , building and reflecting and rebuilding etc

4AW Weekly Newsletter Nov 26-30 2018

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

November 26 - November 30, 2018

Thanks to all of you who came and supported the Christmas tree making in grade 4 on Friday. many Thanks- the students can't wait to see the tree and their decorations.

The students had a great time at the Deepavali Celebration on Friday. Check out the linked photos on our photos page.

Language Arts
This week in reading, the students are developing theories about their main characters based on the patterns from the character’s words, actions and thoughts and using these as evidence. In writing, the children are drafting their story scenes, focusing on storytelling by using a strategy called Show, Don’t Tell. 

Math
This week sees the end of our multiplication and division unit.  Look out for math tests in your child's pouch later this week. Please sign and return.  Most students have mastered the area model and partial quotients model but some have not yet. As this is a year long benchmark we will be revisiting these strategies through our OCR (Ongoing Cumulative Review)a at the start of each lesson and focusing on keeping skills sharp as well as supporting those students that need more time and practice to get there.

This week sees us start our new math unit about Measurement and Conversion. We will be looking at prefixes of Kilo- Milli- Centi-  in measuring liquids (liters), distance (meters) and weight (grams). We will start with some vocabulary and then some hands on measuring activities to introduce the students to  the units we use to measure.

Science
This week students will continue working on their understanding of forces and  simple machines. They will be involved in hands-on experiments through creating K’Nex Cars and powering them through rubber band energy, to explore both potential and kinetic energy.  Check out their group cars on the photos page.

Announcements
Scholastic Orders - please see email from Annie Gillis.
ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates.
Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

Resources
We are growing realistic fiction readers and writers in grade 4!
They are doing this by thinking deeply about the characters.  These CHARACTER TRAITS  are useful in describing the character based on their words, thoughts and actions.

To support your child as a reader...GRAB THE BOOK YOUR CHILD IS READING and ASK to describe the character based on his/her thoughts, words, and actions.

To support your child as a writer...ASK your child to explain about the character in the story they are going to write.

4AW Newsletter Nov 19-23

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

November 19 - November 23, 2018

Language Arts
This week the students will be using the class read aloud, Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, to dig deeper into character traits, scene summaries and envisioning the text in order to read intensely. In writing, many children are ready to develop a believable character and use their plan to draft their story scenes.  Lessons on setting out "dialogue", using 'Show, Don't Tell' and paragraphing will be a focus this week.

Math
Students will continue to practice their skills in using the area model to multiply. This week the main focus will be on practising and becoming more comfortable using the partial quotients/ Big 7 strategy to solve division equations/ word problems. Some of these word problem may have remainders and so students will think through what they can do with the remainders. See resource section below.

Science
In Science, we will continue to learn about simple machines- inclined plane, screw, lever, wedge, pulley, and wheel and axel . We will continue to model and describe how applied forces impact motion- even learning about Sir Isaac Newton and his Laws of Motion. Classes will plan investigations by identifying dependent and independent variables.

Announcements

• Tuesday, Nov 20 - NO SCHOOL (Prophet Muhammad's Birthday) 
• Friday, Nov 23 - Deepavali Cultural Day ES students are encouraged to dress up in traditional Indian attire.
• Scholastic Orders - please see email from Annie Gillis.
• ES Dress Up Days - plan your days in advance click HERE for dates. 
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home. Please label their belongings.

Resources
As we continue on our division journey in math, we will be having discussions and practice on what to do with the remainders.  Here are some links for round up,  drop it (ignore it), and share it 

4AW Newsletter Nov12-16

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

November 12 - November 16, 2018

Thanks for all of you who supported and came for our Flag Parade and International Fest! So much fun ! HERE  are some photos from an ISKL parent, Agung Fauzi, from the flag parade.

Language Arts
In reading this week, the students will be getting into book club groups and use discussions to deepen their understanding of the stories they are reading. In writing, the students will be choosing an idea they have generated and begin planning out their writing using a story arc.

Math
This week in math, the students will be working on division. Our aim is for the students to use strategies to solve division equations, eventually being more comfortable with the partial quotient method . They will also be answering real world word problems with quotients that have remainders.

Science
This week students will be continuing to develop their knowledge of force and motion through various hands-on science experiments. They will be looking at controlling variables and how they can impact results. Students will then continue to learn about simple machines.

Announcements

• November 13th & 15th - Biathlon training: If your child is participating in the biathlon, please be sure your child has his/her bathing suit and goggles along with proper sports attire when they arrive to school in the morning.
• Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

Resources:
For parents here are some  math strategies that we will be using in division-  modelling, skip counting, using multiplication and partial quotients/ Big 7.

4AW Weekly Newsletter Nov 5-9

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

November 5 - November 9, 2018

Language Arts
In reading, we will continue analysing character traits and will use evidence from the text to prove our thinking. In writing, we will identify characteristics of realistic fiction through mentor texts and develop story ideas that stem from personal experiences.  We will begin to use the story arc as a planning device.

Math
This week the students will be practising using the area model method to solve real world multiplication problems. We will practice 1 digit x 2 digit, 1 digit x 3 digit and 2 digit x 2 digit problems. It is suggested that the students brush up on their multiplication facts and extended facts in order to help them solve these word problems. For example, if they know that 2 x 6 = 12, then they should know the extended fact 20 x 6 = 120.

Science
Students will continue to investigate forces and motion. Why don’t you try to carry out the egg drop experiment at home or design a paper aeroplane that can travel the farthest? Later this week, students will begin to investigate simple machines (levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, wedges, inclined planes, screws, and gears) and how they make work easier.

Announcements

• November 5th - NO ASAs due to expected heavy holiday afternoon traffic.
• November 6th - NO SCHOOL - Deepavali
• November 9th- International Day Flag Parade. Students should come to school in their national dress or national colors. 
• November 10th - Annual International Festival from 4pm-8pm. 

Resources
To support science at home,  watch this video to help recognise the different types of simple machines. Help your child complete a simple machine scavenger hunt at home- it is amazing how many simple machines we use!