News!

We are off to a great start of the 2009-2010 school year! Students have been practicing procedures daily and are becoming more familiar with the fourth grade routine. In math, students are working on place value and rounding. I am piloting a new math program, Simple Solutions, which research shows will increase student’s achievement on Standardized Testing. Students are enjoying the lessons and I can already see their confidence building. Please continue to practice math facts on a nightly basis.

Students began to study prepositions and prepositional phrases in English class. Students will learn how to eliminate prepositional phrases to help identify the subject and verb of a sentence.

We will begin our first novel, Number the Stars, on Friday! Number the Stars is a historical fiction novel about the Holocaust. We will discuss theme and setting with all of our novels. Students will answer comprehension questions and complete activities that go along with the novel. Our next novel will be Because of Winn Dixie.

In fourth grade, students will study Indiana History. We continue to study the three different regions of Indiana and the many lakes and rivers. Students will be required to label all fifty states on a blank map. Details on this will come home in the next couple of weeks.

Students are working on Listening, the first Discipline with Purpose Skill. Please continue to encourage your child listen by clearing away distractions and using eye contact when being spoken to.

Our theme for this year is Europe. Every morning, students will learn a new phrase in French, Spanish, Italian, or German. Our phrase for this week is Good Morning! Have your child share with you the different ways to say good morning. The fourth graders will learn more about Denmark while reading Number the Stars.

This is going to be a great year! Please feel free to email me with any questions!