Category Archives: 4th Grade

FOURTH GRADE: May 24, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: May 21, 2010

Since this is the last newsletter, Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Grusecki would like to thank you for allowing us to teach your children this year.  It was a great year.  And thank you, also, to all the parents who volunteered to help out in our classrooms by being lunch parents, room parents, field trip chaperones, and any other many, many ways you assisted us throughout the year.  Have a great summer with your children.

RELIGION

Room 114 - The students will begin Chapter 24 this week . They will learn that we grow in holiness through prayer, the sacraments, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The week of May 17th, the students will have the test on the 10 commandments where they must write the commandments out.

Room 115 -  In Chapter 26 students will learn about the theological and cardinal virtues and come to see that everyone is called to be a disciple.  The test will be on Thursday, May 27th.

READING

Room 114 – We will complete our study of the novel Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  There will be a test on the novel the week of May 24th.  The week of May 31st, we will be working on specific reading skills.

Room 115 -  The children are reading a folk tale,” The Fox and the Guinea Pig.”  Strategies used include sequence of events, comprehension, and character development.

MATH

Room 114 – The students will begin Chapter 19 this week where the students will learn to read, write and identify fractions.

Room 115 -  Students will continue their work on Chapter 15, Graph Data. They will compare and analyze information from different types of graphs.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 – The students will be presenting their power point book reports this week.  In addition, we will be working on improving writing with using better verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and prepositional phrases.  In Unit 13 in spelling, the skill lesson is using the ing suffix.  The five core words for this unit are stop, am, talk, whether, and fine. 

Room 115 -   The students are reviewing parts of speech and sentence structure in grammar. Special emphasis will be on Daily Oral Language and Editing.  We will continue assessing spelling progress.

SCIENCE

We will continue studying simple machines this week.  The students will learn how a screw and a wedge change the way work is done.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students will continue working on our Illinois Unit. The students are completing various projects contained in the Illinois Activity Program. The program allows students to learn about their state by constructing items such as maps and dioramas, as well as conducting research, organizing data, sharing information, and making decisions. The final project is a report on Illinois, which will be due on May 28th. Please follow the guidelines that were sent home with your child.

 

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Fourth Grade: May 10, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: May 6, 2010

FYI:  The fourth grade classes will be attending the 8 AM mass on Thursday, May 13th.

RELIGION

Room 114 – The Chapter 22 test on the ninth commandment will be the week of May 10th.  We will then begin Chapter 23 on the tenth commandment where they will learn their hearts are to be filled with love and generosity, not with envy or greed.

Room 115 -  In Chapter 24 the students learned about holiness, prayer, sacraments, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Chapter 25 students will reflect on what it means to be an active member of a parish community and, in a more universal sense, a member of the worldwide Catholic Church.

READING   

Room 114 – The students will begin reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing for the next two weeks.  The students will be completing a reading response journal while reading the novel as well as comparing and contrasting two characters in the novel.  The test will be the week of May 17th.

Room 115 -  Next week the children will begin their literature study of the novel of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We will focus on vocabulary development, comprehension skills, critical thinking, and group cooperation.

MATH

Room 114 – The students will begin Chapter 18 this week where they will explore perimeter and area.  There will be a short quiz on perimeter and area the week of May 17th.  Next we will start Chapter 19 where  the students will learn to read, write, and identify fractions,  find equivalent fractions, and write fractions in simplest form.

Room 115 – In Chapter 14 students will collect and analyze data. The children will practice problem solving strategies, and organize data in a table. They will also, find the mean, median, mode, and range of a set of data.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 -  The students will finish their persuasive essay this week.  There will be a test on punctuation the week of May 10th.  Next week the students will be working on creating sensational sentences by using vivacious verbs, audacious adjectives,  and agile adverbs.  For the 4th quarter book report, the students will create a power point book report during computer lab time.  Mrs. Flickinger will work with them to create this.  The reports will then be presented and graded in my clasroom.

Room 115 -  The core words in Spelling this week are matter, stand, box, start, and that’s. Students will focus on contractions, and frequent spelling patterns for words with soft-syllable endings including er, or, and ar. In Grammar we will review the parts of speech, identify simple subjects, and compound subjects.

SCIENCE

The week of May 10th, the students will identify natural forces including gravity and friction and explain weight and how it is measured.  The test on Chapter 16 will be the week of May 17th.  Next we will begin the chapter on simple machines.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students are working on our Illinois Unit. The students are completing various projects contained in the Illinois Activity Program. The program allows students to learn about their state by constructing items such as maps and dioramas, as well as conducting research, organizing data, sharing information, and making decisions.

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Fourth Grade, March 12, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: March 11, 2010

RELIGION

Room 114 – We will begin Chapter 17 where the students will learn about the sixth commandment and ways we show and share love with others.  The test for Chapter 17 will be the week of  March 22nd.   Next the students will learn about the Easter Triduum and how it celebrates the joy of the cross, and they will learn that during the season of Easter we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.

Room 115 -   In Chapter 19 the students learned that the eighth commandment teaches the importance of learning and living the truth that comes from God. In Chapter 20 the students will learn that lent is the season of preparation for Easter. We will continue working in small groups interpreting Bible stories.

READING

Room 114 – We will continue with our unit on The Underground Railroad.  The students are learning about how the Underground Railroad worked, about important people that helped the slaves escape to freedom, and how freedom quilts were used to send coded messages.  After we finish this unit, the students will be reading “The Hatmaker’s Sign” which is a story about a hatmaker, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.  There will be a test on this story when we finish reading it.

Room 115 -   Next week the students will begin their literature study of  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We will develop new vocabulary, comprehension skills, and make inferences. After teacher guided reading they will break up into small groups and share their critical thinking skills.

MATH

Room 114 – The test on Chapter 9 will be on Wednesday 3-17.   Next, the students will learn to find averages and in Chapter 11 they will learn to divide by multiples of 10 and by two-digit divisors. 

Room 115 -   Students will begin working on Chapter 11, Dividing by two-digit divisors. They will use basic facts and patterns of zeros to divide by multiples of ten and investigate division by two digit divisors.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 – The students have been given the 3rd quarter book report assignment.  It is a time capsule on a biography.  The book report is due on March 22nd.   We will begin to learn about prepositions and prepositional phrases and how to identify them and use them in sentences.  We are on Unit 9 in spelling where the students are working with contractions and possessives.  The five preview words for this unit are fast, felt, kept, notice and can’t.  The students will continue with persuasive writing.

Room 115 -  Students will continue developing their writing skills. In Grammar we will continue focusing on adjectives after linking verbs, adjectives that compare, and using more and most with adjectives. In Spelling students will continue their study of Unit 8 by reviewing compound words, suffixes, and developing proofreading skills.

SCIENCE

The test for Chapter 14 will be on Thursday, 3-18.  The students should use their review, vocabulary and notes in notebook, and the book to study for the test.  We will then begin the Unit on Force and Motion.  This unit will be about how all movement begins and ends when a force interacts with an object.  The students will also be learning more about simple machines.      

 

SOCIAL STUDIES  

Students are working on Chapter 12 The Land Of the West. Students will identify the largest system of mountains in the United States, compare and contrast mountain ranges, and compare geysers to volcanoes. We will cover topics such as climates in the West and resources of the west. The final test will be the week of March 22.

Just a Reminder:       Fourth grade will attend the 8 AM Mass Thursday, March 19th.

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Fourth Grade, February 26, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: February 24, 2010

FYI:  Terra Nova tests are the week of March 1st.  Please make sure that your child eats a good breakfast and gets plenty of rest so they may do their best on the tests.

The fourth grade Mass is on Wednesday, March 10th.  Please join us if you are able.

The fourth grade classes will be attending the 8 AM mass on Thursday, March 18th.

READING

Room 114 –  We will finally begin our unit on the underground railroad this week.  The book we will be reading is  Corey’s Underground Railroad Diary which the students will  read in literature circles.  There will not be a test at the end of the novel.  The students will receive a grade based on their participation in the literature circle and from activities in the unit.  We will continue reading this novel during the week of March 8th.

Room 115 - The class is doing a literature study of Because of Winn Dixie. Students will develop new vocabulary, comprehension skills, and make inferences. After teacher guided reading, they will break up into small groups and share their critical thinking skills.

MATH

Room 114 –  We will be working through Chapter 9 this week and next week.  The students will be dividing a three-digit number by a one-digit number, dividing money amounts, learning where to place zeros in the quotient, and dividing greater numbers.  The test on Chapter 9 will be the week of March 15th.

Room 115 - Students are working on Chapter 10, Number Theory and Averages. They will use a multiplication table to find factors and multiples, explore the term factor and multiple, and find factors and multiples of numbers along with common multiples.

RELIGION

Room 114 –  The students will begin Chapter 16 where they will learn what it means to live the fifth commandment by respecting all human life. The test for Chapter 16 will be the week of March 8th.

Room 115 -  In Chapter 18 the students learned that the seventh commandment calls us to respect others, their property, and the world God created. In Chapter 19 the students will learn that the eighth commandment teaches the importance of learning and living the truth that comes from God.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 –  We will continue to use and identify adverbs in sentences.  There will be a test on adverbs during the week of March 8th. The students will also be reviewing how to write letters, including a persuasive letter.

Room 115 – Students will continue developing their writing skills  through curriculum connections. In Grammar we will focus on adjectives after linking verbs, adjectives that compare, and using more and most with adjectives. In Spelling students will begin Unit 8. The core words are state, list, stood, hundred, and ten. We will review compound words and suffixes.

SCIENCE

We will begin the chapter on light and heat this week.  The students will learn the properties of light and how light passes through the eye.  They will also learn how heat can be transferred and how it is produced and used.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students are working on Chapter 11, The People of the Southwest. Students will explore the early culture of the Navajo, learn about Spanish missions and cities, see how cattle ranches became legendary, and describe how irrigation  affected the economy of the Southwest.

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Fourth Grade: February 12, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: February 11, 2010

READING

Room 114 - We will begin our unit on the underground railroad for Black History month.  The students will be working in literature circles to read North by Night. We will also be making a classroom quilt where each student will create a square to represent something they have learned about the underground railroad.  The students will receive a grade based on their participation in the literature circles.  There will not be a test on this novel.

Room 115 – Students will follow the journey of Basho, a seventeenth century poet, as he travels through Japan in the story “Grass Sandals.” We will identify an author’s purpose and point of view, develop new vocabulary, and work on comprehension strategies. Upon completion of “Grass Sandals” we will begin our literature study of  Because of Winn Dixie.

MATH

Room 114 – We will continue with our chapter on division where the students will learn to regroup to divide two-digit numbers, use basic facts and patterns to divide multiples of ten, and estimate quotients.  The test on Chapter 8 will be the week of February 22nd. We will then begin Chapter 9 where the students will divide 3, 4, and 5 digit dividends with 2, 3, and 4 digit quotients.

Room 115 – The students are working on Lesson 9. They are dividing three, four, and five digit dividends with two, three and four digit quotients. They will learn how to divide money and solve problems using skills and strategies. The test on Lesson 9 will be the week of February 23.

RELIGION

Room 114 – We will begin the week learning how Lent is the season of preparation for Easter, and then continue with our study of the Fourth Commandment.  The test on Chapter 15 will be the week of Feb. 22nd. Next we will begin Chapter 16 where the students will learn what it means to live the Fifth Commandment by respecting all human life.

Room 115 – In Chapter 17 the students learned that the sixth commandment teaches us to show and share love with others.   In Chapter 18 the students will learn that the seventh commandment calls us to live out the peace and justice of Jesus.   The test will be the week of February 15th.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 – The students will complete their poetry booklets this week and practice their oral presentations for the poetry presentation on Thursday, February 18th. To continue with our poetry unit, the students will be reading poetry, analyzing it, and identifying poetic devices that authors use when writing poetry.  The week of Feb. 22nd, we will begin our study of adverbs.  In spelling, we will continue working with compound words, prefixes and suffixes, and consonant blends.

Room 115 – The children have completed their essays on Abraham Lincoln. They are working hard on their poetry books getting ready for their presentation on February 18.   In Grammar the students will begin our unit on adjectives.

SCIENCE

The students will continue the chapter on sound.  They will lean what the basic attributes of a wave are and how the attributes determine the sound that is being produced.  They will also learn how the human ear works.  The test on Chapter 13 will be the week of February 29th.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The test on Chapter 10 will be the week of  February 15.   Chapter 11 talks about The People of the Southwest.   The Navajo, the Spanish explorers, and the region’s Mexican neighbors have all left their marks on the culture of the Southwest.

FYI: The Fourth Grade poetry presentation will be on Thursday, February 18th,at 2PM in Room 201.  Please join us to hear the wonderful poems that the students have created.

We will be attending Stations of the Cross at 2 PM every Friday during Lent.

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Fourth Grade: January 29, 2010

By Kathy Kennedy | Published: January 26, 2010

READING

Room 114 – The students will finish reading the novel Hatchet this week.  The end of the book activity is due on 2-10.   The test will be the week of 2-8.  Next, we will begin our unit on the underground railroad for Black History month where the students will be reading North by Night.   

Room 115 – The students are reading the novel, The Great Gilly Hopkins. The focus will be on developing new vocabulary, making inferences, identifying context clues, and checking for comprehension. The children will work in Literature Circles and do follow up activities.

 MATH

Room 114 – The test on Chapter 7 will be the week of February 1st.  Then we will begin Chapter 8 where the students will be dividing two- and three-digit dividends with two- and three-digit quotients, estimating quotients, using mental math to divide multiples of 10, and solving problems using skills and strategies.

Room 115-The students will have a test on Chapter 8 Tuesday, February 2nd. In Chapter 9 the children will divide three-digit numbers by a one-digit number, solve problems involving a quotient that is a three digit number, and explore division in which there is a remainder and/or there are zeros in the dividend.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Room 114 – The students will continue to work on writing poetry for their poetry books.  We will also be reading poetry to identify literary devices used and analyzing the meaning of poems.  In spelling, the students are working with compound words, suffixes, and consonant blends.

Room 115 -

The class will review verbs for the next week. There will be a quiz the first week in February. Students will continue using story starters to give more practice in developing their writing skills. This week we will begin Unit 7 in spelling. Please have your child continue to review the words in their spelling spiral.  The students will continue to work on writing poetry for their poetry books. 

RELIGION

Room 114 - The Chapter 12 test will be the week of Feb. 1st.   Next, the students will begin Chapter 15 where they will learn that the fourth commandment teaches us to respect and honor our parents, guardians, and all people in authority.

Room 115 – In Chapter 16 the students learned that the fifth commandment calls us to respect all human life.  In Chapter 17 they will learn about the sixth commandment and ways we show and share love with others. The test will be the first week of February.  The children have been busy preparing for Catholic Schools week by making bookmarks for the parishioners and preparing a poster displaying what Cardinal Country means to them.

SCIENCE

In Chapter 12, the students will learn about physical and chemical changes in matter and how they differ.  They will also learn about compounds and how they differ from elements.  The test on Chapter 12 will be the week of February 8th.  Next we will begin the chapter on sound where the students will learned that vibrations cause sounds which travel in wave forms.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week students will begin Unit 5, The Southwest. Students will describe selected aspects of states in the Southwest, describe how the Grand Canyon was carved out by erosion caused by the Colorado River, explain the significance of the Grand Canyon, and why it has been made a national park. They will also identify contributions of early explorers, such as John Wesley Powell .

 

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