Charlemagne 4th Grade

le 27 février au 3 mars 2023   

Upcoming Dates

• Weeks of  2/27 and 3/6:  Artists in Residence (see below for more info)
• Tuesday, March 14:  Field Trip to South Eugene High School for a music event. See below for more info. Please turn in forms!
• Friday, March 17:  NO SCHOOL, Workload relief day
• Monday-Friday, March 27-April 3:  NO SCHOOL, Spring Break!

OBOB

Congratulations to the fourth-grade student group who won OBOB at Charlemagne:  Leo Kuhl, Remy Wallmark, Zeya Sroka, Franco Nese, and Rahim Nese. They will next compete at South Eugene High School on March 11.

What’s up! Quoi de neuf?

Please send your child to school in proper footwear and a water-repellent jacket when the weather is threatening. Students will go out to recess unless the principal decides the weather prevents it. If your child is ill, or has had a fever or vomited within the previous 24 hours, please keep your child home. Please continue to follow current Covid rules as well. If your child will be absent, please email both teachers (kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu and hopper_s@4j.lane.edu) and please call in and leave a message on the school line (541) 790-7080 or for our secretary, Eliza Drummond, at drummond_e@4j.lane.edu.

Le français:

Mme Jana, French & Science kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu

•We speak exclusively in French during French class.

•We write in complete sentences and can identify many parts of speech.

•We are learning world geography.

Most students have completed their geography packet, which we will keep at school for a bit to help us with our next social studies project. 

Also, many students have completed their art project where they take a portion of a photo in a magazine (They select amongst photos of my choosing.), then they fill in the rest of the art. See the sample of the display and a few examples. They look magnificent.

We began a study of the months of the year, the derivation of the names, and how they correspond to the order of the months, which we continue. Soon, we will be exploring line symmetry and radial symmetry, first in nature, then in maths. We’ll also begin time-telling in French, which is similar, but, of course, different!

Le cercle magique

We began our newest “J’observe….” writing activity called “Le cercle magique,” where students now have to write an eight-sentence essay. They also have to guess where the photo was taken.

No French homework this week! Since we had a short week and two shortened days last week, I determined that the kids weren’t ready for the vocabulary quiz. We’ll do that quiz later this week after we’ve worked with the words for a few more days.

Les sciences:

We began our new science unit, Energy (l’Énergie) with a discussion of what they already know about energy, in general. We’ll begin our experiments next week which will include lighting a bulb with a small bulb (une ampoule), a battery (une pile), and one or two electrical wires (un fil électrique).

Mme Shelli, English & Math
hopper_s@4j.lane.edu

Math

Unit 7: Introducing Measurement Conversions

Key concepts of this unit are:

• A digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to the right.
• Multiplication can be thought of as a comparison in contexts other than place value.
• Multiplicative comparison can be used to convert units of length, mass, volume, and time.

 Unit 6: Decimals quiz was sent home Friday 2/24. Students should be able to convert decimals to fractions through hundredths place value. In addition, they should be able to order decimal fractions and should be able to solve problems with addition and subtraction of decimals.

Last week, we used place value and multiplication to help convert measurements in the metric system.  This week we will convert measurements of length and volume using multiplication with in the U.S. Customary system. Students aren’t required to memorize 16 cups = 1 gallon, but instead will be using multiplication to solve problems such as “If 16 cups equal a gallon, how many cups in 5 gallons?”

Students have been practicing telling time on an analog clock for the last few weeks. They’ll be practicing in French soon. Please be sure your child can tell time on a clock with hands. Another big area of challenge for many students is elapsed time. Help your child learn to solve problems like, “If it’s 4:15 and you practice soccer for an hour and a half, what time will it be?” 

One way to help make real world connections to measurement at home is to talk about measurement in cooking. Or, talk about the sizes of quarts, gallons and pints in your kitchen.

There is Math review homework this week.

English

Literature & Writing: Unit 2 Extreme Settings

WordStudy: ur, ir, er spellings – continue from last week

Reading/ Writing: 

Information about this ELA unit can be found here.

le 27 février au 3 mars2023   

Upcoming Dates

• Tuesday, March 14:  Field Trip to South Eugene High School for a music event. See below for more info. Please turn in forms!
• Friday, March 17:  NO SCHOOL, Workload relief day
• Monday-Friday, March 27-April 3:  NO SCHOOL, Spring Break!

Congratulations to the fourth-grade student group who won OBOB at Charlemagne:  Leo Kuhl, Remy Wallmark, Zeya Sroka, Franco Nese, and Rahim Nese. They will next compete at South Eugene High School on  xxxxx.

What’s up! Quoi de neuf?

Please send your child to school in proper footwear and a water-repellent jacket when the weather is threatening. Students will go out to recess unless the principal decides the weather prevents it. If your child is ill, or has had a fever or vomited within the previous 24 hours, please keep your child home. Please continue to follow current Covid rules as well. If your child will be absent, please email both teachers (kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu and hopper_s@4j.lane.edu) and please call in and leave a message on the school line (541) 790-7080 or for our secretary, Eliza Drummond, at drummond_e@4j.lane.edu.

Le français:

Mme Jana, French & Science kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu

•We speak exclusively in French during French class.

•We write in complete sentences and can identify many parts of speech.

•We are learning world geography.

Most students have completed their geography packet, which we will keep at school for a bit to help us with our next social studies project.

We began a study of the months of the year, the derivation of the names, and how they correspond to the order of the months which continues. Soon, we will be exploring line symmetry and radial symmetry, first in nature, then in maths.

We began our newest “J’observe….” writing activity called “Le cercle magique,” where students now have to write an eight-sentence essay. They also have to guess where the photo was taken.

French vocabulary this week is ten of our new science vocabulary words as we begin our study of energy. Here is a copy:  fév 2023 énergie l Vocab

Les sciences:

We began our new science unit, Energy (l’Énergie) with a discussion of what they already know about energy, in general. We’ll begin our experiments next week.

Mme Shelli, English & Math
hopper_s@4j.lane.edu

Math

Unit 7: Introducing Measurement Conversions

Key concepts of this unit are:

• A digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to the right.
• Multiplication can be thought of as a comparison in contexts other than place value.
• Multiplicative comparison can be used to convert units of length, mass, volume, and time.

 Look for your child’s Unit 6: Decimals quiz in their home folder on Tuesday or Wednesday. Students should be able to convert decimals to fractions through hundredths place value. In addition, they should be able to order decimal fractions and should be able to solve problems with addition and subtraction of decimals.

In our new unit, students will use their understanding of place value and multiplication to help convert measurements in the metric system.  Here’s a video showing some of the concepts in this unit.This week students will create metric conversion tables and will solve problems such as “A bucket holds 4 liters of water. A tiny spoon holds 1 milliliter of water. How many spoonfuls of water would be needed to fill the bucket?”

One way to help make real world connections to math at home is to talk about metric measurements. Do you anything measured in liters in your house? Look for measurements on the bottom of liquid measurements. Do you have a scale at home that can be converted to metric system? We’ll be measuring items in centimeters and meters. We’ll also do some weight measurements with small digital scales.

We’ll move on to U.S. customary measurement and conversion after we spend some time in metric system. That will be a lot of fun when we have to figure out how many cups are in 4 gallons!

There is no  math review homework this week.

English

Literature & Writing: Unit 2 Extreme Settings

WordStudy: ur, ir, er spellings

Reading/ Writing: 

Information about this ELA unit can be found here.

le 13 au 17 février 2023   

Upcoming Dates

• Monday, February 13:  Report cards come home with students
• Monday, February 14: Valentines Day – no cards needed from home, project in class.
• Monday, February 20:  NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day
• Friday, February 24:  Mardi Gras celebration at school from 5:30 – 8:00 pm
• March 14: Field Trip to South Eugene High School for music event. See below for more info.

Report Cards

Monday, mid-year reports will come home with your child. You may keep all of the the documents, there is nothing to return to teachers. A reminder that a score of “2” means that your child is progressing in the standard. This is a typical score for this time of year. A “4” is rare and is reserved for when a student is consistently going beyond grade level expectations in that area.

What’s up! Quoi de neuf?

Please send your child to school in proper footwear and a water-repellent jacket when the weather is threatening. Students will go out to recess unless the principal decides the weather prevents it. If your child is ill, or has had a fever or vomited within the previous 24 hours, please keep your child home. Please continue to follow current Covid rules as well. If your child will be absent, please email both teachers (kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu and hopper_s@4j.lane.edu) and please call in and leave a message on the school line (541) 790-7080 or for our secretary, Eliza Drummond, at drummond_e@4j.lane.edu.

Le français:

Mme Jana, French & Science kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu

•We speak exclusively in French during French class.

•We write in complete sentences and can identify many parts of speech.

•We are learning world geography.

Many students have completed their geography packet, but the rest should have time to finish up this week.

Most students have completed the last “J’observe…” writing project, so we’ve moved on to the next. Classes got to pick their photos this time. Red class picked a photo of me with a former intern singing on my desk, and blue class picked a fox in the snow.

We made Valentine’s Day (La fête de la St Valentin) cards for ourselves that we will use on Valentine’s Day. They look awesome.

I showed the kids a cool National Geographic site where you can add layers to world maps. They liked it and may want to explore it a bit more. Try it here.

There is no French homework this week, but we will continue to study expressions using avoir (to have) in the classroom. 

Les sciences:

Nothing much to report until we begin the Énergie unit. My goal is to begin next week, including homework with our beginning science terms.

Mme Shelli, English & Math
hopper_s@4j.lane.edu

Math

Unit 6: Understanding Decimal Fractions and Notation

•We can relate understanding of base-ten place value to numbers written with decimals.

•We can read decimals and understand their value.

 In fourth grade, students should be able to identify place value from hundredths to millions.

Last week, students brought home a few math assessments. One was the Unit 5 test on ordering and comparing fractions. Another was our mid-year assessment where students were to demonstrate their understanding of some key math concepts from the year. If you did not see these, please ask your child for them.

This week, students will be solving problems with decimals. Students will demonstrate their understanding with models. One model students will use is decimals on a number line. This is  challenging for many students. Students will be asked to place numbers such as 1.8  0.8  8.0  0.18  and 0.08 on a number line and will solve complex problems with addition and subtraction of decimals. In math, students are reading decimals not as “one point eight” but instead reading their value, “one and eight tenths.”

There IS  math review homework this week.

English

Literature & Writing: Unit 2 Extreme Settings

Reading/ Writing: 

Last week, small groups of students researched mountain ranges of the world and presented information about one famous range in the form of a poster and short speech to the class. This was the first small group project and the first “speech” this year. We had some good conversations about how all students need to contribute, stay on task and include others in group work. Some students were nervous about their first speech, but everyone took their task seriously and presented well.

This week, we start a novel, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This short adventure/ survival novel brings together our study of extreme environments and elements of fiction. While students read the novel, they’ll be writing short fictional narratives. The narratives will follow a typical plot diagram and will feature a character who is in some type of survival situation and must overcome a difficulty. With in the short story, students will include an “exploded moment” which is a brief break in the action of the story to slow down and focus on sensory details and character’s thought and feelings. Last week, students should have brought home to you an exploded moment text they wrote. If you didn’t see it, ask your child about it.

This will be a fun and busy few weeks!

le 6 au 10 février 2023   

Upcoming Dates

• Tuesday, February 14:  Valentine’s Day – Please do not send individual cards to school with your children. We have a tradition in 4th grade. Each student makes his/her own large, glittery card prior to Valentine’s Day in Mme Jana’s soon-to-be very glittery room. (We’ll do that on February 9 or 10.) At the end of Valentine’s Day, we take about half an hour, we open up the doors between the two rooms, and everyone signs everyone else’s cards. It’s always a good time.
• Monday, February 20:  NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day

What’s up! Quoi de neuf?

Please send your child to school in proper footwear and a water-repellent jacket when the weather is threatening. Students will go out to recess unless the principal decides the weather prevents it. If your child is ill, or has had a fever or vomited within the previous 24 hours, please keep your child home. Please continue to follow current Covid rules as well. If your child will be absent, please email both teachers (kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu and hopper_s@4j.lane.edu) and please call in and leave a message on the school line (541) 790-7080 or for our new secretary, Eliza Drummond, at drummond_e@4j.lane.edu.

Le français:

Mme Jana, French & Science kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu

•We speak exclusively in French during French class.

•We write in complete sentences and can identify many parts of speech.

•We are learning world geography.

We continue to study world geography, including naming continents and oceans in French, identifying the cardinal directions, putting together world puzzles, learning new vocabulary, etc. 

This past week, we finished up our winter French evaluations with writing, comprehension, and listening evaluations. Report cards will come home on February 13.

I showed the kids a cool National Geographic site where you can add layers to world maps. They liked it and may want to explore it a bit more. Try it here.

This week’s French homework is expressions using avoir (to have). As I often tell the kids, French is not a translation of English. Some things are expressed in completely different ways. In French, we don’t say, “I’m hungry,” we say, “I have hunger.” (J’ai faim.) So, for some of the expressions that we use “to be” for in English, we use the verb “to have” instead. Here is the homework if needed:  le vocab expressions avec avoir fév 2023

Les sciences:

Nothing much to report until we begin the Énergie unit!

Mme Shelli, English & Math
hopper_s@4j.lane.edu

Math

Unit 6: Understanding Decimal Fractions and Notation

•We can relate understanding of base-ten place value to numbers written with decimals.

•We can write fractions with denominators of ten or one hundred as decimals.

Most students finished their assessment on comparing and ordering fractions last week. On Monday, we will give a bit more time for some students to finish and will also play some fun games before starting our new unit on Tuesday.

We will start by modeling decimals with base-10 place value blocks and money. In fourth grade, students should be able to identify place value from hundredths to millions. A key concept students should come to understand is that a place value is ten times the value of the place to its right. Here’s a quick video showing how decimals can be modeled visually.

There is no math review homework this week.

English 

Literature & Writing: Unit 2 Extreme Settings

Grammar/ Wordstudy: What is a sentence? Many students are struggling with where to end one sentence and start another in their writing. This week’s “Word Study” time will focus on complete sentences.

Reading/ Writing: After reading Mountains by Seymour Simon and portions of the SAS Survival Handbook, student groups selected a mountain range to research. Their group task is to design an informational sign that highlights the mountain range’s location, climate, animals, terrain, and dangers. Since the task involves quite a bit of reading and writing, we are emphasizing quality teamwork which is when all students can be counted on to cooperate, support each other, and contribute their best. 

The production of the sign will take a few days, then students will present their sign to the class, practicing speaking clearly in front of an audience.

Information about this ELA unit can be found here.

After School CLUBS

Plays in French

Mardi Gras Celebration (a note from the organizing parents)