le 24 au 28 février 2025

Upcoming Dates    

  • Monday-Monday, March 24-March 31 – Spring Break

Please ensure that you email BOTH TEACHERS when you communicate with us.

(kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu and hopper_s@4j.lane.edu)

Le français

Jana Kincaid, French and Science kincaid_j@4j.lane.edu

This week, there is no French homework! We have worked on  expressions with avoir (to have) for the last two weeks. The average on the quiz was quite different for the two classes, so I’m going to report them separately. Usually they’re pretty close, but this time, the blue class average was 96% and the red class average was 90%. I can say that 19 students in each class got 100% or better.  That’s 38 of the 48 students who tested, i.e. 79% of all students received 100% or better. I will be contacting all of the parents of students whose scores are concerning.

We continued and most have completed our “J’observe…” activity this past week of “Les canetons.” We will begin a new writing prompt, but I don’t want to show the photo until the kids have seen it in class. Their writing is getting much more rich and interesting. Most students need to continue to incorporate grammar rules into their writing and speaking. Being able to do something in a pointed activity and being able to use it fluently in everyday use is a leap.

Student goal:  I can express myself in writing, conjugating verbs and respecting the grammar rules I have already been taught.

We missed our buddy time week before last due to our snow day, so we’ll see them this week.

We are nearing the end of cursive instruction, probably another couple of weeks, and then we’ll use cursive on our writing assignments. 

Student goal:  I can find grammatical and punctuation errors in sentences in French.

Student goal:  I can form lowercase and uppercase letters correctly in cursive. 

Les sciences

We began our new science unit on Energy (l’Énergie) this week by finding out what students already know about energy. This week, we’ll begin our first experiment by lighting a tiny bulb (une ampoule) using one or two electrical wires (un fil électrique) and a D battery (une pile D). Then we get to talk about circuits!

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

Math

Yes- Math review homework each night.

We will take the Unit 3 quiz Monday, then begin Bridges Module 4: Addition and Subtraction. Here’s the parent support page to explain the major concepts of this unit.

This week we will compare multi-digit numbers and identify the
value of the digits. We will also learn the the standard algorithm for addition (addition with regrouping or carrying).

English

Our current English Language Arts unit:  EXTREME SETTINGS

We are reading Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. We will read chapters 7-13 this week. The main character, Brian, is stranded in the Canadian Wilderness and experiences many hardships as he learns to survive. There are some scary scenes in the book, so we’ll be talking and reading portions of the book together. Other portions of the book are read independently and discussed after.

At the same time, students are writing a short survival narrative. Be sure to ask your child about their story.

Please do not encourage your child to read ahead in the book. We’d like to discover the text together. If you’re looking for a way to extend your child’s reading, below are some texts that have similar themes to read.

Books to encourage reading at home:

  • Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books, Gary Paulsen
    ▪ Grand Canyon, Jason Chin
    ▪ Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95, Phillip Hoose
    ▪ Hurricanes, Seymour Simon
    ▪ A Girl Named Disaster, Nancy Farmer
    ▪ The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare
    ▪ Navigating Early, Clare Vanderpool
    ▪ My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George
    ▪ The River, Gary Paulsen (Hatchet series)
    ▪ Brian’s Return, Gary Paulsen (Hatchet series)
    ▪ Brian’s Winter, Gary Paulsen (Hatchet series)
    ▪ Brian’s Hunt, Gary Paulsen (Hatchet series)
    ▪ The Wild Robot, Peter Brown
    ▪ Falling Water: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece, Anna Egan Smucker and Marc Harshman
  • Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell
    ▪ Time of Wonder, Robert McCloskey

Find out more about 4j’s 4th Grade English Curriculum. This fact sheet for parents also includes a full list of the texts we’ll read as well as additional texts that can be read at home to extend your child’s learning.

A fun Project

Here’s a link to BRING’s  contest.

 

OBOB

Students who are involved in OBOB will continue “battles” during lunch times this week.

Overall, encourage your child to do their best and remember that OBOB is JUST A GAME, and like in any game, sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. Being a good sport and reading good books are honorable goals.

 4J will be holding their own regionals on Saturday, March 15. 4j will send the winner of each grade band to the state competition. If you have any specific questions, please email Ginger Topize at topize_g@4j.lane.edu. 

Reminders:

Healthy and Nut-Free Snacks

PLEASE do not send any snacks containing peanuts or any kind of tree nut. Healthy, non-messy snacks are best. Please do not send candy as a snack either.

PE & Recess

At recess, students will be outside even in drizzle. So please have your child wear layers and a jacket or hat during rainy, cool weather. Also, students need secure and sturdy shoes on PE Days:

Blue Class PE & Library days: Monday & Thursday   Red Class PE & Library days: Tuesday & FridayDecember 9-13, 2024