Charlemagne 4th Grade

Students did pretty well bringing their homework back and forth last week. If homework is not turned in on Friday, it must be turned in the following full school day, normally Monday. We had our first vocabulary quiz, and 65% of the class missed only one or none, so well done. The mean of the two classes was 71%, but the mode was 100%. If your child scored below 71%, it is a sign that he/she/they didn’t prepare for the quiz and/or didn’t speak up when he/she/they didn’t understand the sentences because the quiz was essentially the same as the homework.

Student goal:  I can name, write, and order the days of the week in French.

We continue our cursive writing instruction, and this week, we’ve gone back and written a lot of letter combinations in nonsense order so we can concentrate onthe forming of the letters. We work on alphabetizing up to the fifth letter on Wednesdays, and salthough most students are becoming skilled, some students don’t seem to know their alphabet yet. If you know that applies to your student, you could work on fun alphabetizing activities at home to help support your child.

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

Student goal:  I can form all the lowercase letters correctly in cursive. 

We conjugated the verb faire (to make or do) last week, and will conjugate the verb  aller (to go) this week, then we’ll move on to verbs that end in -er, which is 90% of the verbs in French. 

Student goal:  I can alphabetize words up to and beyond the fifth letter.

Student goal:  I am learning to quickly and efficiently use a translating dictionary.

We have completed the speaking evaluation, with a few exceptions, and our formal French assessments are complete  until January. 

We began our writing curriculum this week,  called “J’observe…” We looked at a group of goats and wrote about them as a class. See the photo we used at right.

We continue the “Moi!” project which is all about them… in French.

Les sciences

We began our first science unit, Soils, Rocks, and Landforms (La terre, les pierres, et les formes du relief) this week by discussing what students already know about the subject. This week, we’ll begin our first experiment (une expérience)by exploring the components (les composants) of soil (le sol ou la terre). Next, we’ll discuss what is in each layer once we add water to our containers and let them settle. Then we’ll move into physical and chemical weathering (l’usure physique et chimique) with some fun experiments.  

We wrap up our exploration of the non-fiction text, The Circulatory Story, this week.  Students are rereading portions of the text to gain a deeper understanding. Then they will write a brief outline to understand the main ideas and details and then will summarize one section of the text.

 

For a final writing project, students are putting the final touches on their first four-paragraph essays about how the author of the text uses figurative language to convey meaning in The Circulatory Story. These essays are in a 4 page booklet and will come home early next week.

 

 

 

 

 

Please help your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for running and jumping on their PE days. Closed toed shoes such as tennis shoes would be great; sandals or boots do not work well for PE.

Blue Class PE & Library days: Monday & Thursday

 

 

Building and Field Trip Volunteers

The school will be requiring that folks who would like to volunteer at the building or on field trips complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning their support of the classrooms and our students. In 4th grade there are opportunities to volunteer at recess, in the library, and on field trips. Our first field trip will be in December. Later in the year, there may be classroom volunteer opportunities, too.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the office for the date of the next volunteer training.

Once you have completed the video orientation and District  Volunteer Background Check we will ask that you sign a Charlemagne Confidentiality Agreement at the front office on your first day.

Well, I was out sick all week with Covid. So, everything we were meant to do this past week, we will do this next week.

The big news is….French homework begins this week! Students will come home on Monday with a lavender sheet of French homework. Students should bring this homework home and back to school every single day. They turn it in to me on Friday, the same day as the vocabulary quiz. We’re beginning with the days of the week. Each night, students complete one section of the homework. I have gone over each category, and they should have an example written in each section. They are meant to ask an adult to initial the homework each night. Initialing the homework simply tells me that you see your child has done the homework, not whether it is correct or not. I prefer that parents NOT HELP with homework. We’re really just trying to establish routine and responsibility. If your child loses the homework, you can print off a copy here:  jours de la semaine sept 2024 Vocab

Me reading and spelling the words:

Me reading the words with time for students to write the words:

Student goal:  I can name and order the days of the week in French.

We will continue our cursive writing instruction, and we’ll go back and do a lot of words that use the letters we’ve already learned, which helps with understanding how to attach the letters and their relationship to one another. Also, we are working on alphabetizing and on learning how to use a translating dictionary. 

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

Student goal:  I can form all the lowercase letters correctly in cursive. 

We will conjugate the verb être (to be), and in upcoming weeks, we will conjugate the verbs faire (to make or do), and aller (to go), then we’ll move on to verbs that end in -er, which is 90% of the verbs in French. We began our French typing program called “Tap’Touche” which teaches students how to type with accents. We  continue to spend time learning about dictionaries, particularly translating dictionaries, and how to use them. We will continue to work on dictionary use, which includes learning about parts of speech. I’ve noticed that a number of children are not very solid with alphabetizing beyond the first letter. We are doing it once a week, but if you can do some alphabetizing at home, that would be great. Put the cereal in alphabetical order or the names of all the family members in alphabetical order. We use dictionaries daily in my class, and not knowing alphabetical order is a limiting factor.

Student goal:  I can alphabetize words up to and beyond the fifth letter.

Student goal:  I am learning to quickly and efficiently use a translating dictionary.

We still have to complete the speaking evaluation, and a few kids are still catching up from absences, then that will be it for these formal French assessments until January. 

We will begin our writing curriculum this week, and it is called “J’observe…” We look at a curated photo and describe what we observe. 

We continue our first art project this week which involves concentration and fine motor control. It takes a few weeks, but you’ll be seeing those lovely projects soon as we hang them up on our walls. They are called “Les tubes. We will continue the “Moi!” project which is all about them… in French.

Les sciences

With one of my guest teachers, the students made lists of what they already know about soils, rocks, and landforms. I’ll review those, and then we will begin our first science unit, Soils, Rocks, and Landforms (La terre, les pierres, et les formes du relief) this week. 

We read through the complex non-fiction text, The Circulatory Story,  last week. This week, as students read through sections of the text a second time, they will learn strategies for reading complex text.  The focus will be on determining main idea and details in each part of the text. They will create a simple outline which will aid the students in writing short summaries. This text includes a lot of figurative language, so we’ll be identifying and discussing meanings of similes and metaphors in the text as well.

 

This week we will welcome an parent and guest speaker, Dr. Eric Johnson, pediatric cardiologist, who will talk to us about his work with the heart and circulatory system.

 

Here’s an overview of the entire year of 4th grade in our Wit and Wisdom English curriculum.

Please help your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for running and jumping on their PE days. Closed toed shoes such as tennis shoes would be great; sandals or boots do not work well for PE.

Blue Class PE & Library days: Monday & Thursday

 

 

Building and Field Trip Volunteers

The school will be requiring that folks who would like to volunteer at the building or on field trips complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning their support of the classrooms and our students. In 4th grade there are opportunities to volunteer at recess, in the library, and on field trips. Our first field trip will be in December. Later in the year, there may be classroom volunteer opportunities, too.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the office for the date of the next volunteer training.

Once you have completed the video orientation and District  Volunteer Background Check we will ask that you sign a Charlemagne Confidentiality Agreement at the front office on your first day.

We continued our cursive writing instruction this past week with the letters u, i, y, and j. Next, we’ll go back and do a lot of words that use the letters we’ve already learned, which helps with understanding how to attach the letters and their relationship to one another. Also, we are working on alphabetizing and on learning how to use a translating dictionary. My expectation is that they will get a dictionary as they get into class and use it to determine spelling and meaning. We will begin our writing curriculum this week, and it is called “J’observe…” We look at a curated photo and describe what we observe. 

Mme Wolfe assessed the students individually for oral reading fluency and comprehension, and nearly everyone has completed the writing and listening French assessments, so in the next week, we’ll complete the speaking evaluation, and that will be it for formal assessments until January. 

We are continuing our first art project this past week which involves concentration and fine motor control. It takes a few weeks, but you’ll be seeing those lovely projects soon as we hang them up on our walls. They are called “Les tubes.This past week, we began a “Moi!” project which is all about them… in French.

Les sciences

We will begin our first science unit, Soils, Rocks, and Landforms (La terre, les pierres, et les formes du relief) this week. We’ll talk about what the students already know about soil and rocks, and then we begin to break down the components of soils.

In our English unit called, “The Great Heart” last week, students read biographies, annotated the text, and wrote an organized informative paragraph about why the person might be considered “greathearted.” These paragraphs will come home in folders by the end of this week. The goal of this assignment was to use evidence from a text to support a thesis (topic) statement in an organized informative paragraph.

 

This week, students will begin reading a complex non-fiction text called “The Circulatory Story.” Students will be learning about the circulatory system in the human body and will be learning strategies for reading complex text. This text includes a lot of figurative language, so we’ll be identifying and discussing meanings of similes and metaphors in the text as well.

 

Here’s an overview of the entire year of 4th grade in our Wit and Wisdom English curriculum.

Please help your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for running and jumping on their PE days. Closed toed shoes such as tennis shoes would be great; sandals or boots do not work well for PE.

 

 

Building and Field Trip Volunteers

The school will be requiring that folks who would like to volunteer at the building or on field trips complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning their support of the classrooms and our students. In 4th grade there are opportunities to volunteer at recess, in the library, and on field trips. Our first field trip will be in December. Later in the year, there may be classroom volunteer opportunities, too.

These will be offered once a week on Wednesdays in September from 6-6:30pm via Google Meet.  

To join the video meeting, click this link:  https://meet.google.com/nyt-vivo-hhx

The September dates will be  9/11, 9/18 and 9/25. Once you have completed the video orientation and District  Volunteer Background Check we will ask that you sign a Charlemagne Confidentiality Agreement at the front office on your first day.

This pas week, we began correcting what I call the “horrible sentences.” I create a sentence with errors, and the students do their best to correct on their own or with a partner, then we go over the corrections together. This has multiple grammar lessons in it, and the students learn how to use editing marks.

We began our cursive writing instruction this past week with the letters c, a, d, g, h, t, p, e, l, and f. We’ll go through all lowercase (minuscule) letters, then progress through all uppercase (majuscule) letters. French assessments, which include writing, speaking, comprehension, reading, and listening will happen during the next three weeks. None of the assessments are very long, and I don’t put them all on the same day. 

We also began our first art project this past week which involves concentration and fine motor control. It takes a few weeks, but you’ll be seeing those lovely projects soon as we hang them up on our walls. This coming week, we’ll begin a “Moi!” project which is all about them… in French.

Les sciences

We will begin our first science unit, Soils, Rocks, and Landforms (La terre, les pierres, et les formes du relief) in early October. 

 You can learn more about our Math Curriculum pilot here. This month, we are focusing on Multiplicative Thinking. AT home, you can help your child become fluent x1 through x10 facts. For your reference, here’s an overview of the math standards for 4th grade.

We began the English unit called, “The Great Heart” last week. Students defined characteristics of a figurative great heart as kind, generous, encouraging, hard-working, and brave.
  We began to read a short biography of Clara Barton, learning to annotate the text for key details. This week, students will read one of several biographies of people such as Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousafzai, Marley Dias and others. They will read, annotate the text, and will write an organized informative paragraph why the person might be considered “greathearted.”

 

Here’s an overview of the entire year of 4th grade in our Wit and Wisdom English curriculum.

Please help your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for running and jumping on their PE days. Closed toed shoes such as tennis shoes would be great; sandals or boots do not work well for PE.

 

 

Building and Field Trip Volunteers

The school will be requiring that folks who would like to volunteer at the building or on field trips complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning their support of the classrooms and our students. In 4th grade there are opportunities to volunteer at recess, in the library, and on field trips. Later in the year, there may be classroom volunteer opportunities, too.

These will be offered once a week on Wednesdays in September from 6-6:30pm via Google Meet.  

To join the video meeting, click this link:  https://meet.google.com/nyt-vivo-hhx

The September dates will be  9/11, 9/18 and 9/25. Once you have completed the video orientation and District  Volunteer Background Check we will ask that you sign a Charlemagne Confidentiality Agreement at the front office on your first day.

This coming week, we will begin correcting what I call the “horrible sentences.” I create a sentence with errors, and the students do their best to correct on their own or with a partner, then we go over the corrections together. This has multiple grammar lessons in it, and the students learn how to use editing marks.

We will begin our cursive writing instruction this week with the letters c, a, d, and g. We’ll go through all lowercase (minuscule) letters, then progress and work through all uppercase (majuscule) letters. French assessments, which include writing, speaking, comprehension, reading, and listening will happen during the next three weeks. None of the assessments are very long, and I don’t put them all on the same day. 

We will also begin (or just began for one class) our first art project this week which involves concentration and fine motor control. It takes a few weeks, but you’ll be seeing those lovely projects soon as we hang them up on our walls. This coming week, we’ll begin a “Moi!” project which is all about them… in French.

Les sciences

We will begin our first science unit, Soils, Rocks, and Landforms (La terre, les pierres, et les formes du relief) in early October. 

This year, both 4th and 5th grade classes are piloting new math curricula. This week we delve into review of 3rd grade multiplication strategies and make connections to 4th grade standards using the Bridges Mathematics Program.  You can learn more about our Math pilot here. This month, we are focusing on Multiplicative Thinking. Students should become fluent not just in basic multiplication facts of x1 through x10 and will demonstrate their thinking in a variety of ways. I’ll update in more depth here each week about what is happening in math. For your reference, here’s an overview of the math standards for 4th grade.

We are starting our first English unit called, “The Great Heart” this week. Students will define what a great heart is both literally and figuratively.  To begin, students will discuss “greatheartedness” as having traits such as kindness, perseverance, courage, or helpfulness. Over the next two weeks, they will read several short biographies of people who have shown greathearted traits through their words and actions. Students will work in small groups to write an organized paragraph to describe these “greathearted” people.

Here’s an overview of the entire year of 4th grade in our Wit and Wisdom English curriculum.

Please help your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for running and jumping on their PE days. Closed toed shoes such as tennis shoes would be great; sandals or boots do not work well for PE.

 

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.

 

Building and Field Trip Volunteers

The school will be requiring that folks who would like to volunteer at the building or on field trips complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning their support of the classrooms and our students. In 4th grade there are opportunities to volunteer at recess, in the library, and on field trips. Later in the year, there may be classroom volunteer opportunities, too.

These will be offered once a week on Wednesdays in September from 6-6:30pm via Google Meet.  

To join the video meeting, click this link:  https://meet.google.com/nyt-vivo-hhx

The September dates will be  9/11, 9/18 and 9/25. Once you have completed the video orientation and District  Volunteer Background Check we will ask that you sign a Charlemagne Confidentiality Agreement at the front office on your first day.