Ms. Hahn’s Newsletter
Feb. 25, 2018
Reading
I have finished testing all the students’ reading levels. You received a letter with your child’s current level. This is just one indication of your child’s reading level. Please encourage your child to read a lot at home.
The students were excited to start new books for reading groups this past week. The students are reading either Five Smooth Stones or Winter of Red Snow. These books take place during the Revolutionary War. Students will be answering questions about the books and learning new vocabulary words. My plan is to meet with the students every other day to discuss their book. The current assignments for the books will be on the homework calendar.
Writing
Students have been working hard on their informational writing these past weeks. They learned to organize their notes from the books. Then they worked on writing paragraphs with an introduction and conclusion sentence. We looked at a variety of informational texts to learn how those authors introduced and concluded their books. The students were able to take some of those ways and make them their own for their writing. Next week the students will be revising and editing their papers.
Math
The class has finished unit 5 in math and now we have started unit 6. Unit 6 is about multiplication and division. The students are learning how to use place value to solve larger multiplication and division problems. In 4th grade, the focus is not on the traditional algorithm for multiplication and division. Please look at the math parent letter for more information. If your child struggles with his/her math facts please have them practice at home. We should be working on this unit until Spring break.
Social Studies
After learning about Jamestown and Plymouth colonies, the students learned about one specific colony. They used books to answer research questions about that specific colony. They created a map of that colony. We are pretending that they live in the 1700’s in that colony. Their family has 100 acres of land. The students are making a 100 acre and 1 acre of their family’s land. Next week they will finish these maps and then move to Boston as an apprentice. The following week will be the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.
Thank you for Colonial Day, Valentine’s Day, and PBIS Celebration
I want to thank all the parents who helped out with Colonial America Day, Valentine’s Day, and the PBIS celebration. The students really enjoyed all these fun activities. Your help and time made these activities fun for the children.
Upcoming Events
2/28 Farm to Table Lunch
3/01 Report Cards go home and conference sign ups emailed
3/03 One Earth Film Festival 2:00-5:00 pm
3/6 Green Challenge assembly
3/8-3/9 Conferences, Early Release
3/14 Early Release: Teacher In-Service
3/16 8th Grade Fun Fair 4-10pm