Happy Friday fourth grade families!
Math: This week we worked on understanding place value through millions with whole numbers and began reviewing how to compare and order whole numbers through millions. Next week we will transfer that knowledge into understanding place value through thousandths with decimals as well as comparing and ordering decimals.
ELA: This week we read Chapter 2 of Night of the Spadefoot Toads. We practiced taking the time to stop when we come across challenging words and working through determining their meaning. The process we are working through is: determining if the word has a prefix/suffix, identifying part of speech, using context clues, replacing the challenging word with a synonym, and predicting the meaning prior to looking up the true meaning of the word in the dictionary. Additionally, we began analyzing the main character of the text, Ben, by taking a closer look at his thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue and making inferences based on these details. Next week we will continue reading and begin comparing and contrasting characters, events, and settings within the text.
Science/Social Studies:
This week in Science and Social Studies students defined a civilization as an advanced group of people who have key characteristics. Students identified and began describing the characteristics of a civilization which include: government and social classes, religion, economy/trade/job specialization, systems of tribute, surplus food, city/architecture/infrastructure, written language and learning, technology, and arts.
Next week in Social Studies, we will use these characteristics to determine if a group is considered a civilization as well as use multiple sources to explain what it means to be civilized. This will be an important building block for students as we begin to discuss ancient civilizations such as the Aztec and Maya. In Science we will begin by discussing science safety and the inquiry process. Students will be applying this process through a scientific demonstration. We then will have an introduction to our first unit What is Energy?
DOJO: Thank you for connecting with your student’s account on Class Dojo! We will be using this to communicate student behaviors throughout each day by giving students positives, warnings, and infractions based on their behavior. Please check this often so
If you have not yet had an opportunity to connect, please do so here: https://www.classdojo.com/invite/?c=CZSB3K6
Face Coverings at School: The Arizona legislature recently passed a law that prohibits schools from requiring students and staff from wearing face-coverings. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, wear face-coverings while indoors at school during times of substantial or high transmission.
Looking Ahead:
August 18: half day
August 31: Scholastic book orders due (Class Code: Q98FV)
Have a great weekend!