Final Blog Update

May 28-June 5th

This is the last blog update of the school year. 
It has been a honor and pleasure being your child's teacher.
I feel very fortunate to have been even a small part of your child's school career,
and we only wish for the very best for each and every child!  
Thank you for supporting us and allowing us to set high expectations for your child.
They have certainly risen to the challenge and exceeded expectations!

Here is what the last days of 4th grade look like:
Reading
Last Friday, we had our last vocabulary and spelling test of the year. We will continue to work on our poetry
project, and read the riveting novel, Holes. (Our poetry project should be done mostly in class during the

next few days.)The students (and teachers) love Holes with its action packed story of family,

perseverance, and atonement. At the end of our novel study, we will be watching the movie and comparing
it to the book. Please be on the look out for the permission slip that will go home tomorrow on bright
orange paper.

Math
We are applying the math skills and vocabulary we have acquired throughout the year through our end of
the year Number Projects. The majority of this project will be done in class and presented toward the end of
the week.

Science/Social Science
Our last science is unit on Energy. The following power standards will be covered:

• Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.  (4-PS3-1)
• Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat and electric currents. (4-PS3-2)
• Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move. (4-PS4-1)

We also had Mr. Bloomstrand from the Cook County Farm Bureau present twice, first on Illinois' agriculture and then on nutrition using MyPlate. Next Tuesday, we will also have a presentation from the Red Cross on the Pillowcase Project, which is an interactive preparedness program. 

Field Trip

Our field trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens will be this Monday, June 3rd. Please have your child dress appropriately for the weather. (Hopefully we will get a day off from all this rain.) So far, it's looking like it'll be a beautiful day. Also, if your child is bringing a lunch from home, please make sure it is in a sack lunch that is completely disposable. Please have his/her name on the outside of the lunch too.

If you are chaperoning this field trip please be at school around 9:00-9:05. We will return around 2:00PM.

Important Dates

• Monday, June 3: 4th Grade Field Trip to Botanic Gardens 
• Tuesday, June 4:
  • Last Full Day of School, Grades 1-5
  • 5th Grade Promotion, 10:30 AM
  • Red Cross Presentation PM
  • Please send an extra bag to school since we will clean out desks this day.
• Wednesday, June 5: Last Day of School, Grades 1-5, Dismissal at 11:30 AM

May 6- May 24

May 6-May 24

This blog update will take us to May 24th.

Language Arts

We will not start our new spelling and vocab list until next week since we have a few more days to finish on the Revolutionary War. Please be on the look out for the words next week. The assessment for spelling and vocab will be May 24th.

We will start reading the 1999 Newbery Award Winner--  Holes, by Louis Sachar on May 13. This is a riveting novel about the past and the present diverging into one.

Some of the themes of this novel include:

• the impact of fate and history in everyday life
• the destructive nature of cruelty
• the benefits of strong family relationships and friendships
• and the outcast turned hero

We will incorporate vocabulary, various reading skills, writing and FUN!  Here is a quick summary of this exciting book:

Louis Sachar's novel "Holes" tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a boy sentenced to juvenile detention facility Camp Green Lake after being unjustly accused of stealing a pair of basketball shoes. Stanley learns that his family history is key to unraveling the mystery at the heart of the camp. 

We will use many of the focus skills we've learned, specifically characterization. Students will be learning the traits, actions and motivations of the main character, Stanley. We will finish reading the book and enjoy the movie on the last days of school.  Be looking for a permission slip. Your permission is required for students to watch the movie (which is very similar to the book).

Poetry Project:

Students will be asked to create three poems (more information will be in the packet that I hand out next week). They will be reciting two of these poems aloud to the class, using the presentation skills we've been working on all year. They will be given class time to work on their poems, but some of it may need to be completed at home. The May RAH calendar is still required and the poetry book talk project will be due on MAY 31. We are not expecting memorization of the poems, however if the students would like to be in the "advanced category" they can memorize one or two poems. We thank you for your support throughout these book talks/projects. The students’ growth in presentation skills have helped them develop into confident speakers. 

If you need to review expectations, please see rubric below.

Social Science:

This week we will wrap up our study of the Revolutionary War. Next Our final social science unit will be on Illinois. The majority of the lessons will comprise of comparing and contrasting the structure of state and federal government. We will also discuss Illinois' natural resources and economic growth. On May 10 and May 20 we will have an in-school field trip. Our guest speaker from The Cook County Farm Bureau will cover the following topics:

Agriculture is the #1 industry in Illinois. 

Corn and Soybeans are the top crops in Illinois.

How the food we eat gets from the farm to our table.

Modern machinery and Science have revolutionized crop production.

Farmers grow the grains & food that make up the USDA My Plate.

Approximately, 1 in every 4 students, as adults, will have an occupation related to agriculture.  

Science:

Our last science will focus on the different types and forms of energy. The following power standards will be covered:

• Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.  (4-PS3-1)
• Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat and electric currents. (4-PS3-2)
• Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move. (4-PS4-1)

Math:

We are wrapping up Unit 7 this week. Our tentative test day is next Tuesday, May 14. We will then move on to the final section in math, Unit 8 Fraction Operations and Application. Instead of of a final assessment in Unit 8, students will complete exit slips to check for comprehension. To celebrate our hard work, students will create a fun number project (in class).  Students will pick a number that is meaningful and analyze it in various ways. More to follow on the project. 

Fun and Fitness:

Fun and Fitness day will be on Friday, May 17th.

Be sure to send your child with a labeled water bottle.  It is very important, that even if it is cool, our students remain hydrated.

Sunscreen may be a good idea as much of the day on Friday will be spent outdoors.

Morning reminders (before they leave for school) about good sportsmanship and healthy competition are always welcomed.  We will do lots of this here too, but it definitely helps when they are hearing the same message from home AND school.

The students will be given a team color they should wear on Friday (red, white, or blue).  Try to have your student come on Friday in the color they have been assigned. They will get their assigned color the week of May 13th. 

Important Dates: 

Friday, 5/10 and Monday, 5/20 : Agriculture in the Class Presentation

Friday, 5/17: Fun and Fitness Day 

Friday, 5/24: Variety Show/Institute Day in PM: Dismissal at 12:00   

Monday, 5/27: No School, Memorial Day 

Friday, 5/31: Poetry Project due and RAH

Monday, 6/3: Field Trip to Botanical Gardens

Wednesday, 6/5: Last day of school: Dismissal at 11:30