February Curriculum Letter

Dear fourth grade families,

Please enjoy these updates from our classroom.

Writing

We are finishing up our unit on persuasive essays. Your child might choose to write their final draft by hand or bring it home to type. If your child brings his or her essay home, please help make sure he or she makes time to type it and that all components including the rough draft and final essay make it back to school.

Reading

Some students are reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor and others have just begun to read Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. As we read these books, students will be practicing talking about books with their peers, particularly learning how to respectfully agree and disagree with each other's interpretations of the books they read.

Math

We are now well into our unit on fractions. Students are adding fractions using pictures and by learning equivalent fractions. Dinner time is a great time to talk about fractions. If I eat half my mac and cheese and then I eat another quarter of my mac and cheese, how much of my mac and cheese hae I eaten? If there are 36 grapes on the table and I eat one quarter of the grapes, how many grapes are left?

Word Study

Last week we studied adjectives including adjectives that compare, like faster and fastest. This week, we'll be studying adverbs that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. We'll be looking at the differences between adjectives and adverbs.

Social Studies

We are continuing our study of West Africa through two exciting projects. In class, students are working in groups to study the Ghana, Mali, and Songhay empires. They are working on collaborative projects about the empires they are studying. Also, in the library, we are working on a Reader's Theater project. Students will be learning various stories about Anansi, the Spider that originate form West Africa. Students will be using these stories to learn about West African storytelling and practice fluency.

Dance and Theater

We are wrapping up several months of dance classes on Monday, February 13^th. Students have enjoyed learning hip hop dances, practicing yoga poses, and creating their own moves with partners. During our last class, we invite families to see the work we've been doing. This class will be February 13^th from 9:10 to 9:55 in the auditorium. After the dance class ends, we will have the opportunity to participate in a ten-week theater workshop, the content of which will be decided in the coming weeks.

Half Day February 10^th

Please be aware that this week, on January 27^th, we have a half day. Dismissal is promptly at 11:30 AM. If you would like to sign up for childcare with Wingspan for the remainder of the day, please contact Mat mcgloin.matthew@gmail.com or Laura Lee lauralee@wingspanarts.org or Noemi 212-387-0195.

Snack

Please check out our new snack calender and help us replenish our dwindling snack supply. Please also bring in another roll or two of paper towels.

Feb 13	Feb 27	March 5	March 12	March 19
Parker	Luigi	Kasar	Christina	Amon-ra
Oscar	Liza	D'yanira	Brandon	Ashley
Narayan	Lila	Dreanna	Alana	Jonathan
Milla	Alexander	DeAndre	Adriana	Martha
Miljan	Eko	Dario	Adelina	Michael N.
Michael C.	Ismael

Camp Ashokan

We will be heading to Camp Ashokan from March 7-9. We will send home information packets soon, but we also wanted to make sure you have the dates on your calendar. If your child takes any prescription medication, or if you would like your child to be able to take any over the counter medications including cough drops during the trip, Ashokan's policy requires a doctor's note and a prescription is applicable. You may want to schedule a doctor's appointment during the February break.

Best,

Nancy and Stephanie