Math

This week during math, Fourth Grade practiced using compasses to draw perfect circles. This skill is much harder than it appears! Students learned about concentric and congruent circles, and then drew examples of these using a compass. By the end of the week, beautifully symmetrical circles were being drawn and students had developed confidence using this new math tool!

 

Reading

Scholars began the year with a realistic fiction author study. Kate DiCamillo is the author of some beloved early chapter books that many students have already read, such as Mercy Watson. As Fourth Graders, students immerse themselves in DiCamillo novels, including Tiger Rising and Because of Winn Dixie. These ravenous readers use these realistic fiction novels to analyze characters, settings, and the way they interact on a deeper level. This analysis also helps students as they begin to write their realistic fiction stories!

 

Writing

Writing realistic fiction is a big draw to these creative minds. Their imaginations are running wild, but transferring that into a story for readers does not come as easily as students expect. As we have begun our unit on writing realistic fiction, students have learned that ideas for stories actually come from their own lives. They look at their surroundings and think, “What if this happened? Or could this happen instead? What do I wish happened?”  The next step for these budding young writers… developing strong characters and relevant settings.

 

Important Dates:

 

Saturday, September 16^th    TCS Yard Sale 8am – 12 pm

Sunday, September 17^th       New Parent Social 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Thursday, September 28^th    Curriculum Night 5:30 – 6:30 pm