Dear 4D Parents,

We are about to embark on our second full week of school. I am so thankful for the hard work the class has put in so far. We have been working on our classroom routines and began diving into our academics last week. This week we have a lot of exciting lessons planned!

Before we get to the academics for the week here are some important dates to mark down:

·       Picture Day – Tuesday August 15th  (An envelope went home last week for orders.)

·       Curriculum Night – K-2nd grade – August 17 from 6-7:30

                                           3rd -5th grade – August 22 from 6-7:30

**Curriculum Night is an adult only event, please make other arrangements for your children.**

This week in Math we'll be wrapping up our study of place value with a discussion of number patterns and mental math. We'll be working on estimation for numbers up to 6-digits and at the end of the week, starting to discuss factors and multiples. 

In Language Arts this week, we will be reading chapters 6-10 in Pollyanna. Your child should not be reading ahead because we want to experience the twists and turns together as a class. Our focus this week is characterization and comprehension. One of the main grades in Literature is from the reading logs. These need to be completed in a thoughtful manner in order for your child to get the 10 points (per week) that they are worth.

Along with summaries and dictation, we are continuing capitalization, reviewing what a sentence is, and reviewing the 4 types of sentences, in Language Arts. We will have a packet for cursive practice. We will also practice the poem “Dreams” which each child will present to the class on August 24^th. They should be practicing this each night with proper pacing and inflection. 

We have an exciting week planned for history/geography! We will discuss the importance of maps, and their many uses. Students will learn to measure distances using map scales, and locate places on maps using latitude and longitude. Students will be able to identify the importance of a map key, and compass rose and other essential components of map reading. Major terms we will learn this week are: Meridian, Equator, International Date Line. Students will also learn the importance of time zones in the United States and across the globe.

In Science, we will continue learning about the Scientific Method. Scientists are continually making observations and wondering about the natural world. As they observe the world around them, they ask many questions. Then, they make an educated guess called a hypothesis.  From there, the scientist plans his or her experiment. This is all done with these thoughts in mind..."I can discover how this works, or why does this happen, or how can this problem be solved."

Students will also learn how to control variables and make decisions.  Sometimes our hypothesis wasn't correct or the experiment was faulty.  Learning to discover through "failures" is part of being a scientist.  Students will learn to get messy, make mistakes, look for patterns, and discover that science is fun, and we will begin by doing so by conducting an experiment using skittles. Our students will learn to observe, investigate, form a hypothesis, collect data, analyze information, make conclusions, and report their findings

To prepare our students for the 2017 Solar eclipse on Monday the 21 of August, we will talk about what a solar eclipse is.  We will learn all about what makes an eclipse happen. Discover the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse as well as the difference between a total eclipse and a partial one. Find out the best way to watch an eclipse in action as well as what to be careful of while watching one.

Mr. Bergeron