Dear 4A Parents:

I'm excited to start our first full week. It was great seeing everyone on Friday. We were able to go over most of the procedures but still have a few more to go and, of course, there will be a lot of practicing them until the class runs smoothly.

We have set the foundation for a culture of kindness and the returning students have really stepped up in aiding and befriending the new students. I hope to build on this throughout the year as we learn more about what it means to be a virtuous person.

• This week in academics:

In Literature this week, we will begin reading Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. Please make sure your child brings the book to school. I have put up a picture of the cover of the book we use. Learning about Pollyanna's difficult circumstances and how she deals with them is a great way to start the year. We will be focusing on setting and characterization this week.

Also this week, we will be working on summaries and dictation in our writing portion of Language Arts and capitalization in the grammar portion.

The students will start memorizing the poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. This will be presented the week of August 21.

In Math, we will begin by discussing place value in numbers up to 5- and 6-digits. Using manipulatives, we will discuss how to write numbers in standard and expanded form, how each place value relates to other place values, and how to order large numbers. Place value is a foundational topic upon which many other later topics are based, and this week is an important one in laying strong groundwork for the rest of the year.

In Science, we will begin by learning about the Scientific Method. Students will be able explain 5 reasons why science is important, and be able to identify and record each step of the scientific method. They will learn to define and identify variables in different scenarios as they conduct an experiment of their own. At the end of our study on the Scientific Method, we will each take on the role of scientists and conduct an experiment using M&M's to show mastery of all that we have learned about Scientific Method.

We will begin our study of history/geography this week by learning the importance of maps, and their many uses. Students will learn to measure distances using map scales, and other fundamental components of map reading. We will use latitude and longitude to find locations across the globe and become familiar with the Prime Meridian, Equator, International Date Line and how lines of latitude and longitude divide the earth. At the end of the week we will turn our attention to time zones across the world and here in the United States.

• Just a few reminders:

We are a nut-free room, so please do not have your child bring any snacks with nuts in them. It is fine to have nuts with lunch but since we have snack in our room, we can't have them at that time. Also the snack should be healthy and not messy : )

Almost everyone brought in a non-disposable water bottle which is very important. If your child does not yet have one, please invest in one soon.

From past experience, the children use a lot of tissue. This is the main item I ask parents to help provide. Please send in a box or two whenever you think of it. It will be greatly appreciated.

As we go forward, there are probably some questions that still need to be asked or procedures that need to be clarified, please don't hesitate to email me or make an appointment to came by and talk.

Thankful for you,
Mrs. Gore