Weekly Newsletter June 3 -14, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

June 3 -June 14, 2019

Next week  includes an  important holiday. We wish all of our muslim families  A Happy Eid.  To our Muslim, host-nation families we wish you a Happy Raya Aidilifitri- Ma’af Zahir dan Batin. This newsletter will take us all the way to the end of the semester and the academic year.

Language Arts 
In the final part of Language Arts  for the year, we will finalize our writing on our literary essay unit, showcasing all of our progress during our writing share with parents on Monday, June 3. In reading, we will continue to examine our mentor text Number the Stars, analyzing characters and important events and writing our own individual ‘what happened next’ chapters. We will complete the work on our Book Clubs, with groups sharing their text’s theme, major characters and important events with the rest of the class.

Math 
In the final part of our geometry unit, students  will continue to explore angles and  measure them with increasing accuracy using protractors.  Students will use their knowledge of right, straight and whole circle angles to find missing angles.  Students will also look at symmetry- especially line symmetry as another way to classify shapes. This will lead into our end of unit test which will be sent home during the last week of school.

Social Studies
Up until the end of the school year we will be deep into our Trade Simulation. Students have been working hard learning about the resources of their country along with other economic factors.  By the end of simulation, students will have had the opportunity to design a country flag, decide on their trading product, designate ministers, create an advertisement for their product and trade with their neighboring countries. At the end of  the two trading rounds country groups will reflect on the process and its implications.


Announcements
May 10th - June 14th: Car riders pick up will now be in the gym
June 3rd: 4th Grade Writing Share - Parents invited from 1:45- 2:30.
June 5th & 6th : No School for Hari Raya Aidilfitri
June 14th: Last day of school- half day -  whole school clap out at 11:30am



Resources
For more practice at estimating angles go to Math Playground and look for games alien angles, angles and rocket angles. https://www.mathplayground.com/index_geometry.html

Weekly Newsletter May 20 - 31, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

May 20 - May 31, 2019

Language Arts 
In Language Arts this next fortnight, students will continue to research and compare historical fiction texts, consolidating their knowledge on common themes and symbols seen throughout. We will finish our study on our mentor text, Number the Stars, noticing changes in the characters, setting and theme as the story concludes. We will complete our study of historical fiction book clubs, comparing universal themes and ideas across texts. We continue to refine our writing skills in our Literary Essays, through both peer and teacher conferencing, taking feedback from earlier drafts to refine our work.

Math
In math we continue our geometry unit and initially will focus on quadrilaterals- looking at the criteria for a quadrilateral. Later, we will also be drawing and identifying shapes based on their angles. We will be sorting shapes based on angles and will be learning how to use a protractor (angle measure) to more accurately measure and classify angles into acute, right, obtuse and reflex angles.

Social Studies
This week we will be finishing up our lessons to help students understand the targeted vocabulary for the unit and we will begin our Trade and Resource Simulation! This will be an exciting 2 week project where students will work in collaborative groups role playing what factors go into global trade and economies.  The beginning of our project will first focus on learning about an assigned country and its geographical and economic information.


Announcements
May 10th - June 14th: Car riders pick up will now be in the gym
Mon, May 20th:  NO SCHOOL - ISKL Holiday in lieu of Wesak Day
Tues, May 21st:  NO SCHOOL - ISKL Faculty In-Service
Wed, May 22nd:  NO SCHOOL - Nuzul Al Quran
June 3rd: 4th Grade Writing Share - Parents invited from 1:45- 2:30.


Resources
Reinforce our Geometry unit in math with the power of song on Numberock. Music makes memories...give it a try...with Closed Caption for the added benefit of visual text support.  https://numberock.com/

Quizlet is a digital studying tool. Open the link below to access digital flashcards that include the vocabulary words covered in our Geometry unit. https://quizlet.com/284437039/iskl-grade-4-geometry-flash-cards/

Again to reinforce our ongoing Geometry unit take a look at the link below. Some teachers use Math Learning Center as a digital math manipulative that helps build a concrete understanding of new concepts. The link is directly connected to the websites applications or apps page. Open the geoboard app and the math vocabulary cards (select geometry) and allow your children to explore and practice new skills.
https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/resources/apps

A few of our historical fictions texts can be found on a website site that all readers can access and enjoy. Take a look at the Storyline Online, a website that has videos of actors reading books aloud while showing illustrations from the story.
https://www.storylineonline.net/

Weekly Newsletter May 13 -17, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

May 13 - May 17, 2019

Language Arts 
In our historical fiction unit, we will continue to read and study our Book club texts, examining how character’s perspective is shaped by the times and by his or her role. Students will also continue examine the main themes and ideas of their historical fiction texts. We continue to dissect our mentor text, Number the Stars, noting character and setting changes as well as important events.
Students continue to plan, draft and edit their own literary essays, writing purposefully to angle their stories to highlight the way it supports and connects to their thesis, while also focusing on adding quotes and other evidence from texts.

Math 
This week we start our Geometry unit, in this unit, students draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. They identify and classify angles, distinguish between parallel and perpendicular lines, and recognize a right triangle as a category for classification. Fourth graders identify differences and similarities among two dimensional figures based on the absence or presence of characteristics such as parallel or perpendicular lines and angles of a specified size. This first week we focus on points, lines, rays and line segments and which symbols to use to represent and label these geometric features.

Social Studies
This week students will continue learning about vocabulary such as goods, products, consumers and producers, but through a real products.  Students will read a variety of “How to Make” books on Big Universe and assign vocabulary to the different stages and materials used. We will also introduce the concept of trade through the lens of needs and wants, availability and scarcity.


Announcements

• May 10th - June 14th: Car riders pick up will now be in the gym 
• Tues, May 14th: ES Spring Music Concert, 5:30-7:00, Melawati Theater 
• Wed, May 15th: Instrument selection is due
• Mon, May 20th:  NO SCHOOL - ISKL Holiday in lieu of Wesak Day 
• Tues, May 21st:  NO SCHOOL - ISKL Faculty In-Service
• Wed, May 22nd:  NO SCHOOL - Nuzul Al Quran

Resources
If you would like to get a jump start on our next math unit in Geometry take a look at the link below. Some teachers use Math Learning Center as a digital math manipulate that helps build a concrete understanding of new concepts. The link is directly connected to the websites applications or apps page. Open the geoboard app and the math vocabulary cards (select geometry) and allow your children to explore and practice new skills.
https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/resources/apps

A few of our historical fictions texts can be found on a website site that all readers can access and enjoy. Take a look at the Storyline Online, a website that has videos of actors reading books aloud while showing illustrations from the story.
https://www.storylineonline.net/ 

Weekly Newsletter May 6 - 10, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

May 6 - May 10, 2019

Language Arts 
In our Reading unit, students will continue to explore their Historical Fiction Book Clubs.  Students will work on unpacking components of historical fiction, making inferences, revisiting tools and self assessing in order to lift their book club conversations.
While continuing to read the mentor text, Number the Stars, students will be encouraged to think deeply about passages in the text, finding big ideas in small details and symbolism. Students will also determine themes, developing deeper ideas through conversation with other readers who can contribute to build a richer, more powerful interpretation.
In our Literary Essay unit, students will begin to plan and draft their essays, as well as learn how to use direct quotes to support their claims about text. They will also use lists as evidence to support their claims.


Math 
This week students will compare mixed fractions and decimals. We will be learning ways to convert fractions and decimals into either form making it easier to compare or order.  Students will also begin adding decimals. This will be done numerically and through models.


Social Studies
This week students will be reflecting on their google map of natural resources and start investigating vocabulary like: Needs and Wants, Consumers and Producers etc.  This quizlet is a good resource for kids to practice learning the new vocabulary tied to the unit.  https://quizlet.com/280191208/iskl-grade-4-resources-and-trade-flash-cards/


Announcements

• Friday,  May 10th: Free Dress Day, suggested donation 5RM
• Tuesday,  May 14th: ES Spring Music Concert, 5:30-7:00, Melawati Theater 
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details. 

Weekly Newsletter April 29 - May 3, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

April 29 - May 3, 2019

Language Arts 
In our Reading unit, students will be introduced to their Historical Fiction Book Clubs. Book Clubs assist students in developing interpretations in the company of their peers, which provides a sounding board for students to clarify their thinking. Students will begin to track the setting, character, mood and theme of their historical fiction text.
We will also examine, using our mentor text, Number the Stars, how character perspectives are shaped by their roles. Readers are encouraged to step into characters shoes and conclude that their thoughts and actions are shaped by both their roles and the times in which they lived. In our literary essay unit, students are discovering how to craft a thesis, honing their skills in discovering a big idea and determining what they really want to say. The students will learn to purposely angle their stories to highlight the way it supports and connects to their thesis.


Math 
This week students will be comparing and ordering decimal numbers. They will be doing this using symbols and models. Several games will also be played where this skill is practiced. In addition, we will fix mistakes from previous practice sheets ensuring that we have completely understood the basic facts related to decimal numbers.

Social Studies
This week we only have two days of Social Studies and students will begin looking at maps and locations of natural resources. With a partner, they will record this information on a blank map of their own. We will be making connections about where certain resources are located and how that impacts trade. 

Announcements

• Monday, April 29th: MAPS Testing - Grade 4 students will begin taking their math test.

Resources

Below is a link to our ES Library page filled with incredible reading resources like Big Universe (electronic books with varying reading levels), BookFlix & Trueflix and TumbleBooks which can all support our Grade 4 exploration of historical fiction.
Note: your child’s ISKL username and password are required to access these external resources. Please email jgormley@iskl.edu.my to request your child’s login information.
https://iskl.follettdestiny.com/common/servlet/presenthomeform.do?l2m=Home&tm=Home&l2m=Home

Below is a link to Splash Math: Decimal Games for 4th Graders. There are a number of games to play to reinforce decimal concepts.
Note: a free login is required to play past the demo stage.
https://www.splashmath.com/decimal-games-for-4th-graders

If you are interested in extending your understanding of how to think about and teach  fractions take a look at the link below:
http://www.therecoveringtraditionalist.com/teaching-fractions-with-understanding/?inf_contact_key=f45fd6a96cc126d51e93a9504988150bd18a532c4142cb79caf2b269de1401fa

Weekly Newsletter April 22 - 26, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

April 22 - April 26, 2019

Language Arts 
In Language Arts this week we continue to investigate historical fiction texts, paying particular attention to the mood and atmosphere of the places in which the stories are set. Students examine the blurb of their mentor text, Number the Stars, noting clues about where the story is set and the type of environment the characters are living in. Students will further research the key information taken from the blurb in small groups which will be collated to share with the rest of the class.
Students will also examine examples of literary essays, noting the important characteristics to be included within the introduction, body and conclusion. Student’s attention with be drawn to the ‘big ideas’ or theme of the text, noting the message or lesson that the author is trying to convey.

Math
This week the students will be using their understanding of fraction equivalence to investigate decimal numbers on the place value chart expressed in different units. Students will be decomposing fractions and decimals showing equivalency between the tenths place and the hundredths place.

Social Studies
This week students will continue their investigation into natural resources (renewable and non-renewable) and their connection to our physical environment, looking specifically at different landforms. If we have time, we may begin using some mapping skills to see where different natural resources are located.

Announcements

• Tuesday, April 23rd: Blue and Green Earth Day Dress Up  
• Thursday, April 25th: MAPS Testing Grade 4 students will begin taking their MAPS test.
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details. 

Resources
Below is a link to our ES Library page filled with incredible reading resources like Big Universe (electronic books with varying reading levels), BookFlix & Trueflix and TumbleBooks which can all support our Grade 4 exploration of historical fiction.
Note: your child’s ISKL username and password are required to access these external resources. Please email jgormley@iskl.edu.my to request your child’s login information.
https://iskl.follettdestiny.com/common/servlet/presenthomeform.do?l2m=Home&tm=Home&l2m=Home

Below is a link to Splash Math: Decimal Games for 4th Graders. There are a number of games to play to reinforce decimal concepts.
Note: a free login is required to play past the demo stage.
https://www.splashmath.com/decimal-games-for-4th-graders


 

Weekly Newsletter April 15 -19, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

April 15 - April 19, 2019

Language Arts 
In Language Arts this week we will be completing our pre-assessment for our new topic Literary Essays. After choosing a familiar text, students will write an initial opinion or argument essay whereby they state their opinion or claim, giving reasons why they feel this way. Students are encouraged to make claims about characters and themes using evidence from the text. The data gathered from this pre-assessment will allow for students needs to be determined for planning for the unit.

We will also start our unit on Historical Fiction. Students will begin by examining the introductions of familiar books in order to analyze the setting, taking note of when and where the story takes places and what this place feels like. Students will be encouraged to be alert for change within the text, identifying clues by the author.

Math 
In math this week the students will be completing the unit on fractions and operations. They will be continuing to use the area model and number lines while multiplying fractions. This aids the students with their conceptual understanding of multiplication of fractions.

Social Science

We are launching our unit on Trade and Resources this week.  The big ideas of this unit are: “Where you live impacts how you live” and “Resources impact the economy and trade in regions around the world”.  Student will begin the week tapping into their current knowledge of natural resources and how they connect with products and trade.  We will then look more closely at different natural resources and their location.

Announcements

• School Start Time: School starts at 7:50 am. Many student arrive before then and are able to chat to their friends and play in the common area. At 7:50 am sharp classes hold their informative morning meetings. Please ensure that your child arrives in plenty of time to get to their classroom each morning ON TIME!
• ES Dress Up Days: Plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details.  (The next Dress Up Day will be Friday, April 19th)
• MAPS Testing: Grade 4 students will begin taking their MAPS test Starting on April 25th.

Resources
Below is a link to our ES Library page filled with incredible reading resources like Big Universe (electronic books with varying reading levels), BookFlix & Trueflix and TumbleBooks which can all support our Grade 4 exploration of realistic fiction.

Note: your child’s ISKL username and password is required to access these external resources. Please email jgormley@iskl.edu.my to request your child’s login information.

https://iskl.follettdestiny.com/common/servlet/presenthomeform.do?l2m=Home&tm=Home&l2m=Home

Below is a link to Splash Math: Fraction Games for 4th Graders. There are a number of games to play to reinforce fraction concepts. A number of classes are in the process of reviewing fractions to prepare for an end of unit assessment.
Note: a free login is required to play past the demo stage.
https://www.splashmath.com/fraction-games-for-4th-graders