Grade 4

Click here to see an overview of the curriculum of this grade.
Click here to view the School Handbook (general policies for grades K through 8)
Click here to see photos from 4th Grade.

Classroom News - Winter 2009

Happy New Year 2010!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, restful Christmas vacation. We are ready for the new year and all new and exciting activities.

Language Arts

Natural Changes is the next theme (3) we will be reading. Students will read about how nature is constantly changing the face of the Earth. Some changes occur slowly while others happen in a matter of days. They will discover how these changes affect the world around them. Some of the skills we will be studying are cause/effect, drawing conclusion, predicting outcomes, references, possessive nouns, pronouns and antecedents. Our theme-long writing piece will be a cause/effect paragraph.

Social Studies

We will be moving along through the regions of the United States – next stop – the Middle West. This region is made up of 12 states in the heartland of our country. We will explore the land, climate and natural resources. We will learn about the pioneers as they moved west in the late 1700’s and how the automobile and steel industries grew.

Science

We will continue to study the human body and several of the systems including the digestive, circulatory, respiratory and the nervous system. Our next unit is Physical Science. Some of the topics we will be studying are; matter, force, motion, electricity, magnestism, light and sound. Several activities are planned that I’m sure will engage all students. They will use their science process skills of observing, predicting, gathering data, communicating and making inferences.

Math

After school math help will start on Tuesday 1/19 from 2:45 – 3:30. Mrs. Ethier and I will alternate Mondays starting the following week. Transportation home must be arranged for your child, or they can attend the After School Program and be picked up as late as 5:30 for a cost of $12.00.

Other News

Grades close on Thursday January 21st and report cards will go home on 1/28. There is no school on Monday January 18th. Catholic Schools Week is January31st. – February 6th. Please make sure that your child is dressed for a 20-minute outdoor recess. They can use the “No Homework For A Night” pass for any homework assigned by me.

Religion with Sr. Borzi

Welcome to a New Year and a new decade! I hope your holidays were filled with love and joy. As we get back into the swing of things we find the Fourth Graders in the process of studying the Ten Commandments. They have learned the song which hopefully will serve as a reminder of God’s Laws throughout their lives. The children have viewed a video about Moses and the Israelites in the desert. They have enjoyed using the Discovery Education website with games and activities to aid in reinforcing their knowledge of the Ten Commandments.

The Fourth Graders are on a course to scrutinize each Commandment in depth. They are discovering that there are deeper concepts behind the simple words of each tenet of God’s Laws. Interesting and provocative discussions ensue in Religion classes. We have much to explore!

Classroom News - Fall 2009

Happy October! I would like to thank everyone for attending the recent Parents’ Night. I hope you all have a better understanding of how our day is scheduled, the expectations and the happenings in our classroom.

Language Arts

We have started our new language arts reading program! The program consists of the five essential components of reading; vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, phonics and phonemic awareness. This is built around a variety of fiction and non-fiction literature in the core reading as well as in the guided-reading program with the leveled reader system. It also includes a comprehensive writing program. Reading and grammar skills are addressed each week. The first theme is about Facing Challenges – we will read about characters that have the courage to face their challenges and learn something new about them. The skills we will work on are; character traits and motivations, and compare/contrast. Grammar skills will include the 4 types of sentences and subjects and predicates both simple and complete.

Please continue to review the weekly vocabulary words and your child’s Words to Learn for spelling. All students will be working on prediction book reports. These will be done in school. Ask to see their rubrics and their reports.

Social Studies

We are studying the climate, culture, geography, economy and resources of the Southwest. We will study maps, map reading skills, timelines and latitude and longitude. I will continue to include critical thinking skills that compliment our studies. We are also working on how to write a good essay.

Science

Our next few units in Earth science will focus on landforms, rocks, minerals, the solar system and the seasons. The children have been enjoying the exploration and inquiry activities. They have been working hard on explaining their observations and inferences. They are all using science notebooks for observations, recording diagramming, and conclusions.

Classroom News

The Family Life Program is underway every Monday and Friday morning and will continue until October 13th. First quarter grades close on Friday October 30th. The parent conference schedule will be going home soon via the weekly envelopes. Conferences will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday November 2nd and from 8:15 – 3:00 on Tuesday November 3rd. Let me know if your scheduled time is not convenient for you and we can arrange an alternate time. Individual picture day is October 23rdh. There is no school on Wednesday November 11th. Students have no school on Monday November 2nd and on conference day, Tuesday the 3rd. Please remember to check their planners on a regular basis and remind them of the importance of packing their own backpacks. Please do not throw any of their papers away without first checking with them.

I did not put out a list of needed science consumables this year because there are a few items that we could use for the language arts program: Post-It flags for marking text support, assorted colored cardstock for vocabulary words, scrapbooking supplies for publishing theme writing assignments and classical music CDs or tapes to listen to during process writing.

If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
Mrs. Bigda

Religion with Sr. Borzi

Welcome to our Fourth Grade Religion classes! The children have been discussing the various types of sin, including mortal and venial sins, sins of commission and sins of omission. The Fourth Graders are learning about the gift of free will and the importance of forming a good conscience. These lessons are preparing the students to understand and appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a conduit of God’s merciful forgiveness to each of us. This, in turn, will lead the children to study the Ten Commandments in depth. Jesus tells us that if we love God, we will keep God’ laws. We must first know them in order to obey them. This is the challenge that faces the Fourth Graders throughout this school year. We learn them now, but we will hopefully use them for the rest of our lives.

Math with Mrs. Ethier

Mrs. Bigda and Mrs. Ethier co-teach grade 4 math. We are both involved with planning, teaching and grading the fourth grade students. Students have just completed Unit 1: Place Value and Money. Activities included place value to hundred millions, rounding to the underlined digit, comparing and ordering numbers, counting coins and bills and counting back change using the fewest coins and bills. Problem solving activities have stressed the strategies of guess and check and draw a picture. Students are also developing their writing in math skills. Our next chapter deals with addition and subtraction of whole numbers. Students that have not mastered the addition and subtraction basic facts should continue to practice with their flashcards.

Music with Mr. Gannon

The fourth grade is off to a great start this year. They are the class responsible for providing all of the music for our monthly school masses. Their debut is Friday, October 9th for our Grandparents’ Day mass. It is already obvious that this is a talented class vocally. I am excited about the potential they have, and I look forward to a productive year, as we learn more about singing technique, singing as part of a group, and performing for an audience.

Physical Education with Mrs. MacDonough

The second, third, and fourth grade have continued where they left off last June in physical education. Although they have not lost their love of Capture the Flag and Doctor Dodgeball, they have enjoyed different activities involving teamwork and cooperation. We are hoping for a mild autumn and will begin to learn and utilize some of the foundations of basketball and will continue to work on fitness through our exercise stations.

Classroom News - Summer (from last year)

Religion with Sr. Borzi

Throughout the academic year the Fourth Graders have been studying the Ten Commandments. Much discussion, role playing, and illustrations lie ahead as the children complete the last three Commandments. The students exhibit a genuine interest in their faith by the quantity and quality of their questions during Religion classes. They have achieved a greater understanding of each Commandment and have come to realize the deeper meanings that exist beyond the apparent words.

Physical Education with Mrs. MacDonough

With just a few exceptions, the weather has continued to cooperate for outdoor physical education classes as we move into the heart of the spring. Many of the classes have caught spring fever and are always excited to be outside running around.

The second, third, and fourth graders continue to mature in their understanding of the games and are great at working and playing together as a class. Many of the students have learned and accepted the rules and importance of sportsmanship and implement them every week. They are hoping for good weather for the last few weeks and we are anticipating an exciting Field Day as well.

Math with Mrs. Ethier

Grade 4 students are currently working in Unit 5, Measurement and Graphing. Students will focus on customary measure, elapsed time, temperature using negative numbers, gathering information, and using various types of graphs.

We continue to do problem-solving activities using different strategies. As always, mastering basic facts is a must. Students should continue to practice the facts using flashcards or any other methods that work for them.

Classroom News - Spring (from last year) As we march into spring our curriculum continues to be exciting and we are busy with many different activities. The standardized testing is complete. Ask your child about the bubbles, bubble gum and the “smart” treats we enjoyed each day. Reading with Mrs. Bigda

We will soon begin reading the theme 4 unit in our reading series that is titled “Imagination at Work.’ The unit will discuss how many problems can be solved through imagination and creative thinking. We will read about people who use their imaginations to enrich their lives and the lives of those around them. Some of the skills we will be working on are; fact/opinion, possessive pronouns, subject and object pronouns, adjectives and articles. The theme-long writing piece will be a persuasive essay.

Social Studies with Mrs. Bigda

We have just started the southeast region of the United States. The environment of the southeast has mountain ranges, rolling hills, powerful rivers and marshy wetlands. We will learn about the fertile soil, the crops and the natural resources. We will discuss the Native Americans and how they settled by rivers and also the conflict of war and slavery. Our field trip to Mechanics Hall to see Freedom Train and an extended activity on March 26th will conclude the chapter. Then on to the Middle West.

Science with Mrs. Bigda

We have just started the chapter in the physical science unit on mass and matter. I’m sure they will enjoy the activities and experiments in this unit. We will continue with electricity and magnetism. They will make closed circuits, (series and parallel) and create electromagnets. Ask your child how many paper clips their electromagnet held. We will then continue with light, the colors of light and how light is affected by different materials. We will move on to the Life Science unit where we will study plant structure and functions, animal structure and functions, ecosystems and environments.

Grades will close on March 25th for the third quarter and reports cards will be accessible online the first week of April.

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call and leave a message for me at school. HAPPY SPRING! Mrs. Bigda

Religion with Sr. Borzi

The Fourth Graders know their Ten Commandments song very well. Now the children are dissecting each Commandment. Currently, the students are studying the Fourth Commandment and are realizing that this mandate involves respect and obedience to all those who are in authority and not only their parents.

Physical Education with Mrs. MacDonough

The second, third and fourth graders are also having a great term in Physical Education.  We have played many of the favorites such as Doctor Dodgeball and Keep the Trash out of my Yard.  When we are able to get outside we enjoy playing Capture the Flag, Kickball, and Blastball!  At the beginning of each class, we do a series of stretches and either situps or jogging depending on whether we are in the hall or outside.  We continue to keep focused  on the fact that competition, while fun, is not the main focus of our class and that we are all here to have fun and learn the rules and skills needed to play the games, as well as the all important concept of teamwork!