Fourth Grade Newsletter
March 2, 2016
V o lum e 6 , I s s u e 7
Goshe n Ele me ntary School
Upcoming Events
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March 1st: PTA Meeting @
7pm
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nd
March 2 : Read Across
America Dr. Seuss Spirit Day!
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March 18th –Sock Hop 7:009:00pm
rd
March 23 : Marking Period
Ends/ STEM Day
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March 24th: Professional Day,
Schools Closed
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March 25th- April 1st: SPRING
BREAK!
 April 5th: PTA Meeting
 April 15th: Fun Run
Announcements and Reminders
 Look for your child’s white Goshen Grizzly folder every day. It
will have homework and other important notices/flyers. Please
return the folder the next day and please discuss your child’s
behavior with him/ her and sign the assignment book nightly.
 Your child has homework every weekday night (MondayThursday). This will include reading a “just right” book for 2030 minutes, a spelling bingo activity, and a math worksheet
(which will typically be 1 sheet for the entire week). Your
child will also complete and return their monthly Tic-Tac-Toe
reading assignment. Your child’s weekly homework sheets
should be returned every Friday. Students should also
practice their basic math facts.
 Your child’s assignment book contains his/her nightly
homework assignments, as well as their behavior color. Your
child’s teacher signs each agenda book to ensure that
homework was written down.
 Please remember to keep your child’s lunch account up-todate. Do not send money in daily. Instead, send in a check
weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Also, don’t forget to write your
child’s pin number on the check!
 Please make sure that your child is coming to school dressed
for the cold weather! WEAR LAYERS! 
Thank you for your cooperation in these matters as we work
together for the success of each child! 
March is NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH!
Celebrate with MyPlate!
This month is the perfect opportunity for
your child and your family to reflect on
your eating habits!
Try to spend time eating breakfast or
dinner as a family, choose WHOLE FOODS,
and make sure you are eating a
healthy/balanced diet!
Page 2 of 5
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Goshen Elementary School
A Quick Blurb From Our Specialists!
Mrs. P (Informational Literacy):
This quarter’s inquiry requires that students analyze media messages and their impact on
young consumers to become critical and effective users of the Internet as a resource for
information. In February, students viewed print and digital advertisements and television
commercials to analyze the content for authors and audience, messages and meaning,
representation and reality. The information they gathered will be used for their writing
project. In March, I will be focusing on analyzing websites for authenticity and reliability. It is
important in today’s world of technology that students learn the importance of analyzing
websites and their information, and can make decisions on their validity and purpose.
Mr. Reynolds (PE): In PE, Fourth grade students will be working on both balance and weight
transfer activities. These activities will include some basic tumbling skills, a tumbling
sequence, and a forward and transverse rotation.
Ms. Holden (Music): Fourth grade will continue to focus on the elements of music to help
guide our discussions about music. We will also continue to focus on notating rhythms from
dictation.
Mrs. Raker (Art): In March, Fourth graders will continue to work on our clay project creating
Storyteller figures of an adult animal or person with at least 2 small children. Students need to
use past skills including pinch, coil, and slap to create a sculpture that will make it through the
kiln without breaking. Next, we will begin an ‘In the Wild’ lesson, using oil pastels to draw
fancy pictures of animals.
Social Studies
 Describe the various cultures of early societies of Maryland
 Analyze how the influx of immigrants led to economic growth or cultural diversity in the
early settlements
 Describe the social, political, and religious components of St. Mary’s City
 Describe unique and diverse cultures of Maryland Native Americans
 Define how cultures influences people
 Analyze the chronology and significance of key historical events leading to early settlement
in Maryland
Science
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Observe and describe seasonal weather conditions
Develop an understanding of the characteristics and scope of technology
Develop an understanding of engineering design
Recognize and describe that each season has different weather conditions
Goshen Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Page 3 of 5
Reading
In school, your child will . . .
MT
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Informational Text
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Language: Vocabulary
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At home, your child can . . .
brainstorm a list of key details to
determine the main idea.
explain how an author uses details to
support a point within informational text.
summarize text by paraphrasing (restating)
main ideas and providing supporting
details.
use background knowledge and new
information from reading to make
inferences.
read various accounts of the same topic
and gather evidence to support the claims
made.
summarize information on a topic by
collaborating with teammates to combine
facts from multiple texts (informational,
articles, digital or multimedia, etc.).
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present important information.
use context clues, resources, and word
roots to figure out the meanings of subjectspecific words.
use subject-specific and rich vocabulary
appropriately in partner, small group, and
whole group discussions.
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read every night (novels, magazine or newspaper
articles, websites, etc.).
explain directions or procedures in their own words
(following a recipe, playing a game, building a model,
moving through levels in a video game, getting from
one place to another, etc.).
compare firsthand and secondhand accounts of
sports or other events. (For example: watch a game,
listen to an athlete’s interview after the game, read
about the game on the internet or in the newspaper.
Talk about how the different sources describe the
game.)
use a variety of sources to find out more about a topic
of interest and talk about what was discovered. (For
example, NASCAR: watch a video clip, read facts
about NASCAR, watch a movie or documentary, listen
to an interview, read articles or books about specific
drivers, etc.)
play word games that practice using descriptive words
to replace overused words (sad: unhappy, blue,
depressed, disappointed, sorrowful, troubled,
gloomy).
o Set a timer; write synonyms for a chosen word.
Cross out words other players also wrote. Score a
point for each unique descriptive word.
o Take turns stating synonyms for a chosen word.
Players lose points or get “strikes” for repeating a
synonym or taking more than 3 seconds.
Goshen Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Page 4 of 5
Mathematics
In school, your child will . . .
Measurement and Data
Number and Operations Fractions
MT
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etc.), to use repeated addition to
show multiplication by a whole number.
Example:
x4= + + + =
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multiply a fraction by a whole number to
solve word problems and explain the
answer.
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relate the intervals on a clock to
fractions of a circle and solve word
problems involving time.
Example:
If a parent-teacher
conference lasts
15 minutes, how
many conferences
can a teacher
conduct in an hour
and a half?
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Geometry
apply knowledge of unit fractions ( ,
At home, your child can . . .
use shapes, geoboards (a wooden board
with pegs) and rubber bands, pattern
blocks, maps, and other materials to
identify, analyze, and create geometric
features (lines, line segments, rays,
angles, perpendicular and parallel
lines).
ask questions to encourage thinking about
solving word problems that involve multiplying
a fraction by a whole number.
Example: In your family there are three
children. Each child read
of an hour. How
many total hours did everyone read?
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ask questions to encourage thinking about
solving word problems that involve fractions
and measurement.
Example: Bus drivers work 4 hours per day.
How long do they work in five days?
compare the net weight or capacity found on
various food product labels, and then convert
from larger units to smaller units.
Example: 1 lbs = 28 oz.
play a version of the game “I Spy” to reinforce
geometric vocabulary. Locate a pair of parallel
lines in a room. Say, “I spy a pair of parallel
lines.”
cut out a magazine picture that is symmetrical.
Cut it along the line of symmetry. Paste one
half of the picture on the paper and draw the
missing half.
Writing
For the end of the marking period, students will be working on a narrative piece.
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Goshen Elementary School
Our fourth graders will be writing a memoir! This memoir will focus on a particular choice that they
had to make, and why that choice was important to them.
Narrative
o Memoir focuses on one specific choice in your life
o Includes specific sensory details
o Includes your thoughts and feelings
o Engages the audience (is exciting)
o Memoir flows naturally from one event to the next
Use of Language
o Uses correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure
o Uses homophones correctly
o Includes transition words
Vocabulary
o Includes at least one simile or metaphor
Katie Techtmann
Lauren Huntt
[email protected]
[email protected]
Alyssa Johnson
[email protected]
Betsy Balicao
[email protected]
Amanda Perera
Ann-Marie Wickson
[email protected]
[email protected]
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