Fourth Grade Newsletter
December 1, 2015
Volume 5, Issue 4
Goshen Elementary School
8701 Warfield Road Gaithersburg, MD 20882
Phone: (301) 840-8165 * Fax (301) 840-8167
Announcements and Reminders
Upcoming Events
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December 1st :
PTA Meeting @ 7pm
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December 11th:
PTA Winter Carnival @ 6pm
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December 15th :
Chorus Concert @ 7pm
 December 16 :
Yearbook/Club Pictures
th
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December 23rd :
Fourth Grade Read-In
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December 23rd :
December Book-It Calendar and
Tic-Tac-Toe due
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December 24th –January 3rd
Winter Break!
 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
(Monday-Thursday). This will include reading a “just
right” book for 20-30 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-to-date. 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! 
SAVE THE DATE - Fourth Grade Read-In!
Who: Our Fabulous Fourth Graders and Parents!
What: Cozy Up and Read!
When: Wednesday, December 23rd
Where: Goshen Elementary
*Be on the lookout for more information coming to you soon!*
Page 2 of 4
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Goshen Elementary School
A Quick Blurb From Our Specialists!
Mrs. P (Computer Lab): In collaboration with writing, students are provided opportunities to gather facts, details, and
information about the community of Montgomery Village, MD. These facts will assist them in developing a business
analysis and proposal of businesses the community of Montgomery Village could benefit from.
They will synthesize information to create a proposal stating their opinion about which specialized business
would best support the Montgomery Village community and why.
They will develop a universally designed for learning multimedia product which advocates for the business of their
choice and present facts and reasons to support their opinion about which type of business would benefit the
community of Montgomery Village.
Mr. Reynolds (PE): In Physical Education, fourth grade students will continue to work on throwing and catching. They
will also learn how to set challenging but attainable physical goals.
Ms. Holden (Music): Students will continue to work on tempo (the speed of music) and dynamics (how loud or soft the
music is). We will also work on distinguishing the difference between major and minor. Students will be creating their
own arrangements by choosing instruments to play a given ostinato.
Mrs. Raker (Art): In December, Fourth graders will focus on the visual art process. After completing our clay sculptures
from last month, we will make observational drawings of our shoes! We will focus on the shape and small detail that
makes each shoe unique. We will be drawing with pencil, then trace with pen for a ‘pen and ink’ look.
Ms. Newman (Weir-Art)- This time of year has students in Mrs. Weir’s and Mrs. Robeson’s classes moving into painting
lessons. We learn how to handle a brush by meeting Buddy Brush. We learn to apply tempera paints generously, which
means we anticipate how much to mix. We learn about the Primary and Secondary colors. Our paint sets include
primary colors plus black, white, and orange. These colors enable us to mix all the colors we may need. We talk about
using the right size brush,; Mama Brush, Papa Brush, and Baby Brush. Students will learn how to care for their painting
equipment, which includes individual plastic mixing trays affectionately known as Paula Palette.
Social Studies
 Analyze the chronology and significance of key historical events during the age of European
exploration
o Describe the origin, destination, and goals of the North American explorers
o Evaluate the results of the interactions between European explorers and native peoples
 Analyze the chronology and significance of key historical events leading to early settlements in
colonial America
Analyze how key historical events impacted Native American societies
Science
 Recognize and describe that people in Maryland depend on, change, and are affected by the
environment
 Recognize and explain that decisions influencing the use of natural resources may have benefits,
drawbacks, unexpected consequences, and tradeoffs
 Develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment
 Develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention,
and experimentation in problem solving
Reading
Informational Text
MT
In school, your child will . . .
 use background knowledge and what was
learned from reading to make inferences.
 brainstorm a list of key details to determine a
main idea.
 summarize text by paraphrasing (restating) the
main idea and providing supporting details.
 describe the cause and effect relationship
between events, ideas, concepts, or
information.
 generate inquiry questions about exploration
and explorers.
 collect information across multiple texts
(informational, articles, digital or multimedia,
etc.).
 listen to various accounts of exploration, and
gather evidence to determine the impact of
events.
 add and combine ideas from a variety of
sources to explain how human activities affect
the environment.
Language: Vocabulary
 use subject-specific and rich vocabulary in
discussions.
At home, your child can . . .
 read every night (magazines, newspapers, factual books,
etc.).
 respond to questions about the text orally or in writing.
Possible questions:
o Describe a cause and effect relationship found in the
text. How did it affect the text?
o Summarize the main idea of this section of the text.
What key details helped you support your response?
o What questions would you ask the author to gain more
meaning?
o What new learning did you gain from this reading or
procedure?
 set goals and make a plan to follow through. Discuss ways
to resolve obstacles that arise.
 visit a museum or art gallery and use subject-specific
vocabulary to describe what is seen and heard.
 practice summarizing movies, TV shows, books, comics,
articles, etc.
 practice using synonyms and antonyms to identify word
meaning.
 replace overused words with more descriptive vocabulary
in conversation (e.g. said: shared, elaborated, stated,
screamed, yelled, shouted).
 use these websites to support learning:
 determine word meaning relevant to
academic concepts.
o online dictionary, thesaurus http://www.merriamwebster.com
 use digital resources to find meanings and
correct pronunciation of unfamiliar words.
 brainstorm rich vocabulary to replace
overused terms.
 study antonyms (opposites) and synonyms
(similar words) to determine deeper meanings
of words..
o translation resources
http://oxfordlanguagedictionaries.com
o play word games
http://abcya.com/synonyms_antonyms.htm
Goshen Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Page 3 of 4
Mathematics
In school, your child will . . .
Number and Operations
in Base Ten
MT
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Array
Area
Model
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Glossary
Operations
and
Algebraic
Thinking
Measurement and Data
divide whole numbers using knowledge of
place value, arrays, and area models.
At home, your child can . . .
solve multi-step word problems involving
distance, time, mass, and money. Example:
A school day begins at 8:50 a.m. and ends
at 3:05 p.m. How long is the day?
solve multi-step area and perimeter word
problems that involve variables. Example:
Use what you know about perimeter to
determine the area of this park.


practice multiplication and division facts from 0 –
10.
share strategies for solving a division problem
and practice. Explain the difference between the
strategies.
use manipulatives such as buttons, coins, blocks
to model and solve division problems. Discuss
what the remainder means.
create and solve real life word problems
involving work schedules, recipes, distance
traveled, or money spent. Example: How
many hours were you awake today? How
much did dinner cost?
practice using formulas to find area and
perimeter of rectangles around the home (tables,
stove, refrigerator, bed, etc). Explain why the
answer is correct and reasonable.
explain the meaning of a remainder
while collaboratively solving division
word problems.
divisor: a number by which another number is to be divided.
variable: a symbol (often a letter) used to represent an unknown amount.
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Page 5 of 5
Goshen Elementary School
Page 4 of 4
Goshen Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Writing
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic a convey ideas and information clearly
 Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections (week 4)
 Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other examples
(weeks 5, 6)
 Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e,g, another, for
example…) (week 4)
 Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to information about or explain the topic
(week 5)
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation (week 6)
Write opinion pieces on topics/texts, supporting point of view with reasons & information (7,8,9)
 Introduce a topic clearly, state opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related
ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose (week 7)
 Provide reasons that are supported by facts or details (week 7)
 Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (for instance, in order to, in addition) (week 8)
 Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented (week 9)
Fourth Grade Teachers’
Email Addresses:
Fourth Grade Teachers’
Email Addresses:
Lauren Huntt
[email protected]
Alyssa Johnson
[email protected]
Please continue to work with your
child at home on:
1. Putting forth their best effort
2. Staying motivated
3. Persevering
Amanda Perera
[email protected]
Katie Techtmann
[email protected]
Betsy Balicao
[email protected]
g
Ann-Marie Wickson
[email protected]
The fourth grade teachers also want to thank you for your
continued support. We wish you and your family a joyful
holiday season and a Happy New Year!