4th Grade Flyer
December 2015
LITERACY
In December students will
continue to deepen their
understanding of European
exploration. Students will analyze
cause and effect text structure to
understand the concepts and ideas
associated with the Columbian
Exchange. They will identify
evidence to support a claim about
Columbus’ contributions. Students
will read and collect information
about exploration across multiple
texts and generate inquiry questions
during collaborative discussions.
These inquiry questions will serve
as the purpose for reading as
students engage with social studies
informational text.
MATH
SCIENCE
Students will extend their
understandings about the operation
of division and the relationship
between multiplication and division
developed in Grade 3. They will
find whole number quotients using
4-digit dividends and 1-digit
divisors. Students will use the terms
dividend, divisor, quotient, and
remainder. Remainders will be
interpreted based on the contexts of
these problems. Also, students will
use place value strategies and the
properties of operations to estimate
and calculate quotients.
The next few weeks focus
specifically on human events that
both negatively and positively
impact the environment. Students
will identify and describe ways
individuals and groups assess the
influence of human technologies on
the environment. They will construct
and conduct their own
investigations to observe,
conclude, and infer the effects of
pollution on the environment. This
research will culminate in an
investigation into how natural or
human-made factors can disrupt a
stable environment.
SOCIAL STUDIES
GO FOR THE GOLD!
WRITING
Throughout the next few weeks,
students will research and write a
community profile and business
analysis. This research will include
information on location, population,
and available land use for their
given community. Natural and
capital resources, unique
characteristics, and local
businesses will also be used as a
basis for their analysis.
Our continuing focus in social
studies is to identify opportunity
costs of decisions made by
individuals, businesses, and
government. As part of the Maryland
Economics Inquiry project, students
will assess the present state of their
community and propose a
specialized business to fulfill a
community want. Students will
explore a variety of media, to gather
and record information about
destinations, goals, and actions of
explorers during the age of
European exploration.
Our reading incentive program,
“Go for the Gold”, is in full swing.
The program will end on March 14,
2016. Please remind your child to
bring in the yellow calendar forms
on each due date.
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Sincerely,
The Fourth Grade Team