Clarksburg Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Engaged Learners
Future Leaders
August 31, 2015
Volume 1, Issue 1
Welcome Back
Dates to Remember:

September 7th, Labor Day, no school

September 14th, no school


September 15 at 7 PM, Back to School Night
September 23rd, no school
Reminders:
Clarksburg Elementary

Please check your child’s green communication folder daily for homework, notices and other
important communications.

Please correct, sign, and return the emergency information sheet for your child.

Thank you for sending in $2.75 to cover the cost of the assignment notebook if you
and your child choose to use one. We highly recommend the use of an assignment
book as an organizational tool.
Email Addresses
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
This will be an exciting and fun-filled year. We will be sending home reading and math
newsletters twice a quarter that have been generated by the county. These newsletters are also
be available on the CES website. The newsletters will give you the Measurement Topics (MT) for
each of these subjects. They will also give you the Thinking and Academic Success Skills (TASS)
that will be the focus for all subject areas during the quarter.
On the following pages is an overview of the instructional areas of study for the areas of writing,
science and social studies that will be covered this month.
Writing
Writing: Opinion
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by composing, over shorter and extended time frames, opinion texts with evidence of:

An introduction that elaborates on an opinion statement.

An organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the opinion.

Reasons supported by researched facts and details.

Linking opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).

A concluding statement or section related to the opinion.
Writing: Process, Production, and Research
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:

Developing clear, coherent, and organized writing appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

Planning, revising, and editing based on feedback from adults and peers.

Using a variety of technology while interacting and collaborating with others to produce or publish writing.

Conducting short research investigations of different aspects to build knowledge or a topic.

Recalling or gathering relevant information from print and digital sources.

Recording relevant notes, categorizing information, and citing sources.

Drawing evidence from literary and informative texts for analysis, reflection, or research.
Writing: Use of Language
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:

Creating audio recordings and visual displays to enhance main ideas or themes.

Choosing words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.

Demonstrating command of grade-level grammar, usage, spelling, and capitalization.
Integrating reading and writing, the students will choose one of the characters from an historical
fiction text read in class and write an opinion piece. The piece will explain how the character
they have chosen had the greatest impact on the outcome of the story. They will support their
opinions using evidence from the test. At the end of the month, they will begin their first quarter
inquiry project by researching and writing a piece about an historical time period.
Social Studies
Geography
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:

using geographic concepts and processes to examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and distribution of human activities in the United States today, in Pre-Columbian
America, and during the European colonization of America.
The students will describe and locate the natural/physical and human-made features of Maryland and the United States today. They will analyze the information to determine how these
features impact settlement patterns. They will begin a timeline of history to which they will
add throughout the year. Then they will examine how the eastern woodland tribes adapted to
the environment of Maryland and how their cultures were derived from the environment.
Science
Life Sciences
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:

Understanding Explanations- Explaining interactions and relationships among living things, including
humans and the natural environment. Applying these concepts to real-world situations.

Generating Evidence- Analyzing and interpreting data as evidence that supports claims related to interactions and relationships between living things, including humans and the natural environment.

Reflecting on Knowledge- Using and interpreting scientific and technological knowledge to formulate
generalizations about interactions and relationships between living things, including humans and the
natural environment.

Participating Productively- Questioning the validity of evidence related to interactions and relationships between living things, including humans and the natural environment.
The students will compare the features of plants and animals to describe how classifications
systems show relationships among organisms. They will also investigate classifications of living things as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
FO U R T H G R A D E NE WS LE T T E R
PAGE 4
Birthdays
V O LU M E 1 , I S S U E 1
Required Reading
While we know how exciting
birthdays are for your child, we
do not want to impact the instructional day. Clarksburg has
established a birthday celebration policy. Students may pass
out wrapped store bought
snacks to their
classmate at the
end of the school
day.
All fourth graders are required to
read 25 books during the school
year. The students may read a
variety of books. They must
complete a written report for
each book
they read
towards
the 25
book goal.
Help Wanted
We are in need of clear (not green) two liter bottles for
our science eco-columns. The bottles must be the shape as
shown in the picture. The Coke brand bottles will not work.
The bottles must be rinsed with water only, no soap. Please
remove the label. Bottles may be sent in to school with
your child.
How can I help my child?

Encourage reading at home

Ask questions about books your child is reading

Ask a variety of types of questions

Encourage writing response to text
Dear Parents,
In order to continue our green efforts, we are asking if
you would like to receive the monthly fourth grade
newsletters and notices in hard copy or electronic form.
Electronic form is in keeping with our Green School
status and is more cost effective as well.
Students name:_____________________________________
I/we would like to receive newsletters and notices by
email. Please send them to this email address:
____________________________________________________
I/we would like to receive newsletters and notices in
hard copy form.