Clarksburg Elementary School
Fourth Grade Newsletter
Engaged Learners
Future Leaders
Volume 1 Issue 2
November 2015
Email Addresses
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
November
Dates to
Remember:

Math Family Fun
Night, Nov. 5th, 6:30
PM

Early Release,
Parent Conferences
Nov. 11th and 12th

Report Cards
distributed, Nov.
12th

Make-up Pictures,
Nov. 23rd

Early release, Nov.
25th

Thanksgiving Holiday, Nov. 26th and
27th
Many Thanks
Thanks to all of you
who supported our
popcorn fundraiser.
We raised over $900
to defray the cost of
our field trips this
year.
Clarksburg Elementary
Here is an overview of some of the instructional areas of study for this
month. We are attaching the reading and math newsletters that have
been generated by the county. These newsletters are also available on
the CES website. The newsletters will give you the Measurement Topics
(MT) for each of these subjects. It 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: Narrative
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by
composing, over shorter and extended time frames, narrative texts with evidence of:
A well established situation that introduces a narrator and/or characters.
An organized event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Dialogue, descriptions and details to develop experiences, events, or show the
characters response to situations.
Transitional words and phrases to sequence events.
Concrete words, phrases, and sensory details to precisely communicate experiences.
A concluding section that results from the experiences and events.
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.
Differentiating between listening and speaking contexts that call for recounting
experiences, reporting on topics or telling stories in an organized manner using
appropriate facts or details.
The students will write a character analysis based on a character from a play. Then they will begin
researching information about Clarksburg to use when they write their business proposals later on
in the quarter.
While you are here for conferences next week, please check out printouts of the students’ PowerPoint presentations. They researched a time period. Then they wrote their own historical fiction
pieces and published them in PowerPoint presentations.
Social Studies
Economics
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:
using economic reasoning to understand the historical development and current
status of economic principles, institutions, and processes during the age of
exploration and used in Maryland today.
The students will begin with a mini-unit on advertising and advertising strategies. Then they will
begin a unit on economics. They will focus on regional specialization and the interdependence of
people. They will also look at decision making in regards to production and consumption of
goods. This will tie in with reasons for European exploration as well as our business proposal
inquiry project.
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.
Engineering and Technology
Students demonstrate proficiency of Grade 4 standards for this measurement topic by:
Understanding Explanations- Understanding the characteristics, scope, and
impact of technology. Explaining relationships among technology, humans, and
the natural environment. Understanding the engineering design process and its
application to real-world situations.
Generating Evidence- Deciding what evidence is needed to investigate a
scientific question or address a technological problem. Applying the engineering
design process to address a technological problem.
Reflecting on Knowledge- Using and interpreting scientific and technological
knowledge to revise thinking based on new evidence or ideas about products or
systems.
Participating Productively- Representing information and ideas clearly and
convincingly based on scientific evidence and technological concepts or designs.
The students will describe various habitats and identify factors that affect an organisms ability
to survive. Then they will investigate how human activity impacts a habitat in a positive or
negative way.