Important News:
-District 181 is implementing Erin's Law (House Bill 6193) this spring. This law requires all Illinois public schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for all students in grades Pre-K through 12. Mrs. Finnegan will be coming into both fourth grade classroom to discuss this on Thursday, May 21st.
Reading- Our content area social studies unit continues as we strategically read to answer our essential question: How do people change the environment and how does the environment influence people? Students read about the creation of the Erie Canal and how hazardous indian trails and rapids created a need for an easier way to travel and transport goods from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean. With the building of the canal, the environment was changed. Towns and communities developed along the canal and peoples' lives were improved. Students will continue to read this week about the transcontinental railroad with a focus on the influences of science and technology. Look for a final project to be coming home this week.
Writing-This week students finished up their poetry books and wrote an On-Demand Feature Article. We will be assessing these and sending them home soon. The students completed these completely independently and in one sitting. We are so impressed with how far they have come as writers. Next week we begin our final writing piece in 4th grade - an editorial. In this piece students will be expressing their opinion about a topic of interest to them. They will have to create a thesis statement and think of what the opposing opinion might be and how to have a counter argument. These are always fun to read!
Math- Students worked on finding equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals this week. They also completed the 2 final units of the math PARCC test - yeah! We will be finishing this last unit soon. Test date to be announced.
Social studies- Students jigsawed the Midwest region this week and began working in a group on a poster illustrating the different features that compose it.
Science- Students began the Mystery Powders unit this week. We started by becoming familiar with our safety rules for this unit and getting our protective eye wear ready. Then we took at look at the 5 mystery powders. Do they smell? What do they feel like? Do they smear? Next week, we'll see whether they react to vinegar or iodine?
*If you have not signed your child's permission slip for our upcoming field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry, please do so as soon as possible.
Upcoming Dates:
- Live Online Poetry Reading: 4H Wednesday at 9:45; 4I Thursday at 9:10
- Erin's Law presentations on Thursday, May 21st
- No School Monday, May 25th
- Thursday, May 28th- Field Trip: Science & Industry Museum
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