Grade 4

 


 

Grade 4 Space Adventure

 



 

March 2, 2013

Dear Parents of Grade 4 Students:

Here is a summary of what we have covered in Term 2:

Religion:

  • Christ Our LifeChapter 7-12
  • Second Step Social Skills- Empathy and Compassion
  • Season of Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent

 Language Arts:

  • Nelson Guided Independent Reading Program
  • Library Program, introduction to Reading Power: connect, question, visualize and infer
  • Content area reading in Social Studies
  • Weekly spelling and/or Vocabulary program
  • Longer writing projects using the writing process (brainstorming, draft writing, editing and revising with specific criteria)
  • Choral speaking soundtrack for puppet movie
  • Introduction to keyboarding

Math:

  • Multiplication and Division operations and problem solving
  • Using pictures to solve
  • Data Analysis and Graphing
  • Measurement: telling time and linear measurment review
  • Solving problems with more than one possibility
  • Timestable practice

Social Studies:

  • In depth study of the Inuit culture
  • Journalism movie about Inuit and the Arctic on our class green screen
  • Introduction to First Nations of the Pacific Northwest

Science:

  • Animal adaptations (part of Habitats and Communities Unit)
  • Weather:  water cycle,  measuring and forecasting weather,  clouds and extreme weather introduction

Art:  

  • Complete charcoal unit: charcoal techniques for buildings and trees/forests
  • Introduction to computer image editing using iPads (image strategy: transform)
  • Construct puppet character using dough head, fabric, and decorations 

The class continues to work on some interesting projects in term 3. We continue to read data from our in-class weather station,  and work on our puppet movie (choreography and filming).  I look forward to meeting all the parents with their children at the 3 way conferences.


Please don’t hesitate to contact me at pgstocker at gmail.com 

Sincerely, 

Mr. Stocker

 

 


 

In Science we are studying weather:  water cycle, weather forecasting, and clouds.  Here is a really great video on cloud types.  The song is so good I had to put it on our home page.

 


 

 

The Grade Four Goes to the Arctic Movie is now online!  The movie was made entirely in class with our own green screen.  Students researched an aspect of life in the Arctic,  wrote a script, acted, and chose the backgrounds for their movie.   Excellent work, Grade 4!

 


FSA UPDATE:

Students are completing FSA practice tests and preparation for FSA provincial exams which will take place in the month of February.   The FSA has 6 different tests, four of which are written in class.  Two of the tests, Numeracy and Reading, are completed online.   The grade 4 class has worked hard preparing, and all students are comfortable with the in-class and online components.

February 4th we will administer the Reading comprehension FSA, Febrary 8th we will administer the online Numeracy FSA.  We would ask parents  cooperation in having all students present on these days.

The FSA is a well written test that assesses student achievement, and is related to the curriculum in Grade 4 and previous years.  The test components are well written, and it is a good experience for Grade 4 and Grade 7 students.  Our approach has always been that this testing period is a challenge for students and a great learning experience.  As Grade 4 students have never undertaken this kind of provincial test, the staff does it's utmost to challenge and encourage students to try their best.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at school or by email if you have any questions.

Sincerely,  Mr. Stocker


UPDATE:      Quiz on the Inuit:
On Monday the Grade 4 class will have a quiz on the Copper Inuit.   They completed a test study sheet Monday which we are reviewing today.  They will need to know these facts for MONDAY

Puppetry News:
The Grade 4 class have finished making the heads to their puppets, and are getting excited about making and decorating the bodies.  Students need the following fabric to make the basic puppet body:   
  • 2 pieces of fabric minimum 8"X12"  THIS FABRIC CANNOT BE ANY SHADE OF GREEN, as this may interfere with the green-screen special effects. The fabric should not be too light as it needs some strength.  Old or recycled fabric works well.
  • various buttons, fur or other accessories to be glued onto the basic body of the puppet  (the Israelites in our play have leather and fur accessories - I have a nice supply - and the Phillistines have lots of gold accessories.)


Filming Update:  due to sickness the filming is postponed to Friday the 11th.  Students should bring any clothing items for the opening scene (warm clothes) or clothes for the skits themselves.   We will film as much as we can tomorrow.  Please bring in some extra hats and scarves in case some students forget.

Happy New Year!

Dear Parents of Grade 4 students,
 I am very grateful for all the kindness and gifts given to me and my family in December.  Good parents make good children.  I am very pleased with the progress of this group, especially their creative side.
This week we will be filming our Inuit projects, in our class movie:  Grade Four Goes to the Arctic. Watch for the online version this week.
There will be a religion unit 2 test on Thursday.  This will be for the text chapters 5,6,7, and 8.   Students should be studying for this test every night.  We are devoting religion time for test study.


Keyboarding Practice Programs:

Keyboarding is an essential skill for intermediate and high school students.  Students are encouraged to practice at home.
Windows/Mac Typing Tutor - Master Key



If you have a current Macintosh computer, you will find Master Key available in the app store.   Both these programs are excellent, and there are many other good programs out there.


Report Cards Sent Home
Dear Parents,
On Friday, Grade 4 students received Term One Progress Reports.   The first term in Grade 4 is not so much a progress report but a report of how each student is performing at this stage in Grade 4.   On Monday students will do a self-evaluation.   On Tuesday the parent teacher conferences will focus on supporting students between home and school.   I will provide a portfolio of work for parents to look at.
In the downloads section on  left margin of the Grade 4 main page, there is an explanation of Levels of Achievement for Grade 4 students.
Please bring any questions or concerns to the parent teacher conference.
Mr. Stocker

SCIENCE Interactive Quiz:  click on Chapter 9, for a good study quiz on ADAPTATIONS:

PUPPETRY NEWS BULLETIN:
The final script and puppet play has been decided upon.  It is something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT and will be a surprise to parents.
 (The only thing I will say is there is a battle scene,  some famous people, and some line-dancing puppets.)

Puppet PLAY SURVEY


 


Friday October 26 is the 3rd annual "BONE DAY" in Grade 4!  On this day students have hands-on learning experiences with real (animal) bones and X-rays of humans.  Students enjoy science activities, writing, and art.  Stay tuned for a photo gallery and a skeleton display at the Halloween Bash!

 

 

 


A Great Pic of the Grade 4 Class:

 

 

 

 

"Midterm Work Package" Sent Home

 

Dear Parents,  Most of you have already returned a package of work we have been doing so far this year.  Please hand in the package signed if you have not already done so.   Many thanks!


Happy Thanksgiving to All!

 

This past week has been eventful in Grade 4!   Grade four students have enthusiastically taken advantage of some new-for-Grade 4 things such as the Running Club and Cross Country.  Over the course of the year, we will be providing opportunities for more activities such as basketball and track.

 

This week we will be working hard to finish up the first part of our Habitats and Communities unit where we look closely at our own population of stick-bugs as well as our new pet "Ginger", an Australian Spiny Leaf Bug.   There will be a quiz early next week on insects and some of the ecology terms we have been using.   Students will have a study guide with detailed information well in advance.

As a way of review insect body parts and adaptations, we will be viewing the following video on Tuesday:

 



 

 

This is another really terrific video showing spider and insect parts -close, real close!


 

 

Welcome to Grade 4!

 

September 1, 2012

 

Dear Parents of Grade Four Students,

 

Welcome back to OLS School!  It is my pleasure to teach your children this year.   The staff has got off to a flying start with lots of exciting changes coming!  Here is a package of information about the Grade 4 year.  

Learning to Fly:

Grade Four is a year full of exciting challenges and new experiences.   My hope and prayer is that at the end of the year all of us will look back on this grade year and see students who are stronger in their skills, more independent in their work habits, and demonstrate understanding and compassion for others.

Teachers:

In addition to Mr. Stocker,  students have Mr. Aggire for music, Mr. Mcloskey for PE,  Mrs. Bond for Library (research and reading skills), and Mrs. Sullivan for Resource.  (Mrs. Sullivan works with Mr. Stocker with smaller groups for Reading and Math.)  Both Mr. Tesans, and Ms. Pizzolato assist in the Grade 4 class

Home Reading:

 Encourage your son or daughter to read books of his or her own choice on a daily basis. This time should be minimum 15 minutes, hopefully more.  I will send home some indications if your son/daughter could spend some time reading aloud.

Spelling

Spelling and vocabulary activities and tests are on-going throughout the year.  Students are encouraged to study their words every week. Spelling or vocabulary tests are on Thursday or sometimes Friday.  All students have a complete set of spelling wordlists given weekly.  This can be found in the yellow Morning Exercises duotang.

 

Homework and Agendas:

All students should have agendas signed by their teacher and a parent every day. I expect students to be very responsible with their agendas.

Students failing to finish homework will have to stay in the school during outside breaks.

Letter Grades and Assessment:

Grade Four is the beginning of report cards with letter grades.  The subjects with letter grades are Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. and Religion.  Letter grades are useful insofar as they are a symbol representing the standing of the child in relation to a standard which is set by the teacher, the school, and the Ministry of Education. Marks are determined by a wide variety of assessments. I will always give sufficient time for test study, and criteria sheets for projects.  Please contact me if you have any questions about letter grades or any other item.

Health Concerns:

Just a reminder that this is a nut free school.   There are several students that can have severe even deadly reactions to small amounts of nuts.  Please no nuts and no nutella.

Uniforms:

Please ensure your child’s uniform is labeled with his or her name.  The front of the student agenda has the uniform policy. 

Web Site(s):

The OLS web site continues to grow as teachers continue to post, blog, and upload.  In Grade 4 you will find extensive links to curriculum, videos, and worksheet downloads on the various pages.   

Computer Training in Grade 4

The Grade 4 class is full of the latest technology, integrating smart board technology with Airplay, iPads, and laptops for student use.  My goal is t o train the class in the basics of using this technology so they can be Tech leaders in the future.

Contact Information:

I can be contacted by email.   I will send this information home with your child.   I find communication by email is extremely efficient for most concerns or questions.   I will provide an email sign-up sheet at the parent teacher night.   

Once again, thanks for all your support.

 

Sincerely,   Mr. P.  Stocker