Hello to all of our 4H families! This past month has gone so very fast! We have been filling our days with good books, new math lessons, a change in our social studies and science focus, and making plans for an exciting new month ahead with special events for our 4th graders! We have ended our Forward Exam - with just a handful of make-up sessions left to do. Our fourth graders handled it all very well, and hopefully put forth their best effort. I do not know exactly when you will receive results, but I will be sure to let you know as soon as I learn anything.
We have all discovered some new books to share with partners as we dove head first into our "Social Issues Book Clubs" the last few weeks. This has been a fun experience as our kids are reading books that are surprising them - they are enjoying stories and characters they might not otherwise have discovered on their own. We are talking together daily about the struggles and challenges their characters are facing, and comprehension skills are getting a renewed 'workout'. Our students are helping each other identify more than one lesson and message in each book as they analyze their stories together. I love overhearing some deep thinking comments coming from their club meetings. We are beginning to write out our impressions and ideas from both short and long stories, as we evolve into writing some literary essays in the process.
In Math class, we are coming to the end of Unit 10, practicing patterns and symmetry along with some new work with integers - adding positive and negative numbers. This is requiring our students to dig in and build persistence in their learning as they try to understand what can be a confusing concept at first. We are going to keep practicing for some extra days, and our final unit test will take place during the middle of next week.
We have all been having fun watching the rapid daily progress of sprouting seeds in Science! In Social Studies, we have left our Wisconsin textbook to roam farther away from home. We are traveling through several regions of our beautiful United States to compare the geography, climate, people, and notable sights and landmarks (Midwest, West, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast Regions). We have already begun a mental list of places that our kids wish we could all take trips to see (warning to parents!! :) ).
One special event that takes place in May every year for our 4th graders is the 4th Grade Track Meet at the Middleton High School Track and Field. On May 10th, you are most welcome to stop by and try to catch your son or daughter run a race or compete in a field event. The approximate schedule of events is on the back of the permission slip that you kept after sending in the bottom part with your signature. Speaking of signatures --- your 4th grader will be bringing home a contract that outlines the expectations for respectful, responsible behavior on this busy day at the MHS Track. It is a day with less structure than a usual day in school, along with increased responsibility on the part of our students to be on time for events, and as a part of a crowd of several hundred other 4th graders. This contract should be read together, signed by both you and your child, and returned to school as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your support and encouragement here.
The month of May also includes a morning tour of Glacier Creek on May 13th, another half day with naturalists and guides at Pope Farm Park on May 24th, and a couple of special presentations and assemblies. I will email you details of these events as we come closer to each one, and you may look for more permission slips to sign! Our special trip to Cave of the Mounds will be on June 7th.
With the last weeks of elementary school for your child approaching, it is an exciting time of year. It is going by very quickly, and we are trying to savor and enjoy and learn all we can yet fit into our days together. Thank you for your encouragement at home to keep up your child's motivation to stay focused on good work and self control. This gets to be more of a challenge as we spend our last month together before big changes ahead! :)Melanie Hannam
