Fourth Grade IS Maracujá!

We Are Passionate Fourth Graders!

Hey Fourth Grade, this past Friday, you truly demonstrated what it takes to be passionate! The whole Graded community is proud of your Maracujá learning journey. Whether it was cooking, sport, art, writing, community service, science, performing, building, film-making or coding, each one of you embraced a growth mindset and pushed your thinking further to take risks, practice and improve your skills, inspire others, and most all, grow as a person.

We encourage you to continue developing your interests, so that they ignite a passion within you to learn...

Maracujá Equals a Growth Mindset

Make Your Thinking Visible...

I wonder, what does Maracujá NOW mean to you? What lessons have you learned about yourself throughout the Maracujá process? What makes you say that? Share your thinking in the comment box below!

Anika's "I used to think Maracujá was..., but now I think Maracujá is..."

We Appreciate YOU!

Fourth Grade is thankful for the wonderful parent volunteers who dedicated their time to help us in our journey. Thank you Andrea, Isabel, Tatiana, Sophie and Kristen for your support and guidance, you are truly appreciated!

Olivia shares her Maracujá process with Kristen

You ARE Maracujá!

Ms. Macden IS Maracujá! Thank you for sharing your passion and inspiring us to be confident, open-minded, creative, communicators and risk-takers so that our passions become reality! We will miss you!

Coming Full Circle...

Fourth Grade, remember the skills you have learned throughout the Maracujá process and apply them in everything that you do! Have a fabulous vacation and continue to grow in your learning as you enter Fifth Grade. Parabéns!

For more Maracujá photos, please visit our Fourth Grade Flickr account:

• Username: Gr2024@yahoo.com
• Password: Eagles123

Important Dates and Special Events

• End of the Year Assembly - Monday, June 6th
• Field Day - Monday, June 6th and Tuesday, June 7th
• LS Talent Show - Thursday, June 9th
• Last Day for Students (Half-Day) - Thursday, June 9th

Get Ready for Maracujá!

Curriculum Corner

Hey Fourth Grade, are you ready for Maracujá?! In just ONE WEEK our Maracujá showcase will be here. Friday, June 3rd, the Learning Expo will take place in the Black Box Theater starting at 8:20-9:20. 

Parents, please be on the look out for your personal invitation to your child's specific Maracujá presentation time!

We look forward to learning more about your Maracujá and how it has pushed you to...

• Take risks
• Practice and improve
• Inspire others, and most of all...
• Grow as a person

Students, this week, you should be putting the final touches on your documentation panel. As you prepare for the learning expo, what do you now think about the Maracujá process? In what ways has your thinking grown and changed?

Maracujá Equals a Growth Mindset

Important Dates and Special Events

• Assembly D (Ms. Gehrels) - Thursday, June 2nd
• Maracujá - Friday, June 3rd (Learning Expo in the Black Box Theater at 8:20-9:20)
• End of the Year Assembly - Monday, June 6th
• Last Day for Students - Thursday, June 9th

Save the Date! Maracujá is Right Around the Corner!

Curriculum Corner

Hey Fourth Grade, save the date! Our Maracujá showcase will be Friday, June 3rd. The Learning Expo will take place in the Black Box Theater starting at 8:20. 

Students, continue to work on your documentation panel that displays your Maracujá learning process. Remember to include the following guiding questions on your document panel:

ALSO, be sure to pick an additional TWO guiding questions to include on your document panel as well:

We look forward to learning more about your Maracujá and how it has pushed you to...

• Take risks
• Practice and improve
• Inspire others, and most of all...
• Grow as a person

Literacy

In writing, students continue to write literary essays. The literary essay is a form of opinion writing. Students are working on citing evidence in their reading that supports their thesis. Using quotes from the text is one way of supporting a thesis in a literary essay.

Math

Students are learning more about the world of fractions, decimals, and percents! Students will learn how to convert easy fractions to decimals and percents. They will also learn how to order and compare percents. In addition, please review our 4th Grade Resource Page for great videos and games to help reinforce what students are learning in class. Students, continue to sharpen your math skills by playing the following math games.

Units of Study

We have wrapped our last science unit, Sun, Moon and Stars! This week, we will be begin our last unit in social studies about government and having a voice in our community. Students will explore the basic principles and concepts of government through our Social Studies Alive program, involving readings and discussions in the classroom.

Important Dates and Special Events

• LS After School Activities End - Tuesday, May 24th
• Corpus Christi Holiday - Thursday, May 26th
• Assembly D (Ms. Gehrels) - Thursday, June 2nd
• Maracujá - Friday, June 3rd (Learning Expo in the Black Box Theater at 8:20-9:20)
• End of the Year Assembly - Monday, June 6th
• Last Day for Students - Thursday, June 9th

Fourth Grade Blasts into the Cosmos!

Curriculum Corner

Hey Fourth Grade, what curious scientists you all have become! Contemplating the mysteries of our universe is not an easy task; but persevere and take risks to push your thinking further, and then you too will be able to unravel the secrets of the cosmos...

Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist and host of the National Geographic's science documentary, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Our understanding of our universe has most definitely grown and expanded, and has been pushed further after learning more about the mysteries of space. 

Read more about Neil deGrasse Tyson's inspiring journey into science that all started when he first met American astrophysicist and astronomer, Carl Sagan.

Literacy

In writing, students are reading mystery books and working towards responding to the text in a literary essay. Students have chosen a thesis statement outlining the big idea and rea finding strong evidence to support that thesis. 

Math

Students are continuing to apply their understanding of area and perimeter through real life situations. They are also continuing to practice adding and subtracting fractions, as well as using spinners to predict the probability of an event. Classroom teachers will notify parents and students regarding the upcoming Unit 8 test. Also, please review our 4th Grade Resource Page for great videos and games to help reinforce what students are learning in class. Students, continue to sharpen your math skills by playing the following math games.

Units of Study

Students are wrapping up their learning about the Sun, Moon and Stars. Students are spending some time viewing and discussing various space themed video series to deepen and grow their understandings about space and our place in the solar system. Students will finish up the unit with a test to make connections to their learning towards the end of the week. Be prepared and review the following resources, in addition to our notes:

• Moon Phases - BrainPop Jr., BrainPop, Bill Nye and Moon Phases Calendar 
• Chris Hadfield's YouTube Channel
• Outer Space 
• Space Exploration

Important Dates and Special Events

• Festa Junina - Saturday, May 14th
• Assembly C (Ms. Macden) - Thursday, May 19th
• MAP Tests End - Friday, May 20th
• LS After School Activities End - Tuesday, May 24th
• Corpus Christi Holiday - Thursday, May 26th

Fourth Grade: A Growing Community of Responsible Learners...

Curriculum Corner

Hey Fourth Grade, as we approach the end of the school year, it's even more important that we work together in order to become responsible learners. 

Core Values

Parents, ask your child what actions he or she has taken to demonstrate the Graded Core Values. In what ways can your child connect the core values to his or her actions in class, at lunch, during recess, or at home? In what ways are the core values helping your child grow in responsibility?

Respect Ourselves, Respect Others, Respect our Environment

Students, remember, you have the power to choose to grow in your learning. Every day you are faced with choices, and each choice you make has a different outcome - good or bad. 

When we make personal or group choices, our actions have the POWER to bring ourselves and others UP, or just as equally, DOWN. Students, take the time to think about your actions and discuss the following questions with your parents:

1. In what ways have you influenced others in positive ways?
2. In what ways have your actions impacted your learning?
3. In what ways have your actions impacted the learning of others, and/or our learning environment (homeroom and specialist classrooms)?

Together, we can make a difference in other people's lives.

Literacy

In writing, we are looking at responding to literature using our opinions and supporting our opinions with evidence from our mystery books. In reading, students are continuing to work in mystery book clubs to deeply analyse text for clues. Parents, you can support your child’s reading these next few weeks by reading a mystery together at home. Ask your teacher for some good recommendations.

Math

We have begun our next unit, Unit 8: Perimeter and Area. Students will extend their understanding of geometry by developing and applying formulas for area and perimeter. Also, please review our 4th Grade Resource Page for great videos and games to help reinforce what students are learning in class. Students, continue to sharpen your math skills by playing the following math games.

Units of Study

Students are continuing their study of the Sun, Moon, and Stars this week. They are making observations of the phases of the moon at home and writing their notes and observations in their logs. Students are also studying the constellations of the stars and some of the mythologies behind them. Students are also watching various videos and doing some independent research on space exploration. Students can also review the phases of the moon by re-watching the different BrainPop Jr., BrainPop and Bill Nye moon videos. In addition, the Moon Phases Calendar is an easy way to find out the lunar phase for any given month, as well as in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Finally, check out Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield's YouTube Channel, as well as these other videos about outer space and space exploration!

Important Dates and Special Events

• MAP Tests Begin - Monday, May 9th
• Professional Half-Day - Thursday, May 12th
• Festa Junina - Saturday, May 14th
• Assembly C (Ms. Macden) - Thursday, May 19th
• LS After School Activities End - Tuesday, May 24th
• Corpus Christi Holiday - Thursday, May 26th

Fourth Grade Celebrates the Writing Process!

Curriculum Corner

Oi Grade 4! What an amazing week this has been for writing! 

Congratulations to our fourth grade Vivas Palavras 2016 Winners - Ana Lucia Bowles, Lucia Sanchez, Julia Soret, Izabelle Smith, Maria Paula Corona, Ana Catherine Guimarães, Bia Borges and Francisco Fernandes. Your dedication and innovation are proof in the wonderful works you have created!

Also, another congratulations is in order to ALL FOURTH GRADERS for their amazing commitment to the writing process. Such tremendous growth took place during the collecting, planning, drafting, revising and editing of their trade and economy books. 

Parents, we thank you for celebrating with your child during our Writer's Celebration. Please continue the celebrations at home! Below are some questions to help guide your conversations about the writing process:

• What is the writing process?
• In what ways did you grow throughout the writing process?
• What did you find challenging about the writing process? In what ways did you persevere?
• If you were to do this again, what would you do differently? What makes you say that?
• In what ways did you demonstrate the Graded Core Values?

Literacy

Did you hear the news? Our Maracujá dragon went missing last week!  There are several suspects who were last seen with the dragon. Students are looking for clues and analysing alibis in order to find the culprit. We are learning to be detectives in real life, as well as in reading. Students are learning to read the genre mystery like detectives: this means reading closely and paying attention to details. We are working in book clubs to deeply analyse text for clues.  Our goal is to solve the crime before the detective does in the book. Parents, you can support your child’s reading these next few weeks by reading a mystery together at home. Ask your teacher for some good recommendations.

Math

This coming week, students will take the post-test for Unit 7: Fractions and Their Uses, Chances and Probability, on Tuesday, May 3rd.  We will then begin our next unit, Unit 8: Perimeter and Area. In this next unit, students will extend their understanding of geometry by developing and applying formulas for area and perimeter. Parents, support your child by having them find the actual area and perimeter of rooms at home, drawing a scale model of their “dream” bedroom, or discussing how you use area and perimeter in your daily life. Also, please review our 4th Grade Resource Page for great videos and games to help reinforce what students are learning in class. Students, continue to sharpen your math skills by playing the following math games.

Units of Study

Students are continuing their study of the Sun, Moon, and Stars this week. They are making observations of the phases of the moon at home and writing their notes and observations in their logs. Students will also continue to explore our solar system, planets and stars seen from our planet and hemisphere. Parents, support your child’s learning, by having them explain to you the different phases of the moon and share with you their observations and thoughts as they view the moon and stars at night. Students can also review the phases of the moon by re-watching the different BrainPop Jr., BrainPop and Bill Nye moon videos. In addition, the Moon Phases Calendar is an easy way to find out the lunar phase for any given month, as well as in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Finally, check out these other videos about outer space and space exploration!

Important Dates and Special Events

• Unit 7 Math Post-Test - Tuesday, May 3rd
• Assembly B (Ms. Arcenas) - Thursday, May 5th
• MAP Tests Begin - Thursday, May 9th
• Professional Half-Day - Thursday, May 12th
• Festa Junina - Saturday, May 14th
• Assembly C (Ms. Macden) - Thursday, May 19th
• LS After School Activities End - Tuesday, May 24th
• Corpus Christi Holiday - Thursday, May 26th

Celebrate the Arts at Graded!

Dear parents, students, and families, 

Please join us for a social as we celebrate the Arts at Graded. 

All students from K5-12 will have their artwork on display. 

Light refreshments will be served.

K-12 Art Show

May 3rd @ 3:30

Arts Center 1st and 2nd floor 

What's NEW in Fourth Grade?!

Curriculum Corner

Oi Grade 4! It's time to celebrate what fantastic information writers you all have become! We will celebrate together as a Fourth Grade soon, sharing with each other what we have learned about trade and economy, but also celebrating our growth during the information writing process.

Information writers hard at work!

We are proud of your effort and hard work! Parents, ask your child in what ways did he/she demonstrate the Graded Core Values throughout this process...

The Graded Core Values:

• Balanced
• Communicators
• Critical Thinkers
• Curious
• Inclusive
• Innovative
• Reflective
• Responsible
• Risk-Takers

Literacy

On Monday, we begin a new reading unit. We will be reading mystery books in small groups. Students will become detectives and read mysteries with the specific purpose of solving the mystery before the main character in the book does. Next week students will also be printing and putting together their trade and economy books. We are so excited to share them with you. We will announce our classroom celebrations soon!

Math

Students are continuing to learn about fractions, specifically adding and subtracting fractions, finding equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and converting fractions into decimals. Check out this fun website for more fraction practice! In addition, please review our 4th Grade Resource Page for great videos and games to help reinforce what students are learning in class. Students, continue to sharpen your math skills by playing the following math games.

Units of Study

We are in full swing of our unit on the Solar System! Students are observing the phases of the moon over the next few weeks and writing down their observations. Students should review the 8 different terms to describe the phases of the moon. They should be able to identify them and match them to the proper pictures. Students can review the phases of the moon by re-watching the different BrainPop Jr., BrainPop and Bill Nye moon videos. Students are also encouraged to find out more information independently on the moon through internet searches and website exploration. Take a look at the Moon Phases Calendar - the moon schedule is an easy way to find out the lunar phase for any given month, as well as in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

Important Dates and Special Events

• No School - Thursday, April 21st-Friday, April 22nd
• Brazilian Book Fair - Monday, April 25th-Friday, April 29th
• MAP Tests - Monday, April 25th-Thursday, May 5th
• 3rd Interim Report - Wednesday, April 27th
• LS Vivas Palavras Assembly - Thursday, April 28th