Dear Parents,                                                                   

It is hard to imagine that we are already two thirds of the way through the school year. To help your children transition to Brown School, we have scheduled a trip to Brown on April 30^th. I am also planning to have a guest who now attends Brown School to come in for a question and answer session after our visit.

Please remember that my door is always open and that you may contact me at any time. My email address is pluchinoj@madison.k12.ct.us or you can reach my voice mail at 245-6475 ext. 7328

Reading – Our Literature circles are currently enjoying Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. We meet in two and sometimes three groups and read to each other while practicing our reading and comprehension skills such as, cause and effect, finding word meaning, inferencing, fact and opinion, finding the main idea, making predictions etc.

 Earlier in the year we read The War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith and monthly we enjoy the nonfiction articles and activities in our Story Works magazine. Please ask your children about these books and the magazine.

We continue to practice our reading strategies with our read aloud books.  To date, we have read Babe & Me by Dan Gutman and On My Honor by Marion Dane Baurer. We are currently reading Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

Pleas ask your children about these wonderful books!

Thank you all for your support with the nightly reading homework. I feel very strongly about this part of the homework. I can tell you agree, by the way you have had your child record their nightly reading on the bookmarks.  I want this reading to be an opportunity for them to read for pleasure. If you have a chance to read a few chapters ahead, and then have an informal and fun “book chat” it will only help them to enjoy reading more.

Our “Lunch Bunch” book club has been a great success. I meet a few days a week with five students’. We have lunch, enjoy each others company and read books, such as the Nutmeg nominee Trouble Don’t Last by Shelly Pearsall. We have had two groups that have enjoyed this book so far. Now a new lunch group is enjoying Football Genius by Tim Green, who was an actual NFL player with the Atlanta Falcons. This club is on a completely voluntary basis, but I would love to have the whole class participate (five at a time) at some point during the year. Because of popular demand, I will be putting together another group of different students who will also have the opportunity to enjoy Trouble Don’t Last.

Writing – We have just recently started our study of expository writing (five paragraph essays), a genre that the students are really enjoying. To kick off this genre we read a nonfiction article about avalanche safety. Now the students are writing an expository piece that will explain the importance of safety equipment, learning the avalanche warning signs, and obeying those warning signs. I like to start expository writing this way because it links reading nonfiction text and research to the writing process in an authentic way.

The “Weekend with Harry Potter” writing assignments have been a huge hit! I hope all of the parents enjoyed their weekend with Harry as much as your children seemed to. Harry is making his way around to each child. If your child has not spent a weekend with Harry, rest assured, he/she will shortly.

Mathematics - In mathematics we have just completed units of study on fractions and decimals, geometry and perimeter, and division (including long division). During these units I have pushed hard to extend the students beyond pencil calculations and into problem solving. I have been hitting the students almost daily with a two minute multiplication quiz (45 problems) and I will most likely continue to do that throughout the school year. After each quiz the students graph their progress on a line graph. This is important because they see the line moving upward, they see their progress, and they are motivated to top their last score. For fourth graders to reach the next level of mathematical development, the basic math facts must become automatic. Please practice the addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts with your child. I have also been providing the students with a few long division and double digit multiplication problems each morning. I feel it is important for them to practice these skills daily in order to maintain them. Time is also very important. In the digital age, it has become more and more difficult for children to use and understand an analog clock. Please quiz your child on time. Not only what time is it now, but what time was it ____ minutes ago and what time will it be in ____ minutes.

I always send home a study guide that I have reviewed with the class prior to the test. Please be sure your child takes advantage of the study guide. I have found out from these very honest fourth graders, that when they don’t do so well on the test, it is usually because they did not review the study guide.

Social Studies – Our study of Explorers has recently concluded and the children have created amazing game boards and we are very excited about game board night on March 19^th. Very shortly we will start our study of colonial times and the American Revolution. 

Our weekly “Where in the World” assignments have us moving from South America to Africa. We will continue to make our way through Africa and on to the other continents as well. By the end of the school year, I hope to have the students create a travel brochure for one of the countries that we have covered. 

Science – Your children are now working as geologists as we continue our study of Earth Materials. We have been acting as geologists and taking apart sample rocks, studying them under a magnifying glass to see what they are made of, and recording our observations in a Geologist’s notebook. The students love this hands-on fun activity. Units your children have finished are, Physics of Sound, and Magnetism. Future Science units include Electricity, Measurement, and Wetlands.

Fourth grade has been really exciting so far! We have plenty more, fun filled activities planned, throughout the school year, which will keep your children challenged, learning and having fun.

Sincerely,

Mr. Pluchino