This week in Writing we will be working on writing poetry. This is a project done completely in class. We began on Thursday. By Friday, 1/23, I will make a determination of an appropriate due date for sometime during the following week. At that point, if a student is needing more time at home to complete, I will allow it to go home. **These pieces need to be written, revised, edited, and rewritten (or typed) completely by the student.
In Social Studies we are at the very beginnings of Texas colonization. We've learned about Moses Austin and his son, Stephen F. Austin. Mexico has just earned her independence from Spain and now controls Texas. This has caused some disruption, but at this point in time, Stephen F. Austin has worked to correct any issues between the Mexican government and his colony.
This is a tricky time of year for fourth graders. Some students have a really difficult time coming back from the long break and getting right back into school expectations. Usually this time passes toward the end of January, but if you are seeing grades that are lower than what your child generally makes, this may be the cause. We have to raise the bar some in order to properly get your children ready for fifth grade, where expectations to be independent learners are even higher.
Shortly we will be setting up our conference day. As we've done for the past few years, we will offer an "open-house" type of conference, where your child will follow a teacher-planned agenda and show his/her parents a typical day in fourth grade. Students will share work samples from all classes, and parents will have an opportunity to visit each of the 3 teachers in order to get a better perspective of what is happening in each subject area. If at the end of the conference day either a teacher or a parent feels a 1:1 conference is still needed, a separate meeting can be scheduled. Please be on the lookout for conference information going home at the beginning of February.
***Extension Page has been updated as well.