Q2 Week 2

"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." -Teddy Roosevelt

Dear Parents,

We are beginning to encounter assignments that are more difficult than what your fourth graders have been asked to accomplish previously. You may be seeing some frustration at home, but a little frustration is actually part of our goal. Learning is frustrating. One lesson we want our fourth graders to walk away from this year is that sometimes, in order to learn, you have to struggle. To that end we sometimes ask our students to reach for goals that are not easily accomplished. If you feel the workload is becoming too stressful on your scholar, please contact me and we can figure out a way to continue to challenge them without creating unhealthy levels of anxiety.

This Week

1. In History we will be working on our Medieval Persons project this week. This project requires students to ask questions and research a famous Medieval figure and gather information to share with their group. They will then present this information to the whole class. This is one of those difficult projects, especially the research. Do not think of this as a full on research project, but rather a foray into world of research. It can be really challenging for students to know where to start, but I have been very pleased with the results and experiences that students have had with this project in previous years.

2. In Writing we will be learning how to use Being verbs. Students will will be parsing and diagramming sentences using the verbs Am, Is, Are, Was, Were, Be, Being, Been. If you want to challenge your students at home, ask them to stop and tell you whether the sentences you have been using use Being or Action verbs.

3. In Literature we are continuing with King Arthur. This week we are reading the story of Gawain and Lady Ragnell. This is a story of the power of sacrifice and service. Feel free to read with your students and enjoy the story!

4. In Spalding we will be taking our first spelling test! The 20 spelling words this week have gone home as Spalding HW assignments #2 and #3. I do not expect these spelling words to be especially challenging for our students, but it is good for them to get into the routine of Spalding homework and spelling tests.

Best,

Mr. Ohbayashi