Week of December 5th

We hope you had a wonderful week and stayed warm!  It is getting closer and closer to the winter break and we know that everyone is excited for time off to spend with friends and family.  Please be on the look out for important dates in the upcoming days!

What's Happening in the Classroom?

In Reading, we continued our Junior Great Book stations. Learners reviewed the text with partners and then applied the story in a variety of stations. Through our Junior Great Book stations, learners became advocates of their own learning by monitoring their fluency, comprehension, and application of the text. As extensions, learners were able to apply the Junior Great Book to design and create their own connections to the text. 

In Math, this week we continued our journey with fractions. The learners use fraction tiles to find equivalent fractions and write them in their simplest forms. We also looked at fractions on a number line and explored finding unit fractions. At the end of the week we began to compose and decompose fractions with like denominators. In the next week your child will be given their Go Math workbook. This is a great tool for them to use at home to practice what we are working on in the classrooms. Your learner is more than welcome to bring these home and use them as an extra resource for practice. A video link can be found on your math teachers Google site with more information.

In Writing, we are continuing to work on the Writing Process, focusing on brainstorming and choosing three quality reasons. We will pick back up in January with Mentor Sentences and Spelling.  

In Science, we continued our ADI investigation that will include examining fossils from Germany and investigating what the ecosystem was like 49 millions years ago.  The learners observed 6 different fossils and made a T-Chart of things they OBSERVED and Things I WONDER.

We continued this week with  the 12 Days of Kindness Challenge. Be looking on our Twitter feeds for acts of kindness that are happening in the classroom. 

What's Happening at TCE?

The Giving Tree

When: November 30th-December 15th

Where: Place new, unwrapped toys under the Christmas Tree by the front office

What: Town Center 1st Graders are collecting new, unwrapped toys for children in need.  We will be donating the toys to the Lions Club.  When you place your toy under the tree, please sign your name on an ornament and hang it on the tree!

ADI Fossil Investigation

What was the ecosystem at Darmstadt like 49 million years ago?

                                  

TCE Family Cookbook 

There have only been a few recipes submitted so far.  Please make sure to send in as many yummy recipes that you have.  It can be from family, friends, and friends of friends!  

Holiday Party Volunteers
We will be rotating the children through various activities and games within the classroom.  Each will be very straight forward.  We need adult volunteers for oversight and scene control.  We could really use your assistance and your son/daughter will love having you there.  Please  email your room mom if you completed the volunteer background check and  would like to help.

Week of November 28th

Week of November 28th

We hope everyone had a wonderful week!  We can't believe we are getting so close to the winter break.  Please make sure to be on the look out for important dates and reminders as the next 2 weeks are super busy and filled with fun activities.

What's Happening in the Classroom?

In Reading, we started our a new story in our Junior Great Book. We read The No-Guitar Blues and Thank You Ma'am. Both stories addressed citizenship qualities that learners were encouraged to implement. This week we started stations that we will continue next week.

In Math, we continued our journey on fractions. We took out our fraction tiles and found ways to create equivalent fractions. We also looked at how fractions and decimals relate and can show the same value. 

In Writing, we are continuing to work on the Writing Process, focusing on brainstorming and choosing three quality reasons. We will pick back up in January with Mentor Sentences and next week will be the last week for spelling tests until January.

In Science, learners we are coming to a close with our study of electricity.  We began our ADI investigation that will include examining fossils from Germany and investigating what the land was like millions or years ago.

This week the classes also began the 12 Days of Kindness Challenge. Be looking on our Twitter feeds for acts of kindness that are happening in the classroom. 

What's Happening at TCE?

The Giving Tree

When: November 30th-December 15th

Where: Place new, unwrapped toys under the Christmas Tree by the front office

What: Town Center 1st Graders are collecting new, unwrapped toys for children in need.  We will be donating the toys to the Lions Club.  When you place your toy under the tree, please sign your name on an ornament and hang it on the tree!

Biodiversity Field Trip

We had a blast at the Coppell Nature Park!  We hiked, dissected Owl pellets, learned about the food web, and identified the different forms of water.

 TCE Family Cookbook 
There have only been a few recipes submitted so far.  Please make sure to send in as many yummy recipes that you have.  It can be from family, friends, and friends of friends!  

Creative Writing Competition
The deadline for the writing competition is December 7th! This writing competition is open to ALL 4th-12th grade learners. This is a great opportunity for your learner to try!

Week of November 14th

Happy Thanksgiving Break everyone! Hope you all have a safe and warm break full of love!

What's Happening in the Classroom?

In Reading, we worked on our inferring skills by using pictures/illustrations, literature, and informational text. We organized our thoughts into graphic organizers. 

In Math, we have been discussing fractions and decimals, and how they compare. We also wrapped up our financial literacy unit by writing and expository piece about why it is important to start saving money early in life. Learners have been working on a Must Do May Do board of a variety of activities to help them with these topics.

In Writing, we are continuing to work on the Writing Process, focusing on brainstorming and choosing three quality reasons. 

In Science, learners have been studying the similarities and differences between series and parallel circuits. They had the opportunity to write a letter to an electrician about why they should use either parallel or series circuits when making strings of lights.

In Social Studies, we continued learning about the early history of Texas. We compared and contrasted Native American tribes and learned how the Native Americans adapted to their environment in the Texas Plains. 

What's Happening at TCE?

Biodiversity Field Trip

The 4th graders will be taking a field trip to the Biodiversity Center here is Coppell. This will be on Tuesday, November 29th (We will also have another field trip in the spring). We will leave after specials around 9:30, and then we will be back on campus around 1:30-2:00. Your child will need to have a sack lunch on this day since we will be eating at the park. We are so excited for your learners to get a chance to go to this great education center!

TCE Family Cookbook 

Creative Writing Competition
The deadline for the writing competition is December 7th! This writing competition is open to ALL 4th-12th grade learners. This is a great opportunity for your learner to try!

Trim the Turkey

Thank you to everyone who donated canned food items and turkeys online! You are appreciated!

Week of November 7th

Hello Parents! Only one more week of school until we have a week off for Thanksgiving! Please read through the whole blog because we have a TON of information this week for you!

What's Happening in the Classroom?

In Reading, we focused on applying our inferring skills to our independent reading books. We also practiced finding unfamiliar words in the dictionary, and we worked on how to use our context clues skills. Also, your child has been keeping up with how many different books that they have read in their reading journals. Here is a recommended list of what genres they should read this year!

In Social Studies, we discussed why we should be informed when we vote, and why we should vote in elections. We also continued learning about the early history of Texas and compared and contrasted two tribes. 

In Language Arts, we continued working on our special person expository text as well as we focused on commas in a series and subject/predicate.

This week in Math we continued our study of Personal Finance. Learners explored real-world topics such as how to save money, how to create and maintain a budget, and compared the pros and cons of different financial institutions. Learners had fun using real-life examples of expenses such as bills, receipts, and other examples.

This week in Science, learners explored types of conductors and insulators by creating a test circuit and testing different objects. We also created a circuit that lights up two bulbs  at once (series circuit) with one battery as well as two batteries.

What's Happening at TCE?

Biodiversity Field Trip
The 4th graders will be taking a field trip to the Biodiversity Center here is Coppell. This will be on Tuesday, November 29th (We will also have another field trip in the spring). We will leave after specials around 9:30, and then we will be back on campus around 1:30-2:00. Your child will need to have a sack lunch on this day since we will be eating at the park. We are so excited for your learners to get a chance to go to this great education center!


Dr. Applegate's Principal Updates
If you didn't get a chance yet to read Dr. Applegate's updates, please click on the link and read through her latest blog post!

TCE Family Cookbook

Mrs. Martin's P.E. Updates
Here are Mrs. Martin's November calendar and newsletter!

Trim the Turkey
Our 2nd graders will be hosting a canned food drive and turkey donations. Please consider donating and giving to a great cause! Please see the attached flyer for more information!

Election Day Fun!

Week of October 31st

Can you believe it's already November?! Please read the whole blog to see our updates for the week!!

In Reading, we started our unit on making inferences and context clues. They learned how to make inferences by using text clues and their schema. The learners inferred what motivated the character Vola from our Global Read Aloud book, Pax.

In Language Arts, we focused on proper nouns in our mentor sentence. We are also still working on subject and predicates. The learners have begun writing their expository text on someone special in their life. We worked on our brainstorming strategies and quality reasons.

In Math, we began our unit on personal finance. We looked at the differences between fixed and variable expenses. We also began to talk about different reasons to start saving your money early, including saving for a college education. The learners picked out potential places they would like to attend college and found the tuition for a year.

In Social Studies, we started our new unit over the early history of Texas!! Learners worked on Lesson 1 of our online textbook. The learners learned about the possible origins of the first people to arrive in Texas.

In Science, we continued to explore circuits.  Our goal this week was to design a circuit that could run a motor and light a light bulb.  Make sure to visit your learners Google Site for pictures and videos of the circuits they have designed.


Adult English Classes
Please see the flyer below. The district is offering FREE English classes for any adult!

4th Grade loved celebrating Red Ribbon Week and staying drug free!

This week down in C-Hall was another great one! See below for some of the great things your learners are doing:


Math: In Math this week, we continued our discussions about addition and subtraction strategies. The learners had a chance to create their own "tutorial" video using the app Show Me to teach another person how to use math strategies. Here is an example of one:





Ask your learner to show you their Show Me video, too!


Science: In Science this week we started exploring Schematic Diagrams. Learners got the chance to create their own schematic diagrams and then actually create their plan using circuit materials. Learners enjoyed getting to be "electricians" and design their own circuit plans!

S.S.This week we wrapped up our unit on the regions of Texas. We will be starting our new unit over the early history of Texas next week! 

Reading:This week we wrapped up our nonfiction unit by discussing topic sentences and how we can find a topic sentence in a paragraph of a nonfiction text. We reviewed nonfiction text features, and we also started our new unit over inferencing.




Reminders:

Please ask your learner if they have a working pair of headphones at school, and have them bring one if not. We use these every day and it is pertinent to the success of your learner that they have a pair! Thank you


We will be taking a Math and Reading practice STAAR assessment on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. These will be used as a data point to help us ensure learner success.

Week of Oct. 17-21

We had another great week down in C-Hall! The learners have been working hard on lots of fun and exciting activities that you can read more about below!


In Science, we have been completing Electricity activities to help us learn more about how a circuit works, what sorts of items are conductors and insulators, as well as many other topics! They have been working hard to get all of their assignments onto their Google Sites as well. We are looking forward to starting schematic diagrams next week.

In Math, we have been learning strategies for how to add whole numbers and decimals. The learners are getting to try out many different ways to complete problems with strategies such as "Keeping One Number Whole", "Adding By Place", "Friendly Numbers", and many more! We also began discussing how to add decimals.


In Writing, the learners have been discussing the differences between Narrative and Expository writing pieces using Google Comments to explain their thinking. Please see some photos below of this great activity!

In Reading, we continued exploring nonfiction texts. Learners expanded on topics to develop a main idea and its supporting details. We talked about how when you build a house you need to have the blueprint (main idea), and then the framework (supporting details) in order to establish a firm fountain. This week we also continued reading Pax and connected with classrooms across our country. 

In Social Studies, learners finalized their ideas on the different regions of Texas. Learners compared and contrasted two regions of Texas and elaborated on those specific regions.  

Week of October 11-14

We had another great week down in C-Hall! Check out all of the great things we are learning and doing below:


In Math this week we wrapped up our Place Value unit with our Place Value Project Presentations. The learners really enjoyed getting to try out some new apps and programs like Biteable, Canva, and Thing Link! We also began practicing and discussing some addition and subtraction strategies and took our pre-test over our new unit.

In Science this week, we continued our explorations on electricity and magnetism with our Ports activities. The learners created a vocabulary Padlet with electricity words, examples, and pictures among many other activities.

In reading, learners explored non-fiction texts. Learners read with the mindset of learning new information by understanding the purpose of text features, summarizing the main idea, and pinpointing the main ideas of a non-fiction text. Moreover, based on their passion and interest, learners self-selected non-fiction texts that they have never read before. 

In social studies, learners compared and contrasted two regions of Texas. Learners wrote a blog post expanding on their knowledge. This activity was differentiated so that each learner was able to maximize their knowledge on the regions of Texas.




Please go to this link to see Mrs. Berumen's Smore about the Storybook Pumpkin Design Challenge!

Week of October 3rd

It has been an eventful short week this week! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at our conference day. Be sure to bring your learner and any questions that you have about the assessment flipped videos. If you still need to see them, you can click here to view the presentation.

In Math this week, we finished up our Place Value projects and began discussing strategies for addition and subtraction. Be watching for the Place Value projects on your learner's Google Site! We also talked about goal-setting and set goals to be shared at our parent conferences. 

In Reading, we introduced nonfiction text. This week we started exploring different strategies to better understand nonfiction pieces. Learners have discovered different ways they can fill their bucket of knowledge with raindrops of facts! We also talked about the importance of reading nonfiction text with curiosity and interest. We also started our Global Read Aloud. All fourth graders are reading "Pax".

In Social Studies we are continuing our conversations about the different regions of Texas. We have started a double-bubble map comparing and contrasting two different regions of Texas. Learners will continue this by creating a blog post expanding on their knowledge of the two regions of Texas.

This week in Science, we continued our explorations with electricity by using Electricity Ports. Learners participated in explorations through Discovery Education, completed vocabulary Padlets, and participated in Science reading groups with the teacher among many other activities.

Notes and Reminders:

Mrs. Berumen is in need of felt and embroidery floss for her Texan Town Club, Sewing Club. Please consider bringing in any that you may have in your room. Thank you!

Celebrations:

We had an eventful Wednesday afternoon down C-Hall this week, as our own Ms. Rohani got engaged at school! We congratulate her on her engagement!

Week of September 26th

It has been a great week in 4th grade. Thank you to all of the family and friends who showed up for Special Friends Day and it was great to see everyone at the Fall Family Picnic. Please don't forget to sign up for a fall parent conference if you have not already done so.

In math this week, we finished our decimal must do/may do board and started on our place value projects. Mrs. Howard our technology specialist came and introduced some new digital tools to our learners so they could start on their final product for their place value project. They worked hard on those this week and will continue to work on them next week. 

In reading, we continued our lesson on genre. We explored poetry, mystery, traditional literature, and fantasy/ science fiction. In addition to each genre study, we discussed different types of figurative language, the relationship between cause and effect, how to compare and contrast, and the development of a story plot.

In social studies, we continued exploring the different regions of Texas. Today, we played a game called Kahoot to engage our knowledge on the different regions of Texas.

This week in science, we explored how to light a lightbulb by creating a simple circuit. Please be on the lookout for a picture or video of your learners circuit on their Google site. 

September 19th-23rd

In math this week, we looked at comparing decimals and started to finish our must do/may do board. We introduced our place value project to the classes and Mrs. Berumen came to talk to them about citing their sources from where they find their research.

In science, we started our unit on force, energy, and motion unit with a picture walk and a t-chart on questions and observations. We focused on electricity by exploring the different materials that we will be using during this unit.

In reading, we learned about several more genres. We also learned about first and third person point of view, how to create dialogue, and reviewed nonfiction text features. In language arts, we learned about proper and common nouns and irregular verbs.

In social studies, we reviewed the four regions of Texas and the learners worked on a Mind Mission that reviewed the High (Great) Plains. The learners constructed a bridge across the canyon that could carry the weight of a cow!

Mind Mission time:

September 12th-16th

We have had such a great week in 4th grade! We started using our iPads on Tuesday. We also celebrated Dot Day on Thursday and were able to Skype with other classrooms in Texas. Your child also came home with their tickets for the Fall Family Picnic Auction. So be looking in the binders for those!

In science this week, we took the data that was collected from the bubble investigation and transferred it into a bar graph. We also compared graphs with each other to see the different diameters of bubbles.

In math, we continued our unit on place value. We focused on decimals to the tenths and hundredths place. We also started our first must do/may do board for math. The kiddos worked on writing decimals in expanded notation and word form.

In language arts, we have started our Genre unit. We have started conversations on different fictional and nonfictional genres that help better understand texts. Learners defined, applied, and explored specific genres, such as realistic fiction, biography/autobiography, etc. Moreover, we talked about character traits and summaries. In social studies, we continued to explore different regions of Texas.

September 6th-9th

In math this week, we continued to look at the world population and practiced our different ways to represent numbers to the billions place. We also took a world population quiz. At the end of the week we began our discussion on decimal place value. We will be looking at different ways to represent decimals to the hundredths place.

In science this week,  we continued to explore the Engineering Design Process by help a bubble company that is in financial trouble create a solution that will produce the thickest and largest bubble for the least amount of money.

In reading, we talked about how we need to be great listeners and phenomenal talkers. We also discussed what good readers and writers do.

In social studies, we started our unit on the regions of Texas. We focused on the Mountains and Basins region this week and discovered the important cities, what the climate is like, and what agriculture and industries are important in this region. Moreover, learners were able to begin designing a Mind Mission activity called Captain Climb.

In writing, we took our beginning of the year writing assessment. We also finished up our brainstorming strategies with round robin writing and sentence stems. Learners also took their first grammar quiz. Next week, we will begin spelling and talking about the different spelling patterns.

Please click on the two links below to view some of our after school clubs this year. 

Geography Club 

Destination Imagination Flyer 

Curriculum Night Presentation

Please use the link below to view the presentation from Curriculum Night. Thank you to all the parents who were able to make it. If you were unable to make it and have any questions please let us know. We are so excited about this year! 

Curriculum Link

Week Two

It has been another great week in 4th grade! 

In math, we continued working on place value to the billions place. We practiced writing our numbers in standard form, expanded form, word form, and expanded notation. We also compared the differences between expanded form and expanded notation. 

In writing, we continued our brainstorming strategies. We practiced the wet ink strategy and brain dumping. We also started to look at different homophones and how we can use them in sentences. 

In science this week, we continued to explore the scientific method and engineering design process by answering the question, "Which solution will make the largest bubble?" Some classes were also able to visit the garden, and they measured the perimeter around it to see how much fence will be needed for purchase. 

During language arts we learned how to live 'literate lives' and what is an authentic and good fit book for each and every learner. We also learned when it is an appropriate time to abandon a book. At the end of the week, we worked on good listening. 

First Week Back!

It has been an awesome first week back at school! We are so excited to be back in action in 4th grade. We spent our week building relationships with our classmates and teachers. 

In math, the students worked on a "Math About Me' page. Be looking for those to come home next week. We also talked about our math norms for this year and the importance of taking risks and learning from our mistakes. 

 In reading, we learned what is was like to live literate lives. We discussed independent reading expectations, and we also discussed what good readers do. 

Mark Your Calendars!

Our 4th grade Curriculum night will be on Thursday, September 1st from 6:30pm-7:30pm. We hope to see you there as we will be going over important information for this school year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Town Center Texans! 

We are so excited for a new school year!

Below you will find information for our 4th grade team this year and a link to our Google sites. Be sure to check our blog weekly as we will continue to update you on what's going on in the classroom as well as important information. 

4A Meredith Schaaf  

Language Arts/Writing/Social Studies  

Miss Schaaf's Google Site 

4B Renee Rohani 

Math/Science

Miss Rohani's Google Site

4C Kasey Kemp 

Math/Writing

 Miss Kemp's Google Site

4D Casey Wagner 

Science/Writing

Miss Wagner's Google Site

4E Rachel Lim 

Language Arts/Writing/Social Studies

  Miss Lim's Google Site

Last Week Updates!

We cannot believe that it is the last week of school! This school year has flown by, and we have loved getting to know our students. Please read this quick post with a few important announcements for the last week of school. 

Important Announcements

Lunch Menu Change

• Mrs. Star has asked us to share the following menu changes with you:
• Tuesday, May 31 - Nachos with Chili & Cheese or Nachos with Veggie Chili & Cheese Or Yogurt Plate With veggies, fruit and milk
• Wednesday, June 1 - Slice Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza or Cheese Pizza Stixx or Yogurt Plate With veggies, fruit and milk
• Thursday, June 2 - Hamburger or Yogurt Plate With veggies, fruit and milk

Last Week/Early Dismissal

• We will have a regular schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday. 
• Our last day of school will be Thursday, June 2nd, and the learners will have early dismissal at 12:50 PM. On this day, we will have a modified schedule, and the learners will have the chance to eat lunch at school or to wait and eat once they get home. 
• Your son/daughter will receive their report card on Thursday, June 2nd. 

Summer Learning

• We have created a short presentation with ideas and resources for summer learning for our kids. Many parents have asked us for ideas about what the kids can work on over the summer, so we assembled this list. It is optional and more for you than for us.  
• Summer Learning Presentation

Library Updates

• If you have any questions regarding overdue books or fines, please encourage your son/daughter to speak to Mrs. Montgomery about it, or you may reach out to her at amontgomery@coppellisd.com. 

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Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We hope that all of our Fourth Grade Families have a relaxing and enjoyable summer, and we look forward to seeing you all again in August. Please feel free to keep in touch with us over the summer via email. 

Field Day

Field Day is quickly approaching! Please read these important details regarding Field Day on May 20, 2016.

This year due to construction at Andy Brown Park, we will be walking learners to Kid Country playground and the outdoor pool at the CORE. All other activities and lunch will take place outside at TCE.  If you are a Trail Pass holder, your field day lunch fee was included and has been paid.  If you did not purchase a Trail Pass you need to go to REVTRAK and pay the $8.00 field day lunch fee: https://towncenterelempto.revtrak.net/tek9.asp

PTO will be needing some VOLUNTEERS for this Hawaiian Adventure. Click this the link for the signup genius to select times and places for volunteers. Any parent that wants to come to Field Day, to volunteer or to watch, will need to have a completed background check on file with TCE. If you would like to come to Field Day, we encourage you to sign up for a specific volunteer opportunity. 

Click this link for Field day permission slip and information.
**The YELLOW permission slip should have come home with your son/daughter by now. 

PLEASE RETURN SIGNED PERMISSION SLIPS by Wednesday May 18th. Lunch payment is also due by the 18th. 

All fourth graders will need to wear their ORANGE grade level t-shirt to Field Day. In addition, they will need to wear their bathing suits and comfortable walking shoes that can get wet. Girls will need to wear one piece bathing suits (or be prepared to keep their shirts on to swim). 

IMPORTANT: If your son/daughter does not know how to swim, please be sure that his/her teacher is aware. You may email or write a note on the yellow permission slip. In addition, please have a conversation with your son/daughter about the importance of safety at Field Day. 

As always, if you have any questions regarding field day, please email us and ask. We're happy to help! 

Updates: Week 33

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog.  There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions. 

Important Announcements

STAAR Testing

• We will take our Math STAAR on May 9th and Reading STAAR May 10th.
• As a reminder, we will not be able to have any visitors on the building on these two days. 

Field Trip

• As you know, we will be going to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History on May 18th. 
• Please click this link for more information regarding our field trip. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding our trip.

Spring Conferences

• We are still in the process of scheduling conferences for those of you that requested a conference (face to face, email, and phone). Thank you for being flexible with our schedules as we set up these conferences! We are doing our best to get back to everyone in a timely and efficient matter. 

Library Updates

• Mrs. Montgomery has shared these important dates with our learners, but we wanted to share them with you as well. 
• Friday, May 13 - last day for students to check out books
• Friday, May 20 - all library books due
• If you have any questions regarding overdue books or fines, please encourage your son/daughter to speak to Mrs. Montgomery about it, or you may reach out to her at amontgomery@coppellisd.com. 
• Also, we will have an author's visit on Monday, May 23rd. Author Candace Fleming will be coming to speak to our TCE Texans. For more informaiton, see this link. Learners will be coming home with book order forms this week, so be on the look out. 

Recorder Program

• Our fourth grade recorder program will be Tuesday, May 24th. We will have a morning performance at 8:30 and an evening performance at 6:00. 
• The fourth graders will need to be at school at 5:45 pm on the evening of the performance. 
• Mrs. Garrett has asked that the learners wear jeans and their orange grade level t-shirt. 

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, May 6th - Mother's Day Marathon
• Monday, May 9th - Math STAAR
• Tuesday, May 10th -  Reading STAAR
• Friday, May 13th - Last Texan Town of the Year
• Wednesday, May 18th - Field Trip
• Friday, May 20th - Field Day
• Monday, May 23rd - Author's Visit 
• Tuesday, May 24th - Recorder Concert (AM and PM) 
• Thursday, May 26th - Holiday Coupon: A Movie & Popcorn
• Monday, May 30th - No School/Memorial Day
• Thursday, June 2nd - Last Day of School

Character Education
The citizenship quality for May is patience. 

Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas. 

What are we learning?
Math & Science

In math, the learners are investigating the different parts of lines, types of angles, and how these relate to the geometric shapes. The learners are also being given the opportunity to choose which units they think they need the most practice in to review for the STAAR test next week. 

In science, the learners will continue investigating in our life science unit. They will be learning how organisms change in appearance throughout their life cycle, and how organisms live, grow, and respond to their environments. 

Language & Literacy

In reading, we have been working through some fun and exciting nonfiction reading stations. The learners have enjoyed learning a bunch of new facts and sharing them with their peers. We've also been focusing on reviewing reading content vocabulary with a variety of games in class. 

In writing, we've been focusing on writing poetry. The learners investigated four types of poetry: haiku, diamante, cinquain, and limerick, and they are each writing their own poems in class.

We have also reintroduced weekly spelling lists after a short break in April. This week the learners are learning Greek word parts, and they'll learn about Latin roots the week after next.  

Social Studies

In Social Studies, we're exploring the successes and challenges that the Republic of Texas faced after the Texas Revolution. The learners will explore the reasons for annexation and the Mexican and American War. 

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Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders! 

Updates: Week 31

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog.  There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions. 

Important Announcements

Field Trip

• As you know, we will be going to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History on May 18th. 
• Please click this link for more information regarding our field trip. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding our trip. 

STAAR Testing

• We will take our Math STAAR on May 9th and Reading STAAR May 10th. 

Spring Conferences

• We do not get a designated day for spring conferences like we do in the fall, but we will be able to offer conference times (either face to face or via phone/email) to those that are interested. 
• We sent home conference interest forms last week, and we requested that they be returned by Monday, April 18th. However, due to the fact that we received so few of them back, we've extended the deadline to Tuesday, April 19th. Even if you are not interested in a conference, please let us know because we want to be sure we've given everyone a chance to have a conference. Thank you for your help & support with this. 

Engineering Extravaganza 

• Our annual Engineering Extravaganza will be this Thursday, April 21st from 5:30-7:00. Our TCE teachers will be leading a variety of stations that highlight different engineering skills and tasks. We think it will be a lot of fun, and we hope you and your family can make it. 

Upcoming Dates

• Thursday, April 21 - Engineering Extravaganza 
• Friday, April 22 - Spring Spirit Run
• Friday, April 29th - Holiday Coupon: A Picnic Outside for Lunch
• Friday, May 6th - Mother's Day Marathon
• Monday, May 9th - Math STAAR
• Tuesday, May 10th -  Reading STAAR
• Friday, May 20th - Field Day
• Tuesday, May 24th - Recorder Concert (AM and PM) 
• Thursday, May 26th - Holiday Coupon: A Movie & Popcorn

Character Education
The citizenship quality for April is Effort. 

Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas. 

What are we learning?
Math & Science

In math, the learners are investigating the different parts of lines, types of angles, and how these relate to the geometric shapes. 

In science, the learners are participating in an engineering experience where they get to work collaboratively to create a hot air balloon. They will be investigating the different parts of ecosystems. 

Language & Literacy

In reading, we will focus on nonfiction texts this week. Learners will be able to choose from a variety of nonfiction passages based on their interests. 

Social Studies

In social studies, we are wrapping up our study of the Texas Revolution. The learners created word clouds to demonstrate what they've learned about various vocabulary terms. Ask your learner about the different Mind Missions they've participated in during this unit.  They've designed rain protection devises, toys, and disguises! 
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Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders!