Mrs. Stemm's 4th Grade ELA/SS

ELA: Love That Dog This week we are continuing our study of Love That Dog  by Sharon Creech. Our focusing question this week is How do the characters in Love That Dog  show characteristics of great heart? We are continuing to read about our main character Jack and getting an understanding of how his attitude changes towards poetry as well as how he changes as a poet. We are starting to see a connection between the first poem he wrote about a blue car and his poem about a pet he used to have. We have already had some sad and overwhelming connections to this story so please reiterate to your child that the classroom is a safe space and if your child feels the need to express a connection they are having with the text, it is okay to share their emotions. Learning to process these emotions and connections is very important and no judgment will be passed. Social Studies: This week we will be continuing our study of important map features as well as practicing our skills of rea

9/18-9/22 Announcements: Monday, September 18th Safety Assembly Wednesday, September 20th   PTO Meeting Thursday, September 21st:  PTO Walkathon 6-8pm Friday, September 22nd: All students need to bring a smock for Art class. This can be an old shirt from home.  Announcements from the PTO: The green sheet below was sent home. Please read through it for important information and links.  In class this week: English Language Arts: We have completed our study of how to have a great heart literally! This week we will be starting a new book titled Love That Dog.  This book introduces what it means to have a great heart, figuratively, through poetry! Throughout our study of Love That Dog,  we will also be working with other poems such as "The Red Wheelbarrow", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", "The Tiger", "The Pasture", and much more. Not only will we see characteristics of having a great heart figuratively, but we will also

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I want to take a moment to notify you of some important events coming as well as some announcements you need to know for our near future. Events:                                                                                     Tiger Teams are posted in the classroom! Wednesday, September 13th Tiger Teams: This year our students were able to pick new Tiger Teams to attend. Our first meeting will be this Wednesday in the afternoon. Tiger Teams were shared with the students Monday! Friday, September 15th Character Day: We will have a spirit day where students can dress up as their favorite SUPER HERO or ROLE MODEL. Flyers will be coming home soon.  Saturday, September 16th CommUnity Day:  There will be many performances by our students, community stakeholders, a fashion show, arts & crafts and student work that will be displayed. There will also be two great food truck options if you get a little hungry! (Barruloco and Taco Ti

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! As we get back into the swing of things, in class this week your child will be continuing their study of what it means to have a great heart literally. We are reading the book titled The Circulatory Story  which talks about how our heart functions and how our blood travels throughout the body. In this book, figurative language will be introduced through many similes and metaphors! We are starting to create a figurative language book displaying all of the similes and metaphors in the book and how they show us what a great heart looks like. In Social Studies this week, we will be continuing to learn about important text features and timelines. Students are working within Google Classroom to complete an assignment in class. The entire 4th grade will be starting a new project that will be completed on the 2 hour delay days. This project is inspiring our students to think outside the box and be innovative thinkers. Be sure to ask you