Announcements & Weekly Maps

Aspire and Homework

Please check Aspire for grades and missing assignments, and check daily for homework. If something looks unfinished, a quick look together usually solves it before it grows. I am glad to help if a login or an assignment is confusing.

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Math

We are continuing partial products and moving into the standard algorithm for multiplication. Partial products let students see what each part of the number is worth. The standard algorithm is the shorter written method built on that same understanding. Fact practice at home still helps both strategies feel lighter.

The Library · Reading

We are working on informational text and the comprehension strategies that help us read it well. That includes RACE — restate the question, answer it, cite evidence, and explain — plus finding text evidence and drawing inferences. An inference is a smart guess the words support, even when the author does not say it outright.

Ask your child to answer one question from their reading by restating it and pointing to a sentence that proves the answer.

Writing, Cursive, and Spelling

We are starting informational writing: true writing that teaches a reader something, with a clear topic and facts to back it up. We are also practicing cursive, a little each day, so the letters stay smooth. Spelling this week is list 2.2. A few minutes of practice at home helps those patterns stick.

Utah History

We are continuing our Native American unit. For read-aloud we are reading Native American stories, listening for what the stories teach about people, place, and the land. Ask your child which story we heard and one detail they remember.

Potions Class · Science

We are learning more about stars. After meeting the sun, we are looking farther out: what a star is, how stars can differ, and why the night sky is worth a careful look. A clear evening and a few minutes outside — no special equipment — is a lovely way to connect home to class. Never look straight at the sun.

Friday’s Two Visits

Fourth grade is lucky this Friday. We have two in-house field trip presentations, which means the field trip comes to us. One is from Utah Storm Water. The other is from Clark Planetarium. Students should come ready to listen, ask a good question, and notice something they can tell you at dinner.

October Book Report

October book reports are due this Friday, November 6. Please help your child finish and turn in one Choice Board project plus a Memory Jogger. Directions, the twelve choices, and the printable form are on our class website.

Open the Choice Board and Memory Jogger →

Our Classroom Website

Book-report directions, past Owl Posts, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Halloween Parade

Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. we join the school Halloween Parade. Please send your child in whatever costume or festive clothes they would like to wear for the parade and the party. Comfortable shoes help. If a costume is hard to sit in, a simple festive outfit is perfect.

Class Halloween Party

After the parade, our own party is from 11:00–11:50 a.m. in our classroom. Parents are welcome to come join the fun. No need to bring anything unless you have already planned to — your smile is the best treat.

Red Ribbon Week

This is also Red Ribbon Week, a school-wide reminder that healthy choices are a kind of courage. We will talk about taking care of our bodies and being brave enough to say no. A simple “I am proud of the choices you make” at home fits the week beautifully.

Math

We are still in our multiplication unit. This week we are multiplying by 10s, 100s, and 1,000s, and multiplying a 1-digit number by a 2-digit number. A few facts at home, or a quick “What is 4 × 10? What is 4 × 100?” in the car, keeps the pattern clear.

The Library · Reading

We are working on text details and text evidence, and on restating the question in the answer. Instead of “because he was brave,” we practice “The character was brave because the text says…” A full answer starts by borrowing the words of the question.

Ask your child to answer a small question in a complete sentence that repeats part of the question.

Writing Workshop · Spooky Stories

We are finishing our spooky stories this week and will share them on Friday. Think campfire tales and goosebumps, not anything truly frightening. If they want to practice the reading voice at home, a proud audience at the dinner table is the best rehearsal.

Utah History

We are learning about the first and second groups who came to Utah: the Paleo and Archaic Indians. Students will notice how these early peoples lived with the land — what they hunted, gathered, and carried — long before towns and trails. If you pass a canyon or a lakeshore this week, that landscape is part of their story.

Potions Class · Science

We are starting to learn about the sun. Students will look at the sun as the star that lights and warms our days, and begin asking how its light changes what we see and feel on Earth. Never look straight at the sun. A shadow on the sidewalk is a safe way to notice it together.

October Book Report

Book reports are due Friday, November 6. Please help your child finish the book and choose one project from the Choice Board. Every project still needs a filled-out Memory Jogger. There is a little more than a week left — a few pages a night will get them there.

Open the Choice Board and Memory Jogger →

Our Classroom Website

The parade, the party, and the book-report tools all live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents who might want to cheer on Friday.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Mountain Man Rendezvous

This Friday at 1:45 p.m. our 4th grade Mountain Man Rendezvous CET brings the fur-trade era into the hall. Students will try old-fashioned skills, visit stations, and dress the part. Families who can lend a hand make the afternoon even better.

Sign up to help →

Math

We are starting our multiplication unit on Multiplicative Comparisons — comparing amounts with “times as many” language, not just finding a product. We are also working on multiplication facts. A few minutes of fact practice at home keeps the new comparisons from feeling heavy.

Try this at dinner: “If 4 is 2 times as many as 2, what is 3 times as many as 4?”

The Library · Reading

We are going over theme, and compare and contrast. Students will notice the big idea a story is really about, and how two characters, settings, or texts are alike and different. We will keep proving our thinking with evidence from the text.

Open the Choice Board and Memory Jogger →

Writing Workshop · Spooky Stories

We are beginning Spooky Stories. Think campfire tales and goosebumps, not anything truly frightening — a creaky floor, a mysterious footprint, a shadow that might be a cat. Students will use the narrative skills we already have: a clear moment, dialogue, and words a reader can see and hear.

Utah History

We are going over a timeline of Utah history and becoming archaeologists, digging for artifacts. Students will practice putting events in order and asking what an object can tell us about the people who used it. If you have a family object with a story — a tool, a photo, a recipe card — that makes a wonderful dinner-table artifact.

Potions Class · Science

We are finishing our unit on Structures and Functions. Students have been asking what a structure is and what job it does for a plant or an animal. The Structures and Functions test is Friday, October 23. A quick review of beaks, roots, leaves, and shells is a kindness to Friday’s confidence.

Ask your child to name one structure and the job it does.

Our Classroom Website

Newsletters, the Memory Jogger, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Potions Class · Science

We are continuing our unit on Structures and Functions of plants and animals. Students are looking at how body parts and plant parts are built for a job — a beak, a claw, a root, a leaf, a stem. The question we keep asking is: What is this structure, and what does it help the living thing do?

Ask your child tonight: What structure did you study, and what job does it do?

Utah Geography

In Utah studies we are still exploring our state’s geography. We will notice how water and wooded places shape plants, animals, towns, and the people who have lived here. If you pass a river or a stand of trees this week, point it out. That little “I know that place” moment helps the map come alive.

1. 1Rivers
2. 2Forests

Math

Unit 2 math test is Friday, October 9. A little review at home — rounding to estimate, spotting a pattern, and reading a word problem twice before solving — is a kindness to Friday’s confidence.

1. 1Estimating
2. 2Number patterns
3. 3Multistep word problems

The Library · Reading

We are starting our unit on summarizing. Students will practice telling the heart of a story or passage in their own words — not every detail, just the important pieces. Who, what happened, and why it mattered. The October book report is due Friday, November 6. Please help your child choose a book soon so there is plenty of time to read and write.

Open the Choice Board and Memory Jogger →

Writing Workshop

We are continuing personal narratives. This week we are learning more about dialogue and word choice — making characters talk on the page, and choosing words that help a reader see, hear, and feel the moment. A small story told with the right words is still the magic we are after.

Spelling

Spelling Unit 1.6 is on digraphs. A few minutes of practice at home helps those patterns stick.

Growth Mindset

We are still talking about growth mindset: understanding our potential and reaching for it. “I can’t do this yet” is welcome here. Effort is the magic. Mistakes are part of the work — especially before a Friday test.

Our Classroom Website

Newsletters, resources, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Picture Day Is Tomorrow

School pictures are Tuesday, September 22. Please send your child in whatever they would like to wear for their portrait — hair neat, smile ready, and a good night’s sleep if you can swing it. Forms and payment details go home as usual through the school.

Potions Class · Science

We are starting our unit on Structures and Functions. Students will look closely at how living things are built — and how those parts help them survive and do their jobs. Think of it as the “why does this bit exist?” lesson: a bird’s beak, a plant’s roots, a beetle’s shell. We will keep using the curiosity we practiced in the scientific method.

Ask your child: What is one structure they noticed today, and what job does it do?

Utah Water

In Utah studies we are looking more closely at our state’s geography, with a special focus on water. These places shape plants, animals, towns, and the stories of people who have lived here. If you pass a river, reservoir, or marshy spot this week, point it out. That little “I know that place” moment helps the map come alive.

1. 1Wetlands
2. 2Lakes
3. 3Rivers

Math

We are learning to add really big numbers two ways. Both are welcome in our classroom. The goal is accuracy and a strategy that makes sense to your child. Addition and subtraction facts still matter. Quick practice keeps the big problems from feeling heavy.

1. 1The standard algorithm
2. 2The give-and-take strategy (moving a little from one number to the other to make the add easier)

The Library · Reading

We are studying story structure across three kinds of text. Students will notice how a poem, a play, and a regular story can all have characters, setting, and events — but they wear those pieces differently. We will keep using text evidence to prove what we notice. Friendly reminder: the September book report must be from the Battle of the Books list and is due Friday, October 2.

1. 1Poetry
2. 2Drama
3. 3Prose

Open the Battle of the Books list and Choice Board →

Writing Workshop

We are continuing personal narratives and beginning to narrow our story ideas. Not every memory needs to be the whole book. This week we practice choosing one small, true moment and telling it well — a beginning, a middle, an end, and details a reader can see. In grammar we are still reviewing parts of speech and building more diverse sentences, so our narratives do not sound like the same short pattern over and over.

Growth Mindset

We are still talking about growth mindset: understanding our potential and reaching for it. “I can’t do this yet” is still welcome here. Effort is the magic. Mistakes are part of the work.

Our Classroom Website

Newsletters, resources, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Potions Class · Science

We are wrapping up our scientific method unit this week. We will add Alka-Seltzer to an enclosed container and observe what happens — a fizzy, pop-top kind of lesson in gas, pressure, and careful predicting. We will also finish our centrifuge investigations and talk about what our tests taught us.

Ask your child tonight: What was your hypothesis before the tablet went in?

Utah’s Three Regions

In Utah studies we are learning the three regions of our state. Students will notice how land, weather, and everyday life can look different in each region. If you have driven over a pass, across red rock, or through valley farm country, that trip is a living map. Invite them to guess which region you were in.

1. 1The Rocky Mountains
2. 2The Colorado Plateau
3. 3The Great Basin

Math

We are learning to show numbers in different ways, compare numbers, and round numbers. Place-value muscles are getting stronger. We are still building addition and subtraction facts this month. A few minutes at home still helps.

A quick “Is 3,482 closer to 3,000 or 4,000?” at the dinner table is perfect practice.

The Library · Reading

We are working to master character, setting, and events — and to prove our thinking with text evidence. Who is the story about? Where does it happen? What important event can you point to in the words on the page? Friendly reminder: the September book report must be from the Battle of the Books list and is due Friday, October 2.

Open the Battle of the Books list and Choice Board →

Writing Workshop

We are continuing our personal narrative unit. Students are shaping true stories from their own lives with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and with sentences that help a reader see the moment. In grammar we are reviewing parts of speech and building more diverse sentences — not the same short pattern every time, but sentences that stretch and surprise.

Growth Mindset

We are still talking about growth mindset: understanding our potential and reaching for it. Mistakes are part of the work. Effort is the magic. “I can’t do this yet” is welcome in our classroom.

Our Classroom Website

Newsletters, resources, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Potions Class · Science

We are still practicing the Scientific Method — question, hypothesis, test, record, conclude. This week those steps go to work in two very hands-on challenges.

1. 1Spaghetti Tower Challenge — Students will plan and build the tallest, strongest spaghetti tower they can, using the scientific method along the way. They will ask a question, make a hypothesis, test a design, notice what works, and try again. Expect a little flour-dust magic and a lot of teamwork.
2. 2Classroom Centrifuge — We will also build a simple centrifuge and investigate how many times we can swing a cup of water around without spilling. (Yes — it is as exciting as it sounds.)

Ask your child what force they think is keeping the water in the cup.

Map Skills · Utah History

Our Utah history work this week is map magic. Students will practice locating Utah on maps of our state, our country, our continent, and the world. We are also learning latitude and longitude — the invisible grid that helps explorers (and fourth graders) find any place on Earth. If you have a globe or atlas at home, let them show you Utah and name the continent we live on.

Math

We are beginning our place-value unit: standard form, expanded form, and base-ten block form. We will also practice building numbers that are ten times greater and ten times less. This month we are working on addition and subtraction math facts. A few minutes of practice at home makes a real difference. Flash cards, a quick oral quiz in the car, or a facts game after dinner all count.

Addition and subtraction facts are our September focus. Even five minutes a few nights a week helps facts become automatic so place value and later problem-solving feel easier.

The Library · Reading

We are starting our first reading unit by reviewing characters, setting, and events. Students will read more stories and practice proving their thinking with text evidence — not just “I think,” but “I know because the text says…” September’s book report must be from the Battle of the Books list and is due Friday, October 2. Please help your child choose a title soon so they have plenty of time to read and complete the report.

Ask who the story was about, where it happened, and what important event they can prove with a sentence from the book.

Open the Battle of the Books list →

Writing Workshop

Writing workshop begins our personal narrative unit this week. Students will start gathering true stories from their own lives and learning how to tell them with a clear beginning, middle, and end — and with the descriptive sentences we practiced last week. A story does not have to be huge. A lost tooth, a first day, a hike, a funny dinner — those are the stories we are after.

Our Classroom Website

Newsletters, resources, and class magic live here. Bookmark it and share it with grandparents.

enchanted-hall.grok.me →

Potions Class · The Scientific Method

Every great discovery — from bubbling potions to soaring ideas — starts with a question and a plan. This week we begin our science unit by learning the Scientific Method, the official “spell sequence” scientists use to find answers. How to brew a brilliant idea:

1. 1Ask a Question — What do you wonder? (Why does ice melt faster in juice than in water?)
2. 2Research & Observe — Look closely. Read. Notice. Gather clues like a clever young scholar.
3. 3Make a Hypothesis — A smart guess you can test. “I think ___ because ___.”
4. 4Experiment — Test it! Change only one thing at a time. Record what happens.
5. 5Look at the Results — What did the data tell you? Was your guess right, wrong, or partly right?
6. 6Share Your Conclusion — Tell the story of what you learned — just as scientists (and professors) do.

Ask your child tonight: “If you could test one question like a scientist this week, what would it be?”

Our Utah Story

This week we officially begin our Utah history unit. Before we study pioneers, landscapes, and the people who shaped our state, we start with a story that matters most: your family’s story. Coming home today: a Family Origins map page. Students will mark where their family is from on a world map and write a short paragraph explaining how their family came to be in Utah. This can be their immediate family or ancestors — grandparents who moved for work, a great-great-grandparent who crossed an ocean, or a family who has called Utah home for generations. Every story belongs. Due Thursday, September 3. We will share these treasures together on Friday so the whole class can see the many paths that led us here. Please help your child with family details they may not know yet — a country, a city, a reason, a name. A few sentences is perfect.

Math

We are still reviewing important third-grade math standards while we learn how our math centers work. Centers help every learner practice at the right pace — with a partner, independently, or with me. A little review at home (facts, place value, or a story problem) is a kindness to next week’s confidence.

The Library · Reading

Reading centers begin this week! Students will rotate through thoughtful stations for fluency, comprehension, word work, and just-right independent reading. Ask which station they visited and one thing they read or discovered.

Writing Workshop

We have been reviewing what makes a complete sentence. This week we level up: compound sentences, complex sentences, and writing that paints a picture. These skills get us ready for personal narratives — true stories from our own lives, told with heart and detail.

Try this at the dinner table: Ask your child to turn a simple sentence into a richer one. “The owl flew.” becomes “The speckled owl flew over the canyon at dusk because it heard a mouse in the sagebrush.” That is the magic we are after.