Reading, writing, reading, writing, connecting, conversing, connecting, conversing!!!! We cannot wait to share some incredible novels, stories, articles, and poems with you this year and facilitate your growth as an author. We want you to connect meaningfully to what you read and talk about it! Then we want you to write about what you read and learn from your reading how to use interesting, descriptive language to record your own thoughts and stories in organized narratives. You will have an opportunity to learn how our language has borrowed words from other languages.

Fractions. Multiplication. Geometry. Measurement. Division. Problem Solving. Fun. Elapsed Time. Probability. Algebra. These are all topics that we will be covering in fourth-grade math and advanced math this year and they are incredibly interesting and fun! fourth grade math is challenging, but that is part of the enjoyment. Let’s set the mental framework – riding a two-wheel bike took some work. We didn’t hop on and just take off the first time we tried. Several of the skills in fourth grade math will be like that, and we want to encourage you, right now, before you hop on, to stick to it!!! We know you can do it and that you’ll be whizzing around with all of the fourth grade math skills and having fun with a bit of work and practice!!

Calling all scientists! What an exciting year we have in store as we use scientific inquiry skills while studying a variety of topics! We’ll begin by investigating the plant kingdom and then use this knowledge as we discover how plants interact with their ecosystems. You will have an opportunity to question how animals adapt to their habitats and get their needs met. From here we’ll study weather’s impact on our lives and how the water cycle contributes to Virginia’s watersheds. Shockingly, you will get to create electrical circuits during our study of electricity and really get energized when we delve into force, motion, and energy! Finally, you’ll have an out of this world experience as we take off with our investigation of our solar system and how it functions! Whew!! Get your lab coats and goggles!

In fourth-grade Social Studies you will learn about your state’s history, and because our state is Virginia, your country’s history. You will learn about Virginia’s five scenic and diverse regions, travel in history from the founding of Jamestown, through the American Revolution, Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights Movement and get a taste for the innovations developed by 20th century Virginians.

You will be amazed to meet the brave men and women who shaped Virginia: the Powhatans, Cherokee, and Monacans, Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the young, idealistic students who marched for Civil Rights, and Maggie L. Walker just to name a few! So many Virginians who were simply regular people became great through their commitment to and belief in freedom! It’s an exciting year! Pack your bags, open your heart and mind!