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Fourth Grade Summer Bridge Packet - 2012-2013

Dear Parents,

We cannot wait to welcome your child to the fourth grade at the Best Place Around!  This packet has been prepared for you and your child to have the very best chance of success as soon as we begin the 2012-2013 school year.  All students entering fourth grade will be required to complete the following assignments during the summer months and turn in during the first two weeks of school. These activities are designed to “bridge the summer gap”, and help your child be a “Responsible Achiever”. There are a total of 5 assignments to help best prepare your child for success next year.

Your student will be rewarded after school begins for their participation in this important summer program. They will receive a “Certificate of Excellence”, and will be able to attend the “Hot and Cold Sensory Words Sundae Party” and enjoy hot fudge sundaes for their efforts. They will also receive one “Homework Pass”. Thank you for supporting your child as they work through these important activities. The most important reward will be their ability to enter the fourth grade with the confidence and skills to succeed.

READING:

Students entering fourth grade will have 2 required reading books for their summer

assignment: One non-fiction book with a project and one fiction book. The non-fiction book will

introduce our 4th grade Social Studies curriculum: Florida, Past and Present. We will use the fiction book to begin our curricular studies on the theme “Risks and Consequences” in August.

Fiction book:

You are to read one of the books listed below. Please read the book written that is closest to your reading level. While these books should be available at the public library, you may want to purchase a copy of the book you read. We will be using the books for author discussions when we return to school in August. Students should be reading 30 minutes per day throughout the summer to maintain, and raise reading levels during their break. The Sunshine State Young Readers Award list is also attached, and your child is highly encouraged to read a few titles to begin preparing for the Bay County “Battle of the Books” competition.

• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Judy Blume
• The BFG – Ronald Dahl
• Sarah, Plain, and Tall – Patricia MacLachlan

Non-fiction book:

Learning about Florida is the major component of the Social Studies curriculum in fourth grade.

Therefore, to gain a preview about the state of Florida, you are to read one of the books about Florida

that is listed below. You should choose a book that is closest to your reading level. All of these books are available through the public library system.

• Florida Facts and Symbols (Emily McAuliffe)
• Florida (From Sea to Shining Sea, Second) (Barbara Somervill
• Florida (Hello U.S.A.) (Karen Sirvaitis)

Non-fiction Book Project Assignment –

After you read the book, choose five facts about the state of Florida. These can be facts that simply interest you, or facts that you feel are important to Florida. Create one of the following to demonstrate these Florida facts: Poster, brochure, or poem.

Florida Non-Fiction Book Social Studies Project (Poster, brochure, or poem)

Rubric:

• 50 points - Five (5) facts on State of Florida are presented. Facts are accurate and meaningful
• 10 -Title of the book read is indicated on project. Title is accurately written and the author is indicated. (Don’t forget to underline title of book.)
• 10 - Project is neat and reflects student’s best effort.
• 20 - Creativity: Was extremely creative and presented with originality. (This means your project will not look like other students’ projects.) Student used effective materials to complete project and used a unique approach that enhanced the project. It looks like the student did the project, not the parent.
• 10 - Presentation of project to class. (Used good expression, voice is loud and clear, makes eye contact with audience; easy to understand).
• 10 - Project is turned in by due date. (TBA)

MATH: Students entering 4th grade need to demonstrate MASTERY with their times tables. The fourth grade math curriculum relies heavily on mastery of these facts. Please be sure you know your facts through 12 x 12. The following websites are recommended for math review. All are based on Florida and standards and benchmarks. The first one covers third grade curriculum and will provide a review of what was learned in third grade, while the second website covers fourth grade material. It will provide a head start for those students who are ready to move ahead.

http://www.ixl.com/math/standards/florida/grade-3

http://www.ixl.com/math/standards/florida/grade-4

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/index.html - GREAT FOR MATH DRILLS!!!

The “I Am Ready” math packet enclosed needs to be completed to demonstrate understanding of all the concepts for your student to be prepared to hit the ground running in fourth grade. Our learning goals for your child can only be reached with your support, and a mastery of the third grade skills.  Our recommendation is to complete five problems per day and do daily multiplication drills using the websites provided above.

MATH TERMS TO REMEMBER: Create flashcards to review the following math vocabulary:

Numerator, Mixed Numbers, Sum, Difference, Percent, Operations, Two-dimensional, Space Figure, Circumference, Pyramid, Slide, Turn, Denominator, Mode, Average, Improper Fractions, Product, Quotient, Remainder, Place Value, Equations, Three-dimensional, Angle, Congruent,

Perimeter, Quadrilateral, Diameter, Prism, Sphere, Flip, Polygon

WRITING: Writing is a HUGE component in this grade level and we want each child to be “writing ready” at the beginning of the school year. Use the attached sheets to become familiar with the two types of writing we focus on heavily in fourth grade and to write two, one-page papers: An Expository (“Explain why…”) paper, and a Narrative (“Tell a story…”) story.  Use the paper provided in the packet for both of your pieces of writing.

• Expository Prompt: Summer is a fun time of year. Think about the reasons why you like summer time. Write to explain why you think summer is a fun time of year.
• Narrative Prompt: Imagine you were allowed to take summer vacation anywhere in the world. Think about where your dream summer vacation destination would be. Write to tell a story about your dream summer vacation.

All students should pay close attention to:

• Correct grammar usage
• Correct spelling
• Appropriate use of margins, indenting paragraphs, and using correct punctuation.
• Having a clear Beginning, Middle, and End (BME) in both pieces of writing.

This is the first introduction to who your child is as a WRITER!  Blow us away with creativity, word choice, use of figurative language, and VOICE! We are also enclosing a copy of the 6 Point Rubric used to score your child in fourth grade.

Thank you for supporting your child’s summer learning! We hope that you enjoy your summer, Stingrays, and we look forward to meeting you soon!

Sincerely – The” Fun-Learning” Fourth Grade Teachers

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