4th Grade Planner Project:
Where We Are in Time and Place 2015
Dear 4th Grade Families,
The students are getting ready to embark on a research project for our third planner of the year, To Infinity and Beyond! It is your mission to decide on an explorer to research. We will need to know your chosen explorer by Monday, November 30th. All of your research materials, such as printed internet work, books, magazines, etc., will need to be brought to school by Tuesday, December 1st. We will use the students’ materials to further our inquiry into exploration. To give you an idea of what your children will study and inquire about in this planner, we’ve included the unit title, central idea, and the inquiries below:
Theme: Where We Are in Time and Place
Title: To Infinity and Beyond!
Central Idea: Exploration leads to discoveries.
An inquiry into:
· reasons for exploration
· types of discovery
· the effects on individuals, groups, and nations
For your convenience, we’ve given you a list of possible explorers to choose from on the back of this letter. Feel free to pick one who is listed, or find another explorer of your own choosing. We ask that you refrain from choosing Christopher Columbus, as we will use him as a model for our learning.
You might want to take a trip to the public library or book store to find an actual book to go along with your chosen explorer. We have found, in the past, that internet material may not be enough to answer all of our research questions. Also, please be sure that the internet materials are at an appropriate reading level for your child. If your child isn’t able to read or understand the material without significant assistance from you, then it’s probably not an appropriate level.
Again, please make sure that your child brings his/her research materials to school by Tuesday, December 1st. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s teacher.
Sincerely,
The 4th Grade Teachers