Literacy - We are continuing through our first novel study called The Tiger Rising, one of the titles written by Kate DiCamillo that we will study this year. Students have began using their literacy binders to answer comprehension questions citing evidence from the text. We have been identifying rising/falling actions and comparing relationships between characters. We practice making inferences, which are different than basic predictions. Students are required to use information from the text to make accurate inferences. We will wrap up our first novel unit study with a culminating activity next week.
Writing - As we move through our Narrative Unit, we took a step back to practice making our writing more descriptive. We practiced writing using our 5 senses. Good writers can put a visual in their reader's heads, and we practiced describing objects (hidden "I, Spy" game), scenes, and have completed our Witch coloring pages. Students will write descriptive paragraphs describing their Witch for our "Which Witch is Which" Halloween activity on Tuesday. Math - Unit 1 is complete! We took our assessment last week and I was happy to see the progress my class is making. We started Unit 2 and began reviewing multiplication arrays and areas for rectangles. Each student has been paired up with a math buddy to help practice fact fluency. Every 4th grader has a multiplication goal and they are steadily improving. Stuck in traffic? Give your child single digit multiplication problems to help practice. Also, you can have your child practice on www.xtramath.org at home to help increase their fluency. We have also been doing word problems of the day to help students understand how to EXPLAIN how they solve problems using math terminology. Science - Our Life Science Unit is complete! We had our assessment today and students had to show what they know about all we covered in our first unit. We will move onto Social Studies next week and begin our Civics and Government unit. MicroSociety - Managers have been hired for ventures and agencies. Business proposals that were accepted were announced and we have many new and eager business owners! Students updated their resumes and have been practicing interviewing for positions. Business owners prepared "help wanted" boards for the job fair that starts next week!
0 Comments
Literacy - We finished our read aloud The Fear Place and discussed characterization and relationship development between the main characters. We went through a story mountain to identify rising and falling actions, climax, problems and resolutions. We have now begun our first novel study called The Tiger Rising, one of the titles written by Kate DiCamillo that we will study this year. Students have began using their literacy binders to answer comprehension questions citing evidence from the text. This is a difficult skill, but practice makes better.
Writing - Our first narrative stories have been completed as rough drafts in our writing notebooks. Students paired up to peer edit and practice their proofreading skills. Once completed, students utilized the Chrome book cart to type up their stories. Every 4th grader has a rubric with a checklist identifying which features are required in their story (setting, characters, problem/resolution, transition words, powerful language, mechanics, etc). I request each student use their rubrics to give themselves a grade prior to handing in the assignment. This is helpful for students to keep them aware of what features I am looking for when grading their writing assignments. Math - We went through our estimating and multi-digit addition and subtraction practice. We already shaved off over 2 minutes from our "I Have, Who Has" multiplication game. Ask your child! Single digit multiplication facts are a must. Students have been using the XtraMath website for quick practice. This website can be accessed at home at www.xtramath.org. Your child can be logged in using their first name and their pin is their date of birth (MMDD). If your child loves spending time on tablets, have them do their Xtra Math drill first! We moved onto measurement conversions and began identifying some geometry terms (point, lines, line segments, rays...) Science - Food chains and webs were completed and students worked on identifying producers, consumers, and decomposers. They then tried their hands at the food chain game (see our photos tab!). We discussed how natural disasters can affect ecosystems, such as the CA wildfires. We ran through a mystery science experiment in which pictures of habitats from today were compared to fossils found in that location. Imagine the students surprise when they learned whale fossils were found in the Sahara Desert and palm tree fossils were found in Antartica! This sparked a rousing discussion of how the Earth changes over time, and they had to explain how fish fossils were found on top of a mountain. We are finishing up our first unit with a comprehensive assessment to come at the end of next week. MicroSociety - Management 101 class began for all MicroCity residents interested in managing a venture or agency this year. 4th graders worked on resumes and practiced identifying characteristics they possess which would benefit their employer. We discussed how to make our resumes stand out and some of my entrepreneurial students submitted their own business proposals for ventures they would like to start at MACS this year. Literacy - We reviewed a lesson in types of genres which led to a full reorganizing of the classroom library. Students now have access to multiple titles across several grade levels and genres. We continue to discuss elements of literacy as we work through our read aloud The Fear Place. We have been emphasizing characters' relationships and how they change throughout a novel. We discuss rising and falling actions and how the author uses powerful word choice to build up tension leading to a climax. We distributed our Reading Log to help keep track of books finished in 4th grade. This is a helpful tool to keep track of titles students read and to make sure they are reading books that are a good fit for them and perhaps venture out into a new genre!
Writing - We dove into our first unit on Narrative Writing with a lesson on "What is a Story?" We connected our writing with literacy and discussed what types of elements are usually found in a story (setting, plot, characters, etc) and how to best incorporate these elements into their own writing. We began brainstorming and completed a "Story Map" of our first narrative. Students will be tasked with creating an engaging story (ask them about how to use a hook to keep a reader interested!) using the elements we've discussed. We discussed introducing problems and resolutions into our writing. Students were shown self-rubrics to help them make sure they are including all required elements in their writing. We continue to do weekly spelling and word work to practice unfamiliar terms. Math - We spent some time reviewing estimation ("whyyyyy do we have to esssstimate?") to help show students that estimating can help catch silly mistakes. Now that they are able to round to certain place values, 4th graders began use estimating strategies to help complete basic arithmetic problems, as well as longer number stories. The creativity was flowing as the entire group helped develop an engaging number story about how many gummy worms were consumed by their classmates. We will use these strategies as we move into triple digit addition and subtraction problems. Science - We finished our creature feature assignment along with detailed drawings of how certain features of their creature help them survive in a specific environment. We also completed our first science vocabulary assessment.. We utilized our Science readers to review Energy in an Ecosystem and the difference between producers, consumers, and decomposers. I showed a time-lapse clip of fungi growing in a dense jungle to show how decomposers help break down dead plants/animals and return nutrients to the soil. Plenty of curious minds in my class so engage your child in a conversation about science! MicroSociety - The votes are in! MACS students voted in new President, Vice President, Senators, and Class Representatives. We reviewed check writing, balancing our ledger, taxes, and discussed venture possibilities for students. Management 101 has begun for any student interested in managing a business. We will discuss resumes, job applications, and business proposals in the coming days... |
Archives
April 2018
|