I'm so proud of the hard work students are putting forth in 4W! We are working on a variety of learning targets across the curriculum, but I will highlight a few in this post. "I can use specific details from the story to describe a character in depth" Students completed reading Stone Fox at the end of last week. It was a tough end to a great story and there were some tears. We realized however, that the author must have done quite an excellent job of writing to have us all so emotionally wrapped up in the characters and events of the story. While the ending was hard to accept, this week we moved forward to look at our characters more closely. During WORKJOBS, students viewed a short screencast about character traits. This screencast will remain available on my website for students to revisit when/if needed throughout the year. Next, each student chose a character they would like to study more closely. Students identified traits for their chosen characters and then located evidence in the text to support their opinions. Finally, students organized their information into a paragraph that would later be shared on our class blog. "I can write a paragraph that includes an exciting introduction, interesting supporting details, and a strong conclusion." Students are working on developing well organized paragraphs. This week, we practiced with the information we gathered on our Stone Fox characters. While we continue to examine the author's purpose in the things we read, we discovered that we must be clear about our purpose when we are writing as well. We determined that the our purpose with our character paragraphs was to inform the reader. Students published their writing on Kidblog so they could share their work with the class. Next week, small groups will be reading, and giving feedback on these character pieces. I am thrilled with the enthusiasm students are showing for writing and for Kidblog! "I can draw inferences from a text and refer to details and examples in the text when explaining my inferences." Students worked diligently this week on a written assessment for the reading of Stone Fox. Students were asked several text-dependent questions in which they needed to return to the text to locate evidence to support their inferences and opinions. This is challenging work for fourth grade students. It requires a great deal of patience and perseverance. I am enjoying watching students improve in their stamina and ability! NOTICE AND NOTE!The second of our six sign posts was introduced this week. Aha! Moments are moments in a story when suddenly a character understands something, realizes something, or finally figures something out. When we notice this in our reading, we should stop and ask ourselves, HOW MIGHT THIS CHANGE THINGS? Noticing these moments and noting them by thinking about the key question will help students read more closely and learn about the conflict and theme. "I know how to use the engineering design process." 4W students enjoyed using the engineering design process this week! We did some reading, looked at several different diagrams that showed the process, watched some short Design Squad clips, and had some great discussions about working with others and solving problems in groups. The real learning came from DOING, however! THE CHALLENGE: Build a tower that can support a tennis ball at least 18 inches off the ground while withstanding the wind from a fan. MATERIALS: paper, straws, string, tape, and popsicle sticks We did not finish completely, but it was AWESOME watching students work through the process together in their small groups. Students first worked together to brainstorm ideas. Next, students planned a design. Finally, students are now in the building, testing, and redesigning phase. What they don't know is that I'm going to change the rules next week. He, he. More opportunities for learning! Ask your child to share about this process with you! "I can create a line plot to display a data set." Unit 2 in math has been all about place value, data collection, and data landmarks. All classes will be testing at some point next week and then will move on to Unit 3 which focuses on multiplication, division, number sentences and algebra. My class worked on several projects this week involving data collection, data reporting, and large numbers. I can take a break when needed to keep myself focused. Also, I can have fun because after all, I AM A KID! Movement breaks are needed and encouraged. Sometimes we do this together as a class, and sometimes students make these choices on their own. Learners in 4W are getting very good at self regulating and noticing when the mind and body needs a quick break to recharge and refocus. Ask your child what we have determined are appropriate ways to take breaks and for how long we take them. Below is a picture I took during one of our breaks...dancing!
0 Comments
Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Perseverance...were all required when learners in 4W were asked to Save Fred. The story goes like this: Fred the Worm had been boating on the Great Lakes over the summer, but did not heed the advice of his friends. He did not learn to swim before his adventure on the water, and he did not wear a life preserver. Of course, the worst was bound to happen. Fred's boat capsized! Thankfully, his life preserver is in the boat, but he cannot figure out how to get to it without falling off the boat and drowning. ENTER TEAM 4W to the rescue! Each team was faced with this problem to solve: SAVE FRED using only four paperclips. You may not touch Fred, the boat, or the life preserver directly with your hands. Below, you can see that Fred has the best folks on the job to save his life! Following the saving of Fred and the cheers of joy and relief, students were asked to reflect on the challenges they encountered and how they worked to overcome them. Students also illustrated and described a full account of the journey to save Fred with only 4 paperclips. Ask your child to share the details with you! Fred's family is eternally grateful for the perseverance shown by TEAM 4w.
DISCOVERY QUESTI introduced the Discovery Quest project on Friday afternoon! Discovery Quest is an exciting opportunity for students to explore and discover a topic of their choice. Learners will be guided through the process of this independent inquiry and will be given time to work, process, and collaborate in class. Each student should use books, magazines, reference materials, interviews, apps or the internet to learn about the topic. Once the topic has been researched, students must decide on a creative way to present what they have learned to the class. Students may bring in pictures, posters, power point presentations, guest speakers, videos, or share their learning in another creative way. Each child will receive full credit for participation in this project. No written "report" is required or expected. Time outside of class will be required, but ample time will be given so students and parents may plan for work well in advance of the project due date. I challenge each child to enjoy the learning process. I'm excited to see each student succeed in sharing his or her new learning with the class! Students are bringing home information in backpacks. Please check with your child as he/she should have: *A timeline that outlines important dates and details for the first semester. Keep this handy for quick reference! *A list of project choices * DQ choice form. This needs to be returned to school by September 20th. Please check my DISCOVERY QUEST page on this site for information also! I will be adding links for students to use in their research, so stay tuned! Students were introduced to Kidblog this week! We will be using this tool throughout the year to share our writing, facilitate discussions, collaborate, and give each other feedback about ideas and writing. This week, we discussed digital citizenship and guidelines for appropriate participation in our class blogosphere. We practiced making thoughtul comments and I modeled a paragraph for students. Our writing and discussions on Kidblog are not public, but we would love for parents to function as observers! Please ask your child for his/her password and you may enter under his/her name. I invite you to feel free to read, observe, and comment on your child's writing! Please note that I have the ability to comment publicly, or privately. Comments that appear in a blue box can only be seen by your child. I may opt to write a private comment if I am giving constructive criticism, as I would not make this type of comment publicly. Team 4W students appear very motivated by this tool and I look forward to using it throughout the year! The One and Only IvanThe One and Only Ivan has offered so many opportunities to discuss figurative language, character traits, and writer's craft. This week we met Ruby, the new baby elephant, brought to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. She is a new attraction and we are learning more and more about our characters since she has arrived! Ask your child about this quote taken from The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: “I like colorful tales with black beginnings and stormy middles and cloudless blue-sky endings. But any story will do.” How does water affect the movement of the fish?Students explored their testable question this week! Ask them to fill you in! Ask your child to share with you the details of our week and enjoy the slideshow as well! Daybooks...What are they? How will they be used? Enemy Pie...Can you share a contrast and contradiction found in this story? Narratives...What strategy did you use for writing your lead? Where are you in the writing process? Magic Fish...What questions do you have about the fish? Explain the class testable question. Thinking Tracks and annotations...Can you tell me what this means and why it is an important strategy for reading? Non-fiction reading...What answers did you find to the key question: Why do we still study people who lived a long time ago? Observations and Inferences...Can you give me examples of each? Convex and Concave...How does a convex polygon differ from a concave polygon? What do they have in common? Teaching is the best. I love seeing students stretch their brains, share their ideas, get things right after getting things wrong, ask questions and pursue further understanding. I love to be a part of the process of growth. It's hard work and it's exciting work!
Throughout the learning process, students produce a large amount of work to show learning. Some of this you will see and some of this you will not. The majority of what we do in class is formative, which essentially means practice, and informs my next steps for instruction. Descriptive feedback is given to students for this work through private conversation, written comments, and group discussions. The idea is that this feedback will address individual student progress and clarify how a student may improve, extend, or enhance learning. For written feedback, students are given time in class to reflect on their work, ask questions, and assess their own learning. I do not assign grades to work that is formative. It is not a final judgment of student learning, and a grade does not do anything to move a student forward in his/her learning. It is part of the learning process. Once a grade is on the paper, students tend to shut down and disregard the feedback designed to help them achieve the specified learning targets. I work very hard to stress to students that learning, rather than "good grades," is my goal for each of them. I explain that I am not just in the business of collecting grades for my grade book. Of course, some work will be graded! Graded assignments/projects/tests will be used to hold students accountable for their learning and gauge where students are relative to our content standards. These summative assessments will be given after instruction and practice. Grades will be posted in Progress Book which I typically update weekly. Some students love to post graded work on their personal bulletin board, so check with your child if a test, project, or other graded assignment does not make its way home. “Homework, I have discovered, involves a sharp pencil and thick books and long sighs.” Team 4W had a fabulous week together! I am still introducing various classroom tools, routines, strategies, and expectations. I am thrilled with how well this group is attending to all the details, which can be overwhelming at the start of a new school year. Thank you for your continued help at home. Getting back into the swing takes time! Below are a few things we worked on this week. This week, students were assessed in spelling and reading so that I may tailor my instruction to best meet each child's needs. Spelling: We will be using a new program this year and your child's spelling practice and assessments will look very different from what he/she experienced in the past. More information will be coming home in the next couple weeks, so be on the look-out. The program we will be using is called Words Their Way. iReady: iReady is an online assessment tool designed to assess students' reading proficiency and identify skills to prioritize for instruction. Students did a great job using this tool and I look forward to using the results to guide my reading instruction. Ask your child to share with you his/her experience! Students are working to uncover the answer to this essential question in Science: How do scientists find out about objects, living things, events, and phenomena? We examined what it means to observe and infer this week. Several activities allowed students to practice the art of observation and use their observations to infer. Ask your child to share with you about...
Word Lockers are one of the tools students will use in 4th grade! Content vocabulary will be stored in our Word Lockers for studying and for using in our writing across the curriculum. Students are also encouraged to collect interesting or meaningful words they find in their reading. As a general routine, each word card has a word, its definition, and an image/example/diagram to help students remember the meaning. Students completed their first self assessment this week. I asked each child to reflect on last week's 4W Bootcamp goals and determine if each goal had been reached, or if progress toward the goal was still being made. Students were then asked to provide evidence to support their answers. I will be giving Team 4W this reflective opportunity each week. Three curriculum learning targets from the previous week will be the focus for the weekly self assessment. This is a great opportunity for learners to think about their progress and communicate to themselves and to me about help and encouragement that is still needed. Please look for these to come home weekly. Student responses on self assessments can be a great way to start a discussion at home about your child's learning experiences at school! Each week, learners will be using mentor sentences from various authors' works to learn about and review parts of speech, grammar, and figurative language. Additionally, students will practice revising and imitating patterns and tools used by authors so that they may continue to develop their own writing skills. Ask your child to share about this classroom routine with you! Reading is thinking! We learned this week about the Contrast and Contradiction signpost. When a character in a story says or does something that is the opposite of what we would expect, we should take notice! Answering the question, "Why is the character doing that?" will give us greater insight. The answer may help us infer or predict about the plot, conflict, or theme of the story. Ask your child about the contrasts and contradictions found in "Thank you, Ma'am" by Langston Hughs and in Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. This signpost is one of six that students will learn about this year. Understanding and using these signposts will help students to read and comprehend more deeply. Students will be writing narratives this quarter. We worked on some pre-writing last week and will begin drafting this week! Students were placed in classes last week and are off to a great start in math! Unit 1 will uncover and review various geometry skills and concepts. In addition to our Everyday Math Program, students will use various online tools, games, and apps for learning. Standards Based Assessments will also be used in conjunction with the text for formative and summative assessment. Regular fact practice at home will help students achieve fluency so they may accurately compute. Check out my MATH PAGE for links to online games for fact practice! |
AuthorS
|