Below is a glimpse of the learning happening in 4W as well as two photo slideshows of our AWESOMELY "SCIENCEY" Halloween Party and last week's Fall Harvest Festival. ENJOY!MATH:![]() We are working hard with decimals! Place value, comparing, addition and subtraction, problem solving, metric measurements and metric conversions have been keeping us busy. Most classes are wrapping up this study this week with final projects and summative assessments. Remember that IXL can be a great tool for helping your child at home! Our next unit will focus on multiplication of large numbers. SCIENCE/READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT:![]() We have been exploring the processes that change the surface of the Earth and the landforms created as a result. Students were invited to begin this study with a min-inquiry as a part of their Workjobs two weeks ago . Various leveled resources were provided for students to uncover the answer to the question: What processes change the surface of the Earth? We began last week with small group sharing of what was uncovered during the inquiry process. Students worked together to report their new learning. Our teaching team (myself, Mrs. Uptegrove, Mrs. McAllister, and Mrs. Couch) worked throughout the last two weeks with small groups to read and discuss leveled readers connected to our science topic. Students worked on pre-reading strategies, opinion writing, cause and effect relationships, leaving thinking tracks, summarizing, vocabulary, and comparing and contrasting. I have been so impressed with the thoughtful work students are doing when it comes to reading and discussing our thinking! Learners practiced their close reading skills with a leveled reading of either erosion, glaciers, or frost wedging. Students shared their new learning in small groups and worked together to formulate an answer to our key question: How does water change Earth's surface? Students explored two hands-on stations last week as well. Learners created a model to better understand where our Earth's water can be found and in what relative amounts. Additionally, they had a chance to see how rocks and water can break down and wear away rock. Ask your child to share what he/she learned from these experiences! This week's Internet Workshop gave students a chance to view a short movie about weathering and erosion. Learners also made choices about details to explore further and used a feature within the film to do so. Next, students had time to explore a website that shares information about various landforms. Students will share their new learning in small groups next week. We did spend a bit of time with our Science textbook last week as well. I am trying to help my class understand that the text is just one resource, and that as learners it is important to use many resources to help us in our learning and understanding. I was getting the comment, "We never use our science book!" The truth is that we use it as well as many other resources. We will continue with our Earth Science unit until Thanksgiving! READING-LITERATURE![]() This quarter we are working on identifying themes in literature and supporting our claims with evidence from the text. Last week, I introduced this to students in small groups and next week we will embark on a study of literature by Patricia Polacco. Students will be asked to read three books from our collection and do some important thinking! Students will then work on writing summaries, writing theme paragraphs, and also identifying signposts in the story and sharing their thinking in writing. Throughout the week, our teaching team will also be meeting with small groups to close read leveled text and discuss theme. WRITING![]() Last week was ESSAY WRITING BOOTCAMP! Students will continue throughout the quarter to practice writing skills that help them to become proficient opinion essay writers. Next week, students will practice using the topic of family. Stay tuned for these pieces to be published on Kidblog just in time for Thanksgiving! HALLOWEEN PARTY!FALL HARVEST FESTIVALThank you, Parents! I enjoyed having the chance to meet with you to discuss your child's progress. Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns. I am happy to set up appointments as needed. Below I am including some links that may be helpful or interesting as you continue to help your child at home. Thank you for all you do to help your child grow in his/her love of learning and achieve success in school! FOR PRACTICING MATH FACTS:FOR PRACTICING MATH SKILLS:IXL (your child has a username and password in the front of his/her math spiral) SUMDOG (your child has a username and password in the front of his/her math spiral) FUN and INTERESTING!
What a GREAT week!This short week was anything but easy-breezy for learners in 4W! However, I am thrilled to report that the challenging work facing the little people was met with enthusiasm, curiosity, effort, and a fabulous can-do attitude. Hopefully your child came home with much to share with you this week, but just in case...below are some words and images to help get the conversation going. INNOVATION DAY"AWESOME." This is my answer to "How did Innovation Day go?" The day was filled with motivated kids with a plan. RESEARCHING, ORGANIZING, and PROJECT PRODUCING 4th graders filled the room, the hall, the computer lab, and the library. I could not be more proud with how students used and managed the time allotted for this important work. I am reviewing self assessments and these will be coming home shortly! The Place ProjectThis week we ventured out for the first of many great visits to Elizabeth Gardens for the Place Project. Ask your child to share about the following with you! Field Journals Our Whistle System Qualitative and Quantitative Observations Check in with Kidblog to read about your child's special spot! From the pages of student Field Journals 10/30/13:
The day has come! I have the sound of the creek in my ear. “The Comfort Spot” is where I lean on a special form of rocks that fit my back perfectly. Leaves and vines secure my spot together. I found a spot with water and I am happy! The bush that leans over and bears “fruitful” berries is the royal archway. The leaves are the soft carpet. There is a squirrel’s nest right over me and a cloudless sky. There are many trees above me like a canopy under the sky. I need a shower...bad I can hear cars, but I am still calm. I was having a lot of trouble finding my spot, but when I did I just knew right then and there that this spot was going to be it. Above me are branches from all the trees around me. I can hear little droplets from the trees, and I can see little droplets in the water splashing. I’m sitting next to a creek, and in a hill on a root of a tree so I do not get wet! There are many types of trees that I would like to learn about. There are beautiful trees everywhere and underneath them is smooth, brown dirt. I hear birds chirping and singing songs. The heart shaped leaf is like a boat floating in the water. There is also a frog in the stream. Under me is a big animal hole. I wonder what animal lives there. There is also a bouncy vine that I can rest my feet on as an alternate. We are so high, that we have a good view of almost everything. The puppies were born yesterday! Sanford's new little brother or sister is in that sleepy pile. He's super jazzed. In an effort to make the best use of our quick 20 minutes together at Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences, I am asking 4W parents to complete the following questionnaire. Thank you for your feedback! We had a wonderful week in 4W! It was really exciting to see learners using the skills they have been taught throughout our first quarter together. During our trip to Sunwatch today, I was so impressed by the attentiveness of my students as well as the thoughtful questions they asked during the visit. I am looking forward to upcoming conferences and for embarking on Quarter 2 on Monday. We have a big week ahead...Innovation Day, The Place Project, Red Ribbon Week, and Halloween. Let the fun and learning continue! Students in 4W were invited to be "Hello, Harman" Fans of the Show!A beautiful day was enjoyed by all at Sunwatch! Great weather, great learning, and great students. |
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