I really do love this time of year, with all its craziness and festivities! The children are just so full of joy and excitement, that it's hard not to catch their spirit! With that said, we are still hard at work here in 4K! Here's some of what's been going on ...
ELA: Students are excited to be working on a holiday research project here at school. Each partnership is researching a different winter holiday from around the world...some are fairly obscure! After researching basic information about the holiday, students will create a presentation to share with the class next week. Ask your child which holiday s/he is learning about!
We continue to work on parts of speech, with our most recent focus being adverbs. And, students have spent a lot of time creating a booklet called "Hooray for the Holidays" in which they are writing about holiday wishes, memories, and traditions. We will share these with each other next week, then they will come home for you to see!
MATH: All math classes took a test last week on chapter 5. Fractions will be our focus throughout the third quarter. A great thing to do for your child is to point out fractions as you use them in your daily life...when you're baking for the holidays, how much pizza is left, what fraction of the presents have bows, etc. This will help your child see the practical, everyday uses of fractions.
SCIENCE: After studying weathering, erosion, and deposition, we spent about a week learning about all the different landforms that cover earth. Now we are learning about the faster processes that can change earth's surface...volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, drought, etc. Students are always intrigued by the various forces of nature!
NEXT WEEK: One day next week, I would like to show your children the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie" since we just read the book. It will be my present to them and I will serve them treats and drinks. IT'S A SURPRISE, so please don't tell! Also, it is rated PG, so please let me know if you DO NOT want your child to watch this movie with us.
Here are some other specials things going on next week:
Monday, December 18: 4th graders wear green! (Bright Holiday Lights!)
Tuesday, December 19: Pajama Day! (no slippers) (Settle In for a Long Winter's Nap!)
Wednesday, December 20: Wear your favorite holiday sweater, hat, socks, scarf
and/or accessories! (Holiday Cheer Gear)
Holiday party @ 2pm!
Thursday, December 21: FIRST DAY OF BREAK! ENJOY!
We are quickly heading towards the end of 2nd quarter...fourth grade is almost half over! This is a time of year when we are settled into our routines and a lot of learning happens on a daily basis. Here's what we've been up to:
ELA: The students (and I!) really enjoyed the book Because of Winn-Dixie. The characters were so well developed and lovable! We have completed some follow up work with this book and are in the midst of a final project. Two different times in the book, the main character, Opal, makes a list of 10 things about other characters. Our project is to list 10 things about ourselves. Your child might come home asking you to print pictures for this project, and I hope you are able to! Just computer printed pictures will work!
Before Thanksgiving, we had a story sharing party. Students had their realistic fiction stories on their desks, along with a note about what to look for/what they were most proud of in their stories. Then, we spent about half an hour walking around and reading each others stories, then writing a quick little note back about what we liked. The students really enjoyed getting to read each other's stories!
We finished the read aloud The Girl Who Could Fly, which the kids loved! It was my daughter's favorite read aloud from her 4th grade year. Now I am reading Wonder to the students. One thing we are doing at the end of each reading is writing a six word sentence to summarize the section just read. Students have a booklet to help record this thinking. This is such a beautiful book...if you have time, I think you'd love to read it, or take the family to see the movie! It really is a beautiful story and teaches so many "wonder"ful lessons.
MATH: Students in all math classes have tested on chapter 4, which covered long division, and have moved into chapter 5, which is about factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers. Please check with your child about his/her Reflex and/or SumDog requirements and make sure s/he is meeting them!
SCIENCE: We are back to science with earth science. In this section, we study earth's processes (weathering, erosion, deposition), as well as landforms and how they are formed. While at Centennial Park earlier this month, students were assigned a tree or rocky area to observe each time we go. These are areas that show much weathering/erosion and are a real life way to explore these concepts. There will be a landform project assigned after winter vacation.
SOCIAL STUDIES: LAST REMINDER...THE FIELD TRIP PROJECT IS DUE ON FRIDAY! I hope you enjoyed this project and your trip!
SPECIAL DAYS COMING UP:
Friday, December 15: Holiday Assembly
Monday, December 18: 4th graders wear green!
Tuesday, December 19: Pajama Day! (no slippers)
Wednesday, December 20: Wear your holiday clothes! Holiday party @ 2pm!
Thursday, December 21: FIRST DAY OF BREAK! ENJOY!
