Yesterday, the children were paired with their first grade character partner. The children spent time yesterday getting to know their new character partners by doing a glyph together and learning about things they had in common.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Magic Tricks
These fourth graders may look like magicians, but they're actually scientists! Our study on light this week has been pretty amazing. Check out these cool "tricks" and ask a fourth grader to learn more about why these "tricks" happen!
The pencil may look broken, but when we pulled it back out of the water, it was still in one piece!
The penny was stuck to the bottom of the bowl. The penny didn't move, nor did the camera, but look what happened...
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Map Reading Skills
Thanks to wonderful inventions like Google Maps and Map Quest, we no longer have to worry about unfolding and refolding those big paper maps, but that doesn't mean that they aren't still interesting to look at! Today, the children searched for Alabama cities using the key, found cities using the grid system on the map and used the scale to determine how far apart places in our great state are.
Picture Day
Everyone was here and all dressed up for Picture Day, so we couldn't help but take our first class photo! What a beautiful (inside and out) group of 4th graders!
They've also got a wonderful silly side as well!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Week 3, First Nine Weeks
We've got a busy week here in fourth grade!
Reading: We will be finishing this study on facts and opinions this week. The children will take a short assessment on Wednesday. Just so you know, instead of seeing a percentage grade, you will see a 1, 2 or 3 at the top of the assessments. Since this is a topic that we will cover again later on in the year, at a deeper level, I am not anticipating marking any papers with a three. Even your child does well on the assessment, expect a two which means he/she is on target and I expect that the next time the topic is covered, he or she will understand facts and opinions at that deeper level. We will also begin talking about reading "signposts" and genres later this week.
Math: Our main focus is on place value. The children need to have a strong foundation of understanding numbers. This means understanding the value of the number, all digits within the number and how it compares with other numbers. Today, we discussed how each place value is ten times more than the place value to its right (10 is 10x bigger than 1; 1,000 is 10x bigger than 100). The children will take a few short assessments this week for me to check their understanding. I do hope to see some threes in math since math concepts build on one another. If a child does not make a three, then I will be working with him/her more closely and I would love to see him/her doing some extra practice at home. This website has some great activities and games that are right along the lines of what we are working on: Place Value. Later on in the week, the children will begin working on a place value menu where they choose activities to work on independently or with a partner that will challenge their thinking on the topics we are covering.
Language: Our focus for the first few weeks of school has been and will continue to be nouns. We have discussed what a noun is and now we are discussing types of nouns such as singular, plural, common and proper nouns. On Friday, in the classroom, children played some games on this website identifying plural nouns and practicing correct spellings of plural nouns: Plural Nouns. This basketball themed game will also be great practice for common and proper nouns: Common vs Proper Nouns.
Science: We have been investigating materials that are opaque, translucent and transparent. We will also do a few experiments this week where we look to see how light can play tricks on us. I am anticipating that we will be ready for our science assessment on light on Thursday. Since this is not a topic we will cover again this year, your child should be earning a three. Your child will be bringing home a notebook with information in it, but there are two different websites that may be helpful when studying for this test: Light Game and I have created some matching/definition cards on Study Stack that can be used to study light.
Alabama History: The students are learning more about world geography and how to read a map. We've talked about different kinds of maps, parts of a map, continents, oceans and how the earth is divided. We should be ready for our geography test on Friday. Your child's notebook should have sufficient information in it, but there are some other options as well. To study where the continents and oceans are, this website has a variety of games and activities: World Geography. And on the same Study Stacks website, the children can practice terms and definitions for World Geography.
Reading: We will be finishing this study on facts and opinions this week. The children will take a short assessment on Wednesday. Just so you know, instead of seeing a percentage grade, you will see a 1, 2 or 3 at the top of the assessments. Since this is a topic that we will cover again later on in the year, at a deeper level, I am not anticipating marking any papers with a three. Even your child does well on the assessment, expect a two which means he/she is on target and I expect that the next time the topic is covered, he or she will understand facts and opinions at that deeper level. We will also begin talking about reading "signposts" and genres later this week.
Math: Our main focus is on place value. The children need to have a strong foundation of understanding numbers. This means understanding the value of the number, all digits within the number and how it compares with other numbers. Today, we discussed how each place value is ten times more than the place value to its right (10 is 10x bigger than 1; 1,000 is 10x bigger than 100). The children will take a few short assessments this week for me to check their understanding. I do hope to see some threes in math since math concepts build on one another. If a child does not make a three, then I will be working with him/her more closely and I would love to see him/her doing some extra practice at home. This website has some great activities and games that are right along the lines of what we are working on: Place Value. Later on in the week, the children will begin working on a place value menu where they choose activities to work on independently or with a partner that will challenge their thinking on the topics we are covering.
Language: Our focus for the first few weeks of school has been and will continue to be nouns. We have discussed what a noun is and now we are discussing types of nouns such as singular, plural, common and proper nouns. On Friday, in the classroom, children played some games on this website identifying plural nouns and practicing correct spellings of plural nouns: Plural Nouns. This basketball themed game will also be great practice for common and proper nouns: Common vs Proper Nouns.
Science: We have been investigating materials that are opaque, translucent and transparent. We will also do a few experiments this week where we look to see how light can play tricks on us. I am anticipating that we will be ready for our science assessment on light on Thursday. Since this is not a topic we will cover again this year, your child should be earning a three. Your child will be bringing home a notebook with information in it, but there are two different websites that may be helpful when studying for this test: Light Game and I have created some matching/definition cards on Study Stack that can be used to study light.
Alabama History: The students are learning more about world geography and how to read a map. We've talked about different kinds of maps, parts of a map, continents, oceans and how the earth is divided. We should be ready for our geography test on Friday. Your child's notebook should have sufficient information in it, but there are some other options as well. To study where the continents and oceans are, this website has a variety of games and activities: World Geography. And on the same Study Stacks website, the children can practice terms and definitions for World Geography.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Personality Bags
It is absolutely amazing how watching these nine-and-ten-year-olds pull five items from a paper bag can tell you so much about them. It is as much the items as the way they present and talk about the items. They share trophies, medals, and accomplishments as proudly as they shared photographs of their family. They shared special stuffed animals and trinkets collected from trips or given as special gifts from loved ones. They shared items highlighting their hobbies of sports, art, dance, photography and animals. I loved watching them shine as they shared a bit more about what made them truly unique, but I also loved watching them listen intently as their classmates shared and asking thoughtful questions about the treasured items.
In small groups, we also shared these personality bags with Mrs. Crimi's class, our character partners. Next week the children will be paired with one of these first graders whom they will work with throughout the year.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Read Aloud
Over the last week, for our read aloud, rather than starting with a chapter book, I decided to start the year by reading some picture books that might inspire the children. I read a story called If I Never Forever Endeavor about a little bird debating on taking his first step out of the nest.
Then we read biographies about people with noble qualities. We read about Abraham Lincoln, Wilma Rudolph and Amelia Earhart and two other people you may not have heard of before, but you know about their inventions and discoveries: Alfred Nobel and Barnum Brown. Who are they? Just ask one of these 4th graders!
The children picked out that these people showed qualities of determination, perseverance, and patience. Each of these people struggled, went through a difficult time, overcame great obstacles, or continued to pursue their dream when others told them it was impossible.
Sometimes, we go through tough times, sometimes obstacles like long division or long chapter books or cursive stand in our way. But with determination, perseverance and patience, I know these kids will be able to accomplish their goals!
Then we read biographies about people with noble qualities. We read about Abraham Lincoln, Wilma Rudolph and Amelia Earhart and two other people you may not have heard of before, but you know about their inventions and discoveries: Alfred Nobel and Barnum Brown. Who are they? Just ask one of these 4th graders!
The children picked out that these people showed qualities of determination, perseverance, and patience. Each of these people struggled, went through a difficult time, overcame great obstacles, or continued to pursue their dream when others told them it was impossible.
Sometimes, we go through tough times, sometimes obstacles like long division or long chapter books or cursive stand in our way. But with determination, perseverance and patience, I know these kids will be able to accomplish their goals!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Scholastic
Scholastic catalogs will be coming home this week if you or your child are interested. Please know that of course ordering from Scholastic is optional, in no way is it a requirement. It is however, a wonderful way to purchase gifts for your child because not only are the books reasonably priced, but in the process, our classroom is also earning books to add to our library.
The best way to order Scholastic books is online, but if you would like to order by sending in the form and exact change or a check made out to Scholastic, of course you are more than welcome to do so. If you would like to purchase something as a gift for your child, just send me an email so I know to hold it and then I can arrange a "transfer" with you at a later date.
These first book orders are due September 4th and should arrive about a week after that.
To order, simply visit: https://orders.scholastic.com/GT74M and you should be taken directly to our classroom ordering page. If you have any problems or questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for your help and support!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Self-Portraits and Auto-Biographies
These fourth graders had a fantastic week! We jumped right into learning this week by reading articles, playing math games, participating in number talks, learning about maps, choosing books to read and learning about one another. Check out these beautiful self-portraits and auto-biographies:
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