3/27-3/31

Good evening!  We have had a VERY busy week.  Here's what we've been up to in our classroom...

Reading
This week in our View, Values, and Cultures of Others unit, readers focused heavily on...

• identifying missing perspectives in a text
• thinking how text may change if told from a different perspective
• considering multiple perspectives of the same event
• identifying the author's purpose and motives of a text

Please remember to have your child read 30 minutes nightly!

Writing
This week we kicked off our Literary Essay unit!  Students will be choosing a well known book to write a literary essay about.  This week we focused on...

• how to cite evidence from a book
• use commas and quotations correctly in writing
• how to structure an essay
• defining what a literary essay is
• exploring possible claims for our texts and essays

Rational Numbers
In our Rational Numbers unit, mathematicians focused on...

• multiplying fractions by a whole number
• multiplying fractions by a mixed number
• solving problems involving time

Please remember to have your children practice their math facts nightly!  These are the foundation of fourth grade mathematical concepts and must be mastered.  In addition, Online Practice Buddies are assigned daily.  Although optional, the Online Practice Buddies are highly encouraged, and they are a great way for parents to see what concepts are covered in class.

Geometry
As stated is our last update, we are currently teaching our Geometry unit alongside our Rational Numbers unit.  Students have been having a blast with all of the hands of activities that come with Geometry!  This week mathematicians focused on...

• mastering basic terminology and vocabulary
• line, line segment, ray, point, right angle, acute angle, and obtuse angle
• exploring angles using pattern blocks and used their understanding of angles and circles to determine interior angles of pattern blocks
• mathematicians then could use pattern blocks to measure benchmark angles
• learning how to use a protractor to measure and construct angles

Ask your child to teach you the game Angle Tangle!  This game focuses on developing estimation skills and protractor skills.

Social Studies
In our Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction unit, students learned about...

• Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that were added to our U.S. Constitution and the impacts those amendments had on our country
• the growth of Missouri following reconstruction due to railroads, population, inventions, etc.

We are assessing our Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction unit on Friday, April 7.  Study guides were sent home this past Tuesday.  Study guides are due in class on Monday, April 3.  In addition, students were assigned an Underground Railroad Webquest,  They have been given one month to complete this assignment, which is due Friday, April 7.  The assignment can be accessed through your child's Google Classroom account.  The grading rubric can be found at the bottom of your child's assignment.  Students have been given time to work on this assignment in class, but needs to be completed as homework if not complete.

Upcoming Dates

• 4/3: Social Studies study guide due
• 4/5: Late Start; 11:05 start
• 4/7: Social Studies Assessment
• 4/7: Underground Railroad Webquest due
• 4/7: Spring Pictures
• 4/19: 4th grade String Performance; 7:00
• 4/20: 4th grade Musical Performance
• 4/24-4/27: MAP Testing
• Please do not schedule any appointments for your child on these dates if it can be avoided

Math Note

I want to give everyone the heads up that fourth grade will be beginning Our Geometry unit of study ALONG with our current Rational Numbers unit.  The decision was made in order to ensure that we complete our math units prior to MAP testing.  Rational Numbers will be taught during our normal math time, and Geometry will be taught during our academic lab time.  If your child is out during our academic lab time on some days, I will spend time with them reteaching the lessons and strategies with them.  Our family letter is going home today!

3/20-3/24

Happy Friday! We had a wonderful week back from break, and I have enjoyed hearing stories about the fun activities that everyone did.  Please take a look at what we've been learning this week in our classroom...

Reading
This week in our Views, Values, and Culture unit, students focused heavily on identifying multiple points of view within a text.  After practice with that, we then shifted our thinking to comparing differing points of view within the same text to each other and our own!  We ended the week with role playing multiple points of view by placing ourselves in an unfamiliar role for a discussion.

Please remember to make sure that your child is reading 30 minutes nightly!

Writing
We ended our Short Story unit this week! Students worked hard to revise and edit their pieces.  Take a look at what we've accomplished:

• We revised our introductions to hook in our readers and give them clues about the coming problem in our piece.
• We learned good practices of peer revision.
• We reviewed and edited our pieces for compound sentences and dialogue

Math
In our Rational Numbers unit, students learned how to...

• add and subtract fractions with like denominators.
• add and subtract mixed numbers.

Please remember to have your child practice their multiplication facts nightly!  Students are also assigned an Online Practice Buddy.  Although the Practice Buddy is optional, it is highly encouraged and a great way for parents to see the problem types their children are working with!

Social Studies
It was a fun week in our Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction unit!  Students learned about...

• the Dred Scott Decision and how that impacted slaves and social issues leading up the the Civil War.
• the political, social, and economic causes of the Civil War.  This includes the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Border Wars.
• Students also have the wonderful opportunity to have a Civil War Storyteller come in and perform for them!  Our soldier was a Union soldier fighting in Missouri.  Be sure to ask your child about the performance and what they learned!

Students also are working on an Underground Railroad Webquest.  Students have access to this Webquest through their Google Classroom accounts.  This Webquest is due April 7.  A rubric is located at the bottom of their document.  Students are able to work on this at home!

Upcoming Dates

• 3/31: Spring Pictures
• 4/5: Late Start; 11:05 start
• 4/7: Underground Railroad Webquest due
• 4/14: No School

3/6-3/10

Good morning!  I very much enjoyed meeting and conferencing with everyone, and the students did a great job! We had a busy week with the book fair, conferences, and getting ready for spring break.  Take a look at what we've been learning.

Reading
In our Views, Values, and Culture unit, students focused on identifying their personal "cultural lens" and comparing it to others.  We also looked for different perspectives in articles.

Please remember to read 30 minutes nightly, especially since we're on break next week!

Writing
In our short story unit, writers...

• revised their conclusions to include a big idea
• learned when they should make a new paragraph
• revised their pieces for word choice

Math
In our rational numbers unit, mathematicians...

• compared fractions using benchmark fractions
• generated equivalent fractions using various strategies

Please remember to practice math facts nightly.  Please also have your students log on and complete the Online Practice Buddies!

Social Studies
In our Slavery and Civil War unit we...

• discussed the economies of the North and South
• discussed slavery and read Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
• investigated the Underground Railroad by beginning a Webquest

Upcoming Dates

• 3/10-3/19: Spring Break
• 3/20: School Resumes
• 3/31: Spring Pictures
• 4/5: Late Start; 11:05 start

2/27-3/3

We had a very busy week prepping for our conferences, leading our conferences, going on our field trip, and visiting the book fair!  Take a look at what we've been working on...

Reading
This week we began a new unit of study, Views Values and Culture.  We kicked off our unit by examining and comparing different perspectives around a common event.  We also discussed "cultural lenses" and how a person's culture and background affects perspective.

Please remember to read 30 minutes nightly!

Writing
In our short story unit this week, we really focused on different elaboration techniques to use in our writing.  Our techniques included...

• elaborating on characters' gestures, movements, and facial expressions
• cracking open dull verbs
• show, don't tell emotions

Math
In our rational numbers unit this week we focused on generating equivalent fractions by using an area model, number line, and multiplication.

Please remember to practice math facts nightly.  In addition, students are assigned Online Practice Buddies.  Although they are optional, the Online Practice Buddies are highly encouraged.

Social Studies
This week we used part of our social studies time to prepare for our student-led conferences.  We also started our new unit over slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.  We started our unit by brainstorming around the question, "What causes war?"

Upcoming Dates

• 3/6-3/7: Book Fair
• 3/7: Student-Led Conferences
• 3/8: Mrs. Nagy out
• 3/10: Spring Break starts