Reading: This week we finished reading various texts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including biographies, timelines, a page of quotes, and information about his memorial. We reviewed the concept of text structure and identified the way each text was structured (some were chronological, others were written as cause and effect). After they highlighted key points, they took notes based on the text structure, then summarized their articles. Great work by all, and some excellent progress! Ask your students how different text structures reveal different information about the same topic.
Writing: Our writers began their research for our mini-research projects. They developed a question to guide their research and began reading through the sources I've provided online and from the library. Our learning targets for the research portion include:
- I can combine information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
- I can gather relevant information from print and digital sources; I can take notes and categorize information.
- I can provide a list of sources.
Greek & Latin Roots: This week we wrapped up the latin roots 'spec and spect.' They worked mostly independently on this packet and we checked their work as a class. Our learning target in writing this week was to research different aspects of a topic- ask your kids about how they figured out the word aspect based on this week's root!"
4th Grade Math: This week we have continued to work on our fraction unit. We have learned how fractions compare with other fractions. We also have looked at how to show equivalent fractions by both multiplication and division. Ask your student if they can show you an equivalent fraction and how they can tell the fractions are equivalent by using multiplication and division.
Standard: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.A.1- Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n × a)/(n × b) by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.
Science: Our students are with Mrs. Darley this trimester for Magnetism and Electricity. They are enjoying their work with magnets, batteries, wires, switches, lightbulbs, etc, as they learn the properties of magnetism and electricity. Updates will be sent as received from her regarding tests or projects. Ask your kids about what they did this week!
Social Studies: This week we began our regions study. We looked at the United States map and broke it apart by region (colored each region a different color). We then began to study the Northeast region. We labeled the states on a map and started our research to learn the landforms, climate, culture, natural resources, and landmarks of the Northeast. We will be creating a book on our iPads from all the information we learn!
Current Events will return next week. Group 2 will be presenting Drew, Clara, Sophia, Ben R, and Hadley. Our new current events project was explained in class today. Our students will now be making an Explain Everything slide(s) about their current event article instead of filling in the paper. All of the information for the current events assignment is on their iPad in the Showbie app.
Growth/Fixed Mindset: This week we began a conversation about Growth/Fixed Mindsets. Mrs. Weiss is taking part in the district wide inservice, Research for Better Teaching, where we are learning many new techniques and sharing them with colleagues. Growth/Fixed Mindsets is one of the approaches from this meeting. We read the book, The Dot, and discussed how the girl felt about being a bad artist and how her teacher changed her mind about her artwork. We then created the following poster together. Mrs. Weiss gave the students the definitions and the students made the list of drawbacks and benefits:
Mindsets...Our attitude, thoughts, and beliefs about something
Fixed: The belief that you are born with a certain amount of intelligence or potential and that's it! The drawbacks ( our students ideas): You're boring, you stay the same (no change), you don't believe in yourself (no self confidence), you don't try new things, you don't go on new adventures, you don't have a lot of self esteem, you don't learn, you don't like yourself, there is no point in trying.
Growth: The belief that we are capable of working hard! We are never as smart as we can be! The benefits (our students ideas): you learn more, you believe in yourself, you are adventurous, you feel happy, you do more things (try more), you are self-confident, you get better at things, you aren't afraid to try something new.
Ask your students how they feel about fixed/growth mindset! Tell them a time when you have a growth mindset about something in your life.
Miscellaneous:
