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Reading: We've been talking about how to grow ideas about our characters by paying attention to both the things that they do and the things that they don't do. We've talked about how, after we form ideas about our characters, the new actions they take either fit into our ideas or challenge/ change or ideas, which will prompt new types of questions and observations as we read. Great conversations, and I'm enjoying carrying them over into my individual conferences as I read with your kids. Ask your readers, not about the plot of the book they're reading, but about their character and how they are developing.Writing: The kids have finished drafting their next piece. This was a free choice piece where they got to choose the topic and the genre. I'm excited to revise and publish with them next week! We also did a great homework prompt: "Who invented the hug?" Ask your kids about the little tale they wrote to explain the hug's invention. Ask your kids what they've written about! I bet you'll be surprised.
4th Grade Math: This week in our multiplication (and division) unit, we learned how to do three different methods of multiplication: repeated addition, partial products (253 x 4 would be thought of as 200x4 + 50x4 + 3x4), and the standard algorithm (which is the "old school" way that we all learned. Next week we'll practice each a little more and the kids will choose the one that they feel most comfortable with. We're applying these to word problems quite quickly, too. Practice multiplication facts this weekend! Also, ask your kids to show you the difference between the partial products method and the standard algorithm method. So far they can do a multi-digit number times a single digit number (like 154 x 3).
Social Studies: We are slooooowly moving through our government unit, covering the concept of a democracy, the 3 branches of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Once Hubbard Street ends and we gain back our second SS block, we'll move more quickly. Talk to your kids about the type of government we have, and the role we play in our democracy.
Science: This week we studied how the slope of the land can affect the flow of water, and thus, erosion and deposition. The experiment went GREAT and the kids were (surprisingly) thrilled to see how their little stream tables changed so much. Ask your scientists about how we built the stream tables and what we when we compared a flat land to a sloped land.
Miscellaneous:
- Hubbard Share is on Monday at 2:00 in the Auditorium. Typically it's just the classes sharing with one another, but parents are more than welcome to attend!
- Our Hubbard field trip is on Friday, December 8th
- More field trips (Frank Lloyd Wright and Chicago Wolves) to come in December, so stay tuned for more info...
