This Week In Fourth Grade

Just a reminder.... we have Open House on Tuesday this week starting at 6:30.  We hope to see many of you there!

Reader's Workshop

This week students began a reading challenge called Battle of the Books in the classroom.  16 different picture books were introduced and students were challenged to read all of them.  In a few weeks students will begin to vote on their favorites in a bracket similar to March Madness.  At the end only one winner will be left!

Coupled with this challenge, students have been learning to read with intensity.  This means that they read as if every detail matters and they take time to grow ideas as they read.  Next week students will begin to learn about character traits and how to infer these traits as they read about different characters.

Reading At Home

We talked a lot about reading at home and fitting our reading into our busy schedules.  It is expected that every student read for at least 20 minutes every day.  We spent some time in the classroom brainstorming how to be successful with this.  

The Reading in the Edges homework assignment was due on Friday.  We will have the same assignment this week with the hope that it encourages students to think about how they can fit reading into the edges of their day.  Please let me know if your child is struggling with this.

THANK YOU!

I cannot thank everyone enough for their generous donations from my (Mrs. Leger's) wish list on Amazon.  There are a number of books on the list that I can't get from Scholastic, and it has been exciting to know that students will have access to them because of your support!


Math Workshop


Last week, students learned how to read and write large numbers.  They were able to use Seesaw and practice reading larger numbers.  This week we will work on a project to give them more practice with writing numbers in different forms (expanded, standard, and word form).  After school tomorrow, ask your child what they "WON" in math!

We also talked about using specific math vocabulary when we are talking about the problems we are solving.  It is important for students to practice talking like a "mathematician."  For example, I introduced students to the word digit.  We will focus on using that vocabulary word instead of saying that we have written a number with 3 numbers, we would say that we have written a 3 digit number or we could talk about the value of a particular digit in a number.  As we come across important math vocabulary, your child will be introduced to the words and be expected to use them in their discussions.

Science

We started our science unit on Sound.  We will be learning about how whales communicate with sound.  Students will also learn how to describe the different sounds that whales make to help them communicate.  Over the next few weeks, we will complete a variety of experiments to help us understand sound a little better!