This Week in Fourth Grade

Homework

The participation rate for homework improved greatly this week!  A separate email with the homework for this coming week will be sent via email.  Students will also copy the homework down at school so that they are able to take ownership of the expectations.

The character trait vocabulary booklet will have an added expectation this week.  Students will be asked to illustrate the character they choose that represents the trait doing, saying or thinking something that matches the trait.  They will also still be expected to write the sentences that they were doing last week.


Reader's Workshop

Last week students learned to envision (make a movie) in their minds as they read.  We talked about how if the movie in their mind is clear and full of detail, then they are most likely understanding the book they are reading.

When you are reading with your child at home, pause at one point and ask them what they are envisioning.  Ask them what the character is doing, how that character might be feeling and what the setting looks like.  Encourage your child to use their schema to add details to their envisioning that might not be in the text.

Water Bottles


Students are encouraged to bring water bottles into the classroom to stay hydrated.  Bottles of gatorade, lemonade, juice or soda are not allowed.  Thank you so much for your support with this!

Writing Workshop


Last week, we focused on building stamina as writers.  We did a couple of quick writes.  This activity was to help kids quickly get their ideas down on paper with a brainstorm about a particular topic or prompt.  Then they typed their stories or answered the prompt on the computer.  We also talked about how we edit our work.  When we edit, we focus on just ONE goal at a time as a writer.  Our goal last week was to focus on writing complete sentences. 

This week we will begin our Realistic Fiction writing unit.  Students will be able to use what they have been learning about in reading and apply it as a writer. Students will think about the arc of a story or how a story typically goes.  

Math Workshop

Last week, students learned about rounding numbers.  Students focused on skip counting by 10, 100's, and 1000's to help us think about larger numbers.  Rounding is a topic that can be tricky for fourth graders, so we are spending some extra time thinking about the "why" behind rounding.  Students will begin a project to apply their knowledge of rounding this week.