Students worked hard this week creating land forms and bodies of water from clay and other materials. As we move into our study of the different regions of the United States, what the students have learned about geography will deepen their understanding of how and why people settle in different locations.
Students worked hard this week creating land forms and bodies of water from clay and other materials. As we move into our study of the different regions of the United States, what the students have learned about geography will deepen their understanding of how and why people settle in different locations.
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Students have been building electric circuits and developing ideas about electricity. It has been amazing to hear all the ideas as they attach this to that and have "light bulb" moments. During these sessions students write about what they are doing in their science notebooks. They create lab report formats and take notes that include important information and vocabulary they are developing a deeper understanding of. There are sharing sessions at the end and partnerships volunteer to share what they noticed. Below is an example of one partnership sharing. We started a study of multiplication this week! To start we explored arrays...student partnerships were given a number and asked to find all the factors for that number. One way to reinforce the creation of arrays is the computer/app game MINECRAFT. Many students were showing interest in creating arrays on this platform...so I downloaded the game and have made my first computer generated array. Students will be posting their creations soon!
During centers students work together in small groups to explore multiple sources of information about a topic. Students follow student created norms to work with their peers. The prompts and questions students are given for their work encourages conversations and writing that analyses, synthesizes and compares resources. A "fish bowl" environment of sharing ideas is created at the end of each session. Each center group is represented by one student and all students listen and take additional notes during the share time. Below is a picture of Mrs. Abbott's book report project "in progress" for the class read aloud Danny the Champion of the World. The students will be receiving their final copy paper tomorrow. I would still encourage your child to bring their work to school each day so they may work on this in school as well. The students will be receiving their paper tomorrow.
Fourth grade received their iPads this week! We used them during Reading Workshop to visualize using the Drawing Pad app. I was reading aloud Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. We also used them during Math Centers. Students solved partner puzzles and then explained their thinking using the Explain Everything app.
Students practiced three digit addition using many strategies. We discussed the many ways we could break apart or change a problem using what we know about place value and rounding. We used these ideas to "start/attack" the problem quickly. Then we solved the rest of the problem with another strategy we thought would work best. We decided different problems could have a different start depending on which strategy worked best. Rounding and place value were good "starts"! The friends in room 26 were very creative in the ways they represented their interests and shared important information about themselves. Work Hard and Be Nice...We brainstormed what these class guidelines mean to us:) |
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