January 16, 2015 Dear Fabulous Fourth Grade Families, Here is our weekly classroom update: Math Students have really worked hard on mastering division problems as well as determining the role of remainders in word problems. Next week, Unit 6 will conclude with rotations and angles. A unit test is on the horizon. Here are the IXL connections that go along with Unit 6: E.3, E.4, and E.5. Measuring angles: P.11, P.12, P.13, and P.14. Reading Making Meaning lessons continue to expose students to text structure. They have read books/articles about dinosaurs, basketball leagues, food, and completed “close reads” identifying the different text structures. After a quiz next week, we will move on to inferring. Guided reading groups are now working on comparing and contrasting ideas within non-fiction text. Students’ ability to recognize different organizational patterns within text is yet another tool to help them make sense in their reading. Writing Our opinion writing continues this week — as a class, we have been writing our own opinion piece (I Love Ice Cream) following a specific structure, yet adding personal experiences to add depth and interest. There has been a lot of teacher modeling and referring to expert text to help students gain a deeper understanding how to write a well-structured and meaningful essay. Students are very motivated and are now beginning their rough drafts. Social Studies The Lewis and Clark expedition has concluded! The journey was amazingly close between four of the five corps. It was an excellent simulation - ask your child for details. Science The bubblegum experiment was enjoyed by all and students showed great aptitude for writing scientific procedures. They were motivated! Next week students will be assessed on their understanding of the scientific method, types of questions, and procedure write-up. Mark Your Calendars! February 5th - Science Fair, Topic and Purpose sheet due February 12th - Science Fair, Question and Hypothesis due February 25th - Teacher/Student book interviews will begin March 24th - Science Fair project is due Words from our Star of the Week - Ashwika! This week we did a lot of opinion writing and we finally finished the Lewis and Clark simulation. Sadly, we had our last drama class with Mrs. Harcourt. We also did a fantastic science experiment too! Have a wonderful weekend! Very Sincerely, Lisa McLemore