Dear 4th Graders and 4th Grade Parents,
We’re nearly 1/3 of the way through the school year! Wow!
INQUIRY: SCIENCE
- We continued to explore photosynthesis in depth. We watched this helpful video clip from NOVA and started an experiment that demonstrates the byproducts of photosynthesis.
- 4th grade scientists are doing a fantastic job of monitoring their plant experiments. It’s difficult work to take accurate measurements. Our lima bean vines are fragile and we have to be quite careful. We’re starting to see some really interesting things happen.
- Plant projects are due next Monday. 4th Graders: Be sure that you are following the assignment sheet carefully. Use the checklist! After I collect I will be handing out plant flashcards today, so that students can use them to complete their projects. We will have a test on plants before winter break. I can’t wait to see the projects! I’m sure they’re going to be fantastic! We’ll have a silent gallery walk on Monday morning so that everyone can enjoy everyone else’s handy work.
- What are some of the ingredients in photosynthesis?
- How does carbon dioxide get into the plant and oxygen get out?
- What do plants capture from sunlight?
- What makes plants green?
- What does chlorophyll do?
- In your classroom experiment, how did you know that the aquatic plant was photosynthesizing? What evidence was there?
- What’s another way of saying/writing water?
- What do we breathe out?
- What is happening with your group’s plant experiment? What have you noticed so far?
- What fell off of Riley’s plant? What else is going on with it?
- What do you think is the most eye-catching thing about your plant project?
INQUIRY: VIRGINIA STUDIES
- On Tuesday, while Ms. Bragg was out sick, Mr. Knight showed us the wonders of Study Island. Study Island is an engaging study tool. Students earn the ability to play and compete in arcade-style games by answering multiple-choice that help them review material. Students can access this fantastic web resource at any time.
- We learned about some difficult aspects of Virginia history this week. In our issue of Virginia Studies Weekly we read about the triangular trade and the middle passage. To give ourselves a better idea of what it was like to be slave crossing the Atlantic, we watched a short video clip which depicted the cramped and deadly conditions on board. We’ve begun to see the link between slavery and Virginia’s early economy, which was so dependent on tobacco... As we continue to learn about Virginia history, we will discover the far reaching ramifications of this link.
- We also watched some interesting short videos to help us review for our test-- one of an actor depicting James the 1st and another which discussed American Indian tribes in Virginia today. After the later, many students shared their own Native American heritage. In the common weeks, we will be talking a great deal about different traditions and customs, as we begin our study of cultural landscapes.
- We started using PhotoStory3 today-- the last stage in the process of creating our Jamestown digital stories. Digital stories combine photos, text, narration, and “special effects,” like panning and fancy transitions (fading in and out), to tell a story or explain a point. 4th graders have been working on their storyboards to plan out their digital stories for the past couple weeks. They selected photos and wrote a script for the narration. Today, when we started to work with the actual PhotoStory program, we began to see how cool these are going to turn out... It’s very exciting to see them take shape!
- ANNOUNCING “COLONIAL DAY!” Please mark your calendars for Thursday, January 28th. On the morning of Colonial Day, parents and family friends are invited to visit the 4th grade classrooms, where they will be treated to demonstrations of colonial trades and crafts presented by 4th graders attired in period dress. 4th Graders: In order to prepare, we will be picking out occupations and starting our research soon! Most research will be done in school, but the remainder of your presentation (poster, costuming, practicing, etc.) will be completed at home. Before the big day, each of you will present in costume in front of the classroom-- it will be like a dress rehearsal. In January we’ll make a schedule for these presentations. We’ll do about 5 per day. Much more info to come!
- What are shackles?
- How were indentured servants different from slaves?
- What is “brown gold”?
- How did the “middle passage” get its name?
- Did the children of slaves work in the fields? How young were they when they began to work?
- How were indentured servants different from slaves?
- What did King James I think about tobacco?
- How could you tell that it was King James I in the video? What clues did you notice?
- What is PhotoStory like? What effects have you added to your PhotoStory?
MATH
- Yet another math fact appeal... Most 4th graders could still use some work on their math facts. Classes have already begun complex multiplication (2 digit by 1 digit, 3 digit by 1 digit, 2 digit by 2 digit, etc.). In order to lessen the stress of performing these calculations, 4th graders really need to have their math facts at the ready. 4th Graders: You are the best judge of how strong you are with your multiplication tables. If you know that you are having trouble with a particular fact, be sure to study it. Remember there are loads fun games on portaportal and many of them allow you to choose the facts that you need to work on (for ex: multiples of 8). Parents: You can help out by taking turns quizzing each other in the car, over breakfast, at the dinner table, etc. If the basic, basic facts become too boring, try adding on some zeros for more of a challenge. Examples: 50 X 300, 60 X 30, 40X5, etc. I also like to challenge the students to great feats of “mental math” computation. We break up large problems in our heads... For example, 14 X 3 becomes (10X3) + (4X3). Problems such as these, which employ multiples of 10, can be good exercise for the brain! Another example: 36 X 5 becomes (30X5) + (6X5). Kids can do these in their heads with practice!
- The 4th-grade-wide Basic Facts Initiative has changed slightly. We will now be taking the 45-second quizzes once weekly on Mondays. When the results are returned, students should study the problems that they got incorrect in preparation for the next week’s quiz. Corrected quizzes are included in this week’s Friday Folder.
- Many 4th graders will be learning non-traditional computation methods to tackle large multiplication problems. Parents: Don’t worry if these are unfamiliar to you! Let your 4th grader demonstrate it for you. Many 4th graders will also be learning more than one method. Practicing more than one way to tackle a problem is beneficial for mental dexterity. It’s also a great opportunity for 4th graders to pick out their favorite method.
Language Arts
- This week we started our in-depth study of grammar. The first activity we tackled seemed easy on the surface, but turned out to be harder than we thought-- making lists of proper and common nouns. Groups of students were given a letter and asked to come up with a list of as many proper and common nouns as they could. We will use this knowledge when we begin to practice editing.
- We quizzed our classmates with our own comprehension questions about the book “Oyster Moon.”
- We wrote in our journals about things that we were thankful for and used a Native American message of thankfulness as inspiration.
- In reading in the content areas, we discussed the difference between Fact and Opinion. We read a passage that included both. We stopped after each sentence to ask ourselves: “Can this be proven? Would everyone agree with it?” In doing so, we were able to determine the overall “point of view” that the author was conveying.
- What letter were you assigned?
- What proper and common nouns did you come up with?
- How can you tell a fact from an opinion?
- Why is it important to be aware of “point of view” when we’re reading?
- Where might you encounter different points of view?
- Why do people have different points of view?
PE: BOWLING
- Permission slips for our upcoming bowling trip is in this Friday’s Folder (see peach form). 4th graders, teachers, and parents always have a great time taking part in this excellent TJ tradition. Next week we will talk more about breaking into groups for the lanes. Parents: Mr. Greiner and Ms. Huber welcome chaperones-- see enclosed green form.
ART
- Mrs. Rathje and Mrs. Harbison report that the art opening and chorus performance this past Wednesday night was very successful. Artwork will be on display at the Mary Riley Styles Library through December 16th.
Have a fantastic weekend!
-Ms. Bragg
REMINDERS:
- Monday, 12/7 Plant Project due
- Monday, 12/7 Marine Band Assembly, 9am
- Friday, 12/11 Geography Bee
- Friday, 12/18 Bowling Field Trip
- Thursday, 1/28 Colonial Day
- Friday Afternoon Club Snack Rotation-- posted on google calendar (linked online) and hardcopy given out last week. If you’d like to switch dates, please don’t hesitate... Just let the other person know and make sure that our posted schedule in the classroom in edited. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment