During the month of April, our students have been finishing their classic/fractured fairy tales and figurative language for Reading and ELA. They recently took the ELA MCAS exam and we will be starting a nonfiction unit on animals. The students will work together with other students in reading clubs on a particular animal where they will perform research and compile it in a report/booklet. The students continue to use the EPIC website to explore different genres of books. They love the time they can use to read on this website. We also use the website, digital.readworks.org, frequently to enhance reading and writing skills. After reading assigned articles on any number of topics and skills (poetry, nonfiction, main ideas, etc.) they complete a variety of online assignments. These assignments may be multiple choice comprehension questions, or writing short answer/open responses in their online Book of Knowledge. I am able to view their work in real time and respond quickly to their responses and make suggestions. This has been very effective in improving their writing. For Math, we just finished unit 10 on measurement and time. They did very well on their math test and have completed half of unit 11 on perimeter and area. It is really exciting to see how much they have grown this year and are learning their facts. Keep encouraging them to work on their math facts each week! This week we will start Geometry and return back to perimeter and area once Geometry is finished. After finishing the Pilgrims and Puritans in Social Studies, we have now moved onto the Revolutionary War. The students have shown a lot of interest in this unit so far, and we just read a play on the Boston Massacre. It was neat to see how excited they each were to act out their part. Don't forget to ask them about this interesting event in our nation's history. We have a great deal to learn in this unit and it only gets better! In Science, we finished The Human Body studying skeletons and directing owl pellets. The students LOVED finding the tiny bones of rodents an owl eats. Please have them tell you all about these activities. This past week we started crayfish. The class has studied their structures and functions and got to hold and feed these crustaceans on Friday. This was a very exciting "lab" class! On Thursday, our class was able to participate in an "Art Quest" activity. A special speaker showed historical paintings associated with the revolutionary war and involved the students with a lot of interesting questions. It was a very good cultural and social learning experience. I hope all of you had a wonderful Spring Break. Your students are doing a great job and I love the positive energy and excitement they bring everyday to class. I love working with them! Thank you for your continued support at home to help ensure your child's success! |
Grade 4 > Zollo, Joni >
