Happy December to all! One of our three weeks this month is done already. This time of year goes by so quickly! We are focusing on using these days to do all we can before a nice two week break from the routine. Here is what we are doing in our classes at this point:
In Readers' Workshop we have been digging into nonfiction reading from all kinds of resources (books, magazines, online articles) and analyzing how the information is arranged and how that helps us understand the content. We are practicing how to find the main ideas one section/paragraph at a time, and identify the supporting details. We are learning the most efficient way to take notes, and then developing our own original sentences to summarize the information. These are skills our kids will need in every course they take throughout their school years. In the meantime, we are all discovering amazing facts and situations from around the world - very cool! (This leads to some interesting discussions!)
The first essays written last month by our students have been excellent! Our students really picked up very well how to structure an essay with their thesis statement, their reasons, and the evidence/examples to back up their thoughts! These first essays centered on an important person in each student's life, and you will find them to be very touching. Special copies are coming home to be given to their 'person' for the holidays. We are now writing an essay where our fourth graders take a stand on a social issue. They will need to back up their thesis statement with a bit of research for solid evidence behind their opinions. Our goal is to complete these by our winter break.
Math class has us very involved with understanding the concept of fractions and what a fraction really means. We are getting some work with adding and multiplying fractions as well. By the end of next week, we hope to have Unit Three completed. I found my list of math websites that I've collected over time, and will send home a copy of that list this week. Some families wanted to know how to help their student get more proficient with their basic facts and other basic skills, so some of these sites should be helpful, and make it more fun to practice.
In Social Studies, we have had the best time studying glaciers! This has led to viewing some awesome videos of glaciers from around the world, and helps us picture what our area might have looked like over 10,000 years ago. The landforms created by the last Ice Age are still in evidence today, and it was new information for our kids as we identified kettles, eskers, kames, drumlins, and moraines. We are now moving into studying Wisconsin's varied topography and all-important waterways, and their influences on our history and lives today. I just love how our textbook, written by the Wisconsin Historical Society, ties our history with our current ways of living in Wisconsin. At the end of February, our 4th graders will get to tour the State Capitol Building, and also the Wisconsin Historical Museum, which becomes a very meaningful trip after our discussions and lessons in class. Science with Mrs. Bertz is winding up the big unit on Rocks and Minerals by winter break.
I continue to strive for valuable time each day in which our 4th graders can 'get lost' in a good, just-right book. We book share together to keep new title ideas coming for each other, to stay excited about the next promising book. Classmates have been pitching in to organize our growing classroom collection, and that also gives them opportunities to find some new books they might not have considered or discovered before. Everyone will be coming home with two or three books for the two weeks off - thank you very much for keeping 'reading time' a priority in your homes, between family gatherings and celebrations. I will be submitting the December Scholastic Book Orders tomorrow night, in case anyone still wants to place an order. I expect we should get our box of new books before we leave school for the holidays.
I wish you all some beautiful family time during our time off from school. May everyone become renewed and ready to meet back together again in January! In the meantime, I will get to see many of you on December 14th for the Winter Tea and Tunes (4th grade starts at 8:20am that day). Report cards for the first trimester should be coming home this Friday. I will still send out emails for any reminders or other event info as needed before December 16th. Sincerely, Melanie Hannam
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