Happy April to all! After a week off last week, and only 4 days this week, I can report that we filled our short week with some solid hard work, and shared some fun stories, discussions, and activities as well. Everyone was anxious to share about their vacation weeks, and we couldn't wait to check in with our bald eagle family in Decorah, Iowa. We've continued to watch them all week, and those three fuzzy babies are getting hungrier and more active with each passing day! What a great experience for all of us to witness this real time event of nature at its best, with a camera that zooms in so close we feel like we are right in that nest with this precious family.
In between feeding sessions of raw fish and squirrel, we have managed to complete another chapter in Wisconsin history. I am so impressed with the thinking skills of our 4th graders, as we try to put ourselves in the place of the native Indian people who saw their world changed time and again by newcomers to our part of the country throughout the last several centuries. Our students are asking excellent questions, and bringing up ideas that show they are truly getting a glimpse of what life must have been like in those days. This study has been so enriching for all of us, me included. We are also going to make every attempt next week to begin our final unit in science this year, which is the study of rocks and minerals.
We are almost halfway through Unit 9 in math, which is providing more in-depth practice with converting fractions to decimals to percents. I have noticed lately that our students are staying well focused during our math hours each day, and I complimented them about this today, after a hardworking week. The Unit 8 tests results were a bit of a shock for many of our kids - Part A had fewer items than in previous tests, so unfortunately, this time even two careless errors brought score averages down a whole grade. I have attempted to reassure them that the concepts of area and perimeter for various geometric shapes will continue to be part of future assignments and test questions, and so our students will continue to get more practice and more chances to improve their competency as well as their scores.
In Literacy class, we are finishing up the final drafts and illustrations of our latest writing project, and we will be sharing these and adding them to our Language Binders. The students have also been given extra editing practice this week, with pages full of numerous "errors" written by Mrs. Hannam herself! It has become their turn to correct my "work" and while it was fun to fix my mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, our students' detective work needed several attempts before all mistakes were remedied. It has proven to be a valuable exercise. The class had their spelling test today as well, and scores happily reflected some very good efforts in studying! Way to go! Also, next week the April edition of the Scholastic Book Orders will be coming home, and orders will be due by Friday, April 13th. We will send home one more chance to order books during the first week of May, and that will be the last one of the year. Wow.
Next week on Wednesday morning, all the 4th graders will board buses to the Overture Center to see a play called "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" which is an African Folktale. We read the award winning story by John Steptoe this week, so all can be familiar with the characters and plotline. It is a beautifully written story, with a positive message, and we are really looking forward to seeing it played out on a stage.
May you all enjoy the longer holiday weekend with your families, and I will see everyone back on Monday, ready for the last two months of 4th grade. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Melanie Hannam
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