Hello to all. I'd like to bring you up to date with our activities in Room 117 over the last couple of weeks. Friday, January 23rd, marks the exact halfway point of our school year! We are approaching the end of several mid-year assessments! Our class has completed MAPS testing in the computer lab for both Reading and Math. I am also wrapping up my individual meetings with each of our students, where they have read a story (or two or three!) out loud to me, and then we discuss their comprehension of the story. When we have conferences in March, I can show you progress with both assessments. This coming Tuesday, January 27th, all of our 4th graders will be taking part in NAEP testing (see the letter that went home earlier this month). This involves three 30 minute tests in the areas of Reading, Math, and Science. Our kids have been troopers through all of these 'additions' to our learning days.
Math class, as you know, has involved the process of learning long division during Unit 6. Almost everyone is feeling more confident with each passing day. All students could use more practice, so whenever there are 5 or 10 minutes available, jot down a problem or two like the ones you've seen come home, and slide that paper in front of your 4th grader to solve! (These would be problems of 2,3, or 4 digit numbers being divided by any 1 digit number.) The last lesson of this unit does introduce 2 digit divisors, so we will be practicing those briefly (Part B on the test). We are treating all remainders as fractions at this point in the year. This work with long division has caused more than a few of our students to become painfully aware that they are still lacking in their quick recall of basic facts!!!! Please continue to give your child support and practice with basic facts, especially multiplication and division facts. We will be taking our final Unit 6 test sometime in the next week. Then, fractions are on the horizon!
In Reader's Workshop, we have all found our first Historical Fiction books to read on our own! As a class, we are also reading together "Number The Stars" by Lois Lowry. This gripping story is a perfect example of what it is like to become immersed in another time period through the eyes of fictional characters. We are learning history as we enjoy getting to know characters who represent what real people have gone through. This story takes place in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, so this book also opens our 4th graders' eyes to a very difficult event in our world's past. I want to assure you that we are treating their first exposure to these events carefully and sensitively. For about the next month, your student will be trying to keep up with the free reading book of their choice along with their choice of a historical fiction book. Thank you for helping them manage their reading time to include both (or if they want to exclusively dig into historical fiction for awhile, that is just fine).
In Writer's Workshop, we are using our newly acquired knowledge of what makes an effective Informational Book, using a variety of Text Features, and we are creating our own Info Books! These will involve topics about which each student already feels comfortable sharing in step by step detail. This will allow them the chance to use Text Features (both computerized or hand written/drawn) to make their own book effective and appealing to their audience. We will not only share our books with each other, but we will also 'teach' our first grade buddies when we have completed our projects!
Social Studies class has been all about understanding what it was like for the native Americans in our area of Wisconsin as European explorers and fur traders, followed by the new United States government after the American Revolution, all brought their influence, customs, and new laws to rapidly settling new lands. I have so enjoyed hearing the thoughts and opinions of our students as they realize that there are many sides and viewpoints to the same events and issues. (Plus, you may get some requests to travel to Prairie du Chien or Portage... :) In Science, they are working on experiments to prove the presence and power of magnetism as they approach they study of electricity.
Our January Scholastic Book Order should be arriving any day now. Thanks for continuing to check into your student's Take Home Folder with them each day for any notices that come home, along with papers that might need signing. We've had some illnesses make the rounds in our room over the last couple of weeks - many thanks to those of you who sent in cleaning wipes. We are making good use of them! I will send you another update in a couple of weeks - in the meantime, we are staying cozy and productive with our napping polar bears keeping an eye on us in Room 117! :) Sincerely, Melanie Hannam
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