It was another exciting and busy week for the 4M Smarties! The Battle of the Books was held on Wednesday in our classroom and then on Thursday against winning 4th grade and 5th grade teams. Although our 4M Smarties teams did not advance to the finals, they were fierce competitors and great team players and we all had great fun. Thanks to Charlene Flynn for helping with scoring and keeping time!
In between the battles and MCAS testing, we are note taking for our Wonderpalooza project. The variety of topics ranges from polar ice caps and tuna fishing to B.B. King and narwhals! This research project keeps students highly motivated because they have self-selected their own topics. They will also be engaged in the real work of researchers… figuring out what they want to focus on and what resources will help them say it.
We will finish our final week of blogging with our blogging buddies in North Carolina this week. If you haven’t seen the writing of the 4M Smarties and the replies, take a minute to check it out! The blog has been an amazing way for students to take their writing and opinions about their reading to a wider audience. Their summaries and reading responses have developed tremendously over the school year. They are writing focused summaries and authentic opinions about their independent reading.
This week we will be taking the Math MCAS on Thursday and Friday. We took a practice MCAS on Friday. Each student has strategies for responding with precise math language and checking their work for accuracy. Please be sure our kiddos get good nights of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. I am sending out a sign up for snacks and thank you for your help.
Ask a fourth grader!
* How do you check your work for accuracy on a math test?
* What was your favorite Battle of the Books title?
* Do you have good resources about your topic for research?
In between the battles and MCAS testing, we are note taking for our Wonderpalooza project. The variety of topics ranges from polar ice caps and tuna fishing to B.B. King and narwhals! This research project keeps students highly motivated because they have self-selected their own topics. They will also be engaged in the real work of researchers… figuring out what they want to focus on and what resources will help them say it.
We will finish our final week of blogging with our blogging buddies in North Carolina this week. If you haven’t seen the writing of the 4M Smarties and the replies, take a minute to check it out! The blog has been an amazing way for students to take their writing and opinions about their reading to a wider audience. Their summaries and reading responses have developed tremendously over the school year. They are writing focused summaries and authentic opinions about their independent reading.
This week we will be taking the Math MCAS on Thursday and Friday. We took a practice MCAS on Friday. Each student has strategies for responding with precise math language and checking their work for accuracy. Please be sure our kiddos get good nights of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. I am sending out a sign up for snacks and thank you for your help.
Ask a fourth grader!
* How do you check your work for accuracy on a math test?
* What was your favorite Battle of the Books title?
* Do you have good resources about your topic for research?