Welcome to 4M! The 4M Smarties are off to a great start! We had a very full week getting to know one another and learning about 4th grade expectations. We played some cooperative games and learned about each other by writing a Top Ten list. Students also identified a few other students in the class (Clock Buddies) for partner work. I am looking forward to an amazing year together!
We focused on independent reading this week and I spent time getting to know each student as a reader. The students organized the books in the classroom library into different bins based on the genre or author. This was a huge task but they worked cooperatively and became familiar with our collection of books in the process. We also discussed strategies for picking a good book. I can tell we have a classroom of readers! We will continue to focus on independent reading throughout the year so each child can identify their reading preferences and become great book choosers! At this point, each student has a book selected to read in school. They can bring that book back and forth between school and home or keep one book in each place. In 4th grade, students are expected to read for at least 20 minutes every night.
In math, we cleared out some of the math cobwebs with games that reviewed computation skills. The students also reviewed how to read big numbers and identify the values of digits in a large number. A Family Letter went home today explaining the skills we will be practicing and the important vocabulary for Unit 1.
I started reading aloud Wonder by R.J. Palacios this week. A few students were already familiar with this wonderful story but it was new to most. I highly recommend it to adults, too! There are so many lessons about treating each other with kindness and the lessons in the story come up through out the year.
We completed math homework in school this week to practice expectations. Next week, students will have a math worksheet to complete each night at home, in addition to nightly reading. I will spend time in school introducing and practicing each new homework assignment before sending it home for students to complete independently.
Ask a Fourth Grader!
* What is the value of 4 in the number 143, 679?
* Who is the main character in Wonder? What do you already know about him?
* Who are your Clock Buddies for the next few months?
* What strategies do you like to use when looking for a new book?
We focused on independent reading this week and I spent time getting to know each student as a reader. The students organized the books in the classroom library into different bins based on the genre or author. This was a huge task but they worked cooperatively and became familiar with our collection of books in the process. We also discussed strategies for picking a good book. I can tell we have a classroom of readers! We will continue to focus on independent reading throughout the year so each child can identify their reading preferences and become great book choosers! At this point, each student has a book selected to read in school. They can bring that book back and forth between school and home or keep one book in each place. In 4th grade, students are expected to read for at least 20 minutes every night.
In math, we cleared out some of the math cobwebs with games that reviewed computation skills. The students also reviewed how to read big numbers and identify the values of digits in a large number. A Family Letter went home today explaining the skills we will be practicing and the important vocabulary for Unit 1.
I started reading aloud Wonder by R.J. Palacios this week. A few students were already familiar with this wonderful story but it was new to most. I highly recommend it to adults, too! There are so many lessons about treating each other with kindness and the lessons in the story come up through out the year.
We completed math homework in school this week to practice expectations. Next week, students will have a math worksheet to complete each night at home, in addition to nightly reading. I will spend time in school introducing and practicing each new homework assignment before sending it home for students to complete independently.
Ask a Fourth Grader!
* What is the value of 4 in the number 143, 679?
* Who is the main character in Wonder? What do you already know about him?
* Who are your Clock Buddies for the next few months?
* What strategies do you like to use when looking for a new book?