12/1- Treat Day
12/9-12/12- Santa's Workshop
12/10- Unit 5 Math Test
12/11- Elementary Winter Concert
12/19- 4th Grade Holiday Party
12/19- Half-Day
12/22-1/05- Winter Holiday
Writers Workshop
The class is working on collecting stories, examples, and data to support their essays.
Everyday Math
We have completed the unit 5 assessment! This week we will complete a lot of math facts assessments and begin unit 6 of Everyday Math.
Word Study
We are focusing back on spelling with attention being given to prefixes.
Readers Workshop
We've finished filming three of the four movies. This week we will begin working on i-movie to edit the shots.
Social Studies
The class is researching both Chinese geography and Shanghai history. Students are using the photos they took from the museum trip to compare old Shanghai life to their own Shanghai experience. In collaboration with Mrs. Boyer, students are working hard on researching their invention project.
Science
This week students will take the end-of-unit assessment on water.
The 4th graders had a blast today! The parents really stepped up and made this day memorable. Kids completed a variety of holiday stations. They learned about Hanukkah and played dreidel. They decorated cookies and played holiday pictionary. In our class Matias finally got his wish when we watched a little Charlie Chaplin. All in all, it was a day of fun!
Wow! What a show. All the grades did an amazing job this Thursday, but I’m especially proud of the 4th graders. They worked really hard during their rehearsals and it showed up on stage. There was a wonderful turn out and a lot of video and pictures taken by all the parents and teachers. I’ve linked one of these videos in the space below. Mrs. Denton will also be linking many videos of the songs to her blog over the weekend. Keep checking on her link so that you can watch the show!
It’s movie magic in room 4TD. After completing the book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, students turned four of the chapters into movie scripts. Over the last three readers workshop periods we have filmed three of those movies. On Monday we’ll have the last film finished and the editing begins. The pictures below show the groups working hard on writing their scripts.
Last Wednesday we took thirty minutes out of our schedule to do some shopping. Student came to school with a list of important people who they were going to buy a gift for. When it was our time, we headed over to Santa’s Workshop. There were a lot of great present options and once again the parents did a great job of setting up and running this annual event. Enjoy the photos!
Once again, it is time for Math Jeopardy. Students have worked hard the last few weeks on learning strategies to understand and multiply big numbers. They’ve work hard on estimation, large-digit place value, and have learned a little bit about exponents as well. Today in class we reviewed these concepts when playing Math Jeopardy. Attached here is a slightly changed version to play at home. Take a moment to challenge someone in your family!
In 4th grade, students begin to use the computer on a regular basis. As a result, students have to type a lot. In 5th grade they have to type even more. In fact, as the students progress through school, the demands will only become greater. This is a major reason why it is important that kids learn to type quickly and properly. Until I was in high school, I had to pay my little brother to type my papers for me. Let’s hope that doesn’t have to be the reality of students in 4TD.
Unfortunately, one of the challenges is that there is so much for kids to learn, especially with technology, that typing gets put on the back burner. To help with this problem, I did a quick internet search and found a variety of wonderful typing tutorials. Most of these websites offer games and lessons and all of them are free. Take a look at all the choices listed below. If kids are going to be online playing games, they might as well learn important skills while they are at it.
Take a look at these giving tree bags! Each bag is full of toys, clothes, shoes, and school supplies for children who are really in need. I know that there are six children who will soon be very happy. Let’s give a big cheer to all those folks and families who took the time to purchase gifts for this SAS yearly tradition. Thanks as well to the individuals who supported my fund raising efforts for men’s health issues. All in all, 4TD has proven to be a very generous class!
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I always loved the time with family and friends and the fact that I was actually given the responsibility to make the pecan pie. Today we had the opportunity to celebrate a little bit of Thanksgiving at school. Students spent time thinking about what they were thankful for. One student mentioned that she was thankful for her family, especially her parents for keeping her safe and healthy. Another student mentioned being thankful to live with a dog that she could play with. All in all, every student really had a lot to be thankful for.
To celebrate this holiday, the room parents came together and put together a party. When you look at the pictures you’ll realize that there was a lot of good treats to go around!
Along with the Thanksgiving celebration, today was also special because of the school assembly. Eleven students from our class volunteered to take part in a play in front of the entire elementary school. We had to present a short skit that demonstrates what it means to be adaptable. After two recesses of practice and one dress rehearsal, the kids were more than ready. They all did an amazing job and received many, many compliments. I’m planning on linking video soon so that everyone can see the video. Happy Thanksgiving!
Once again, it is time for Math Jeopardy. Students have worked hard the last few weeks on learning strategies to understand and multiply big numbers. They’ve work hard on estimation, large-digit place value, and have learned a little bit about exponents as well. Today in class we reviewed these concepts when playing Math Jeopardy. Attached here is a slightly changed version to play at home. Take a moment to challenge someone in your family!
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I always loved the time with family and friends and the fact that I was actually given the responsibility to make the pecan pie. Today we had the opportunity to celebrate a little bit of Thanksgiving at school. Students spent time thinking about what they were thankful for. One student mentioned that she was thankful for her family, especially her parents for keeping her safe and healthy. Another student mentioned being thankful to live with a dog that she could play with. All in all, every student really had a lot to be thankful for.