Monday, October 22, 2012

Finally, an update!

Parents!

Sorry I haven't posted in nearly a month! We have just finished our second writing unit and are so excited for many of you to join us tomorrow for our Author Celebration. We will then launch into a new unit on writing essays, which is a skill your children will need all throughout their education. Meanwhile, we are continuing to get better and better into our spelling routine - 8 groups is a lot to keep track of, but I want to make sure all the students are working at the level that is best for them! I do update the Spelling page on the blog whenever a group gets a new list of words, so you can always look there for the words. (Although, as I say, 8 groups is a lot, so if you ever notice that I have forgotten to update the words, please just send an email and I'll get to it right away!) Also, I print off a list of the words for your child each week, so ask your child if you would like to see these at home to study from.

In science we are studying the human body, and in social studies the students are just finishing creating their own "city blocks," including things the pioneers would have put in their towns when they first arrived in Utah and planned their cities.

Today in reading the students voted on what type of project they wanted to do for their end-of-term assessment, and they chose an art project which they will use to demonstrate the plot, characters, setting, and theme of a story they have read this term. We are excited to see the unique projects the students will create to demonstrate their learning!

In math, we are beginning to talk about adding fractions, and today the students designed their own "candy bars" using differend colored blocks. They then had to identify what fraction of the candy bar was each flavor, and show how to add those fractions up to equal the whole candy bar. We will continue doing activities similar to this throughout the week, building on it a little each time. The students seemed to enjoy this more real-world type application of fractions.

Here is the update from Mrs. Bird for the week:

Dance: Students will begin to explore the dance element of SPACE. What does it feel like to move in place (axial)? What does it feel like to move and dance around the space (locomotive)? Students will discover the difference between axial and locomotor movement.

 Health: Students will discover and begin to identify the difference between helpful and harmful substances through a magazine chase activity. Remember: this coming week is Red Ribbon Week,  the perfect week to introduce harmful substances and what they can do to the body and mind.
 
I will try to be more diligent about updating the blog! Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to make this 4th grade experience a great one for your child!

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