January Update
4th Grade
Math
This month we will cover a variety of topics in math. We will continue learning about measurements, and we will practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing compound units. We will then move on to our unit on decimals. Students will practice comparing, adding, and subtracting decimals as well as converting decimals to fractions and vice versa. As always, we will continue reinforcing our multiplication and division facts and completing our daily word problems. We will also continue to have mental math practice and weekly math fact quizzes.
Reading
We will continue our study of nonfiction books this month. Students will research a variety of topics including countries, people, and events using different kinds of nonfiction texts. We will practice using text structure to organize our notes and synthesize across texts. We will also learn to recognize different perspectives in texts and practice finding the main idea of each text. We will continue learning new vocabulary and questioning and hypothesizing about our texts to reach deep, meaningful conclusions. The students will also continue creating presentations so that they can share their new information with their classmates.
Writing
This month we will begin our informational writing unit. This unit goes hand in hand with our reading unit because we will continue focusing on informational books. We will learn how to plan the structure of our writing and rehearse our writing to make it the best it can be. We will also spend time focusing on details and practicing using text structure to emphasize the important information. The students will start writing informational texts based on their research and will practice writing introductions and conclusions to include in their texts.
Social Studies
This month we will finish our study of the Southeast region of the United States. We will continue reflecting on our Skype sessions with other classes in the different regions. We will also start our study of the Midwest Region as we read about the states included in this region as well as learn information about this region's climate, geographic features, natural resources, famous landmarks, and culture. We will watch exciting videos about different parts of the Midwest and the students will compare and contrast these areas. When we conclude our unit, the students will know the location of the Midwestern states and their capitals. We will also continue our diversity project as we hope to set up another Skype session with students from a classroom in the Midwest region.
Upcoming Events
January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: NO SCHOOL
January 16-19: Education Week
January 16-19: Education Week