Grade 4 News
Newsletter #2: Who We Are UOI
UOI #1 Who We Are
Transdisciplinary Theme:
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; and what it means to be human.
Central idea: Being human makes us same, but our culture shapes our individual beliefs, values, and actions.
Key concepts: Form, Perspective, Reflection
Related concepts: culture, beliefs, values, traditions, customs
Lines of inquiry:
- What culture is (Form)
- The difference between a belief and a value (Form)
- How actions are reflective of cultural beliefs and values (Perspective)
- Commonalities of people (Reflection)
UOI Field Trip
We will be visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, 10/5/2016, insha Allah. We have been learning about the American Indian culture as part of our greater UOI on culture. This will be an opportunity for students to look at artifacts, artwork, and photographs, particularly relating to the tribes that lived in the Maryland area at the time of European contact. I’d like for the students to recognize aspects of Indian life that had to do with beliefs and values and also how beliefs and values affected their actions. In doing so, they will make a connection with the broader concepts of the UOI, and hopefully be able to apply the same knowledge to other cultures, as well as themselves, insha Allah.
What Have We Learned So Far?
Science
We designed an environment for mealworms and have been observing the stages of their life cycle as they morph into darkling beetles. Students are applying the key concepts of form and function as they look at the different structures of the mealworms and beetles and infer the role in their growth and survival. Students are keeping an observation log in their journals which will be used as part of the assessment at the end of the investigation. In the next couple of weeks we will be taking our observations outside as we look for creatures that live in a leaf litter environment and apply our understandings of concepts discussed in class in nature.
Math
We have been exploring place value as it relates to multiplying and dividing by ten. Students are applying this concept in word problems. Understanding this will become increasingly important as we start adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers in the coming days, insha Allah. Parents can find more information about our math curriculum here. We will have small checkups after major topics to assess learning so that instruction can be adjusted as needed. There will be a mid-module assessment and an end-of module assessment in the coming weeks, insha Allah. In order to serve the needs of students of varying abilities, I would like to utilize online resources, such as Khan Academy during math class time. I encourage all parents to please send a laptop or iPad/tablet with their child for use during math. Students have been given personal logins and passwords for another math website, Zearn, which aligns perfectly with our in-class instruction. I would like for all students to practice concepts learned in class on Zearn. Additional practice can be found on Khan Academy.
Social Studies
We have been studying culture within the context of our UOI. Students have learned about aspects that make up a culture, particularly beliefs and values. We have explored Native American culture already and will continue with a comparison of European settlers and their way of life and how each culture impacted the other. As a summative assessment, students will adopt the viewpoint of either a Native American or a settler and write a journal entry about an interaction they have with someone from the other culture.
English Language Arts
We have been exploring culture through folk tales. We have read several folk tales in class, like The Fire on the Mountain and The Weaving of a Dream. The students have really enjoyed studying these stories in depth. In addition to learning about elements of folk tales, students are also learning to look for the values and beliefs of a culture that are shared through the stories. We will finish our study with students writing their own folk tales.
Arabic
To see what students have learned in Arabic so far, please click here.
Islamic Studies
To see what students have learned in Islamic Studies so far, please click here.
Quran
To see what students have learned in Quran so far, please click here.
Art
To see what students have learned in Art so far, please click here.
UOI Summative
To give students an appreciation for perspective between different cultures, they will be writing a journal entry from the point of view of either a settler or Native American child. They will imagine themselves in a given scenario, for example, helping a friend from the other culture with their daily chores. Then they will write a journal entry describing their experience. Students are expected to include accurate details about cultural elements such as gender roles, beliefs and customs. They should also make connections about similarities in the two different groups of people.
Managebac
Homework and classwork is uploaded in detail in Managebac. New students will be getting access to Managebac very soon, Insha Allah. However, ALL parents are able to access Managebac, if you are not able to access Managebac please contact Ms. Elkordy at the front desk.
Bookaneer Pirate Book Fair
Check out the Fourth Grade Book Fair Wish List and please help us purchase some great reading materials to enhance our class library! For each book that you purchase from a teacher wish list, you will be entered into a raffle to win a book basket. Also, the online book fair will run through 10/22/16. Thank you and we hope you'll come enjoy and celebrate our Book Fair!
IB Learner Profile Passports
During the month of September, as a school, we focused on the IB Learner Profile Trait of "Principled." Students were each given a passport and instructed to write in it instances when they exhibited this trait. At month's end, students who completely fill their passports are recognized in a school-wide assembly and given prizes. In fourth grade, we had three students who filled up their passports. Mabrook to Tasnem Ahmad, Samha Khan, and Issra Boushaba! This month the focus is on the trait, "Inquirer". Please encourage your student to make note of all the times they find themselves being an inquirer and write it in their passport. Wouldn't it be great if the entire fourth grade class completed their passports this time?