Grade 4 News
Newsletter #2: How We Express Ourselves
UOI #3 How We Express Ourselves
Transdisciplinary Theme:
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Central idea: People use poetry to convey their emotions.
Key concepts: Form, Function, Perspective
Related concepts: poetry, creative expression, communication, ideas, emotions
Lines of inquiry:
- Types of poetry (form)
- Themes of poems of different people (function)
- Spoken word (perspective)
What Have We Learned So Far?
Science
We have conducted investigations into the compositions of different types of soils and the effects of physical and chemical weathering on rocks. Students have simulated both kinds of weathering in the classroom to understand how rocks change in weathering.
Math
We have begun multiplication using a different approach than what the students are used to. We explored it as it applies to the area and perimeter formulas of rectangles, including when given the area or perimeter and the length of one side. This has allowed us to touch on division. We are also looking at how the product changes across the place value chart as you multiply by 10, 100, and 1000. I encourage all students to continue working on multiplication fact fluency at home.
English Language Arts
We have been doing an in-depth exploration of poems. We learned about poetic devices and types of figurative language that are used in poems to convey feelings and ideas. This led to a look at different types of poems. We even wrote our own poems. We learned how to read closely to determine the theme of a poem. Finally, we were introduced to a new type of poetry called spoken word.
Social Studies
During our study of poems, we learned about the War of 1812 by studying the "Star-Spangled Banner." We did a close read of the national anthem (read and re-read to gain a deeper understanding) and touched on the Battle of New Orleans with an entertaining poem as well.
UOI Field Trip
We have finalized our field trip to Ft. McHenry! During this trip, students will get a first-hand view of the significant role the port of Baltimore played in the War of 1812. Students will actually enter the fort and be able to experience what the United States military experienced during the battle. We are really excited about this trip!
UOI Summative
Our summative will be combined with the one for Islamic Studies. We have been writing acrostic poems about the Prophet Muhammad (S). In addition, students will be assigned a poem that they will annotate and write a summary paragraph about.
Spelling Bee
This month was our school Spelling Bee. I am very proud to say that one of our fourth graders, Ayesha Shareef, was first runner up for the whole school, masha Allah! She did extremely well, and it was an exciting moment for our class. Way to go, Ayesha!