4th Grade: Specials Spotlight
Second Quarter 2016-2017
Exploratory Team
PE
Wow, how is the school year already halfway over?! I can’t believe it! Second quarter in P.E. was packed full of great stuff. The fourth graders spent some time second quarter practicing and perfecting their throwing and catching skills with activities such as Perfect Pass, Mat Ball, and Monster Ball. We also got to practice using footballs in different ways. It was fun to watch the students learn and progress with their football skills! An important part of P.E. is setting goals for ourselves. I shared with the students some of the goals I have set for myself, as well as for them, and how those goals motivate me to always try my hardest. The students then got to create a goal for themselves that is relevant to P.E. or physical activity. It is so exciting to see them so motivated about something! Their goals are all so great and I know with hard work they can all achieve them! We will be working towards our goals as the school year progresses. The second quarter was also filled with a few holidays, which called for some super fun themed activities! Some student favorites were Pumpkin Patch, Thanksgiving relay, Feed the Reindeer, and Sleigh Ride. The words for this quarter were nutrition, courtesy, goals, humility, helpfulness, and grateful. This school year has already been so fantastic and I can’t wait for the rest of it! Here’s to 2017!
Counselor
We have been so busy and second quarter has flown by. In guidance lessons we have become masters at starting class with a zones of regulation check in. The students start by saying “I feel _______________, I’m in the ____________ zone. This allows the students to identify how they are feeling and if they are focused and ready to learn. This process allows students who are not feeling ready to learn the opportunity to use strategies to help them regain their focus and regulate their emotions. We also spent several weeks learning to have growth mindset. A growth mindset is understanding our brain and how it works. Having a growth mindset helps us to realize we can learn anything with effort, hard work, time and a positive attitude. We also just started our Too Good for Drugs curriculum.
We will continue working with this program through third quarter. Each grade level has its own standards. Fourth grade lays the groundwork for drug- free living through a fun and interactive journey of setting goals, communicating effectively and making responsible decisions. The program defines a sequential set of core components to develop students’ social emotional skills and reinforces those skills through interactive activities and cooperative learning. Comprehensive diagrams illustrate the negative effects of alcohol and tobacco on the body and brain.
Technology
We dove into coding activities after Fall break. The students problem solved ways to create an algorithm for coded boxes their teammates could solve on paper. We then moved on to learning how to solve sequencing issues, looping and debugging programs. Students were on self paced activities. I was impressed with the way they pushed themselves to solve the complex problems that the activities laid out. Several students worked with middle school and high school activities.
Music
Obviously, a huge part of the beginning of second quarter was spent on our Veterans' Day program! I was extremely proud of how our students presented such a powerful and poignant program. After watching and evaluating their performance with “3 Stars and a Wish”, students had some great thoughts and insight into next year’s program preparation. After working so hard and seriously, we had some fun with Thanksgiving-themed drumming to learn about playing a round and a canon. We also began learning a song that we will add instruments to in 3rd quarter. To get into the Holiday spirit, 4th graders listened to music from The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. We learned a little about the composer and then performed a movement piece to go along with Trepak (the Russian song). It was fun to have the students up and moving after so much time spent preparing for Veterans Day. To finish off this quarter, we spent some fun time learning Winter Holiday songs for the school-wide sing-a-long! Looking into the 3rd quarter, we’ll spend quite a bit of time playing recorders again! If your student needs a new recorder, look for information in Monday folders in January. I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Break! I’m looking forward to some fabulous music making in 2017!
Art
Library
In our library classes this quarter students began using “self-checkout.” Students created their own library cards which they use when checking out materials. It is both a privilege and a responsibility. Students check to be sure they returned their books before checking out new ones. They can place books they wish to have held for them until the following day in a designated spot. Students reviewed how to use the Destiny Library Management System on both laptops and iPads. They learned how to search for books in the catalog, place holds, and check their account information. This year they also learned how to limit their search to a particular section of the library and how to identify books in their reading lexile range. They found a book they were interested in, checked to see if it was available, then located the book on the shelf using the call number. Students can also look up books from home with this link: http://destiny.usd232.org/ . The William Allen White program is in full swing, and students are busy reading the nominees. If the reading log that was sent home earlier this year has been misplaced, a copy can be found on my website at http://riverviewlibrary.weebly.com/ Students reviewed locating books in the Everyone, Fiction, and Biography sections using the call number.