4th Grade Happenings
February 19
Reading
Over the past two weeks in reading, students have been learning about firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event or topic. We have compared and contrasted the different information that we get from each account and the benefits of reading both when learning about a topic. Most recently we read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (Secondhand Account) and Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (Firsthand Account). Besides the reading skills that were focused on students really enjoyed learning more about one of the first African American children that was apart of public school integration. Students were inspired by Ruby's bravery and determination! This historical event was a great way to celebrate Black History Month.
Math
Equivalent Fractions are off to a great start! Students have been placing fractions on number lines, drawing pictures, using manipulatives, and finding multiplication and division relationships to create equivalent fractions! The math test will be next Tuesday. Study guides will be going home over the weekend. Check out the extra resources below for extra practice.
Equivalent Fraction Games
http://www.abcya.com/equivalent_fractions_bingo.htm
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/equivalent-fractions-games.html
http://illuminations.nctm.org/activity.aspx?id=3510
Parent Resource
http://www.theschoolrun.com/what-are-equivalent-fractions-and-simplifying-fractions
Science
Last week in Science we finished up our Earth, Sun, Moon, and Light Energy unit and had our test. This week we began a new Science unit on Rocks and Minerals! We’ve started out by doing a few introductory lessons and learning about the 3 different types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) and the 5 properties of rocks and minerals (color, streak, hardness, luster, and cleavage.) In the coming weeks we’ll be moving on to conducting a variety of hands-on experiments to observe and explore these different properties of rocks and minerals. We’re really looking forward to conducting this series of fun experiments with the students!
Writing
Students have been working so hard on drafting their informational reports on their ocean animal. They have researched for the past couple of weeks and are now turning their facts into the sentences that will make up their reports. Next week we will finish drafting the meat of our paragraphs and begin writing topic sentences for each one. Still to come- concluding sentences, introduction & conclusion sections, and text features!
Dates to Remember
Next Box Top Collection: February 23rd
Family Dance Night: February 26th at 6:00 pm
Family Fitness Night: March 14th from 6:00-7:30