The Grillo Gazette
December 5th, 2014
Reader's Workshop
Students have been busy reflecting for upcoming Student Led Conferences. We assembled portfolios and began marking artifacts to highlight our strengths, areas to grow and goals for the reminder of the year. Students are eager to show off their tech skills using Prezi and an app called Educreations during student led conferences next week.
Readers drew conclusions and made generalizations based on text details as we read, "Dear Mr. Winston." Students also used non-fiction text features such as graphs and charts to better understand the informational text, "Field Guide to Snakes of the Southwest." We identified conjunctions in compound sentences, recognized antonyms in analogies, and studied commas in a series.
Our next read aloud will be Wonder by R.J. Polaccio. Wonder is the story of 10 year old Auggie's 5th grade school year from all different points of view. Wonder teaches us about love, support and not judging someone by their appearance. I encourage you to read this moving book alongside your child as it is a perfect reminder of choosing kindness for the holiday season.
Shopping during our Supermarket Sweep!
Measuring the Length of our Classroom!
Pond Ecosystem Helpers!
Social Studies
Citizens recognize that the Constitution grants Americans rights and responsibilities. After identifying the three branches of government students researched the position of the President, Senators, House of Representatives and Supreme Court Justices. Leaders evaluated the role of local, state and federal governments and charted the different responsibilities they are in charge of. Students also recognized the rights and responsibilities of American citizens as outlined in the Bill of Rights. 4G understands citizens can improve their lives through cooperation as we listed numerous volunteer groups in Haddonfield.
Electricity
4G has moved on to our next unit, electricity! After listing all the ways we use electricity in our lives today, it is hard to imagine what it would be like without electricity! Each student used wire, D-cell batteries and a light bulb to build an electric circuit. 4G investigated ways to connect the parts of an electric circuit and study the parts of a bulb and the path of electricity through it.
Math
Mathletes extended methods for whole-number addition and subtraction to decimals using an algorithm. 4G loved rapping along to "Line Up the Dot, and Give it All You Got!" as a way to remember a strategy for computing decimals. Partners went on a "Supermarket Sweep" and were challenged to purchase food items as a way of practicing adding and subtracting with decimals. Metric units of length were introduced as we compared U.S. customary units vs. metric units.