May Happenings

As we round out our last month of the year, we have two important dates coming up to put on your calendar.

*May 22nd is Field Day.  This is planned by the specials teachers.  Information will be sent home soon from them.

*May 24th will be the 4th Grade Picnic during regular lunch time.  If you would like to come and eat lunch with us, please meet us on the grass by the bus loop.  The kids may bring their lunch that day or buy from the cafeteria and then head outside.  We will enjoy lunch together from 12:40-1:00, and then the kids are off to their regular recess after that.  Feel free to bring siblings, other family member, blankets, etc. 

Reading Workshop
For our final unit of the year we will be reading mysteries.  The kids are so excited!  Thus far they have all selected mysteries at their reading level, and we have just begun to dig in.  AS we read we will focus on important components of narrative reading such as inferring about character and story elements with text support, analyzing character's perspective, and determining a cohesive theme(s) using support from the text.  I will be modeling this with a high level mystery entitled, Chasing Vermeer.

Writing Workshop
We have started the genre of informational writing.  The students are learning how to craft an informational piece.  The reading comprehension strategies of inferring and determining importance will be applied as the kids res arch their topic and read carefully to determine which information is most essential.

During the minilesson portion of writing workshop I will model the note taking process for the kids using texts on the disappearance of The Mary Celeste.  Mini lessons will focus on note taking (paragraphing and quoting information), citing research, and using text features to elevate the complexity of writing.  The kids will become experts on their topic as they research and write their book.

Math
During our last math unit of the year, the kids will be solving two-digit by two-digit multiplication story problems and division problems.  We are using different strategies such as standard algorithm, cluster problems, and the array method as we do so.  We will also dive into long division.  As always, the kids may choose the strategy they like best to help them solve their problems.

Science
We are currently learning about the sun, moon, and stars.  We will study the path of the sun and its various positions in the sky as well as how and why shadows are formed.  Additionally, we will gather and analyze shadow data to develop logical conclusions about the sun's position.
Finally, we will study the various phases of the moon as well as constellations.  AS we complete our unit on the sun, moon, and stars we will begin our final science unit of the year on electricity and magnetism. In this unit, the kids will study the properties of magnets and the forms of electrical energy.  They will build circuits and study how electric current is changed into useful energy.  This is a very hands-on unit that the kids always love!  It is an educational and fun way to end the year!