November News!

Reading Workshop

As we begin the month of November, so too will we embark on a new unit in Reading.  This is a non-fiction unit in which the kids will learn how to effectively read non-fiction.  The reading content will center around extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes, to name just a few.  However, we are not explicitly teaching about extreme weather. We are teaching the kids how to become strong non-fiction readers by previewing a text before reading it, using text features to enhance their understanding of the text, using context clues to help with tricky words related to the content, how to read hybrid texts (texts that blend fiction and non-fiction), and how to summarize and synthesize the non-fiction information they are reading.  These are only a few of the techniques the kids will learn as we embark on this journey into the world of non-fiction. This unit will be our focus for the next couple of months.  

You can support your child at home by continuing to encourage and support reading as much as possible and by providing your child with rich text in both the fiction and non-fiction genre. 

Writing Workshop

The first week of November we will be concluding our unit on the writing genre of realistic fiction.  The kids have worked diligently to apply a variety of crafting techniques to raise the quality of their writing, to make it more descriptive, to truly show how their character deals with his/her problem throughout the story, and to show how the character reflects on the experience which the kids  ultimately demonstrated by writing a reflective ending.  

We are now about to begin a unit on the genre of opinion writing. The kids will learn how to create a strong thesis statement (claim), support that statement with powerful reasons and a multitude of examples, and provide a strong concluding paragraph. They will be writing five paragraph essays in order to best state and strongly support their opinions.  We will begin by writing opinion essays about important topics related to us that we know well; for example, favorite types of ice cream, favorite genres of music, favorite restaurants, favorite types of animals, etc. 

The kids will learn to be persuasive in their writing and convince others to believe in their thesis statement. As we further develop our skills in opinion writing, we will broaden our topics and begin to craft thesis statements based on bigger ideas that impact larger groups such as our community, country, and our world.  

Math Workshop

Throughout this month, we will continue to focus on the content in Topic 3 entitled, “Use Strategies and Properties to Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers”.  This unit began by focusing on how basic facts and place value patterns can be used to find products when working with multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000.  As we build on this concept, the kids will learn how rounding can be used to estimate products and how it can be used to check to see if an answer is reasonable.  Additionally, the multiplication strategies of finding partial products and applying standard algorithm will be taught throughout this unit.

Basic facts for addition, subtraction, and multiplication are essential for math success as the kids progress.  You can support your child at home by taking some time each night, even 5 minutes, to practice basic facts. Multiplication flashcards would help greatly with this unit and with all future math.  

Social Studies

Now that we have come to the end of our unit on ecosystems, we will switch gears from Science to Social Studies.  Colorado History is a huge fourth grade standard as is Financial Literacy. In order to best prepare the kids for their spring trip and culminating activity at Young Ameritowne (details to follow several months from now), we have decided to change our plan for the year and split Colorado History into two parts.  

We will begin now by studying the geography of Colorado (We will resume our study of Colorado History after our unit on financial literacy.)  Once this small geography unit concludes, we will begin our study of financial literacy. In this unit, the kids will learn about free enterprise and economics.  Over the next few months the kids will learn how to make wise financial choices and decisions, they will study the relationship of supply and demand, they will learn about banking, checking accounts, how government works, how to write a deposit slip/check, how to fill out a job application, and how to interview.  These are just some of the concepts we will explore, as this is a large and exciting unit!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, November 11th: There is no school for the kids as this is a teacher learning day.

Wednesday, November 20th: Thanksgiving Feast during lunch and Celebration of Learning in your child’s classroom thirty minutes prior to lunch.  (Details will be sent home from the front office about this day.) 

Monday, November 25th to Friday, November 29th: No School - Thanksgiving Break 

Our annual canned food drive has begun, and will run from now until November 22nd.  All donations will benefit the Parker Task Force as they work to help and support those in need within our own community. 

October Happenings

Reading

This month in Reading Workshop we will continue to think deeply about our reading, determine if we are truly reading “just right books” at our level that will help us grow as readers, and we will analyze our characters’ traits while providing evidence from the text as support. These are reading strategies we began to cover in September, and we will continue to deepen our use of these strategies throughout October. Students record all of their thinking while they read on post-it notes or directly in their reading response notebooks. This encourages them to hold onto their ideas, look for patterns of behavior, and grow ideas by gathering evidence from the text. We will move into studying the theme of our class read aloud and independent books. Additionally, we will study how our characters change throughout the story, as well as provide specific evidence from the text that explains the reasons behind this change. Furthermore, the kids are working hard on writing reading responses that provide a detailed description of their character (traits, behaviors, motivations, obstacles, struggles, and so on). 

Writing About Reading!
     

Being able to write about what you read helps to solidify your own understanding of the text. Additionally, students need to be able to respond to specific questions, cite examples from the text to support their ideas, and explain why their evidence supports their theory. Your child will use a student rubric to self-assess, get feedback on their work, and set meaningful goals in order to continue to deepen their own thinking.  

As always, I could really use your support at home. Please encourage your child to read. Volume matters!! As you discuss your child’s book with him or her, ask what kind of person the main character is and how he/she can prove that. This will support what we are doing in class and give your kiddo a chance to show off his/her skills!

Math

We completed Topic 1 of our math learning (Generalizing Place Value Understanding). In this topic we worked with numbers through one million in order to explore place value relationships, compare whole numbers, round whole numbers, and construct arguments. 

Throughout September and into early October our math focus has shifted into Topic 2 (Fluently Adding and Subtracting Multi-Digit Whole Numbers). We have been working hard to choose accurate strategies when finding sums and differences. (Strategies such as: Partial Sums, Standard Algorithm, and Expanded Notation). We have rounded whole numbers and have used estimation as a strategy to check whether or not our actual answer is reasonable. Adding and subtracting accurately using a strategy that showcased our understanding of place value was our ultimate goal. 

When we transition into Topic 3 we will dive into multiplication of whole numbers. We will multiply multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000 using mental math and place-value strategies. In addition, we will once again use rounding, but this time to estimate products to check is answers are reasonable. We will use arrays and partial products to multiply 2- and 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers. We will later transition into 3- and 4-digit numbers multiplied by 1-digit numbers. Throughout this topic, we will circle back to our understanding of place value in order to develop efficient and precise multiplication strategies. 

As a reminder, your child will have weekly homework. This will be given on Monday and is due back Friday.

                                                                              

Writing                                                                    

During Writer's Workshop students will continue drafting and will eventually revise and publish a narrative piece. As they work towards completion, they will have various goals in mind (further developing their characters through the use of dialog, character action, internal thinking, and desires/motives of characters). The lessons modeled will include how to write a reflective ending, editing with an audience in mind, incorporating transitional phrases to mark the passage of time, and utilizing figurative language and sensory imagery. As always, I meet and conference with the kids to help them incorporate modeled techniques into their own piece. Students will self-asses, set goals, and revise using their writing rubric in order to finalize a narrative that showcases their best.   

Science

Students are currently researching their chosen endangered animal, how human behavior impacts their animal’s ecosystems, their animal’s place in the food chain, and the impact on the ecosystem if the animal were to go extinct. Students are expected to include a call to action in their final product in order to encourage others to save their species. The end product will be a brochure/flipbook that the kids create and share with one another (including their kindergarten buddies!) 

Buddy Time

We have been meeting every week with our second grade buddies in Mrs. Graham's class. The kids are forming a great bond as they enjoy working with one another on reading, writing, and math.

Technology Co-Teaching with Mrs. Fleet

Fourth graders have been asked to construct math arguments in our current Envision unit often. We wanted to see if students could transfer what they had learned about constructing math arguments when responding to a specific 2020 state standard inquiry question regarding comparing numbers with missing digits. Students used Google Slides to visually see each step of constructing a math argument. Screencastify was then used for students to describe the thinking they used to solve the differentiated inquiry questions. This gave our mathematicians the opportunity to truly defend their thinking using clear models, precise academic vocabulary, and strong counterexamples. 

Upcoming Dates

October 11 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Field Trip

October 14-18: Fall Break