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