December 5, 2019

November was a busy month.  Students finished their guided reading group books and then created dioramas to represent a significant event in their story.  Students  used Seesaw to share their final product and explain the significance of the event they chose.  Here are  a few dioramas currently
displayed in our classroom :

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Students also published their realistic narrative stories which are also currently on display.

In literacy we are now immersed in reading biographies and taking notes to prepare ourselves to write about the selected characters.  We kicked off the unit by reading about the famous Vermonter, Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley.  The assignment was very timely as now our hallway is decorated with beautiful snowflakes and information about this influential Vermonter.  

Hopefully you also "heard" about the amazing sound unit that Miss Sloane led.  The engaging, hands-on lessons helped all the students learn how sound waves travel.  The students designed instruments and put on a parade to showcase their final pieces.

Finally, we are wrapping up Unit 2 in math.  We continue to review and practice our math facts.  This week we are focusing on our 6 facts.  Students will be assessed on Friday.  Any extra practice they can do at home will help them become more fluent with their facts.

November 1, 2019

We had some wild weather to welcome us to November!  The students were in awe of the waters that
had flooded the fields behind the playground.  Although, it didn't sound like the weather kept them
from celebrating Halloween. In class,  Miss Sloane created a very engaging Halloween lesson
incorporating geography. I hope the pumpkin globes made it home safely.  Each student identified
the continents and strategically placed them around the pumpkin to represent our world.  

Reading groups continue to use comprehension strategies to understand the story and participate in weekly
discussion.  We also have been practicing our fluency. Our lessons helped prepare us to meet with
our kindergarten buddies. 

Our narratives are almost finished, but the wild weather did interrupt our WIFI service which prevented
Friday from being our finish-up day.  We will extend our deadline and look forward to sharing our work next
week.

In math students have been doing a great job practicing their multiplication facts.  Next week we will focus
on our 4's. Please remind students to practice as frequently as they can to help build automaticity.  We've
moved into our 2nd unit: Multidigit Multiplication and Early Division.

Students are seeing the benefit of knowing their 1 digit facts to help solve their 2 digit multiplication facts.

We had a successful wrap up to our Geology unit.  Students enjoyed participating an engineering task to
prevent a landslide.  We also complete a summative assessment that was sent home. today. Our new
unit is all about sound.  

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October 6, 2019

     Wow!  It's amazing how quickly the weather has changed.  Fall has definitely arrived.  October is an exciting month as we celebrate all the work we've accomplished in the first 6 weeks of school, and begin to dive more deeply into content areas.  The data from September helps us organize instructional groups.  Last week reading groups began and this week word study groups will meet.  I look forward to discussing your child's assessments as well as plans for next steps at our October conference. 
     In writing we are in the process of choosing our realistic fiction story idea.  Students may choose to use a true story from their writer's notebook as inspiration or they may think of an issue or topic they care deeply about to plan their stories.  During this unit students will learn to use a story arc, create believable characters, develop the heart of the story, and create a closing to wrap up the story.  We look forward to sharing these stories when they are complete,
     Students were excited to meet with their reading groups last week and begin getting to know the characters in their new stories.  Groups are meeting 2-3 times a week to discuss the shared reading and discuss the text.  Reading these fiction stories will also serve as mentor texts for our current writing pieces.
     We will be wrapping up our first math unit on Multiplicative Thinking this week.   The conceptual knowledge we have built will support our work in Unit 2: Multidigit Multiplication and Early Division.  I strongly recommend student practice their math facts to build fluency.  This means that they can efficiently solve one digit problems without hesitation.  Regular practice through games is a great way to build student confidence and fluency.  I recommend the old-fashioned game of War.  Players flip two cards and say the equation (i.e. "4 times 3 equals 12")  The player with the greater product wins the round and keeps those cards.  The player with the most cards in the end is the winner!
     I am disappointed that our outdoor field trip to Shelburne Farms had to be canceled.  We are hoping that it will be rescheduled for the Spring as it is a great program that enhances our study of geology.  For now we will continue our study in the classroom.  Check out students experimenting with weathering, and other recent fun events.

Table 2 doing the "sugar shake".

Mrs. Locke as a Mystery Reader

Ms. Leister reading our 9th Red Clover Book

4th Grade October Be a Star Celebration

Congratulations to Cole and Isabel!

Our class celebrating "Be a Star" with a PJ day!

September 5, 2019

     Welcome to our class blog.  I look forward to giving you a glimpse into our classroom by sharing pictures and posting information about our learning.    In our first 7 days we've been busy getting to know one another, practicing our routines, and diving into our curriculum 
topics. 
     We've  enjoyed getting to know each other at morning meeting through sharing and class games.  Students were also randomly assigned a partner to interview.  We then used the writing process to share what we learned.  Next week we will practice sharing our finished pieces. 
     In reading students have begun the routine of the Reading Workshop.  Our lessons have focused on "reading intensely".  In order to do this work we are helping students to select books they want to read, making sure they are a good fit, and learning how to think about the work the text is asking them to do.  We've also heard 2 of this year's Red Clover books from Mystery Readers.  Staff members have secretly volunteered to visit our classroom and read a Red Clover book.  We love welcoming visitors to our classroom and hearing these well-written stories.  Also, as you know, we participated in the Common Read Celebration at CVU on Thursday.  The event was well-run and I think the students enjoyed learning about social justice.  I have also begun reading assessments with the students.  This gives me a chance to meet with each student individually and get to know them as a reader. 
     Our study of US geography has begun with our math calendar.  We are taking a cross country trip across the US by locating coordinates on a map and keeping track of the total miles we have driven.  We've also begun looking at some multiplication story problems and sharing strategies we can use to solve them.  
     Finally, we've started examining our first essential question or theme: "How do forces shape the earth?"  Students worked with a partner today to mark the location of various volcanoes across the world to make observation and identify any patterns.
     Take a peak at us in action:

    

Hanging out during a motor break

Practicing math facts

     

           

Working with a partner

1st Music Class

  

                                         

Creating a Flip Grid

Sharing our math thinking

                                           

Independent work

Fun with friends

                                                       

Team time

Enjoying our sunny weather

                                                                 

4th grade is fun!