Fourth Grade

Happy Almost Spring!

After a long and grueling winter, the snow and ice are finally beginning to thaw, the days are getting longer and the warm sunshine is adding more smiles to everyone's faces. But, the approach of spring also means that we are more than halfway through 4th grade! I am SO proud of how much our 4th graders have grown and  of how far they have come so far.  Read on to see what we've done and what there is to look forward to.


We have officially begun the Stanford Test. Our spelling portion is complete and we will continue to follow the schedule that each of you should have received from Batya Engel, curriculum coordinator.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the parents who came to read to our class during Literacy Month. It was an absolute treat to have you in our classroom and a priceless and lifelong lesson for the children to see how reading positively and critically influences your lives every day. Thank you! By the way, Literacy Month does not have to be isolated to one month only. If you ever want to come in and do a special presentation, read to the class, or conduct a fun activity, please feel free to email me so that we can arrange it!

Reading

In reading, we have been engrossed in our book clubs. The children are so enthralled with Roald Dahl and it shows as they read independently, within their book club groups and in partnerships. Fourth graders enjoy this author's writing style so much that not only are they reading their assigned book club books, they are also using their independent reading and transition times to read other Roald Dahl books available in the classroom library. During literature circles, the children participate in authentic and deep conversation using guided questions provided for them. These questions elicit the engagement of critical thinking skills and are presented in open-ended formats. Each book club member takes turns speaking and listening. In addition, children use written responses to demonstrate understanding of the novels being read.

Aside from the  book club groups that we use to practice fluency and a variety of comprehension areas, fourth grade is also immersed in non-fiction informational text. We have learned about text features and the children are able to identify the different features of non-fiction text in a variety of material.

Writing

Our writing units are directly connected to our reading units. To support our reading lessons and book clubs, children have begun to work on literary responses. Currently, we are focusing on how to write 4-5 paragraph essays to demonstrate understanding of elements of literature. We have begun with a compare/contrast essay. This essay included an introduction paragraph, 2-3 body paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph.

Our latest genre of writing is feature articles. Most of the students have chosen a topic an have learned how to narrow their topic. We started to conduct research in our school computer lab. Children are encouraged to conduct research at home. We also learned about the concept of using a rubric to guide our writing and to help us better structure and put together our writing. I am looking forward to reading the wonderful articles that I know fourth grade will put together!

Math

We have finished book 4A and have moved on to book 4B. Our fractions unit was very successful! We   worked extensively with a variety of concepts within this chapter and even challenged ourselves to go beyond the basics as we delved into complicated and challenging word problems.  The first chapter in our second textbook flows easily from fractions right into decimals. This month, we will build the foundations necessary to work with and understand the concept of decimals to the hundredths. Our unit that follows will incorporate these foundations into addition and subtraction of decimals.

Science

In science, finished up our physical science unit with the exploration of sound waves. Students used a variety of materials to explore pitch, volume, tone and vibrations of sounds. We are beginning our earth science unit. Our first exploration will take us back in time to think about the patterns in Earth's rock formations. We will explore the essential question: How and what can observing rock formations, patterns in rock formations and fossils teach us about the changes that occur to landscapes over time?  Students will learn and think about the order in which these rock formations came to be and what forces caused this to occur. One such Earth force that we will explore is earthquakes.

Social Studies

Our class has research, conferenced and practiced how to debate. We are continuing to practice the skill of debating as we learn to find and use relevant evidence to support our arguments. This is an ongoing process and is an area in which the children are growing their skills. A handful of students became so involved in the debate process that they even use the format for "pretend" debates during recess time. :-)

Now that the fourth grade extensively learned about explorers and American Indians of the northeast region, we have moved on to learn about what occurred in New York State once the settlers gradually moved into the new territory. Students will learn about the way of life during Colonial New York. They will compare and contrast their way of life with the life of colonial settlers. They will create a timeline of colonial New York and explore old maps from the 1700s and 1800s. These maps will be compared to present day maps of Brooklyn and greater New York State.

·       

S

The most creative Sukkah!

This passed week, on Chol Hamoed Sukkot our class took part in
the school wide Sukkah competition. First of all I would like to thank all the parents that sent in
egg cartons, we used each and every one of them for our beautiful Sukkah.
It was so nice to see how the fourth Grade students cooperated together and were able to work out and construct this massive egg carton Sukkah. Each one of the students participated in building it.
Trust me, team work isn't that easy even with us adults so I am so proud of them.
Our Sukkah won the title of "The most creative Sukkah" .
I am so proud of the 4th Grade!

The most Creative Sukkah!