MCAS
On Friday we will begin our English Language Arts MCAS testing. A letter was sent home on Friday explaining the different portions of the test and what students are expected to do. The dates are also included at the end of this blog. We have been preparing for the test by learning what the different parts consist of and what we will be expected to do on the day of the test. We have been building up our confidence and learning ways that we can "beat the test." In addition, we have been emphasizing that we can do our best by using the strategies we have learned and taking our time.
We have really treated this test as though it is a game that we can beat. I have acted as their coach and have tried to dispel any concerns or fears that students may have. Please encourage your child to try their best and to use their "magic" (the strategies we have learned). Let me know if you have any questions.
Conferences
Parent teacher conferences will be on Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 8. Please don't forget to sign up for a conference on PTC Fast. I look forward to meeting with everyone!
Regions
Next week students will begin a new Social Studies, Reading, Writing and Technology project. We will be integrating many of the fourth grade subjects by reading, researching, and writing about a chosen region of the United States. There will be many student choices in the project and will be largely interest driven. Stay tuned for more updates!
Prezi
We have been learning about reading non-fiction and how to determine what is important out of all of the information in a non-fiction reading selection. We have also been learning how to identify the main idea and supporting details. To help us learn this we read and took notes on a chosen non-fiction topic such as National Parks, polar bears, animal survival skills etc. We then utilized Prezi which is similar to Power Point (but much more updated and motivating!) to create presentations that highlighted the main ideas and supporting details of what we had read. The pictures below show students presenting their Prezi's to the class. You can ask your child to present their Prezi to you by going online to www.prezi.com.
Upcoming Dates
4/1, 4/4, 4/5 - ELA MCAS TESTING
4/5 - 4/8 - Book Fair
4/7 & 4/8 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Hello Spring!
It's almost here! With Spring comes many exciting events, new learning opportunities, and some important dates.
Non-Fiction
We have been learning how to determine the main topics of a non-fiction text by skimming and scanning the text features. We are also learning how key details can support our understanding of the main topics in the text. We will be starting a project in the classroom that will help solidify this concept and help us practice our newly learned skills. Partnerships will read about a topic and determine the main topics and key details from the reading. They will then create a presentation using Prezi present their topic to the rest of the class. Prezi is similar to Power Point but more exciting! When they are finished we will share!
Writing a Response to Literature
We are working on understanding questions so that we know what they are asking of us. This will help us better think about and answer them. We are also learning how we can categorize our evidence which helps us come up with answers or reasons. (Ask your child about my Grandmother's purse!) Yesterday, students wrote some beautiful responses to a question about an excerpt from Because of Winn-Dixie. I thought I would share one response below so you can see what fourth graders are expected to do (and are capable of!)
Number Lines
Today we will begin looking at fractions on number lines. We have gotten very good at partitioning tape diagrams and area models into halves, thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths. We have also learned what equivalence means. Our next step is seeing this same concept on a number line. We will then move on to using number lines to help us think about the sizes of different fractions and putting them in order.
Potential and Kinetic Energy
We are nearing the end of our unit on potential and kinetic energy and it has been a blast. Yesterday, students made adjustments to an experiment we had done together to see if they could make their cars travel even further down the ramp. They determined their own variable and designed their own experiments. Some added height to the ramp, others added weight to the cars, some adjusted the tracks. Today, students will present the results of their experiments.
Important Dates
March 25th - No School
March 30th - Report Cards Go Home
April 1st, 4th, 5th - MCAS ELA
Donations
We are looking for some things to replenish our supplies! Anything you could send in would be greatly appreciated!
Pencils
Magnets for our whiteboard
Clorox Wipes
