Blog Archives

READING WORKSHOP

9/30/2020

Our reading block is one of our favorite times of the day! We're all working on different things. We like having some choice in what we work on first and the pace we move through our work.
Check out some of the things we might be doing!

The Gratitude Project

Each week we write a gratitude letter. Right now we're writing to people we know (family members and friends). We take time to let them know why we are grateful for them, remind them of a special memory, and thank them for being in our lives. We're also learning to address and send snail mail! You just might be getting a letter in the mail soon!

Reader Response

Each we we respond in writing to our read aloud book and our IDR books. We reflect on the plot and analyze the characters. We notice the theme and make connections to our lives and other books we've read. We practice writing in full sentences with capitals, punctuation, good spelling, and proper grammar. We also work on our typing skills.

IDR - Independent Daily Reading

Formerly know as DEAR (drop everything and read, IDR is a time for us to curl up with a good book and read on our own. We're working on finding just right books, switching up the genres we explore, and building our reading stamina. This is a very popular time of day! Some of our favorites right now are Calvin and Hobbes, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson.

Fluency and Audiobooks

We have the option to listen and follow along to books as well through a couple of different online programs. This is a fun way to explore harder texts and bigger themes. We also practice a fluency poem each week. We work on phrasing, cadence, expression. After practicing at least ten times, we record our poems on Flipgrid so we can hear our fluency improve throughout the year.

Time for Kids and Scholastic News

We love staying up to date on current events with Time for Kids and Scholastic News. We read new articles and answer questions about what we've read. This is great practice in close reading and interpretation. Soon we'll add in spelling, grammar, and vocabulary to this rotation. We like to switch it up, that way our reading workshop stays interesting and we're always practicing different skills.

Book Clubs

After reading workshop, we all find our way to different book clubs. We love the opportunity to work in small groups, fine tune our decoding skills, and read new books with our friends. Ask us what we're reading and what skills we're working on! In my book club we're reading Frindle, working on close reading, making predictions, and character analysis.

BIRTHDAYS IN FOURTH GRADE

9/29/2020

We started the year with six word stories all about ourselves. We're continuing that theme for birthdays too! When it's your child's big day, we each write them a six word story accompanied by a picture. They'll come home with a ring full of kind words and anecdotes!
It's fun to take time to reflect on what awesome classmates we have.

CLASSROOM COMMUNITY

9/28/2020

We started this collaborative mural the first day of school and it's finally finished!
It's pretty cool to see this masterpiece created with all of our individual little squares.
We really are remarkable when we work together!

CELEBRATE THE BEAT!

9/25/2020

Check out our 4th grade Celebrate the Beat dance! Practice at home!

SCIENCE WITH MOUNTAIN ROOTS

9/24/2020

Today we took a trip to the garden! We learned about garden animal adaptations. What does a worm have structurally and do behaviorally that help it survive and thrive? What about a fly?

THE ART OF CHESS

9/19/2020

We're loving reading Fish in a Tree. The main character Ally Nickerson struggles to read because of dyslexia. However, she excels in all creative and visual tasks. Her teacher, Mr. Daniels recognizes her strengths and teaches her to play chess to show her how smart she really is. Unfortunately, we often cater to one of learning style, when there are really so many ways to learn. We're learning/relearning to play chess this year and celebrating all the ways we learn!

NOTHING BEATS A GOOD BOOK!

9/18/2020

After a long week, we all just needed some time to curl up with a good book!

ESTIMATION STATION

9/17/2020

We start each day with a math problem to get our brains working. After check in, Estimation Station is the first stop in our morning routine. Each day we get a clue leading to the big reveal on Friday. Can you figure out how many beads are on the string below?

This week we practiced completing Estimation Station in Google Classroom.
If we are home sick, we can still participate!

MATH WORKSHOP

9/11/2020

Math is busy in fourth grade. We use a workshop model, which means we're all usually working on different skills at our own pace. Today we worked on place value and ordering numbers.
We completed journal pages, math problems in Google Classroom, and learned to play Addition Top-It with three digit numbers.