12/6/2013 0 Comments Term IIBienvenidos al segundo trimestre del cuarto grado
Much has been covered in the first term and we are looking forward to many more units of study in term two. Students are currently finishing up a unit on immigration with Mrs. Brown and will shortly move on to a unit on mapping skills with Mr. Thompson. The students are highly engaged in a unit on data collection, as we determine the purposes behind collecting and representing data. We also continue to practice our multiplication strategies and will soon review our measurement skills beginning with the US Customary system. We will then cover the more logical, widely used Metric System. Unique to the US, students must know both systems. Fortunately (similarly to knowing two languages) this gives us room to compare and think critically about when and why to use the different systems we have at our disposal. WRITING To move on to writing the students have taken off with their word choice, sentence variety and focus on the audience they are writing for. We are trying to constantly compare the authors we read with the authors we are becoming. As we write we learn to "show not tell" and as we read we recognize this craft in other authors by inferring the meaning behind a character's comments, thoughts or the way an author describes something. What is the author's central message? What is she trying to tell us? What are we trying to tell our audiences when we write? Why is this piece meaningful and why would others want to read it? DECEMBER PROJECTS The students did a great job of showing their comprehension in their first book projects of the year. We practiced our speaking and listening skills as we shared them in small groups. Effort and comprehension was apparent in the students' completed work. I'm looking forward to seeing what they will do with our next project, coming home this week. The students have learned about the different biomes of the world and have begun to practice their research, note taking and informative writing skills. Now that we have learned about the different living conditions of our world, we are ready to learn about its inhabitants. The students home project will be to write a report on the animal of their choice. In the report information about the animal's characteristics, habitat and habitat adaptations must be included. This week we have started reading a novel in Spanish called Amigos del otro lado. This book tells the story of two nine year old boys who have immigrated from Mexico and are now living in Southern California. Although the boys come from very different areas and cultures of Mexico and probably never would have met when they lived in Mexico, their feelings of missing their country of origin bring them together. From there the boys begin a friendship based on respect and appreciation of the other one's culture. We are working to finish this novel before the winter break. Students are responsible for reading at home and in class. Pages and vocabulary will be assigned at the beginning of the week. This will take the place of Term One's Spanish packet. HOLIDAY WISH LIST A few things we could use in the classroom are:
Happy Holidays!
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