Snow Day and Conference Day Activities: 3/21 & 3/22
Here are some activities for you to enjoy during our snow and conference days!
*Lines of Symmetry Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEro2-qcFqU
*Brainpop Video:
Poetry
*Make a hexaflexagon!
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-make-a-hexaflexagon-the-definitive-guide
*Make a popsicle boat!
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-make-a-popsicle-stick-and-rubber-band-paddle-boat
Think about some of these activities...
*Can you make a symmetrical shape with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 lines of symmetry?
*Can you write a snow day poem?
*Can you make something out of folded paper?
*Can you make another object out of pop sticks?
USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!
Bring one of your creations in to school on Friday for a gold coin!!!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Colonial Non-Fiction Writing
Our students are so excited to be working on their colonial information books. Their investment in this process is evident from the research and note taking they have done, to the planning and writing they are currently doing. They have been engaged in every task from the beginning, and it has been so motivating to see their growth as they learn to revise and grow ideas through the process.
These photos reflect the different stages of the writing process our authors utilized.
These students are researching independently selected topics. They have ownership over their research and are motivated by interest.
Students collected and organized their research by topic and text structure.
Checking in on our progress. Where are we thriving? Where are we striving?
Students planning how their writing will go. This is an important part of thinking through and visualizing their work. It's also an opportunity to make changes and see where more research is needed.
Our work continues....
Our students are so excited to be working on their colonial information books. Their investment in this process is evident from the research and note taking they have done, to the planning and writing they are currently doing. They have been engaged in every task from the beginning, and it has been so motivating to see their growth as they learn to revise and grow ideas through the process.
These photos reflect the different stages of the writing process our authors utilized.
These students are researching independently selected topics. They have ownership over their research and are motivated by interest.
Students collected and organized their research by topic and text structure.
Checking in on our progress. Where are we thriving? Where are we striving?
Students planning how their writing will go. This is an important part of thinking through and visualizing their work. It's also an opportunity to make changes and see where more research is needed.
Our work continues....
Monday, January 8, 2018
New Year Grab Bag Party!
To celebrate the arrival of 2018, the Heathcote fourth grade will be having a grab bag party for the recess cabinet on Friday, January 12th. Students are asked to bring gently used games and puzzles that have all their pieces to be donated to the fourth grade wing for indoor recess during the winter months. These games should be wrapped, so that everyone who participates by bringing in a game will get to open a game “present”. Then, the children will end the afternoon by testing out their new recess games.
It should be a lot of fun and will help keep the wing a fun and happy place during indoor lunch recess!
Best Wishes for the New Year!
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Welcome to 2018! Happy New Year!
As we look to get into the swing of a new year and new week of school, our class will spend some time reviewing reading goals and strategies. We will be having individual reading conferences to reassess reading strengths and to identify areas where students might benefit from further instruction.
As always, our goal continues to be an improvement in every facet of student learning, and there is no better way than to address critical English language arts skills in the curriculum. As I did in September, I will meet with every student to inform my instruction and identify appropriate levels of text using Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessments.
Based on these assessments, each child will be receiving suggestions for just-right books at independent reading levels. Selecting and reading some books from those suggestions will allow students to practice skills introduced during the reading workshop effectively, and at the appropriate level. Over the next several weeks, please encourage your child to select independent reading books from those suggested or assigned. These choices include a wide variety of topics and genres. There is truly something for everybody, and of course, a varied reading diet allows for growth and development.
Friday, November 3, 2017
Happy November!
As we launch into our new non-fiction reading unit, I am so excited by how motivated students are to immerse themselves in the work of learning. Our discussions on "coding" non-fiction texts and understanding the difference between narrative and expository pieces during ELA instruction really calls on them to use everything they ever learned about the art of reading.
Knowing that narrative non-fiction has the characteristics of "stories", while maintaining factual understanding can be challenging for kids. While expository fiction requires students to find ways of learning and retaining information on groups of things often housed under one topic. It can be a demanding, yet stimulating endeavor.
Not only must students read and comprehend the information, they must also find ways of retaining what they are learning. To do this, they must identify the text structure and select an appropriate organizer to help them hold on to new ideas.
These are skills that will be valuable to them as learners throughout their academic careers, and it is thrilling for me to be a part of this process with your child.
Below, please find some links that I think you will find interesting. They will help you have a deeper understanding of some of the work we are doing, and how to be an informed part of the learning going on in our classroom.
Best -
Vivian
Understanding Text Structure I
The Importance of Teaching Text Structure
As we launch into our new non-fiction reading unit, I am so excited by how motivated students are to immerse themselves in the work of learning. Our discussions on "coding" non-fiction texts and understanding the difference between narrative and expository pieces during ELA instruction really calls on them to use everything they ever learned about the art of reading.
Knowing that narrative non-fiction has the characteristics of "stories", while maintaining factual understanding can be challenging for kids. While expository fiction requires students to find ways of learning and retaining information on groups of things often housed under one topic. It can be a demanding, yet stimulating endeavor.
Not only must students read and comprehend the information, they must also find ways of retaining what they are learning. To do this, they must identify the text structure and select an appropriate organizer to help them hold on to new ideas.
These are skills that will be valuable to them as learners throughout their academic careers, and it is thrilling for me to be a part of this process with your child.
Below, please find some links that I think you will find interesting. They will help you have a deeper understanding of some of the work we are doing, and how to be an informed part of the learning going on in our classroom.
Best -
Vivian
Understanding Text Structure I
The Importance of Teaching Text Structure
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Welcome to the Fourth Grade!
Dear Fourth Grader,
I am so excited to be welcoming you to Fourth Grade! Tuesday, September 5th will be the start of a great new academic and social experience. We are going to have a fantastic year together!
I have spent the summer thinking about and putting together great projects, ideas, and units that we will spend the year exploring. So, to get your minds ready for this year, spend some time over these next few weeks thinking about how we can help make Fourth Grade a great year for you. What will your goals be? How can we work together to achieve them? These are some year-long conversations that we will begin as soon as you arrive in September. Don’t worry about not having answers to these questions right away! Our learning experiences and reflections will be our guides to an exciting and enriching year. Every new day or experience will be an opportunity to add something special to our class. While you are waiting for the first day of school to roll around, I hope that you are reading and practicing your addition, subtraction, division and multiplication facts!
On the first day of school please bring in a few books (2) that you read this summer. Also, please bring three current pictures of yourself.
These are the school supplies you will need if you haven’t ordered a PTA supply box:
- Five marble composition books
- Ten glue sticks
- One box of colored pencils
- One box of twistable crayons (crayons in a hard, twistable sleeve)
- 50 pencils
- 1 pink eraser
- One box of tissues
- Two yellow highlighters
- Two packages of 3”x3” lined post-its
- One blue two-pocket folder
- 1 package of thin markers
- 1 package of thick markers
- 1 set of watercolor paints
Love,
Mrs. Robert
Monday, April 3, 2017
We are so excited for our new mystery reading unit! 4Robert detectives will focus on the elements of this thrilling genre to solve the mysteries in their books...
Group 1:
The Nina, The Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure
The Mystery of Mr. Nice
Jaguar's Jewel
The Goose's Gold
Deadly Dungeon
Falcon's Feather
Group 2:
Who Stole Grandma's Million Dollar Pumpkin Pie?
Crime Biters
Group 3:
The Clearing
Eleven
Dead Letter
Group 4:
Dead Letter
The Hotel Thief
Group 5:
The Skeleton Man
The Westing Game
Group 1:
The Nina, The Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure
The Mystery of Mr. Nice
Jaguar's Jewel
The Goose's Gold
Deadly Dungeon
Falcon's Feather
Group 2:
Who Stole Grandma's Million Dollar Pumpkin Pie?
Crime Biters
Group 3:
The Clearing
Eleven
Dead Letter
Group 4:
Dead Letter
The Hotel Thief
Group 5:
The Skeleton Man
The Westing Game
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