4th Grade Weekly Update Week of November 11th
ELA: We will continue our novel study Rules this week, reading through Chapters 4-6. We have discussions after each chapter and point out the way vocabulary terms are used after each chapter read. Then, students reflect on the chapters they have read with journal entries to summarize their thoughts. Spelling List 9 will be tested on Monday and the last list before the Thanksgiving Break will be handed out that same day. We will put grammar and vocabulary on hold this week to work on research for our Holidays Around the World summaries. Students were able to get some research in on Friday and are getting excited about the countries they have chosen!
History: On Monday, students are going to listen to a Veterans Day presentation by my father, Steve Shasteen, a retired Navy man! He’s going to give us a little history about Veterans Day and tell us why Veterans Day is an important day to celebrate. Then, we will continue to study the Revolutionary War. We’ll look at the Declaration of Independence and it’s significance to the colonists, and the continuation of the struggles between the British and colonists.
Math: In Friday Folders, you’ll find a 10 question multiplication activity we completed on Friday. Multiplication problems were posted around the room and they had to bend, twist, and crouch to find them and solve on their own. A little movement always helps get the blood flowing! The assignment was a good judge of each student’s mastery of the skill. Some are still struggling with the basic facts and it’s affecting their performance on more complicated multiplication problems. This week, we will practice rounding and then move on to two-digit by two-digit multiplication! We’ll use graph paper and a reference page that will keep things organized and help show each step. We will also finish out or timed math tests through 12s!
Science from Mrs. Rozier: In lab last week, students investigated the difference between physical and chemical changes. We learned that there are 10 signs of a chemical change that scientists look for when determining if a chemical change has occurred. In lab, we focused on three of those signs including a change in temperature, change in color, and production of gas. Students learned that some of these signs also occur with physical changes, such as boiling water, and learned how to distinguish between the two. On Friday, we put our knowledge to the test as students worked in groups to complete a card sorting activity that incorporated real-world examples of physical and chemical changes. On Monday, we will discuss why each scenario falls into the different categories as students record the answers. Our next investigation will focus on another common sign of a chemical change, a pH level of a substance. Students will learn how to determine the pH level of various substances and learn the difference between an acid and base. Exciting!
Our class discussions are instrumental to our science program. However, not all children are auditory learners. That is why I also include a follow up lesson for each investigation that help students summarize the main ideas. Sometimes these summaries are taken as a homework grade and others are taken as a classwork grade depending if they completed them in class or at home. After grading these summaries, I attach a note to them asking parents and students to keep them as reference for studying. As they come home, students should spend 5-10 minutes each night reviewing these summaries. They could also use them to turn them into flashcard questions to quiz themselves! After taking our unit test, students are allowed to make test corrections using these sheets. They are expected to turn them back in after test corrections along with the study guide. If they have kept up with all of them, then they receive a 100 as a homework grade. You are welcome to dispose of them after we have completed test corrections! Please let me know if you have any questions!