As we approach the winter break...

...we are beginning to tie some things up, as well as have some ongoing projects to work on when we return.  We have been working on a min-unit about landforms.  This unit has focused on research skills, paraphrasing, source citation, and of course text creation.  The culmination of this unit will be some full-color books!  These are looking good so far, and we hope to have them finalized before the break!

We are also using the skills listed above in an investigation of Vermont.  Students are working on topics of their choice, researching them, and writing about the connections these topics have to Vermont.  Topics range from mountains to agriculture.  The culmination of this work will also be a book, but with a focus on the audience, rather than simply to convey knowledge.  We are currently in the research and initial draft portion of this work, and we will take these initial drafts and craft them toward the audience we are hoping to capture.

Math has seen alot of work recently.  We have been working on building automaticity with the foundational facts in multiplication.  We are working on these facts in groups, and practicing using cuisenaire rods.  Along side this we have been working on identifying the dividend and divisor in division word problems.

As always I hope this update finds you well, and you have a restful and rejuvenating weekend and break.  There is a possibility of significant snow next Wednesday...let's keep our fingers crossed!

Dave

A new week, bring new investigations!

We are moving forward as always.  This week we have been working on researching VT history, as well as different landforms.  Right now the purpose of our research is two-fold. We are working, of course, to gain information and understanding, but we are also working to practice paraphrasing, choosing interesting bits of information and citing sources.  This work will result in a couple of differently formatted books, one for each topic respectively.

Math is another area where new investigations are beginning.  We are working on reading and deciphering comparison statements as they relate to math, and from these statements finding equations that match, and ultimately writing word problems that ask the mathematician to compare. An example is as follows:  A man has 7 coins, his friend has 4 times the amount of coins.  His friend has 28 coins.  The equations that relate to this are: 28/4 = 7, 28/7 = 4, 7 x 4 = 28, and 4 x 7 = 28.  A potential word problem relating to that could be: If a man has 28 coins in his pocket and his friend has 4 times less, how many coins does his friend have?

We are moving into the winter season, please remember that all students need all of their winter gear each day.  As always I hope this finds you well, and you have a relaxing weekend.

-Dave

Snow and new units!

Hey, I hope all of you are enjoying the snow!  I am really excited about it.  Throughout the winter I will continue to assign kids 20 minutes of outside fun for homework, so please encourage them to explore the winter landscape.

We are wrapping up our unit on squishy circuits.  We are publishing some accordion books to show our understanding.  These will be displayed outside our classroom, so the next time you are here, check them out!  As this unit wraps up we are moving into some new ones.

In writing we are beginning to explore informational text.  We are currently doing this by reading about and taking notes regarding some of Vermont's history.  This reading and unit will concentrate on pulling information from sources, citing sources, and creating pieces of writing about Vermont's history.

We are also beginning and investigation of landforms.  This investigation will focus on online research, source citation, paraphrasing, and of course landforms.  We will be looking at several examples of different types of landforms, and finding examples that exist in Vermont!

I hope this post finds you well, and that you are prepping for a rejuvenating Thanksgiving break.

Dave

This is the week of beginnings!

All beginnings, mean of course, some endings.  This week we have been wrapping up a few units from the fall, and launching into some new one for the coming months.  We are wrapping up our unit on narrative writing, all students have increased their story-tellers voice and added to the skills that they have in narrative writing.  Moving forward in writing we will be working on creating pieces of non-fiction writing.  For this work we will be focusing on the changes Vermont has gone through during it's history.  We will also be working on the skills involved with performing research, paraphrasing and citing sources.

We are also beginning some new work in math.  We are currently tackling two parallel strains of math concepts.  We are working to develop our mastery of foundational facts, and working to applying these to "multiplication problems." Your students can clarify these terms for you if need be!
Another unit we are putting the finishing touches on is "squishy circuits." During this unit we investigated electricity and circuits, created some fantastic models, and are culminating with some beautiful books.  After this unit we will be working with some we-do Lego robots and creating programs to these robots so they can perform different tasks, as well as modifying programs to modify the actions of the robots.

Finally, it was so nice to meet with many of you over the past two weeks.  If you have any further questions please contact me so we can set up a follow up meeting, or if anything arises in the future, please check in and we can have a quick chat!

-Dave

Next Friday November 7th is our Spanish restaurant simulation!

                                                                                                                                              

Dear Fourth Grade Families,

Students in the fourth grade have been learning how to order at a restaurant and ask others what they would like to order in Spanish.  As a culminating project, students will participate in a restaurant simulation where our classroom is set up as a restaurant and they order food from a menu in Spanish. I will be providing some of the menu items and wondered if there were any families that would be willing to contribute an item as well.  If this is something that you would be willing and able to do, could you please return this form with your name and what you are able to contribute? We will be having our simulation on Friday November 7, 2014 in the afternoon. All meals, snacks, and desserts welcomed!

Muchas Gracias,

Señorita Gray

Yes, I ___________________________________ am able to contribute ___________________________ to the menu.

Concert and no water!

This week marks another one of fun for us.  We continued our work in all academic areas, but had some special and unforeseen events as well.  First of all, we had a great time singing and writing songs with Jon Gailmor!  What an impressive performer and presence in our class and school.  He really brings his love of music and shares it with everyone, the excitement and enthusiasm was infectious.

We also had a snafu with our water supply system this week...bummer.  This issue has been resolved, but this was the reason for the early cancellation of school on Wednesday.  To all of you, thanks for your flexibility and availability getting our/your children quickly and easily back to your homes, or their alternate locations.

Also, many of you have signed up for conferences!  Please check the schedule on the conferences tab of this blog to assure that you are in a time slot that works for you.  I really enjoy conference time and look forward to meeting with all of you to discuss your child's progress.  Also, if you still need to sign up, there is still time!  Just add your name to an open slot, and send it back to school with your child!  Thanks again, and I hope all is well!

Dave

Artist in residence!

We are feeling really lucky to have an artist in residence for this week.  We have Jon Gailmor here with us, singing and writing songs with each class!  These original songs will be performed next week on Tuesday (10-21-14) night at 6:30!  I hope that all of you can attend!

Also a few students have filled up their six-times books.  This shows a profound dedication to reflection as students have spent a little time each day thinking about what has gone well for them, and what could be improved in the future!

Also please check our conferences tab.  I have updated it with all the requests I have so far, if you still need to sign up, please let me know!  Thanks,

-Dave

p.s. I fear there were two families that I missed giving sign up sheets to on Friday, if you are one of them, and the slots that would work best for you are already accounted for, please let me know so we can make alternate arrangements.