Week 8: Authors, Teachers and Actors...Oh My!

          We had a guest author visit the 4^th grade classes this week!  Miranda Paul has published nonfiction articles, poems, and children’s stories.  She was scheduled to speak at St. Mary’s College on September 22 - 24.  Thanks to Mrs. Ganzell, a parent of CPCS students, we were able to have Ms. Paul visit our classes and work with our students on Wednesday!  Ms. Paul is an inspiring speaker as well as an author.  She told the students about her experiences visiting and teaching in the Gambia.  She explained that learning about and respecting other cultures is a powerful way of enriching our own lives.  As a special treat, Ms. Paul read one of her own stories to the students.  Before leaving she talked about the key elements of a folk tale.  Then she gave the students the opportunity to start writing their own folk tales.  It was a very exciting morning.

As a means of connecting to Ms. Paul’s work, the students responded to a writing prompt about the value of books.  It was encouraging to see how well they recognize the many ways books impact our lives.  The students also worked on their skits about diversity.  They are learning that portraying the role of other characters and conveying the important ideas in a story takes careful planning and cooperation.

The students temporarily became teachers in social studies as they shared the information they had learned about a geographic region of Maryland.  We reviewed the special characteristics of each geographic region by taking notes on graphic organizers.  We connected what the students have learned about the physical characteristics of each region to what they are learning about erosion in science.  We saw that each region has some unique vulnerabilities to erosion.   We also played a game of Challenge in which students were able to score points by answering questions about Maryland’s geographic regions.  When we took the culminating quiz, most students were very pleased by how “easy” the test seemed.  This is to their credit as it reflects how well they’ve worked over the past two weeks!

In math, students discovered prime and composite numbers by looking for factors.  We used tiles, multiplication charts, hundred charts and even calculators to find all the factors fro numbers 1-100 and learned to draw factor rainbows.  We paired gestures with our new vocabulary in order to help us remember the meaning of prime and composite numbers.  Ask your child to show you and explain what the gestures mean.  Knowing the factors of numbers will help us with divisibility later on while helping us with multiplication right now!

In science, we continued to look at weathering and erosion.  After learning the difference between weathering (breaking down of earth's materials) and erosion (the carrying away of weathered materials), students turned their bodies into one or more of these processes by created tableauxs (similar to statues but moving is allowed) to represent these natural processes.  It was very clear that students understood the true meaning behind each of these words. Who knew science and drama could go hand in hand!?  Some students should really consider the dramatic arts!   Hopefully students will begin to apply their understanding of erosion and weathering  on our field trips this week!

Week 7: "Over the mountains and through coastal plains of Mary-land we go...."

        After recognizing the value of diversity through the study of heritage, we talked about other kinds of human diversity.  Variation among people can be seen in numerous ways:  age, gender, physical size and shape, belief systems, education, talents, challenges, etc.  This week our word of the week was “stereotype”.  We read an article about people who have broken stereotypes with their accomplishments.  For example, we learned about people who don’t have the use of their legs, but they play basketball.  These people broke the stereotype many of us have that people in wheelchairs can’t play sports.   Towards the end of the week I gave the students a synopsis of three short stories that address stereotypes and let them choose which story they would like to read.  The students are now divided into three groups based on their choices.  The students read the stories and we discussed what stereotype was challenged in each story.  This coming week each group will work together to turn their story into a skit.  As a class we will help each other “see” how stereotypes can impact people and how they can be broken.

            In social studies we continued our study of the three geographic regions of Maryland.   We talked about Maryland’s nickname of “America in Miniature”.  Looking at a topographic map of Maryland and then of the USA, we could see how the landforms change in a similar way as you move from east to west.  In the middle of the week we began a “jigsaw” activity.  The students divided into groups of three and each group member chose one of the three geographic regions.  Then each student was given an information sheet summarizing the region they had chosen.  Their task was to use this information to become the group’s “expert” on this region.  (Eventually the three group members will come back together to teach each other about the region they studied.)  The students read the information about their region, highlighted key points, and made a “teaching plan” that they will share with their group next week.  As a class we will review the key features of each region by having the students report on what they learned in their small group.

       This week, we made real-world connections to large numbers as we investigated the populations of each of Maryland's 23 counties and 1 city.  After ordering the populations, we discovered that Kent County was the least populated (~20,000) while Montgomery County (my home sweet home) has well over 1,000,000 inhabitants.  Using their knowledge of MD geography, students hypothesized that due to its proximity to Washington, DC, many people choose to live in Montgomery County so they don't have to live in a bustling city but can visit it whenever they want.  The 'burbs!  Students then categorized each county into its Maryland Region then calculated each region's total population.  I was elated when student's begged to not only calculate Maryland's total population, but to conduct research on  one of it's counties.  Ask your child to tell you what they calculated.  Although we calculated the exact total (using the 2012 Census data), we used our estimation and rounding skills for parent reporting purposes!

       In science, we began "traveling" across North American looking at landforms that were formed by erosion and weathering.  We are currently in Wyoming in the Grand Tetons Mountains, but should make it to Maryland by Wednesday!  Once we "arrive" in Maryland we will explore agents of erosion and look at rapid and slow changes that occur on earth's surface.  This unit will be our first "STEAM" unit this year (authored by your very own 4th grade teachers!), as students are exposed to the concept of erosion throughout all content areas including: science, technology, engineering, the arts, math, language arts, social studies and physical education.  Both teachers and students are excited to pilot this unit and discover how erosion affects life in and around the Chesapeake Bay.   

Week 6: Mathematical Efficiency and Cultural Diversity

         

        This week, students worked on mastering an efficient strategy: the standard algorithm for subtraction.  That translates to the "old fashioned way" for us parents.  We used the words "decompose" and "recompose" when talking about regrouping numbers into new place values.  Ask your child about Gru's "lightbulb".  In previous years, students have been encouraged to use several other strategies to encourage a true understanding of the operation and numbers.  By 4th grade though, students are expected to master the standard algorithm for addition and subtraction.  Encourage your child to use this strategy whenever subtraction is necessary.  Ask your child to demonstrate the "Minus 1" strategy, a very efficient strategy for subtracting across zeros!

         In science, students have finished their persuasive pet projects and they are all on display outside our classroom.  Students used this project to demonstrate their understanding of learned vs. inherited traits.  This approach to assessment is much more telling of their understanding than a typical test and students enjoy it much more as well!  Next week we will begin our Erosion and Weathering unit.  This unit will be a reoccurring throughout the year, as it is one of the most significant threats to the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem.   

       Our word-of-the-week was “diversity” which was a recurring concept in both language arts and social studies.  In language arts this week, we read 5 different poems that reflected key aspects of different cultures.  We talked about the way poetry can capture ideas, emotions, and images with relatively concise wording.  The poems reflected the importance of cultural history, traditions, and perspectives.  We also looked at poetry as a form of writing and realized that it’s very hard to pin down poetry with a simple definition.  Poetry can be written in many diverse forms.  The students wrote about the poem that meant the most to them. We began spelling by reviewing short vowel sounds that most commonly occur in closed syllables.

             In social studies we narrowed our geography focus to the Mid- Atlantic States. The students learned the names and locations of the four states that border Maryland.  Then we narrowed our focus further to just Maryland. The students made color coded maps to illustrate the location of Maryland’s three geographic regions. This prompted us to acknowledge the diversity of Maryland’s land.  (The students were introduced to this concept when they made salt dough maps in 3^rd grade!)  Next week we’ll read informational texts to learn additional information about each region.

              There are only a couple of students who have not yet had a chance to present their ancestor project.  We will finish them up by next Tuesday.  It’s been impressive to see the students ask each other thought-provoking questions and give each other specific compliments on their work.  We have met a lot of inspiring people through these projects!

Week 5: Celebrating Ancestors and Traditions

        This week we read several selections that helped us consider varying traditions that are a part of our heritage.  In particular, we read about the ways birthdays are celebrated in three different countries.  Following our reading, we looked for similarities and differences in the traditions.  The ability to compare and contrast is an important skill that is used across subject areas.  The students wrote paragraphs about the country in which they would most like to celebrate their birthday and included reasons they had learned through reading.  We continued working on revising and editing our writing, as many first drafts were true “rough” drafts.

            It has been very exciting to hear the students present their ancestor projects! About a quarter of the students have shared so far.  I am very grateful for the support students received from family members in acquiring information.  It is clear that many students learned things they had not known before.  The pride in their voices is a tribute to these ancestors in itself!

            In social studies the students set personal goals for learning the location of states in the USA.  The 4^th grade curriculum requires students to be able to identify the Mid-Atlantic States that surround Maryland.  I challenged the students to learn the locations of 10 additional states that have personal significance to them.  Many students have done an impressive job of expanding their previous knowledge of state locations! 
          In math this week, we continued our conversations about place value.  We began to use this knowledge to begin/perfect our standard algorithm for subtraction...a skill that needs to be mastered by 5th grade.

       In science we put finishing touches on our pet adoption projects.  Those that are finished should be up on display by Monday.  This project was meant to assess the students' understanding between learned and inherited traits while practicing persuasive writing.  The students' took the perspectives of dolphins, koalas, pandas, kittens, lizards, parrots and megalodon sharks!  So if your family is looking for a "pet", stop by room 104 and take a look!