Hello Families,

An example of a "home" 

This week in 4W, we have fully started to design our electric homes in preparation for Box City!  Students are working in groups to create a city which will eventually have electricity running through the homes.  Each day, students anticipate the time where they can creatively work hands-on. You will see an example of a home that was constructed as a “basketball court.”  We will continue to work on these up until the end of next week in order to welcome parents into the gym on December 20^th 9:15-10:15 to view our final product!

Over the past few days, we found ourselves very busy in many areas, however spent a large focus of ELA on our expository pieces!  In writing, students learned to classify details under specific main ideas.  In expository, we are informing the reader with information, and therefor include facts pertaining to a topic.  Students were also introduced to their newest topic of writing, which was Holiday Writing. Choosing a holiday they are well educated in, students will construct a 5 paragraph piece.  Today, some of our class will be coming home with the final draft of their narratives.  This draft has been “formatted” and partially edited by myself as well as your child, however some spelling was left for parents to see specific areas to work on.  The rough draft with your child’s original work will be kept in their classroom portfolio so I can track progress as the year goes on.  This rough draft will also show how your child edits and structures their writing.  If you wish to see this draft that is in school, please let me know!  In ELA, we are continuing our novel study on The Great Gilly Hopkins as we pull evidence from the text to support our comprehension. Her spunky character continues to spark our interest!  

A box city group collaborating

This week in math, students completed an open response and re-engagement lesson that extended over two days! This type of lesson occurs every unit and it requires students to solve a challenging problem.  On the second day of the lesson, students are asked to defend their answer and reasoning to make sense of their work.  The challenging problem this week was titled “The Million Dollar Question” and it was a tricky one.  To help students understand what is expected out of these types of questions, they were given three examples of other 4^th grade answers.  With a critical eye, each student had to “grade” each response.   We will continue to work on problems with this format, which will help us feel better about answering these types of questions! In Science and Social Studies, we are wrapping up the Northeast Region and beginning the Southeast Region before our holiday break.  In each region, we will study the climate, culture, and the economy specific to that area. 

In final classroom news, 4W got new seats this month! Children who were sitting in the back, may have a new perspective on their day as they move to the front.  I reminded our class today how important the seating is, whether that relates to their location in the room, or who they are sitting near.  Every child learns differently and as a result, this new spot is extremely important for their success.  Thank you for taking the time to stay updated on our classroom news!  Below are some questions for conversation.

1. What will you need in order to light your bulb in your home?

2. What Holiday did you choose to write about for your expository piece?

3. How do I convert KG to G?

4. What does the prefix kilo stand for?

5. Where is your new seat, who is sitting around you?

Best,

Ms. Wentworth :)

Our narratives are up and published!

Main idea and details activity for expository writing