Our focus for Quarter 4 in Writing will shift from informative essays to personal expression. Students will begin Earth Month (April) with an informative piece before moving on to write Autobiographies and Biographies.
This week our focus will be to demonstrate understanding of the pre-writing process as we begin to write an autobiography. We will define autobiography and biography before determining similarities and differences between the two.
Students will be given a graphic organizer that details topics and questions to answer for each of the 5 paragraphs required in this autobiography assignment (Introduction, Family Information, Favorite Activities, Hobbies/Special Interests/Conclusion). Students will cut out each paragraph heading to glue into their writing journal. Then they will answer the questions (allowing for as much specific detail as possible.)
The pre-writing phase should be "completed" by Friday. (As writers, we are always going back to our pre-write to make changes and add more compelling information, so we never really "complete" a piece of writing.)
A link to a website for information on the 6 Traits of writing is below:
http://writingfix.com/classroom_tools/post_its.htm
Several students in fourth grade volunteer to meet with students in our School Community Based classes during their lunch and recess. Here is a picture of this group below:
http://writingfix.com/classroom_tools/post_its.htm
Several students in fourth grade volunteer to meet with students in our School Community Based classes during their lunch and recess. Here is a picture of this group below:
Natural Reader:
This tool can be downloaded on your home computers to assist students with reading text that may be challenging. We use this in class for webpage research and for revising our writing. Students can listen to what they have typed and determine if it sounds right to revise. In addition, when gathering research, this tool allows them to read difficult text. We have this program at school, but it is a great tool for home use as well:
www.naturalreader.com
Science: Aquarium Field Trip
During quarter 3 students engaged in a hands-on environmental project to promote habitat restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. This project is an extension of our first quarter science unit on Ecosystems.
Together with WSSC, students in each class made reef balls out of cement. These reef balls will be deposited at the Memorial Stadium Reef on May 10 where oysters will attach to them to increase their habitat and population. In science class, we read materials and gathered research to increase our understanding of how our reef balls will support the health of the Bay.
We are excited to announce that the fourth grade is planning a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium on Thursday, May 2. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to meet with Aquarium staff in a Chesapeake Exploration Workshop. This is a 45 minute program where students will test water samples, measure oysters, and draw conclusions about the state of the Bay. Students will also have the chance to tour the entire aquarium with their chaperoned group.
A permission slip with more information was sent home last week. Ms. Hudson applied for and Grade 4 received an Environmental Stewardship grant which lowers the cost of the field trip to $25 per student and $22 per chaperone. Each class can take up to 6 chaperones per Aquarium workshop guidelines. Teachers are planning to select chaperones based on who has not had a chance to attend a field trip with the class already. We hope to notify you this week if you have been selected. Thank you to all who have volunteered to join us.
School funds are available if you need financial assistance for this trip. Please contact our counselor, Mrs. Ward, directly at Cherie_S_Ward@mcpsmd.org for details.
Math 5: Unit 5 Linear Measures and Geometry
In Unit 5, students develop measurement skills and explore transformational geometry. Students apply what they have learned about measurement to multi-step problems involving area, perimeter, and volume.
For more information, access the parent newsletter by clicking the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/math/elementary/grade5/MathNewsletterGrade5Unit5-English.pdf
This week our focus will include elapsed time, area and perimeter.
We are excited to announce that the fourth grade is planning a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium on Thursday, May 2. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to meet with Aquarium staff in a Chesapeake Exploration Workshop. This is a 45 minute program where students will test water samples, measure oysters, and draw conclusions about the state of the Bay. Students will also have the chance to tour the entire aquarium with their chaperoned group.
A permission slip with more information was sent home last week. Ms. Hudson applied for and Grade 4 received an Environmental Stewardship grant which lowers the cost of the field trip to $25 per student and $22 per chaperone. Each class can take up to 6 chaperones per Aquarium workshop guidelines. Teachers are planning to select chaperones based on who has not had a chance to attend a field trip with the class already. We hope to notify you this week if you have been selected. Thank you to all who have volunteered to join us.
School funds are available if you need financial assistance for this trip. Please contact our counselor, Mrs. Ward, directly at Cherie_S_Ward@mcpsmd.org for details.
Math 5: Unit 5 Linear Measures and Geometry
In Unit 5, students develop measurement skills and explore transformational geometry. Students apply what they have learned about measurement to multi-step problems involving area, perimeter, and volume.
For more information, access the parent newsletter by clicking the link below:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/math/elementary/grade5/MathNewsletterGrade5Unit5-English.pdf
This week our focus will include elapsed time, area and perimeter.
Math 2.0:
Our focus of this transitional unit will be to examine unit fractions.
This week we will use Cuisenaire Rods to locate, count and label fractional lengths on a number line. We will focus on halves, quarters, sixths, and eigths.
When students transition from a pictoral model of a number line drawing without the aid of a concrete model like Cuisenaire rods it can be challenging. As students focus on the hash marks betweein 0 and 1 on a number line to determine the unit fraction (or denominator) instead of the lengths that the whole is partitioned into, their work on number lines becomes more procedural.
We will have our weekly quiz on Friday to assess our understanding of locating, counting and labeling fractional lengths on a number line.
*A great website that allows students to work at their own pace on word problems/real world application of multiplication & division:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a log in is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
http://www.thinkingblocks.com/
We continue to use the Khan academy website to help practice our math at home. This is a great site where students (if a log in is created) can track their progress and have example problems to work on. It has been featured in CNN as an up and coming way for teachers to assess individual students learning.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Reading:
For the month of April, we will focus on various reading strategies in our Guided Reading Groups. We will begin the week by summarizing key ideas and supporting details. We will determine which details in a passage contribute directly to understanding the main idea of the text chapter or of the entire passage.
Our focus will then shift to searching for cause-and-effect relationships that are stated or implied in a text. We will begin by locating an effect in the text and turn it into a question. This process will allow us to then examine the cause as an answer to our question.
Our focus will then shift to searching for cause-and-effect relationships that are stated or implied in a text. We will begin by locating an effect in the text and turn it into a question. This process will allow us to then examine the cause as an answer to our question.
Spelling:
*Our spelling program involves the use of developmental word study rather than traditional spelling books. This“Words Their Way” approach allows students to practice target spelling patterns that best address their individual needs as a speller. Students work in spelling groups to analyze the pattern and look for clues as to how to generalize the correct spelling of words within that pattern/sound.
Our next spelling assessment will take place on April 19.
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