Our Week In Review

It has been a busy week in room 24.  We reached the halfway mark of the year! We officially have "one foot in fifth grade".

We started the week with another awesome visit from Mrs. Silvia, our anthropologist in residence from the Haffenreffer Museum at Brown University.  We learned all about the Inuit, from their clothing, to their homes, to the games that they played.  This was perfect timing for us, as we just finished learning about the Inuit of Canada.  We will briefly revisit this topic when we study Native Americans of Alaska.  We are thankful to our Kennedy PCC for funding this fantastic program!

Inuit clothing

slippers

boots

boots

Girls in traditional clothing

Will is wearing a traditional coat

After our presentation we made our own snow goggles.

In math this week, we began working on some more challenging fraction concepts.  We learned adding and subtracting mixed numbers with and without regrouping.  We also began multiplying fractions today.  These concepts are new to the children and take time to master.  There will be a fraction quiz on Thursday.  Below are some videos which should help the children with their homework and understanding of these new concepts.   I hope you find them helpful.

Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers

Multiplying Fractions by a Whole Number

During reading this week we finished reading Stone Fox. Both Mrs. K. and Mrs. Merten tried reading the ending, but they were choked up. We won't share any spoilers here, but Mrs. Merten needed a few tissues (and so did Mrs. K.)!  We loved this book!  While reading this book, students learned to write clear summaries, with important details, and have just started practicing this with their own reading.  We also continued to practice explaining character traits and how characters change over time.  The children are excellent at this now!  We will begin a new interactive read aloud next week.  Here's a hint: It is an historical fiction story that takes place in Norway during WWII.  

During writing, we have been working on writing short essays, while we learn to "push our thinking". This has been both exciting and challenging for the children.  We will continue to try to practice this using our new Google Docs. Mrs. Merten is able to type RIGHT on our documents while we type.  It is very cool.  Students are able to sign into their Google accounts at home by using the link to the right.  

We are continuing our study of the weather with studying water and humidity and have started our study of the Regions of the US.  

From the Teacher's Desk

I can't believe we have already made it to "Halfway Day"!  Where does the time go?  With the snow days and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, along with days of indoor recess, it has been a bit of a challenge for all of us to maintain our routines, but we continue to work on this.  The weather is warming up and I'm hopeful for five days of outdoor recess time next week.  

The next few months are when the children traditionally seem to grow and mature the most.  They have adjusted to our classroom and routines, they know the teachers and students in our room, and they understand the expectations.  This is the best time to encourage the children to reach their full potential.  You may have heard from your child that fourth grade is getting harder. We have talked about this during the week.  As the children grow and mature, expectations grow with them.  To them, it does feel like things are harder, and that they have less "wiggle room" in the classroom.  I am working to balance the increased expectations of school, within the comfort of our classroom.  

Homework this month has become a challenge for many of the students.  With recent spot checks, I have noticed that some children are not using their assignment books accurately, often leaving out important information.  I will continue to spot check these at school, and would appreciate you doing the same at home.  Please take a moment to check in with your child about his/her homework progress.  As you know, I will notify you after 4 homework misses, however,  some students are very close to this at this time.

Lastly, we are planning a very special week to kick off the Olympics.  The students (MATHLETES) will be involved in a series of lessons about measurement, which will culminate with our first Math Olympics.  We are looking for some shoe boxes to help with one of the events.  If you have some you are willing to share, please send them in with your child.

Have a wonderful weekend!

               ~Mrs. Merten