The snow day didn't stop us from getting a lot accomplished this week!
During math this week we wrapped up our study of fractions. In this second part of our unit, we learned about adding and subtracting fractions (and trading when needed), as well as multiplying, and converting mixed numbers into improper fractions and back again. There were a lot of concepts that we covered, and the snow day interrupted our flow. Despite this, most of the children used the studyguide and did AWESOME on the test! Well done, everyone!
Next week we begin our unit on Measurement. We will cover customary and metric units of measure for length, time, weight and volume. To kick this off, we will be learning about measuring length in inches, feet and yards to prepare for our Math Olympics next Friday! The children were very excited to learn that most of their teams consist of one member of each fourth grade class. The groups from various countries around the globe will meet with a different fourth grade teacher on Monday- Thursday. Each teacher will teach a math lesson and assign homework. Today we got together quickly to look at the flags from our countries. We will finish coloring our flags next week. We are also thankful to Mrs. Hess for creating our Olympic Medals with us during art, and to Mrs. MacMurray for teaching us the Bugler's Dream to sing during opening ceremonies. Mrs. Perry will be running a station with us on Friday during our events. We can't wait! We are still in need of a few shoeboxes for our "speed skating" event.
During reading this week, we began reading a new interactive read aloud.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan is an historical fiction story about some children living during World War II in Norway, and how they help their country. It is full of action and adventure. We have started to discuss author's craft (and figurative language) along with making connections to help understand a book. Students will be independently working on tracking character traits during this book, as well as working on written reading comprehension.
During science this week, we continued to learn about humidity and how water impacts the weather. We learned about the various forms of precipitation as well. We hope to have a quiz on this material on Friday, so that we can wrap it up before vacation.
In social studies we began our trip across the United States in the Northeast. We will learn about landforms, important people, resources, and geography and climate in all of the regions of the US. One of the fun activities we try to do during this months long study is to "mystery skype" with different fourth graders throughout the country. We keep the locations a secret from the students and after asking some questions about the state, we guess where they are from. It is a great way to connect with classrooms across the country. If you know of any fourth grade teachers across the country who might like to do this with us, please let Mrs. Merten know.
The Olympics have started! Many of the children are excited about the events in Sochi, as well as our upcoming Math Olympics at JFK! Our newest survey, "The Olympics and More" is available. I can't wait to hear what you have to say!!!
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