Fourth Grade B

Dear Fourth Grade Parents,

 

The fourth graders worked hard and played hard this week!

 

In Reading, we…

• finished reading The Children of the Morning Light: Wampanoag Tales as Told By Manitonquat.  The fourth graders really enjoyed this genre!

 

• started our mysteries unit with literature circles for Who Stole the Wizard of Oz by Avi.  Ask your child what clues s/he recorded in his/her Detective’s Notebook!

 

• loved hearing Owen’s story, “The Journey of Eliot Flyer.”  Check out his display in the Reading Corner!

 

In Math, we…

• solved cluster problems with addition and subtraction, as well as some division story problems.

 

• learned strategies for multiplying and dividing by multiples of ten.

 

• used “landmark numbers” to compute the distances between numbers up to 1,000.

 

• used multiplication to “leapfrog” between numbers on the thousands chart.

 

• estimated the number of clothespins that Harper supplied.  Ask your child how close his/her estimate was to the actual number!

 

In Writing, we…

• continued writing our very convincing persuasive letters.

 

• were introduced to fables, our next writing genre.  We discovered that fables are stories that feature animal characters and teach “life lessons.”  We listened to fables retold by Arnold Lobel and Jean de la Fontaine and are now in the process of filling in story maps for the fables we will write ourselves.  The first step is to figure out the moral we would like to teach in our fable!

 

• practiced using quotation marks in preparation for using dialogue in our fables.

 

• loved hearing Jack’s beautiful orginal poem, “Fall.”  Look for his poem on the bulletin board!

 

In Theme, we…

•  continued typing our reports  on the Pilgrims.

 

• read about the time period between the Mayflower’s arrival and the breakdown of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.  We are filling in a timeline that highlights important encounters in this sequence of events.  Many of us were surprised to learn that both groups worked hard to maintain peace for 50 years before conflicts escalated.

 

• had an interesting discussion with Henry about the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall during Current Events.

 

We also…

• had our first evacuation drill of the year.  We could not have been more impressed with the way the 4^th graders (and the whole school) followed directions and waited respectfully at the Baha’i Temple.

 

• experienced the colonization exercise that Ms. Wilson explained to you at Back to School Night.  After the 8^th graders gradually “took over” our classroom, the 4^th graders made the connection between their experience and that of the Wampanoag.  We debriefed and shared our feelings about the experience during our Drama time, and then had a special lunch and treat with the 8^th graders.  If you have any questions about the exercise, feel free to contact Ms. Wilson.

 

• learned some new Spanish vocabulary, including “serpiente” and “oso polar” from Ayanna, who was in charge of Palabras de la Semana.

 

Notes:

• Our field trip to the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival has been rescheduled for Wednesday, November 18.  We are looking forward to this fun field trip next week.  Please make sure that your child dresses warmly, as we will be walking to the Wilmette Theater.

 

• Mr. Dunafin would like to remind the 4^th graders to bring goggles and swim caps (as needed) to swimming, as he only has a limited supply to loan out.

 

• On Monday, November 23, we will have a special “Encounters” Day on which the 4^th graders will share what they have learned about the lifestyles of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.  Between 1:00 and 3:00, the children will share their reports as well as some interactive activities based on their topics.  Feel free to join us for any part or all of the afternoon!

 

 

Have a great weekend!

Kerah & Emily

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