Happenings in 4th Grade - October

Wow, what a busy time it's been in 4th grade! There has been so much learning going on that we haven't take a break to update the blog. So here's a glimpse of what we've been up to in all areas of learning.

ELA: Most of the group has been reading the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. They have been learning about the characteristics of poetry, how to summarize a text, what a theme is and how to identify it, and how to use evidence from the text to support our claims. There are lots of poems to read, many by famous poets such as Robert Frost and William Blake. These poems can be challenging, but we're able to figure them out together.

Others in the group read and summarized the book The Whipping Boy. They created sketch books to keep track of the most important parts of the book.

Math: During the month of October, math focused on reviewing and expanding on skills learned in 3rd grade, such as multiplying one digit numbers. The learners practiced their fact fluency and tracked progress. They also dove into factors and multiples of numbers and figured out how to identify prime and composite numbers.

Integrated Studies: This month focused on learning about the Grand Canyon and all the clues it provides scientists about changes to a landscape over time. Each student worked on a project, some in small groups, some alone, to demonstrate their understanding. Projects include models of Grand Canyon, glossaries of important words, stories, slideshows, and posters.

Character Learning Targets: A great deal of focused was placed on character learning targets throughout the month. This was intended to help students recognize when they engage in unexpected behaviors so as to address them. There was a tremendous amount of progress in the areas we focused on, particularly showing respect in various ways. The targets were chosen based on the needs of the group and the behaviors that will make them successful citizens.