READING

We have a new reading curriculum for the 2025- 2026 school year. I will be learning right along with the students. Although I will miss Wonders, I'm excited to learn so much!!

Below are the spelling lists for the entire reading program. Spelling lists are included in random units:

Unit 2, Unit 5, Unit 7, and Unit 8.

I will try my best to get the lists to you in a timely manner.

printer@m289.org_20251201_094848.pdf

printer@m289.org_20251201_095012.pdf

One great thing about the new reading curriculum is that the 4th grade teachers decided to celebrate after each unit. Check out all the ways we celebrated all of our hard work!!

UNIT 1

Personal Narratives

In the first unit of CKLA/Amplify, the students spend a lot of the lessons learning how to construct a personal narrative. From reviewing transition words to including dialogue, the student worked hard at it. In the meantime, the students visited some great narratives. One in particular was a story about a girl who contracted polio back in the 1950s. We read about her tough journey through it. The students loved learning about the past, as did I!! We chose to play Candy Land because the game was created by a school teacher who also had polio and knew children in polio hospitals needed a fun game. We also enjoyed "milkshakes" since a milkshake is what made Peg feel so much better through her struggles. I've truly never had a class get along so well this early in the school year. They are such wonderful students, their smiles say it all!!

UNIT 2

Empires in the Middle Ages

We watch Disney's "Robin Hood" to understand how the rulers became rich from taxing the poor. It was just another way to understand what it was like in the Middle Ages.

UNIT 3

Poetry

After a very informative unit of poetry, we celebrated the end of the unit with a Poetry Cafe. It was absolutely so much fun!! Check out the pictures under Classroom Photos ➡️ Poetry Cafe. They rocked it!!

UNIT 4

Eureka! Student Inventor

Eureka! was a short unit with lots of movement in all the hands-on activities. Check out the pictures from one of the challenges. The students had to make a dance for one of the simple machines. It was a lot of fun and a great introduction to simple machines, which we will revisit in science when we complete the Valentine Simple Machine Box project. They learned a lot about inventions and the inventors as well!!

Here below are pictures from students creating a catapult to launch marshmallows until a cup. The lesson was about failure, so the students adapted their catapults until they found a successful toss. Hands-on activities and group collaboration are wonderful ways to learn!!

UNIT 5

Geology

We learned a lot about our earth!! We explored weathering and erosion, the rock cycle, and natural disasters. Our interest in volcanos allowed us to watch "Moana" to celebrate the completion of the unit. We created pet rocks as well.

UNIT 6

Contemporary Fiction

Pictures above are of some students completing an activity within Unit 6 in which they had to act out a scene from part of the story they read. It really does show how well the author uses description because they did an incredible job with it, using lots of emotion.

UNIT 7

American Revolution

UNIT 8

Treasure Island

My absolute favorite part of the day is reading. Whether it is whole-group, small-group, or during read-aloud, I love to get a hold of a book and share it's story with the students. I wish there was time for all of the books below, but I try to get through as many as possible. With the help of some funding this school year, I was able to receive student copies for many of these novels. 4th grade rocks because the books are the best!! We plan to include even more next school year. Stay tuned!!