This week we worked on researching topics in our physical science unit. Topics included force, motion, friction, and the 6 different simple machines.

This month we are focusing on reading and researching based on our science units. Students will work on presentations for each unit to showcase at the end of the month. 

We finished our last reading standard this week for the year. For the next two weeks, we will be reviewing for Georgia Milestones. You can help by reading with your child at home and asking them to summarize what they have read. Here is a link to the Milestones Study Guide if you would like extra practice or want to see what the questions are like

https://lor2.gadoe.org/gadoe/file/12385fd1-91e6-410b-b411-1886d61ac50d/1/GM_Gr4_ELA_StudyGuide.pdf 

This week we continued our study on comparing and contrasting texts. We had fun reading traditional literature from all around the world. Students were asked to chart similarities and differences in the characters, events and themes of the different texts. 

We will continue this learning after spring break. Our final reading assessment will be on April 12th. 

We are moving into our last standard next week, which is comparing fiction texts. We will read multiple stories and compare the events, characters and themes we see. 

After spring break, we will move into reviewing all standards for the Milestones. 

This week we have been focusing on integrating information from multiple texts to explain a topic. A good way to practice this skill is to have students research a topic and create a project based on what they've learned. 

We will have our next reading assessment on 3/21

Next week we are working on noticing how authors use reasons and evidence to support claims they make in their writing. We will look at how authors give reasons to explain why you should feel a certain way about their topic. 

We wrapped up our learning on point of view this week and are moving into nonfiction text features. Students will learn how to use charts, diagrams and photos to better comprehend what they read. This anchor chart shows the different text features we will explore.  

Last week we focused on the difference between first and third person point of view. This week we are moving into comparing the difference between the two and discussing the differences. We talked about how the perspective changes when a different person is telling the story. For example, students may view a food fight breaking out in the cafeteria as the best day ever but teachers would feel differently. 

Next week, we are beginning learning about Point of View. Students will learn how to distinguish between first and third person point of view then determine how the point of view changes the plot of the story. We will also challenge students to change the point of view of the story. 

Next week, we will be continuing our discussion on poetry, dramas and prose. We will be using their features to compare the different types of text on the same subject. In addition, we are working on refining our reading responses. Students should use the RACE formula to create their responses. To help with this at home, you could have students journal about their reading. 

This week, we began talking about figurative language and how authors use these phrases to emphasize their point. Here is a good video that models how we can use evidence from the text to determine the meaning on the unknown phrase