We have been working hard in 4th grade. Our first project was our Top Ten Facts Posters. This was a great way for us to learn more about each other. Each person presented their poster to the class. Sometimes we asked questions. It was fun to listen to everyone. If you come to visit us, you will see the posters displayed in the hall above our lockers.
We started the year with pretesting in both math and reading. For the first time ever, we took the reading test on line. We used both iPads and laptops. It was a little difficult since we were not used to the format, but the advantage was that each person could see their own results right away. We will take these same tests again at the end of the term.
The tests help us to know what we need to work on. In reading we are working on summarizing what we read. We are also talking about how to tell the difference between the main idea and the details that support the main idea.
In math we are working on multiplication and division. All of the problems on our test are about problem solving. We have been talking about how key words tell us how to figure out what steps to take to solve a problem. One of the big differences between fourth grade math and the math they have had before is many of our problems require you to do more than one step to get a final answer.
We are learning about the mountain systems of the world. We started our first webquest. With a webquest you use the internet to research a topic. You can see how we are doing our webquest by visiting our wiki; Mountain Trek. Right now we are doing the reading and note taking part. Next we will create a field guide about one of the mountain systems. Later this week, we will also begin our science unit called "Earth Materials." That's one of the things I love about social studies and core knowledge; it connects to everything.
You can see our webquest by visiting the
Mountain Trek Wiki
This is a really great group of kids, and we will accomplish big things this year!
