Good Afternoon-
We have an exciting week ahead!
Language Arts
This is our final week of poetry. This week, students will be responsible for creating a book of poems. They will select a theme (nature, friends, family, etc.) for their book and begin writing their poems on Monday. The final product will be due on Friday. They will have class time to work on their book everyday.
In reading, we are going to dig deeper into author's purpose in writing poetry. Last week, we talked about how poets have a limited number of words they can use to convey their messages. They must be very selective when they are choosing their words. We looked at ways figurative language can help them create images in our minds while keeping their word count down. We will continue to analyze poems as a class. On Friday, students will take a poetry assessment. They will be required to answer questions about the poem, identify if the poem is lyrical or free verse, count the number of line breaks/stanzas/lines, and analyze figurative language.
Math
We had a lot of fun with our new geometry unit last week. This week, students will get time to measure angles using protractors. This is a new STAAR skill that was recently added to the fourth grade TEKS. It sounds pretty difficult, but it's just like using a ruler! Visit the math page for practice games students can use at home. Don't forget to study your vocabulary words!
Science
We are going on a top secret walking trip on Monday. Have you ever wondered what the square building is behind our school? Well you're in luck! We are going to find out on Monday. This tripp will be the kick-off event for our first PBL project. Our guiding question is:
How can we, as energy consumers, advocate for energy conservation in our community?
We will spend the rest of the week analyzing energy usage at school and in our homes. There is a whole new energy tab on our website. It has tons of great resources. Check it out!
If your child did not finish their science fair vocabulary words and research paper in school this week, they will need to finish it at home. We will not have anymore class time to dedicate to science fair. Don't forget that their hypothesis, list of vocabulary words, and completed research paper are due on Friday, November 21.
This entire month we have been talking about conservation and using our resources wisely. We started by going paperless last week. We hope to be paperless all month long! This week, we are going to talk about how much water we use. This shouldn't be a new concept for our Water Warriors! Use these links to guide your conversation with your child about water conservation.
National Geographic: Water Footprint Calculator
Hunter Water: Water Calculator
Fourth Grade 411
We have a HECTIC schedule for the rest of the month. Make sure you are checking out our calendar to stay updated.
Since we have so much going on (science fair, PBL, international fair, etc) we will not have spelling this week or next week.