Class of 2016

Dear Parents,

Were were so lucky to have Alice Goldstein visit our classroom last week. She told her unbelievable account of surviving the Holocaust in Germany. We taped most of her conversation and a viewing link is provided below. She truly is a gem and I hope you all will watch her amazing story.

Melissa

With so many Monday snow days and Tuesday delayed openings, I feel like February was extremely short. Here are just a few highlights to share before we all venture to different parts of the globe on vacation:

• We continued with our mathematical unit on fractions and learned about mixed numbers and improper fractions.
• We used our multiplication and division skills to find a common denominator and to reduce a fraction to simplest form.
• We solidified our speedy multiplication skills with a partner dice game.
• Third and fourth collaborated to design health posters about smoking, exercise, healthy eating, seatbelt safety, texting and driving and drugs.
• We researched online about our topic and synthesized and presented the information to our classmates.
• We began rehearsing a western readers theater titled, Lightning Larry.
• We wrapped up our electricity unit by designing, building and fully wiring a house to light up using a battery, bulbs and wires.
• We finished reading chapters 10- 15 in our suspenseful Holocaust novel, Number the Stars.
• We continued typing our fantasy/dialogue stories in the computer lab.
• We began sharing our amazing bowling pin biography projects.

Important Dates

• Tuesday February 24th from 8:15-8:45= Biography bowling pin presentation in 4th grade classroom
• Tuesday, February 24th at 10:00=Alice Goldstein, Holocaust survivor, speaks to grade four
• Friday, February 27th=no school for children

Have a wonderful, relaxing, safe and warm week. I will see you all on February 23rd!

Hello everyone,

I have been sending out most updates through email, so I decided it was time to return to the blog. Parents, please be sure to subscribe to the new blog so that you  receive all of the fourth grade news and updates. Here are a few highlights:

• The fourth graders practiced and recited a MLK reader’s theater for their third grade classmates
• They continued to draft and edit their creative picture books with dialogue
• They  constructed wooden houses in the design lab with Peter for science. These included measuring, cutting, nailing and decorating.
• They decorated and wired the wooden houses using batteries, wires, bulbs and parallel and series circuits
• They used batteries and bulbs to get mystery circuits to light during our electricity unit
• They finished the novels City of Ember and One and Only Ivan 
• They began a new class novel about the Holocaust titled Number The Stars
• They worked in cooperative groups to read the fat, sugar, protein and calories in nutritional food labels
• They created advertisement promoting a healthy lifestyle
• They used a map to find Denmark and Germany and to read lines of latitude and longitude
• They wrapped up a math probability unit and began to learn about simplifying fractions to simplest form
• They chose biographies to read during library and began the research for their biography bowling pin project
• They wrote and edited letters for literature to be entered in a national 4th grade writing contest
• They began a design challenge about “How Might we” choose healthier foods to eat during the school year
• They met with their buddies to collaborate on a winter snowman activity
• They enjoyed the story Blizzard,  and completed a written retell winter assessment
• They spent time bonding with the new class Guinea Pig!

Reminders

The bowling pin project is due on Wednesday, February 11th. If your child needs the February break to complete the project, just let me know that week and I can extend the due date. All reading logs are due every Friday with 4 title entries and 2 short responses. Please help your child to return these to school. Alice Goldstein, a Holocaust survivor, will be speaking to the class in February (More details to follow). I will also be starting current events every other week after the February break. Thanks so much and have a great weekend.

Hello Parents,

Here is a quick recap of the week. It is important that you scroll down to the bottom of the post and hit the subscribe button. Thank you!

Language Arts

• We started the two new class novels, City of Ember and The One and Only Ivan
• We drafted and starting typing our letters to an author in the state wide Letters for Literature Contest.  http://ribook.org/letters-about-literature/
• We continued to explore text, make world connections and compare and contrast characters and genres of novels
• We learned how to write a conversation between characters using quotation marks and proper punctuation
• We practiced cursive writing

Math

• We learned how to solve long division problems
• We used bar modeling to solve complex multi-step word problems
• We practiced finding the mode, range, median and mean of a set of numbers
• We reviewed our multiplication and division facts by playing several math games throughout the month

Science and Social Studies

• We started a new health unit by making a class KWL chart
• We discovered where a magnet was hiding inside a mystery box by using iron chips, a compass and a magnet
• We used washers and spacers to discover the force of magnets
• We will be beginning current events after the winter break
• 

As usual, we had another heartwarming session with our kindergarten buddies. We read a Thanksgiving story together and then they shared holiday memories and created pictures with their buddies.

I hope that everyone enjoys the winter break and I am looking forward to seeing you all in 2015:)

We are busy reading, talking, playing and learning in Hebrew.

Art and Lashon project: There are two goals for the project. linguistically (ways to describe oneself) and artistically (ways to draw oneself based on an Israeli artist Hanoch Pivan. In Lashon we are learning poems written by the Israeli author Yehuda Atlas. You can hear one of the poems in the link הילד הזה הוא אני . The students wrote about ‘אני’ (me) and draw themselves.

The group EinShem: We finished our reading from the story Boy’s Prayer. We have started our new workbook חברים בעברית Chaverim B’Ivrit. The group of verbs we are studying are in binyan pi’el (מדבר – talk, מספר – tell, משחק – play)

The group Hafalafelim: We continued with the topic “direct object” in Hebrew and learned how the personal singular pronouns can function as the object of the verb. We need a lot of practice. We also learned the infinitive form of verbs in binyan pa’al (כותב – לכתוב) and practice the use of them in sentences.

Native Hebrew speakers: We continued our work on the structure of the Hebrew sentences. In the book ‘מילה טובה’ the students practiced comprehensive reading.

Lehitraot

Rotem

The 4th graders led their second assembly on Wednesday. They took all the students to a treasure hunt of the ‘month of Tishrei’. They put a lot of effort, cooperation, teamwork, creativity and time. They deserve  a huge KOL HAKAVOD. They are an amazing team!!!!!

We selected names for the groups. The smaller group chose for themselves the name “אין שם “ (no name) and the other group the name הפלאפלים (the falafels).

The group EinShem:  We continue with our reading from the story Boy’s Prayer. This week we learned four new verbs from the story: קורא (read), שומע (listen), ,תוקע (blow the shofar), and אומר (say). We also have practiced to our first quiz and had it on Friday. This will be our regular routine from now on.

The group Hafalafelim:  We continued with the topic “direct object” in Hebrew and expanded the number of verbs, which followed by the word ‘את’. We need a lot of practice in all skills because this structure does not exist in English.

Have a wonderful week

Lehitraot, Rotem