Happy Thursday! Since we have no school tomorrow, I will give you a brief update today!
I have really enjoyed "meeting" you in parent conferences this week, and I look forward to talking to more of you next week. It is always pleasurable to discuss your children and hear your thoughts about how school is going for them.
In math this week, we started learning about division with remainders. I am impressed with how quickly this class was able to grasp division conceptually! They seem to fully understand that dividing a large number by a smaller number means doling it out into equal groups. That conceptual understanding is half the battle. It gets tricky when you can't dole it out without having a leftover. We have learned that we can show this remainder as "r___" but that we also have to think about the story context and answer the question. For example, if the story asks us how we can divide 25 balloons among 6 people, we can say each person gets 4 balloons and the last balloon gets popped. If the story asks how 6 people can share 25 brownies, we can say each person gets 4 whole brownies and then another quarter of a brownie. This can be confusing, but these children are beginning to get it!
Our stories are coming along nicely, and we are working hard on adding dialog, adding setting and action, and making sure we stretch out our stories so that they have details and suspense and a plot. It is developmentally appropriate for 4th graders to write a quick story and think they are "done!" We are working to really develop the habits of mind necessary to stick with something and continuously make it better.
In reading, we continue to push ourselves to develop ideas about the characters and the themes of the books we are reading. This is not an immediate thing, so we are taking baby steps. The class is very good noticing at talking about these in our class read-aloud, but it is harder when they are reading on their own.
During Word Study (Phonics) this week, we began looking at the various letter combinations that make the short o sound. Our language is so confusing! Here are some examples: thought and brought, talk and chalk, faucet and launch, ball and tall, etc. No wonder we have a hard time spelling! Next week we will look at all of the sounds made by ea (such as team and great) and ei (such as weird and sleigh.) I will try my best to keep you updated on our phonics work weekly so you can support at home.
We have started learning about Vermont's geography, and everyone seems excited to be making maps, a compass rose, a key, etc. So far we have made a waterways map and a map of our mountain ranges, along with a map that shows all of those as well as our neighboring states (and country) and Montpelier. They are becoming experts! If you are out driving anywhere, notice and label what is around you -- such as the Winooski River, Camel's Hump, etc.
Be sure to check backpacks today! I sent home a lot of completed work as well as an Original Works fundraiser envelope.
That's about it for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. As always, be in touch when you need anything.
