Northeast

This week, we learned the capitals and states for the Northeast.

We will start studying in class. Students should also study at home. We talked about how capitals come first, how spelling counts when the words are provided for you on the page, and the practice test and final test will have the capitals and states in a different order.

We are learning different "ideas" to help our brains remember ...

MONTpleier, VerMONT both starts and ends with MONT ...
Annapolis, Maryland, we can imagine two friends, Anna and Mary are in Annapolis, Maryland ...
HARTford, Connecticut, we say, "I left my heart in Hartford, Connecticut"...
Dover, Delaware is an alliteration, two words starting with the same sound ...

There are likely more, but even have hints for four states is helpful.

Reader's Theater

It was a reader's theater week in fourth grade. We didn't have nearly enough time to practice our plays. Some weeks are like that. Fun to practice our fluency skills and share in the experience with other readers.

Goal Setting

This week, we took the Unit 3 Reading Test on making inferences, visualizing, and historical fiction. Ms. Leom broke down the test, listing the skills students needed to work on. Students were invited to select one of the skills.

In Social Studies, we took a pop quiz. It wasn't graded. Ms. Leom wanted to see how many capitals and states in the Northeast Region students knew. Out of eleven states, their goal was to learn the remaining states.

Students were asked to post their goals. Ms. Leom gathered them at the end of class. The goals will be typed up and shared with students to post somewhere they can see them regularly. As a class, we will brainstorm the details.

When students can determine their learning, it can be a motivator. Just another one of our goals for students, motivating students to want to learn.

Speak to the Wall

This week, as we worked on our fluency skills: long pauses for periods, question marks, and exclamation marks and short pauses at all other punctuation. Ms. Leom modeled - likely not the best candidate, as it is a skill she could improve - then invited students to practice, by speaking to the wall.

It is a strategy she learned while attending a high school speech meet last year. It is always fun when students are engaged and active in their learning.

Frost

The frost was especially pretty on Friday (December 14th) morning.

Traveling Band

Mr. Garber brings his fifth grade students to various elementary classrooms to play for us.

It is extra special when the students playing are alumni.

Gifts from the Heart

One of my students was inspired by our United States learning and made me this beautiful map.

Love.

Capitals and States

To introduce our capitals and states learning, after watching a short video (see the link "Tour the States" on the right), we took time to work on United States puzzles, becoming familiar with shapes, the capitals, and the states.

Historical Fiction

One of the skills we worked on, was a genre study of historical fiction. We learned about the features. Our texts became longer. We reread the texts, looking at the text from different perspectives. On this day, we looked at the sensory details of the text.

100 Dresses

On December 7th, we walked to Dahlager Theater to see the junior high play, 100 Dresses.

We enjoyed the play and the opportunity to talk about the impact of bullying, even in the days of the one room school house.

The Pledge

In December, it is fourth grade's turn to lead the Pledge of Allegiance on our morning announcements.

So proud!

Remember When ...

As a fourth grade teacher, I am in the room when students try out instruments at the end of the school year and begin their journey in band. So to attend the high school band concerts eight years later, and see some of these very same students performing at the highest levels ... there aren't words.

Note, this is our high school helper, and she has skills to perform, playing two instruments.

These aren't all my students who performed, as I was feeling so sentimental during the first group, I forgot to take pictures. Fourth grade year is a special year, and I remember when ... the magic started.