Sunday, March 22nd, 2009...6:41 pm
What’s Happening? Fourth Grade News
Important Dates
April 15 Westshore Symphony Concert
May 6 Voyageur Field Trip
June Last Day of School
Spring is Here!
Spring arrived Friday at 7:44 a.m. We tried balancing the egg on end and it actually worked! I tried it half an hour later with Mr. Gort’s class and it wouldn’t work. There is just a brief span of time during the spring and fall equinox that this happens. We are very grateful for the warmer weather. Students are actually eager to get outside to play. Please continue to send apparel appropriate for the weather. Sweatshirts, jackets, and sometimes even mittens are still needed!
Field Trip
On May 6 we will have another class field trip. We will be going to the Saugatuck/Douglas area to go canoeing. These will be large “voyageur” type canoes that hold 14 + paddlers. Naturalists from the Saret Nature Center will be guiding us on a one hour canoe experience. (We really just go across the bayou and back, but we learn a lot about the voyageurs, and have fun!). Parents are welcome to join us. A few parents may help with providing “muscle power” on the canoe trip as room permits. We will have a picnic lunch at a nearby park and go to Mount Baldy for a hike. Watch for more information!
Math
My students have successfully completed our study of fractions. We are working on measuring and geometry for the next few weeks. This is a nice break from some very hard, intense work.
Science
We began a science unit focusing on conserving and caring for our environment. We learned that each person produces 4.6 pounds of trash per day in the United States! That’s a lot of garbage. The children were shocked when I dumped out a bag filled with trash and they could actually see what 4.6 pounds looked like.
To help us think about how much trash we produce, the students will be taking something that they’d normally throw away and recycling (re-purposing) it into a useful/attractive item. This will be a VERY simple project. I have clean trash here if your child needs an item, or they may take anything from home and turn it into a game, a pencil holder, a funnel, bird feeder, etc. The simpler the better. The focus is to help us realize that we can reuse items instead of adding them to our landfills. I’ve added a link below to help you and your child if you’d like some ideas! Again, if your child needs some trash (!) or help with this, please send a note and I will gladly help.
Writing
We are working very hard on typing our fiction stories. Most of us will be using them for the Just Write Celebration. Some of us are choosing to use our personal narrative or poetry for the celebration. We are also beginning a series of lessons on writing essays. We are comparing narratives to essays. Essays are organized around ideas, our thoughts. We have written essays titled “Why I Love America” for the Westshore Symphony LinkUp concert.
Reading
We are continuing our study of reading strategies. This week we will use inference to identify themes by looking at actions, events, ideas, and pictures in the text. After spring break we will start book clubs again focusing on mysteries. Each group will choose to read a different mystery based on their interest and reading level.
Spring Break begins Friday, April 3. Please let us know if your child will be leaving early prior to spring break. It is nice to know so we can plan accordingly.
Enjoy your spring break!
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