Junior Great Books- The Nightingale

 I love that they can't help but pause for discussion as they read and take their directed notes. #juniorgreatbooks 

Electronic Parts

The kids had a fun time creating circuits today. They came home with some parts that were given by a family in our class. The kids were instructed to show you the parts and make sure they built along with you if you choose. They do not have the batteries to make any of it work. The directions are in a PowerPoint and will be posted on Edmodo. 

So much fun (and learning) happening!

"I am totally tweeting about this!" exclaims one student. Thank you Katragadda family for the "Maker" lesson! 

Rovers!

The Makerspace is a buzz as students begin the design process and ultimately create a new rover!

Junior Great Books Vocab Development

Re-reading Thank You, Ma'am as they focus on locating, defining, and connecting to important vocab. Great structure!

25 students focused and productive! No one wants my help! The power of STEM and Maker! 

Apollo Missions

Synthesizing our research, constructing a well-written paragraph together, and using a fun tech tool: 

Https://tellagami.com/gami/GEFLR9/ 

Language Arts Update

Where have we been and where are we headed?

A Language Arts Update:

Students have taken on the 40 book challenge and are off to a great start! Over the course of the year they will read 40 books across different genres. Their binders have the pages necessary to keep track of their progress and guide them along the way. They should always have a book they are working on at school and home (using the same book for both is completely acceptable). In class during the week they complete a book response of their choice off of the choice board. While some students finish them at home on Thursdays, these need to be done independently with no parent help. As a parent, I know it can be hard to leave them as is as you find ways to offer support, but I ask that you resist the urge so I can review them from both a reading and writing perspective and plan instruction accordingly. I am continuing DRAs (Developmental Reading Assessments- giving a reading level) during this same language arts block and should be finished this week. From here students will begin novel study groups created by both choice and reading level. We read the novel Matilda together as a class and started working on sign-posts. Signposts are a close reading strategy that take students deeper into the text and provide questions to trigger their thinking of what happened and why it is important. So far, we have looked at Aha Moments, Again and Agains, and Tough Questions. We will continue these throughout the year and add to them until we regularly use all six. The IIM research method (Independent Investigation Method) has provided us with a great structure as we research questions related to our Earth, Sun, Moon unit. Students have personal questions in their binders that they are curious about and we also worked on two class questions, “What else is out there (beyond our solar system)?” and “What was the significance of the Apollo Missions?” Having class questions provided us with an anchor to build our understanding of the research process. We put a lot of time into selecting a credible source and taking paraphrased notes. Students brainstormed all skills needed to be a good researcher and we will continue to work on each element of the list as the year goes on. This coming week research continues in small groups as students develop questions regarding the rover they will design for their chosen celestial body. They will research before beginning the design phase. This week we are also beginning our first Junior Great Books story of the year, Thank you Ma’am. Students will work with the same text all week and participate in a shared inquiry discussion at the end of the week where they think through a question and take a position as well as provide textual evidence to support their ideas.

As you can see, language arts is integrated, providing students will multiple opportunities to develop and refine skills throughout the day and across content areas.

It’s been an exciting start and I look forward to the journey ahead! 

-Mrs. Follin

3D printer in space!

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/19/zero-g-3d-printer/

So cool! Share this with your child please! 

To infinity and beyond!

They came ready for science today! Can't wait until they read the space performance task! STEM + Maker!

Student Tweet!

Student Tweet, "Today we learned that patterns and rules are different because a pattern is the thing that helps you find the rule."-Lluvia

Student Tweet!

From the mouths of room 320: Anna Grace's Tweet- "Wow, the Exemplars are hard! (especially when you write a 4 page explanation!)" 

Twitter is in 4th grade!

Students wrote a tweet at their chosen times during the day. There are a LOT about Apollo Missions!

Exemplar Assessment- Students take the role of an assessor.

Students use rubrics to assess Exemplar work samples. Known criteria and levels of proficiency=clear expectations!

Research!

Our question, What is the significance of the Apollo Missions?, proved to be broad! Students categorized the findings

Exciting day ahead!

Goal reflection... Space research... Independent reading #40bookchallenge ... An Exemplar!... Great day ahead! 

We are researchers.

What does good research include? What skills do you need? Students brainstorm as we regroup from last week's work.

Flexible space!

I love our foam floor tiles! Kiddos can grab them and go wherever they'd like to work and feel comfortable! 

Goal Setting

Mrs. McClellan helps us think about setting goals for ourselves. Check your child's binder for the reflection. 

Getting oriented in our new LARGE library!  So much excitement! 

Reading Strategies

Want more bang for your buck? Try these! Thank you @ODCReading for the training and encouragement in close reading. 

Math Groups

Purposeful math groups created by assessment data allow all students to grow. The best part- excited learners!  

Language Arts and Content Work

We're developing our routines and working on purposeful language arts tasks. Students are focused and productive.  

Can you help us?

A project is in the works! We'd appreciate any of the following donations: duct tape, tin foil, paper/plastic recyclables, packing tape. :)

Productive day! Pre-assessments are made more fun with the use of Tellagami in reading, solar system infographics for math, and choice. 

Mindmapping

Mindmapping to learn about each other, know a great tool for later use, & give us topics of passion for journaling.

Welcome Back to School!

 Today is full of possibilities! Here's to new beginnings in our fourth grade adventure! Happy First Day of School!