News and Notes 11/8

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

 

A Place to Value

In math we have begun exploring BIG numbers.  In order to understand numbers with many digits, we have learned the importance of identifying the placement of each digit.  Once we know where the digit is placed we can then determine the value of the digit.  A 7 moved from the tens place to the hundred thousands place has a very different value, even though it is the exact same digit.  The fourth graders practiced saying large numbers, as well as writing them in standard, word, and expanded form.  We also took time this week to use a variety of hands-on tools to help with our understanding of place value.  From the traditional “base ten” blocks, to place value charts, to digital place value activities, we have really enjoyed exploring these big numbers.  Understanding the base-ten system of numbers is essential for success in higher-level mathematics!  

STOP and Question

The fourth grade readers are continuing to ask questions.  This week we took our reading comprehension strategy of “asking questions” to a new level by practicing the skill of “stop and question.”  While we read our nonfiction texts, we paused periodically to question the text.  The fourth grade readers worked hard to formulate specific questions that were based on what they were reading and understanding in their texts.  Nonfiction texts can often times be intimidating for a young or beginning reader, but practicing the strategy of asking questions helps our fourth grade readers to dig deeply into their reading.  They are on the road that leads to reading for meaning, which is a great place to be!

Expertise

What are you an expert at?  This was the question that was posed to the fourth graders this week.  In their writer’s notebooks they formulated a list of things they do well.  From gymnastics to fishing to baking chocolate chip cookies, this class is full of some very talented individuals.  We took this “expert list” and turned it into a brainstorm for our new writing assignment: write a “how to” paragraph.  The fourth graders are all very eager to work on their instructional paragraphs!  This week we took our brainstorming list and focused on one topic we wanted to share with others.  From lists of supplies to step-by-step directions, the fourth grade writers are on their way to creating a great collection of instructional paragraphs.  We are excited to continue this work next week by writing the rough drafts of our “how to” paragraphs!  Before we know it, we’ll have a whole class collection of interesting and informative instructional paragraphs on all of our areas of expertise!