News and Notes 1/17

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Conflict

In our continuing study of narratives and the structure of a story, this week the fourth graders explored the concept of conflict. We read short stories, picture books, and chapter books. As we read we tried to identify the conflict that was happening in the story. In order for the plot of a story to flow, there has to be some kind of conflict. We discovered that there are different types of conflict and that the conflict can be big or small. We even realized that the conflict in a story can take place within a character. Digging more deeply into the structure of narratives will help us understand the story more fully, and will also give us insights into the ways which a writer creates a good story.

Engineering

As an extension of our study of simple machines and physical science, this week the fourth graders learned a bit about engineering. We explored different types of engineering and discovered that engineers can do many different things, from designing robots to solving problems like pollution. The fourth graders were enthusiastic as they discovered the many different forms that engineering can take. As we learned more about engineering the fourth graders were asked a question: “What subjects would someone need to understand in order to be an engineer?” The answers were very clear: an engineer needs to know math and science. Beyond this we also talked about the need for an engineer to be a creative, or even artistic, thinker and problem-solver. As we move into our own industrial engineering challenge at the end of this week and into next week, it will be interesting to see how these fourth grade engineers apply their skills of math, science, creativity, and problem-solving!

Comical Learning

Over and over again research has found that students learn better when they are engaged and having fun. Experience says that the battle of wills that comes when students are unmotivated generally leads to diminished learning. This week, in an attempt to re-engage the fourth grade learners, we started a new classroom routine we are calling “Comical Learning.” Posted in our classroom will be a wall of comic strips that we create. These comics will allow us to use our creativity to demonstrate our learning. From “Zero the Superhero” to “Math Mind Tricks”, the comics are meant to give us a fun way to show what we know. The fourth graders seemed excited about this new opportunity, which means that our comical learning may in fact lead to deep, enduring understanding of fourth grade content. Fun and learning together – it doesn't get much better than that!