News and Notes 3/14

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Step by Step

As the fourth grade mathematicians continue to move ahead in their understanding and ability to solve long multiplication problems, we move into application mode. Not only do we need to know how to solve long multiplication problems, we also need to know when long multiplication will be useful. This week the fourth graders started creating their own word or “story” problems involving long multiplication. In this creative endeavor they were asked to compose a digital story that demonstrates their understanding of how to solve long multiplication and also shows that they know a real-life application for this essential math skill. As we continue to find this year, the more we can mix creativity with math concepts, the deeper and more enduring our understanding will be!

Poetic Language

Rhyme, alliteration, and rhythm are all words that were flying around our classroom this week as we investigated the world of poetic language. We have recently been practicing the comprehension strategy of making inferences. As poetry is often filled with clues and hidden meanings, it only makes sense to practice our inference skills with this unique genre. This week we looked at the toolkit of a poet and discovered that there are many different tools that a poet uses to create a poem. The “poetic language” we have explored so far have to do with the sounds of the words a poet selects. As we have defined poetry as using words for both their meaning and their sounds, it is important for us as readers to be able to identify characteristics like rhyme patterns, alliteration, and the meter or rhythm of a poem.

Performing

This week the fourth graders participated in the annual Kearsarge Chorus Day. What a treat it was to be able to listen as the fourth graders' voices were united with the voices of middle and high school choirs! The fourth graders did a great job during rehearsal and their efforts paid off with an impressive evening show. Thanks to our friends and families for your support of our fourth graders! There were some very excited students who proudly sang their hearts out during this special event!