Our new year is off to a roaring good start. I have enjoyed getting to know the students, and I look forward to a great year ahead. Fourth grade is a time of important transition for students, as they begin to gain more independence and develop responsibility for their own learning. It will be an exciting year as each student makes his/her way down that path. Please do not hesitate to contact me about questions or concerns you may have about your child.
Word Study
This week, students began to work with their word study words, and for many, this is a new experience. Unlike traditional spelling programs, which focus on memorizing words for a test, word study's focus is on the patterns that help us spell English words. In a typical week, students will receive their words on Monday, and then spend the rest of the week sorting the words into groups and exploring the spelling patterns. There are many words to work with, and I encourage students to focus on the pattern, rather than trying to memorize the words. On Friday, students will have a short test, where they will be asked to spell some of the words from their list, as well as sort the words into columns. To help them with their pattern exploration, there is a Word Work at Home sheet which also typically comes home on Monday. (You can also download a copy of that sheet in the Homework Central area of this website.) Students should work through the activities on the sheet, and then turn it in on Friday. Because this week was the first exposure to word study, students received a Word Work at Home sheet, but they do not have to complete the full array of practice activities on the back.
Students can find more information about word study, as well as their list of words and an explanation, on the Word Study blog found on this website. There are 3 different groups of words, so students will need to know which group they are working with when they visit the blog.
Please let me know if you have questions about word study.
Class Meetings
One of the important times in our day is our class meeting, which is held at the end of the day. During our class meetings, we have the chance to practice proper social behavior, and discuss ways to solve problems in appropriate ways. As we have begun this school year many students have been having some difficulty understanding the difference between giving a classmate a gentle reminder about what he/she ought to do, and outright telling a classmate what he/she should do. We will continue to explore the difference between being helpful and being overbearing in our class meetings.
Next week:
In reading, we will continue to explore making connections as we read.
In math, we will continue to look at geometric shapes and their properties. Students usually have a study link for homework Monday through Thursday.
In writing, we will look at adding details to our writing.
In science, we will continue our study of insects.