Hello Bobcat Families!
What a busy week! In math we really engrossed ourselves into decimals. In fourth grade students are expected to name, order and compare decimals up to the hundredths. The kids did well playing an assortment of math games throughout the week practicing those skills and the quiz Friday went very well! Science with Miss Smajstrla introduced states of matter in many different ways. She did a great job helping the kids really define each state so that in Week 6, when we start investigating chemical changes in matter, the kids will have a great foundation! In writing, we completed our 1st drafts of our personal narratives. The kids learned how to take "kernel stories" and expand them using story boards, a graphic organizer. Now that first drafts are complete the real fun begins as we begin revising! Miss Smajstrla introduced non-fiction text features to the kids this week in reading. The kids explored textbooks and magazines looking for examples of charts, graphs, subtitles, maps, captions.... an many more throughout the week. They also spent some time in centers doing word sorts for spelling practice. Finally, in social studies, I explored the 4 natural regions of Texas with the kids a but further as they prepare to create infomercials to tell us all that they learned about these unique regions. Mix in some school pictures, a substitute on Wednesday and run in with a garter snake on the play ground, you can see it was a busy week indeed.
Highlights for next week:
Math: Estimation, adding and subtracting whole numbers, subtracting across zeros. NO QUIZ ON FRIDAY.
Science: Miss Smajstrla continues teaching matter with some hands-on investigations.
Writing: Revise 1st drafts using "color it up" and "mini-stories", write second drafts, edit and publish.
Reading: Miss Smajstrla teaches procedural texts (ie: recipes, how-to, following direstions in sequence etc.)
Social Studies: Miss Smajstrla begins taking on this subject! Infomericals for Texas Regions all week!
Health: benefits of excercise