Writing Workshop

Character Traits 

Paragraph Writing

Beginning of Unit Goal: Students Will Discuss Character Ideas, Character Traits, and Write Character Idea Paragraphs with Angled Support From a Text.

We will discuss character trait words or ideas about characters that fit characters from read alouds, both short texts and novels.  As we discuss the character trait words, we will develop a list of behaviors for the specific character trait words that were identified.  Additionally, we will help students label characters from read alouds with the appropriate character trait word and guide students in noticing how characters change over time, the positive / negative change of the trait word. Explain that a character trait is a word we use to describe a pattern in a character's personality (the type of person someone is).  For example, a person is not a generous person just because they give you a pencil one time.  To label someone a generous person, they need to show they are generous repeatedly (across the text).  Remind kids that we figure out what type of person someone is by paying attention to what they say, do, and think.

As kids practice writing angled character paragraphs to prove their character idea, we will remind them that writers…

• Choose a spot that pays off to prove their character idea. 
• Every detail included needs to connect back to the character idea.
• When writing, pick spots that really prove your character idea.  Always question: If someone who never read the book before was reading this, would they understand how the part you are retelling connects to your character idea?

October Calendar

 

 

Dates to remember:

Tuesday, October 6- Say cheese it is Picture Day!

Monday, October 12- Columbus Day- No school

Week of October 19- First Enrichment Cycle Begins

Friday, October 30- Come learn with your kids at Parents as Learning Partners.

October Math Workshop

Throughout the month of October, we will be continuing our work in place value.  Currently, we are working towards our mid module assessment which will cover the following topics:

• Comparing numbers using <, >, and =
• Arranging numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least
• Reading and writing numbers in all forms (standard, expanded, word, and unit)
• Rounding numbers to a given place value
• Using the place value chart to determine ten times more or ten times less than a given number

We anticipate this half of our unit to be completed by October 16th.

From there, we will continue with the second half of the place value unit, which will cover the following topics:

• Multi-step word problems
• Addition and subtraction 
• Standard algorithm
• Tape diagram model
• Place value chart

October Reading Workshop

Developing Ideas About Characters

In this unit, students will begin to look closely at characters based on their thoughts, actions and dialogue. They will make inferences about the characters and come up with ideas about the types of people these characters are.  

Students will begin to notice that characters are complex, and very often can be described in more than one way.  

Students will begin to notice that the internal struggle often affects the character's external struggle.  The students will learn that often, characters grow (or change) from the beginning of the story to the end.  As a class, we will be paying close attention to the clues the author gives us about the type of person a character is at the beginning of a story, compared to the type of person they are at the end.  

In order to do this work, we will be reading a number of short stories together as a class.  Below are a list of some of the stories we will be using to examine characters:

Questions we will ask ourselves as we begin to examine characters:

• Think about the problem your character is having.       Ask: What kind of person would have a problem like this?
• Pay close attention to things your character says, does and thinks.  Ask:  What kind of person would say, do or think these things?
• Pay attention to how your character interacts with others 
• Pay attention to when your character has a strong emotion.  Ask:  What kind of person would act like this?

October Read Aloud

October Read Aloud

What’s New in Read Aloud?

This month in read aloud, we will be completing the novel, Fourth Grade Rats. Next, we will be reading a novel, There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom written by Louis Sachar. This novel will provide students with the opportunity to apply the various strategies and skills being practiced in our current reading unit, Developing ideas about characters.

During this unit students will be responsible for:

1) Completing assigned extended response questions in the given response packet:

          These responses will be collected periodically and graded. The grading criteria for these responses is      as follows:

0- point response includes:

·                  Does not answer the prompt/question

·                  No answer

·                  Hand-writing is so messy that the answer is too difficult to read

·                  Includes many grammar mistakes making the answer too difficult to read

           

1- point response includes:

·                  A literal explanation or retell of the prompt/question

·                  Little details or information from the text to support the explanation

·                  Incomplete sentences

2-point response includes:

·                  A correct inference (idea) from the text that answers the question/prompt

·                 An explanation of your inference (idea) in your own words

·                 Specific details from the text that proves your inference, such as a quote

·                 Complete sentences and correct punctuation

It is very important for students to adhere to the criteria and aim to receive a ‘2’ on for their responses. This practice will get them into the habit of accurately answering an extended response question and supporting it with evidence. This skill is necessary in order to be successful on the ELA exam.

2) Completing assigned vocabulary work. Students received a vocabulary packet, containing a graphic organizer to help them apply this word in various ways. They are required to use the word in a sentence, write the definition, draw a picture of and write an example of the vocabulary word.

      3) Vocabulary Quiz- Knowledge of the vocabulary words will be assessed every week. Students should be prepared, every Friday, for a vocabulary quiz.

There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom Vocabulary Words:

•  Abandoned
• Awkward
• Compassionate
•  Deceive
• Desperate
• Hesitant
• Irresponsible
• Obedient
• Overwhelmed
•  Reputation
• Resentful
• Timid

October Social Studies

The fourth grade Social Studies curriculum provides students with an opportunity to learn about the different cultural groups who lived in New York State centuries in the past. Each unit will culminate with a research-based project. 

During October, we will be continuing our Native American unit. Students will learn about various groups of Native Americans who lived in the Northeastern Woodlands of the United States. As the unit continues, we will begin to focus on the Iroquois, a group of Native Americans that lived in New York State. Using both primary and secondary resources, students will develop an understanding for what life was like for the Iroquois.

Starting at the end of October, we will begin a mini-unit focused on The Age of Exploration and European Explorers. During this unit, students will learn about various different European Explorers. Students will research different explorers by reading a piece of non-fiction text. The goal of this unit is for students to understand why people in Europe began to explore territories across the globe and for students to recognize that the beginnings of our country are founded on the Age of Exploration.

Students may also continue their research at home by using our class website: http://www.portaportal.com/ Students may scroll down to the Social Studies section of the website in order to help with their research. See login information below:

Username: 4302
Password: ps172