February/March Math Workshop

The fourth grade geometry unit will build upon the knowledge of geometry that the students were introduced to in third grade.  During this unit, we will be introducing points, lines, line segments, rays  as well as the relationship between them.  The students will be able to identify each of these both independently and within a shape.  Students will also learn how to properly use a protractor and use that knowledge to not only measure a given angle, but also construct their own angles.  Students will also learn to identify lines of symmetry within a shape and understand what makes two shapes congruent. We will focus on the classification of triangles by both length of sides and measurement of angles, and finally, we will look at other 2-D shapes and learn how to identify each by the number of sides.  See below for a comprehensive vocabulary list of terms that will be covered throughout this topic, as well as more detailed descriptions with sample problems.

Geometry Vocabulary:

• Acute angle - an angle that measures less than 90 degrees  
  
• Acute triangle - triangle with all interior angles that measure less than 90 degrees 
  
• Angle - the figure that is formed when two rays meet sharing a common vertex
  
• Degree - The unit used to measure angles 
  
• Equilateral Triangle - A triangle with three equal sides
  
• Intersecting Lines - Lines that cross at any given point
  
• Isosceles Triangle - Triangle with two equal sides
  
• Line - A straight path made up of points
  
• Line of Symmetry - The line through a figure that creates two halves that match exactly
  
• Obtuse Angle - An angle with a measure that is more than 90 degrees
  
• Obtuse Triangle - A triangle with one angle that is more than 90 degrees
  
• Parallel Lines - Lines that do not intersect
  
• Perpendicular Lines - Lines that form a right angle when they do intersect
  
• Point - Precise location along a line or plane
  
• Protractor - A tool used to measure angles
  
• Right Angle -  An angle that measures to exactly 90 degrees
  
• Right Triangle - A triangle that contains 90 degrees
  
• Scalene Triangle - A triangle with no equal sides or angles 
  

February, March and April

Writing Workshop

Starting in February, the fourth grade has changed gears from persuasive writing to writing about reading.  Students will be exposed to and will practice answering many different types of short response and essay questions involving theme, character change, beginning / middle / end feelings, similarities and differences as well as some non-fiction informational texts. 

Although the essays and responses have different topics, one thing remains the same:  students must come up with an idea to answer each question and provide details and or text evidence to support their answers.

Towards the beginning of March, the students will be working on reading paired passages and responding to questions that relate to the paired texts. Along with short responses to paired passage texts, the students will also be writing extended responses. These extended responses will be determined by the amount of bullets the writing task includes. For example, if the task has two bullets then that should signal to the student that the extended response should be organized in two paragraphs. If there are three bullets then the student will organize and write a three paragraph response.

The paired passages are as follows:
"Brainy Birds"
"Too Many Zucchinis"
"Lindbergh"
"Hattie Big Sky"
"Call of the Wild"

February, March & April Read Aloud

What’s New in Read Aloud?

Fourth Grade is utilizing the Read-Aloud Period in order to prepare our students to navigate through texts of various genres. We have renamed this period and are now referring to read-aloud as, “Seminar”. During this period we will be focusing on exposing students to different types of fiction and non-fiction genres. Over the next few months we will be focusing on:

      

     Non-fiction:

·      Expository/Informational texts

·      Narrative Texts

·      Argumentative/ Persuasive Texts

·      Instructional/ Procedural Texts

    Fiction:

·      Excerpts

·      Historical Fiction 

·      Traditional Literature: Fables

·      Traditional Literature: Myths and Legends

·      Traditional Literature: Tall Tales

·      Science Fiction

·      Poems

During this period, we will organize ourselves into a circle in order to foster open discussion about the texts as we read them aloud. We will focus on text structure and getting the students used to identifying different text structures in order to ensure better comprehension of the text.

We are encouraging students to make a plan for reading by:

    Non-Fiction Texts

1)   Previewing: To preview a non-fiction text, we:

      Focus on the three main parts:

·      Set-up (title, headings/subheadings)

·      Words (bold words, where specific details are located)

·      Pictures (captions, maps, graphics, and illustrations)

      Ask ourselves:

      1.    “How do the three parts connect?”

      2.   “What’s this passage probably going to be mostly about?”

2)   When reading non-fiction texts:

•               Stop at the end of each chunk of text and think about what you have learned.
• 
  
•      After reading two or more chunks of the text, you should think about how what you just read connects to what you read in previous chunks.

·      Ask: How does this new information help me understand what I already read earlier in the text?

3)   Pay attention to non-fiction text structures:

·      Descriptive

·      Sequence

·      Problem and Solution

·      Cause and Effect

·      Compare and Contrast

   

     Reading Fiction Texts:

1)   Preview:

How: Read the title, bold words, pictures and the first paragraph to get an idea of:

•         Main Character
•     Secondary Character
•     Setting
•     Problem
•      Big life topics

2)   Read the text carefully and develop ideas about the main character, problem and themes within the text.

3)   After reading: Confirm or adjust your preview prediction. Jot down the problem and the lesson on top of the passage.

Students will also be required to answer short response questions about each passage. It is important that they follow the structure of a short response paragraph in order to earn the highest possible grade of a 2.