Pinnacle Academy 2015-2016 School Year
Welcome to Mrs. Petti's Fourth Grade!
October 2015 Highlights
(Please scroll down for more slideshows and weekly highlights.)
Highlights of Week 7: Oct. 12 - 16, 2015
In math, we added to our collection of problem-solving strategies, reviewed different addition and subtraction algorithms, and analyzed a variety of data, culminating with a Progress Check at the end of the week.
We continued our novel studies of Island of the Blue Dolphins and The BFG in Guided Reading groups. We have begun looking at story arcs. We are focusing on refining our writing by emphasizing interesting leads and details. Some of the students began writing stories for the first issue of the new student magazine.
We celebrated Columbus Day with poetry and articles about Columbus's first trip to the New World. We looked at online resources introducing us to the five themes of geography: location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction. The students finished their state posters, and some students have begun researching specific national parks. The students learned the names of the Southeast capitals.
In our science unit on Earth patterns, cycles, and change, we examined online and print resources on the sun, and the students added to their list of big questions, including questions wondering how we know what we know about our solar system. We began studying the moon. The students first drew images to reflect their initial impressions of the relative size of the Earth and moon. They were surprised to learn that the diameter of the moon is only 1/4 the diameter of the Earth. We used compasses to draw one large circle representing the Earth and four smaller circles spanning its diameter (with one of the smaller circles representing the moon). The students continued to record phases of the moon and were introduced to the terminology of the moon phases.
Highlights of Week 6: Oct. 5 - 9, 2015
Please visit our Week 6 gallery above, which helps to tell the story of our sixth week of fourth grade. Please also visit an extra page of scenes from a Week 6 nature walk.
The students have begun setting personal goals on a weekly self-reflection form, focusing on qualities of effective learners, and taking a few minutes to reflect on their progress toward their goals at the end of each day.
Math:
We enjoyed some active math this week: skip-counting while marching in circles, and playing a blacktop multiplication game to reinforce multiplication and division facts in the 6's through 9's. We collected and analyzed data on dice rolls, family sizes, and head sizes as part of our Everyday Math unit, in addition to our daily informal surveys. The students utilized tally marks, line plots, and bar graphs. We reviewed and practiced two methods of adding multidigit numbers, and the students wrote step by step explanations of how they solved a problem using the partial sums method. We reviewed one method of subtracting multidigit numbers and will review more methods next week. On Friday, we applied division and geometry skills in making math stars to decorate the Fourth Grade Art Basket for Puma Fest. (We found lots of factor pairs for the special number 360!)
Language Arts:
The students have enjoyed discussing and writing about specific aspects of the books we are studying in Guided Reading groups (Island of the Blue Dolphins and The BFG). Students in the BFG group practiced skimming skills and retold a portion of the early chapters from the point of view of Sophie. Students in the Island of the Blue Dolphins group compared and contrasted life on the island before and after Karana's tribe fought with the Aleuts.
The students have been practicing listening skills and following a series of instructions. They have written about what conditions help them to listen most effectively.
Social Studies:
The students are finishing up making state posters and have done a great job of learning the spellings and locations of the Southeast States.
Science:
We have begun a unit on Earth patterns, cycles, and change. The students completed an Anticipation Guide to record their initial understanding of some aspects of our solar system. We engaged in several activities to clarify the students' understanding of the difference between rotation and revolution. We viewed an online story of a humorous but fact-filled discussion between the Earth and the Sun, which stimulated some big questions. We will visit this story again during the week of October 12 to analyze the story and sun facts in greater depth. We are recording the daily changes in the phases of the moon. We were surprised that, on the first night that the students attempted to view the moon from home, it actually did not rise until 1 a.m. and set late in the afternoon. One day, we were able to view a crescent moon around noon as the students entered the cafeteria. Other days were cloudy or our timing was off, but we then consulted an online guide. We are also observing changes in the natural area near the Lower Building on nature walks.
Highlights of Week 8: Oct. 19 - 23, 2015
Math: With Ms. Bush joining us for five math periods, students were able to get one-on-one and small group support from two math teachers! We wrapped up Unit 2 on addition, subtraction, and data analysis and began a new unit with an emphasis on multiplication and division fact recall, number sentences, applied problem solving, and algebraic reasoning. The students were introduced to an interactive problem-solving site using "Thinking Blocks" to set up and solve problems. (See link on the Enrichment page.) On Friday, for an additional extension activity, the students collaborated in small groups to solve challenging visual algebra puzzles.
Language Arts: We continued our Guided Reading discussions of Island of the Blue Dolphins and The BFG. The students reading The BFG were excited to create their own giants, using similes and metaphors to describe them, and then drawing them. This writing activity was so enticing that the Island of the Blue Dolphins group wanted to join in, so they also invented giants and described them with similes and metaphors. The IBD group also wrote paragraphs analyzing Karana's feelings and choices as she began living alone on the island and as she set off on an unsuccessful voyage. A number of the students contributed stories, poems, or drawings to the new student newspaper, and we were also flattered that the editor asked to include the fourth grade math stars in the October issue.
Social Studies: Students began researching national parks and creating Google presentations. We viewed video clips about key features of the NE states while learning the NE capitals. We explored some online interactive map puzzles (see links on the Enrichment page).
Science: The students created scratch cards with eight phases of the moon and engaged in a whole-class simulation of the moon phases as viewed from Earth at different points in the month. We learned some basic facts about planet Earth and its relationship with the sun and the moon. We drew a chalk circle with a diameter of 27 1/2 inches, representing the sun, and compared it to a 1/4 inch pencil eraser, representing the Earth (for the diameter of the sun is 110 times the diameter of the Earth). The students took a moon phases quiz on Friday. We also enjoyed a nature walk to observe ongoing changes in the natural area near the Lower Building.
Special Events:
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The fourth graders heard presentations by the 8th graders, viewed models of their clever Animal Farm-related theme parks, and voted on their favorite theme parks. They also voted on Utopia theme parks created by the sixth grade (without having an opportunity to hear the sixth grade presentations).
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On Friday, the third and fourth grade classes enjoyed an outdoor ice cream party after lunch, in appreciation for putting together the baskets that raised the most money at Puma Fest. Thank you, Fourth Grade Families! Thanks, also, to the Ghaffari family for purchasing the Fourth Grade Art Basket!
Highlights of Week 9: Oct. 26 - 30, 2015
Math: We have been differentiating instruction in small groups for part of our math time. One day, while one group engaged in fact recall activities, another group used Google sheets to enter huge sports salaries from a challenging word problem, add the column of salaries, and write a formula to find the mean. (This worked out much better than our first attempt to solve the problem using calculators, when everyone ended up with a different answer. With our data displayed on our spreadsheets, we could see where data entry mistakes might have been made.)
The fourth graders also tried out an online algebraic reasoning activity, applying multiplication facts and mental subtraction. (The link has been added to the Enrichment page on this site.) On Thursday, the students combined math and geography on a "World Tour" math activity involving Egypt. On Friday, we applied estimation and measurement skills to four pumpkins. There was just one problem: we didn't have a scales sturdy enough to weigh the larger pumpkins! We will follow up in the coming days.
Language Arts: We introduced "power writing" this week, where output was the primary goal: everyone would write as much as they could for five minutes. The students were wonderfully productive, and they enjoyed sharing these writings with their peers. Students also revised, edited, and published writing selections for their writing portfolios. A number of students finalized the "new giant" writings that they drafted last week.
Social Studies: Students continued their national parks research projects while building Google presentations. They learned the names and spellings of the Midwest states as part of this week's word work.
Science: We learned more about planet Earth's relationship with the sun, and the connection between axial tilt and seasons. We learned some key information about the planets in our solar system, and we enjoyed brief but dramatic simulated radio broadcasts from our fourth grade space travelers. Each student cut out and colored a set of planet shapes while applying measurement and data skills to figure out which planet was which. One set of the planet shapes is now on our classroom wall, superimposed over a 2-meter diameter sun shape, so that we can see the planets drawn to scale. The four terrestrial planets, in particular, look very tiny in comparison to the enormous sun! Most of the students finalized their science fair research questions and statements of purpose.
Yum! ~ On Friday after lunch, as we wrestled with trying to weigh our large pumpkins, Mrs. Ghaffari arrived with festive brownies. Thank you, Mrs. Ghaffari, for the yummy treat!!
