Multiplication, magnets, realistic fiction, computers, team handball, quiet spots, more weddings, and babies! We certainly tend to pack a lot into a shortened week. What does this all mean, keep reading.
Everyone has been working hard on multiplication this week, the kids have had a lot of Work Place (which really are games, so I have no idea why they call it Work Place) this past week. It is so fun to watch as they play against each other while learning multiplication. The kids also took a quiz on the material we’ve been working on, please make sure to sign and return those.
The magnet unit is always exciting for the kids. We also brought in Naomi to talk about how magnets help a compass work. They also got to handle a compass this week and learn how to use one. Soon we will go outside with Naomi and walk around with compasses.
Students are continually working on a piece of realistic fiction at the moment. They’ve worked on different ways to start the story, different characters, and adding more detail. Some of them are really good. They now will type them up and publish them.
Speaking of typing, we brought out the Chromebooks this week. Students will be using them to type their stories, spelling sentences, and general computer skills learning. It would be really helpful if you could get them signed on at home once in awhile to practice their skills. Even though we have worked on typing last year we are seeing a lot of hunting and pecking. We would love to have them all typing well by the time we turn them over to the fifth grade teachers next year!
Team handball has been the game of choice this week, it’s such a fun game and they all seem to really like it. They’ve been playing 3-on-3 and most are dripping with sweat after the games. One day they played another version of the stranded island game with scooters. This one they really like and they have to work together and communicate in order to succeed. Some have got it figured out and others will need more practice, but they’ve all done better than the first time they played.
Quiet spots is always one of my favorite days. I love talking to students on our way over to the horseshoe and then sitting quietly by the water as they observe and write. The kids get to share their writing when they are done and it’s amazing the things they notice. They noticed the way some berries were changing on a tree, very unique colors.
More weddings and babies, what can that possibly mean when we are dealing with 4th graders? I honestly don’t know where this is all coming from, but we had more weddings at recess this week. Then, we suddenly had babies arriving. One student had 7 of them at one time! So the last couple of recesses haven’t included any weddings, rather babies running around all over the place crying loudly. Here are a couple of family portraits I took of the happy families. I have laughed a lot at recess these past two weeks!
Well it looks like I didn’t do a great job of taking pictures again this week so you will have to take my word for it that they have been writing, using Chromebooks, and using compasses! I hope you have a wonderful week.
~ Mrs. Steinbeck