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Weekly Blog
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We had a busy and exciting week in fourth grade! We enjoy having Ms. Corbett in our class to share fresh and exciting energy and love for learning. She loves math and has been working with many students to find new and creative ways to learn fractions, decimals, and applying these concepts to real life skills.
Our integrated unit on regions is moving along. We have learned about regions in general, how and why regions are defined, and the similarities they possess. Specifically, the students were introduced to the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region.
As we focus on each of the five regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West), we are also zooming in on the states and their capitals. Each week, we are introduced to a region as a whole. Then, we use our research and mapping skills to create a physical map of a specific state in each region. We are including major landforms, rivers, plains, plateaus, lakes, cities, etc. on our physical maps.
As we transfer our "regions unit" to reading and writing concepts, we are using books and websites to research facts for our specific state, which will include a colorful, inviting brochure. Students have enjoyed using several pre-approved websites for their research. In each brochure we include the headings: Geography, Climate, Resources, Places to Visit, and Fun Facts. Reading and interpreting non-fiction is not an easy task! We are refining our nonfiction reading skills so that we can restate the information in our own words to share in our brochures. As we polish our final drafts, we put on our "editor's hats" to proofread our writing and correct our errors. Students are enjoying learning and sharing their newly discovered information about their states.
As we are always trying to prepare our students for the internet savvy world by using online resources to conduct research, we also want to expose children to nonfiction *books*. I noticed something very interesting this week. Last week, when we were studying the Midwest region, I allowed students to go straight to the websites for their research. There were hardly any problems finding information because the students are already very adept in searching for this information online. The second week, I went to the Evanston Public Library and checked out three to four nonfiction books on each state. (Yes, there were a lot of strange looks as I walked out of the library with three bags full of books!) I told the students they had to use books to research this week After a lively discussion, they got started. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It took a lot longer and took much more effort to find the same information in the books that they found so easily on the internet. By the end of the week, the students were becoming more efficient at finding the information. I was extremely proud of their perseverance and they were proud of themselves as well.
This week we will begin displaying our work in the lower school hallway. We are excited for you all to see our hard work!
Our integrated unit on regions is moving along. We have learned about regions in general, how and why regions are defined, and the similarities they possess. Specifically, the students were introduced to the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region.
As we focus on each of the five regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West), we are also zooming in on the states and their capitals. Each week, we are introduced to a region as a whole. Then, we use our research and mapping skills to create a physical map of a specific state in each region. We are including major landforms, rivers, plains, plateaus, lakes, cities, etc. on our physical maps.
As we transfer our "regions unit" to reading and writing concepts, we are using books and websites to research facts for our specific state, which will include a colorful, inviting brochure. Students have enjoyed using several pre-approved websites for their research. In each brochure we include the headings: Geography, Climate, Resources, Places to Visit, and Fun Facts. Reading and interpreting non-fiction is not an easy task! We are refining our nonfiction reading skills so that we can restate the information in our own words to share in our brochures. As we polish our final drafts, we put on our "editor's hats" to proofread our writing and correct our errors. Students are enjoying learning and sharing their newly discovered information about their states.
As we are always trying to prepare our students for the internet savvy world by using online resources to conduct research, we also want to expose children to nonfiction *books*. I noticed something very interesting this week. Last week, when we were studying the Midwest region, I allowed students to go straight to the websites for their research. There were hardly any problems finding information because the students are already very adept in searching for this information online. The second week, I went to the Evanston Public Library and checked out three to four nonfiction books on each state. (Yes, there were a lot of strange looks as I walked out of the library with three bags full of books!) I told the students they had to use books to research this week After a lively discussion, they got started. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It took a lot longer and took much more effort to find the same information in the books that they found so easily on the internet. By the end of the week, the students were becoming more efficient at finding the information. I was extremely proud of their perseverance and they were proud of themselves as well.
This week we will begin displaying our work in the lower school hallway. We are excited for you all to see our hard work!
This Week's Events*ALL CLUBS WILL RUN THIS WEEK!*
Monday- Pajama Day Tuesday- Fan Day Wednesday- Wacky Wednesday Thursday- Beach Day Friday- Formal Friday |
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