Mrs. Riegel's Fourth Grade: Fall is here!

Fall is finally here, and it sure is starting to feel like it. I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend we had!

Here is a look at what we were up to this week:

In Writing workshop we began plotting our story arcs. You all should have received an email from me about joining Seesaw. As I mentioned at open house, this is a digital portfolio that allows you to see your child's work when we add something at school. You are more than welcome to comment on your child's work, ask them about it at home, or even share the link with other family members who might like to see their work (grandma/grandpa, etc). You, your child and myself are the only ones who can see their portfolio. If you have any questions, let me know! Each post-it on our story arc is a different scene. We spent time thinking of a strong beginning, making the problem get worse, the heart of the story, showing the character changing, and a strong ending. Asking your child to retell their story arc will help them prepare for drafting this week!

In reading, we looked at a few short answer questions and rated our work on a self-rubric. Out first unit focuses on interpreting characters. The students rated their reading responses, and then worked to make them stronger. We have talked a lot about reading "just right" books. As I finish up reading assessments, the students know what level books they should be choosing from.

In math we are nearing the end of topic 1, meanings of multiplication and division. Much of this topic is review from last year. We will do a review on Tuesday and then take the test on Wednesday of this week. Most students have been able to login to XtraMath. This is assigned each night for homework (Monday-Thursday, but certainly would be great to do on other days as well). Please make sure your child is going on each night.

In science we observed our rocks from home. We talked about different characteristics that can be used to describe rocks; color, shape, luster, and streak. This week we will study different types of rocks more closely.

We made some really neat sunflowers with our buddies this week to hang in our classroom!