Happy Halloween!

There was lots of energy surrounding the room this week in anticipation of all the Halloween celebrations taking place this weekend!  We focused that positive energy on our work and with brain breaks here and there, we really had a fabulous week!

In writing, we are still working on publishing our final copies.  We met with our writing partners in the beginning of the week to go over our drafts again and check for spelling errors.  Each partner was very thorough and looked words up in the dictionaries when needed.  We should be ready for a writing celebration by the end of next week!

As you know, we finished topic 3 in math and moved onto topic 4 this week.  Topic 4 teaches us about mental math, estimation, and adding and subtracting whole numbers.  This is another short topic and we will most likely be having another test again at the end of next week.

In reading we are still discussing our character, thinking about how they change, the problems that they face, how they resolve these problems, etc.  We also discussed setting this week and how the setting can affect the character or the plot of the story.  Don't forget that October book logs should be turned in on Monday!

This week we finished up our observations of the minerals.  We still have a few more things to do, however the hands-on tests that we have been conducting have sadly come to an end.  I know the students really loved working hands on with the rocks and minerals!  

We had a great week with our second grade buddies.  We are learning American sign language!  We taught the students the alphabet and how to say "My name is..." in ASL. They loved this, and some of them continue to practice every chance they get! 

Check out the video below! 

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed your Halloween.

Thanks for your continued support,

Mrs. Riegel 

We had a  fabulous week in fourth grade!  

It started off with an assembly from a former Glenmont parent and inspirational speaker, Mr. John Robinson. Wow!  This was such an incredible and eye opening discussion for all of us and we loved being reminded that what truly matters is what's on the inside, what's in our hearts. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Mr. Robinson!

In writing workshop we have been working hard at revising our realistic fiction stories.  This is no easy feat and we've been spending a lot of time conferencing with different peers as well as reflecting on what has happened in each scene of our story...some key questions we ask ourselves are; where is the setting?  Is there dialogue?  Is there action? These types of things have been helping to guide us in our revision. 

In math we are still in the place value unit.  We have stretched our brains, thinking about place value relationships, comparing numbers, ordering numbers, and making organized lists. We have a topic test on Tuesday of next week.

In science we have been working hands-on with different minerals.  We've performed many different tests to determine the different characteristics of each mineral.  Color, streak, hardness, light, and magnetism are different ways that we can differentiate one mineral from another.  

We had time to meet with our buddies on Thursday morning. The fourth graders were a big help in giving their buddy their spelling test for the week.  We are looking forward to another fun activity coming up this week!

I look forward to meeting with more of you this week, have a great week ahead!

Mrs. Riegel 

Last week was a shortened week, but we made the most of it!  It was great seeing some of you last week at parent-teacher conferences, and I look forward to seeing more of you this coming week!

We finished our second topic in math and moved onto Topic 3.  This unit is about place value and understanding multi-digit whole numbers.  Practicing math facts is important, please be sure you are going on xtra math and/or practicing facts in other ways (flashcards, math apps, etc.) at home.

This week in writing we continued working on our drafts. We have reached the revision stage, and these fourth graders have been working so hard to make their stories better and better!  They love reading their stories to each other and conferencing to help make each others stories the best they can be.

                           

 We even found a great way to hang our checklists and mentor leads on the back of the train seats!

This week we had a visit from Mr. Steele.  He showed us all about how the Native Americans used different parts of the deer in their everyday life.  The students loved seeing all the different deer parts, and Mr. Steele even played a tune for us on a flute-like instrument that came from the bone of a deer. 

In Social Studies we continue to learn about New York State, specifically focusing on landforms, lakes, and rivers specific to our state.  This week we will begin learning about the Native Americans!

We enjoyed time with our buddies this week, doing a craft project that will soon be displayed in the classroom!  We love our time with them and it's great seeing the fourth graders being such good role models and leaders around the second graders. 

Have a great week!

         

We started off our week with a fire safety assembly from the Selkirk Fire Department.  Thank you to all the volunteer fire fighters who help keep our community safe!  We discussed the importance of having a plan at home in case there is ever an emergency.  This was a good reminder for me to check my smoke alarms at home as well!

I started off my week with a lunch date with my September table winners!  The "Blue Kangaroos" earned the most points for their table and their reward was to eat lunch with me in the classroom.  It was great to get to know them a little more.  :)

In writing workshop we have finished writing our first drafts and have moved onto the revision stage of writing.  Revision is a way to make our best better and really begins with rereading our story.  As writers of revision we can ask ourselves..."What is this story really about?  Have I brought out that deeper story? Have I made my characters seem human?"  We learned how to select a certain lens for revision, based on whatever we value in our story, and to reread with that lens, studying those specific parts in our story.

In math we have been learning about patterns, how to find rules for patterns, and how to use those rules to complete tables and word problems.  We have practiced reasoning and learned a lot about the importance of thinking about the information that is given to us first before trying to solve the problem.  Drawing a picture helps too!

As scientists, we discussed how to test different types of minerals.  We learned that many different tests can be performed in order to identify different minerals. We read about the Mohs Hardness Scale, and how we can test for hardness using different objects.  The streak test is another way we can identify minerals.  Sometimes the streak has a different color than the mineral itself!

Yesterday we were so lucky to have two visitors from Five Rivers come into our classroom.  Mary and Lauren taught us a lot about invasive species. We learned about native and alien plants and animals, specifically the Emerald Ash Borer and Water Chestnut.  They brought in some Water Chestnut seeds, and a sample of what the Emerald Ash Borer does to the Ash Trees. We even got to do a simulation of what it is like for the Emerald Ash Borer to spread among a large group of Ash Trees!

I hope everyone has a great long weekend!

Mrs. Riegel

Happy October!

We made it through our first full week of school!

Last week was a busy week for us, and our first full week!

We have been writing, writing, writing, working on our realistic fiction drafts. Last week we planned our story using a story arc, learned how to write strong leads, and discussed how to include setting so that our readers can really get lost in the story.

In reading we are studying characters, using the beautiful mentor text, The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo.  Last week we learned some different reading strategies we can use to grow ideas about our characters.  Characters tend to act a certain way and when our character acts "out of character" we can think about why this has happened and come up with new theories.

We began studying minerals this week!  We compared rocks to minerals and thought about the  different minerals that are found inside each rock.  We love exploring and learning about different rocks and minerals!


Not only did we stretch out minds, but stretched our bodies as we learned from a master yoga instructor!

As you can see from the photos, these little yogis loved learning about yoga, and practicing some moves.  We can't wait for Erin to come visit us again soon!