Happy New Year!
Welcome winter! The ski shed is open and ready for skis but we are obviously still waiting for that first snowstorm… Any day now… We had a great January soccer game on Monday. It is cold enough, but without snow it just doesn’t seem like winter in Vermont.
The excitement is really bubbling in fourth grade. Tuesday winter sports are a wonderful way to be outside, getting exercise and enjoying friends. Our schedule changed slightly; we have art on Tuesday mornings and our snack time is before recess to accommodate for having a class directly after recess. Our Homework routine will stay the same. Time management is an important 4th grade skill. Homework can carry over if need be. Please remind your child to read for 30 minutes on weekdays too.
Students have been mastering their skills with large number multiplication. We have practiced the partial product method, the traditional method (multiplication with trades), and the lattice method. It is fun to solve problems with different algorithms and get the same answer. Students choose a method they like best and the math program has kids reviewing all the methods. Our next chapter brings division (partial-quotient method) and measurement of angles with protractors.
Before the holidays we read a short non-fiction book about the Fur Trade (1600 Europe to Colonial Times in the New World) called Fur Traders and Trappers. It was a good study of both history and point of view. There was a lot of confusion among the early settlers about the territorial right to trade for fur in New England. Disputes were solved in a variety of ways. We looked at a very comprehensive website: http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/hist/hist1_e.html as a great example of a web-based historical resource.
This week begins an inter-curricular Mystery Theme. We are reading a short novel called The Real Thief by William Steig. It tells of a wrongly accused goose and a thief who admits to his mistake. Students are collecting vocabulary words in small groups and learning words for a Jeopardy game we will play next week. In science we tested things for acid and basic pH on paper dyed with red cabbage. We will do several experiments to look at chemical properties and simple ways to observe changes and chemical reactions. Magical mysterious science is the theme as students work in groups to use materials, record results, and investigate why changes occur.
All for now,
Emily
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 16th: MLK Day, No School
Thursday, January 26th: Conferences, No School
