A very special day! Our class had the honor of speaking to Roland Smith, a renowned writer of over 50 young adult novels. Our class read two of his books, Sasquatch and The Captain's Dog. He graciously visited with our class for 30 minutes and answered many of their questions about the stories he wrote and about what it is like to be a novelist. I think we will all remember this day for a very long time.
Our fourth grade project for Arbor Day was to plant this Akebono Flowering Cherry tree in front of our school. We look forward to seeing the blossoms next year and enjoying the shade this tree will provide during the warm season. When the tree is fully grown, it will grow to a height of 25 feet.
Great job Christians! These wonderful fourth graders put together a special event for the children in pre-k and kindergarten. They painted and planted a pot for every child and dyed over 150 eggs for an Easter egg hunt. This is the kind of selflessness that makes us all so proud of our children at Holy Family School. Tomorrow they hide the eggs and put smiles on all those children's faces!
Our Easter service project for fourth grade. Students are painting 3 inch pots which they will plant with a flower and offer to our littlest angels in pre-k and kindergarten. They will also sponsor an Easter egg hunt. It's so wonderful to see our students making a tiny bit of magic at Holy Family School!
Students researched one of five wild animals and wrote a research paper from rough draft to final draft. The research was conducted with a partner. In a writer's workshop, students wrote rough drafts, conferenced with the teacher, and completed a final draft. Finally, each student received a plaster set of animal paws of the animal they researched. Students will be painting the prints which will be a lasting keepsake of all their work on this research project.
From the ancient scratch art on prehistoric caves to today's vibrant scratch art panels, children still love the secret and magic of all of that color under a curtain of black. Here' our contribution to the Easter decor around campus! Aren't they pretty?
Easter potatoes from our Saint Patrick's Day celebration.
Something new! We are pen pals with a fourth grade class in Connecticut. This week we sent our buddies pocket cards the students designed with bio-poems and letters inside. We're learning about life on the other side of the continent and it's very interesting. We'll keep up this relationship throughout this school year.
Our fourth grade students listened to the true story of a boy in Malawi who builds a windmill and generates electricity for his family. The book is called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. It is a breath taking tale of perseverance against all odds. As a concluding activity, the students leaned to sketch a windmill. Some incredible art!
This charcoal drawing was our students introduction to our new math module on shapes and proportions. It was a fun way to start the week and the children did a super job!
Check out our fourth grade class book that is full of stunning artwork and beautiful writing! The link was posted in Remind so that only our parents have access. Order forms are due on Friday, January 28th. Published books will be delivered to the school by the end of February. Enjoy this comprehensive look at fourth grade curriculum at Holy Family School.
This is a new aspect of our math program. All students have been enrolled in this dynamic learning platform and will be working in the academy daily. Khan academy does not supplant classroom instruction. Khan academy lesson videos and daily quizzes will be used to provide additional practice in concepts that are taught in each module. Students can work in Khan Academy in the class or at home at any hour of any day. All of their time spent in the Academy and the results of all the quizzes they take are available to the teacher for easy monitoring.
Ask your child to share a lesson with you! The lessons are short and to the point and give students the opportunity to learn concepts in a slow and careful and incremental way so that nobody is left behind.
Cheers to a new learning tool!
Ask your child to share a lesson with you! The lessons are short and to the point and give students the opportunity to learn concepts in a slow and careful and incremental way so that nobody is left behind.
Cheers to a new learning tool!
What's new in fourth grade? Perhaps you've heard your child talking about a novel we are reading in class. It wouldn't surprise me. Every day, we have reading groups where students are reading a novel in a small circle of friends. On average, each group finishes at least a novel a month. That's a whole lot of reading! It certainly keeps me shopping for the next great book. Here are the titles of the most recent books we introduced to the fourth grade library. At the rate we are going, we'll read at least twice this many novels before the school year ends. And who doesn't love a great novel?
Here are our enquiry questions for this lab: Why do you suppose it's important to measure ingredients? What is the purpose of sourdough and how does it work? Do you think the volume of a loaf of bread will change after it's baked? What is the purpose of salt? How would you describe the consistency of the dough at the start verses after the stretch and fold? What is the purpose of stretch and fold? Why must a loaf of bread be scored before baking? As you can see, there is some math and even more science involved in the simplest and most nutritious food!
Day 2 of our Science Bread Lab: Yesterday we refreshed the starter. Today, we ground wheat berries into flour, stretched and folded our dough, and shaped loaves for tomorrow morning's bake. These will be 100% organic, whole wheat loaves that the children can sample warm from the oven with butter and fruit jam. The lab was designed to engage students in scientific enquiry and to help them understand the science of bread making.
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Our class performed the reader's theater version of IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE, a clever Jewish folk tale. The play was performed twice, once for our preschool and once for the first grade class. Congratulations to all of our young actors and actresses!
Social Studies Extra Credit (worth up to 100 points)
Part I: Students must complete a detailed colored map of the Lewis and Clark journey from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. This map must show the major waterways and mountain ranges. The map should be completed with colored pencils or other artist materials, but the map must be in color. Teacher will provide art paper. Note that there are lots of maps of the journey on line.
Part II: Write a two-page summary of three of the worst challenges the Lewis and Clark expedition faced. DO NOT WRITE A LIST. This should be three very detailed paragraphs. Each paragraph should describe one challenge and give details about that challenge. Do not write about more than three challenges. Use binder paper and write on all lines. Do not skip lines.
Part I: Students must complete a detailed colored map of the Lewis and Clark journey from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. This map must show the major waterways and mountain ranges. The map should be completed with colored pencils or other artist materials, but the map must be in color. Teacher will provide art paper. Note that there are lots of maps of the journey on line.
Part II: Write a two-page summary of three of the worst challenges the Lewis and Clark expedition faced. DO NOT WRITE A LIST. This should be three very detailed paragraphs. Each paragraph should describe one challenge and give details about that challenge. Do not write about more than three challenges. Use binder paper and write on all lines. Do not skip lines.
Harvest day! Every student cut leaves from our kale plants. We used those leaves to make kale soup, then enjoyed a bowl for a morning snack. Truly, everyone participated in a "Farm to Fork" event today. What's more, students copied down the recipe and many of them would love the opportunity to make kale soup for the whole family.
The fourth grade celebration of mass on November 2. Students researched a saint, then wrote and performed a cinquain for our community and family members who could attend. The students worked really hard and practiced for many days. The result was spectacular!
Special thanks to Mrs. Horn who worked tirelessly on this project and to the parents who prepared costumes and attended the mass.
Special thanks to Mrs. Horn who worked tirelessly on this project and to the parents who prepared costumes and attended the mass.
Getting into the Halloween spirit! Below are the paintings we did of a pumpkin-moon night and the actual pumpkins students decorated in class. Students are welcome to enter their pumpkins in the school-wide contest this Friday. Trick-or-Treat!
Tall tales: students worked for seven days in a writing workshop to create a tall tale. The only element required was the setting...which would be our very own Flaming Geyser in Auburn. Check out the bold and beautiful scenes they painted. This was the culmination project for the assignment. Such incredible fourth grade artists!
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Gardening Club for 4th Grade:
Today we planted seedlings of kale and cauliflower in the raised bed next to the pre-kinder playground. First we added more topsoil, then planted the 24 seedlings, then watered. We'll check our garden regularly and when the kale is ready, we'll make a delicious kale salad. If the crop is plentiful, I hope to be sending home zip lock bags of kale so that you can add it to soups and salads. |
This is a garden update. As you can see our kale plants are making huge growth! The beets took a beating (no pun intended) from some mysterious critters but a few are still hanging on. The cauliflower is also growing robustly. With the advent of rain, we've stopped watering and shall wait and see how the garden matures. October 8
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Our first religion project:
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Welcome to fourth grade!
This year should prove to be an exciting year for all of us, and I wanted to share some of the highlights. First of all, reading and writing are two of my priorities. Don't worry, we'll learn the basics in shared writing lessons where we work together to create one finished paragraph. As a class, we'll brainstorm new ideas together before working individually to create paragraphs and even longer works. The writing process will sometimes involve editing and rewriting, because we only get better with practice.
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2021-2022 school year!
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2021-2022 school year!
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Hello Parents!
Slowly and thoughtfully, I will add details to this webpage to inform parents and clarify policies. We are starting off gently with homework this week. On the first day of school we reviewed this week's vocabulary and spelling packet. Students will take a packet home at the start of each week and turn the completed packet into their teacher on Fridays. That's also the day that they will take both a spelling and vocabulary quiz. We will expand our homework program as the year progresses. Thank you, John Paiva |
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