Dear Families, Fourth graders have been very busy during Academic Choice. As mentioned earlier in the year, Academic Choice gives students an opportunity to choose what and how they learn. The Responsive Classroom Approach believes the following:
All options for Academic Choice have been introduced and practiced. Academic Choice should not be confused with making a free quiet choice. Although students are given a choice of what they learn and how they learn it, there are still clear expectations. Each option has meaning and purpose to enhance the learning of the students. For each choice made, students will share a plan of action, have conferences to monitor progress, and reflect on the work completed. This week students presented inquiry projects on Australia, Jerry Rice, Tobey Maguire, and American Sign Language. We also had a student create a Jeopardy game with a combination of topics we have learned about over the course of the year. There are many inquiry projects that are currently being worked on. Ask your child what they are doing for Academic Choice! Social Studies We have been learning about the people who lived in the west before it became the United States. Ken Fowler (an FA parent) visited fourth grade to talk about his connection to the Chickasaw Nation. During his visit he shared Native American stories and artifacts. In our classroom we have discussed the vast landscape of the west and the impact it had on how people lived. Language Arts
Now that we have finished Little House on the Prairie, fourth graders have settled back into the independent reading routine. We took time this week to have students share about their current books, which is a great way to spark the interest of others. I love hearing students excited about the books they are reading! Students continue to add to the Books We Read wall upon completion. Our April goal is to complete and review more books than we did back in January. April is Poetry Month! Since Lyn Hoopes visit, students have explored various forms of poetry. This week they practiced writing cinquain poems, concrete poems, and I am poems. Math
Have a wonderful weekend! Warmly, Brigid Comments are closed.
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May 2019
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