Math

     This week in Math, we spent time reviewing adding and subtracting with regrouping, a skill we learned and practiced in third grade.  We also practiced estimating sums and differences.  Later in the week, we learned the importance of annotating story problems in math.  Annotating helps us to find the important facts, decide what exactly we need to solve, identify unimportant information, locate any labels, and more.  

Alondra uses a highlighter to make important facts stand out. 

Zoe & Griffin show off their annotating skills.

Anina proudly shares how annotating can help us better understand a math problem.  

Writer's Workshop

     In Writing, we continued with our unit of study on Realistic Fiction.  We learned that writers organize their scenes into paragraphs.  We start a new paragraph when a new person speaks, when something big is about to happen, when time moves forward or backward, and when the setting changes.   We also learned about using dialogue in writing, as it infuses emotion into the story.  

Reader's Workshop

     We learned the nuts and bolts of fluent reading this week.  To read fluently involves reading voraciously, never feeling like we've had enough practice.  To be fluent readers, notice and react to punctuation.  We read with emotion, and phrase groups of words together, pausing to give the listener time to absorb and think about new information.  To become more fluent, we can practice repeated reading, using any text: poems, lists, songs, parts of stories, and more.  

Maddie, Jacob, Ciara, & Luis on Pajama Day

Henry, Gage, Alondra, Zach, & Gaby share their stuffed animals.  

Miles, Jack, Anna, Rachel, & Samantha look cozy in their pajama pants. 

Anina, Zoe, Griffin, Javeion, & Ben have fun on our Marble Celebration Day!