Mrs. Patry's Grade Four Blog

May 21st - 24th ** Reminders ** Students brought home their MWAS (this week) Folders. Ask them what this means! They had two of their writing samples inside of these folders. Please be sure to have your child share their work and the checklist with you! Then, have your child bring back the folder to add more work to next week that they will share with you on Thursday.  We will be going on our field trip to Heritage Park on Monday. Please help to ensure your child has appropriate footwear and clothing for the day. Also, please make sure they have a snack, lunch, and water bottle. There will not be opportunity to purchase anything while at Heritage Park.  English Language Arts Reading Students focused on summarizing our class read aloud The City of Ember this week. They listened to a chapter and then summarized it in about 15-25 words. Their goal was to identify key ideas, some important details, and use their own words. Learning Outcomes: I can use strategies to support my read...

May 13th - 16th Science Students were tasked with using the materials from the Loose Parts Lab to design and build a teeter-totter. Each group of three took to this challenge very well. They used a variety of materials to build as many different designs of teeter-totters they could. Then, each group shared their teeter-totters. Finally, the students looked carefully at each design. They paid attention to what differences they noticed and careful attention to what all of the designs had in common. Students discovered that to create a successful teeter-totter, all groups somehow designed a lever!  Learning Outcomes: I can construct a lever and explain how it works in a teeter-totter, scissors, or crow-bar. Possible Questions to Ask Your Child: What is a lever? How does it work? (Key words = fulcrum, beam, weight) What was your design like? What materials did you use? How did you collaborate in your random group of three? What ideas did you share? What ideas did you learn from others?...

May 6th - 10th English Language Arts and Literature Reading : We started a new read aloud this week that students are very excited about. It is  The City of Ember . Prior to beginning the novel, students looked at the cover and read the back of the book. Then, they made a prediction about who the characters might be, what the setting would look like, and what events might happen.  Learning Outcomes I can examine how making, modifying, or confirming predictions supports text comprehension. Possible Questions to Ask Your Child  What do you think will happen in your new read aloud? Writing : Thank you for supporting your child with ideas to include in the timeline of their life. They had a lot of great ideas for our writing task. After creating a timeline, students chose one event to write a story about. Prior to writing about their event, they learned four strategies to create interesting story beginnings, which are sound, dialogue, thought/question, and action. Then, they ...

April 29th - May 3rd English Language Arts Students reflected on their learning throughout the Minecraft process. They reflected on what they enjoyed, challenges they faced, and how they persevered. They shared their learning through writing and drawing. The grade fours checked in by writing a letter, incorporating the different elements of writing they have learned this year. They included skills, such as complete sentences, appropriate punctuation, paragraphs, descriptive words, figurative language, and editing and revising.  I can incorporate text features to support a purpose.  I can create written texts for a variety of purposes.  I can write in a logical order by grouping ideas into paragraphs. I can revise and edit. Questions: What ideas did you include in your letter? What did you edit and revise in your writing? Mathematics Students began exploring fractions and equivalent fractions. They built fractions, coloured fractions, and wrote fractions. Through their wor...