A Big Bite

Our new inquiry based science unit on Adaptations is a huge hit!! We are learning all about adaptations in animals and plants and we have a student created bulletin board that changes with each new lesson.  Ask your child all about it!  We love the hands on science experiments!

Our fraction unit will come to an end this week when we take the chapter 13 test. As a final project, students created fraction posters using a "favorite fraction," to showcase all of the skills they have learned about fractions over the past few weeks.  We took a gallery walk to see everyone's work, it was fun!

Can you find your child's feet/socks?  At JFK we have been working on the core value of Respect and this past Friday we participated in a school wide community meeting to celebrate all of this work!  We even got to wear crazy socks.  Make sure you check out the JFKLadybugs Twitter account for some cool pictures.

In reader's workshop we have been focusing on Mythology and making connections to the many books and stories that we have read this year or already know.  We read about Theseus and the Minotaur and watched the Mythic Warrior cartoon of this story.  We are comparing the cartoon version, to the story that we read, and making connections to real life heroes.  The students love this unit and we will continue to read some more myths next week.  YouTube videos of the Mythic Warrior cartoons are posted below.  Students will have the opportunity to participate in a parent/child book club with the popular book, The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan.  Older brothers and sisters can read with a 4th grader, but a parent or guardian is preferred.  More information will be coming home next week.  This is a voluntary book club and will become the nightly reading. I am looking forward to sharing in this fun reading adventure with you! 

Our word study focus has been on Greek and Latin Roots.  After we were finished reading the myth of Arachne and Athena, students were able to make the connection to the word Arachnid, which led to a very interesting discussion of Arachnophobia.  Ah, to buy an "arachnid on the wall!"

In writer's workshop we have been hard at work on finishing our Rap poems and they are AWESOME!!! We even had a few peer teachers help out in the other 4th grade classes.  I can't wait for you to hear your child, "bust a rhyme!"

So much learning, so much fun, 

I can't believe we are two thirds of the way done!

How's that for a little rap?

Have a great weekend. ✌

Mrs. Williams