April
Responsive Classroom: We will focus on the last Habit in April. Habit 7 is Sharpen the Saw- Balance feels Best.Ways the kids can implement this habit are:
I take care of my body by eating right, exercising and getting sleep.
I spend time with family and friends.
I learn in lots of ways and lots of places, not just at school.
I find meaningful ways to help others.
Math: We have finished Unit 8 and will be working on Unit 9.
Reading: We will be finishing Literature Circles with Wintering Well by Lea Waite. The kids have been focusing on inferences, questions, predictions, and connections. We will also be reading and taking notes on Wabanaki historical information.
Writing: This month we will be responding to Mail . The kids will each write 3-4 letters, so that each state receives a letter from us. We hope to receive a response from each state.
Each student will also be studying a country, taking notes and posting a blog about the country. The blog has already been started by another fourth grade class in the United States and they've received comments from kids all over the world. We hope to be able to communicate through the blog with children all over the world as well.
Social Studies: We are continuing our Wabanaki studies. The kids will be creating iMovies to submit to the Abbe Museum in hopes that their movie is chosen to be added to the exhibit. Our learning targets are:
- I can describe Native American tribes of Maine and their lifestyles.
- I can explain how Maine Native American's food, shelter, clothing, customs/traditions were influenced by geography.
- I can compare the lifestyles of Native Americans in Maine today with those of Native tribes in the past.
March
Responsive Classroom: We didn't get to Habit 6 in February, so we'll focus on it in March.
Math: We are finishing Unit 7 and Unit 8 in EveryDay Math.
Reading: We will be starting Literature Circles with Wintering Well by Lea Waite. It's a historical fiction book that takes place in Wiscassett, Maine. It ties in great with our Maine History unit.
Writing: We will continue to work on writing summaries and will also start working on the trait, Word Choice.
Social Studies: We will be finishing our government unit and move into studying Maine Native Americans history. Our learning targets are:
- I can describe Native American tribes of Maine and their lifestyles.
- I can explain how Maine Native American's food, shelter, clothing, customs/traditions were influenced by geography.
- I can compare the lifestyles of Native Americans in Maine today with those of Native tribes in the past.
Responsive Classroom: We are focusing on Habit 6, which is "Synergize- Together to Better."
Math: We will be finishing Unit 6 and 7 in February.
Reading: We are focusing on what a summary is and how to write them with our own reading and class read alouds this month.
Writing: We'll be using writing class to work on summaries.
Social Studies: The rest of the year is dedicated to Maine Studies. We will start with learning about the federal and state government. Our learning targets are:
- I can describe how decisions are made in a democracy.
- I can name the three branches of government and the major roles and responibilities of each branch in Maine and the federal government.
- I can identify the town, state, adn country where I live.
- I can describe the duties of a good citizen.
January
Responsive Classroom: We are focusing on Habit 5 this month, which is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk).
Math: We will be finishing Unit 5 and starting Unit 6.
Reading: We are focusing all of our efforts on our ocean creature research. We are reading for information and taking notes.
Writing: In writing class once we have completed our notes, we are writing our ocean creature research paper on laptops.
Science: We have three learning targets in our science unit:
- I can give examples of how organisms depend upon one another for survival in a marine ecosystem (food chain, producers, consumers)
- I can explain what tides are and their impact on the environment and the organisms living there.
- I can demonstrate understanding of how organisms need to adapt to changes in their environment in order to survive.
December
Responsive Classroom: We are focusing on Habit 4 this month, which is Think Win-Win- Everyone Can win.
Math: We are finishing Unit 4 and moving onto Unit 5.
Reading: We're continuing to work on Elements of Plot with read alouds and our own personal reading books. We will start to work on summaries as well.
Writing: We are still working on the trait of Organization. The kids will be writing their own expository piece.
Science: We are digging into the Ocean Unit. Please see above for the learning targets.
November
Responsive Classroom: We will be focusing on Habit 3 this month which is Put First Things First. Work First, then Play.
Math: We are finishing Unit 3 and will be moving into Unit 4.
Reading: We started literature circles. The kids have been writing down their thinking, which includes, making predictions, inferences, connections and asking questions. We will also focus on Elements of Plot.
Writing: We are finishing with the Trait of Ideas. The kids have also been doing a great job peer conferencing and we will continue to build on that skill through out the year. We are now moving into the Trait of Organization.We will focus on authentic writing and what good writers do.
Science: We are finishing our Space Unit and starting our Ocean Unit. The learning outcomes for our Ocean Unit are:
- I can give examples of how organisms depend upon one another for survival in a marine ecosystem. (food chain, producers, consumers, decomposers)
- I can explain what tides are and their impact on the environment and the organisms living there
- I can demonstrate understanding of how organisms need to adapt to changes in their environment in order to survive.
Responsive Classroom: We will be focusing on Habit 2, Begin with the end in mind- Have a plan, of The Seven Habits for Happy Kids. This goes along with the goal setting we've been working on. I will be sending home a handout which gives the kids ideas of baby steps to take toward this habit.
Math: Units 2&3
Reading: I will continue with mini-lesson during our whole class reading time. This month will focus on:
* Main Idea & Details
Writing: Ideas Trait- We are continuing to focus on this trait. Because ideas is what we start with when writing, it is a big one. The kids have been analyzing writing and have now started to analyze their own.
Science: We are starting our Day/Night/Space unit. The outcomes of this unit are:
* Students will see the pattern of the phases of the moon.
* Students will know the relationship of the earth, moon and sun.
* Students will understand the force of the moon to affect tides.
* Students will understand the sun affects the weather and life on earth.
* Students will understand that earth is part of a system in our galaxy.
September
Responsive Classroom
I will be using the book, The Seven Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey. Some of you may be familiar with Steven Covey's book/program called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the book I am using was written by Steven Covey's son and is specific to children. I will read one story a month that focuses on one habit. We will follow up with class discussions and action plans as to how we can develop each habit. The habit we are focusing on this month, is "Be Proactive: You're in Charge."
Math
We'll be completing Unit 1 and starting Unit 2. At the beginning of each Unit in the Study Link book your child will bring home, you will see a Family Letter. Please read that letter to find out what each unit will be about and see answers to the homework.
Writing
We will be using the Write Traits program in writing class.
The Write Traits approach engages students in their own learning and promotes independence with a strategic focus on...We will focus on Trait 1 in September, which is the trait of Ideas.
*Building a critical understanding of weak versus strong writing through the
analysis of mentor texts
*Supporting writing development through self-assessment, peer coaching, and
discussion
*Connecting reading and writing so that students write like readers and
read like writers
*Equipping students with effective strategies for taking their writing to the
next level
*Providing opportunities for students to cement understanding of instruction in the context of personally important topics.
Reading
I will be doing several mini-lessons with students on the following:
* How to Choose a Book
* Author's Purpose
These will be topics that will be continually revisited and talked about throughout the year.
Science
We will be focusing on Science for the first half of the year and finishing the second half of the year with Social Studies. In September we will be working on our Force and Motion Unit.
