Hi everyone!

Can you believe we are already heading into Week 5?! At this point, the routines are starting to feel much more natural, the kids are settling into being fourth graders, and we are really starting to get into the good stuff! This week we will continue our California studies, move further into our narrative reading and writing work, and keep building those strong math foundations.

🗺️ What’s Happening in Class

California Studies:​
We are continuing our California studies as students research the different regions of our state. They have been learning that California is HUGE and that the geography, climate, natural resources, and people can be very different depending on where you are in the state. We are also diving into latitude and longitude! Students are learning how to use coordinates to locate cities on a map, and this week they’ll be putting that skill to work as they locate and label cities throughout California. Once we practice together with our first map, students will use the same routine to work more independently with maps of Southern, Central, and Northern California. This is hard, but so worth it in the end!

Math:​
We are continuing our place value work with EngageNY. We are really focusing on understanding the value of digits, not just memorizing procedures. Expect lots of talking, modeling, comparing numbers, and explaining our thinking! We will be playing this fun dice game (the basic gist is that kids work in pairs and roll the die. They put the number they roll in the game board and they then write the expanded, word, and standard forms) You can get the boards I am using with my students here (which are suitable for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades...maybe even 6th!)

Reading:​
We are officially getting into CKLA Unit 1, our narrative unit! We are currently reading Small Steps, about a girl who contracted polio. We are also continuing to practice those important comprehension strategies we’ve been working on during our nonfiction quick dips. The Quick Dips have been working SO well in my class. The kids LOVE the nonfiction books, are gaining deep insight into them, and look forward to it. It takes no more than 15 minutes a day and works right into our schedule (they come in from lunch, sit on the rug, and we are reading!) If you would like to try Quick Dips in your class, here is a free one you can use. My students adore Keith Haring and this book now because of the Quick Dip.

Writing:​
Our writing work continues with our dive into narrative small moments. Last week, we did lesson 1 of the Snapshots, where students chewed a piece of Dubble Bubble and wrote down their thoughts, feelings, and ideas before, during and after chewing. This week we will take that a step farther and have them use Pop Rocks to do the same. This time they will not only have that fun experience, but write a full fledged narrative with it!

💡 Teacher Tip #1: Let Them Talk Before They Write

One thing I am really trying to emphasize this year is that good writing starts with good thinking and good thinking often starts with talking.

Before asking students to write, give them a minute or two to turn and talk about what they are thinking. Have them tell a partner their idea, explain their evidence, or even verbally tell the story they are about to write.

I find that students who say it first are much more likely to be able to write it down. It also gives us a chance to catch misunderstandings before they become a whole page of writing!

💡 Teacher Tip #2: Keep Teaching the Routines

Even though we are five weeks into school, I am still teaching routines.

It can be tempting to think, “They should know this by now!” But the students are still learning how our particular classroom works. I would much rather spend two minutes reteaching a routine than spend ten minutes dealing with the chaos that happens when everyone has forgotten what they are supposed to be doing.

If something isn't working, stop, reteach it, practice it, and move on. The time you spend now will pay you back later!

One More Thought

We are at that point in the year when the classroom is beginning to feel like a little community. The kids know each other better, they know me better, and we are starting to figure out how to learn together. There is still a LOT to teach and plenty of routines to reinforce, but I love this part of the year because you can finally start seeing little glimpses of the classroom you imagined back in August.

Here's to Week 5! Happy teaching!

Stephanie