We are upon one of the busiest times of the year. I have heard parents and teachers referring to this month as "Maycember." No doubt, we can feel the same kinds of pressure this time of year that we feel during the winter holiday season. There certainly is a certain, frenzied energy associated with the end of the school year. In the midst of the plethora of projects, school events, and "to dos" it is so important for us to take time to celebrate and reflect upon the journey our kids have been on this year. The Fourth Brainers have grown in so many ways and it is one of my greatest joys as a teacher to slow down and enjoy the final weeks with my amazing students. I savor the small moments, knowing our time together in Room 215 is coming to an end. During these May days we can easily go, go, go but it is just as important to stop and smell the roses from time to time.
Important Dates
Thursday, May 11 - Spring Arts Fair
Friday, May 12 - Grandfriends' Day, early dismissal
Wednesday, May 24 - 4th Grade to Discovery Place
Friday, June 2, 2017 - "Unite or Die," 4th grade performance at 10:00am
Read on for an update from Mrs. Peery for Faith Studies
The fourth grade students continue to shine during faith studies. As we walked through the gospel of John, we read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus and talked about the ways that story sets the stage for Jesus’ resurrection. As we reflected on that story we looked at the verse “Jesus wept,” and students responded in their journals about what makes God cry today. One memorable lesson last month happened when we went on a gospel story Easter Egg hunt outside. Each small group found a certain color of eggs and inside the eggs were scripture verses for each gospel’s Easter story. The students then put the verses in order and then compared the similarities and differences in the stories. Most recently we have read the different resurrection appearance stories and talked about where we see God today and how we share God’s love with others. A student shared, “I see God in equality.” Other students said they see God at Metro School. Another student shared, “I can share God’s love with others by being truly empathetic and seeing the world from another person’s point of view.” It is truly a blessing to share this time with your students each week.
Important Dates
Thursday, May 11 - Spring Arts Fair
Friday, May 12 - Grandfriends' Day, early dismissal
Wednesday, May 24 - 4th Grade to Discovery Place
Friday, June 2, 2017 - "Unite or Die," 4th grade performance at 10:00am
Read on for an update from Mrs. Peery for Faith Studies
The fourth grade students continue to shine during faith studies. As we walked through the gospel of John, we read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus and talked about the ways that story sets the stage for Jesus’ resurrection. As we reflected on that story we looked at the verse “Jesus wept,” and students responded in their journals about what makes God cry today. One memorable lesson last month happened when we went on a gospel story Easter Egg hunt outside. Each small group found a certain color of eggs and inside the eggs were scripture verses for each gospel’s Easter story. The students then put the verses in order and then compared the similarities and differences in the stories. Most recently we have read the different resurrection appearance stories and talked about where we see God today and how we share God’s love with others. A student shared, “I see God in equality.” Other students said they see God at Metro School. Another student shared, “I can share God’s love with others by being truly empathetic and seeing the world from another person’s point of view.” It is truly a blessing to share this time with your students each week.
Math
Next week students will start our new math unit, How Many Packages and Groups.
Next week students will start our new math unit, How Many Packages and Groups.
Along with the work students will be doing in this unit, they will also start an end of year math project. Students will have time in class to work on their projects but will need to find a real world object that they can explore and describe using some of the math concepts they have been practicing this year. It helps if the object students select can be brought to school and all objects need to be parent and teacher approved.
Social Issues Book Clubs
This week we launched our new book clubs. Students got to review different novels last week and share their preference for what book they would like to read. Based on their interest and what we know about them as individual readers, students were assigned a book and a book club. The purpose of the clubs is much like the purpose of an adult club. We hope that readers will enjoy talking about the book and sharpen their thinking against each other's ideas. The Fourth Brainers are holding one another accountable in their clubs reading in preparation for the club meetings and keeping notes/jots from their reading. We are looking closely at the following social issues, problems that impact many people in society, within our books:
- being different
- dealing with change/loss
- how we perceive ourselves vs. how others perceive us
This week we launched our new book clubs. Students got to review different novels last week and share their preference for what book they would like to read. Based on their interest and what we know about them as individual readers, students were assigned a book and a book club. The purpose of the clubs is much like the purpose of an adult club. We hope that readers will enjoy talking about the book and sharpen their thinking against each other's ideas. The Fourth Brainers are holding one another accountable in their clubs reading in preparation for the club meetings and keeping notes/jots from their reading. We are looking closely at the following social issues, problems that impact many people in society, within our books:
- being different
- dealing with change/loss
- how we perceive ourselves vs. how others perceive us