Los Feliz Arts

Curriculum Overview

So much has happened in Fourth Grade since we last wrote!  In Reader’s Workshop, book clubs are in full swing.  Several times a week students meet in small groups and discuss their thinking about literature.  They are learning to deepen their predictions, clarify words and phrases they don’t understand, ask and answer thoughtful questions, and find the main idea of what they have read.  In Writer’s Workshop, we are in the midst of a unit on realistic fiction.  In this unit the emphasis has been on character development, writing strong scenes, and revising our writing.  In Math we most recently studied multi-digit addition and subtraction and learned how to graph and analyze data.  In our Project-Based/DWoK, we have engaged in several scientific inquiries.  In January students spent several weeks studying aquatic ecosystems.  We are now growing plants and are conducting several “range of tolerance” experiments.

In February for Black History Month we studied prominent African Americans that have made our world a more peaceful place.  We studied Barack Obama, Ruby Bridges, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Giovanni, and India Arie.  We studied these individuals and thought about how we could bring their ideals into our classroom community.  The Fourth Grade continues to grow as a community that recognizes each other’s strengths and celebrates our differences.

Peace Talks

Last month in 4^th Grade children began learning “Peace Talks” during our classroom meetings.  Through Peace Talks, students are learning strategies to talk their way through disagreements or conflicts that arise with their peers.  Peace Talks emphasize speaking truthfully yet respectfully, listening actively, taking responsibility for your actions, and compromising to reach a solution. Although we just started Peace Talks we have noticed that the strategies are already empowering students to solve social issues that arise.  Encourage your children to explain Peace Talks to you.  They could even try a Peace Talk with a sibling or friend at home!

Upcoming Dates

3/19: 4^th Grade Arts Showcase

3/24-3/26: Minimum Days and Conferences

4/5-4/9: Spring Break

4/13-4/15: Earthmobile “In House Field Trip”

4/19-4/23: Spirit Week

4/23- 4/24: Night at the Museum Overnight

Important Announcements:

• Payment for the overnight field trip will be due soon.  Please keep an eye out for an email.
• Early dismissal on 3/24- 3/26

Looking Ahead

Units
Reading: Finishing Mystery Genre Study/Book Clubs, Launching Author Study/Book Clubs
Writing: Publishing Realistic Fiction & Beginning Response to Literature Unit
Math: Data Analysis, Solving Expressions, Double Digit Multiplication
DWoK: Salt Tolerance Experiments, Biographies of Botanists, Launch study of California History

Week 1: Reading: Synthesizing what you have read in your mystery

Writing: Revising fiction writing

Math: Finding the mode, median, range, and mean of data sets

DWoK: Testing for salt tolerance: planting and observing

Week 2: Reading: How does reading mysteries well help us read all fiction well?

Writing: Final drafts and celebration of fiction writing

Math: Solving expressions with parenthesis

DWoK: Testing for salt tolerance: observing and uprooting

Week 3: Reading: New book club groups, deepening book club strategies

Writing: Getting to know a story in depth

Math: Double digit multiplication

DWoK: Biographies of famous botanists

Week 4: Reading: Launching book club author study- introduction to author

Writing: What is the story about and how does it connect to my life?

Math: Double digit multiplication continued

DWoK: Our State’s First Inhabitants

“Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.”

-Native American Proverb

Our current theater arts unit of study is Fables and Fairy Tales. Each class will showcase a fable or fairy tale from around the world.  The fourth grade classes will showcase on Thursday, December 17 at 6:00pm.

Ms. Howe’s class: How Robin Stole Fire (PDF)

Ms. Trubo’s class: The Great Kapok Tree (PDF)