During the months of November and December, all classroom teachers were invited to sign up for a lesson with Mrs. Gregory using the Blue Bots. Blue Bots were purchased last year by the SCA, and they are used to help students learn and practice early computer coding skills. Students LOVE the bots, and now that we have our own set teachers can check them out from our library any time.
Throughout November, the fourth grade Language Arts group worked with a set of nonfiction science material called "Brain Bank." Students self-selected texts from a variety of choices and completed activities designed to build higher-level comprehension and vocabulary. In December, we began a unit on Greek mythology. Students are learning about the concept of mythology while reading about the various gods, goddesses, heroes, etc. Once students have gained some basic understanding, we will narrow our focus to study the monsters of Greek mythology.
It was quite a pleasure to spend time this month in every fourth grade classroom! We worked on the following components of creative thinking: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality. Students chose either a leaf or a pumpkin and imagined all the other things it could be. They then used color and other details to turn it into something else. I was blown away by their creative ideas!
We have concluded our first novel, Danny Champion of the World. Students were assessed on their written responses to the novel, and our focus was on providing evidence to support their opinions. We are now beginning a unit on nonfiction reading skills and strategies through the use of a resource called Brain Bank by Scholastic. This includes small leveled readers, and we are beginning with science topics. Students will provide written responses designed to build skills in comprehension, vocabulary development, and writing within a variety of texts.
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Mrs. GregoryMrs. Gregory has been a teacher for 25 years. She lives in Montpelier with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs. Archives
January 2017
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