With the Columbus Day holiday on Monday and the 5th and 6th grades away on their week long field trips, it was a short and quiet week in the Middle School. Nonetheless, the 4th grade kept busy learning and we are looking forward to our own overnight field trip in May when we will head to the Museum of Science in Boston!

In math, we finished up our review work on addition, subtraction and estimation. We have progressed onto the concept of multiplication. It is very important that the students review their multiplication facts at home, either with flash cards or various games that can be accessed online. Quick recall of the basic facts are essential for moving forward with 4th grade math! We will be striving to master multiplication through a factor of 12. In class, we will be using games and other fun techniques to improve both accuracy and speed of recall.

In reading and science this past week, the students learned about the “super powers” of owls, to help them better understand the character of Mr. Ocax in our novel, Poppy. For example, they learned how owls can fly silently, as well as see and hear small movements from great distances. The students were amazed to learn that owls can sense and catch prey even when it is moving underneath a blanket of snow! This upcoming week we will be dissecting the owl pellets, which everyone is really looking forward to.

We are concluding our work on maps in social studies and are beginning to shift our focus to the study of geography and land forms. We will explore all kinds of geographical formations, from archipelagos to water falls, and everything in between! A major piece of this unit will be our Land Form Projects, in which each student will choose a major geographic form to investigate. In order to better share their findings, the students will be creating a visual representation of their land form. There will be several options that the students may choose from for their project, including a poster presentation, diorama or the creation of a picture book, which they will then present to the class. This project is a perennial favorite for the students, and I am looking forward to seeing what our class discovers together.

I hope everyone enjoyed this beautiful fall weekend! See you Monday!