1/12/15 Update: We are currently reading about real events (non-fiction) and deciding whether or not the event is a firsthand account (the person telling about it was part of the event) or a second hand account (the person telling about it was not there when it happened or not part of the event). Students should be able to define each of those vocabulary terms for you and provide an example of each. We are also working on comparing and contrasting events from each account and telling what kind of information usually come from each account. (Firsthand usually gives more emotion and feelings where second hand accounts usually give more researched facts - who, what, when, where, and why.)
As we head into February, we will return to reading fiction as we begin our mythology unit. (This is usually students' favorite unit!) Students will be studying what makes this genre unique as well as which words and phrases in our present-day vocabulary come from famous myths such as Pandora's Box, Hercules, King Midas, and many more. (How many words can you think of?) Your child will be bringing home myths to read for homework this quarter so feel welcome to hunt for those words/phrases together!
We will also be preparing for our state test this quarter. This year's test is very different from the OAA that many of your children took last year. This test is broken into smaller sections, is taken on the computer, and requires more analysis and writing from your child. These are all good skills that we have been working on all year, but we will practice them within the genre of test-taking and learn good test taking skills for the computer. There are practice tests online that we will go over together in class. You are welcome to check them out here (http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/) if interested. I will send more information home about this later, but here are the dates for our first three reading tests just so that you are aware: Literature Analysis (read fictional stories and answer questions about the vocabulary and the stories themselves): February 26 Research (Read a few non-fiction texts and answer questions about them, then use the information for writing): March 2 Narrative (Read about 2 stories and answer a few short questions about the story. Then, use what you know about writing and a theme from the story to write your own.) Reading 12/1
We are still reading informational texts in class. We have wrapped up our work with text structure and context clues (though we will continue to use these skills as they are helpful to us) and are moving on to work with the following skills:
Finding the main idea and key detailsof a text or a section of text. This is review from 3rd grade and most students are doing very well with it. When we read more challenging texts, finding the main idea becomes more difficult. This is something that we will continue to work on throughout the year.
Researching to find facts about a topic andrecordingthe facts in our own words. We have learned that research involves a few steps in order to be done correctly. 1. Read about the topic 2. Think about what you have learned 3. Restate what you learned in your own words to show understanding and to avoid stealing the author's words 4. Write down facts in your own words 5. Cite where your information came from. Feel free to try it out at home!
Integrating information from two different sources when we talk about what we have learned. This means that we talk about facts from two different places in a logical order. This part is really tricky for 4th graders! We are starting by cutting our our facts and sorting them by main idea.
In 1st quarter, we will be working with fictional texts. By the end of 1st quarter, your child should be able to summarize the text by identifying plot elements including the main characters, setting, the main problem/conflict, events leading to the solution of the problem, and the solution to the problem in each story. Your child should also be able to identify the theme or lesson for humans from the story and support the theme with evidence from the text.
We are also spending a good amount of time learning how to work independently during literacy stations while the teacher works with a small group of readers. Your child should be able to choose an independent reading book and read quietly for 20 minutes.