Science Fair!

All 32 of my fourth grade students took part in the school science fair. It was the first time for them, as fourth graders are the youngest to participate. Each student did an experiment following the 6 steps of the scientific method: purpose, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations and conclusion. They did their experiment at home and then in class we worked on our presentation boards. Each student not only displayed their board and experiment but also explained to the judges about their project.

Reading Fiction

Reading offers so many opportunities for different activities and diverse strategies to be used. I always begin a story with vocabulary, where the students decipher the meanings from finding the word in the story, and then together, using the sentence, we decide on a meaning and synonym together. They then create an organizer to show each vocabulary word, synonym, picture and sentence using the word. At the end of the story, before we take a test, I like to do a culminating project that shows their knowledge of the story. For this particular story, The Rajah's Rice, we made an organizer that showed the setting, main characters, the lesson learned, and the main points from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

Reading Non-Fiction

Reading non-fiction is always more difficult than reading fiction for most students. The reading books put a ton of information in a short amount of space, usually it being an excerpt from a longer piece. Especially with students whose second language is English, this process becomes tedious with so many new vocabulary words. My students do enjoy this reading because they are inquisitive about actual topics such as animals, oceans, and different professions. I have used a technique of making mini books while reading this type of literature. Usually the stories are divided into topics using bold-faced headings. We read each heading together, and then write two to three main points that we have decided on collectively. Putting this in book form, along with a picture or two, makes it a more interesting process which helps them to retain knowledge. Not only are they reading, but they are writing and drawing, and have a summarized study guide for when they are tested.

Our Human Bodies!

The diversity and creativity of my students amazed me as they presented their human bodies to the class. I told them if they were each able to explain all four systems through their project, then they would not need to take a test on the body. I am proud to say they were able to do so, and their projects were impressive.

The Human Body

My students have been studying the human body for the past month. As a culminating project, in groups of two, they needed to create a human body. The only rules were that they must include all bones from the pelvis on up, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the circulatory system, and the nervous system. They wasted no time in getting started.

Biographies

After finishing reading My Mom's Best Friend a biography about Sally Hobart and her experience getting a new guide dog, my students decided to create their own biography. We started by brainstorming and coming up with interview questions. Each student then picked another student's name out of a hat, and then chose 15 questions to interview them with. After the interview, we continued with the writing process, creating a rough draft, editing, and then making a final copy. This was a good opportunity for them to write in the past tense. We finished the project with the students practicing fluency and reading aloud to the class. Not only was this an interesting writing assignment,but we also learned a little something new about each student.

Do you know all your bones?

My students know all 14 major bones in their body, through this little song. Watch and see!