Finding value and purpose in our learning

                            Sept.19-Sept.23

This week at Math, we learned what are the properties of polygons and how to know that a shape is a polygon.We also learned to identify angles, acute angles, obtuse angles and right angles. Last, we learned what are concave polygons and convex polygons.

At writing time, we learned how to write a free verse poem. We learned by looking at examples. Also, we learned to use our writing territories. 

On Reading,we started to give book talks which means giving people reasons why they should maybe try to read this book, and tell what this book is about without giving out the end. Then, we learned what kinds of fiction and non-fiction there are. Also, we practiced interviewing books.

Last, but not least at Unit we built a marble run, went to the park, played with dogs in the park, and we wrote what was important (what we value) for us at the park.

All this time we have tried to answer these questions:

• What sort of learning are you looking for? Why?
• Where does learning live?

                                                      
                                           BY SOFIA AND YELYZAVETA


It has been an interesting week for us in 4L this week as we've spent some time taking a step back to be more reflective about what it is we actually do and why we do it! 

During unit time this week, we investigated the learner profiles and did a sort to discover what each profile actually means. We realized we had heard these words but were not really always sure what they meant. 

We got in teams of 4 to create a marble run to practice using our teamwork skills under a time restraint because we had noticed that was when our teamwork tended to break down. We changed our model and sat for 5 full minutes to come up with a plan before we ever began to build our marble runs. Not one of our teams successfully kept the marble rolling for 60 seconds, but we did reflect that our teamwork was better when we all knew exactly what to do before beginning. We rated our teamwork and then got together to compare our ratings in order to agree as a group on one rating. This was almost as difficult as building the marble run! 

At the park this week, we did an energizer called "Apples, Oranges, Bananas"! We had to try to repeat patterns with our bodies and it warmed up our brains and got our bodies feeling more coordinated...also it was pretty funny to watch! We played a game called "Streets and Alleys" and had some more good giggles as we watched our classmates chase each other as a cat and dog through the streets and alleys we made. Finally, we had some free play time. We are improving our abilities to create our own games. When returning from the park, we each shared what the most valuable thing about our time in the park this week or something new we learned while we were there. 

Playing "Streets and Alleys"

 Some students decided to build a small dam (then were kindly reminded by classmates to take it down before we left so it didn't hurt the habitat of the park)

 This was a game these students created called "Blind Trust," where a leader in front had their eyes open while the others trusted and followed with their eyes closed

This was one of the hula hoop games that was created where the partners must toss their hoop and catch their partner's

Our park reflections about what was most valuable or new learning for us

Speaking of the park, both 4L and 4A got together on Friday to plan for next Wednesday's park activities. We worked in groups of 3 or 4 to come up with the schedule, materials, games, and purpose of our time at the park next week. We began to present these ideas, and will finish on Monday with a final vote for which idea will be implemented this coming Wednesday. 

In mathematics, we investigated how intersecting, parallel and perpendicular lines are related. We also learned a new song about these lines to the tune of "Frere Jacques". Just ask- we'd love to sing it for you! :) We also began to explore different types of polygons and their properties, and ended with our definition of what a polygon actually is. Something that surprised us was that some polygons have special names that relate to a root word like: quadrangle - quad means 4, which is why a quadrangle is a polygon with 4 sides and 4 vertices. 

In reading this week, we began to give book talks about books we've been reading. We talked about what pushes us into the reading zone and how we can get pulled out...which is very annoying to good readers! We used our book interview skills when we visited the library. Several of us have begun to realize that we know ourselves quite well as readers as we know exactly what kind of books we like and have made recommendations for what to order to put in our class library. Now we just have to figure out how to get them there! We also learned about the different types of fiction and non-fiction. We went through our finished book logs to see if we could find any patterns about ourselves as readers and the genres we typically choose. 

In writing, we looked back at our writing territories to discover the purpose of these lists. We read some free verse poetry and made a list of everything we noticed about it. We then returned to our writing territories to pull topics to use when writing our own free verse poems. Our big learning was that writing is a messy process because writers draft and draft, changing their minds almost every time they read their compositions, until they have made it the best it can be. We also learned that we like to see models and examples because each time we look at these, they give us new inspiration and ideas. 

Finally, we celebrated our friend Migle's 10th birthday! It's been another great week in 4L, and we look forward to what exciting learning and "ah-ha moments" next week will hold for us. 

"Unpredictable" Learning

In math we learned that music is involved with math. We learned a song that reminds us about a line segment , a line and a ray. Next, the hailstone sequence. It's a sequence that you start with with a number: if it's even you divide it by two and if it's odd you multiply it by three and add one. It will always end with the number one. Also we learned that speed doesn't matter in math!

   
In language arts we learned what is writing territories. It's when we write a list of stuff that is on our mind lately. Also we learned how to interview a book and ordered our class library. We also talked about why people abandon books.

In the park we learned really unpredictable things. For example we learned teamwork in the tree by one hula-hoop getting stuck in a high tree! Everybody started throwing things on the tree. In the end we got three hula-hoops and one ball stuck. Then we got a long sunflower and took down two hula-hoops. Then one classmate started throwing somebody's water bottle and we got the ball down and two hula hoops but not the last one. 

In unit in PE we imagined everyone was on an island and we had two mats and 3 frisbees. We needed to cross to the other side of the gym without touching the floor. We did pretty well but we still are working on improving making a plan as a team. 

by Nora & Yigit

It's been another wonderful week together in grade 4L! We welcomed a new classmate and friend, Shourya, from the UK. 

Our highlights this week seemed to come in the form of unintended learning, which was a new concept for a lot of us. 

In Unit, we continued to work on the goals we set for ourselves:

• FULL team participation 
• Respect each team member
• Listen to everyone's ideas
• Make a plan BEFORE beginning a task

Though we were able to organise ourselves to create a plan before beginning our team challenge in PE, we struggled to give every member the opportunity to share their ideas before jumping into action. We rated our teamwork quite high at the end of the lesson, and then were very surprised when we watched ourselves on video! We then re-evaluated our teamwork using the rubric after seeing the lesson from a different perspective.

We continued to practise teamwork during the week as we worked in small groups to agree on ways to organise our classroom library and create a system for lunch helpers and cleaners. Both jobs took us much longer than we thought they would because it was difficult to get everyone to agree! We're learning daily about the importance of listening to other's ideas and ensuring that each member of our team/community feels valued. Our big learning was "We don't have to achieve our goal or win in order to have good teamwork!"

During our trip to the park this week with 4A, we played a game called "Chuck the Chicken Egg." We got some free play time. We didn't realise how much learning could come from a trip to the park!

In mathematics, we began our first unit of Everyday Math which is geometry. We investigated lines, line segments, points and rays. We even learned a song about them. Just ask- we LOVE to sing it and show the hand motions! We learned that singing often helps information "stick" in our brains, even when we didn't realise it was hidden there! We also discovered that two rays together make an angle. We constructed some different geometric shapes with straws and shared our thinking about these shapes. We also played "Addition Top It" to polish up our mental math skills. 

In reading this week, we learned to interview books by reading the back blurb, looking at the cover, reading some pages inside and getting a real feel for the book before deciding whether or not it's the right fit. We visited the library and interviewed as many books as we liked and even took a few home. We're working on building stamina by reading the same book at school and at home until it's complete. 

In writing, we created our "Writing Territories" page and talked about how good writing comes from our beliefs and experiences. We realised that good writers put the two together to create compositions we most enjoy reading. 

Last, but certainly not least, we got to take a trip to Cathedral Square to see the record breaking LEGO ship made by DFDS. It had over 1 million LEGOs! We even got popcorn, cotton candy and balloons! What a way to end the week! 

        

Our first full week together

In math we learned how to get different answers with only four 4s.

And the second most important thing in math was that there is no such thing as a math brain. A math brain is a person's brain that is very good with math.

And the most important thing in math was that if you make mistakes your brain grows.We learned that by watching a short video about brain growth. And the last thing we did in math was learning how to do math talks. A math talk is when we share answers of different questions.

In p.e. we tried to make 2 contraptions that will make the ball roll to the other side. Material was; carton boxes and sticky tape, but it didn't work because we didn't work in a team. Our class decided we need to listen to each other's ideas, respect each other, and that everyone should participate for good teamwork. 

In reading, we read for about 20 minutes every day. We learned about how to choose good books so we could find our "reading zone". The reading zone is when you are reading a book and you love the book so much that you only pay attention to the book.

by Rojus & Krista

Our first Unit of Inquiry is Who We Are. The central idea is: "Listening to other people's perspectives and communicating our own points of view helps us to live together." We spent Wednesday morning in the park with 4A playing games and completing team challenges. We continue to investigate what it means for a team to be successful and how we can work best together. We are beginning to understand the value of struggle and even failure at times, as it enables us to pinpoint areas for improvement.

In math, we have begun the year with some short videos about brain research and mathematical thinking. We practiced keeping a GROWTH MINDSET rather than a fixed mindset by embracing challenges in order to grow our brains. We worked in teams to solve different types of problems and then did "number talks" where we shared our way of thinking and methods for solutions. We were excited to see how differently we all solve the same problems! 

In language arts, we set up our Reader's Workshop. We talked about the importance of picking the perfect book and how that looks very different for each of us. We also gave ourselves permission to abandon books that are not a good fit for us because there are just too many wonderful books and so little time to read them all! 

  

A new year begins...

What a wonderful beginning to the year we had on Thursday and Friday! 

We spent our first two days settling into grade 4 and getting to know one another a bit better. In order to familiarise ourselves with our new classroom and the rest of the school, we worked in small groups we call "wolf packs" to complete a scavenger hunt.

On Friday afternoon, we reflected on WHERE THE LEARNING HAPPENED during our two days together.

*We learned a "surprising amount" about each other when we:

• answered questions in "Bus Stop"
• played "Egg, Chicken, Dinosaur, Superhero rock-paper-scissors"
• created our own sign
• played "Who's the Boss"
• learned 5 Handshakes in 5 Minutes and then made up our own to share
• told about our summer in Lithuanian class
• shared our favourite sport during PE

* We learned about how to be a mouse, tiger, owl and wolf

* We learned about expectations during reading and began to decide what books we'd like to read from the class library

Thank you for a great start to 4th grade!