What's Happening This Week in Fourth Grade?

May 27 - 30

Reading/Writing/Science:  This week, the children will share their owl presentations and dissecting owl pellets.  Additionally, the students will experiment with different forms of poetry as we read two owl-themed poetry books.  The first is Whoo-ku Haiku by Maria Gianferrari.  This is a dramatic nonfiction picture book about the life cycle of the Great Horned Owl.  It is written entirely in haiku and is highlighted by beautiful illustrations.  The children will write haikus about their expert owl of North America.  The class will also focus on point of view as they read and respond to another poem called “Dark Emperor” written by Joyce Sidman.  This is an informational poem about the predator-prey relationship between a small rodent and an owl told from the mouse’s point of view.  The children will use this as a mentor text and attempt to replicate the style when writing about the predator-prey relationship with their expert owl, including informational details along with figurative language and sensory details like the author did in the original poem. 

Finally, the students will begin a cross-grade level combined author and genre study with the third grade.  The highlighted author is the prolific Roald Dahl and the genre is fantasy.  Students will be meeting in small groups to read and discuss assorted Roald Dahl novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, the BFG, Esio Trot and George’s Marvelous Medicine.  Lessons will focus on elements of fantasy, the author’s writing style, story elements, vocabulary and theme.  Students will also be listening to and discussing selections of Roald Dahl’s autobiography entitled Boy: Tales of a Childhood.   Lessons will focus on connections between the author’s life and his stories and observations about how his life may have affected his writing.  Finally, students will experiment with fantasy writing using Roald Dahl’s books as mentor texts.

May Spirit Day Themes: